All posts by skyebjenner

My Eye Is A Button On Your Dress by Hanan al-Shaykh

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: My Eye Is A Button On Your Dress
Author: Hanan al-Shaykh
In: I Am Heathcliff (Kate Mosse)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Twisted romance
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Borough Press
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.

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Synopsis

She’s received a letter from a man she hasn’t seen for years. One that she thought was lost to her forever. But, when she returns to her home for a happily ever after, she realises that not everything is as it seems…

Thoughts

I actually thought that this story was going to have a happy ending. Completely expected it, and actually looked forward to it. And then all of my hopes came crashing down at the end. It was actually kind of a sinister ending and one that left the story open to many, many possibilities. It was just… uncomfortable and really quite dark.

I haven’t really read any stories that feature Arabic culture and are written by people from this part of the world. It’s something that just hasn’t shown up on my radar, and I haven’t really gone searching for it either. So it was kind of nice and interesting to read a story set in this reality. Especially when it is in a collection based upon an English classic. A great way to show how universal themes can be carried across a variety of cultural realities.

Although this story deals with a culture and worldly view that I don’t understand at all, it was still completely relatable. This short story took the same themes that I am familiar with and bought them into a different world, sweeping me along with them.

 <- Kit ReviewThe Cord Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

The Key to Happiness by Gwyn Cready

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

Title: The Key to Happiness
Author: Gwyn Cready
In: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Romance, Time travel
Dates read: 11th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Kate nodded and shook P.J.’s hand.

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Synopsis

Kate thinks she’s met the man of her dreams, but then a visitor from the future comes and asks her to make the ultimate sacrifice. Could he be the key to her true happily ever after?

Thoughts

This didn’t quite go the way I had expected. I was expecting Patrick to be Kate’s lover and to try to stop her from being attacked or something horrible on the night that he returns to visit her. Maybe I’ve just been watching far too many crime shows. So it was kind of nice to find that that wasn’t the tale of this at all. That it was a far sweeter, simpler and more beautiful story than I had ever expected.

For the first story in a collection of time travel romances, this was a great way to start off the collection. Not only is the setting of a wedding a fantastic way to set a romance vibe, but it was also a soft and gentle version of time travel. Rather than travelling back or forwards hundreds and thousands of years, but a mere thirty-odd. The softness and relativity of this travel is a great way to ease you into time travelling, something that I honestly haven’t had much to do with yet, and not a genre that I would even claim to know much about. But now I can’t wait to find out more.

 <- The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance ReviewMacDuff’s Secret Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s by Ellen Klages

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for coyote road book cover

Title: Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s
Author: Ellen Klages
In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Easy reading, Tricksters
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: She looked at the light switch across the room, but didn’t bother turning it on.

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Synopsis

Friday night at St. Cecilia’s means a night of board games and companionship for Rachel and Addie. But, when Queen Mabe decides to up the stakes, traditional board games become far more complex, and a whole lot more dangerous.

Thoughts

Game nights were kind of a big thing in my family when I was younger. Actually, they’re still kind of a big thing, although I’m not around as much to play now. They were always a great way to spend time together in a fun way. And, since we’re all more than a little competitive, a very fun, not to mention loud way to spend the night. So, a short story that features board games that I grew up playing and a trickster… it’s the kind of story that I was always going to love.

I was kind of expecting Rachel to learn some kind of lesson throughout this story. After all, she starts out as a very rebellious young woman in a catholic boarding school. Who is in detention. This is exactly the kind of not-on-the-right-path character that tends to need a bit of adjustment. But, it doesn’t really happen. Rather, her rebellion just leads her on a very fun and interesting adventure. And it is one that is full of nostalgia and humour. An easy read that made me think of all the times with my family. And all of the board games in my cupboard.

 <- A Tale for the Short Days ReviewThe Fortune-Teller Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Sun Also Shines On the Wicked by Kevin Nunn

Book Review, ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: The Sun Also Shines on the Wicked
Author: Kevin Nunn
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Vampires
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Perhaps he was drawn towards the gate with a thrill, excited by what lay ahead.

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Synopsis

Is the draw of sunlight worth the risk of death? Someone thinks so… and he’s about to risk it all just to get a little more tanned…

Thoughts

This was a cute, easy little read. Two vampires catching up, remembering the sunlight. One has found a way to enjoy it… but it’s an experiment, one that he needs help with.

Alright, so there isn’t a happy ending for the first vampire (that would open WAY too many stories to the idea of vampires who could handle a little sunlight). But it did remind me of issues of addiction, highlighted how the loss of something such as sunlight is kind of horrific, and no matter what you claim, it is difficult to fully let go of its power in your life.

Really, this story reminded me of just how much I love sunlight. And I sit here writing this review, with the morning sun streaming through my window and freshening up my house and my soul.

 <- How Magnificent is the Universal Donor ReviewQuid Pro Quo Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Deliver Us From Evil by Dina James

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Deliver Us From Evil
Author: Dina James
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: How had he found her, and how had he gotten in here?

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Synopsis

He lost his soul generations ago, but a chance encounter with a symbol in a psychics shop could turn everything around for him. Help him find his way back home to his family.

Thoughts

This play on a soulless vampire was quite good. Normally when stories focus on the lack of soul in a vampire, it is either to excuse his evil, or to set him on a journey to find that which he has lost. And isn’t it funny that it normally features a male in these stories…? This tale took a slightly different take on the idea. The vampire was still soulless and searching for something that he couldn’t remember searching for. But, when he found it, it wasn’t his soul, it was a whole other mythos which helped him find his peace and salvation. And more, importantly, to find his way back to his family.

I like Mary in this story (she goes by a few different variations of the name throughout, but I like the name Mary the most). She is forced into situations that she doesn’t really like. And there is a level of complex vulnerability to her. Yet, she still manages to show her back bone throughout the tale. Every time she is backed into a corner and feels so obviously uncomfortable, she digs deep, sticks her feet in and pushes right back. Something that I admire more than a woman who can actually fight her way out of every situation in some circumstances… after all, it’s a little bit more relatable and tough to be fierce when you can’t actually defend yourself.

 <- Perdition ReviewBlood and Thyme Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Game of Magical Death by Doug Hornig

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: The Game of Magical Death
Author: Doug Hornig
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Technology
Dates read: 27th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1987
5th sentence, 74th page: That was one thing his parents were good about.

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Synopsis

A gamer is sent a brand new game – the Game of Magical Death, but does he really know what he’s in for? This short story lets gaming, computers and dark magic to collide in ways that you just won’t anticipate.

Thoughts

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with technology. I think it’s amazing, fantastic and great, but it also worries me more than a little. So it was kind of fun to read a short story that used this fear and ideas to create a more contemporary tale of dark fantasy and dark magic.

From the beginning of this tale, it is obvious that the computer game is more than expected. And you can kind of guess how some of it will go. But it isn’t until you get almost all of the way through this story that the twists and turns start to take hold. And then they kind of terrify you. After all, once he figures out just what is happening when he plays the game – he continues to do so. Which is so weird. And so many levels of just not okay…

<- Villaggio SognoThe Infestation ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for here there be monsters meljean brook book cover

Title: Here There Be Monsters
Author: Meljean Brook
Series: The Iron Seas #0.5
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Pirates, Steampunk romance
Dates read: 31st March – 4th April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Her laugh left him as full and light as an airship.

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Synopsis

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series with BB Here There Be Monsters BB, as a desperate woman strikes a provocative – and terrifying – bargain to gain overseas passage.

Thoughts

I can’t stop thinking about this novella! It combines steampunk, pirates and romance. There is so much passion, humour and grit to the tale. Not only is it impossible to put down, it is also impossible to forget. I might have ordered most of the books in the series when I was only halfway through, but I still have to wait for the dang things…

I have a slight fascination with pirates, have since I was a kid – it always seemed so free. But, as I grew up, I realised that they weren’t that romantic, and women had pretty much no rights. So I kind of love the fact that I get to read a series about pirates that is based in a steampunk world. A world where women have their own places and the ability to work. It’s not to say that there isn’t a fight to gain respect, but at least there’s more of a chance to be something beyond a mistress in the steampunk world.

Ivy and Mad Machen are a fun mix. But, what I love the most about this storyline is that Ivy is able to grow. She starts off timid and unsure, unable to truly understand her worth and value. It isn’t until the end that she is fully grown into herself, but this all happens around Machen. Alright, a little bit because of him, but mostly Ivy’s growth is Ivy’s journey, he just gets to go along for the ride…

 <- The Blushing Bounder ReviewThe Iron Duke Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Secret of Flight by A. C. Wise

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for black feathers ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Secret of Flight
Author: A.C. Wise
In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Horror
Dates read: 29th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: POLICEMAN startles and falls back.

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Synopsis

The secrets held in a play and its play house continue to haunt the director fifty years after the lead actress disappears. As the letters and the play unfold, so do the secrets that have been kept hidden over the years.

Thoughts

There are some short stories that tell a tale, start at the beginning and end at the end. Then there are short stories like this one. They are so open ended you’re not sure if you’ve missed something. So different and convoluted that no matter how many times I read it, I won’t feel like I have accessed all of the information.

There is something about plays and theatres that inspire a level of horror that you don’t find in many other settings. I’m not entirely sure why, maybe it is the juxtaposition between the light and gaudy front and the dark and twisty back. The level of secrecy that is inspired by having a backstage in which an actors’ transformation can occur. Whatever it is, it manages to situate feelings and tales of horror beautifully. And helps to twist this horror into one of tragedy and loss.

The secrets of the actors’ change echo the secrets of her life. The ways in which the starlings haunt the directors every moment make things vaguer and vaguer, more and more intense.

 <- Pigeon from Hell ReviewIsobel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Blushing Bounder by Meljean Brook

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the blushing bounder meljean brook book cover

Title: The Blushing Bounder
Author: Meljean Brook
Series: The Iron Seas #0.4
In: Novellas and Stories (Meljean Brook, Carolyn Crane & Jessica Sims)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Pirates, Steampunk romance
Dates read: 25th April 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: Ahead of them, she saw the springing machine, bounding, bounding, bounding beneath the roof of the striped tent.

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Synopsis

While the search for a killer puts Constable Newberry’s life in danger, he faces a danger of another kind: to his heart, by the woman forced to marry him. What will it take for this prudish bounder to convince his wife to stay?

Thoughts

This is a fun little short story, and it provides a great background into the idea of bounders in the realm of The Iron Seas. Constable Newberry seems to be kind of a bastard at the beginning. One that tricked a woman into marrying him for the worst possible reasons. And one that you kind of want his come-uppance to happen to.

But then you start to get glimpses of the man (all told from the point of view of his wife, Temperance). And you start to realise that he’s actually not the douche you thought he was. Rather, he’s kind of a giant, loveable red head with the tendency to blush whenever he’s uncomfortable.

I love that in the beginning I viewed Constable Newberry as a villain, but by the end of the story, he was an incredibly sweet man and one that I can’t wait to know more about. Which is perfect, because he features in The Iron Duke alongside Mina, the female lead.

 <- The Blacksmith ReviewHere There Be Monsters Review ->
Image source: Meljean Brook

The Little Dog Ohori by Anatoly Belilovsky

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

Title: The Little Dog Ohori
Author: Anatoly Belilovsky
In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dieselpunk, Easy reading, Family
Dates read: 29th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: The woman’s hand tightens, just enough to see the tiny twitch.

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

She’s losing her life’s blood on the plains of war. But, the baying of the Little Dog Ohori might just take her back to the ones she loves and a happily ever after after all.

Thoughts

It took me a little while to grasp the concept of what was going on in this short story. The storyline jumped around a little and it was kind of hard to realise which time frame you were in from the outset… but, once I got my head around that little aspect, I fell in love with this story. It still had the war aspect of Dieselpunk filling its pages, but it mostly had this sweet idea of family and kinship.

The mix of folklore, contemporary and fateful story lines throughout this short tale intertwine and weave amongst themselves in an incredibly artful manner. The mix of the different stories throughout may have been confusing at the beginning, but they quickly become intriguing and impossible to look away from. Meaning that at the end of all of this you are completely hooked and in love with not only Ohori, but the soldiers who populate the tale.

<- Don QuixoteVast Wings Across Felonious Skies ->

Image source: Running Press