Tag Archives: Easy Reading

Paris After Dark by Jordan Summers

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

Title: Paris After Dark
Author: Jordan Summers
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Cops, Easy reading, Vampires
Dates read: 22nd March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She gagged as his coppery breath fanned out over her face.

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Synopsis

Rachel stops an attack on a woman late one night in Paris, only to become the victim herself. As things go from bad to worse, she finds more than a quest for justice, but a reason to stay alive.

Thoughts

I’ve been reading a lot of vampire stories lately, and I really wasn’t sure how over them I was feeling. So I’m not even sure why I picked up The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2. But I did, and I absolutely loved the opening story of this collection. It was everything I like in a short story, a bit of action, a bit of intrigue and a bit of romance. But, unlike a lot of vampire tales that I’ve been reading lately, this wasn’t as… well… annoyingly sappy as others. There was just too much of a cop / crime vibe to it.

Rachel was one of those characters that you can immediately relate to. She is vulnerable and kind of innocent, but at the same time completely kick ass and independent. Something that I think most women aspire to be. Or at least, it’s something that I always aim to be like in my own personal life. The fact that she’s suffering a loss and grieving whilst on the streets of Paris somehow just managed to make her all the more beautiful. I’m not entirely sure why… but it worked perfectly.

I really liked that although there is an instantaneous attraction between the two leads, it isn’t really about that. This story is about justice and finding a link to Rachel’s past. It is also a really fast-paced tale that makes it impossible to pull your nose out of the book, because, damn it, you want Rachel to get her revenge!

 <- The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 ReviewCoven of Mercy Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Cinderella Game by Kelly Link

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for troll's-eye view book cover

Title: The Cinderella Game
Author: Kelly Link
In: Troll’s-Eye View (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Family
Dates read: 2nd March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: He opened his mouth to explain everything, but Darcy got there first.

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Synopsis

Two step-siblings decide to play the cinderella game… with some interesting consequences.

Thoughts

My mother always taught me that it takes two to tango… and that idea carried through in her rearing of us, every time my sister and I got into a huge fight, we’d generally both get in trouble. So I kind of liked the fact that this story was about two (step) siblings who are playing a slightly sinister game and arguing. There are no good guys and bad guys in this story. But rather, a mix of motives that inform one another.

From the name of this story, I thought that the child who played the evil stepsister was going to do something kind of horrible. Then they started talking about evil Cinderella and I was expecting some seriously weird things to start happening. But it didn’t. I wasn’t uncomfortable at this tale, and I actually thought it was kind of cute. A promise for a future in which they could all live together happily, or one in which they would have a not-so-happily ever after. It could go either way.

This was a great story to end the Troll’s-Eye View collection on. It didn’t have a villain or a hero. There was no right or wrong. Instead, it had a vagueness in which everyone had a little bit of good and a little bit of bad in it…

 <- Observing the Formalities ReviewTwists of the Tale Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Queen of Hats by Ysabeau S. Wilce

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for mad hatters and march hares ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Queen of Hats
Author: Ysabeau S. Wilce
In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy
Dates read: 7th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Where am I going to find actors out here?

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Synopsis

The little tamale girl seems to be going on the adventure of a lifetime. And performing in a play to boot.

Thoughts

I loved the jumpiness of this story. Each mini chapter (about a page each) a completely new and different adventure. Each almost its own story. Something that is really reminiscent of the original Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

This short story takes you on a kind of whirlwind adventure that culminates in that famous moment of “off with your head”. I’m not entirely sure if the off with your head bit gets followed through with… but I kind of like to imagine that it does. Because that’s where my head is at at the moment… that, and it just feels a fitting end to a jumpy story. It seems entirely like fantasy, until the moment that somebody’s head gets taken off… it seems like a great ending.

 <- Eating the Alice Cake ReviewA Comfort, One Way Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Springfield Swans by Caroline Stevermer and Ryan Edmonds

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for snow white, blood red book cover

Title: The Springfield Swans
Author: Caroline Stevermer & Ryan Edmonds
In: Snow White, Blood Red (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Easy reading, Fairy tales
Dates read: 5th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Signet
Year: 1993
5th sentence, 74th page: Well, spite of that, things went pretty well there in Springfield for some years.

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Synopsis

An obsession with baseball and an angry stepmother turns seven brothers into swans before they can play on the team and win the season.

Thoughts

This is the first comfortable story that I’ve read in Snow White, Blood Red for a little while. Most of the stories in this collection highlight the sexual component of some very well known fairy tales and make it far more twisted than is necessary. This one on the other hand, gives a modern day retelling to an old classic (I’ve not read the original, but I have read another story based on this fairy tale).

Now, I’m Australian, so I have no idea about baseball. At all. I don’t think I ever even played it in high school PE. Yet, I always love mentions of the sport in stories. Maybe I should add some baseball biographies to my wishlist… which made this retelling of a story tale using this past time kind of fun. And so much more relatable and innocent. After all, there is nothing more fun than playing sport with your family and they do all get a happily ever after…

 <- The Changelings ReviewTroll Bridge Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Thicker Than Blood by Erin Kelly

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: Thicker Than Blood
Author: Erin Kelly
In: I Am Heathcliff (Kate Mosse)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Twisted romance
Dates read: 5th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Borough Press
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: The doctors did what they could, but it was too late.

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Synopsis

Heath has always loved Cat, but she decided to marry someone else. When she dies, will he correct the wrongs of the past?

Thoughts

This is disturbing.

Like necrophilia disturbing.

Couldn’t sleep very well disturbing.

Heebie jeebie disturbing.

And honestly, that is all I think I’m going to say about it.

But it was a really good read… just you know… disturbing.

 <- A Bird, Half-Eaten ReviewOne Letter Different Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Eating the Alice Cake by Kaaron Warren

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for mad hatters and march hares ellen datlow book cover

Title: Eating the Alice Cake
Author: Kaaron Warren
In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy
Dates read: 7th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: For my uncle’s wine.

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Synopsis

The Mock Turtle keeps reminding Alice of her horrible past. But, what if it’s something that she doesn’t want to think about?

Thoughts

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is twisted. No matter which way you look at it, there is a lot of twisty-ness to the original story. This Alice in Wonderland story is twisted too. Just in a more… disturbing way.

The Mock Turtle always seemed like something that was a little dour and depressing. Something that highlights everything that you don’t like about yourself. So a short story that focuses on this aspect of the original made me really quite happy. The fact that the depressing moments in Alice’s life aren’t so nice… well, that made me less happy.

I thought that the end of this story was kind of incredibly… cruel. Which worked well with the theme. After all, it’s a twisted version of Alice’s Wonderland and the Mock Turtle. And it ends kind of twisted too.

 <- Worrity, Worrity ReviewThe Queen of Hats Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

Little Poucet by Steve Rasnic Tem

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for snow white, blood red book cover

Title: Little Poucet
Author: Steve Rasnic Tem
In: Snow White, Blood Red (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales
Dates read: 19th February 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Signet
Year: 1993
5th sentence, 74th page: A bit of thick, flour-based sauce had settled into the bottom of each one.

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Synopsis

A retelling of a kind of twisted and weirdly sexualised fairy tale.

Thoughts

This was the least disturbing short story I’ve read in the Snow White, Blood Red collection in a while. Don’t get me wrong, it was still kind of sexualised and disturbing. But a lot less so than the past few stories that I’ve read. They were just downright, destroy my love of fairy tales disturbing. This was just a slightly uncomfortable feeling of disturbing.

Poucet was an engaging and interesting lead. But, I think he was also kind of stupid. He trusted his brothers. When they are clearly morons. And that got them all in a lot more trouble. This is why I often yell at fairy tales to be fair… they always go into the dark forests alone, trust the wrong person, think that their siblings are lovely… all sorts of stupidity that always, always, always leads to way more complications than necessary. So, it kind of worked perfectly as a fairy tale.

I liked that the sexuality in this short story was far more obvious than some stories. But not in a way that made you turn up your nose completely. Just enough to be slightly disturbing. Slightly annoying and make you think that Poucet is stupid. And smart.

 <- Persimmon ReviewThe Changelings Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Anima by Grace McCleen

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: Anima
Author: Grace McCleen
In: I Am Heathcliff (Kate Mosse)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading
Dates read: 20th February 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Borough Press
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: I clamber to my knees then stagger forwards, weeping, cheering, ridiculous, as I watch you scarper.

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Synopsis

She’s found herself something to love, but there’s something far more dark and sinister coming for it. And it’s not the love that you are imagining.

Thoughts

This story was incredibly weird. I’m still not 100% sure what was going on and how I felt about it. It was just plain weird. At the beginning, when the protagonist started talking about the “love” in this story, I thought it was based very much on a time in the 1800s when she’s fallen in love with a man at one glance. It’s not about a man though… and the love isn’t really sexual, but it’s still weird.

I’m fairly certain this story is about a fox.

A love for a fox.

Yup, I’m still not really sure about this. Although, the unrequited love that the protagonist shows to an animal does kind of remind me of much of the storyline in Wuthering Heights, it’s a really uncomfortable form of love. One that is not returned, and really isn’t something that feels healthy or normal in any way shape or form.

 <- Terminus ReviewA Bird, Half-Eaten Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Battle of the Heroes by Kate Forsyth

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for battle of the heroes kate forsyth book cover

Title: Battle of the Heroes
Author: Kate Forsyth
Series: The Impossible Quest #5
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Adventure, Australian authors, Easy reading, Medieval fantasy
Dates read: 20th February 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: They were smelling here and there, their acute sense of smell blunted by the stench of bat droppings.

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Synopsis

Do not lose faith. Remember the words of the story, remember the words of the spell…

Quinn, Sebastian, Elanor and Tom have defeated the black witch Githa and found the last crucial piece of the prophecy – the sea-serpent’s scale. But time is running out. Back now at Wolfhaven, they search desperately through the castle crypts for the sleeping heroes who they hope will save them all… before the dark moon rises and they lose everything.

Thoughts

This is a great ending to a really fantastic series. It ties up all of the lose ends and follows the same level of cuteness that I’ve loved throughout the rest of the storyline. Yet, where most of the finales I’ve read have involved a lot of exposition to tie up all of the lose ends, this ending doesn’t. The vast majority of this story is taken up by the battle.

Battles are hectic, chaotic beasts. Forsyth is able to describe this perfectly by continuously jumping between her four leads. You never get a full sense of what is happening to them and follow an incredibly jumpy timeline. Which of course adds to the stress and wonder at what’s happening and makes it far more difficult to put down the book. Every time I think that I’m getting a handle on what is happening to one character, it jumps to another.

The four heroes that have been the goal throughout the entire story are finally revived, but they’re barely viewed throughout. Which works well. Although the adults are supposed to be the “heroes” it is the four children that the story revolves around that are truly important. And the parts that they accomplish throughout the final fight which really help to win the day.

I love this final book, and I loved this whole series. It is just so easy, cute and fun. And a great reminder that different types of people are able to save the day, no matter what form they take, and how old they are.

 <- The Drowned Kingdom ReviewEscape from Wolfhaven Castle Review ->
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The Drowned Kingdom by Kate Forsyth

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the drowned kingdom kate forsyth book cover

Title: The Drowned Kingdom
Author: Kate Forsyth
Series: The Impossible Quest #4
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Adventure, Australian authors, Easy reading, Medieval fantasy
Dates read: 18th – 20th February 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: The clap of thunder was so loud it deafened them all, leaving their ears ringing.

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Synopsis

I’ve heard of a kingdom that was flooded and drowned… and that is where the sea-serpents live…

Quinn, Sebastian, Elanor and Tom have found a dragon and conquered the dreaded Beast of Blackmoor Bog. Only one item remains on their impossible quest – the scale of a sea-serpent.

Now they must journey to the drowned kingdom, where they will face their deadliest challenge yet. And there they will uncover the truth behind all that has happened… the truth that will change everything.

Thoughts

The Drowned Kingdom pulls together all of the little story threads that have been slowly released throughout the first three books of the series. The interconnectivity of the characters, the plots that span a lifetime. It is all revealed. But not completely. Just tied in well enough that you know the final reveals and the completion of the tapestry which Kate Forsyth has created will be a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I really enjoy the thematic ties to the four elements throughout this series – and this one is completely about water (in case you didn’t get that from the name). Even the moments when they revisit their old home to see what is happening take place amongst the mist and the moisture. There is a sense of completely surreal beauty about this story that worked really well with the water theme and the idea of lost memories and tragic pasts. It all tied in neatly to the secrets revealed.

Quinn has been my favourite character so far. A foundling, someone with a bit of mystery to her and a witch. I love that she spends the entirety of the storyline without shoes on, connecting with nature and spouting riddles. There’s something about this that I’m in love with – probably the idea that this is the kind of character that I would have loved to be this way as a child.

 <- The Beast of Blackmoor Bog ReviewBattle of the Heroes Review ->
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