Category Archives: Book Review

The Fiddler of Bayou Teche by Delia Sherman

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

Title: The Fiddler of Bayou Teche
Author: Delia Sherman
In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Music, Tricksters
Dates read: 24th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Another man turns up with a washboard and a spoon, and he and Ulysse jump up on the table as ‘Dres Petitpas climbs down.

Synopsis

Cadence was bought up in the depths of the bayou, dancing her way through life happily. But, when her Tante passes away and she is accidentally spotted by ‘Dres Petitpas, her life of blissful peace is ended and a new one is about to begin.

Thoughts

I have a slight obsession with bayous and creole culture. Every time I read stories surrounded by this, I’m unable to look away. They’re beautiful and fun and there is just… something about them that makes me deliriously happy. Which is why I loved this story so much. It had the feeling of a fairy tale but was filled with a cultural backdrop that I know next to nothing about, and always want to know more of.

This had such a beautiful fairy tale and folklore feel to it. There wasn’t a trickster in it specifically (like other stories in The Coyote Road), but the spirit of the trickster ran through.  Not only in the setting of Bayou Teche, but also in the idea of a fiddler making a deal with the devil and a small swamp sprite gaining the upper hand.

I’m more than a little disappointed that this was such a short story. The setting, the characters and the theme all make me feel like I want to be sucked into this story for an entire afternoon, rather than minutes.

<- Realer Than YouA Tale for the Short Days ->

Image source: Amazon

Evolving by Natasha Beaulieu

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: Evolving
Author: Natasha Beaulieu
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Vampires
Dates read: 24th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Shanella grips his arm.

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Synopsis

Anton has always wanted to be a vampire. But, what if he is already evolving into one? Does he have more power than he realises?

Thoughts

I’m a scientist. So I kind of loved the idea of a story in which somebody evolved into another version of themselves. Another version of a vampire.

This was a somewhat slow tale, and not one that really felt like it had a beginning, a middle and an end. Rather, it was almost like a bit of a character bio and introduction. You got to know Anton intimately, but there wasn’t much else happening around him. Or at least, that’s how it struck me.

 <- Bend to Beautiful ReviewHow Magnificent is the Universal Donor Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Le Cirque de la Nuit Karen MacInerney

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

Title: Le Cirque de la Nuit
Author: Karen MacInerney
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: There was Bella, and the two red silks she clutched in her hands, and the magnetic presence of him on the mats beneath.

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Synopsis

Bella wants to find a new career without such an annoying and smelly partner. But, will the price be too high? Or will she find what she’s always been looking for?

Thoughts

From the name, I kind of figured that this short story would have something to do with circuses and the night. But that was really my only hint (that, and I knew it would have vampirific romance… it’s in a book of vampire romance). Yet, this still somehow surprised me. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but yet everything that I was anticipating all at the same time. Which, of course, made it thoroughly enjoyable.

I really loved the ending of this story. Actually, I enjoyed the entire adventure, but the ending surprised me a little. Instead of being a clean cut, she falls in love with a vampire and runs off into the night with him, it has a little bump in the road. And although there is still a sense of happily ever after… it’s not one that is really that complete end to a journey… it gives a sense of further issues, complications and intrigue.

 <- Coven of Mercy ReviewPerdition Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

Ten Things I Know About the Wizard by Steve Rasnic Tem

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

Title: Ten Things I Know About the Wizard
Author: Steve Rasnic Tem
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, Easy reading, Wizards
Dates read: 13th March 2019
Pace: Slow,
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: The wizard was indeed isolated; there seemed to be no other dweelings as far as the eye could see.

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Synopsis

There are a lot of wizards in the world, but here are ten things that we know about this wizard in particular…

Thoughts

I read a lot of lists online, but this is the first time that I’ve read a short story that is in list form. And it worked kind of brilliantly. I wasn’t really sure how this format would work, or if it would really be a story. But it did work, and a great story unfolded.

Dark magic always seems to be about power, especially over others. And what can be a more potent power than that of a parent exerted over their child? Especially when they are the creator of the child (not in the sense you are thinking, but you’ll have to read this short story to figure out what I mean there).

This short story plays on the idea of power in a parent-child relationship and the ways in which a suitor can upset this. There is constant plays of power and battles of the will throughout the storyline. And although there seems to be a clear winner at the end, you still have to wonder if he did win in the end…

<- The Mammoth Book of Dark MagicVillaggio Sogno ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Princess Princess Ever After by Kay O’Neill

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for princess princess ever after book cover

Title: Princess Princess Ever After
Author: Kay O’Neill
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Feminism, Graphic novels, LGBTQI, Strong women
Dates read: 27th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Graphic novel
Publisher: Oni Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘We must disillusion her.

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Synopsis

“I am no prince!”

When the heroic princess Amira resuces the kind-hearted princess Sadie from her tower prison, neither expects to find a true friend in the bargain. Yet as they adventure across the kingdom, they discover that they bring out the very best in the other person. They’ll need to join forces and use all the know-how, kindness, and bravery they have in order to defeat their greatest foe yet: a jealous sorceress with a dire grudge against Sadie.

Join Sadie and Amira, two very different princesses with very different strengths, on their journey to figure out what “happily ever after” really means – and how they can find it with each other.

Thoughts

This is such a great fairy tale! It’s filled with beautiful pictures, different outlooks (like an ogre dancing) and a great couple at the very centre. The fact that this great couple happens to be a lesbian one just makes this story all the sweeter and greater. It becomes this beautiful, encompassing storyline that makes you swoon again and again and again.

This is my second graphic novel by Katie O’Neill and I have definitely developed an obsession. There are strong messages of equality and independence throughout. And there is this idea that women can be whatever they want to be. Sadie is the perfect example of this – she is a curvy cry-baby, and she completely owns this quality as the story unfolds. Finally finding her own happiness in exactly who she is. There isn’t a need to change who Amira and Sadie are in this story, but an ability to finally accept and embrace who and what they want to be.

 <- Aquicorn Cove ReviewThe Tea Dragon Society Review ->
Image source: Oni Press

The Fortune of Sparrows by Usman T. Malik

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

Title: The Fortune of Sparrows
Author: Usman T. Malik
In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 12th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Still, I sometimes dreamed.

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Synopsis

A home for young girls is haunted by sparrows, but when one of the sisters gets sent off to become a wife, they slowly disappear.

Thoughts

Like a lot of the short stories in Black Feathers, this tale had a very surreal and uncomfortable quality. It was haunting and kind of beautiful. But there was almost a sense of floating while I was reading this (alright, I can’t think of a better way to describe the experience of reading this short story other than floating…)

I never really thought that there was something scary about sparrows. After all, they’re kind of small and petite. They might be in flocks, but they always look so damn cute. Until you get to know a little more about them, and even when you do, they’re still too cute to imagine them being a little scary! But, this story with the flocks hovering through the courtyard and the movements of them all together, makes them a lot more intimidating. And I really don’t know how I’m going to feel the next time I find a flock of sparrows.

 <- Blyth’s Secret ReviewPigeon from Hell Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Ghouls Night Out by Terri Garey

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for weddings from hell book cover

Title: Ghouls Night Out
Author: Terri Garey
Series: Nicki Styx #2.5
In: Weddings From Hell (Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Ghosts, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 26th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Unfortunately, Aunt Nadine, who’d been fussing over the bridal bouquets, was not about to let me off the hook.

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Synopsis

Nicki Styx sees dead people. Worse, she’s a replacement bridesmaid forced to wear a hidesouly yellow dress. If only the chatty ghost of the original bridesmaid will just leave her alone, Nicki may survive this ceremony yet.

Thoughts

So I maybe shouldn’t have read this novella right before going to bed. Alone. Normally urban fantasy tales don’t really bother me right before bed. Because, well, they’re so obviously make believe. But, this one involves a dead woman who was sexually attacked right before being killed off. That hit a little too close to home… and made it a little difficult to get to sleep (even with my giant dog sleeping across my feet).

This is one of those stories that sinks beneath your marrow and lingers for a long while. In the best way possible. It is fun and adventurous, with a healthy dose of revenge and action. There’s also a little romance thrown in for good measure, which just made me happy and tingly on the inside.

Although this was a bit of a whodunnit / find peace for the dead girl kind of story, I really liked the secondary storyline of a honky-tonk redneck wedding. It’s a reminder that you don’t get to choose your family, so you may as well jump in and enjoy their company. Even if it does make you kind of uncomfortable…

 <- Happily Never After ReviewThe Wedding Knight Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins

Rolling Steel: A Pre-Apocalyptic Love Story by Jay Lake & Shannon Page

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

Title: Rolling Steel: A Pre-Apocalyptic Love Story
Author: Jay Lake & Shannon Page
In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dieselpunk, Easy reading, Romance
Dates read: 12th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: He squinted into the depths of night through the prism that made up Rough Besat’s forward vision block, watching for the mill which loomed close, its fires never banked.

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Synopsis

A pre-apocalyptic love stories are just so hard to come by. Except for this one… this one is brilliant and beautiful.

Thoughts

This is my first ever dieselpunk story. And it was a really good, fun introduction to the subgenre. This was kind of funny, very fast-paced and had a slightly pragmatic love story throughout. Alright, it’s not the kind of romance that will make you clutch your chest and sigh, but it is one that makes you have a little giggle and grin at the end.

I loved the jumpiness of this storyline. It flicks between the two leads and in this completely alters the way in which the narrative is told. From a completely sane, but obviously slightly unhinged female, to a bat-shit insane male as they rocket through space to do… well, I’m not really sure what. But I loved all of the action regardless!

<- The Mammoth Book of DieselpunkDon Quixote ->

Image source: Running Press

The Mammoth Book of Steampunk edited by Sean Wallace

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
The Mammoth Book of Steampunk

Title: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk
Author: Sean Wallace, Ekaterina Sedia, Jeff VanderMeer, Caitlin R. Kiernan, E. Catherine Tobler, Jay Lake, Genevieve Valentine, Cat Rambo, Shweta Narayan, Aliette de Bodard, N.K. Jemisin, Peter M. Ball, Sharon Mock, Catherynne M. Valente, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Eileen Gunn, Michael Swanwick, Tobias S. Buckell, Matthew Kressel, Margo Lanagan, Amal El-Mohtar, Barth Anderson, Jeffrey Ford, James Morrow, Cherie Priest, Margaret Ronald, Megan Arkenberg, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Mary Robinette Kowal, Samantha Henderson, Nick Mamatas, Nicole Kornher-Stace & Lavie Tidhar
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Short story collections, Steampunk
Dates read: 3rd October 2018 – 6th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: He was in his library, or so he called it, a small room that smelled of pipe tobacco and old leather, so close that one could barely breathe.

Synopsis

30 anarchic mash-ups of past and future that push the boundaries of steampunk.

Great steampunk stories confront an uneasy history of oppression – of women, other ‘races’ and classes – and the abuse of science, by reimagining the past. The writers represented in this outsatnding collection look to the future through the lens of the past, imagining worlds in which technology is used to uplift rather than to oppress.

Thoughts

I’ve only recently gotten involved in steampunk. It’s a genre that I only started reading late last year and one that I kind of love. Although, as I discovered with this collection of short stories, it is also a genre that I have to concentrate a little more to read (unlike genre such as romance).

This anthology runs the gambit of steampunk stories and brings a number of themes, styles and settings to life. It is a perfect way to completely disappear from the world after a long day. Although, with many of the themes, once you have finished the story you are thrown back into reality ten times more heavily than you were before. After all, most of these stories have a great commentary about the world that we live in today.

From capitalism to feminist movements, every major issue and discussion that seems to be occurring in modern society is touched upon in this collection. Yet, these aren’t all serious commentaries on the world. Some of the stories are kind of hilarious, and some are downright weird. The one thing that they all have in common is that they are thoroughly enjoyable and have helped to give me a new addiction.

<- The TraitorSteampunk: Looking to the Future Through the Lens of the Past ->

Image source: Amazon

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for inkheart book cover

Title: Inkheart
Author: Cornelia Funke
Series: Inkworld #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fantasy
Dates read: 18th – 25th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: The Chicken House
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: Gravel crunched under her feet as she raced towards the house.

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Synopsis

Dare to read it aloud…

Meggie loves books. So does her father, Mo, a bookbinder, although he has never read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared. They live quietly until the night a stranger knocks at their door. He has come with a warning that forces Mo to reveal an extraordinarily secret – a storytelling secret that will change their lives for ever.

Inkheart is the thrilling new adventure from Cornelia Funke, the international bestselling children’s author of The Thief Lord. It’s a story within a story, where the imaginary becomes real.

Thoughts

I kind of forgot why I loved this book so much. I’ve been looking at it on my shelf for months, but couldn’t really figure out why I had such a need to stick my nose between it’s pages and lose myself. But this week I did. And it was so worth it. I’m incredibly glad that I finally succumbed to the voice in my head saying “It was awesome!”

One of the things I love about this book is the way that each chapter starts. Each chapter starts with a quote from another book (most of which are now on my wishlist). These quotes not only set the theme for the following chapter, but they also highlight the different worlds that were entered again and again throughout this story. Not just the parallel story of Inkheart throughout, but the different tales that Meggie and Mo find themselves swept away in.

I’m only realising as an adult that one of the things that I related most strongly to throughout this novel would was Meggie and Mo’s love of books. They are so hooked into the literary world that they are often unable and unwilling to relate to the real world around them. Something that I myself can relate quite strongly to. Actually, I kind of wanted Elinor’s house from the very first moment, and a number of years between readings really hasn’t changed my desires and impressions.

Inkheart is a fantastic beginning to a new series. It has everything that you want in a story – action, adventure and a lot of heart. The villains are the type that are likely to make you cringe repeatedly, the protagonists people that you can immediately relate to. This is one of those stories that I look forward to passing on to my future (theoretical) children.

 <- Inkdeath ReviewInkspell Review ->
Image source: Goodreads