Category Archives: Book Review

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

God Mode by Daniel H. Wilson

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: God Mode
Author: Daniel H. Wilson
In: Press Start to Play (Daniel H. Wilson & John Jospeh Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Science fiction
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2015

Thoughts

I’m really not sure whether this story was about reality or a video game. It was such a trippy and confusing story, and I absolutely loved that. It did mean that I wasn’t 100% aware of what was going on and where reality was. And sometimes I didn’t completely follow the flow. Yet, I didn’t find that to be a negative, rather it made me really enjoy this story.

Something about this story gave me a really disjointed feeling, and it worked really well in highlighting the blurring between reality and video games. I mean, there’s the whole theory that we’re all just a part of the Matrix, and this kind of fit into that whole theme. I love that it centres on a couple who ultimately become all that is remembered / left of the world. It highlights the ambiguity of reality and just how foggy this concept actually is.

This short story is beautifully written and brilliantly executed. I absolutely adored the writing and will most definitely reread this many times. There is something mesmerising about these words, plus I love any short story that makes me think.

<- Press Start to PlayNPC ->

Image source: Goodreads

Goblins in Georgia by Diane Jones

Book Review
Overview

Title: Goblins in Georgia
Author: Diane Jones
Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again)
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2023

Thoughts

I really liked the premise of this book and series. And I even enjoyed reading this story. But, I probably won’t continue on with the reading of Diane Jones. As much as I enjoyed it, I also found it entirely forgettable. I couldn’t quite get hooked and attached to the characters, and I just didn’t really dive deeply into the tale.

The narrators voice in this story was fantastic, and I love that it dealt with a different culture. The learning of the craft and dealing with goblins also made this an incredibly intriguing and enjoyable story. Especially the way in which they eventually win the day at the end.

As much as I did enjoy this story, I also found it incredibly difficult to sink into and, even write a review about. It was just all too forgettable. Not enough action and emotional drama in it.

Image source: Smashwords

Fisher-Bird by T. Kingfisher

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Fisher-Bird
Author: T. Kingfisher
In: The Mythic Dream (Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Greek mythology, Mythology, Retellings
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2019

Thoughts

I absolutely freaking loved this Hercules retelling, I mean I’m kind of programmed to like anything with Greek mythology anyway. And, because it’s an area that I absolutely love, I picked that this was a Hercules retelling pretty much from the get go. I love that, rather than retelling the whole myth, it takes one of the tasks and talks about how Hercules was helped.

I love that Fisher-Bird is told in the vein of other traditional myths – why the fisher-bird has a red belly. It’s from that animal perspective mythos, rather than the human. I love that it shifts the focus to why fisher-bird has a red belly, not how Hercules beat the Scythian Birds. Plus, Fisher-Bird as a fun narrator created a beautiful flow to the story that I just didn’t want to end!

After reading this, I really want more T. Kingfisher. Something about the flow and tone of this writing really spoke to me. And I absolutely adored this! Retellings are normally a big hit with me, and this was just even better and more beautiful than anticipated.

<- The JustifiedA Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy ->

Image source: Simon & Schuster

Fake Dating a Witch by Brigid Hunt

Book Review
Overview

Title: Fake Dating a Witch
Author: Brigid Hunt
Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again)
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2024

Thoughts

I did like this story at the beginning. I was optimistic and enjoying it. The premise was just great and I love how the two lead characters started trying to get to know one another. I mean, a town filled with witches who are part of the economic backbone? That was kind of fantastic. And I really enjoyed getting to know the cast. For the first third. And then everything just lost traction. I couldn’t keep focus and found that the story suddenly felt like it had stopped moving forwards. As much as I wanted to adore this story, and as much as I wanted to continue onwards. I just couldn’t. Probably one of my most disappointing reads on my TBR of late – just because there was so much promise to begin with and it so quickly fizzled.

Image source: Amazon