The Tethered Mage is the debut novel of Melissa Caruso and is the first book in the Swords and Fire trilogy. This book is truly a great way to start a new series. The author has built a wonderful magical world full of intrigue and characters to die for.
Lady Amalia Cornaro just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is the Cornaro heir and will one day take her mother’s place on the Council of Nine. Therefore, when she inadvertently binds a young fire warlock to herself while trying to aid her it goes against all convention. The Empire does not allow a member of the council to be a Falconer for this could tip the balance of power. Continue reading “The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso”
Artemis by Andy Weir is the story of the struggle for control of the first lunar city and how a young smuggler got caught up in the deadly fray. There is lots of action and a main character I loved but would get so exasperated with. I have to give lots of kudos to Mr. Weir for another great story.
Jasmine, aka Jazz, immigrated to the moon with her father when she was just six years old. She is a bright young woman but suffers from poor life choices. She currently works as a porter, though she could have chosen almost any career path given her intelligence. Being a porter allows her to smuggle in contraband from Earth with the help of her friend Kelvin. But Jazz has standards, no guns or drugs, just a few harmless items to make a bit of extra cash on the side. A girl has to make a living. Right? Continue reading “Artemis by Andy Weir”
Title: When Life Gets in the Way Author: Ines Vieira Pub. Date: 1-Aug-2016 Rating: 4 Stars
When Life Gets in the Way by Ines Vieira is the coming-of-age story of Cassandra (Cass) MacKenzie and Isaac Silva, told in alternating POVs, and how each of them struggles with adversity during those trying teenage years. It is also a sweet love story with an emphasis on family dynamics and the important of family to relationships.
Cass is totally driven. She has one goal in mind and that is getting into Berkeley. She has been planning this life since she was a young girl and she is so close to her goal she can taste it. There are only two small problems. The first is her mother who has recently been extremely depressed and then there is her unexpected and unwanted desire for Isaac whose family has recently returned to Plymouth from Arizona. Continue reading “When Life Gets in the Way by Ines Vieira”
Caraval is part fantasy, mystery, and romance all within a young adult wrapper. It is the first book of a series and, be warned, you are left with a huge cliff hanger on the very last page. If you hate cliff hangers you might want to wait until the sequel is out to read this one. That aside, this book is a suspense ride worth taking. It is full of twists that will keep you guessing all the way to the end.
Scarlett and her sister Tella live with their cruel father on a small remote island. Not only is he a cruel man, but he is a powerful man and they are desperate to escape his clutches. Scarlett thinks by going through with an arranged marriage she will finally be free of him. Then just days before her wedding a letter arrives with three tickets to the fabled Caraval. A yearly dramatic performance/game in which members of the audience can participate, if they so desire, with the winner receiving a magical prize. Continue reading “Caraval by Stephanie Garber”
As an avid reader and fan of fantasy, I have been wanting to read The Invisible Library for over a year. Even after I received a copy, it was in my TBR pile for months. Now that I am finished reading, I am berating myself for taking so long. It was a great story and wonderful start to a new series.
Ms. Cogman has that rare ability to transport the reader to the place and time of her choosing. In this case it is a library that resides between dimensions. The librarians who staff this particular library are there for life and their mission is to collect and preserve rare books from all dimensions. The main character Irene is a junior librarian that has been tasked with finding a book of Grimm fairy tales in an alternate London. Assigned to her is Kai, a librarian in training, who is somewhat of a mystery. In this alternate London magic and the forces of chaos abound. Worlds with chaos are extremely dangerous, leaving Irene to wonder why Kai would be assigned to her for this dangerous mission.
When they arrive in the alternate world, they discover the book they are sent to retrieve has been stolen from the vampire that recently acquired it. Now they must unravel the mystery of its disappearance. Along the way, they meet Vale, a detective reminiscent of Sherlock Homes, minus the Watson, who assists them. They also meet some not so helpful and downright dangerous people. Including another librarian that is trying to be the first to the book in order to scoop Irene.
A great adventure. The plot moved along quickly and had lots of surprises which kept our heroin on her toes. I also enjoyed how Irene’s mind worked and how she kept questioning things in her quest to find the missing book. It gave validity to the story.
The only thing I wanted, that I did not get, is a little more information about The Library itself and some of the characters. There are several bites of information that are hinted at but not fully revealed. It left me craving more. This has set the stage for further development in the series of both the characters and The Library. In addition, the alternate dimensions concept is teeming with infinite possibilities for future stories. My head is spinning just thinking about all the possible missions for the field librarians. In short, I look forward to discovering more about Irene and Kai and reading about their exciting adventures for the The Library.
Title: The Impossible Fortress Author: Jason Rekulak Pub Date: 7-Feb-2017 Rating: 5 Stars
Vanna White in Playboy that is how it all started. All Billy and his friends, Alf and Clark, wanted was to get their hands on a copy. Simple… not at all. You have to be eighteen to purchase Playboy and they are always kept behind the counter at Zelinsky’s store. After several failed attempts to lay hands on the coveted prize, they hatch a plan to steal a copy. All they need is the code to the security alarm. The plan involves Billy cozying up to Mary, the shop owner’s computer nerd daughter, and getting it from her. Billy, a computer geek himself, ends up falling for Mary. What is a guy to do? Betray his friends or betray Mary?
Oh, the nostalgia! The Impossible Fortress, by Jason Rekulak, brought back a lot of memories for me. The story was great and I kept rooting for Billy even though I could see he was heading for trouble. The characters were flawed but in a good way. The story was paced well so you never got bored and it did not feel rushed either. Great coming-of-age story and thoroughly enjoyable!
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
Title: The Bear and The Nightingale Author: Katherine Arden Pub Date: 10-Jan-2017 My Rating: 4 Stars
The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden, is an adult fairy tale. The story draws heavily on folklore and fairy tales and is set during Russian medieval times when belief in demons and witches was still prolific. The story is beautifully crafted and the imagery is elegantly presented. I did find the first thirty or so pages a little slow, but once I made it through the beginning I was thoroughly entertained.
The story is about a young girl, Vasilisa, who is the second daughter of Pyotr Vladimirovich, a Russian lord. Vasilisa, like her mother, is able to see the old spirits that protect the home and hearth. Though Christianity is starting to take a foot hold, even in the remote northern wilderness of Russia, the belief in these spirts is still strong. When Father Konstantin, a new priest, comes to Vasilisa’a small village he preaches against the old ways and forbids the honoring of the old spirits. Without the spirit’s protection evil is allowed to gain a foothold and crops fail and some of the villagers die. Vailisa must find a way and the courage to protect those she loves from the evil that abounds. Continue reading “The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden”
