All posts by skyebjenner

Breath of Magic by Cheyenne McCray

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for no rest for the witches book cover

Title: Breath of Magic
Author: Cheyenne McCray
Series: Magic #3.5
In: No Rest for the Witches (Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Magic, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy, Witches
Dates read: 25th August 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: The Underworld god’s muscles bunched and flexed as he strode toward them.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

San Francisco’s witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?

Thoughts

This was a great partnering off, battle the evil, and, whilst not winning the war, winning the battle kind of story. I immediately fell in love with the characters, and wanted to find out more about this amazing world that Cheyenne McCray has created. You kind of knew that the two leads would end up together at the close of the book, but that didn’t make the journey any less exciting or intriguing. Rather, I couldn’t wait to see just how they would overcome their obstacles, and it was more than a little surprising when the conclusion was finally reached.

It was really nice to have a slightly different heroine in the lead of this story. Most of the tales I read feature a woman who is completely put together and beautiful, if not more than a little manic and insane. Instead, this features a woman who has glasses and makes some incredibly silly mistakes. Ones that are performed out of pure stubbornness, but still a good place. And more than a little stupid when she looks back at them in hindsight.

Breath of Magic is one of those fun novellas that I’ll read again and again. Not just because I love the simplicity of a good romance story, but also because there is so much more going on. There is a fantastic plot that actually takes centre stage over the romance and makes you hold your breath throughout – after all, you want the good guys to win, and it’s really not a certain thing. It is one of those tales that will make you want to dive right into McCray’s writing and sink into her worlds. Or at least, that’s how I felt… and now I have to go out and buy Forbidden Magic to get my next fix…

 <- Voodoo Moon ReviewAny Witch Way She Can Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Governess by Elizabeth Bear

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for queen victoria's book of spells ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Governess
Author: Elizabeth Bear
In: Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Family, Fantasy, Gaslamp
Dates read: 25th August 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: But she does, and there it is, and somehow she gets her mouth around it.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Anabelle is the governess of three beautiful children. But not all is right in the manor, and it might take the strength of a woman to make it right again.

Thoughts

Not sure why, but at the beginning of this story, I was kind of expecting a much more cheerful and happier outlook in this story. Maybe a bit of a rags to riches story. I was so incredibly wrong. This is a little bit dark, a little bit uncomfortable and a really enjoyable read.

The Governess is a story that highlights the plight of women. Not only through Anabelle’s trials, but those of the mistress of the manor. Both are trapped by a man who is more than a little evil, and both are filled with their own hidden strength. The ending really drives home that although both women were brutalised and subject to horrors, they find a way to rise above and focus on a new future. The grasping of their own freedom and focus on what makes them strong, rather than what made them victims was the only really uplifting moment in an otherwise dark story.

This wasn’t a heavy fantasy story, it almost read a little like a historical fiction. But with just that hint of a fantastical element towards the very ending. Actually, it kind of made me want to watch Downton Abbey because it felt kind of like that era. Yet, the beauty of the fantastical hint at the end made me want to clutch this book to my chest, and find yet more stories written by Elizabeth Bear. A great introduction to a new author.

 <- For the Briar Rose ReviewSmithfield Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Taking Hold by Anya Bast

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of paranormal romance book cover

Title: Taking Hold
Author: Anya Bast
In: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Werewolves
Dates read: 25th August 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “It’s uh-” She swallowed hard.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Casey is out in the wilderness trying to find a lost young man. But the werewolf who is assisting her might just be more of a temptation than she can bear.

Thoughts

This is one of those short stories that I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed in the moment. But kind of forgot about once I turned that final page. Even writing this review, I had to flick back to it just to remember what I’d actually read. Maybe I’ve just been reading a little too much werewolf / shapeshifter paranormal romance of late…

Something which this short story did was make me really, really want to pick up Lora Leigh’s Breeds series. The positioning of the werewolf as a totally separate species, and not human at all kind of reminded me of that. And also the stupidity that we kind of have in our own separations, if someone is not exactly like us, they are often considered as somehow less than human, even if there is a whole heap of evidence to the contrary. The fact that this was done through the vessel of a loner werewolf and outcast teacher made the point far more subtle, but it was still there.

The care for a child is something that I think ties everyone together. Or at least, it does in this story. Even though the child in question is sixteen, the cusp of innocence is still there are Casey and Mac race against time and hunters to rescue him. It helped to bring a more humanitarian element to the storyline and detract a little from the intense passion, which kind of felt needed at this point of the collection.

 <- John Doe ReviewHow to Date a Superhero Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Face of the Killer by Violet Addison and David N. Smith

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: The Face of the Killer
Author: Violet Addison & David N. Smith
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Historical fiction, Race
Dates read: 25th August 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: On its back was a single wooden coffin, its sides stained with blood.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

He thinks he’s seen the face of the killer, and he’s determined to help find him. But could he have been mistaken? Did he really see the face of the killer?

Thoughts

This is the first story in the The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories collection which deals with racism as an aspect of finding the killer. Although there was an obvious aggression towards Jews at the time, none of the tales in this collection have specifically addressed this topic. Which made this kind of amazing. After all, a tale of perceptions, understandings and inherent racism is always going to be a good kind of read.

This was a story that seemed to be about the “true” identity of the killer. About what he actually looked like, not about how easily misconceptions can occur. But I liked this angle much better. After all, we’ll never truly know who the Ripper was, and all we have to go on are reports based on others’ thoughts and perceptions.

My favourite part of this short story was the ending. The feeling of shame and guilt that the narrator felt when he realised that he let his prejudice destroy a good man’s life. And the moment when he realises that his actions had consequences, although he is not necessarily held responsible for them.

 <- His Last Victim ReviewA Head for Murder Review ->
Image source: Amazon

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for american gods book cover

Title: American Gods
Author: Neil Gaiman
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Adventure, Mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 7th – 12th August 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Headline
Year: 2001
5th sentence, 74th page: The men said, ‘We are far, far from our homes and our hearths, far from the seas we know and the lands we love.

Synopsis

IS NOTHING SACRED?

Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plant, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You’ll be surprised by what – and who – it finds there…

Thoughts

I knew that reading a Neil Gaiman story would be an adventure. This is the third novel that I’ve read by him, and every single time they’re intense, fun and completely off-kilter. The fact that this is my first really adult book by him just made it all the more exciting. And that much easier to just completely devour it. Especially at a time when I was getting a little overwhelmed and upset by everything else going on around me. It was kind of a perfect, twisted, world to float away in.

This is one of those novels that you will pick up nuances again and again as you read it. I spent a lot of the time on this, my first read through, trying to figure out which pantheon many of the old gods were from. Trying to figure out just who Mr. Wednesday was and what his motivations for hiring Shadow were. I didn’t spend as much time intrigued by the new age gods… which I think I will notice more next time.

I had kind of expected a bit of a romantic spin to this story when Shadow focuses on his wife so much at the beginning. It really isn’t even remotely romantic, and the relationship between Shadow and his wife turns a bit… well, weird. And, well, deeply disturbing in parts. Which is of course what I loved about this story – it made me kind of uncomfortable for the majority, and deeply disturbed at other moments. Not just in the storyline – but also with the message and themes that Gaiman is imparting throughout the story. It’s not supposed to be a happily ever after, comfortable story – it’s one that should really make you sit back and think about the choices you make in life, and just what it is that you worship.

American Gods is one of those stories that will stand the test of time. It discusses the battle that everyone must face at some point in their lives – old versus new. Which is better? Which should we worship? Are either of them actually any better than the other? As someone who is fascinated by ancient mythologies, but tends to live solidly in the real world, this is the perfect theme to follow – after all, it’s an internal discussion I often have too.

 <- Adventures in the Dream TradeAnansi Boys ->

Image source: Amazon

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the wind in the willows book cover

Title: The Wind in the Willows
Author: Kenneth Grahame
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Book to Film, Classics, Easy reading
Dates read: 2nd – 6th August 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Oxford
Year: 1908
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘When they went,’ continued the Badger, ‘the strong winds and persistent rains took the matter in hand, patiently, ceaselessly, year after year.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Join in the delights and disasters on the riverbank with Mole and his new friends, Ratty, Badger, and fun-loving Toad. There’s never a dull moment!

Thoughts

I found this a hard book to get through. Not because it was bad writing, not because it was bad in any way, shape or form. But I just felt like not much was happening. And, since I recently read Mark Twain, which is kind of similar in its rambling manner, I needed something with a bit more direction to it. So, although I didn’t mind this story, it’s definitely one I will be picking up again in the future when I’m more in the mood for this style of storyline.

Part of me was quite surprised that I didn’t love this book more, I remember Toad and Badger incredibly well from the movie I used to love as a child. And, I think, in hindsight, I probably would have loved this book as a child too. I’ve just picked up some incredibly amazing, more grown up books recently, so wanted to read more of those as opposed to a children’s book that was a little disjointed and mostly about a lot of fun between four great funs. Or at least, that’s how I still experience this.

What I loved about the movies as a child, and what I loved about this book as an adult is mostly the fact that this is a story about friendship and loyalty. The four friends, even though they are incredibly different they still stick together. My friendship group is kind of like this myself, we are so intensely different, yet, we’re always there for each other, no matter what the circumstances…

<- The Prophet and Other TalesClassic Westerns: Zane Grey ->

Image source: Amazon

For the Briar Rose by Elizabeth E. Wein

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for queen victoria's book of spells ellen datlow book cover

Title: For the Briar Rose
Author: Elizabeth E. Wein
In: Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Family, Gaslamp
Dates read: 2nd August 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: And anyway, he’s decided he’s too old for country life.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Her father just wants to paint his Briar Rose series, but he’s not quite sure of how. She just wants to start her new life. In this bittersweet story about growing up and moving on, father and daughter find a new, happy life.

Thoughts

This short story had a very dreamy, bittersweet feeling to it. Which makes sense, because it talks about an artist and is loosely based around Sleeping Beauty. Both topics and things which tend to bring up a quite melancholy feel. Or at least, that’s how I personally find these types of stories.

The imagery used throughout this story was incredibly beautiful. There is something special about the briar rose and a girl sleeping amongst them that just seems universal and unforgettable. The use of this to surround a young girl who is about to enter the world of adulthood through marriage was very beautiful. Not just in the painting of her sleeping figure, but also in her relationship with her soon to be husband. It not only highlights the innocence of youth, but also the fun and beauty of the moments in which we leave our youthful hope and wonder behind.

Unlike the other stories in this collection, For the Briar Rose isn’t filled with any kind of conflict. It doesn’t make you feel in awe of any specific talent or moment. It just makes you think. And for me, reflect on the innocence of being a young girl when everything was still beautiful, shiny and hopeful.

 <- La Reine d’Enfer ReviewThe Governess Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Voodoo Moon by Lori Handeland

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for no rest for the witches book cover

Title: Voodoo Moon
Author: Lori Handeland
Series: Nightcreature #7.5
In: No Rest for the Witches (Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Dates read: 1st – 2nd August 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: He had tattoos running up both arms and another winding up the side of his neck.

Synopsis

For Devil’s Fork-based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy…

Thoughts

I’m really surprised that I haven’t read more stories which feature the Voodoo religion. After all, it seems to come up in almost every TV series I’ve watched. Although that’s mostly as a method of killing… I’ve never read a story which has voodoo as the central storyline – one which involves the manifestation of the evil, and the way in which to rid the world of it.

Balance was a key idea throughout this story. It was the imbalance of nature and the world which bought the evil spirit to the small town. And it was recreating this balance (in the most fun of ways) which bought about a happy ending. As someone who has spiritual beliefs, discussions on balance and the way the world twists and turns is so incredibly important, so of course, I just completely lapped up this story. And then started researching how much it was going to cost to get the first few books in this series… because you know, self-control.

Paranormal romance stories which feature a cop of some sort as the lead always capture my fancy immediately. I love criminal shows, don’t read the books as much because I get a little scared, so reading a paranormal version that I know isn’t going to happen to me is a perfect middle ground. The use of a female lead who is an FBI agent investigating some really horrific and confusing deaths… you really can’t go wrong. Now I just have to wait until I have some spare cash to buy Blue Moon and the rest of the series…

 <- The MajickaBreath of Magic ->

Image source: Goodreads

Lifelong Learning

Challenges

Duration: 1st September – 30th September 2019
Number of books: 3
Hosted by:Bookworm Bitches

There are 3 tasks, you only need to read three books to finish this challenge. Or pick one task and read 3 books for that one task.

September

1. Read a nonfiction book – The Last Rhinos by Lawrence Anthony
2. Read a book with a number in the title
3. Read an intimidating read (an intimidating read could be a long book, a book you’ve hyped up, an emotional or controversial read, a book you’ve been putting off, a book from a genre you don’t usually read, a classic, or any book you’ve found reasons not to pick up) – The High Lord by Trudi Canavan (642 pp.)

Cosplay Cuties – September 2019

Challenges

Duration: 1st September – 30th September 2019
Number of books: 6
Hosted by:My Vampire Book Obsession

description

Collect a Cosplay Cutie each month by completing at least 2 tasks out of a set of 6.
A new set of tasks with a new doll will be posted each month.

The dolls you collect will be in your Vampire Heart thread. Don’t have a thread? You can still do the challenge if you want 🙂

Rules 
One book per task.
No minimum page count.
Complete at least two tasks to get the doll.

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description

September 
1. Read a book with magic users in the story. – No Rest for the Witches by MaryJanice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren
2. Read a book with a dress on the cover. – The Scot, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Annette Blair
3. Read a book with the word ‘broom’ in the text. – My Favorite Witch by Annette Blair
4. Read a book with an immortal character. – Haven by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
5. Read a book with demons. – First Blood by Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy, Meljean Brook & Lucy Monroe
6. Read a book with cat shifters.