strange and random happenstance

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Published by: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Publication Date: May 2nd, 2023
Format: Kindle, 663 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

General Lilith Sorrengail is the Commander of Basgiath War College. But she is infamous for putting down the Tyrrish Rebellion with her dragon Aimsir by capturing the separatist leaders. Though she lost her son Brennan at the the hands of the rebel's leader, Fen Riorson, during the Battle of Aretia. Brennan's death broke his father's heart while his two sisters carried on as best they could. Mira always wanted to be a rider like her mother and is now a First-Lieutenant. But Violet took after her father. When her mother was pregnant with Violet she was gravely ill causing Violet to be born with all the color and strength drained from her. Her ligaments and joints tend to subluxate frequently so her future as a scribe, like her father, seemed assured. But then her father died and the spring before she'd start in the Scribe Quadrant her mother informed her that she was entering the Riders Quadrant. A move that seemed folly to all, but General Sorrengail was adamant. No child of hers would enter the Scribe Quadrant. Beyond all hope Violent survives Conscription Day where the hopefuls must survive the parapet to enter the Riders Quadrant. Which means she only has to somehow complete the Gauntlet and hope she bonds with a dragon during Threshing, neither of which will be easy. And that is if none of her peers decide to eliminate her first. She is a very desirable target. She is weak, but more importantly, she is General Sorrengail's daughter. And it just so happens that the Riders Quadrant is chock full of the children of the separatists who were conscripted after their parents' failed rebellion. Riders who very much hold a grudge against Violet's mother, making Violet a target for revenge. Especially by Xaden Riorson. Sure his father killed Brennan, but her mother killed his father. As well as the parents of all his friends. With only one loyal family friend, Dain Aetos, to look out for her, Violent learns she's got to look out for herself. What she lacks in brawn she'll make up for in brains and copious amounts of poison. And against everyone's expectations she succeeds. At a level that some start to question when she bonds with not one but two dragons. Something that has never happened before. And yet her mother isn't pleased. It's almost like she wanted her daughter to die. But perhaps that's because Violet is too smart for her own good. She starts to notice things, books missing from the Archives when they should have every book ever written in Navarre. And she starts to notice Xaden. She really shouldn't notice him. But it's like she can't help herself. By the end of her first year she'll perhaps wish that she hadn't survived the parapet because the truth, a truth that Xaden helps her to find, might be just too painful to bear.

Me and "popular" books tend to not get along. We're like fire and ice, or as I read recently, a library and a loud party. Which means I was very skeptical about Fourth Wing. But everyone was talking about how good it was and I don't like to be left out of book "movements" no matter how much I might regret it later and so I requested it through OverDrive and went into it knowing literally nothing. And yes, I mean nothing. I didn't even know there were dragons in it. But I now know one thing emphatically. I don't regret it at all. Even if you had told me the details I don't think I could have grasped how hard I would fall for this book that's like a sexy Harry Potter meets Game of Thrones but with even more death to such a degree that there's a campness to it. I mean it's like, how much more death is there going to be? All the death. And it will hurt. But it will also entertain. It's weird that this much death and destruction could be so entertaining, but here we are, it's the best book I read in 2024. It is what it is. Though what this book really did, besides remind me how much I have always loved dragons, is how much I love fantasy. What fantasy does is take you away to another place and time and then hit you with the home truths that you need to hear. Through the filter of fantasy we learn more about ourselves than I think in any other genre. And that's where this got me. Because this book was all about how history is written by the victors. That it "only takes one desperate generation to change history - even erase it." Books are knowledge but if that knowledge is censured then the truth is up for grabs. We're seeing it right now, all around us. Why else are they trying to ban books? It's not just because they fear the contents but because they fear us having any kind of reasoning, deductive or otherwise. Knowledge really is power. And moreover, readers are more empathetic, and well, we can't have that now can we? But what terrifies me is that while Rebecca Yarros says that it takes "[o]ne generation to change the text. One generation chooses to teach that text. The next grows, and the lie becomes history." We are seeing that around us at an accelerated rate. An attempt to literally overthrow democracy is viewed by many as just a peaceful gathering. We all saw it with our own eyes and yet people are denying that that's what they saw. Could it be because "[l]ies are comforting. Truth is painful." We must not accept the big lie! And the way this is presented to us, through Violet just looking for a beloved book her father read to her and realizing that there has to be a reason folklore is now considered dangerous is poignant. But she keeps digging and the truth she learns, well, that's the very reason her mother wanted her not be a scribe. Because General Sorrengail is ashamed of the truth. And maybe that's a sign that what she did is wrong?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Basgiath, Dain Aetos, Dragons, Fourth Wing, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, History, Navarre, OverDrive, Rebecca Yarros, Riders Quadrant, Scribe Quadrant, Threshing, Truth, Tyrrendor, Violet Sorrengail, Xaden Riorson

Death by Misadventure by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 24th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Once Cécile du Lac invites you into her charmed circle you will forever be in her orbit. And you will adore every minute of it. Cécile and the Baroness Ursula von Düchtel have been fast friends since they commiserated over losing an auction for an early Manet that went to someone nowhere near worthy. Ursula's art collection is eclectic, to say the least, with her collection encompassing objects from across the centuries, with Renaissance art sharing space with Gustav Klimt. For years she has been dreaming of building a house worthy of her collection and the Villa von Düchtel situated in the Bavarian Alps with the barest glimpse of Schloss Neuschwanstein in the distance is finally ready for guests. A striking modern villa of mosaic glass and concrete with a long wide gallery for her collection. For the occasion Ursula has invited friends, neighbors, artists, art dealers, journalists, critics, and poets. Sadly the family also showed up. Cécile, knowing that Lady Emily would never forgive her if she didn't extend her an invitation to see Ursula's ancient art has arrived with Emily and of course Colin in tow. It always pays to make sure one is surrounded by attractive men. At the gathering Emily wonders if it's beyond the pale to contemplate murdering a house guest who is boorish and a lout just so she can go talk to the intelligentsia. Yes, she does know it's morally wrong, but whomever made up the rules had clearly never met Kaspar Allerspach, Ursula's odious son-in-law. Ursula regrets every day that her daughter Sigrid married Kasper and not the delightful Max Haller who is a virtuoso on the tuba. Max has also been invited, because one never knows. In fact once the reception is over they will be a reduced house party indeed, made up of just family and a few hangers-on. Kaspar has brought his best friend Felix Brinkmann and socialite Birgit Göltling who may or may not be involved with Felix. But Liesel Fronberg is the most out of place, being an art dealer from Berlin, and being more servant than guest. So while Cécile was hopeful of an intellectual gathering, the likes of which Ursula is known for, it's a gathering brought low by the uncouth Kasper and company. Though the reception has one more surprise in store before the masses depart, Kaspar is approached by one of the journalists in attendance and is informed that they were told to come to the Villa von Düchtel for the wake of Kaspar Allerspach. At first Kaspar is taken aback, but then he decides it must be nothing more than a joke. The first attempt on his life happens when they are all out skiing, Lady Emily failing spectacularly at it. The second attempt is when they are visiting Schloss Neuschwanstein. Someone takes a pot-shot at him. As the winter weather worsens, Emily and Colin realize that the escalation of events is quite concerning. They are virtually trapped in the Bavarian Alps so the culprit who wants to put the wind up Kaspar must be one of their party. Things take a deadly turn when out on a sleigh ride with his wife Sigrid is murdered, not Kaspar, the killer apparently missing their mark. But was Kaspar the intended victim? The campaign of terror would indicate as such, but what if it was all a ruse? What if there's something more at play? To solve this mystery Emily will have to look to the past, to a King who was either insane or eccentric, who was either murdered or died by his own hands, and who had a love of German legends and Wagner and built Schloss Neuschwanstein while bankrupting Bavaria.

Each and every installment in Tasha Alexander's beloved series makes me fall more in love with the characters and with Tasha's writing. There's just such a wonderful balance of mystery, art, culture, and history. Here we lean a little more into the art and culture, but I think that is perfectly wonderful for a story set in the land of fairy tale castles. Also, for the mystery lovers among us, I think this is Tasha's most Agatha Christie book yet. All mysteries owe a lot to Agatha Christie. Even if a story is just using the same basic building blocks that many people have, if Agatha did it, Agatha is the one who gets credit. I can't help but think of a book I loved, Sofia Slater's Auld Acquaintance, which was lambasted by critics because it was a fun retelling of And Then There Were None. They might have omitted the "fun" part. So walking the "Agatha Christie" edge is a delicate balance. Too much and you're ripping her off, too little, and obviously she would have done it better. So there's no avoiding Agatha Christie when talking mystery, and while some might point to Lady Emily's trip down the Nile in 2022 as her most Christie mystery, personally I think Secrets of the Nile was way more Amelia Peabody. But to each there own. The point of all this is that Death by Misadventure is just deliciously Agatha Christie enough to draw the reader in; oh, a beautiful house in the Bavarian Alps you say? And trapped by snow with these reprobates? Oh, intriguing. And then it's all a wonderful locked room mystery after that. In fact I also have to thank Tasha for this book because it was part of three books I read back-to-back that finally pulled me out of a serious reading slump. It was so horrifically bad I was choosing to play FarmVille or sleep over reading. And if you want to avoid a similar fate, never ever ever read Scattered All Over the Earth by Yōko Tawada. OK back to happy thoughts! Bavaria! OK, here's the thing about me and history. If it's US history, I know it, if it's British history, I know it, if it's French history, I'm OK, but anything else to do with Europe prior to WWI, well, it wasn't taught to me in school and I didn't take any extra classes once in college so I'm very vague with it. I know Germany wasn't a united country until sometime around WWI because of the saying how every time Germany united we got a World War. So I'm going in basically blind, though I did just watch a seventies miniseries, Fall of Eagles, which was decent on the German history and the Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns, but I literally just watched that so when I read this I was totally in the dark. I just knew they had pretty fairy tale castles, not that the fairy tale castles had this amazing backstory of King Ludwig II bankrupting the country to build them and his fascination with Wagner and how he "killed" himself and how this was all happening just as Bavaria was about to become a part of Germany. Damn. Bavaria, you are one fascinating country. I need to learn more about you and your "mad" king who really is responsible for how much tourism you now have. Thanks to Tasha, I have a starting off point. Because that's what great books make you do, want to learn more, read more, see more. They expand your worldview and Tasha excels at this.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Agatha Christie, Alps, Art, Baroness Ursula von Düchtel, Bavaria, Cécile du Lac, Death by Misadventure, History, King Ludwig II, Lady Emily, Schloss Neuschwanstein, Secrets of the Nile, Tasha Alexander

At the Bottom of the Garden by Camilla Bruce
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A murderess becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls in this mesmerizing Gothic novel from acclaimed author Camilla Bruce.

Clara Woods is a killer - and perfectly fine with it, too. So what if she takes a couple of lives to make her own a little bit better? At the bottom of her garden is a flower bed, long overgrown, where her late husband rests in peace - or so she's always thought.

Then the girls arrive.

Lily and Violet are her nieces, recently orphaned after their affluent parents died on an ill-fated anniversary trip. In accordance with their parents' will, the sisters are to go to their closest relative - who happens to be Clara. Despite having no interest in children, Clara agrees to take them, hoping to get her hands on some of the girls' assets - not only to bolster her dwindling fortune but also to establish what she hopes will be her legacy: a line of diamond jewelry.

There's only one problem. Violet can see the dead man at the bottom of the garden. She can see all of Clara's ghosts...and call them back into existence. Soon Clara is plagued by her victims and at war with the gifted girls in her care. Lily and Violet have become a liability - and they know far more than they should."

A very interesting Henry James vibe!

The Weekend Guests by Liza North
Published by: Harper Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the vein of Lucy Foley's chilling, atmospheric mysteries, a compulsive, psychological thriller about a group of old university friends whose seaside reunion will end in betrayal and murder.

Five old friends...One reunion to die for.

After years apart, old college friends Aline, Sienna, Rob, Michael, and Brandon reunite in idyllic Dorset, for a weekend at Aline's beautiful house perched on a cliff above the sea. It should be the perfect chance to relax, rekindle friendships, and meet each other's partners; plus, there's a sitter to watch the kids.

What most of the guests don't know, however, is that Aline has called them all together for a reason: someone has threatened to expose the dark crime they committed at university. Long ago, these old friends swore one another to silence, and have never spoken of the deed since. But now, menacing postcards have begun to appear - and Aline is convinced it's one of them turning on the rest.

In Liza North's propulsive and unsettling dual timeline narrative, truths emerge, secrets surface, and long-simmering grudges explode - and by the end of this reunion weekend, at least one of them will be dead..."

I don't know why but any book that is basically a murderous version of Peter's Friends is a book I have to read.

Head Cases by John McMahon
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying - and commercial - series debut.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI's hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer.

Along with Gardner, PAR consists of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader, a career agent. Each of them must use every skill they have to solve the riddle of the killer's identity. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families...before it's too late?

With an enigmatic case that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and a thoroughly engaging ensemble cast, John McMahon's Head Cases is a triumph."

I mean, if she wasn't seven wouldn't it be great if Camila was the killer?

The Rules of Fortune by Danielle Prescod
Published by: Mindy's Book Studio
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A daughter's investigation into her family history threatens to destroy their legacy in a gripping novel about power, money, and secrets by the author of Token Black Girl.

On their Martha's Vineyard estate, the Carter family prepares to celebrate. But when the billionaire patriarch dies right before his seventieth birthday, the media is quick to question the future of the multi-industry conglomerate that makes the Carters living legends. Amid the succession crisis, his daughter, Kennedy, is questioning her father's past.

Kennedy is an aspiring filmmaker, and the documentary she'd planned to present at her father's party begins an inquest into the life of a man she never really knew. A thoughtful outlier in an elite and fiercely guarded dynasty, she's not interested in keeping up the appearances that define her impeccably poised mother or in the capitalist games her ruthless brother plays. Kennedy wants only to understand the origins of their empire, and the lethally ambitious man behind it. That understanding comes at a cost.

As a twisted history emerges, the fault lines in the family grow. Torn between morality and the promise of maintaining wealth, Kennedy must decide what's most important - the Carter legacy or exposing the shocking truth of how it was built."

I mean, a character named Kennedy unearthing family secrets? It's totally about THE Kennedys, and I'm all for taking down that corrupt family, even if only fictionally. 

Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a local fisherman is mauled to death, it seems like the only possible cause is a mythical creature in the latest puzzling entry in this USA Today bestselling series.

An ice fisherman is savagely mauled to death in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and an eyewitness claims the man was attacked by a hodag. There's just one problem with that: it's well known that the creature is not real and was created by a local hoaxer. So how could an imaginary creature be chomping on local sportsmen?

The suggestion that a hodag killed someone isn't well received by the townsfolk because of its beloved ties to the town and the money it generates from tourist dollars. Due to this, people begin to suspect the witness is the real killer, especially when it's discovered he has a tangled past with the victim.

The witness to the attack happens to be the nephew of Morgan Carter's bookstore employee, Rita Bosworth, who convinces the professional cryptozoologist to travel to Wisconsin to prove that a hodag not only exists but killed the victim.

Clues may be hard to come by, but one thing's for sure: something killed that man, and that something now has its eyes focused on Morgan."

As a Wisconsinite just seeing that hodag on the cover brings me joy. And yes, I obviously was able to identify it before reading the blurb.

Barbarian's Heart by Ruby Dixon
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon - now in a special print edition with a bonus novella!

The unthinkable happens when a devastating accident causes Pashov to forget his mate, but Stacy will do whatever it takes to make her family whole again...

The first time I laid eyes on Pashov, we resonated. I was happy and in love, and we were raising a beautiful child together. All of that was torn apart when the world shook.

My mate nearly died.

He woke up from his coma...but he can't remember me. Or our son. Every memory of the past two years is gone. And that changes everything between us. How can I love someone who doesn't remember me?

How can I not when I know he's still my mate underneath it all?"

It's cold out, Valentines is near, come enjoy the Ice Planet Barbarians series!

A Lady Would Know Better by Emma Theriault
Published by: Entangled: Amara
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Get ready to swoon for this dreamy, forget-me-not romance that's filled with the delightful tartness of Jane Austen and the sweeping, unputdownable drama of Bridgerton.

There are many things an English lord might encounter on the grounds of his wintry estate. Trees. Birds. Perhaps a wandering gamekeeper. Instead, the Earl of Belhaven finds a woman in the snow, unconscious and nearly frozen to death. Then her luminous gray eyes open just long enough for her to plead, "Don't let them get me."

Now Jasper Maycott has his hands full with a woman who has absolutely no memory of who she is or where she came from - to say nothing of her name! Just a gold ring, some fine clothes, and a penchant for pert conversation. But while "Jane" dresses and speaks quite like a lady, Jasper can't make any assumptions. After all, she could be a crafty fortune hunter...albeit a charming and unutterably beautiful one.

Only there's no room for romantic love in the Earl of Belhaven's world. There is just grim duty, a lingering sense of loss, and the knowledge that love - in any form - can only bring heartbreak in its wake.

But while a lady should know better, the heart heeds no rules...even if its every beat portends the danger she was running from."

Well hopefully the danger will be dealt with and a HEA is on the cards. It should be if Jane Austen and Bridgerton are anything to go by...

Lord of Intrigue by Nina Jarrett
Published by: Rogue Press
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mysterious heir is on his way to England. Will Molly be able to find her place in his household, or will a tragic fate befall one of them within the week?

In this steamy mystery romance, two people are thrust together on the ashes of a disastrous murder plot. Now they must find a way to work together despite the unexpected attraction between them.

No one knows the new heir...

Marco Scott has never been to England, but now he is next in line to a title. Surrounded by potential enemies, he must find his footing in this strange land. Learning he is to act as guardian to an enticing young woman only makes matters more complicated.

A ward stuck in a stranger's home...

Molly Carter is handed over to the new heir, a man no one knew existed until it was revealed a peer was murdered to conceal his existence. To make matters worse, he might be the most beautiful man alive, which is making her blurt out the most embarrassing nonsense.

But someone is not happy that Marco will inherit. Danger lurks in the shadows, and he can't inherit if he's dead. Can Molly and Marco come to terms with their newfound passion to solve the mystery before one of them ends up in a grave?

Lord of Intrigue is the delightful fifth book in the Inconvenient Scandals series of steamy Regency suspense romance books. If you like worthy heroes, fast-paced plots, and enduring connections, then you'll adore Nina Jarrett's charming novel. Can be read as a standalone book."

That cover captured by imagination, and then the blurb? Yeah, I gotta read it.

The Girl Made of Stars by K.E. Le Veque
Published by: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 346 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lola Grayson had it all.

In 1934, Lola was on top of the world. Dubbed "The Siren" by MGM, she was a protégé of Louis B. Mayer, the original talkie sex symbol before the rise of stars like Carole Lombard and Jean Harlow. But like Harlow, Lola Grayson had a dominant stage mother and bad health that struggled to meet the demand of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Exploited, pushed, primped, and promoted as MGM's biggest star, Lola Grayson made one fatal mistake - falling in love with fellow MGM star Robert Taggart. Together, they were the golden couple that audiences demanded to see. But Lola wanted what every young woman at the time wanted - a husband and a family. For a major star, that was a death sentence.

Lola Grayson's death rocked the world.

In the present day, Joey Cabot is a novelist with a struggling career. In a stroke of fate, she purchases Lola Grayson and Robert Taggart's former home in Los Angeles. It was a secret love nest they kept hidden from the world, but what comes out of the old walls is a secret no one wanted to see the light of day. Something so explosive that it could lay Hollywood history wide-open. In discovering that secret, Joey sees the salvation of her career, but it soon becomes apparent that Joey isn't working for her salvation, but for Lola's.

Old Hollywood glamour and tragedy brings together two lost souls in this masterpiece fictional tale of one woman's death... and one woman's life."

I'm such a sucker for Old Hollywood.

There's Something About Mira by Sonali Dev
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 317 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes the heartfelt story of a woman determined to reunite a lost ring with its owner, who ends up finding herself along the way.

Mira Salvi has the perfect life - a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she's always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn't a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone.

While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason...right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn't been written yet either."

There's a certain serendipity to Sonali Dev's latest book...

Abduction of a Slave by Dana Stabenow
Published by: Head of Zeus - An Aries Book
Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The gripping new historical mystery from New York Times bestselling author Dana Stabenow. In Cleopatra's Egypt, the clouds of war are on the horizon...

Cleopatra, seventh of her name, all-powerful ruler of Egypt, has found her most able and trusted agent in Tetisheri, her Eye of Isis. So when Tetisheri asks permission to visit the Kingdom of Cyrenaica, she is surprised - and suspicious - when her queen grants her leave from Alexandria.

A middleman in Cyrenaica has ceased communication and Tetisheri's uncle, a master trader, is on a mission to find out why. But there are others in Cyrenaica with hidden agendas: Julius Caesar's spies, Caesar's sworn enemy Mettelus Scipio, and the ever duplicitous King Juba I.

Tetisheri soon realises why Cleopatra consented to her mission, for Cyrenaica is a web of intrigue that also includes Pompey's widow and an army readying to take on the might of Caesar, who is massing his legions in Sicily. With war on the horizon, Tetisheri's skills will be stretched to the limit as she also tries to decipher a murder mystery closer to home."

I am ALL. ABOUT. EGYPT! Especially with a side of Rome!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Annelise Ryan, Camilla Bruce, Dana Stabenow, Danielle Prescod, Emma Theriault, Henry James, John McMahon, K.E. Le Veque, Liza North, Nina Jarrett, Peter's Friends, Regency, Ruby Dixon, Sonali Dev, Wisconsin

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: August 5th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Quentin Coldwater saved magic. Quentin Coldwater saved Fillory. So what was his reward? Banishment. Back to Earth. He found his place, his home, his reason for being in a fantastical world and now he's been cut adrift. He goes back to the only other place he's ever thought of as home, Brakebills. Thankfully he's able to get a teaching job there while he studies his only connection to Fillory, a spell he found in the Neitherlands which he can't even begin to understand. He finds a kind of contentment there. But his life is going to face much more upheaval. First his father dies and he leaves Brakebills for the funeral. At "home" he realizes, now, more than ever, how he never fit into the "real" world. Brakebills though won't be his safe haven for much longer. There's a group of students called "The League" founded by Plum Purchas. They mete out justice on those they feel have done wrong. Like Wharton who purposefully withholds libations during dinner. There prank against Wharton goes horrifically wrong. The magical wards protecting Brakebills are endangered. The incursion is someone Quentin knows. It's Alice. But she's a niffin. Plum is expelled and Quentin is fired. Of their own accord they both show up at a meetup looking to hire magicians for a heist. It was inevitable they'd meet on the outside, they're both magicians and they're both in need of money. The heist fails. Spectacularly. Though they end up in possession of a book written by Martin Chatwin. Fillory is calling to Quentin again. Or so he thinks. But maybe this time it's calling to Plum. Because she has a secret. She's Martin Chatwin's great-granddaughter. On her mother's side. The two of them hide out in New York City in a bolthole that Plum has had for awhile in case they're on anyone's radar after the heist. There they discover a spell in Martin's book to create a new magical land. Having nothing better to do they attempt it and instead of getting a mini Fillory they get an eerie mirror version of the house they're staying in which happens to be inhabited by Alice, the niffin. Who Quentin is able to restore to her human body thanks to the spell from the Neitherlands. Something she is very furious about. She saw everything, she knew everything, from the dawn of time until it's demise and now she's stuck in a meat sack which craves bacon. But everything has a purpose and Alice's return coincides with Eliot's. He has come to inform them that Fillory is ending. The apocalypse has begun. There are no keys to save it this time. Though there's Alice. She saw the beginning of Fillory on her "travels" and her knowledge could save Fillory. Can they save Fillory? Rebuild that world? Or do they want to build their own?

For those of us who grew up on The Chronicles of Narnia, The Dark is Rising Sequence, The Chronicles of Prydain, and The Neverending Story, this series was written for us, though with far less nightmare fuel. We might have been jaded by life but after three books, like Quentin, we are able to find the wonder and joy once again in the world. Or find it at least temporarily with an ending reminiscent of the epic cataclysmic nothingness of The Neverending Story that brought back to life a whole world at the hands of one broken little book nerd. A world ended and a new one began. Because of book nerds. Never forget our power. We are legion. Though there's one thing that every book nerd who has read this series has fantasized about and that's actually being able to read the five Fillory and Further books by Christopher Plover. Yes, there's the small matter that they don't exist, nor does Christopher Plover, but Lev Grossman could conceivably write them. In fact if you go on a deep dive into Reddit there are rumors that at one time he considered doing just that. Obviously this never came to be because otherwise I would be reading them right now. Though if they did exist the question arises, would they prove worthy of their supposed compatriots? Could they rise to the level of C.S. Lewis or Michael Ende? Because we have learned a fair bit about The World in the Walls, The Girl Who Told Time, The Flying Forest, The Secret Sea, and The Wandering Dune over the course of Lev Grossman's three books. We've even learned there are secretly two more books; The Magicians written by Jane Chatwin, and The Door in the Page: My Life in Two Worlds by Rupert Chatwin and could they really meet expectations and known storylines? Well, it's this second book by Rupert that we finally get to read in The Magician's Land. And after reading Rupert's account I can safely say that I think Lev Grossman is well capable of this Ploverian feat. Fillory and Further could be real if Lev Grossman would just make it so. While the whole series has callbacks to other famous children's tales, this one felt more real, more like Narnia, if just because of structure, the story within the story. I also really started to think about the Chatwins being real people, not just characters in a book. And how being nobodies in the real world and being kings and queens in Fillory must really fuck with your head. I mean, no wonder Martin became a psycho, the stuff with Plover notwithstanding. I'd never really thought about this disconnect. You go to the magical world and everything is fixed, unless you know C.S. Lewis kills you all. But this series has been all about how magic doesn't fix you, a magical world doesn't make everything right. And while we've seen this again and again, this somehow was the first time it really struck home for me. That disconnect. Not just the coming back to reality and growing up, but the whole, this is really fucked up. And who created this "purity" rule? And how did that get broken, was it because of Martin breaking the rules? Selling his humanity to Umber? And is that how the Brakebills crowd got in? I have questions. I will always have questions. But I also have certainty. Certainty in my love of this series, in the fact that Lev Grossman could write Fillory and Further if he so wanted, and in the fact that magic can be found anywhere because this world is just as fucked up as any imaginary one.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Brakebills, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Plover, Fillory, Fillory and Further, Lev Grossman, Martin Chatwin, Neitherlands, Niffin, Plum Purchas, Quentin Coldwater, The Magician's Land, The Neverending Story

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Published by: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 640 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
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Everything Violet Sorrengail has ever known is a lie, even the fact that her brother Brennan was dead. She thought folklore was just that. Folklore. Tales to tell your children to behave or else the venin will come and get you. Only the tales about the venin are real. Dark Wielders who draw their power directly from the source, not from a bond with a dragon or gryphon. And she's seen what they can do. She almost died because of them. And her ignorance could have gotten her killed. But now it's her knowledge that is just as dangerous. Because she knows the real reason behind the Tyrrish Rebellion. Tyrrendor wanted to secede from Navarre so that they could join Poromiel in the fight against the venin. And Tyrrendor still plans to fight. Aretia wasn't destroyed as everyone was told. It's still the seat of the revolution. And Xaden Riorson is one of a seven member assembly leading the revolt, along with Violet's brother, Brennan. But the revolution needs continued access to Basgiath to arm themselves. So Violet must return to the War College and pretend that everything is fine, that her mother, the great General Lilith Sorrengail, hasn't been lying to her and the people of Navarre for years in order to protect Navarre at the expense of others. And on top of everything Violet is having dragon issues. Her dragon Tairn is bonded to Xaden's dragon Sgaeyl and Xaden has been assigned to the front, so much of their time is making sure the bonded pair gets to spend as much time as possible together, damn the inconvenience to their riders. Also Violet's bonus dragon Andarna is going through some changes and is laying low. The lie that they fabricated to cover up their run-in with venin means that the new Vice Commandant, Varrish, is suspicious of them. Suspicions that he acts upon in cruel and unusual ways, from trying to keep Sgaeyl and Tairn apart to inflicting punishments on Violet when she won't produce Andarna at his command. The breaking point though is when Varrish literally almost breaks Violet with five days of torture. Violet staged a raid into the archives to get information on the history of Basgiath and the First Six and how to replicate Navarre's wards. Needless to say an extreme interrogation session wasn't the outcome she had hoped for. But her eventual escape means that Basgiath is no longer safe. The revolutionaries, those who know or have come to know the truth, flee to Aretia and Riorson House. There they continue the education of the riders while also engaging in diplomatic talks with Poromiel. But even with allies the enemy grows closer and those closest to Violet still have secrets. Will Navarre survive or will they fall? It all depends on Violet and the secret knowledge she has gleaned.

This book is just bonkers in the best possible way. I mean, some of the things, I just can't. It's too absurd but at the same time totally makes sense to the characters. The gryphon riders legitimately call the dragon riders out on their barbaric practices and how they commit wholesale slaughter of their students and everyone from Basgiath is like, no, that's totally normal right? Kill the weak and all that. Why would you let someone survive? And the gryphon riders are all like, you're mental, OK? And you know what, they are mental, and I love them for it. A large chunk of the student population abandons Basgiath to join the revolution in Aretia and what's the first thing they do? No, they don't assign them jobs or ways in which to help the war effort, they open up their own school. They literally start schooling people in the middle of a war. Damn. I love these idiots. You really just have to embrace the chaos that is contained within the pages of these books. Because if you start to question anything, well, that way insanity lies. Like, how do they have the same months as us? Really. I kind of need to know. Because August is named after Emperor Augustus, the Roman leader, and well... There's no Rome here if you get my drift. And I'm not talking about a drift of gryphons! And you know, no Latin so no October. It doesn't matter that the first of that month is Threshing! Because I don't know how they have that month. But as is my motto with these books, embrace the chaos. These are basically teenagers riding around on giant siege monsters, so, well, suspend your disbelief. Because it's like this, no matter the fantastical in the fantasy genre it's the distilled truths that are brought to the forefront that make this genre more real, more human, than any other genre. What I really connected to is the bond forged between rider and dragon. And while you could say it's more a bond of never-ending friendship to me it's deeper. It's the bond between a human and their beloved pet. The soulmating of a person and a little ball of fur, or in this case a big ball of scales. If you've never experienced this kind of love just read Andarna's speech at the end of Iron Flame. Yes, it might decimate you, and it left me a wreck and in tears, but it's about choice and how you chose your person. Andarna waited for Violet for 650 years. She heard the elders talk of a girl with the mind of a scribe and the heart of a rider and she knew that that girl would be hers. I get teary just thinking about that. About finding your soulmate, picking your destiny, and love. Because in the end that's what this book is about, love.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ancient Rome, Andarna, Basgiath, Dragons, Gryphons, Iron Flame, Navarre, Pets, Poromiel, Rebecca Yarros, Revolution, Sgaeyl, Tairn, Torture, Tyrrendor, Venin, Vice Commandant Varrish, Violet Sorrengail, Xaden Riorson

The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: August 9th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Being a beloved ruler is all well and good, but sometimes it can get a little staid what with the daily balcony appearances for the common folk and the governing. Which is why the High Kings and Queens of Fillory, Eliot, Janet, Quentin, and Julia are hunting for one of Fillory's prophetic Unique Beasts, the Seeing Hare. Things don't exactly go to plan, the Master of the Hunt, Jollyby, catches the Hare and it predicts horrors and then Jollyby drops dead. Poor Jollyby. He had some memorable assets. But it's Fillory, it's a magical world, weird shit is bound to happen. Plus, how exactly do you follow through with investigating an omen? When trying to figure this out the rulers discover that the Outer Islands haven't paid their taxes in years and Quentin decides that sailing the Eastern Ocean and collecting some back taxes could be an interesting quest. Quentin resurrects and refurbishes the Muntjac and he and Julia and a few fellow compatriots head east. Which is how they meet Elaine and learn about the magic key that winds the world. Or, as Quentin realizes, the quest he should be on. They journey further east, to After Island, where he and Julia find a key and are sent straight home. Not to Castle Whitespire. To Earth. Which means they have to find a way back to Fillory. Logic dictates that they could return via the method that got them there in the first place, but Josh was the last one seen with the button and who knows what quest he's currently on. The first place to look therefore is Brakebills. But they are unable to get through the school's defenses and therefore Quentin is about to have a steep learning curve into what Julia has been up to the past few years. Because Brakebills rejected her and she had to learn her magic in other ways, through magic safe houses. Rough and crude magic that Quentin is baffled even works. Hedge Witches know the real cost of power and Julia gets a lead on someone who can help them. That someone turns out to be Josh. Who has sold the button. Because palazzos in Venice aren't cheap. But thankfully Venice has its own dragon who breaks it all down for Quentin. The magic that Julia summoned before ascending the throne in Fillory has gotten the attention of the Gods. All of them. And they don't like humans using their magic. So, not only do Quentin and Julia have to get back to Fillory, they have to save it and magic. Or else be beyond deity screwed.

Because of the tonal shift it's kind of hard to believe that The Magician King was written by the same author as The Magicians. Especially in regard to Quentin Coldwater. It's kind of like he's had a personality transplant. Whereas The Magicians was riddled with his angst and how he kept trying to find something to magically "fix" his life, which ironically couldn't be fixed with magic, here he's hopeful. He's full of the spirit of adventure and his love of Fillory. The angst is out the window and he's somehow grown into accepting what life throws at him and rolling with the punches instead of bemoaning his fate. And while this is fascinating, and something that should be dwelled on as part of the "hero's journey" he embarks on over the course of this book, it's Julia and the "heroine's journey" that is important here. Because this is Julia's book. The Magician King is like a mirror of The Magicians. Whereas Quentin viewed his life was ruined by Brakebills, Julia's actually was ruined by Brakebills, but because they didn't let her in. So she finds magic the only way she can, on the mean streets. OK, technically in magical safe houses, but still, it's not the hallowed halls of Brakebills. Which I find ironic because everyone who disliked the staid poncey pedagogy of The Magicians would embrace Julia's journey but they probably wouldn't give this series a second chance. Which is a shame. And also makes me glad that I was willing to stick with this series. Because I love this weird mirrorworld that Lev Grossman has created. And there are parts of me that are geeking out over things that are just little Easter Eggs for uber book dorks like me. For example, The Magicians pays homage to Brideshead Revisited. But it pays homage to the main characters of the novel, Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte, Quentin Coldwater and Eliot Waugh by another name. In Brideshead Revisited Sebastian Flyte's father, Lord Marchmain, is the outcast of his family, abandoning his wife and his home for Venice where he is in residence with his mistress. He is the black sheep, the other side of the coin, he is the opposite of Quentin, he is Julia. So what do they do in The Magician King that makes me so giddy? Quentin and Julia go to Venice. The sanctuary of the outcasts. Heck, that's where Josh has been hanging out all this time. They could have literally gone anywhere and yet Lev Grossman writes that they went to Venice to find Josh and talk to a dragon. Perfection. Now if I could just get past my squick at Julia's "rebel nerve endings [that] attempted to send pleasure signals to her brain, whereupon her brain burned them out... never to feel again" when she's being raped this would be a perfect book.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Brideshead Revisited, Charles Ryder, Eliot Waugh, Fillory, Hedge Witch, Heroine's Journey, Julia Wicker, Lev Grossman, Lord Marchmain, Quentin Coldwater, Sebastian Flyte, The Magician King, The Magicians, Venice

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Published by: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 544 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there's no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it's impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves - her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find - the truth.

But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath."

Wait, they're really stopping lessons? Because as crazy as it seemed after fleeing their school and being on the run in Iron Flame they still somehow made them go to classes...

Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"To find a missing young woman, the new tribal marshal must also find herself.

At rock bottom following her daughter's death, ex-Chicago detective Carrie Starr has nowhere to go but back to her roots. Starr's father never talked much about the reservation where he was raised, but the tribe needs a new marshal as much as Starr needs a place to call home.

In the past decade, too many young women have disappeared from the rez. Some have ended up dead, others just...gone. Now local college student Chenoa Cloud is missing, and Starr falls into an investigation that leaves her drowning in memories of her daughter - the girl she failed to save.

Starr feels lost in this place she thought would welcome her. And when she catches a glimpse of a figure from her father's stories, with the body of a woman and the antlers of a deer, Starr can't shake the feeling that the fearsome spirit is watching her, following her.

What she doesn't know is whether Deer Woman is here to guide her or to seek vengeance for the lost daughters that Starr can never bring home."

Deer Woman! YAS!

Motheater by Linda H. Codega
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this nuanced queer fantasy set amid the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, the last witch of the Ridge must choose sides in a clash between industry and nature.

After her best friend dies in a coal mine, Benethea "Bennie" Mattox sacrifices her job, her relationship, and her reputation to uncover what's killing miners on Kire Mountain. When she finds a half-drowned white woman in a dirty mine slough, Bennie takes her in because it's right - but also because she hopes this odd, magnetic stranger can lead her to the proof she needs.

Instead, she brings more questions. The woman called Motheater can't remember her true name, or how she ended up inside the mountain. She knows only that she's a witch of Appalachia, bound to tor and holler, possum and snake, with power in her hands and Scripture on her tongue. But the mystery of her fate, her doomed quest to keep industry off Kire Mountain, and the promises she bent and broke have followed her a century and half into the future. And now, the choices Motheater and Bennie make together could change the face of the town itself."

I mean, an amnesiac claiming to be called Motheater is a must buy in my book.

Bowling with Corpses by Mike Mignola
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New folklore-inspired tales abound in this anthology of eight fantasy stories written and drawn Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, featuring a bonus sketchbook section.

From a search for the beating heart of a long-dead sorcerer, to a pirate girl who makes a deal with the devil, to the titular boy who wins a grim prize in a game with some undead interlopers, and more.

Mignola builds a brand-new world filled with the weird, wicked and whimsical in this volume that will delight longtime Hellboy fans and new readers alike."

I really want to make 2025 the year a do a deep dive into Mignola. This is the perfect starting point.

We Do Not Part by Han Kang
Published by: Hogarth Press
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Han Kang's most revelatory book since The Vegetarian, We Do Not Part tells the story of a friendship between two women while powerfully reckoning with a hidden chapter of Korean history.

One winter morning, Kyungha receives an urgent message from her friend Inseon to visit her at a hospital in Seoul. Inseon has injured herself in an accident, and she begs Kyungha to return to Jeju Island, where she lives, to save her beloved pet - a white bird called Ama.

A snowstorm hits the island when Kyungha arrives. She must reach Inseon's house at all costs, but the icy wind and squalls slow her down as night begins to fall. She wonders if she will arrive in time to save the animal - or even survive the terrible cold that envelops her with every step. Lost in a world of snow, she doesn't yet suspect the vertiginous plunge into the darkness that awaits her at her friend's house.

Blurring the boundaries between dream and reality, We Do Not Part powerfully illuminates a forgotten chapter in Korean history, buried for decades - bringing to light the lost voices of the past to save them from oblivion. Both a hymn to an enduring friendship and an argument for remembering, it is the story of profound love in the face of unspeakable violence - and a celebration of life, however fragile it might be."

I must read it because I must know about the hidden history!

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang
Published by: Ace Books
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"If you could swap your life for a better one, which would you choose?

On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you'll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market - where you can choose to completely change your life.

No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself.

There, she meets a magical cat companion named Issha and they search through bookstores, perfumeries, and fantastical realms while Serin tries to determine what her perfect life will look like.

The catch? Serin only has one week to find her happiness or be doomed to vanish into the market forever.

And all the while, a shadow follows quietly behind them..."

I mean, what if my perfect life is just wandering bookstores with a cat?

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti returns with another hot, hilarious Regency romp about a reclusive earl and the wallflower-turned-radical-pamphleteer who turns his life upside down.

For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has anonymously penned seditious pamphlets - and for almost as long, she's corresponded with the reclusive Earl of Strathrannoch. When Arthur's latest letter reveals his dire financial straits, Lydia sets out for Scotland to offer him the only salvation she can think of: a marriage of convenience. To, um, herself.

But the real earl has no idea who she is. When a bewitching stranger offers him her hand in marriage, Arthur Baird is stunned. And when he learns that his traitorous brother has been writing to her under Arthur's name, he's bloody furious. He's content to live alone in his moldering castle, and he has no desire for a radical wife. (Or at least, he shouldn't.)

But Arthur is desperate to track down his brother, who's become dangerously entangled in British espionage, and he needs Lydia's help. What he doesn't need? The attraction that burns hotter each moment they spend together. As Lydia slips past his defenses and his brother's mysterious past becomes a very present threat, Arthur will have to risk everything to keep her safe - even his heart."

But his brother couldn't be all bad orchestrating happiness for his brother... even if accidental...

The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay
Published by: Graydon House
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Nothing is quite as it seems in Victorian high society in this clever novel set against the most magnificent wedding of the season, as a mysterious heiress sets her sights on London's most illustrious family.

A confidence scheme, when properly executed, will follow five movements in close and inviolable order:

I. The Mark II. The Intrusion. III. The Ballyhoo. IV. The Knot. V. All In.

There may be many counter-strikes along the way, for such is the nature of the game; it contains so many sides, so many endless possibilities...

1898. Quinn le Blanc, London's most talented con woman, has five days to pull off her most ambitious plot yet: trap a highly eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.

Masquerading as the season's most enviable debutante, Quinn puts on a brilliant act that earns her entrance into the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society - and propels her straight into the inner circle of her target: the charismatic Kendals. Among those she must convince are the handsome bachelor heir, the rebellious younger sister, and the esteemed duchess eager to see her son married.

But the deeper she forges into their world, the more Quinn finds herself tangled in a complicated web of love, lies, and loyalty. The Kendals all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception..."

The real question is how the con woman got the right credentials to pull this off...

A Death in Diamonds by S.J. Bennett
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two murders in Chelsea plague amateur detective Queen Elizabeth II in the fourth book in the charming series, perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear.

1957, England. Young Queen Elizabeth II is finding her way in postwar Europe, trying to repair friendships with foreign governments. Advised by her father's old courtiers, the Queen suspects that they may not have her best interests at heart. One of them is trying to sabotage her public appearances: that much she is sure of.

When two bodies turn up in Chelsea, the Queen finds herself unwillingly used as the alibi for somebody very close to her. With the reputation of the monarchy at stake, Elizabeth knows she can't face these challenges alone. She needs support from someone she can trust. Therefore, she enlists the help of an ex-code breaker, Joan McGraw, to uncover the truth.

But as Elizabeth and Joan are uncovering secrets from the past, the clock is ticking, and they are in more danger than they know."

Because you need something to fill the Maisie Dobbs/Jacqueline Winspear hole in your heart.

Loose Lips by Kemper Donovan
Published by: John Scognamiglio Book
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Knives Out meets high seas intrigue on a literary cruise to nowhere in this intelligent, wildly funny locked room mystery for fans of Richard Osman, Anthony Horowitz, Nita Prose, and Agatha Christie!

The USA Today bestselling host of the "All About Agatha" podcast injects the spark and fizz of a Golden Age murder mystery into the present-day, as the ghostwriter's skills are put to the test aboard a bestselling author's decidedly insalubrious cruise.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. So goes the adage, but sometimes, even a first-rate ghostwriter and successful mystery author needs to make a buck. Even if that means setting foot on a cruise ship, something she vowed she'd never do. To top it off, the "Get Lit Cruise" is being organized by Payton Garrett, a very popular, bestselling author - and the ghostwriter's long-time frenemy from back in their MFA days.

Over the years, Payton has reinvented herself. She gained a wife while ditching her journalist husband - who is also on board. And she's acquired a rabid following who eagerly snapped up the invitations sent to a select few of her newsletter subscribers. The guests, all female, will receive personalized instruction from experts in five different writing genres, while basking in Payton's reflected glow.

Between mentoring guests, flirting with Payton's ex, and taking bets on how long before someone performs a reenactment of Titanic's "I'm flying!" scene (answer: not long enough), there's plenty to keep a ghostwriter occupied. But there's one activity nobody expected: solving a murder.

When an attendee is found dead under suspicious circumstances and several others suffer symptoms of poisoning, there are numerous motives and suspects to choose from. But could it be that the victim wasn't even the intended target? As the body count rises along with onboard tensions, no one is safe - except, perhaps, for a killer whose scruples have long abandoned ship. And of course, like every well-plotted mystery, this one has an extra twist..."

A locked room mystery on the high seas peopled who those who specialize in crime? Time for me to set sail!

Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J. Chow
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Felicity Jin returns in the second book in the heart-warming and deliciously mysterious Magical Fortune Cookie series from Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominee Jennifer J. Chow.

Jin Bakery has been asked to cater the Lum-Wu outdoor wedding at Pixie Park. The day of the ceremony, Felicity is finishing the "cake" of tiered egg tarts as the wedding party arrives for the ceremony. When one of the groomsmen, Miles Wu, doesn't arrive, Felicity's best friend and local florist Kelvin generously steps in for him and the wedding goes smoothly - until cake cutting time.

That's when Felicity finds Miles' dead body beneath the table with her egg tarts display, stabbed by Kelvin's gardening shears. With the detective's sights on Kelvin, Felicity starts sleuthing away to prove his innocence, revealing dark secrets about all the wedding's attendants. They each had something to hide - and a reason to quiet Miles forever. To make matters worse, Felicity's powers of prediction are on the fritz thanks to the emotional turmoil of a surprise visit from her estranged father.

When the groom gets poisoned at the send-off party and winds up in a coma, the stakes are even higher, not to mention Felicity's feelings for Kelvin are beginning to feel more than friendly. Will Felicity's magic return in time to catch the true culprit and rescue her budding relationship with Kelvin?"

I mean, this is all a major send-off isn't it?

Power of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sometimes the power of love...

A.J. Grayson has come a long way from adopted orphan to fast-rising executive at a cutting-edge technology firm. Now an anti-terrorist agency wants to use the revolutionary artificial intelligence system she developed to thwart a plot against Jafir's monarchy - and handsome, dynamic Damon Toca, the region's newly crowned king.

...can be the most seductive weapon of all.

In six short months, Damon has gone from gallery owner to controversial politician. When his cabinet hires A.J. Grayson - without his consent - he gets ready for a battle. Expecting a computer geek, and skeptical of A.J.'s highly touted secret invention, he is stunned to find a strong-minded beauty who arouses much more than his suspicions. But someone in his inner circle is in league with a treacherous adversary who threatens his throne, his nation's tenuous peace...and his future with a woman he'll risk everything to have and to hold."

Stacey Abrams is here to rescue us in more ways than one. Right now it's by helping out your bookshelf!

The Wilde Trials by Mackenzie Reed
Published by: Storytide
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the acclaimed author of The Rosewood Hunt comes a thrilling new mystery about a high-stakes competition packed with shocking twists, second chances, and deadly deceit, where allies - and enemies - are the people you'd least expect.

Chloe Gatti will do whatever it takes to win her elite boarding school's annual competition, the Wilde Trials. In the two weeks leading up to graduation from Wilde Academy, a dozen seniors are chosen to compete in a series of seven ultimate physical and mental tests, and the winner will take home over half a million dollars - money that Chloe needs to help her sick sister.

But the competition is fierce and includes her brooding ex-boyfriend, Hayes Stratford, whose brother was the only student to die during the trials a few years ago. When someone starts blackmailing Chloe during the competition, she's forced to strike a deal with Hayes - if he helps her discover who is sabotaging her, she'll help him solve the mystery his brother left behind.

Following clues from Hayes's brother, the unlikely allies discover that something isn't right about the Wilde Trials. With a life-changing prize looming over her head and her buried feelings for Hayes rising to the surface, Chloe will have to decide what's really worth fighting for, and if the cost of competing outweighs the potential consequences, even if that includes ending up like Hayes's brother - dead.

Fans of Jessica Goodman and Maureen Johnson will love this dark academia thriller with a romantic twist!"

I adore the cover, it reminds me of the recent Agatha Christie reissues and a Jennifer Lynn Barnes book... Though I do have to question a school that has such a large surplus of cash to give away...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alex Hay, Alexandra Vasti, Han Kang, Jennifer J. Chow, Kemper Donovan, Laurie L. Dove, Linda H. Codega, Mackenzie Reed, Mike Mignola, Onyx Storm, Rebecca Yarros, S.J. Bennett, Stacey Abrams, You Yeong-Gwang

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: September 3rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Flavia is doing what she does best, rattling around Buckshaw and Bishop's Lacey on her trusty steed Gladys looking for anything she can investigate. Who knows, with any luck there might be a murder. Sometimes though it's dangerous to get what you wish for. Major Greyleigh is a retired civil servant who is a bit of a recluse. Flavia doesn't know that her beloved housekeeper, Mrs. Mullet, has been checking up on the Major and making sure he's well fed. Which is how Mrs. Mullet ends up the prime suspect in his apparent murder. His final meal consisted of some rather poisonous mushrooms, a type of poisoning Flavia has longed to investigate for years. Flavia knows that there's no way Mrs. Mullet would kill a man on purpose, which means it's time to investigate. Which, unfortunately, is exactly what her annoying cousin Undine wants to help Flavia with. Thinking she's ditched the nefarious nuisance Flavia breaks into the Major's house and makes quite a few startling discoveries. The first is that while yes, he was a civil servant, that's an umbrella term that can cover a multitude of sins, because he was actually a hangman. A hangman that kept little trophies of all his victims. Fetishes of the departed. Talk about squick. Although Undine, who Flavia didn't lose, thinks they're rather fascinating. Though Flavia, having far more experience than the ubiquitous Undine, finds this to be only one line of questioning. Undine doesn't understand that after years of experience Flavia knows not to put all of her eggs in one basket. Especially once Mrs. Mullett is cleared Flavia has the distinct feeling that the Major and his death is being hushed up from on high. Someone wants all of this to go away, which is what makes Flavia even more interested. Why else would the police cede the case to the military? There are still Americans stationed at the local air base, Leathcote, and Flavia plies what wiles she has to get a little help in sneaking onto the base. What she finds there changes everything. Her life is upended, her future looks different, and if there's one thing she realizes it's that maybe it's time to grow up. Maybe it's time to reconsider her priorities and forge her own path. Though obviously if that path is strewn with dead bodies that would be brilliant.

I have been a fan of Flavia de Luce since day one. Just look to my signed first edition for my bona fides. Which means that I have strong opinions on this series. Of course you're wondering, when haven't I had strong opinions, which is valid, but this is a series with a cast of characters I've been living with for fifteen years, which if I'm right on the aging, means I've been reading these books for longer than Flavia's been alive... So when something doesn't sit right with me I obsess over it. And while I've had smaller issues crop up over the years with regard to this series, like why send Flavia to Canada at all if she'd return so quickly or what happened to her tutor or why is Undine so insufferable, there are two that have really stuck in my craw. The first is why did the series end after the tenth volume? Yes, ten is a nice number to end on and a wedding is always a nice stopping point, but with Flavia and Dogger setting up their own detective agency at the end of The Grave's a Fine and Private Place to have it really go nowhere with no resolution in The Golden Tresses of the Dead made for a lackluster finish. It just seemed like the series called time and this was what we were left with, an unplanned ending. But more importantly the way Flavia's father, Colonel Haviland de Luce, died of pneumonia offstage in Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd, has always pissed me off. It just didn't work on any level. I mean, why even kill him? If it was to provide an emotional punch or to set Flavia adrift, well, I'm sorry, but Dogger was more a dad to her than the Colonel ever was. He was always too busy with his stamps and his possibly performative mourning to even bother raising his children. And you might say I'm being harsh on the man, but, given what I now know, maybe I'm not being harsh enough. So to recap, my issues are why end on a book that didn't feel like the end and why kill of Colonel de Luce. This book so wonderfully addresses these issues just by its existence. Because here it is, an eleventh book with a twelfth on the way and this FEELS like the finale Flavia deserves. She breaks with the secretive spycraft of the past and decides to embrace what the future has to offer. And as for those secrets? Whoa boy, spoiler alert, her father isn't dead. I KNEW that pneumonia seemed overly convenient! And it was! A ruse to put him into hiding which makes me hate him more for putting his family through that grief but also, I feel redeemed for flagging his death as being too convenient. I was right! And yes, you might think that I get great joy over shouting this from the rooftops. But it's not because I'm right it's because I knew these characters and this world so well that I could sense a disturbance in the force. A disturbance that has since been fixed and it has put my heart at ease. I feel whole. I don't point to this series and say, I love it but... I can now point to this series and simply say I love it. Because I do. Now unreservedly. Murdered hangman and all.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Bradley, Bishop's Lacey, Colonel De Luce, Dogger, Flavia De Luce, Gladys, Hangman, Mrs. Mullet, Mushrooms, Mystery, Poisoning, Series, Spycraft, The Nide, Undine De Luce, What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust

Affinity by Sarah Waters
Published by: Riverhead
Publication Date: June 5th, 2000
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

There are secrets in everyone's lives. Everyone knows that Margaret Prior hasn't been the same since the death of her father. Only a few know that she tried to kill herself. And only one other knows that the death of her father was only the first domino to fall. His death confined Margaret to Cheyne Walk. Her dreams of Italy and a life with Helen were crushed. Helen subsequently married Margaret's brother and bore him a child. Helen, Italy, her father, all of it lost forever. Her future being nothing more than her mother's dogsbody will eventually break her. But first a kind friend of her father's tries to help. Mr. Shillitoe has asked Margaret if she would be interested in becoming a "Lady Visitor" to Millbank Prison. The scheme is that Margaret, being from a well-respected upper-class family, will be a good influence on the female prisoners. Her manners and comportment will encourage the women to emulate her. During her first visit she's uncertain if she will ever return. The despair and drudgery. The claustrophobic air. Everything combines to sap the will to live out of you. But then she sees one prisoner remarkably holding a flower. In this is a place where nothing grows. It is a mystery. One that will take over Margaret's life. Because the prisoner is none other than the famous, some may say infamous, medium Selina Dawes. Selina is in prison because her patroness died after Selina conducted a private session with a young American, Miss Madeleine Silvester, who went into a fit after Selina's spirit guide, Peter Quick, manifested himself and was rough with the her. All of this Margaret learns over time. Some from her too short visits with Selina, some from the matrons, and some from the outside world. Because that's what has happened to Margaret. She believes that her world is the prison. That she is there with Selina. And yet she cannot show how desperate she is to see Selina. Her mother has already threatened to stop her visiting the prisoners. She thinks Margaret just gets too worked up. Also Margaret cannot let the matrons suspect her partiality for the medium or they too could stop her visits. She must spread her "good work" to other inmates, hiding her true feelings and desires. But Selina understands all. Selina has manifested miracles for Margaret, flowers in the bleakest of nights. Now it is up to Margaret to get ready for another miracle, Selina's escape. The two of them will forge a new life together. The spirits just have to be willing.

Until now I didn't know that Sarah Waters had reached her full potential and written a perfect book. I should have known given how beloved she is, but of her six books I've only read half of them so I only had half the picture. I felt that The Little Stranger left much to be desired despite having a lasting influence on me and Fingersmith overstayed its welcome. So much like Goldilocks it took until I read Affinity to find something just right. The problems I had with Fingersmith in particular highlight why this book is perfection. With the story of Sue Trinder and Maud Lilly we essentially had two novels. The first half was Sue's story and the second half was Maud's story, or, if I'm being honest, just the entire story of Sue rehashed once the "twist" was revealed. The book should have ended at the twist. Leave your audience wanting more with shock and awe, with a visceral gut punch that they will never recover from. Which, ironically, is exactly what Sarah Waters did with Affinity, the book she wrote before Fingersmith. I wonder if it's because this book left questions and in some places was open to interpretation that there were critics out there who said she should work on that and then she did and it made her work less than. I would rather be left wanting more than grow to dislike a novel. Sarah Waters does an amazing job with worldbuilding. People have rightfully compared her to Dickens. She brings Victorian London to life. You feel the oppression of the air on your skin, the din of the streets in your ears. But what I found astonishing here is that she brought an overlooked part of Victorian London to life in Margaret's visits to Millbank Prison. I felt like I was there, in Millbank. The chalky walls, the confining routines, the itchy clothes, the loneliness, the dark, I was there. I was a prisoner in Millbank. And oh how it mirrors the prison of Margaret's own life. She has her own jailor in the form of her mother, her own torment in seeing her lover married to her brother, her prison is just far more luxurious. And every time I picked up this book I was taken away from my world and lived in theirs. I was there with Margaret, I was there with Selina. I WAS THERE. For a little less than a week I lived in another world. A world where a skilled Spiritualist made a desperate and lonely woman believe in supernatural powers. Believe that there was a life they could make together. A world that was someone else's. And I so believed. As George R.R. Martin said "[a] reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." But not every book gives you that lived in experience. Affinity did. Sarah Waters let me live another life. A truly unforgettable one.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Affinity, Charles Dickens, Fingersmith, Gothic, Lady Visitor, Margaret Prior, Mediums, Millbank Prison, Peter Quick, Prison, Sarah Waters, Selina Dawes, Spiritualism, Suicide, The Little Stranger, Victorian London