All posts by skyebjenner

The Witch in the Wood by Delia Sherman

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Under My Hat

Title: The Witch in the Wood
Author: Delia Sherman
In: Under My Hat (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: I crashed through the undergrowth that separated us and dug my knife into the moss, cutting out a handful to pack into the hole my arrow had made.

Synopsis

Mildryth is a young witch who, until three years ago, lived in the woods with her mother. Ever since her mother’s death, she’s been alone, never coming into contact with another human being. She possesses great magical powers which her mother taught her how to use but only when necessary. While out hunting one day, she wounds a deer with her arrow, but before she can kill it, the deer turns into a man. She eventually discovers he is named Erdwyn, and that he is running from his destiny in the north country, a place Mildryth’s mother had warned her away from. As she nurses Erdwyn back to health, the pair fall in love, but when his wounds fester, she must risk everything to travel to the north country to find the only cure. While there, Mildryth learns amazing things about herself, but upon her return, she is pursued by the powerful wizard who rules that land and who will not allow her to live happily and peacefully with her true love.

Thoughts

I really like The Witch in the Wood. It was quite a cute and unorthodox little love story. I mean it starts with the first person voice recounting the day that she met the love of her life. Which is about the only predictable aspect of this short story.

Firstly, the history of the witch is completely vague and difficult to understand. She’s completely on her own and sure of her own powers. But it isn’t until the stag enters her life that she really has to test her knowledge and experience. After all, he might bring love into her life, but he also brings danger and threats.

Ultimately, the witch in the woods is a reminder that it is important to care for others and your family. That sticking up for yourself is a power all in its own right.

<- The Threefold WorldWhich Witch ->

Image source: Frances Hardinge

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Skulduggery PleasantTitle: Skulduggery Pleasant
Author: Derek Landy
Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Dark fantasy, Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: I don’t know.

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

Synopsis

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant. Sure, he may lose his head now and again (in fact, he won his current skull in a poker match), but he is much more than he appears to be—which is good, considering that he is, basically, a skeleton. Skulduggery may be long dead, but he is also a mage who dodged the grave so that he could save the world from an ancient evil. But to defeat it, he’ll need the help of a new partner: a not so innocent twelve-year-old girl named Stephanie. That’s right, they’re the heroes.

Stephanie and Skulduggery are quickly caught up in a battle to stop evil forces from acquiring her recently deceased uncle’s most prized possession—the Sceptre of the Ancients. The Ancients were the good guys, an extinct race of uber-magicians from the early days of the earth, and the scepter is their most dangerous weapon, one capable of killing anyone and destroying anything. Back in the day, they used it to banish the bad guys, the evil Faceless Ones. Unfortunately, in the way of bad guys everywhere, the Faceless Ones are staging a comeback and no one besides our two heroes believes in the Faceless Ones, or even that the Sceptre is real.

So Stephanie and Skulduggery set off to find the Sceptre, fend off the minions of the bad guys, beat down vampires and the undead, prove the existence of the Ancients and the Faceless Ones, all while trading snappy, snippy banter worthy of the best screwball comedies.

Thoughts

I haven’t read this book for years. Actually, it’s been in a box in a cupboard for a few years (the joys of moving around). So, the first thing that I did when I unpacked my many, many, many books, was crack open this story again. There is something fun and entertaining about this story that always leaves a smile on my face. Plus, there is an attitudinal, sassy thirteen-year-old girl who completely takes centre stage.

Following the death of Stephanie’s favourite uncle, and her subsequent inheritance, she is thrust into a world of magic and mayhem. Which, as any anarchic teen would, she completely adores and eventually decides to join. The fact that everything always seems to go wrong and her mentor is actually a living (but not quite breathing) skeleton just adds to the joy and absurdity of this story. Which is probably why, as a thirteen-year-old girl myself, I insanely enjoyed this series. A completely off-kilter mentor, a world just beneath our own where you can be something more, and a teenager who is making all of her own decisions.

Sometimes revisiting an old and well loved series just leads to heartache and a sense of loss – there’s nothing like finding out that it isn’t quite what you remember it to be. However, for me, rereading Skulduggery Pleasant was a really fun and memorable journey… now I just have to buy the next books in the series (I only had the one!)

 <- The Horror Writers’ Halloween Ball Review The Lost Art of World Domination Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Which Witch by Patricia A. McKillip

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: Which Witch
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
In: Under My Hat (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 04.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: That thing at the bar had one hand on Quin’s shoulder and he wasn’t smiling anymore.

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

Synopsis

Hazel is a witch who is part of a popular band made up of herself and her friends who are witches. She has a familiar, a crow named Cawley. The pair only recently found one another, and are still having trouble speaking each other’s language. Cawley knows an evil creature is following Hazel, putting her and her bandmates in danger, but he can’t seem to make her understand. As Hazel and her friends go on stage to play, the creature comes after them, which leads Hazel to learn something new about herself and one of her friends.

Thoughts

This was a really quick, fun and cute short story. Which means that this is going to be a quick and (hopefully) fun review.

The idea of witches and their familiars is nothing new. But, witches in a rock band, with their slightly unorthodox familiars hanging off of them definitely is. The ability to use music as a power was also a great angle that I didn’t expect. It’s a nice echo of the power that music has over people – literally. A song can change a life, sweep you away in its wings. But McKillip takes it another step.

Although I love the symbolism of music in this story, it’s the bonding between witch Hazel and her familiar Cawley that I found the most engaging. Not only is it sweet, but it’s a reminder that all good relationships take time.

 <- The Witch in the Wood Review The Carved Forest Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge

The Threefold World by Ellen Kushner

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: The Threefold World
Author: Ellen Kushner
Series: The World of Riverside #0.1
In: Under My Hat (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Could his friends recite from memory the Latin poems of Virgil?

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

Synopsis

Elias Lönnrot is a young scholar with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He loves reading the Latin poetry of Virgil or the Greek classics like The Iliad and The Odyssey. However, he doesn’t give much thought to his own Finnish culture. In fact, he rather scorns it. His school friends try to sway his opinion by telling him about stories of their ancestors who sang spells that could change the world. Elias thinks this is nonsense until he meets an old peddler on the road one day who changes his mind in a dramatic way.

Thoughts

Pride cometh before the fall.

Or something like that. This great short story focuses on the ways in which our pride and ignorance can lead to some dire consequences. Yet, there is a nice, happy ending to this story. Although the main character’s pride almost leads to his death, it is his ability to let go of his pride and embrace his peoples’ history that ultimately saves him and creates a healthy life.

Although this is a story about a witch, it is also a tale about embracing your culture and history. I found it especially relevant in today’s society of globalisation. It is so easy to jump on the bandwagon of “progress” than it is to hold onto your cultural morals and norms.

 <- The Education of a Witch Review The Witch in the Wood Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge

The Gypsy Crown by Kate Forsyth

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
The Gypsy Crown

Title: The Gypsy Crown
Author: Kate Forsyth
Series: The Chain of Charms #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, History
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Macmillan
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Alida, swift as she was, could not run all day.

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

Emilia Finch and her cousin Luka are gypsies. For them, that means they live a strongly traditional life, rich with story, music, dance, and magic, governed by the laws of the clan and the ways of the road. To the repressive Puritanical government of 17th century England, however, the gypsies are thieving, fortune-telling vagrants who are most likely allies of the devil.

While the Finches have managed to steer clear of trouble, it finds them when they decide to raise dowry money for one of their daughters, by performing in Kingston square one ill-fated market day. A series of terrible events lands the family in jail, charged with murder. Only Emilia and Luka manage to escape, promising to bring back help and free them.

The only problem is — how? Emilia believes in the legend of the charms: it is said that the luck of the Rom has turned sour ever since a long-ago gypsy matriarch broke her chain of charms, giving one charm to each of her five children. Since then, the gypsies have been persecuted and the families have dispersed. If they can gather the charms from the families, Emilia thinks, the strong magic of the Rom will somehow bring her family freedom. Luka, on the other hand, is more practical he wants to enlist the help of the other clans to help the Finches escape.

Emilia and Luka must race through the countryside, navigating a hornets’ nest of Rom-hating Puritans, Royalist spies, and traitors, if they are to complete their quest before the magistrate delivers a death sentence.

Thoughts

There’s something fun and special about a well-written story that is based in history. I’ve never been one to actually study history (mainly because I found it boring in high school), so reading a book that is so beautifully crafted around a historical moment is thoroughly enjoyable. Plus, it’s a great way to learn about English history, alongside the tolerance of others. Forsyth drives home the importance of accepting those who are different to us, even if we don’t quite understand them.

I love the focus on the Rom (gypsies) – it’s a culture that is quite fascinating in all of the movies and books that I’ve read (a bit romanticised, but still…). And it is the epitome of those who are ostracised by the greater public. The law and the church begin this epic journey by imprisoning Emilia and Luka’s family for effectively being Rom and sending the two teenagers on a whirlwind adventure to save their family. Although, there is also the feeling of ‘coming-of-age’ to the tale. Say goodbye to childhood and hello to responsibility.

This is a great, fun, easy reading about two young children starting the adventure that will (hopefully) save their family and teach them to be adults in their changing world. It is placed at the turning point in English history and I love the factual threads which run through this story. Plus, the animal companions that accompany Emilia and Luka on their journey is just adorable (albeit a little hard for them to disguise).

 <- The Butterfly in Amber ReviewThe Silver Horse Review ->
Image source: Fishpond

The Werewolf by Angela Carter

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

The WerewolfTitle: The Werewolf
Author: Angela Carter
In: The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories (Angela Carter)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Dark fantasy, Werewolves
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 1979
5th sentence, 74th page: Here, take your father’s hunting knife; you know how to use it.

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

Synopsis

A tale of a girl who goes visit her grandmother, but encounters a mysterious werewolf on the way…

Thoughts

Oh Grandma, what big teeth you have! And now I shall cause you bodily harm and take your place.

This is possibly my favourite Carter retelling so far. Most of the fairytales, I genuinely enjoy, but Little Red Riding Hood is one that I never really related to. Possibly because I never go to see my own grandmother, and I can’t imagine skipping down a forest path to do so. Plus, what sane family would send their small daughter into the forest where wolves are known to roam? But, I digress. The very things that kind of frustrate me about the original are twisted to fit this fantastic retelling.

For only three pages, this was a really fun and kind of twisted story.

 <- The Lady of the House of Love Review The Company of Wolves Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Weddings

Blog, ,

Wedding

This Saturday just gone, I worked at a wedding. It was beautiful, I had fun working with the other girls, but honestly, the entire charade felt really contrived. Especially when the bride and groom had their first dance. Every step had been carefully manufactured and they looked like they were concentrating so hard on the steps, that they couldn’t actually enjoy each other’s company. Which made me wonder, am I alone in thinking that weddings are a ridiculous charade, or am I just a little different (alright, I do know the answer to this according to friends and family, but…)

My “dream wedding” consists of me and Tys standing outside, doing a quick handfasting and then drinking and celebrating with people who are important. I’d even quite happily elope and then just tell everyone later, but I think that it’d probably upset our families a little too much. After all, I’d rather spend thousands of dollars on a holiday, or our house, or something… tangible. Our best memories are those impulsive moments that have developed into a wonderful night / afternoon / weekend together. It’s the moments that aren’t scripted or planned or even thought out that are the most precious. Is it this way for everyone?

My best friend wants to have the white wedding, we’ve talked about where and things, and I am looking forward to it ridiculously. Because it’s a day about my best friend, but I keep coming across this idea that because I don’t want the same thing, I’m somehow unfeminine or covering myself because my partner hasn’t yet proposed. But this is another point that has me going, huh? Because I don’t even need a ring. I need him. It’s not about a big, glamorous proposal or wedding. For me. If someone else wants this, amazing, but for me, we are already husband and wife. I’d just like to make it legal.

Image source: The Ritz-Carlton

The Magic Word by Jennifer Fallon

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

The Magic WordTitle: The Magic Word
Author: Jennifer Fallon
Series: Hythrun Chronicles #9
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I mean… he may not even be aware of what’s going on.

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

Synopsis

A fabulous story of what happens when certain worlds collide! Princess Adrina, Damin Wolfblade, the High Prince of Hythria, and Tarja, the Lord Defender seem to be experiencing a time loop … reliving the same day constantly. In the dungeons being held prisoner is a young man by the name of Dirk Provin from the world of Ranadon … he has an alarming message about the breakdown of the veil between their worlds. And when they set off to find the truth, they also find a crashed machine and Tide Lords … and a leipreachan. All they have to do to make everything right is find the ‘magic word’ …

Thoughts

Have you ever wondered what happens to the characters when you close the pages of a beloved book? I always imagine them living their happily ever afters, going on more adventures and just generally enjoying the life that they’ve been granted. But, what if it isn’t like that? The Magic Word is Fallon’s way of looking at what happens to the characters after you turn the last page of the book, after the author stops writing their story.

I loved the concept of this story, and even the way it was told, but some of the repetition throughout it got to be a little tedious. Although, I think that that was kind of the point of the storyline. I felt that it was a little boring just reading it, imagine living the same introduction to your day again and again and again!

This novella took me nowhere that I expected to go. And for that I’m grateful. It also made me think about all of the many, many literary characters I have loved over the years and question what could have become of them (in the imaginative sense).

 <- A Captain of the Gate Review The Enchanted Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins NZ

To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker

Book Review, , ,

Overview

To Catch a PirateTitle: To Catch a Pirate
Author: Jade Parker
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Pirates, Romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Point
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Perhaps because for one insane moment she wondered what it would be like to stroll through a moonlit garden with him, dart behind a rose-covered trellis, and rise up on her toes…

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

Synopsis

When Annalisa Townsend’s ship is set upon by pirates in search of her father’s treasure, one of the crew, James Sterling, discovers her in the hold. When he moves to take her necklace, she begs him not to, as it is all she has left of her mother. He accepts a kiss in exchange for the necklace. “A fair trade, m’lady,” he tells her afterward, before disappearing.

A year later, with a forged letter of marque, Annalisa is intent on hunting down the wretched James Sterling and reclaiming her father’s treasure from him. But now she’s in danger of him stealing something far more vulnerable this time: her heart.

Thoughts

This is one of those books that both my sister and I completely love. To the point that the only reason I haven’t read it in the last three, four years is because she’s had it almost permanently on her bookshelf. Like I said, we both absolutely love it. Which is why it was so much fun finally getting it back from her to have a good read. And, with the joys of being a little more of a developed reader (and hopefully, writer) and just having a few more years of maturity to my years… it was interesting how different my reactions to a story that I have long loved are.

I do need to reiterate though that although I found a few more flaws in this story line than I have in the past, I still absolutely loved this book. There is something so simply and beautifully sweet about it. And although it’s a pretty typical love triangle, the picturesque nature of the life at sea that Parker so beautifully describes and the completely organic (yet totally destined) way that they fall in love is just… nice. Actually, if I had to choose just one word to describe this novel it would be SWEET. It just screams innocence in a way that a lot of the romances I read don’t. But it isn’t painfully naïve and irritatingly contrived. It’s just sweet.

Although I still loved this story, I did find some of the writing a little less fluid and poetic than other authors I’ve been reading lately. But, when you’ve recently read Pride and Prejudice, most romances just aren’t as prosaically smooth. Somehow though, even with writing that in places lacks that poetry the story is beautiful, vivid, and again, sweet. The lack of poetry in some of the moments almost help to enhance the innocence of this first love (both mine and Anna’s).

<- More easy reading reviews More romance reviews ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Enchanted by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
The Enchanted

Title: The Enchanted
Author: Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Series: Bitterbynde Companion
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fae, Romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I wish that your coming-of-age would befall tomorrow, Mistress Blythe,’ said Hawkmoor as they strolled.

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

In the enchanted and magical world of Erith, danger comes to Kelmscott Hall as the trows seek to claim Mazarine’s baby. But it is Thrimby, the mysterious servant of the master of Kelmscott who will save them all from the most dangerous of bargains …

Thoughts

Stories that feature the fae are always something that I enjoy sinking my teeth into, and this three-part journey was one such beautifully constructed novella. I also really enjoyed that, for me at least, there were three distinct parts of this story, each with its own mini beginning, middle and end. It, would, theoretically make it easier to put the story down after each point of conflict passed. It didn’t. But, maybe for one less geeky it would.

Starting with Miss Blythe’s quiet brownie friend, her trials and romance are impacted by the presence of the fae throughout her battles against her guardian. The fact that she falls for the man’s son just seems to compound the difficulties that she is forced to face in an attempt to find her happily ever after. Yet, as with all stories, it is her position as an heiress that seems to get her (and her loved ones) in the most trouble. Alright, so some of the story line is a little predictable, but it still has this beauty and sweetness to it that made me fall in love within the first few pages.

After our sweet, and somewhat unassuming chief protagonist loses the man she loves, is forced into an unwanted confrontation with her guardian and leaves her temporary home, she has a whole new set of circumstances that become difficult to face. Again, the grey ones are lingering on the edges, but it is her strength and willingness to see justice that helps to carry her through the second trial of the novella. And, of course, when all seems lost, her love comes to the rescue. At the risk of his own demise.

It is in the third bit of this story that Dart-Thornton really plucks at my heart strings. There is an overarching feeling of the happy ending, everything seems right, and everyone is alive and healthy. And then a baby is due to arrive and the guardian again rears his ugly head. Now is the part of the story that really draws upon fae folklore, and it is the humorous, intriguing way in which this is dealt with that has stuck with me, even days after I finished this story.

I can’t recommend this novella enough – it combines folklore, love and tragedy in one neat package. And although some of it is a little predictable, it is still incredibly enjoyable.

 <- The Battle of Evernight ReviewThe Ill-Made Mute Review ->
Image source: Amazon