All posts by skyebjenner

Chasing Alys by Morgana Bevan

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Chasing Alys
Author: Morgana Bevan
Series: True Platinum #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Rockstar romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this story, and honestly, I loved this far more than I had anticipated. I actually completely adored this rockstar romance. It was so difficult to put down and now I want more of Ryan’s bandmates’ romances. And Emily’s. I mean, the main couple is absolutely adorable, but so are the secondary characters. All in all, this was a fantastic story that hit me in many of the emotional points. And one that I would like to read again in the future (after I’ve finished the rest of the True Platinum series).

I love that it’s Alys who is the person reluctant to fall in love. Too often it’s normalised that the men are the reluctant ones for a relationship. So it was incredibly nice to have that switched to a woman who is reluctant and the man who is all in from the beginning. Plus, it’s such great character growth for Alys to finally decide to take the plunge and actually try to invest within herself and her happily ever after.

I think one of the most poignant things about reading this novel was the time in which I read it. Alys carries a lot of guilt for not doing enough for her father, and finds it difficult to associate with him sometimes because of this. But, ultimately, he understands that she has other commitments and loves her for the time she is able to give – it’s all about quality, not quantity! Plus, Alys’ father is 100% in her corner, whilst still pushing her to be better and challenge herself. A great father-daughter relationship that I really appreciated!

I loved this romance. It was a rockstar romance with just enough angst to make it interesting, but, ultimately it was just super cute. Plus, there’s the fact that Ryan is really sweet. I always fixate on the woman’s growth and being, but I also loved how Ryan was able to grow throughout this. Admittedly, some of his behaviour could’ve had some serious stalker vibes, but he managed to skirt that line. Somehow, instead of being creepy, he ended up being cute. Overall, I thought this was a seriously adorable romance, one that left me with all of the happy, bright feelings.

<- More Morgana BevanCharming Daphne ->

Image source: Books2read

Cyclone by Carina Alyce

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Cyclone
Author: Carina Alyce
Series: MetroGen After Hours #0.5
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Romantic suspense
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2024

Thoughts

What a brilliant way to start a new story and introduce me to a new author. I absolutely loved this story, it was intense and kind of brilliant. I loved that it was a romance featuring two people who work in high adrenaline fields. Particularly that the woman is about to begin her career as a First Responder / Fire Fighter. Then, there’s the fact that the majority of the action takes place in a cyclone.

Cyclone is a very cute second chances romance with the added drama of a cyclone and the couple finally getting together (after saving someone’s life of course). This novella contains many reminders of the past. I love that both points of view of actions and misunderstandings in both of their pasts are told differently. It’s always fun to have two different points of view of activities as a reminder of just how differently we can all view the same moments in our lives.

I honestly absolutely adored this high pace story, and the fact that this is centred around a female firefighter. I also love that it has an open ending, which I’m assuming (hoping) will be concluded a lot better in one of the MetroGen After Hours novels. I mean, she literally runs away like her pants are on fire (for good reason). And I really want to know how this happens next.

Honestly, the end of this was actually felt as somewhat of a physical blow. I mean, I spent this whole story rooting for the characters in this, and wanting them to succeed. Particularly after they save a woman’s life in the middle of a cyclone. And yet, I actually love how it ended! It’s got me drawn in.

<- More Carina AlyceVolatile ->

Image source: Goodreads

Your Garnet Eyes by Katherine Vaz

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Your Garnet Eyes
Author: Katherine Vaz
In: The Faery Reel (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2004

Thoughts

This short story definitely jumps around a little bit. With big chunks of the story diving forwards in time, but I kind of liked it. It covered a whole lot of time in very few pages. I really liked this style, it made me not want to put this down and just dive through the pages. Although, in my experience, Vaz’s writing is a little like this.

Something about how this written has a very fae feeling. Which is something hard to describe, but has a very ethereal tone to it. This fit beautifully within the The Faery Reel collection, and it definitely meant that the time jumps felt even more mysterious and intriguing. I really loved the way that this was written and would love to read this short story again.

Your Garnet Eyes is all about the bargains of faeries, and how they must give and receive in equal parts. I love that almost all traditional stories feature faerie bargains of some form, and Vaz really drives this home in Your Garnet Eyes.

<- ElvenbroodTengu Mountain ->

Image source: Amazon

The Wild Heart by Anne Bishop

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Wild Heart
Author: Anne Bishop
In: Silver Birch, Blood Moon (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Feminism, Retellings
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 1999

Thoughts

The Wild Heart was a lovely and different take on sleeping beauty. I really liked how it was structured and enjoyed the adventure that we got to go along. There was something about this short story that was a little bit darker and more twisted. Making it feel a little bit truer with a number of horrible betrayals throughout. I love the dark and twisty versions of fairy tales. But this one also had an extra benefit of female power and independence.

The ending to this story was one of bittersweet emotions. It was kind of sad, but yet had a sense of hope even as I turned that final page. The thorns may have been pulled down and the princess released. But, she then had a whole life to live away from the horrors that encompass her past. I love that even her slumber is caused by a betrayal, not some more innocent fairy just cursing her.

I loved that the Sleeping Beauty was the Gentle Heart and Wild Heart. They are two sides of the same coin, and this story is all about finding oneself and embracing that. But, it’s also about defending yourself and keeping the Wild Heart alive and well, even whilst the Gentle Heart is loving and kind to others.

<- Ivory BonesYou Wandered Off Like a Foolish Child to Break Your Heart and Mine ->

Image source: Wikipedia

Shelter from the Storm by Louisa Burton

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

Title: Shelter from the Storm
Author: Louisa Burton
In: The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance (Sonia Florens)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011

Thoughts

This short story was very cute and lustful. It was just an easy, fun and pleasant read. One that wasn’t necessarily ground shattering in its emotive nature. But definitely a fun and easy read. I love reading short stories that are simply an enjoyable diversion from the world, not something with a lot of intensity. And Shelter from the Storm fit this bill perfectly.

I love that this is a bit of a mistaken identity romance. A school teacher on the rebound, being mistaken for a prostitute. And they somehow fall in love. I mean, it’s not exactly the kind of story that I want to read again and again, but I enjoyed it. This was a tale that drew me in from the very beginning and I love that the mistaken identity is left to stand.

Yet, the misunderstandings are only a superficial way to keep this couple apart. Eventually, they get the happily ever after you want. They are adorable and cute, and it was just such a nice diversion reading Shelter from the Storm.

<- Hell’s FuryWe Were Lovers Once ->

Image source: London Borough of Bexley

The Shell Box by Karawynn Long

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Shell Box
Author: Karawynn Long
In: Silver Birch, Blood Moon (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Fairy tales, Oceans
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 1999

Thoughts

This was a bit of a sad story if I’m being honest. It definitely plucked at my heart strings and hurt my soul a little. But, ultimately, it as also hopeful and optimistic. The whole light shines the brightest in the dark kind of vibe. Merwen was a ridiculously fun lead character, and I just adored reading this tale.

I love Merwen and Sarina’s friendship. And, I don’t know if I’m reading a bit much into it, but I felt like there was so much potential for something more. Which, I completely loved the idea of and would actually really like a follow up story with Sarina and Merwen riding off into the sunset together. They are just too cute. I mean, Sarina’s brother is there, but still, they work so much better!

The power of the shell box is really quite intense and scarily powerful. I hate how Merwen just gives her voice so freely to her husband. And yet, I understand how so many women daily do this. The box may have had the power to take Merwens’s voice and hold it prisoner. But she had to be the one willing to give it away in the first place.

<- The Dybbuk in the BottleIvory Bones ->

Image source: Wikipedia

The Phoenix by Isobelle Carmody

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for green monkey dreams isobelle carmody book cover

Title: The Phoenix
Author: Isobelle Carmody
In: Green Monkey Dreams (Isobelle Carmody) & The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 10 (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Horror
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Year: 1996

Thoughts

I honestly wasn’t expecting the tragedy at the end of this short story. I mean, I knew it wasn’t going to be all sunshine and roses, and I knew that it was going to be a little bit dark. But the tragic way in which this story finished? That I didn’t expect at all. It was seriously convoluted and hard to read. But, I loved reading it anyway!

This tale was all about twisted fate and twisted reality. It had a feeling of potential paranormal / mythological reality. But also just a feeling of mental illness and delusions. At first I thought it was a good metaphor for a dystopian reality, but then I realised that this story was a whole lot darker and more convoluted than anticipated. I mean, it ends in a really final way. And yet, there is still some kind of sense of hope throughout.

The Phoenix felt like a story in which you step into a mad man’s brain. It felt insane and chaotic. And honestly, I want to read it again to try and figure out just what in the heck was going on.

<- Seek No MoreLong Live the Giant ->

Image source: Allen & Unwin

The Last Flight of Daedalus by Anthony Marra

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for xo orpheus book cover

Title: The Last Flight of Daedalus
Author: Anthony Marra
In: Xo Orpheus (Kate Bernheimer)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Greek mythology, Mythology, Retellings
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Penguin Books
Year: 2013

Thoughts

I love that this story is about what happens after Icarus dies. I mean, the grief of a father and the horrors of Daedalus witnessing his own boys’ death is horrible and one thing. But I’ve never really thought about what happens to Daedalus after it all. And Marra was able to answer that question wonderfully. I honestly loved this short story and thought it was incredibly clever.

Like the original myth, Marra’s short story has a fairly poetic ending. But still quite tragic. It was a little bit hard to read about the depths of Daedalus’ grief and the lengths that he will go to to find closure. Something that I think everyone will hunt for at times.

This is honestly a beautiful tale of a father’s love for his son. And the regret for the decisions that led to this moment. It is a wonderful story, and one that definitely hit hard at this point in my life.

<- LabyrinthDaphne ->

Image source: Goodreads

King of the Kingless by Jay Lake

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: King of the Kingless
Author: Jay Lake
In: Hex in the City (Kerrie L. Hughes)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2013

Thoughts

It may not have been the best time in my life to read this story – a tale of a wizard who is dying from cancer. But, even though it was a little bit close to home at the moment, it was so well written that I still thoroughly enjoyed this and couldn’t stop thinking about this tale. Even though he’s sick and about to say goodbye to the life that he’s led, he still continues to try and protect his very misguided “way” of life.

I love that in this story, witches are light and life. Whilst the men are just kind of… mired in shit. As a woman, I loved that this was the separation of genders. Plus, it was a reminder that power doesn’t always come from being positive and giving of life, but, in the case of the wizards, it is about giving up things in life. I definitely like the witches’ approach to magic and power much better.

Valdimir as a leader and mentor is so incredibly toxic that I couldn’t even. I feel like, without his leadership and with the influence of the witch, there is much more hope for all of the characters in this story. At least, I finished this short story with a feeling of hope.

<- Hex in the CitySpeechless in Seattle ->

Image source: Goodreads

Ivory Bones by Susan Wade

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Ivory Bones
Author: Susan Wade
In: Silver Birch, Blood Moon (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 1999

Thoughts

It is pretty clear from the very beginning of this story that there was not going to be a happy ending. I mean, it starts with an ivory skull that was made into a ring. There is no reality in which that is going to not have some kind of creep at the helm. Yet, it was still a fantastic story to read. One that I thoroughly enjoyed, even if it did make me feel the creeps. And have some sort of flashbacks to the Thumbelina movie I watched as a kid.

I love that this is a Thumbelina story retold from the point of view of the villain. He is no less villainous, but there is that somewhat horrifying justification for his actions. The treating of a beautiful woman / girl as an object and the reasons why he bought and trapped her. Again, it’s not pleasant, but wow was it wonderfully powerful.

This short story was incredibly beautiful and creepy. Wade has such a way with words that made me absolutely adore this story, even while I finished it feeling somewhat unsettled and, well, icky. I mean, this might be a fairy tale retelling. But, for me, ultimately, it highlighted the horrors that humans are capable of.

<- The Shell BoxThe Wild Heart ->

Image source: Wikipedia