Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

The list of "Automatic Pre-order" authors that I have is pretty short.  Ilona Andrews is top on that list.  Not only is this a new book, it's the start of a new series!  A new series is always, always good news from this amazing writing team, especially since the Kate Daniels series is wrapping up with book 10 this year.  If you haven't read any of the Kate Daniels series, I wouldn't really worry about.  Definitely read it, because it's amazing, but the authors do a a really great job of filling you in on the necessary backstory.  

From the publisher because they say it better:

"The Iron Covenant Book 1
No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work. 
Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.
Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.
Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies? 
As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.” 
Hugh and Elara may do both. 

This book is an amazing start to a new series about respect, redemption, love and loss.  This book hits all the best points of fantasy and romance-strong characters, lots of magic, ancient creatures, and action that keeps the pages turning long after bedtime.  

One of the best parts of this book is the world building.  A castle that was shipped in brick by brick to please the former mistress in modern day Kentucky is now inside a dark magical forest after the magical shift occurs.  There are tunnels under the castle that people don't come back from and no one knows why.  There are druids, shapeshifters, magic, technology, gods, and creatures that are completely unknown.  It would seem chaotic except the authors have made it all make sense and believable.  

Elara's character is absolutely incredible and mysterious.  The way the authors are able to weave in old mythology with this insanely bonkers world they've created is fascinating.  Elara's character is both beloved and respected by her people for her ability to keep them healthy and safe, but there is a secret that everyone is hiding.  We do get a glimpse of what she truly is, but it's only a glimpse and I hope more is revealed as the series progresses.  

Hugh d'Ambray has spent his life powerful and feared.  Without Roland's magic and support, and now no clear agenda, he falls apart.  All the way apart.  When the opportunity comes along to save his soldiers and himself, he reluctantly takes it.  Hugh's character is such a contradiction-he is feared and brutal but also incredibly loyal to his Iron Dogs.  At one point, he talks over breakfast about how he killed a woman and then later on saves a dog.  I really feel the authors did an amazing job of making his character very slow to like.  It was as if he had to prove to himself that he was worthy of respect before the reader could believe that as well.  

The relationship between Elara and Hugh was also very unique.  It's easy to groan about the arranged marriage trope but this was the farthest thing from trope-y.  Their relationship was built incredibly slowly and all on the basis of respect.  Both characters were fiercely protective of their people and not afraid to do whatever it took to keep them safe.    

I just can't say it enough-this book is amazing.  These authors are amazing.  I can't wait to see what comes next in this series.

Iron and Magic is available June 26th and you can pre-order this book now here: 

Thank you to Netgalley and NYLA for the opportunity to read and review this book-all ramblings and the overuse of "amazing" are my own opinions.  

Also, there are other amazing series from these authors.  May I suggest:

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Post-Civil War epic zombie battles that are fought by bad-ass teenage girls? What more do you want?  Justina Ireland has created an amazing world that is both horrifying and inspirational.  

Jane McKeene has a very complicated life. Born to a wealthy mother and pampered as a child, her life takes a dramatic turn when she's enrolled at the Miss Preston's School of Combat in Baltimore.  Training to become a skilled zombie slayer is hard work, made even more difficult by the constant racism and sexism she faces.  Becoming an Attendant, a bodyguard for the wealthy whites, is one way to a better life.  Unfortunately for Jane, her chance at a better life is taken away when she is caught trying to locate the families who have gone missing in the area.  When Jane and two of her friends find themselves on a train headed west, she knows their days are numbered.  What Jane finds next is even more frightening than zombies.  

Jane is such a smart and strong character.  Her determination and will to live is inspiring.  No matter how horrible her circumstances became, she always had a plan to get her through another day.  Much of this was hard to read, not because of bad writing-quite the opposite.  The way that people of color were treated in history, and today, is appalling.  When Jane is acting as an Attendant at a fancy dinner party, she contemplates her future being treated as a piece of furniture-useful, nice to look at, but replaceable and that is not how she wants to spend the rest of her life.  

This is an absolutely amazing book.  I feel like the ending left an opening for another book and I'd really like to see what comes next in this world.

You can get your copy, and help support the site, here:

Dread Nation

By Justina Ireland

Buy on Amazon

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

Would you look at this amazing cover!  This is the prequel to the Wayward Children Series that begins with Every Heart a Doorway.  This series came recommended from one of the many book podcasts that I listen to and I can't agree more.  It's an amazing series full of twists and turns, bad fairy tales, and teenage angst.  I found the series very imaginative and compelling and I can't wait to get my hands on this when it comes out in January 2019.  

Ugh.  That's so far away.  

Dark Ark Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn and Juan Doe

I never realized how rough I was on books until I had to show them to other people...

Oh, Dark Ark, you beautifully drawn tale of how the world's worst creatures were saved alongside Noah during the Great Flood.  Picture this:  a massive ark containing vampires, werewolves, minotaurs, and blood thirsty demons.  And unicorns.  Unicorns!

Shrae and his family are on the Ark trying to survive the Great Flood.  Unfortunately for them, they are not on Noah's Ark, they are on the Dark Ark which contains every evil creature alive.  Shrae is doing his best to keep the tenuous peace, but there is no way for that last.  Allegiances between the creatures are tested when a murder occurs and everyone is a suspect.  When justice is dealt out, it becomes even more unclear as to who or what Shrae is, and why is he protecting these creatures?

The art is amazing and this story is so well told.  There are twists and turns alongside really dark humor.  I really enjoyed this one and I can't wait to see what volume two holds.  

You can get your copy, and help support the site, here:

Dark Ark

By Cullen Bunn

Buy on Amazon

Mean Girls Club: Pink Dawn by Ryan Heshka

THIS COVER!!!!!

This book is not for the faint of heart.  If swearing, drinking, violence and badass women are not your thing-don't pick up this book. 

It's my thing and I absolutely loved it!  I found this book after my boss circled it in one of our independent publishing catalogs we get at the Library.  She knows me well.  

From the back cover-because it's the best:  "The lascivious ladies of the Mean Girls Club have been raising a riot around town, and the cops are onto them.  Prepare for a mad-dash of boozing, skull-busting, and general mid-century mayhem as they deliver a swift stiletto-stab to the crotch of the patriarchy."

 These ladies are done with being used and hurt by others.  When their latest raid on the town gets too close to the Mayor and his pocketbook, the mayor blackmails his mechanic, the beautiful and vulnerable Roxy, to infiltrate the club and help take them down.  All Roxy wants is the vital and expensive medicine that her Grandpa needs to survive.  Left with little choice, Roxy approaches the clubhouse and is met with all the ladies and their guns.  But luckily for Roxy, the club's car Black Betsy was damaged during their last firefight with the police.  After repairing the car and then showing off her fighting skills when she's attacked by Wanda, Roxy spends the rest of the night in a drug and booze filled initiation where she learns all the backstories on the ladies and what fuels their obsession with taking down the patriarchy. 

Meanwhile, we learn that the disgusting Mayo Schlomo is in league with two cult leaders who are brainwashing the town's young girls into being subservient slaves.  When the cult leaders and the mayor set up a decency league called Reclaim Our Town, or R.O.T., the Mean Girls know they have to step in and do something.  Unfortunately, it's a trap and Roxy helped set it.  The Girls aren't led away quietly, in fact, Wanda's lines on page 58 are pretty amazing.  

The Mean Girls are now lined up in the execution chamber on display for the town to see.  At the same time, sick over her actions against the Club, Roxy finds herself at the clubhouse drinking away her grief.  When she stumbles upon the journal that tells of the club's beginnings, Roxy knows she has to do something to save the women. 

This book is so intense!  These women are not holding back anything.  The art and the writing are amazing and it's very tempting to buy another copy so I can cut some pages out and frame them.  

It's so good!

You can help support the site, and get your copy here: 

Mean Girls Club: Pink Dawn [Graphic Novel]

By Ryan Heshka

Buy on Amazon

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

I love putting great books on the shelf!

Poor Prince Sebastian, his parents want him married and he is far from interested.  

Frances only wants to become the hottest dress designer but her designs are too daring for the public to handle.  After creating a party-stopping dress for a client, her job is threatened.  But there is one person who loved her design and comes to Frances with an offer that it is too good to be true.  And it turns out, it is too good to be true.  Her new client is Prince Sebastian!

Sebastian just wants to wear dresses and take Paris by storm as his alter ego Lady Crystallia.  With Frances as his new dressmaker, the two of them go to lavish parties where Lady Crystallia is the center of attention.  But Sebastian is still a Prince and his parents don't know about his secret night life.  Also, Frances can't tell anyone that she is the one designing all these amazing dresses because she has to safeguard Sebastian's secret.  

When the stress of society's expectations become too much for everyone, the friendship between Frances and Sebastian is put to the test. 

This story is beautifully told and is so engaging!  Since The Kid is only reading graphic novels these days, we have read a really wide variety and this one had him talking him the most.  Frances and Sebastian have such a supportive and accepting friendship.  It's one of those relationships that we need more of.  The art is beautiful and the colors are amazing and I can't wait to see more from Jen Wang.

You can get your copy here:

The Prince and the Dressmaker

By Jen Wang

Buy on Amazon

Jackaby by William Ritter

If you took Sherlock Holmes and crossed him with Newt Scamander you'd get Mr. R. F. Jackaby. 

This book was pure fun!  

It's 1892 and Abigail Rook has left her boarding school to follow in her father's footsteps and join an expedition to the Carpathian Mountains.  But her dreams of finding new dinosaur species are quickly dashed and instead, she spent months digging holes and living in uncomfortable conditions.  When she finally has enough, she leaves the mountains and tries to find passage home only to realize that her ship is going in the wrong direction.  Now in America, Abigail needs to find a place to live and a job to help buy time before she has to face her parents again.  Not long after leaving the ship, Abigail encounters an unusual gentleman who appears to know more about her than he should.  

After a fruitless job search, Abigail sees an interesting job posting for an assistant at a detective agency.  Why is she not to stare at the frog?  Because staring at the frog makes him mad causing a foul smelling gas cloud.  As the cloud becomes more dense, the mysterious man is back and on his way out the door.  Chasing after him to both collect more information and outrun the gas, Abigail learns that our mysterious man is the detective R. F. Jackaby.  Having a job interview while investigating a crime scene is quite the experience for Abigail.  But Abigail isn't easily scared and does her best to impress her potential new boss.  But it's the boss that impresses Abigail.   Jackaby claims he can see mysterious and unusual creatures and seems to have a strained relationship with the police.  After seeing the condition of the murder victim, strange creatures are the only option for murder suspect and Abigail goes on to meet a ghost, a duck who used to be a man, a werewolf, and a woman who no one can see but them.  Trying to solve this crime puts everyone in danger and Abigail finds herself way in over her head. 

This book is full of adventure, mysterious creatures and even more mysterious people.  I really liked the characters and how there is not a love story between Abigail and Jackaby.  It's nice that her character didn't start swooning over the first guy who was nice to her. 

Jackaby's house is a character in it's own right-there is a pond on the third floor.  Like a real pond.  It's also home to a ghost and a duck that used to be Jackaby's assistant Douglass.  I'm sure there's even more that we'll learn about as the series continues.  And Jackaby is so used to his wacky way of life that he completely forgets to introduce Abigail to his housemates and doesn't explain anything.   It's a great book and amazing start to a series! 

You can get your copy here, which also helps support the site:

Jackaby

By William Ritter

Buy on Amazon

Ghostly Echoes: A Jackaby Novel

By William Ritter

Buy on Amazon

The Dire King: A Jackaby Novel

By William Ritter

Buy on Amazon

Her Body and Other Stories by Carmen Maria Machado

My library hold finally came in!  This one seemed like a really well-loved copy.

This book is scary, sexy, stunning, and spectacular!  Her Body and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Carmen Maria Machado that tell of the different ways that women deal with violence against their bodies.  

In "The Husband Stitch,"  a woman meets her husband at a party while they are still young.  When he asks about her green ribbon that she wears around her neck, she only answers that it is hers and he can't touch it.  Throughout the story, the husband asks over and over again to touch the ribbon only to be denied.  In the end, after becoming a mother and seeing her son off to university, the husband asks about the ribbon again. This time, the wife allows him to untie the ribbon and her head falls off.  Ouch.  

The story "Inventory,"  is one of the most unique stories I've ever read.  A woman is recounting her past lovers and their experiences, but it's through these that we learn a plague is affecting the world.  It's wild-in a very good way.  

In "Eight Bites," a woman and her daughter deal with the consequences of weight loss surgery and how they view each other's bodies.  This one really made me think about how family encouragement can also be taken as criticism.  

There are eight stories total and each of them is incredibly unique.  In many of them, you can feel that something is just slightly off but you don't realize how far off until the very end.  

Amazing collection of stories and I highly recommend for those with strong stomachs. You can get your copy here, and help support the site all at the same time:

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories

By Carmen Maria Machado

Buy on Amazon

Circe by Madeline Miller

The amazing cover for Circe by Madeline Miller.

Growing up, my local Library had a set of books about Greek and Roman mythology.  I remember they were blue and illustrated, and I probably checked them out a dozen times each.  Can't tell you the author or publisher, but they were blue. I have always found Greek mythology fascinating.   How anyone could keep that many Goddesses, Gods, Demigods, Titans, Olympians, etc. straight is beyond me. The way all the main players are intertwined by birth or marriage and how they love and hate each other creates for a never ending line of stories.  

Circe by Madeline Miller is about Circe, daughter of the God Helios and the Nymph Perse, and how she becomes one of the first witches.  Circe tells her story from the beginning, of how as a child she was very different from her siblings. Told from the very beginning that she is ugly and told to never speak, we learn Circe looks and sounds human.  With no obvious power, it takes years for Circe to discover that her powers lay in witchcraft. After she transforms a childhood enemy into a horrific monster, Zeus banishes her to an island to live her immortal life in exile.  

Circe, now completely alone on her island, must learn to provide for and protect herself.  Devoting her time to spells and potions allows her to protect herself from the unwanted attentions of sailors who find themselves stranded on her shores.  

I loved how she turned the sailors into pigs. Literal pigs.  Then she kept them in a pigsty.

She also has to protect herself from the island's creatures.  Early on, she encounters a wild boar.  "His pig-eyes said:  I can break a hundred youths and send their bodies back to wailing mothers.  I will tear your entrails and eat them for my lunch.  I fixed my gaze on his.  'Try,' I said." 

When the boar wanders away, CIrce leaves us with this: "I tell you, for all my spells, that was the first time I truly felt myself a witch."

I think Try would make for a great tattoo...

But Circe isn’t alone for long.  She finds herself surrounded by the disgraced daughters of kings.  She meets the famed Daedalus before he meets his fate with his son Icarus.  Odysseus stays on her island for nearly year and leaves behind the most precious gift, a son that he won’t know of for nearly 20 years.  

Within Circe, we get all the best of Greek mythology:  drama, heartache, deception, and fantastical creatures.  Circe is sensitive by nature and becomes strong by circumstance.  Miller takes us on an incredible journey to watch Circe grow into her craft.  Also, watching Circe really struggle at motherhood was completely relatable.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  The writing was incredible and the pacing was fast enough to keep your interest.

You can order your copy, and help support the site, here: 

CIRCE (#1 New York Times bestseller)

By Madeline Miller

Buy on Amazon

Circe by Madeline Miller is available now from LIttle, Brown.  

Blood Fury by J. R. Ward

Book #3 in the Black Dagger Legacy series.

Back when my son was a baby and it seemed too big of a hassle to keep him quiet in a library so I could select books, I discovered my library's collection of ebooks.  Scrolling through thousands of choices can be very overwhelming but I have always been a science-fiction, fantasy, and paranormal fan.  I found a random vampire book and checked it out.  That book was Dark Lover, book one in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and I was instantly hooked.  

There are now 18 books in the Brotherhood series and Blood Fury is the third book in the spin-off series, Black Dagger Legacy.  

I own them all.  Even the Bourbon Kings and Fallen Angels series.  J. R. Ward knows how to do vampires. 

With all of the variations in vampire lore, there is a vampire for everyone.  Mine don't sparkle.  My vampires are 6' 5", 350, and carry daggers.  They have psychic gifts, fighting skills, and more money than they will ever be able to spend in their incredibly long lifetimes.  They also turn in to puppies when they're mates are around.  They have a complex set of social rules and expectations and are led by their King, Wrath son of Wrath.  Wrath is protected by the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a tight knit group of warriors who protect the King and all vampires from their deadly enemy the Lessers.  The Brotherhood live mostly together in the mansion filled with servants, a medical wing and a training facility.  The Legacy series focuses the younger vampires who are participating in the new training program for Brotherhood recruits. 

I love how the books are structured-each book containing multiple story lines that intertwine and pick up in later books.  However, that also makes summarizing the books tricky.  Each book has it's focus couple, and for this book, it's Peyton and Novo.  

Peyton is part of an aristocratic family with one duty-mate a suitable female and get her pregnant.  But the hard partying playboy has one woman on his radar and she fell in love with another man.  After a wrong decision in a battle with the Lessers that causes his fellow trainee Novo to nearly die, he realizes that it's time grow up and reassess his life.  

Novo has her own family drama to deal with.  After leaving home to prove herself in the Brotherhood's training program and keeping herself isolated from her family and peers, she is dragged back in to the family drama with her sister Sophya's  upcoming wedding.  Not only did her sister ask her to be the maid of honor at her wedding, a human style wedding, but Sophya is marrying Novo's ex-boyfriend.  The ex-boyfriend who also got Novo pregnant and left her to deal with the unplanned pregnancy and the sudden miscarriage all on her own.  Novo and Peyton are brought together after Peyton finally realizes he’ll never have Paradise, his best friend, and he nearly kills Novo.  While recovering from her injuries during the disastrous battle with the Lessers, Novo needs blood to speed her recovery.  Guess who has the magic blood that makes everything all better?  Yep, Peyton.  Guess who gets hit by the love freight train?  Peyton again.  

Unfortunately for the two of them, their relationship does not develop smoothly.  Past hurts, family drama, and social expectations get in the way.  Peyton learns that his father has secured an arranged marriage for him.  Luckily for him, his bride-to-be is not interested in getting married and gives Peyton the heads up he needs to try to make it all go away.  Meanwhile, Novo is still trying to heal from her injuries while her sister guilt trips her into helping with the wedding planning. 

Throughout all the pain and deception, the two do find love.  It’s an amazing ride full of twists, forgiveness, and self-discovery.  

Alongside this story, we finally get the HEA for Saxton.  Oh, Saxton, the hot and sexy lawyer for the King.  He had once found love with Blaylock only to have his heart broken when Blay was able to reconcile with Qhuinn.  When Blay asks Saxton to look into a legal matter for a friend, Saxton is reluctant to work any more closely with Blay than needed.  But after hearing the tale of a lonely widow being harassed by a local developer, Saxton can’t help but step in.  When the situation turns dangerous, the King appoints Ruhn to be his bodyguard.   Ruhn spent much of his life enslaved as a fighter and has worked hard to overcome the trauma.   Ashamed by his lack of education, Ruhn tries hard to fit in at the mansion and be useful, and the role of guard is the first chance he has to prove himself.  Mistaking Saxton’s interest as disapproval, Ruhn is hurt further by the confusion he feels at his own feelings towards Saxton.  Luckily, the two man have one passion in common-old houses.  Remember the widow being harrassed by developers?  

J. R. Ward writes some very steamy books and this one is no exception.  I do think that she doesn’t give fair play to the gentlemen in this one.   I just think that Saxton finally getting the man of his dreams should include more of the fun times.  
But that’s me. 

This is an amazing series with great world building and characters.  It’s an automatic preorder for me.  I know, this book came out in January and I’m just now writing about it.  It’s my absolute favorite series of all time and I waited four months to read it.  Ward also only publishes one book a year.  That’s a long time to wait for the next book, especially after I stayed up late so I could read it all in one sitting.  

It’s that good.  

Fair warning, these books are very explicit in language, sex, drug use, violence, you name it.

You can get your copy here:

Blood Fury: Black Dagger Legacy

By J.R. Ward

Buy on Amazon

The Merry Spinster, Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg

Those teeth!

After reading and hearing so many good things about this book I couldn't wait for my hold to finally come in at the Library.  I actually finished this about a week ago when my youth department was still decorated for early spring/Easter.  Reading the short story The Rabbit while sitting at my desk eating lunch was a very creepy experience.  I swear all the stuffed bunnies were staring at me.  Like they knew what I was reading.  Like stuffed bunnies talk.  

The Merry Spinster, Tales of Everyday Horror is a short story collection that takes our well-loved and well-known childhood stories and makes them dark, creepy, and chilling.  The title story, The Merry Spinster is a play on the Beauty and the Beast tale.  In this version, it's Beauty's mother, not father who stumbles upon the Beast.  The mother, a rich executive, heads to the city to take care of some investments.  While on her way home, she became horribly lost and ran out of gas.  After wandering around trying to find help she stumbles across a great house that is all lit up but no one answers the door.  What does she do?  She walks in. 

Guess where this is going?

After helping herself to some dinner the mother decides to tour the house and grounds.  The bottle of wine that she drank at dinner may have helped with that decision.  Wine bottle in hand, she heads out to pick the roses that she promised to bring her daughter Beauty.  When the Beast, or Mr. Beale in this version, confronts her about stealing and trespassing, the mother is pretty unapologetic.  True to the tale, the mother has to give up Beauty to come live with Mr. Beale.  

Unfortunately for Mr. Beale, he didn't do any research on his new bride and he had no idea what he was getting in to.  

Not every story was a winner for me.  Not going to lie-The Thankless Child went right over my head.  

The Rabbit was deliciously creepy.  That one I enjoyed the most and I don't want to spoil any of it.  I don't think I'll look at stuffed animals the same way again.  Overall this was a great collection and I didn't realize how much I liked short story collections until I read this.  

Since this book was published the author has transitioned genders and now goes by Daniel Mallory Ortberg.  

You can get the book here: 

A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas

A Conspiracy in Belgravia, book 2 in The Lady Sherlock Series, is available now from Sherry Thomas. 

Do you ever have those books that you have to preorder but then put off reading because if you read it now, it's that much longer before the next book comes out?  I know, it doesn't make sense logically or mathematically, but I do it anyways.  I've had this book for months and I've finally given in and read it.  And then the ending happened. 

The ending!  I was mad and sad and excited and frustrated and I NEED THE NEXT BOOK!!!

If you'd like to see my thoughts on Book 1, A Study in Scarlet Women, check out my post here.

Charlotte Holmes, along with her friend and assistant Mrs. Watson, has been quite successful with her investigative business.  Posing as "Sherlock" Holmes, she has handled all types of cases.  One day, a message comes from a new client that could break Charlotte's cover-and end a long-time friendship.  

Lady Ingram, married to Charlotte's friend and not-so-secret crush Lord Ingram, has come to Sherlock Holmes to help find a lost love.  Years before, knowing that marriage would never be an option, Lady Ingram makes a pact to pass by the same spot every year to see her former love.  For the first time, he does not show.  Worried that something terrrible has happened to him, Lady Ingram asks "Sherlock" to help find him.  Who is this former flame that Lady Ingram can't get over?  Charlotte's half-brother Myron Finch, who Charlotte has never met.  

Charlotte is now forced to decide between loyalty to her business, her family, and her friend Lord Ingram.  Throughout the investigation, Charlotte learns more about her brother, recieves a surprise marriage proposal, her sister falls in love, and barely escapes an attempted abduction. 

I love this series.  There are only two books so far but they are so fast paced and entertaining that it feels like there are more.  Sherry Thomas writes a great mystery and she can really keep you guessing all the way to the end.  I also really enjoy the way the women in this book work together to not just look out for each other, but how they really care about and support each other.  Livia Holmes, Charlotte's sister, is a great character.  She is still at home, dealing with parents who really don't like her or understand her.  She is determined to follow her passion and write the adventures of "Sherlock Holmes" but is kept back due to society's rules.  I've really enjoyed watching her character grow and I'm eager to see what happens next with her.  

Love this series-just read it, you won't be disappointed.  

You can get your copy here: 

A Conspiracy in Belgravia (The Lady Sherlock Series)

By Sherry Thomas

Buy on Amazon

Half World by Hiromi Goto

Inter-library loan copy of Half World by Hiromo Goto.

Some of the best books I’ve read lately have been recommended by people I’ve never met.  This one, for example, came from a member of a Facebook group for the Books & Brews podcast.  It’s a book that I never would have found on my own and probably would have passed up had I seen it.  It was also a simple post-here’s a book I like and has anyone else read it? Sometimes those low-key testimonials are the best endorsements for a book.  I tend to shy away from books that become too popular too fast. I haven’t read Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train.  They must be good-everyone else has read them.  Which is why I probably won’t. Make sense? I know it doesn’t.  It’s just how I am.

In Half World, we follow young Melanie on a life changing journey through the realms.  Melanie is always on the outside, lonely, unpopular, and living with her unstable mother.  Living on the edge of poverty and without any family, Melanie is barely hanging on to her mother who is spending more and more of her time drinking.  While trying to avoid the mean girls at school, Melanie finds herself at home in an empty apartment. Her mother, who barely leaves the apartment is now missing.  

Following a string of mysterious clues, Melanie learns of the three realms:  the Realm of Flesh, the Realm of Spirit, and Half World. With the help of a kind neighbor and her magical gifts, Melanie makes her way to Half World to find her mother.  Once there, Melanie finds a world of unlikely human-animal hybrids, impossible buildings, and nightmares come to life; a world ruled by the evil Mr. Glueskin. Melanie must believe in herself in order to find the strength to rescue her mother from the evil ruler and free all of those who are stuck in his vicious cycle of half living.

I’m not usually one for coming of age stories.  They tend to be overly sweet and angsty. This one really hit the right balance for me.  Melanie is fourteen. She’s overweight, unpopular, and not the best at school. Yet, she is still able to find her way to another realm, defeat every obstacle that comes her way-barely, and save the world.  It’s the barely part that I appreciate. She nearly gives up over and over again.

In to YA Fantasy?  Try this one out. It doesn’t disappoint.  

Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

Illinois Reads is an initiative by the Illinois Reading Council to encourage readers of all ages to try out books by Illinois authors.  Contrary to popular belief, Illinois does have some positives.  We have amazing state parks-not necessarily well funded, but beautiful, you can experience all four seasons within a day, and we have great authors.  Leslie Parry is one of them. 

I typically spend most of my time reading through the children's selection of the Illinois Reads list.  I mean, there's a lot of books to get through and I do have to plan the events that go along with the books for the Library.  But this book from the Adult list looked too good to pass up.  It's amazing! It's completely bananas!  It's also completely engrossing and beautifully written.  There are so many twists that spoilers are very difficult to avoid.  

Odile and Bella Church are twin sisters raised amongst the lights and noise of the circus.  Surrounded by colorful characters, the talented twins grow up to be strong and independent young women until tragedy destroys their family. 

Sylvan was found as a small child, alone and ill in a cellar.  Raised by his rescuers, he faces loss and struggle throughout his early life.  Now as a young man, he finds an infant in a privy.  Barely alive, the baby stirs in Sylvan a sense of duty and protectiveness that he didn't know he had. 

Alphie, a young woman in a strained marriage, wakes up confused and scared in a mental asylum.  Thinking it has to be her overbearing mother-in-law, she waits for her husband to come rescue her.  While at the asylum, she meets a beautiful but extraordinary young woman who will be vital to her continued survival.  

The characters were so well written-each one with a story that is both tragic and inspiring in some way.   Odile and Bella grew up as performers in The Church of Marvels, a Coney Island sideshow that is owned by their mother.  Surrounded by performers, lions, and thrill-seeking crowds, their world is turned upside down after a tragic fire.  When Bella leaves shortly after learning of their mother's death, Odile firmly believes she'll return home soon.  But months go by and there is no word from Bella.  Using what little clues Bella left behind, Odile meets Sylvan, a young man who is also looking for her sister.  After learning her sister may have had a child, Odile becomes even more intent on finding her sister. 

Meanwhile, Alphie has worked hard to survive on the streets of NYC.  Once she marries her soul mate, she believes her life can only become better.  But her oppressive mother-in-law has other plans for the woman who is definitely not good enough for her son.   Snide comments about her choice in clothing, food, and a lack of a first born child make Alphie's newlywed days very grim.  It's after Alphie hatches a plot to give her mother-in-law a grandchild, that Alphie's life becomes even more unbearable. 

There are so many spoilers in this book that it's hard to discuss without ruining the ending.   This book was both absolutely amazing and bizarre.  How the author was able to weave the different story lines together to create this novel is beyond me.  Each situation the characters find themselves in becomes more complex and fantastic but still manages to remain completely plausible.  Highly enjoyable and an incredible read.  Definitely recommend! 

Church of Marvels: A Novel

By Leslie Parry

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The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

One of the most gorgeous covers!

The cover!  This is a gorgeous book and has one of the prettiest set of endpapers I've ever seen.  I'm trying to find a way to display it face out because it deserves better than to be hidden on a shelf.

The Hazel Wood lived up to all the hype.  A book of mysterious and dark fairytales that creates and destroys a family fortunes and causes a decades long family rift will also lead Alice Crewes on a deadly adventure to discover who she truly is.  

Alice Crewes and her mother Ella spend close to two decades moving from one friend's guest room to the next.  Crisscrossing the country and leaving behind a wake of bad luck, Alice and her mother never return to the Hazle Wood, her Grandmother's mythical mansion bought at the peak of her career.  After disappearing for an unknown period of time during the 1960's, Alice's grandmother Althea publishes a collection of dark fairy tales that becomes a successful best seller. The book creates a cult following, especially after it was turned in to a film.  However, in the present day, there are very few copies of the book and Alice has never read the book herself and her mother does all she can to keep it that way.

When Alice and her mother receive a letter about Althea's death, they both believe that their lives will change for the better.  Ella marries the wealthy Harold in order to provide Alice with a comfortable life. Along with her snotty new stepsister, Alice is now living in a luxurious apartment and attending an expensive private school.  But Alice is still on the outside and is wary of all friendships and questions why another student, Ellery Finch, would try to be friends.

After returning home from school, Alice finds the apartment empty and smelling suspicious.  Having no one else to turn to, she goes to Ellery for help. After returning to the apartment with Ellery, she is confronted by her gun wielding stepfather and a very irritated step sister-but no mother.  Convinced her mother has been kidnapped, Alice sets out to save her.

Alice and Ellery find themselves facing the Hinterland-a mythical gang of fairytale characters who want Alice.  Alice is now faced with an enemy that she knows nothing about but that her family is intricately tied to.

Throughout her adventure, A lice has to rely on Ellery for his knowledge of the fairytales and his seemingly bottomless wallet.  There are a few points where you have to suspend belief to allow the teenagers to do what they do, but it’s also a book about evil fairy tales coming to life.  So. You know.

Alice and Ellery have a very interesting relationship.  It’s very hard to determine if one is using the other-and this changes directions over and over again.  Of all the random books, Ellery is obsessed with Tales from the Hinterland.  That reminded me of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians.  A favorite childhood book that leads to a world that isn’t quite what they hoped it would be.  

I wish I had better lighting and knew something about photography so you could see how beautiful these end papers are! 

Overall, I loved this book.  It is fast paced and full of complex characters and feels very much like it could be the start of a series.  

The Hazel Wood: A Novel

By Melissa Albert

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The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

The Girl with the Red Balloon available now from Katherine Locke

Yes, it also requires many flags.

Fantasy novels are supposed to make you rethink your surroundings.  Magical doorways, fairy circles, talking animals, and superpowers can all be found in our everyday lives masked by the ordinary.  Will you travel through time by walking up the back staircase? Can eating the perfect apple freshly picked from the tree lead to magical sleep?

Will holding a red balloon transport you through time? If you happen to be visiting the Berlin Wall in Germany while on a school trip, beware the red balloons.  

Growing up, Ellie Baum listened to her Grandfather tell the story of how he was rescued from a Nazi death camp by a magical red balloon.  Ellie always played the story off as fantasy and while visiting Germany herself on a class trip, she sees a beautiful red balloon and knows she needs a photo of herself with it.  But once she touches the balloon, she finds herself far away from the Berlin Wall Memorial, and at the Wall itself. Now in 1988 Berlin, Ellie meets Kai and Mitzi, two balloon runners who use the magical balloons to help people escape to West Berlin.  But how did Ellie get here? Where is the original balloon passenger? Who is tampering with the balloons and why?

This book was completely absorbing and incredibly well written.  I loved how quickly the story moved-the action was constantly moving.  The relationships between the characters was very relatable. How do you handle wanting to pursue a relationship or, even a friendship, when you're constantly trying to find your way home?  Through Ellie's discussions with her new friends and the flashbacks to her grandfather, there was a lot of Jewish history that was new to me. At one point, her grandfather Benno is telling the story of the Exodus to his future rescuer, Aurora.  After hearing the story of the Exodus, she complains that Jewish stories are sad and why aren't there any happy stories? Benno tells her, "I've told you two stories that end in freedom," I protested.  "How much happier could you ask for? I just loved that quote.

I really enjoyed this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.  I'm not a highlighter or underliner, but this book had more sticky flags in it than any other book I've read in a long time.  

The Girl with the Red Balloon (The Balloonmakers)

By Katherine Locke

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The Diviners by Libba Bray

Library copy of The Diviners by Libba Bray.  I know.  The tape.  I wanted to fix it but it's just not done.  Librarian Code. 

I found my Podcast soulmates!  Joscelyn and Pam host the Books & Brews Podcast which is the combination of my two favorite things, books and beers. It is such a fun listen-these gals love their books!  And, they're Canadian.  Bonus.  Except I can't find some of the beers that they discuss.  Maybe someday I'll have to take another trip up north.  This podcast has made morning chores far more enjoyable and has caused my TBR to topple.  You can find out more about these ladies and listen to their podcast on this book here:

What pairs well with a book about flappers, dance clubs, possessed children, teenagers with powerful magical gifts, and a murderer from beyond the grave? BEER! We dive into Libba Bray's The Diviners, with tasty brews from a magical Strange Fellows and Parkside Brewery collab. We had a LOT to say about this book (in case you can't tell). Hang onto your headbands... this one is pos-i-tute-ly awesome!

Seriously, check them out.  They're a blast!

The Diviners was an extremely fun and fast read considering it clocks in at a whopping 578 pages.  We follow Evangeline "Evie" O'Neill, the wealthy socialite daughter of the Secretary of the Zenith Women's Temperance Society and the town's most successful car dealer.  After getting caught spreading some unwelcome truth about the town's Golden Boy, our partry-loving Evie is shipped off to New York City to live with her bachelor Uncle Will.  Why her parents send her from Ohio to NYC, during Prohibition no less, to get Evie out of trouble is beyond me-but it makes for some really entertaining reading.  Her family is still dealing with death of Evie's older brother James who was serving in the war years before.  Within minutes of departing her train, Evie encounters Sam Lloyd, a young scam artist who steals $20 from Evie and becomes personally acquainted with her knee. 

Smart girl.

Along with his assistant Jericho Jones, Uncle Will is the owner of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult.  Full of mysterious objects ranging from spirit photographs to poppet dolls, the only thing the museum lacks is paying visitors.  

Once in the city, Evie meets up with her childhood best friend Mable and goes on to spend her time partying, shopping, and touring the city.  Along the way she meets up with an array of new friends:  an up-and-coming star Theta and her piano playing "brother" Henry, Memphis the number runner, and Sam comes back into picture.  This time though, he's working for Uncle Will.  All of these friends have one thing in common-every one of them has a special gift that they keep hidden.  We learn that they are all "Diviners," people with unique supernatural gifts that are as different as the people who have them.  

When Uncle Will is approached by Detective Malloy to help investigate an unsual murder, Evie charms her way on to the scene.  After accidentally using her gift, Evie comes in possession of clues that will become vital to the investigation.  Evie and her friends become an important part in taking down a sadistic cult and a crazed spirit, all while dodging police raids and pesky newspaper reporters.  But no more spoilers, promise.

There was so much that went on in this book.  I really enjoyed all the characters, and I'm curious to see how much more we learn about the actual history of the Diviners and the stories of all the side characters in the upcoming books.  The setting of Prohibition Era NYC was a lot of fun.  All of the glitzy outfits and the speakeasies and dancing girls.  It seemed like everyone was living in an apartment or hotel of some kind so there were several times that a well placed fire escape came in handy.  This book reminded me of Lev Grossman's The Magicians- a group of young adults who never met before have to come together to defeat a dark magical element all while partying their little hearts out. 

Excellent start to a series and highly recommend!   

The Diviners

By Libba Bray

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Ambitions

Most of the 2018 Rebecca Caudill Master List.

Last week, I finally put in the order for the 2018 Rebecca Caudill books I didn't already have on the shelf. Every one of these books looks amazing and now my TBR has been increased, again.  

Rebecca Caudill was an award winning children's author.  Born in Kentucky in 1899, she became a well-educated teacher and writer, earning a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia and a Master's degree from Vanderbilt University.  Her first published children's book went on to become a Junior Library Guild selection.  

Each year schools, teachers, students, school librarians and media specialists and public librarians nominate books to be evaluated by the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Evaluator's Committee.  Those nominations are then whittled down to the 20 book Master List that is released each year.  There are many rules about what books can be nominated, such as publication dates, the person nominating the books has to have read it, and all books must appeal to children in grades 4-8.  

While re-shelving last year's books to make way for the new, I noticed several repeat authors.  I have more reading to do before I commit to how I feel about that.  Diversity in authors is always welcome-in fact, it's necessary for a well curated collection.  

It's my goal to read through the entire 2018 Master List this year.  You'll see my favorites in Chick Picks as they get read.