King of the Kingless by Jay Lake

November 3, 2024Book ReviewHex in the City, Jay Lake, Paranormal Fantasy, Urban Fantasyskyebjenner

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

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 City

Speechless in Seattle ->

Image source: Goodreads

Ivory Bones by Susan Wade

November 2, 2024Book ReviewFairy tales, Retellings, Silver Birch Blood Moon, Susan Wadeskyebjenner

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

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 Box

The Wild Heart ->

Image source: Wikipedia

God Mode by Daniel H. Wilson

November 1, 2024Book ReviewDaniel H. Wilson, Press Start to Play, Science Fictionskyebjenner

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

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 Play

NPC ->

Image source: Goodreads

Goblins in Georgia by Diane Jones

October 31, 2024Book ReviewDiane Jonesskyebjenner

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

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

October 30, 2024Book ReviewGreek Mythology, Mythology, Retellings, T. Kingfisher, The Mythic Dreamskyebjenner

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

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 Justified

A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy ->

Image source: Simon & Schuster

Fake Dating a Witch by Brigid Hunt

October 29, 2024Book ReviewBrigid Huntskyebjenner

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

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

Ever Night by Gena Showalter

October 28, 2024Book ReviewGena Showalter, Medieval fantasy, On the Hunt, Paranormal Romance, Time Travelskyebjenner

Title: Ever Night
Author: Gena Showalter
In: On the Hunt (Gena Showalter, Shannon K. Butcher, Jessica Andersen & Deidre Knight)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Medieval fantasy, Paranormal romance, Time travel
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2011

At the beginning of this novella, I was a bit… disturbed by the idea that Rose was going to fall for the weird abductor guy. I mean, it was a bit Stockholm Syndrome-y and made me start this story with a feeling of total ick. But then, as I got to know the two characters, I decided that I actually loved this. There was something kind of fun and cute about this story, and, even though the beginning was uncomfortable, I settled into this and was really disappointed that it had to end.

I thought that the idea of being forced to transport oneself into an alternate world every year on your birthday was brilliant and incredibly imaginative. I ended up really loving the world building in this and seriously enjoyed this novella. I love that its two worlds built around somewhat familiar ones. Yet, fear and misunderstandings have led to murder and mayhem throughout the two groups of peoples. An thoroughly enjoyable world that left me smiling and wanting more and more after I turned that final page.

Honestly, although I knew just who Rose would end up with the end, I didn’t quite expect how they were going to end up. Neither did I expect their conflict resolution at the end. It was a really great way to tie up a romantic and lustful novella. This is the first story I’ve read by Showalter, even if I have multiples of her stories on my shelves. And, I’m glad to say that I’ve got more of her stories to continue on with. Now to dive into them and the rest of my TBR.

<- On the Hunt

The Collector ->

Image source: Penguin Random House

Drowning Mermaids by Nadia Scrieva

October 27, 2024Book ReviewNadia Scrievaskyebjenner

Title: Drowning Mermaids
Author: Nadia Scrieva
Rating Out of 5: 1.5 (Couldn’t get past the first chapter)
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2012

This wasn’t my favourite novel, and not one that I was able to finished. Something about the prose just kept getting stuck and I really couldn’t get into it. Then, there was a mermaid stripper who was stripping, but wasn’t one, even when she was taking off her clothes. And then an old guy who knew he was being creepy as the love interest. So many problematic points that I just couldn’t get past and continue on with sadly.

Image source: Smart Bitches Trashy Books

Darkangel by Christine Pope

October 26, 2024Book ReviewChristine Popeskyebjenner

Title: Darkangel
Author: Christine Pope
Rating Out of 5: 1 (Couldn’t get past the first page)
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2014

I have now tried to read this novel twice, and both times I just… nope. Which is disappointing. But I just found that the lead was impossible to connect with and care about. And, even though I read about 3 chapters (my standard limit), nothing was really happening. It was all just background information on the worldbuilding. Definitely not a story that I could stink my teeth into.

Image source: Overdrive

Claiming Her SEAL by Kat Cantrell

October 25, 2024Book ReviewKat Cantrellskyebjenner

Title: Claiming Her SEAL
Author: Kat Cantrell
Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again)
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2016

I could not, for the life of me get into this. I was probably a little bit put off by the blurb in the first place. I’m honestly not a huge fan of alpha males who just… can’t communicate. But I thought I’d give it a shot, because sometimes it still works. But I really couldn’t get there.

Honestly, this just wasn’t my cup of tea and I stopped after just three chapters. I didn’t have any connection to the characters, I didn’t think Emma and Dex has any connection to each other. And I just didn’t enjoy the prose. But this might be suitable for someone else.