The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker

Title: The Keeper of Night (The Keeper of Night #1)

Author: Kylie Lee Baker

Publisher: Inkyard Press 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 393

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf: BOTM Cleanout

Death is her destiny.

Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can.

When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death…only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task—find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons—and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side.

The premise and start of this book really sucked me in. I wanted a horror-ish telling of Japanese mythology. For the first couple of chapters, I was completely in it. But then, once Red and her brother actually arrive in Japan, the story basically stops. We get huge passages of slow-moving prose with lots of annoying whining. And the romance! Completely ridiculous and so not a romance. I hated it. I tried to look past those issues, but ultimately I just couldn’t find myself enjoying this book.

The Keeper of Night

#1 The Keeper of Night
#2 The Empress of Time

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Happily Never After by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Happily Never After (Night Huntress #1.5)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2008

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 106

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Spice Meter: 5 (albeit one with a vampire)

Isabella Spaga is about to reluctantly walk down the aisle with Mr. Dangerously Wrong…but not if dashing vampire Chance has anything to say about it. As a favor to Bones, Chance has come to derail this wedding of beauty to the beast. Now if only he can keep his hands off the bride. From New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress world, it’s the wedding of the season…that everyone wants to miss.

I finally tracked down some of the novellas for the Night Huntress series. This one involves a vampire that we briefly met in the first volume of the series. And yea! I was excited to see a little story involving him and his new lady love. We get a fun short story full of action and adventure and some truly terrible villains that were definitely deserving of their fates. Very cute addition to the stories. Now I need to track down some of the later stories…

Night Huntress:

#0.5 Reckoning
#1 Halfway to the Grave
#1.2 The Other Half of the Grave
#1.5 Happily Never After
#2 One Foot in the Grave
#3 At Grave’s End
#3.5 Devil to Pay
#4 Destined for an Early Grave
#4.5 One for the Money
#5 This Side of the Grave
#6 One Grave at a Time
#6.5 Home for the Holidays
#7 Up from the Grave
#7.5 Outtakes from the Grave
#7.6 A Grave Girls’ Getaway
#8 Both Feet in the Grave

Next up on the TBR pile:

Vampiric Vacation by Kiersten White

Title: Vampiric Vacation (The Sinister Summer #2)

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2022

Genre: Middle Grade Horror

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

After leaving Fathoms of Fun, the kids are on their way to the next odd summer destination their aunt has chosen for them. This time, they find themselves dropped off at the Sanguine Spa in the “little Transylvania Mountains.” There they meet the owners: Mina, her mysterious little sister, Lucy (who is extremely pale, can’t go in the sunlight, and has an affinity for hanging upside down from the ceiling), and their intimidating guardian, the Count.

When the Count sends all the children in the spa on a scavenger hunt, the Sinister-Winterbottoms use the excuse to snoop around and discover that this spa may be more than just eerie—it might also hold clues to what happened to their parents. When Wil starts to show vampiric symptoms, the twins resolve to investigate what’s really going on at the Sanguine Spa.

The second book in the Sinister Summer series continues the adventures of the Sinister-Winterbottoms and their aunt who never saw a discount vacation destination she didn’t love.

The library finally got the rest of this series for me to enjoy. I loved the first one and couldn’t wait to dive into the rest. The series reminds me a lot of A Series of Unfortunate Events with the mix of spooky and absurd happenings. We get another adventure, this time at a spa that may or may not be inhabited by vampires. We get more of the overall mystery and some clues along the way. And throughout everything, we are delighted to be following Theo and Alexander as they keep each other safe, along with occasionally making sure their sister Wil doesn’t walk off a cliff. I loved the play on the vampire myths and the story of Dracula in particular. There was a line early on about lawyers and suites that made me laugh out loud. I think the boys would really enjoy reading this series after me.

The Sinister Summer

#1 Wretched Waterpark
#2 Vampiric Vacation
#3 Camp Creepy
#4 Menacing Manor

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Author: Sandu Mandanna

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 318

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Books on the Cover; Romanceopoly - Journey’s End

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when peril comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for....

Our book club pick for August and it was a delightfully warm hug. We enter into a world full of secret witches and oddball characters all looking for a home. Thankfully they find their home, albeit after a few trials and some periods of self-doubt. I fell for every single one of the characters but I think Rosetta was my favorite. All the characters created their own space and place within the family. We get to see how they all fit together into a beautiful tapestry. I’m looking forward to reading the next book from Mandanna.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Immortality by Dana Schwartz

Title: Immortality

Author: Dana Schwartz

Publisher: Wednesday Books 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 389

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Books Club - Includes a Funeral

Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.

When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.

As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

A successful and satisfying follow up to Anatomy. I was very annoyed by the cliffhanger at the end of the first book, but thankfully, this volume closes that storyline. We re-encounter Hazel continuing her work alone in her family’s house in Edinburgh. This story line is all fine and good, but the book finally picks up once Hazel is transported to London and meets Princess Charlotte. I loved the royal intrigue aspect of the story and Hazel’s relationships with Charlotte and Eliza. We don’t get quite as much medical talk in this one as the last, but it’s still there. This book did feel like a bit more of a stretch by including so many real characters into the plot line. Most of it was fine, but there were a few parts that I was a bit incredulous by the actions taken by some characters. As such, I still have issues with the supernatural aspects of this duology. A nice quick read, but it’s not going to make my top 10 of the year.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Eternal Kiss of Darkness(Night Huntress World #3)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 361

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR; Unread Shelf, Finishing the Series

Spice Meter: 5 (albeit with a vampire)

An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . .

And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

Oh this one was a wild ride. Mencheres has always been an intriguing character in the regular Night Huntress series and I was so glad he got his own stand alone book. We get to learn his entire history and put to rest an ancient rivalry, all while finding his match in a private investigator. Kira was the right amount of smart and feisty heroine for our master vampire. I loved seeing their interactions and the ways in which Mencheres is forced to open up to Kira. Of course, I always love drop in appearances from Bones and Cat, but I especially love appearances from Vlad. He may be my favorite character in this entire world. This book has the right amount of action and romance to keep me flipping through the pages until the very end.

Night Huntress World:

#1 First Drop of Crimson
#2 Eternal Kiss of Darkness

Next up on the TBR pile:

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Title: Cinderella is Dead

Author: Kalynn Bayron

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 389

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

It's 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all--and in the process, they learn that there's more to Cinderella's story than they ever knew . . .

This was a recommendation from some of my friends at the retreat. I randomly picked it up as there was no wait at the library. And it was a lovely retelling of the Cinderella story. We get a plucky heroine that sets out on a dangerous path to find the truth. I liked that the author made Sophia queer, but the “romance” with her childhood best friend and then Constance just fell a little flat for me. It was more like that first crush. The overall romance aspect of the book didn’t land with me, but that might be because I am not a young adult. I did enjoy the twisting of the fairy tale story and the overall mystery of the kingdom. Those parts were really fun to read even if I did predict most of the big reveals. A fun retelling that’s a little different from the norm.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Bees by Laline Paull

Title: The Bees

Author: Laline Paull

Publisher: Ecco 2014

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 340

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR; COYER

The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death.

Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved Queen the only religion. But Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening the hive’s survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw but her courage and strength are an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous.

But when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all—daring to challenge the Queen’s fertility—enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses jealously wedded to power. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart, her society—and lead her to unthinkable deeds.

A strange novel with an interesting premise that didn’t quite land for me. I was intrigued by a novel written from the perspective of a bee. We get to glimpse the inner workings of the hive. Once we get into the actual story, I was less committed to the entire novel. The characters didn’t quite come alive for me. I was confused as many turns by the motivations and the overall purpose of the characters. It was hard to connect with the story as written and ultimately I was left wanting more.

Next up on the TBR pile:

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress #5)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2011

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 357

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Finishing the Series

Spice Meter: 5 (albeit one with a vampire)

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

Hmm… I sped through this volume, but wasn’t super excited about the big mystery. It wasn’t super intriguing and I didn’t think the villain was scary enough. In the fact, I thought that Marie was a much scarier antagonist than the actual stated villain. I wanted to see more scenes with Marie and Cat bantering and sparring. That would have increased my enjoyment of this book. My other favorite part were the scenes involving Vlad. He is always a great addition to the story. I will keep reading this series, if nothing else than to complete books from my Unread Shelf. But, I must say that I’m not super into this series at this point.

Night Huntress:

#0.5 Reckoning
#1 Halfway to the Grave
#1.2 The Other Half of the Grave
#1.5 Happily Never After
#2 One Foot in the Grave
#3 At Grave’s End
#3.5 Devil to Pay
#4 Destined for an Early Grave
#4.5 One for the Money
#5 This Side of the Grave
#6 One Grave at a Time
#6.5 Home for the Holidays
#7 Up from the Grave
#7.5 Outtakes from the Grave
#7.6 A Grave Girls’ Getaway
#8 Both Feet in the Grave

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse

Title: Tread of Angels

Author: Rebecca Roanhorse

Publisher: Gallery 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 201

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer Reading Challenge

The year is 1883 and the mining town of Goetia is booming as prospectors from near and far come to mine the powerful new element Divinity from the high mountains of Colorado with the help of the pariahs of society known as the Fallen. The Fallen are the descendants of demonkind living amongst the Virtues, the winners in an ancient war, with the descendants of both sides choosing to live alongside Abaddon’s mountain in this tale of the mythological West from the bestselling mastermind Rebecca Roanhorse.

A bit of a strange book to review. The plot line centers around a women trying to defend her sister in a murder accusation. Pretty straight forward, but the world they live in is anything but straight forward. We get a clear divided between the Fallen and the Elect and appearances from demon lords. I sped through this book in one sitting and was engaged the entire time. The weird theological questions that came to mind keep me thinking of this book. Throw in Roanhorse’s personal history and current place in life, and I was even more intrigued. Something tells me that this book is going to creep back into my life in the future…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

Title: Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad #1)

Author: David Eddings

Publisher: 1982

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 304

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer Reading Challenge; Finishing the Series

A fierce dispute among the Gods and the theft of a powerful Orb leaves the World divided into five kingdoms. Young Garion, with his "Aunt Pol" and an elderly man calling himself Wolf --a father and daughter granted near-immortality by one of the Gods -- set out on a complex mission. In the process, as Garion grows into his early teens, he learns to defend himself, grapples with a wild boar, uncovers spies at a king's palace, learns about sorcery and starts to gain a sense of what his own destiny may be.

Another reading request from J from years back. I finally picked it up and it’s been a decent mini reading experience. This book is most definitely the big world-building, set-up book for the rest of the series. It starts off slow as we get to know Garion and his life on the farm. Once the band gets together and starts traveling, the pace picks up but not by a ton. We’re still slowly moving through the storyline it’s not until the last 25% of the book that things really get going. We’re left with many questions by the end of the book. This first volume didn’t blow me away, but it did make me intrigued enough to keep reading in the series.

The Belgariad

#1 Pawn of Pophecy
#2 Queen of Sorcery
#3 Magician’s Gambit
#4 Castle of Wizardry
#5 Enchanters’ End Game

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Curator by Owen King

Title: The Curator

Author: Owen King

Publisher: Scribner 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 480

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer Reading Challenge

It begins in an unnamed city nicknamed “the Fairest”, it is distinguished by many things from the river fair to the mountains that split the municipality in half; its theaters and many museums; the Morgue Ship; and, like all cities, but maybe especially so, by its essential unmappability.

Dora, a former domestic servant at the university has a secret desire—to understand the mystery of her brother's death, believing that the answer lies within The Museum of Psykical Research, where he worked when Dora was a child. With the city amidst a revolutionary upheaval, where citizens like Robert Barnes, her lover and a student radical, are now in positions of authority, Dora contrives to gain the curatorship of the half-forgotten museum only to find it all but burnt to the ground, with the neighboring museums oddly untouched. Robert offers her one of these, The National Museum of the Worker. However, neither this museum, nor the street it is hidden away on, nor Dora herself, are what they at first appear to be. Set against the backdrop of an oddly familiar and wondrous city on the verge of collapse, Dora’s search for the truth will unravel a monstrous conspiracy and bring her to the edge of worlds.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Title: Fourth Wing (Empyrean #1)

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Publisher: Entangled 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 528

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

Looking for a fast-paced fantasy adventure story featuring strong characters, serious dangers, and a side of romance? This is the summer read for you! This book has blown up on Bookstagram and in all my book related spaces, and for good reason. This is the high adventure story featuring dragons that we needed. We meet Violet Sorrengail who has been trained to enter the scribes, but whose mother forces her into the riders quadrant. The riders quadrant certainly means death for Violet, but she finds her strength and belonging within the treacherous world of the Basgiath War College. Violet is not a whiny teenager. She is a young woman who knows her strengths and weaknesses and uses them to survive. Once the dragons enter into he story, we move into a nonstop action phase that had me flinging through the pages. I couldn’t wait to see where the story would lead next. And then there was the romance plot. I loved Violet and Xaden’s antagonistic relationship and final consummation. It felt very real given their personalities, histories, and situations they were put in. I can’t wait until November when the sequel is published.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

Title: Stone Blind

Author: Natalie Haynes

Publisher: Harper 2023

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 373

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster.

The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene’s temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge—on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon’s actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude.

Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman—injured by a powerful man—is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Delving into the origins of this mythic tale, Haynes revitalizes and reconstructs Medusa’s story with her passion and fierce wit, offering a timely retelling of this classic myth that speaks to us today.

In a word, disappointing. I was expecting a fresh take on the Medusa myth complete with feminist rage. Alas, this is not really Medusa’s story. Only a small amount of the chapters actually focus on her. Instead, we get a ton of chapters from the gods and goddesses and a ton from the humans they encounter. We never ally feel like we get to know Meduas or even her sisters. I’ve heard this book described as having a wicked sense of humor, but I just don’t see it at all. I was very sad that this one didn’t work for me. Thankfully I got it from the library and didn’t actually buy it during the retreat (I was tempted).

Next up on the TBR pile:

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: Other Birds

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: St Martin’s Press 2022

Genre: Magical Realism

Pages: 290

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf - June; BOTM Cleanout

Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It's called The Dellawisp and it's named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother's apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn't yet written.

When one of her new neighbors dies under odd circumstances the night Zoey arrives, she's thrust into the mystery of The Dellawisp, which involves missing pages from a legendary writer whose work might be hidden there. She soon discovers that many unfinished stories permeate the place, and the people around her are in as much need of healing from wrongs of the past as she is. To find their way they have to learn how to trust each other, confront their deepest fears, and let go of what haunts them.

Sarah Addison Allen finally came out with a new book! I was so incredibly excited and had to get this one from BOTM as soon as it popped up. This book has all the hallmarks of a good Allen novel: a motley crew of characters, a specific and unique setting, and some just slightly odd magical realism. In this one, we follow the residents of the Dellawisp, both present and past. Of course we know that there are connections between the characters, and thankfully the book reveals all of those connections over the course of the novel. My favorite character was Charlotte. I really loved hearing about her story and seeing her grow and open up to others over the pages. I wish that we had seen more growth from Zoey. She seemed to stay the same throughout the entire story. At times she felt like she was written as a much younger character. I get her shelter background, but I wanted to see a bit more from her coming into her own. Overall, I really loved following these characters. The setting and the magical realism helped keep my attention to an essentially character driven novel. We are discussing this book at book club next week and I cannot wait to hear what everything thought.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Title: The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni #1)

Author: Helene Wecker

Publisher: Harper 2013

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 486

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; COYER

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay by a disgraced rabbi knowledgeable in the ways of dark Kabbalistic magic. She serves as the wife to a Polish merchant who dies at sea on the voyage to America. As the ship arrives in New York in 1899, Chava is unmoored and adrift until a rabbi on the Lower East Side recognizes her for the creature she is and takes her in.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert and trapped centuries ago in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard. Released by a Syrian tinsmith in a Manhattan shop, Ahmad appears in human form but is still not free. An iron band around his wrist binds him to the wizard and to the physical world.

Chava and Ahmad meet accidentally and become friends and soul mates despite their opposing natures. But when the golem’s violent nature overtakes her one evening, their bond is challenged. An even more powerful threat will emerge, however, and bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their very existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

A friend recommended this one and then my online book club chose it for June’s read. Seems like the universe really wanted me to read this one. Don’t be fooled by the summary. This book is squarely character driven. There is a plot, but it operates as a way for us to explore more of the characters’ natures and growth. I was intrigued by the world depicted and the two seemingly disparate cultures presented. I enjoyed seeing how the golem and the jinni are able to find commonalities with each other and their circumstances. We get to see two beings create identities despite their beginnings. I ended up enjoying this novel, but there were a few points where the slow pace got to me. I had hoped for a bit more action or plot. I’m still debating if I want to continue reading this series.

The Golem and the Jinni

#1 The Golem and the Jinni
#2 The Hidden Palace

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

Title: The Secret Service of Tea and Treason (Dangerous Damsels #3)

Author: India Holton

Publisher: Berkley Books 2023

Genre: Historical romance Fantasy

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Post Office (Set in a different country)

Spice Rating: 4

Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case.

But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice's greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life— pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans.

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.

The third in this delightful witty series snuck under the radar for me. I didn’t even realize that there was another in the series until another blogger randomly posted about it. I jumped on adding the book to my library holds. In this volume, we revisit two characters that previously appeared in other volumes. Alice and Daniel were intriguing small side characters in those books and I was excited to see them get their own romance story. The romance itself is very stilted at times, but only because we get to see two very different types of people than th usual romance leads. At many times, I really felt for Alice’s inability to understand the people around her. I loved getting the glimpse into her own thought patterns as we see her wrestle with the case and her complicated feelings toward Agent B. I sped through the volume loving every single page of it. I only wish that we had a bit more spice and maybe some more banter.

Dangerous Damsels

#1 The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
#2 The League of Gentlemen Witches
#3 The Secret Service of Tea and Treason

Next up on the TBR pile:

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Title: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

Author: Jonathan Auxier

Publisher: Amulet Books 2011

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Gardener, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher—a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need. Along with his loyal sidekick—a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat—and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny.

I picked this book up because of the strength of The Night Gardener and while it’s not that book, I did enjoy this story. We think that we are getting a version of Oliver Twist, but very quickly, things take a very strange turn. I loved the weird twists and turns that takes Peter to knew adventures and friendships. Auxier’s writing style is a strange mix of straight-forward prose and almost a stream of consciousness narrative. There’s a sequel to this story that I may or may not read. But I did enjoy this great middle grade fantasy novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Venmo by Cherie Dimaline

Title: VenCo

Author: Cherie Dimaline

Publisher: William Morrow 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Typographic Cover

Métis millennial Lucky St. James is barely hanging on when she learns she’ll be evicted from the tiny Toronto apartment she shares with her cantankerous but loving grandmother Stella. But then one night, something strange and irresistible calls out to Lucky. She burrows through a wall to find a tarnished silver spoon, humming with otherworldly energy, etched with a crooked-nosed witch and the word SALEM.

Lucky is familiar with the magic of her indigenous ancestors, but she has no idea that the spoon connects her to a teeming network of witches across North America who have anxiously awaited her discovery.

Enter VenCo, a front company fueled by vast resources of dark money (its name is an anagram of “coven.”) VenCo’s witches hide in plain sight wherever women gather: Tupperware parties, Mommy & Me classes, suburban book clubs. Since colonial times, they have awaited the moment the seven spoons will come together and ignite a new era, returning women to their rightful power.

But as reckoning approaches, a very powerful adversary is stalking their every move. He’s Jay Christos, a roguish and deadly witch-hunter as old as witchcraft itself.

To find the last spoon, Lucky and Stella embark on a rollicking and dangerous road trip to the darkly magical city of New Orleans, where the final showdown will determine whether VenCo will usher in a new beginning…or remain underground forever.

Our retreat book selection and I’m so excited that I really enjoyed it. Last year’s choice wasn’t a huge hit and the choice the year before was terrible. I picked a good one this year! It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but once Lucky meets the rest of the coven, I was complete drawn in. I really started to connect to every single one of the witches and of course was cheering for their success the entire way through. This is the type of feminist rage book that I love! We are not beating down all men or other women. Instead, we are uplifting women and their choices. We get to see how each of the women in the coven connects to their own power and reaches out to form friendships and familial ties. The book is full of action and adventure but also some great quiet moments between characters.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Library of the Unwritten by AJ Hackwith

Title: The Library of the Unwritten (Hell’s Library #1)

Author: AJ Hackwith

Publisher: Ace Books 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; COYER

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing-- a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell….and Earth.

Loved the premise and the settings, but ultimately, this one fell very flat for me. We are dropped into this plot line and action becomes nonstop from there. Very quickly it become very difficult to keep track of everything that was happened. The book didn’t have any quiet moments to sit and reflect on anything that was happening. On the other side, the characters were hard to really love. I enjoyed Brevity and Leto, but a lot of our time was spent with Claire and Ramiel. Those two were not easy to like or all that interesting of characters. The incredibly unlikeable characters are not really my jam. In the end, I was not all that interested in continuing the series.

Hell’s Library

#1 The Library of the Unwritten
#2 The Archive of the Forgotten
#3 The God of Lost Words

Next up on the TBR pile: