Fantasy

Herc / Phoenicia Rogerson

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Herc
By: Phoenicia Rogerson
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 384
Published: September 5, 2023
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Dates Read: October 31, 2023 - November 6, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: violence, death, murder, (ya know, Greek Gods’ stuff)

Herc is a retelling of Hercules told by the people around him and how he impacted their lives – for better or worse.

So, upon reading this, I realized that I only knew the Disney version of Hercules – totally and absolutely so much different. <spoiler> It was the children’s killing that made my jaw hit the floor </spoiler>

I mostly listened to this in an audiobook and it had a whole ensemble of characters and voices, which was great because it helped with keeping everyone straight. It also gave Hercules a layered and complicated life (again, one I did NOT know about because I knew only of the Disney version). The different voices also gave way to some humor with it too because everyone obviously had different experiences with him through his life.

Overall, I’m going to be recommending this to quite a few people, especially those who like mythology and retellings. Also, this is such a nice twist of the telling of Hercules because it’s not really about him, but more about the people he had interactions with throughout his life.

*Thank you Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

That Self-Same Metal / Brittany N. Williams

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That Self-Same Metal
By: Brittany N. Williams
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 352
Published: April 25, 2023
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Dates Read: October 29, 2023 - October 31, 2023
Format: ARC / Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: racism (including blackface), sexism, murder, violence

Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a “gifted” craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company. Joan’s gift comes from a magical ability she was blessed with from her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her entire family is Orisha-blessed, they’ve kept tabs on the Fae presence in London. Usually, they just see a faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try their best to blend in with regular society. After a pack has been broken though, the rise of brutal Fae attacks has risen. After saving the son of a cruel Lord from a Fae attack, Joan gets thrusted into the political world of humans and Fae.

The writing really shows the author’s background in theater and acting and of the historical time period (including the treatment of Black people living in London, which I hadn’t known about). 

Some of the parts didn’t interest me as much, but I did really enjoy the fight scenes as I felt like they were well written. There could have been a lot going on, but I would never feel like I was lost but rather right in the middle of swords swinging around.

Overall, this was a fun and action-packed YA fantasy with an alternative history twist. I can see YA fantasy readers and those who love theater enjoying this book with the twist of Shakespeare. I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for the next book in the series to continue with Joan and her story.

The Spells We Cast / Jason June

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The Spells We Cast
By: Jason June
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 352
Published: October 2, 2023
Publisher: Melissa de la Cruz Studio
Dates Read: October 25, 2023 - October 27, 2023
Format: Library Book / Audiobook / Hardcover

Nigel Barrett spent his whole life preparing for the Culling – a spell-casting competition that determines which of the world’s teenage magicians get to keep their powers, and those who will be stripped of them, in order to keep and preserve the magical balance. He’d been ready – until he met Ori Olson.

The moment they meet, sparks fly, their powers are stronger, more thrilling, but also it seems, more dangerous. As the Culling field gets more and more narrow, Nigel and Orio realize just how much is at stake – and it may very well ride on the connection between them.

I don’t know where I saw this being marketed as “magical gay cowboys” but I grabbed this as soon as I could because of it. And boy, did it not disappoint! I also don’t know what it is about teenagers and them being on the verge of losing their magic forever that gets me into these stories, but I’m down.

I did give out quite a few eye rolls when Nigel would talk about his breakup with Jeremy. He’d talk about how he knew they wouldn’t work out and listed all this stuff – but then would compare interactions with Ori to Jeremy and I’d be sitting there going, “It’s not the same!”. And, the whole insta-romance thing is never my type. This book happens over 3 days!! <spoiler> I know this plays on soulmates, but it’s still a bit too fast </spoiler>.

But, even though I didn’t care all that much for the romance aspect of it (or rather, the pining on Nigel’s part for a partner who is no longer even in the photo), I still enjoyed the novel and its story. It ended on a cliffhanger and I’ll be keeping an eye out for the sequel for sure!

*Thank you Melissa de la Cruz Studio and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

The Collectors / Edited By: A.S. King

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The Collectors
Edited By: A.S. King
Genre: Short Stories, YA
Number of Pages: 272
Published: September 19, 2023
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: October 23, 2023 - October 25, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

The Collectors is an anthology of stories by well known young adult authors about characters and their strange collections.

I haven’t really reviewed an anthology of stories from different authors before, so here’s my doing my best.

Play House: Took me a minute to get into it, but then enjoyed it.

The White Savior Does Not Save the Day: This was okay for me – it delivered a well written story, but I don’t know how I feel about it still, even two days after reading it.

Take It From Me: I can still actively “see” scenes from this story even now. The banana stickers on the wall, the locked box of doubts – it was a vivid story.

Ring of Fire: Metaphor about grief, but was kind of left confused a little at the end.

Museum of Misery: Impactful. A big punch with little words but pictures said everything.

La Concha: I couldn’t always follow this one. I felt like there were some big pieces missing from it.

Pool Bandits: One of my favorites just because of the length these boys went to to skate. My partner is a skater and I understand that culture a lot.

We Are Looking For Home: Another story I didn’t quite understand and even in the end, I don’t know what it was about??

A Recording for Carole Before It All Goes: This was beautiful and heartwarming. I feel like everyone nowadays possibly knows someone who has Dementia or Alzheimer’s. My grandmother had dementia and just passed away at the beginning of this month and these stories will always make me think of her.

Sweet Everlasting: A crazy and kind of scary concept of being stuck in the “moment they wish could last forever”

The ones I loved: Take It from Me / David Levithan, Pool Bandits / G. Neri, A Recording for Carole Before It All Goes / Jason Reynolds, and Sweet Everlasting / M.T. Anderson

Overall, there were some wonderful and great stories, and others that I just couldn’t get into – doesn’t mean they weren’t good and others wouldn’t enjoy them though!

*Thank you Dutton Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1) / Katherine Arden, Kathleen Gati (Narrator)The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1) /

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The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1)
By: Katherine Arden, Kathleen Gati (Narrator)
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 347
Published: January 10, 2017
Publisher: Del Rey 
Dates Read: October 12, 2023 - October 19, 2023
Format: Audiobook, Library Book, Paperback

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year. Vasilia isn’t bothered much by the amount of time she has to spend indoors, because she gets to listen to her nurse’s fairy tales while huddled around the fire with her family. 

After Vailisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Vasilia’s new stepmother forbids the family from honoring the household spirits – all the family follows, except for Vasilia, who can see the spirits, knows they must continue. But because the others have stopped, crops begin to fail, evil creatures come closer and closer to their house and village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother is determined to groom the rebelliousness out of Vasilisa in order to marry her off or ship her off for a life in a convent.

I did mostly listen to this in audiobook because I wanted to make sure I could pronounce the Russian names correctly – I was not the first two chapters of the book – but the narrations of Katheleen Gati were amazing and really put me into the storyline of Katherine Arden.

Arden did a fantastic job of taking us on a journey into this magical, historical world of Russian folklore, mythology, and fairytales. She does amazing at teleporting you into the cold, bitter frost of their winters. It’s also so very much a page turner that keeps you hooked from the very beginning – a little slow, but still a page turner. I’m pretty excited to continue on with the series.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to those who love a good historical fiction mixed with mythology and folklore. This is also a good book to read curled up under a thick blanket with a warm drink in hand too.

Confetti Realms / Nadia Shammas

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Confetti Realms
By: Nadia Shammas, Karnessa (Artist), Hackto Oshiro (Colorist), Micah Meyers (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 196
Published: October 17, 2023
Publisher: Maverick
Dates Read: October 3, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

On Halloween night a group of teens are transported from a graveyard into another realm where they must collect molars in order to return home.

I loved the art of this graphic novel – the cover alone is what caught my attention. Throughout the entire novel, the art was clear and smoothed allowing easy reading.

What I felt fell a little short was that they were in this crazy and a bit ridiculous world and we only ever get a glimpse at it. I would get lost within the panels a bit and not pay that much attention to what’s in the speech bubbles because I was more interested in the background. Which is kind of what brings me to the part where I had a hard time understanding the characters – to me, it felt like they weren’t flushed out as much as they could have been. A lot of their bickering was repetitive.

I’m also not entirely sure I know what happened at the end??

I’ll try and reread it one of these days, but right now it just wasn’t for me.

*Thank you Maverick for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Weaver and the Witch Queen / Genevieve Gornichec

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The Weaver and the Witch Queen
By: Genevieve Gornichec
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 424
Published: July 25, 2023
Publisher: Ace
Dates Read: September 28, 2023 - October 3, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Gunnhild, Oddny, and Signy have been best friends since they were little. After a visit from a wisewoman who makes an ominous prophecy involving the girls, the three take a blood oath to always help one another.

Years after Gunnhild had run away from her cruel mother, Oddny and Signy’s farm gets raided and Signy gets taken. Oddny and Gunnhild are reunited in their journey to stop at nothing to save Signy. Oddny, who was spiraled out of the life she always imagined, finds herself drawn to one of the raiders who participated in the attack. Gunnhild, who fled her childhood home to learn the ways of the witch, is surprised to find her destiny intertwined with King Eirik, heir apparent to the ruler of all Norway.

But the bonds the women have are strong and on the journey to save Signy, these bonds will be tested and stretched in ways they never could have seen.

Just like The Witch’s Heart, I absolutely loved and devoured this novel. I also adored the characters – even with all their flaws. All of the side characters stood strong on their own as well and I always wanted to hear and read about all of them.

Everything about this book was captivating and absorbing for me. Genevieve Gornichec has always done an amazing job at getting me into ancient settings and keeping me there throughout the entire book. I could practically picture myself there.

I didn’t know much about Icelandic and/or Norwegian folklore or sagas before this (some Norse Mythology). I really enjoy when a historical fiction book also teaches me things as well – or gives me something to look up and research myself afterwards. 

I would highly recommend this book – especially those who like historical Norwegian fiction. And for those who liked The Witch’s Heart and are wondering if you’ll like this one too – I say give it a shot!

*Thank you Ace and NetGalleyfor an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Marvellers / Dhonielle Clayton

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The Marvellers
By: Dhonielle Clayton, Khadijah Khatib (Illustrator)
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 432
Published: August 29, 2023
Publisher: Square Fish
Dates Read: September 15, 2023 - September 18, 2023
Format: Audiobook, Paperback

Ella Durand is the first (and right now only) Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors – a magical school up in the clouds where Marvellers from all around the world come to practice and learn their craft. 

Despite her eagerness to both learn and make friends, Ella soon finds out it’s not going to be easy. A lot of Marvellers mistrust her Conjuroring – they say it’s “bad and unnatural” and some aren’t in support of the new student entry into their school. But soon, Ella makes friends; a boy named Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical animals, Brigit, her new roommate who wants nothing to do with this world, and her mentor, Masterji Thakur.

When a dangerous criminal escapes prison, rumored with the help of a Conjuror, tensions grow extra tight in the Marvellian world and Ella gets a lot of extra attention. Worse, Masterji Thaku mysteriously disappears and Ella’s teachers are lying about it. With the help of her friends and the powers growing every day, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and save her teacher before it’s too late.

I had such a fun time listening and reading this novel this past weekend. I can definitely see this being a new favorite in Middle Grade (and even YA when it gets up there as the kids get older) readers who love reading about adventures in a magical school.

I love that it took us so long to find out which house the students get sorted into – it gives us so much to look forward to in the second book. I’m pretty stoked about the fact that by the time I read this, it’s right before the second book comes out. And you can bet I’m going to be going out and getting the second one on publication day

*Thank you Square Fish and BookishFirst for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

A Multitude of Dreams / Mara Rutherford

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A Multitude of Dreams
By: Mara Rutherford
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 384
Published: August 29, 2023
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Dates Read: August 29, 2023 - September 2, 2023
Format: Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: plague, death, blood, racism, murder, self harm, genocide, survivors guilt

A Multitude of Dreams is a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. Four years ago, King Stuart gathered his royals, noblemen, and daughters and locked them into the safety of the castle walls. Every window was boarded up and every door sealed shut – all to protect those within of the horrible mori roja plague ravaging the land outside.

Told in third person, this novel follows Seraphina, a Jewish girl, who is also the (fake) Princess Imogene, and Nico, who once lived a comfortable life but now works for Lord Crane, the man who saved his life after he lost everything. When Lord Crane sends Nico and two others on the search for survivors, Nico meets a princess who wants out. But both are living in giant webs of lies and deception that they must unravel if they’re going to survive. 

I wanted this title because I read The Poison Season and I really enjoyed it. So, when I saw Mara Rutherford had another YA novel coming out, I immediately put it on my TBR list. It’s also listed as Fantasy Gothic and 

I was all about it and also the cover – like, I love it!

There were a few twists in here I didn’t quite see right away, which was nice. And, even some of the ones that I did see coming, I still enjoyed Rutherford’s storytelling and it kept me interested. And yes, there is some romance in this, but it wasn’t the main focus of the story – surviving and getting out of the castle was.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who’s in need of a good gothic fantasy with a hidden identity, Jewish representation, a masquerade, and the fight of survival.

*Thank you Inkyard Press and BookishFirst for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

The Forbidden Spell (Mark of a Caster #1) / Kaely Rose

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The Forbidden Spell (Mark of a Caster #1)
By: Kaely Rose
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 244
Published: October 9, 2022
Publisher: Self Published
Dates Read: June 15, 2023 - June 24, 2023
Format: eBook

Due to a curse put on him at birth, Senrind’s been forced to live stuck as a werewolf, unable to change into a human. With the help of his friend, Quinn, they go to a fortune teller who introduces them to a shapeshifting cat named Carithway.

Carithway can help him break the curse, but Senrind in return, must help Carithway out at his shop. Sentrind agrees and is thus thrown into a world of witches, spells, potions, and magic. As Sentrind tries to find answers to his past, he undercovers secrets from his father as well as something Carithway is hiding too. Was Senrind safer in his wolf form and now that he’s human – what can he do to help?

I’m not sure what it is with me stumbling upon cozy fantasies with found family tropes but I’m here for it and absolutely love it. The characters of this book are all so lovely and I’m a sucker for cats with magic, so Carithway could always make me smile.

With a lot of books, the main character gets everything bad thrown at them. But with this book, though there are trials and learning paths, Senrind seems to be doing well and it wasn’t filled with suspense and danger around every corner – hence why I’m calling it cozy fantasy. Sometimes that’s just what you need though.

There is a little romance in this book – but it’s just beginning, which I love because it seems very much more authentic and not rushed into in a few pages. This novel is marked as being #1 in the series, so I’m excited to see this relationship grow as well as the rest of the storyline continue.

This is a cozy read that would be perfect to snuggle up with in the fall – or honestly, you can be like me and read it right at the beginning of Summer and dream about the fall weather that’s mentioned in the book!

*Thank you Kaely Rose and The StoryGraph for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review