A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers

 

Jenny Timmons has been surviving by being a con artist for as long as she can remember, "inheriting" her mother's once-thriving seance "business" upon her death. Unfortunately, she also inherited Miss Crane her landlady, who gave her an ultimatum; Jenny either steals from her wealthy clients or can become one of her girls. But Jenny had a plan, one last heist and she could leave Miss Crane's behind, unfortunately, Miss Crane set her up and as she's leaving her final victim's home she's arrested. Facing the gallows for a murder she didn't commit she knows she has no options left so is more than a little surprised when an elderly gentleman, Mr. Lockhart, pays her bail and hires her to perform a fake seance to calm the nerves of his distraught employer Mr. Pemberton who recently lost his bride to an apparent suicide. When Jenny arrives at Somerset a sprawling estate on the coast she quickly realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew as the handsome Mr. Pemberton wants to "hire" her services himself to find out who murdered his bride. The longer Jenny is at Somerset the more she is certain that Lady Audra was murdered and that everyone at Somerset had a reason to want her dead.

I read a lot of murder mysteries, especially period mysteries. Over time I've really stopped reading them outside of a handful of authors because it began to feel like every single solitary book was the same plot with different characters. And to be honest for the vast majority of this book I was going to write it off as just another mass-produced period mystery with a romance. Up until the last maybe ten chapters this review was going to be very short and sweet and essentially say "highly entertaining if you need something to do for a few hours but I wouldn't actually pay for it." And then those last ten chapters hit and Myers pulled the rug straight out from under me!

As I said for the most part this really is a cookie-cutter period mystery. Girl has a crappy life, but she's tough and resilient and even though she finds herself way out of her normal realm she is completely capable of handling this situation because if we've learned anything adversity breeds clever capable women, and if clever and capable isn't enough she also has the hot, rich guy who is falling in love with her. Like I said most of this book is standard fare for this genre. It's not until you get to the reveal of the killer that this goes from absolutely predictable to "Holy hell what!?" Myers created the perfect game of Clue and just when you are positive you've narrowed down your six players to just one and you are sure it was Col. Mustard in the dining room with the candle stick you find out that there was a seventh player there the whole time that you never even saw. And the thing is Myers somehow juggles all of these players brilliantly. Everyone in Somerset has a reason for wanting Lady Audra dead, so you've got multiple lines of inquiry and these little side dramas that really all play into the actual killer's motive without feeling confusing or overwhelming. Which is in my opinion the mark of a good mystery writer. 

The romance in this doesn't overwhelm the main story either which I was truly grateful for. It's also a believable and gradual building of mutual trust and respect over the course of the book. 

Jenny is a great character as well. She has her hang-ups and insecurities but given her life story and her young age they are overlooked, understood or forgiven. Gareth (Mr. Pemberton) is a great love interest as well as an interesting character. His background is explained just enough so we can understand him but his story never overpowers Jenny's. 

One kind of odd compliment but I think it needs to be said; you absolutely feel the passage of time when reading this. A huge pet peeve for me is when a book is supposed to take place over the course of a week but it feels like it was only a day or vice versa. It's a weird thing to nit-pick I know but I appreciated how she found ways to incorporate the passage of time. 

The only reason this is four stars instead of five is I've read three or maybe four books in the last six months or so that had a similar premise. This is the best one out of those books for certain but there are only so many times you can read about a young girl in London during the spiritualist movement who somehow gets tangled up in a murder and ends up marrying a Baron, Earl, Rich Guy. Actually, it would be quite nice to read a book where the girl doesn't marry the Baron, Earl, Rich Guy. Especially since this book centers around women having virtually no rights during this time frame whether they were rich or poor. 

Overall, while appearing to be a very generic period murder mystery Myers throws out a completely unpredictable twist at the end. Even without the twist though the book sucks you in from page one and keeps you interested with a complicated plot of long-lost heirs, unrequited love, and the complete lack of control women had over their lives. This would be perfect for fans of the Sebastian St. Cyr series.

And as always thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

The Cursed and the Broken by Chloe Hodge

 

Kitarni has spent her whole life being ostracized by the other witches in her village. Being a wielder of fire and blood magic her peers fear her and because of their fear, she has tried to keep her head down so as to not cause issues for her mother and younger sister Eszter. However, after Kitarni and a handsome stranger come across the ritually mutilated body of a fellow witch in Dark Woods, near her home. Kitarni knows that to keep her family safe she'll have stand up against those who have made her life hell if she wants to protect her family from the Cultists who are murdering witches looking for the one who's blood can resurrect the Dark Queen. Little does Kitarni know that it's her they are looking for and just to add insult to injury the very same day she discovers she's the reason her fellow witches are being murdered she also discovers that the handsome yet infuriating man she met in the Dark Wood is actually her betrothed and also the only guarantee of an army to protect her family. As Kitarni comes to terms with the devastating direction her life has taken she realizes that she will have to rely not only the very magic that kept her apart from her fellow witches but a man she'd rather set on fire than wed to keep the people she loves safe. 

Given some of the comments about Gothic architecture taking root in Hungary at the time as well as some other things such as clothing descriptions, lack of indoor plumbing, etc I think it's safe to assume that this book takes place in about the 12th to 13th century Hungary. So why everyone talks like they are living in 21st century America is absolutely beyond me. And one of the main reasons this was knocked down to three stars. The use of the term Asshat is really when this started getting annoying. I could for the most part overlook some of it but c'mon asshat? Really? What makes this even more difficult to overlook is this is a story that could have been easily written in the 21st century. It's not gonna stretch my imagination too far to believe that there's a coven of witches hanging out in Hungary right now. But the use of 21st-century phrases in the 12th or 13th century, really anywhere doesn't have to be Hungary is a complete suspension of belief that ruins the story, it's like a splash of cold water. 

Hodge does a good job of incorporating the romance between Kitarni and Dante in such a manner that it doesn't overshadow the main plot of the story. While I did find the sex scenes to be a bit awkward (if Kitarni "crashed" her lips against Dante's one more time I was going to lose it) they were incorporated at points in the story where it made sense. That being said there are only so many times I want to read how hot one of the characters is, especially when it seems every single sentence starts with or ends with something to the effect of "I was trying really hard not to notice how hot he was." No, you obviously weren't or I wouldn't be reading about it for what feels like the millionth time. 

I did enjoy Kitarni's character for the most part. I found many of her insecurities to be relatable and I was pleasantly surprised that she wasn't a wishy-washy character. There are some moments of indecision but for the most part, Kitarni knows exactly who she is and what she wants. Dante was pretty great as well. He's ridiculously supportive of Kitarni and that's always a plus in a love interest. 

Overall, while I felt the execution of the story was excellent with relatable and interesting characters this wasn't a book that really held my attention. There were just too many times when I didn't picture Kitarni in 12th or 13th century Hungary but in 21st century America. However, I do feel that for fans of Sarah J. Maas this book would be right up your alley!

As always I'd like to thank BookSirens for the eArc of this book, this review has been left voluntarily.

Spy x Family vol. 4 by Tatsuya Endo

 This has to be so much fun to write! Honestly, it's just so heartwarming and positive that after this week The Forgers were the answer to my need to escape into something that felt like a warm hug and this volume couldn't have fit that description more!

Since Anya has received her first star Yor and Loid decide to reward her with a dog. This isn't just any reward though Anya is certain that if she has a dog she can become friends with Damian and her "dad's" mission will be a success thus ensuring world peace! So during their family outing, the Forgers' have a mission to find a dog! Loid is called away almost immediately though, there's a plot to kill Minister Brantz using dogs. Not just any dogs though, these ones have undergone the same experiments Anya did. As Loid rushes to save the day Anya and Yor keep on the hunt for a dog, Anya however, runs off and unfortunately stumbles upon the very same terrorists that Loid is searching for!  Just as Anya thinks she's done for one of the dogs the terrorists have trained for their assassination attempt saves her and she discovers that this isn't just any dog, he has a very special power, and thanks to that power Anya knows that only she can save her Papa and World Peace! But will she be able to make it in time!?

Anya is a tiny little badass and yet it's still kind of sad. She will do anything to ensure Twilight's mission succeeds because she desperately wants to stay with Loid and Yor, so she puts herself at risk time and again. I just want to hug her! Yor is amazing as well, her Mom instincts kicked in full throttle when she took on the role of Anya's Mom and it's so beautiful and endearing. Especially since she wants to be the best Mom/Wife she can be. Loid is still in denial a bit that he at the very least adores his little family if not full-on loves them but I think he'll come around soon. 

Overall, if I could give this volume ten stars I would because you really can't go wrong with the addition of a family pet in a story like this!

The Ancient Magus Bride Vol. 1 by Kore Yamazaki

 Chise has not had the easiest life, her mother died when she was young and she's been passed around by family members ever since. They all think she is just a little weird as Chise can see things the rest of us cannot, she has always seen this ability as a curse and when a trafficker approaches her to literally sell herself Chise goes for it. It cannot possibly be worse than the life she's already led. Little does Chise know that the person who will purchase her is one of the last mages on Earth and Chise herself is a truly rare being a Sleigh Beggy with the ability to become a witch. The other thing she doesn't know is that Elias plans on making her his bride!

If you watched the anime you'll know that this is by far one of the most beautifully animated/drawn series. The art is just simply breathtaking. There are scenes both in the anime and the manga where everything is just so detailed that you absolutely want it to be real. I am more than positive that there are quite a few people who have centered their "cottage core" aesthetic around the art from this series, it's just that well done. 

In terms of the story, I love that we only get a tiny bit of Chise's background at a time. I think that many authors would want to have justified her being okay with taking part in what amounts to a slave auction right off that bat because well, slave auction. However, I appreciate that Yamazaki choose not to here, I'd much rather watch her heal from her past and learn of it through that process than just be bombarded right away with what will be a sad story. I also love Elias and especially his chibi version! 

My favorite part of this volume has to be meeting the dragons though, it's such an important conversation to have in terms of death and Yamazaki does a truly wonderful job at addressing a difficult conversation with beauty and dignity. 

Overall, just a fantastic series that I've been looking forward to reading for quite some time!

My Top 10 books so far this year - Edited

 

Can you believe it!? Just four books away from hitting 150 for the year! In honor of this pretty amazing achievement, if I do say so myself, I've updated my top ten books for the year! Let's see how many survived from the first top 10 way back in March! 

And again these are in no particular order!

There was no way this one was not going to make the list. Still one of my favorite books of all time!

The Fervor is officially out for purchase now and if you haven't read this exceptional story yet I can't recommend running out and grabbing a copy more!

Another one that made the list again. I really should be updating this with the last one in the series, but I still haven't read it yet. I kinda don't want to finish it, this has been such a fantastic series I don't want it to end. 

This book has piggy bombs what more can I say!? Honestly, just good bloody fun and an interesting take on the classic Seven Samurai!

The Siren Queen is a hauntingly beautiful tale truly one of the best books I have ever read, not just of the year. 

I just love this series! Land of the Dead is a solid addition to this hilarious series featuring Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde, this one is a nod to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein featuring a mad scientist who has figured out how to bring people back from the dead!

A beautiful story about the people that brought us stories. This was such a heartfelt and wonderful look at the lives of the people who wrote the fairy tales that we know and love that I cried a little bit at the end. 

If I could pick one book to read like I'd never read it before it would be this one. An amazing fantasy adventure book full of magic, jinns, and assassins it is absolutely unputdownable!

For me there is nothing better than a book that simply defies classification. Crime Writer is 100% that book. Part murder mystery, part thriller, a little bit of romance, some fantasy, and a perfectly incorporated story of introspection Crime Writer is an absolute must-read!

This season's break-out anime is just as adorable in its manga form! The daily life of the Forger Family is the warm hug we all need after a very bad day. One of the few manga/anime series that has universal appeal if you aren't watching/reading this yet I suggest you get on it!

The Royal Tutor by Higasa Akai - A light hearted version of Assassination Classroom!

 

My local library didn't have book one so I'm really glad I've already watched this anime or I probably would have been a tad lost here!

In this volume the princes get a taste of what it is like to live outside of the palace, we meet the King, and Prince Leonhard must either pass his test with sixty points or become ineligible to even compete against his brothers for the crown!

This is one of my favorite series and one of my favorite volumes because like Assassination Classroom Akai addresses an important topic; not everyone learns the same way. And no I don't mean the whole visual vs auditory learn thing. I mean that a problem placed in certain contexts becomes easier for a learner to understand. In this case, Leonhard can barely do math at all but once Heine uses food (specifically torte) to have him solve math problems he catches on rapidly. That seems incredibly silly but it really is an important aspect of learning that too many children are not introduced to until later in life. 

I really enjoy the relationships between the Princes as well, in this volume we get to see more of their interpersonal dynamics on a one-on-one scale as well as in the group. They are so dedicated to each other and as a parent that is absolutely heartwarming to see. If one of them has a problem they all pitch in to help even if they aren't always helpful they appreciate each other for at least trying. And we also get to see what about their individual personalities rubs the other brothers the wrong way and that is again nice to see as well. No matter how dedicated the siblings are they are not always going to get along and that should be represented in a realistic manner. Akai does an excellent job of showing that in Chapter 11; the fact that Bruno and Licht get into a huge fight over something small is so incredibly realistic if you have children or siblings. 

The Character design in this one is amazing as well, while each brother has their own unique look when you are introduced to the King you can really see a resemblance that isn't just the artist making an "older" appearing version of the brothers. They look like a real family that shares genes! 

Overall, a fantastic series and I'd recommend it for fans of Assassination Classroom who are looking for something that is a little bit more lighthearted, and let's be honest doesn't make you cry for a month in the end. Fans of Ouran High School as well it's got that coming-of-age vibe minus the romance of course. 

Happy Pride Month!!

 

As the proud mom of the most handsome (transgender) son on the planet, I'd just like to wish everyone the most amazing Pride Month and remind everyone that they are absolutely loved! 

Witch Hat Atelier Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama

 Coco has always wanted to be able to use magic, especially since running into a man who gave her a book of magic when she was young. But she knows, as does everyone, that you have to be born with magic and Coco was not. That doesn't change the fact that she at the very least wants to see a Witch perform magic and when by chance one arrives at her mother's shop Coco has the perfect opportunity as long as she doesn't get caught! As the saying goes curiosity killed the cat and Coco will get everything she wants while losing everything she loves. 

I've been playing the Atelier games on PS4/Switch pretty much once a week every week so, to be honest, and totally not fair to the manga, I pictured this series being kinda like the games. They really have nothing to do with each other, as far as I'm aware, so not even sure why I did. Anyway, I'm almost glad I did though because I wasn't really expecting this to go a little bit dark side right off the bat with Coco literally encasing her mom in stone and having no way of releasing her. Not really as lighthearted as I thought it was going to be. 

The other thing that kinda through me was Agott's character, she was downright mean! I thought at the very least after Coco passed the test she'd be a bit nicer but nope she was still just mean!

By the way, those all sound like complaints but they aren't, I love it when a story is everything I didn't expect it to be, it makes it so much more fun to read when you realize that all of your expectations have been just thrown at the window!

In terms of the rest of the characters and Coco especially she is pretty much exactly how I expected her to be. At least so far. She is going to work twice as hard as everyone else because she needs to save her mom. 

What I really enjoyed more than anything with this is the art though. Especially the character and costume designs, they are so detailed! I probably spent a good five minutes looking at each character as they were introduced because they are each really unique. The backgrounds are gorgeous as well, I was thoroughly impressed by the attention to detail art-wise in this volume. 

Overall, this was not as lighthearted as I expected it to be, however, Coco's perseverance to overcome the first large obstacle that was put in her way hooked me almost immediately! With a cliffhanger ending (it's a manga so that's kind of given) that puts the apprentices in a scary situation, I'm looking forward to seeing not just how Coco overcomes this but hopefully how the girls work together to overcome the unexpected and assumably dangerous situation they find themselves in! 

Crime Writer by Dime Sheppard - This book is an absolute trip from beginning to end!

 

Crime Writer has been on my Kindle shelf for about a month maybe a little longer. The longer it sat there the more I second-guessed requesting it. The premise became sillier in my mind and I was really afraid of the execution. Yesterday at around 4:30pm I decided that I would at least give it a shot, I finished it at 2am this morning. Did I only get four hours of sleep because of this? Do I regret it? Not in the least. I was hooked from almost the very first sentence!

Evie Howland is living almost a fairy tale life; she is currently engaged to be married to billionaire playboy Daniel Bradley, she's living in her modest "dream home" in NYC, and all of this is thanks to her best selling crime novel series featuring Detectives Carolyn Harding and Jay Ryan. Well, it would be a fairy tale life except for the first time in ten years Evie has writer's block. And what's worse her characters are not letting her forget that she has writer's block. Not only are they interrupting her at the most inconvenient times to remind her that they have been on the same stakeout for weeks they are now injecting themselves into her everyday life! What? Your characters don't talk to you? I assure you this is very normal. Well, it is until it's not. Because it's not just Evie that can see Carolyn and Jay any longer. Everyone can. And as Evie must face the fact that not only are her characters alive and are currently wearing her clothes and borrowing her shower but that all of her characters are alive, not just the two who are her closest and dearest friends, but their arch-nemesis The Blade as well. Evie, Carolyn, and Jay must somehow stop a deranged, brilliant serial killer who up until forty-eight hours ago was only real in Evie's head. And to do it Evie may have to do the one thing she is most afraid of; end the stories of the two people she loves most in the world. 

I do not believe I have ever read anything that has broken the fourth wall so completely, so expertly in my life. I'm sure there are other books out there where the author's characters come to life, Evie even mentions that there are in this book, however, I have so many questions about what the hell happened specifically here. Sheppard wraps you up so completely in Evie's world and in turn this kind of weird other dimension where fictional characters are maybe living a completely separate and *real* life that finishing this is like coming out of an oddly specific dream. It was absolutely brilliant!

The entire story is told from Evie's point of view and right from the beginning you get the feeling there is something more to the story than just some cheesy gimmicky story about characters becoming real. Evie alludes to something going very wrong in her life within the first few chapters, something's happened and she's essentially cut the world off, she is not really living. She's just going through the motions of life. Billionaire wants to marry her and offers her everything her heart desires, maybe there's something a bit off about it, but Evie ignores that and just goes with it. You have this feeling pretty much the entire book that Evie is not happy. And then there is this scene; Evie has been kidnapped,  she has this feeling that she can write things into existence and so she tries it a few ways and those don't work but she has a flash of insight and writes I AM. Two little words, three short letters that are deceptively simple. Because in the book and in real life they are the beginning of magic. They can be used to harm, they can be used to uplift but they are the beginning of writing yourself into your own story. And that's it, the moment when this went from a really good book to an exceptional book because all of it becomes so relatable at that point, Evie up until this point had written herself out of her own story. And this is something that many of us do for a multitude of reasons; Evie's was a traumatic event but people do this every single solitary day for reasons ranging from becoming a parent to working a soul-sucking job and of course trauma. I AM becomes: We Are or worse I Was. And in real life, changing it back to I AM is just as difficult as it is in fiction, minus the fictional characters coming to life of course. There are a lot of smaller themes throughout this as well that are deeper than anything I expected when I started reading this but that's the overall theme. And it is done so wonderfully with such an amazing character that you want to hug Evie and tell her everything is going to be fine. 

So that's the main theme but there is also all of the fourth wall breaking and it is a trip. As I said I finished this around two am and ended up staying up another hour just pondering the implications of this book. Because it's just mind-blowing, in a fictional manner of course. Are authors writing entire dimensions into existence? If Evie has created this whole world when she stops writing the series do they just live or do they cease to exist? How do they know so much about Evie, I mean sure they are a part of her so to speak, but, I mean Jay and Carolyn know pretty much everything about her. And if Evie is in love with a man she created then does that whole paragraph I just wrote about writing herself back into her story mean absolutely nothing because she literally created her perfect man like some weird Frankenstein's Monster type thing. And is this like a kind of Wreck-it Ralph type thing where all fictional characters end up in some central location, central universe if you will; like is Eve Dallas hanging out with Matthew Bartholomew as we speak? Normally, it would annoy me to no end that I have so many questions but I'm not annoyed in the least, I can really interpret this whole thing however I want to and it doesn't feel like there's some giant plot hole. Catching a killer was more important than examining how this whole thing worked and that was pretty clear. And I appreciate Sheppard making it clear. There's a few times where maybe she could have gone down some path to explore how this all worked but she didn't, she has a character kind of arch a brow and then sets them back on the path of stopping the killer because that's what's really important here. 

The characters in this were all really great too and while it is told from Evie's POV you get a really good feel for everyone else. And even though Carolyn comes across as kind of a jerk, you can't help but love her because Evie loves her. This is a pretty long book and so I was afraid that at some point it feel like it was dragging on but it never did. Sheppard does a really good job of keeping the pace up with intense action scenes and mixing in Evie's self-exploration. And the romance of course. And Evie is absolutely hilarious, she's got that perfect smart-ass attitude that's clearly a self-defense mechanism from the beginning. I'm not ashamed to admit I relate to that. 

Overall, Crime Writer has a great cast of characters with a fast-paced plot that twists and turns in manners that you don't see coming because it's a book about cliches that have a mind of their own. And it truly has something for everyone in it. There is not one group of readers I'd specifically recommend this to. It's a little bit sci-fi, a little bit murder mystery, a tad bit of a thriller, a slow-burner romance, and a novel of introspection to boot that somehow even with all that going on works out to be just a fantastic book that almost defies classification. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Ruby Books for the eArc of this book, this review is being left voluntarily.

Howl's from the Dark Age by P.L. McMillan and various - Don't read this at a night!

I would not read this book at night by myself. I probably wouldn't read this book at night even if I wasn't alone either for that matter. I said I was looking for a scary book and Howls From the Dark Ages definitely filled that need. Maybe a little too well! 

A collection of short stories written by a variety of authors each of these tales are downright creepy and while I'm not going to review each story, however, I will say that The Crowing by Caleb Stephens was my absolute favorite. To be honest I'd like to see it turned into a whole book, as I really need to know what happens next!

My only tiny complaint is that in most of the stories I never felt like I was reading a story that was actually set in Medieval times and I think that's probably because they were all short stories just not enough space to really set the scene but still. The reason I read it was because of the timeframe they were supposed to be set in so that was a tad bit disappointing. And I mean just a tad bit because out of all of the short story compilations I've read recently this was easily the best. Each story felt complete I didn't feel like the author left anything out (other than the aforementioned), none of them felt rushed, and none of the stories were confusing. 

Overall, if you are a horror fan I can't recommend this one enough, just remember you may want to leave the lights on when you do. 

Thanks to Netgalley and HOWL Society Press for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief by Maurice LeBlanc, Art by Vincent Mallie - If you've never read Lupin I recommend this edition because Illustrations! (Duh)

 

I've been meaning to read Lupin so this new illustrated version gave me the perfect excuse! This volume contains the first nine stories of Arsene Lupin, one of the funniest gentleman thieves I've come across! To be honest one of the reasons I've not read this yet is because it was published in the early part of the twentieth century, so I  expected it to be very longwinded. It surprisingly was not, quite the opposite actually, feeling very modern in both the dialogue and the narrative. Lupin's hijinks are absolutely hilarious and I can now see why Miyazaki choose to model his Lupin on this character.

The art in this is of course amazing. It's kinda why we are here right? You could get any copy of Lupin, really for just a few dollars used, but I don't believe it would be the same without these simple yet surprisingly detailed illustrations. They reminded me a bit of the art from Madeline or Amelia Bedelia, two of my favorite childhood books, and really that's what initially drew me to this book. And even as someone who literally watched Miyazaki's Lupin III like a week ago, I think Mallie's Lupin will be the one that is forever in my head. 

Overall, I found Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief to be laugh-out-loud funny and while I'd say to go out and read it, I would definitely wait till you can purchase this version in June as the art in this new version makes these stories ten times better! 

As always thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

Black Mass Rising by Theo Prasidis - Simply one of the best Dracula retellings ever.

 

Oh wow! I have read many Dracula retellings, but this one is on another level! Easily my favorite retelling and definitely in the top ten of books I've read this year!

Dracula was finally defeated and Transylvania was finally living in a world that had hope and Aurelia has the most hope. Living with her parents and her little brother Vadim she lives as carefree of a life as she can in a post-Dracula world. That is until everything comes crashing down around her one afternoon, her brother is brutally killed by a demon and Aurelia is determined to set out and end this new menace, with a man only known as the Healer by her side leaves her village. Aurelia and the Healer are almost immediately set upon by a group of demons, both realize that they will not be able to defend themselves, and just when all hope is lost a female warrior, Wilhemina saves them and decides to journey with them for a bit. Little do the three of them know that this chance encounter is the key needed to restore Dracula. 

Dracula and his namesake Vlad Dracul are/were both highly religious tales/people. Vlad was well known for his crusade to keep the Turks out of Transylvania and to protect Christianity, so I've always found it a bit odd that retellings today have taken the religious component out of the story. I am not by any means religious but I believe what makes not just Vlad an interesting figure in history but the Dracula story interesting is because it is in essence a story about good vs evil in terms of Christianity. Dracula the character is the embodiment of leaving God behind, of being literally locked out of heaven with absolutely no way of getting in ever. There is no forgiveness for a vampire. In terms of Vlad Dracul the real-life human when viewing him using our modern lens it's almost impossible for some of us to reconcile the incredibly brutal acts that he committed in the name of Christianity. This makes him the perfect character to play out a story of good and evil and in the case of Prasidis's Dracula since he is "saved" for a time at least that hard line of good vs evil becomes much more blurry than it already was. The fact that he falls again (or he appears to fall again) after suffering a loss and falling into grief humanizes the monster. We have fallen into my favorite color "Grey". Now, will the story continue this way, honestly, I'm not sure, but I hope it does. Either way, Prasidis has some really important things to say in terms of questioning one's faith. 

The rest of the characters in this were great as well, I enjoyed a badass, warrior version of Mina, and Aurelia's story seems to be only just beginning. So I'm definitely looking forward to book two!

Now comes my second favorite part though and that is the art. As unique as the story is the art absolutely matches it! Art in graphic novels, comics, and manga get a lot of crap. Let's just get that out of the way. It's not considered "high art" by many people. The art in this, however, as far as I'm concerned is about as close to "high art" as you are going to get in a graphic novel (that is not to say that I actually believe that comic/manga art isn't high art personally). The scenes in this are reminiscent of beautifully done oil paintings, there is one scene where Aurelia and the Healer are on horseback and the moon is high above them and it's just breathtaking. I'd hang it on my wall. The use of shadows in this as well creates that perfectly creepy atmosphere that I think we all, unfortunately, associate with Transylvania in general (thanks Stoker). 

Overall, this is 100% of what I look for in dark fantasy/horror tales. Give me a story that makes me think any day and Black Mass Rising certainly does that. As I said in the beginning this is easily one of my favorite reads this year and so far an excellent retelling that returns to the roots of what Dracula is and who Dracul was. Highly recommend to horror/fantasy fans!

And as always thanks to NetGalley and TKO Presents for the eArc of this book, this review was left voluntarily.

The World of Yaxin: The Day of the Unicorn by Man Arenas - Simply Beautiful!

 This was just a really beautiful book about the magic that is the Unicorn. Told in little snippets about a Unicorn family by a faun the story follows a family of unicorns from the meeting of two Unicorns to the birth of their baby. The story is poetic and absolutely beautiful in its simplicity. The art however is what makes this really stand out. It is absolutely stunning. Each page is filled with a magical and whimsical scene taking us through the beauty that is bringing a new life into the world. 

 I think this would make a wonderful book for children of all ages but I can definitely see this being a centerpiece for a nursery theme and a wonderful gift for new mothers. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the advanced copy of this truly beautiful book, this review is being left voluntarily.

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow Crowns of Croswald Book 2 by D.E. Night - This is a new favorite series!

 

Ivy Lovely has reached the end of her first year at the Hall of Ivy and instead of spending her summer with her best friend Rebecca she is getting sent off to The Town, indefinitely! Darwin has tasked her with finding the other pieces of the Kindred Stone and the Selector believes Ivy will be safe from the Dark Queen there. But something is off even in the safest place in Croswald; strange dark storm clouds are breaking through the Town's barrier and even though Ivy was told she'd not be returning to the Hall of Ivy, she receives a letter from the Selector bidding her return shortly after the new school year starts. Ivy returns only to discover the Selector never sent for her and that the Shades that were in The Town seem to have followed her as well. As Ivy works with Derwin to retrieve his memories of where he put the missing fragments of the stone, Ivy feels that the Dark Queen is close, planning another attack from the shadows. 

There is no better feeling than when a title of a book makes sense, except when the author has cleverly weaved that moment into the story itself as Night has done with The Girl with the Whispering Shadow. The title of the book is introduced early on in this story, which was so unique that I was absolutely intrigued to figure out why Night had decided to do that. She did not let me down. 

Ivy is still the amazing character she was in the first one. She makes a plan and she sticks to it even if the consequences could spell trouble for her. And her unwavering loyalty to her friends is wonderful. And in turn their loyalty to her. This book focuses a bit more on Fyn and Ivy's relationship and I enjoyed that especially since we find out more about Fyn's background and a connection his family has with the Kindred Stone. We are also introduced to a whole group of new friends with the QQC, it's a secret so you'll just have to read the book to find out what QQC stands for! 

I am also 100% sure the Selector has to be a bad guy. She has to be working for the Dark Queen, she says she has to appear to be on her side but I think she's lying, I think she's totally on the Dark Queen's side. 

In terms of pacing this was well done and followed the same formula as the first book, which I thought would kind of be annoying but I ended up enjoying it as we get introduced to all sorts of new creatures and magic from Croswald. My absolute favorite new magical creature this time has to be Silius (I hope I spelled that right) I'm really hoping we see more of him in book three! 

Overall, a perfect second book with a fantastic cliffhanger ending that has left me excited to find out what happens next! Highly recommend it for fans of Kiki's Delivery Service and Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch! Also, since this is a middle-grade book this would make a perfect read along with the kiddos whether as a bedtime story or a buddy read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Stories Untold for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas - Not scary at all, but a damn good murder mystery!

Beatriz's world has been turned upside down, after her father is taken and executed at the end of the War to remove Spain's rule from Mexico she and her mother find themselves as unwanted guests at the home of her aunt. Treated like servants Beatriz is desperate to leave, so desperate in fact that she's willing to marry the handsome Rodolfo Solorzano, a wealthy land-owner she met at a ball. Beatriz's mother is absolutely against this marriage as it goes against everything her father stood for and is for all intents and purposes marrying the enemy. But, Beatriz goes through with it anyway seeing it as a way to give both herself and her mother a better life and a home. Within minutes of arriving at San Isidro though Beatriz feels something is very off with her new home, starting with a rat who's had its neck broken laying in the middle of the stairs. She also discovers she has an abrasive and strange sister-in-law whom she was never told about. As the days go on more and more inexplicable things happen in the home, things that terrify Beatriz to the point she is certain her home is haunted. She seeks help from the Church only to be treated like she is crazy, that is until she meets Padre Andres, who has a past connection with San Isidro and confirms to her that something is indeed very wrong with the house. With only Andres to help her Beatriz is terrified that the house will kill her before they can clean the rot that has infested it. 

I have been trying to find some sort of horror book that was actually somewhat scary for months, this book fell way short of that mark which was disappointing. It's really more of a murder mystery/romance than it is a horror story, as it more than any revolves around figuring out just what happened with Rodolfo's dead wife more than anything. And that is why I gave this four stars instead of five. 

That being said I did actually enjoy the mystery part of this. I honestly thought that Rodolfo had killed his wife for the vast majority of the book even after there is a bombshell dropped about the actual murderer I still believed he had to be the killer. Using the ghost as a clever way to mask that there was a murderer lurking in the shadows was fantastic I have to Canas that. I was more focused on the fact that the house may kill everyone than the fact that a living breathing person wanted everyone dead as well. 

I enjoyed Beatriz's character too, probably more than any other character including Andres the love interest. There's one point where she tells the ghost that if it kills her then it's stuck with her for eternity so it may want to think twice and that completely solidified Beatriz as a solid heroine for me, cause that's exactly what I'd do! Beatriz is terrified of whatever is in the house but it's not the standard "damsel in distress" situation by any means and I enjoyed that immensely. The ghost might scare her but she doesn't have to put up with its crap. Andres is interesting because he's pretty much the embodiment of colonialism in Mexico, everything he stands for is what Spain (and really every other colonizer in history) has tried to wipe out; the cultural and religious practices of the indigenous groups in the colonized areas. 

The book also does for the most part bring to light what those Native to Mexico would have endured during the Spanish colonization, it also makes a clear distinction between those of Spanish descent and those who were Native to Mexico at the time of colonization. For most Americans, I think that we associate Spain with Mexico and Mexico with Spain so much that we forget that Spanish isn't the native language of Mexico, far from it or that someone Native to Mexico isn't going to be light-skinned or oddly vice versa as I and I assume many have seen someone be absolutely gobsmacked when they realize that humans from Spain do not have dark skin but are fair and even blonde. But it's of course deeper than that. It's a story of colonization that we hear time and again throughout the Americas; Natives toiling on land that belongs to them, that has belonged to them for centuries under the watchful eye of a colonizer getting rich off of their work. Americans in general do not think about Mexico in these terms and I believe it's important that we do. Just like with Native Americans in America and Canada there were Native groups in Mexico that had their very way of life turned upside down, their cultural practices brutally torn from them, and their people forced into situations that most of us cannot even fathom today. The story of Mariana, especially, in this book is one that you can hear echoed throughout the southeast United States of slave owners and their wife's jealousies which ultimately resulted in the deaths of many young women. And yeah there are books on that. Specifically, the brutality young women faced at the hands of female slave owners. They aren't pretty books mind you but they are important reads. 

And while I found this slow to start it picks up in the last few chapters and becomes an edge-of-your-seat, nail-biter. And even the ending while not what I was expecting I found to be perfect given everything Beatriz had gone through. I'd want my freaking mom too! 

Overall, if you are picking this up because you are looking for a good scary read, keep in mind it's not really scary but it is a really great thriller with a murder mystery and a deranged killer lurking in the shadows, and just enough of romance to give you a break from the rest of it. Highly recommend it to anyone into period mysteries as well as horror novels. 

Why King's Confess by C.S. Harris - It's Baby Time!!

 As this is another one of my fangirl series I'm just warning there will be spoilers because so many very important things happened in this one! But first and foremost BABY!! I'm actually more excited about a fictional character having a baby than I am when my friends say they are having a baby. In my defense, the fictional character will never ask me for parenting advice and/or to hold their baby so I feel justified here. 

On a cold night, Gibson stumbles across the body of a woman just barely holding on to life, and near her, the corpse of a man who has had his heart hacked out of his chest. Gibson brings both the woman and the man's body back to his surgery and alerts Devlin of his gruesome find. It doesn't take long for Devlin to discover that the man is a Parisian doctor in London with a delegation from Napoleon to possibly start peace talks after France's brutal defeat in Russia. This means that his Father in Law, Lord Jarvis, immediately obstructs Devlin's investigation into this heinous crime. Once the young woman wakens from her ordeal Devlin discovers that not only is she a connection to his past he would rather forget but that this murder may be connected to the deposed French royal family. As Devlin carefully wades through international politics to capture a murderer, he's also reeling from the news that his and Hero's child is breach and the only person that may be able to save both of their lives is a woman who swore she'd kill him.

We finally find out what happened to make Devlin sell out of the military and why he then spent the next little while getting into drunken brawls. Quite frankly I'm not sure I blame him. We also get to see a whole new side of Hero's Mom and I have to say I always thought Hero got her smarts from Jarvis, however, I've had to reassess that whole situation after this book. I really hope we see more of Lady Jarvis going forward. Devlin's still mad at his dad which I am really at the point of saying this has drug on long enough. Like yeah, Hendon did something pretty rotten but c'mon. Move on. Annnddd something hopefully good and permanent happens with Gibson!! Oh and Kat is only mentioned once. If we could get to zero times in the next book I'd be eternally grateful.

On with the actual review. 

In terms of the actual book review, I was a little annoyed that Harris had something potentially bad happen with the pregnancy. I kind of figured she was going to but I really hoped she wasn't since it was a pretty cliche move. I like this series because it is one of the most unpredictable ones I've read so to make such a predictable plot in terms of Hero's pregnancy was a tad bit disappointing. Obviously not enough to make me lower the rating though. 

The mystery itself was one of the best yet. There were so many twists and turns just when I was absolutely sure I knew who the killer was I'd end up smack dab at a wall. The misdirects with this one were spot on too, I really thought the killer had to be the jealous husband (you'll figure out who that is early on) for most of the book. I wouldn't say I was completely in shock when the killer was revealed it just seemed too easy so I completely disregarded the character for most of the book. 

The thing I loved the most about this one though is that it deals with a "royal imposter". Honestly, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed these until I read Ariana Franklin's City of Shadows, which is loosely based on an infamous woman who claimed to be Princess Anastasia for most of her life. For the most part, I've only really looked at these I guess "phenomenons" for lack of a better term as historical footnotes at best, it never really crossed my mind that they could also make excellent plots for murder mysteries. But it completely makes sense when you think about it; anyone walking around saying that they were heir to a throne that simply doesn't exist for all intents and purposes in the aftermath of the varying revolutions in the 19th and 20th centuries would have a target on their backs for a multitude of reasons. This all adds up to a nail-biting thrill ride in the right hands. 

Overall, Why King's Confess is probably my new favorite of the series. The political intrigue allowed Harris to create numerous misdirects that left me on the edge of my seat the entire book. And yes even I have to admit the worry about Hero's ability to deliver the baby added to the tension and even though the show-down with the killer wasn't as explosive as I was expecting it also was just pure Hero energy and I loved that.

A Night of Wings and Starlight by Alexis L. Menard

 

In the Battle of the Fallen, 100 years ago the gods took away the sun from humanity, as a punishment for their decisions. In that 100 years, a dark queen has risen controlling all in Mirth, everyone believes she is humanity's only hope. And one Runner Arya has believed it wholeheartedly determined to become the first female Runner to the Queen she trains exhaustively her whole life and just when her hard work pays off and she gets her prize, she meets Azriel, a Watcher, and a servant of the Gods who tells her that it's not the Queen who will save humanity but Arya herself. Will Arya be able to find the strength to bring the dawn back? 

So here's the deal: I read this yesterday and felt pretty comfortable leaving a four-star review. I am still okay with it but I've determined that I have more issues with it than I originally thought. And honestly most of it I think I can chalk up to it being just too short. Personally, I think writing a shorter book has got to be a hundred times more difficult than writing a longer book, and I've said this before it takes a talented author to write something that's less than three hundred pages that feels complete. And I'm not saying Menard isn't talented, I'm just saying this book would have been served if it was longer.

This book is rushed and I mean really rushed like the characters have grabbed you by the hand and they are pulling you through the story and you get to the end and you've got whiplash. The main villain in this takes on the gods a hundred years ago and wins, I don't care how much the gods blessed Arya the fact that she is able to destroy the villain in the space of an afternoon is just too much to believe. Because it's so rushed I never once felt like the villain was really all that bad either. We are told she's done evil things but she never actually does anything evil in the book at all, I would have liked to see her character fleshed out a bit more.  

Arya and Azriel have some really great one-liners. I will absolutely give the author that but sometimes they are just awful or don't fit at all. The one that really got me and I will never get it out of my head is a reference to fins in a sexual manner. Yeah, like fish fins, or maybe merpeople fins I'm not sure. And I've tried to figure out what the heck this comment was referring to but I just can't and I'm not even sure I *want* to. Actually, I know I'm sure I don't want to know. It was just a completely unnecessary comment that felt just awkward and weird. Also, this is completely nitpicky but I'm not sure why Azriel says Darling all the time but by the end of the book, I was picturing a cowboy angel. You can't convince me that Azriel isn't rocking a Stetson and some spurs. 

The other thing I found to be really frustrating is that Arya starts out by saying she never notices men because she's so dedicated to her training. At the very beginning of the book she describes this man in like perfect detail and then she says something like, "But I don't notice men." By the end of the book, I had to assume that was supposed to be a smart-ass comment. And this is a wash, rinse, and repeat thing. Arya notices men. Often and in detail. Eventually, this is explained by Arya having sexual encounters to relieve stress, but not wanting to be in a relationship, this made the first comment about her not noticing men completely moot then. She obviously does and I'd have rather seen her just state that right off the bat. You can be dedicated to something and still be sexually attracted to people. And like I said, given how often she notices men I kind of feel like it was an attempt at humor. Kind of. 

Alright so for what I liked. I enjoyed the world-building in this. At first, we are just dropped into Mirth with very little explanation of what is going on but as the story progresses Menard fills in the background details that are missing so we get a bigger picture of both the world and its history. I also did enjoy most of the dialogue. Arya does have some deep and meaningful speeches throughout the book and for the most part, her smart-ass game is strong. She also never wavers from her path, once her mind is made up she sticks to the course she's decided on. Azriel is an interesting love interest. He's really dedicated to Arya and I enjoyed that as well. The plot twist with Loren is obvious from the minute Arya calls him her brother, but, with this type of twist, most authors would have had Arya have a moment where she wavers from her goal. Menard did not do that and I thoroughly loved that. There's no chick flick moment here and that was so nice. 

Overall, this really hits all the points it should which is why I'm giving it four stars but I just feel like if it had been a bit longer it could have been easily five stars. It's got an interesting world, with an intriguing history, and a villain that I believe should have been fleshed out more. I'm interested in seeing how the second book will go as well, honestly thought this was a stand-alone while I was reading it so I'm definitely intrigued by the fact that this is Book 1.

Thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

The Druid by Jeff Wheeler - The prequel I didn't know I needed, no seriously I totally forgot who the main character actually IS

 

It's been such a long time since I read the Muirwood series that I feel like I probably should have read it again before I read this. Especially when reading the Author's Notes says "Now you know how Eilean's (probably spelled that wrong) story begins!" So kind of a heads up for those who have read Muirwood, if it's been a while you may want to go back and read it again before starting this. 

Eilean is a wretched living in Tintern Abbey when the Aldermaston informs her that she will be leaving to help build a new Abbey at Muirwood. At first, she's excited, especially since her best friend Celyn will be going with her. However, the Aldermaston drops a bombshell on her, and she will be the servant to the Druid Mordaunt, a powerful druid that has been held prisoner in the old castle at Muirwood, her job is to befriend him so he will reveal where he's hidden a tome of magic. Eilean is terrified but determined to do her job and prove her loyalty to the Aldermaston. However, the longer she is in Muirwood the more she comes to believe that there is something very wrong within the Mastons and it's not Mordaunt. 

A few years ago I was obsessed with everything Wheeler wrote, I consumed the Kingsfountain series and the Muirwood series in just a couple of months. And then I tried to read some of the rest of his other series and I was never able to really get into the rest of his books. So when I heard about a prequel to Muirwood I figured this would be perfect. And while I did read it in just a few hours I still didn't feel that connection I did with the earlier books. I still enjoyed it but I didn't get that OMG I'm in for a treat, feeling I did with some of his other books. 

I enjoyed Eilean's character, she's intelligent and resourceful, and she really cares about the people around her, however, there was just something about her that felt off. There's a point where she is supposed to become really firm in her resolve to carry out the Medium's will but she never feels very firm at all, in anything. I hope that this will change in later books, as one of the things I've loved about Wheeler's characters is that he's made some impressive female characters who are strong leaders. Eilean fell a bit short from what I remember of the heroines in the other books in this series. Capt. Hoel is a very cookie-cutter type of character. He has a rare form of magic from the Medium, which of course means he hates it and wants to end the Druids. While I honestly did not expect him to have such strong magic, I honestly feel like I should have seen it coming given his attitude so it's a bit of a plot twist. In the end, though what is really going to keep me reading this prequel series is that Hoel and Eilean are going to crash into each other at some point and I am really interested in seeing how this plays out.

The progression of the story was well done I never felt like it was going too quickly nor did I feel like it was lagging at any point. One thing Wheeler is excellent at is fitting a huge world into very few pages. Mordaunt's character spans two completely different worlds and I honestly don't know how Wheeler keeps it all straight sometimes! But somehow he does it by bringing a little bit of the history of two worlds into one book. 

Overall, even though I didn't enjoy this as much as other books in the Muirwood series I'm still looking forward to seeing how this plays out so I'll definitely be reading the next one.

And thanks so NetGalley and 47North for the advanced copy, I am leaving this review voluntarily. 

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe - A next to perfect coming of age story!

 I had a bit of a witchy night last night, as after reading Kiki I determined I had to at least start Eva Evergreen and ended up staying up until about 5 am to finish it. Honestly, I'd say Eva is Kiki's slightly more mature older sister, even if she is younger than Kiki. 

Eve Evergreen is the daughter of Nela Evergreen, a Grandmaster witch, one of the two most powerful witches in the realm. Eva wants nothing more than to be like her mother, unfortunately for Eva, she not only came into her magic late in life, she has only just a pinch of it and that pinch seemingly always does the exact opposite of what Eva wants it to do. But Eva is not going to go give up so on the morning of the Council meeting to present twelve-year-old witches with their Quest Ticket Eva and her mother are both dismayed to find that her name isn't on the list; quite the opposite actually as Hayato, who is the head of the Council has decided to strip Eva of her magic entirely! Eva is terrified but stands up to Hayota reminding him that even if she only has just a pinch of magic she must be allowed to go on her novice quest! Ticket in hand Eva is off to find the town that needs her the most only she falls asleep on the boat and discovers that she may have missed her stop. Having little choice (she certainly can't go back to Hayato and tell him she fell asleep) she gets off the boat at Auteri, the last stop. This may not be where Eva was *supposed* to be but it's where she is now, and if Rin the kindly woman she met on the boat has any say on it, it will be where she stays. The Mayor of Auteri and Rin's mother however is adamant that Eva is too young to be of any help to her town, only a chance situation convinces her that Eva can stay. That and the stipulation that Eva *must* protect Auteri from the Culling, a magically formed storm that even her mother has never been able to stop. Eva agrees to this even though she has no idea how she can do what so many other witches and wizards cannot, especially since she only has a pinch of magic. But the longer she stays in Auteri the more determined Eva is to save her new friends.

This really was the perfect coming-of-age book. Eva struggles with the many issues that kids her age face from feelings of inadequecy to not knowing how to handle interpersonal relationships. She's also very stuck with this idea that there's only one way to solve a problem which interferes with her ability to see her own strengths. She compares herself to everyone around her and even as an adult I can relate to that. It's hard to see what your good at when you look around and it seems like everyone else is doing so much better than you are. Abe addresses this very well and instead of Eva seeming wishy-washy (as I was afraid was going to happen) Eva comes across as a child genuinely struggling to find herself and never giving up. While the coming of the Culling is her big test in this instead of it being Eva all of a sudden discovering that she *can* do this the entire book leads up to this moment, with small victories along the way. 

What really stood out for me the most with this book was Eva's support group. Her family and friends were such an integral portion of her story. They never push her too hard they are just constantly there for her reminding her that her magic may not work like everyone else's but that's what makes it so unique and perfect for the tasks placed in front of her. Charlotte though, I think I enjoyed the most because her character represented an issue a lot of children their age face and that's not really knowing how to interact with other children. I don't think this is something that is addressed often enough. We put her children in school for socialization as well as education but so many kids reach middle school and they don't know how to deal with other kids and so they take the route that Charlotte does and that's to be very standoffish. She wants to be friends with Eva desperately and Eva does as well but they simply don't know how to communicate that. In the book, this, of course, ends well but in reality, more often than not it doesn't and I don't think as adults and as parents, it's something we think about ever. There are so many other things to think about when raising a child and as adults, we have no choice in the matter we have to interact with people, we truly forget how difficult it can be. I appreciated the addition of this as something that both Eva and Charlotte have to overcome. As a parent, it was a great reminder of something my own children may struggle with. 

Overall, this is another one I would recommend to someone of any age. For adults, this book was a great reminder to believe in yourself and to rely on your support group when things get rough. As a parent, it reminded me to think like a child again, especially in terms of things they face when it comes to socializing and self-esteem. And for the middle-grade group, I think this is a wonderful story that they can really see themselves in. That they aren't so alone in the world. An easy five stars and I'm heading to the library first thing Monday morning to grab the next book in the series.