Book Review – The Familiar

28 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo is a new stand-alone novel set in late 16th century Spain that incorporates significant fantasy elements. I have enjoyed several of Bardugo’s other books, so read on below to see what I thought of this one (paid links).

You can find my review of her other books here:

I read this in hardcover.

Here is the blurb:

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family’s social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England’s heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

This book opened more slowly than some of the author’s other stories, but Luzia’s life was richly depicted and it was easy to get drawn in to the sense of place that was established in the opening. As she gets drawn into the schemes of those better off, she tries to grasp some small piece of agency for herself, making her choices more understandable as she knowingly puts herself at risk.

Like much of Leigh Bardugo’s other novels, there was an element of romance within this story. This threw me at first, because I had not read the description of one character accurately and had made some incorrect assumptions. However, I was able to reorient myself and this ultimately didn’t take anything away from the story for me.

I felt like I didn’t understand the magical aspects of this world quite as well as I would have liked. Perhaps that was because this was a stand-alone novel and I simply had fewer pages to become comfortable with the backstory and myths that were revealed as the plot unfolded.

Despite these nitpicks, I did enjoy this novel. I found it to be a refreshingly different type of story from the author, and while I would love to discover another novel that was as good as Six of Crows, it is also great to know that she can vary her work to keep it fresh.

Which of Leigh Bardugo’s books have you read? Which was your favorite? Let me know in the comments (above)!

Find more of my reviews here.

September 2024 Reading Wrap Up

02 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Is everyone awake now? September has ended and that means that we’re entering the final quarter of 2024 and it’s time to look back at my reading for the past month!

I had another slow month, but I had to travel for work. So while that helps me read (while on a plane), it takes up time with the event and the packing and preparations. In September I finished reading Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America’s Moon Landings by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton (review here) and The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (paid links). I should have a review of The Familiar up later this week.

I had taken the graphic novel The Boys Vol. 1 with me on my trip, but then misplaced it when I unpacked, so I didn’t make much progress on it. It has since been found, so I should finish that soon. I’m also almost done with Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune (the sequel to the amazing The House in the Cerulean Sea) and The Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by Diana Gabaldon (paid links).

I recently signed up for one of those monthly subscription boxes (Fairy Loot), with the theme of this one being fantasy novels. My first delivery arrived last week and it’s a pretty hardcover of The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart.

Jewels and snakes on the edges of the pages.

I haven’t read anything by this author, but her earlier series (The Drowning Empire: #1 = The Bone Shard Daughter, #2 = The Bone Shard Emperor, #3 = The Bone Shard War) has been on my radar as a series of interest. The Gods Below looks like the first book in a new series (paid links).

I’ve included some pretty pictures of the features of this special hardcover edition.

Pretty artwork on the inside covers.

What’s up next for my reading? I’ll be traveling again, but for a vacation. While I’m sure I’ll have plenty of activities to keep me busy, I also plan to do some poolside and beachside reading.

I plan to start reading The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente this week for a book club discussion next week. I should be able to start the fifth Outlander book – The Fiery Cross soon. Then as far as other picks, I don’t know how many of these I’ll get to, but some of the possibilities include The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence, and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (paid links).

Have you read any of these books? How do you decide what to read next? Let me know in the comments.

Book Review – Hell Bent

02 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I finished reading Hell Bent, the second book in the Alex Stern series by Leigh Bardugo, last year, as part of my read-through of all of the author’s current work (paid links). Like I did with most of her other books, I listened to this in audiobook format, narrated by Lauren Fortgang and Michael David Axtell.

You can find my review of her other books here:

I listened to this as an audiobook.

Here is the blurb:

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.

Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.

I jumped right into this book after finishing Ninth House, so the conclusion of that first volume was fresh in my mind. This sequel is structured differently since Darlington is still missing. The secondary characters play a bigger role as Alex tries to find her missing mentor. Dawes would rather continue her quiet research and work on her thesis, but her dedication to Lethe House makes it impossible for her to stay away. Detective Turner also cannot escape his role in helping Lethe House, and his past plays an important role in this book.

One part of the plot was somewhat repetitive, but it all kept me engaged and invested in the characters. Alex manages to ignore the rules of the societies as she tries to recover Darlington and investigate who is responsible. We continue to learn more of the truth of her past as well.

I loved how Alex has learned to trust her roommate and has gathered a larger circle of friend to help her in this second book.

I still don’t know how this series will end for all involved, but I’m excited for the third book. So far there is no title or release date for it.

Have you read Ninth House and Hell Bent? Where do you think the story is going? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Ninth House

24 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is the first book in a new series by the author of the Shadow and Bone series. Unlike those books, this one is set in our world, but with occult magic rather than grisha powers. This is book #1 (of a planned 3) in the Alex Stern series (paid links). I read this book last year in an audiobook format, narrated by Lauren Fortgang and Michael David Axtell. Read on below to see what I thought.

I have read and written reviews of several the author’s other books which you can find here:

I listened to the audiobook edition of this book.

Here is the blurb:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

This book was billed as a more adult novel, compared to the author’s previous YA books, and it does feature more mature scenarios, violence, language, and drug use than her earlier novels. It is also told through two different points of view: one being the protagonist, Alex Stern, and the other is her mentor, Darlington, teaching her the ways of Lethe House. His part of the story is set earlier in the time frame of the novel because he has gone missing in Alex’s later viewpoint chapters. This creates an engaging mystery where the reader doesn’t know what happened to him, but Alex does, slowly revealing it as the story proceeds.

The way that the author weaves her sinister version of Yale’s secret societies into our world is seamless. It turns out that she went to Yale and was a member of one of these societies (they’re real, just not the magic). The character of Alex is an outsider to her newfound college life as well as the societies, and her toughness and real-world experience helps her to survive.

There is a hint of romance between Alex and Darlington, but since he has gone missing, any further development in that arena will have to wait. Like the author’s other novels, I expect this to be a very slow burn.

The audiobook edition was great as well. Lauren Fortgang has narrated the author’s other books, but gives an individual voice to Alex in this new series. Look for the review of book 2, Hell Bent, next week (paid link).

Have you read any of Leigh Bardugo’s books? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Rule of Wolves

19 Jan 2024 1 Comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Rule of Wolves is the second book in the King of Scars duology by Leigh Bardugo, and is currently the last book in her Grishaverse series (paid links). While it leaves the potential for additional stories, it also wraps up all of the vital plot threads and character arcs. You can read my reviews of her other books in this world below:

I listened to the audiobook edition.

Here is the blurb:

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.

That blurb is a great summary of the set up and stakes in this final book. While Nikolai and Zoya’s story has been woven together for most of this series, this book brings Nina’s story into focus with theirs as Fjerda lays siege to Ravka.

The short version of my review is that I loved this book and could not listen to it fast enough! My initial hesitation to embrace Zoya as a likeable character has been obliterated as she becomes the hero of Ravka. Her relationship with Nikolai keeps slowly burning along as they both try to deny it. And Nina, oh Nina! After all the heartache she has suffered, it was wonderfully hard to read her final chapters.

The narrator of the audiobook, Lauren Fortgang, does an amazing job and brings each character to life with her voice. For its full impact, this isn’t a book you can read without starting with the earlier ones in the series. I think that it could work as the final book in the Grishaverse, but Rule of Wolves does leave some political rivalries unresolved and places an antagonist in a magical limbo where he may still be able to influence future story lines. Overall, this was one of my favorite books that I read in 2023.

Have you read any of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – King of Scars

17 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo is the first book in another duology set in the Grishaverse (paid links). I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Lauren Fortgang. You can read my reviews on other books set in this world here:

I listened to the audiobook edition.

Here is the blurb:

The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war–and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried–and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

I think that Nikolai’s character is a fan favorite, and he certainly is one of mine, so I was excited to find out more of his fate in this book. Even though the Darkling was defeated by Alina in the finale of the Shadow and Bone series, remnants of his evil magic still linger in the world. Ravka has been weakened by that recent struggle, leaving it vulnerable to those same enemies that the Darkling purportedly schemed to protect them from. And the grisha-enhancing/enslaving drug jurda parem is still out there, despite the efforts of the Crows to destroy it in the previous series.

This book is told through the viewpoints of three characters: Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina. The blurb above makes this out to be Nikolai’s story, but I think it is more of Zoya’s story, especially in the next book (but that will be my next review). At first I had mixed feelings about this, because Zoya was never a friendly person in the earlier books, but her character grew on me. By the end I understood why she had developed that personality and empathized with her.

Nina, one of the “six” from Six of Crows, is also a highlight in this novel (paid link). In that earlier series, Nina suffers some devastating changes and losses, so it makes sense to see her again in a new story, because her tale isn’t done. Her plot gives us a new look inside Fjerda where she tries to deal with her grief while staying true to her mission.

I was shocked by the ending of this book, but I can’t say anything else for fear of major spoilers. Have you read it? Let’s discuss that ending in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Crooked Kingdom

27 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I had meant to continue my review of this series sooner, but I have been struggling with an injury to my hand. I had to limit the amount of typing I did, and so unfortunately my blog suffered from this. However, I did finish reading several more books and I might get 50 books read for 2023 (I’ll let you know next week)!

For my final book review of 2023, I need to talk about Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. This was probably my favorite book by the author (even including others I haven’t had a chance to review here yet). This is the concluding book in the Six of Crows duology (paid links).

I listened to the audiobook version of Crooked Kingdom, narrated by a cast of Jay Snyder, Brandon Rubin, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Roger Clark, Elizabeth Evans, and Tristan Morris.

You can find my reviews for other books by Leigh Bardugo here:

Paid links help to support this blog.

Here is the blurb:

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

So of course things didn’t go as planned at the end of book 1, Six of Crows… leaving us with this crazy caper as the Crows try to rescue Inej, prevent the spread of jurda parem, and destroy all of the enemies they have made.

While the plot felt less focused in this second book, compared to the first one with the specific goal of a heist, the twists kept coming. Even when I thought everything had been resolved, the author surprised me again. The characters continued to develop and their story arcs and banter were the best part of this series.

I don’t want to give any spoilers about the ending. All I can say is that it is both heartbreaking and satisfying, and I’m glad that some of these characters (Nina, especially) appear in the next series. However, I would LOVE to see the others again if the author decides to write more of their stories.

The audiobook production continues in the same format as Six of Crows, with each character’s chapter being voiced by a different actor. While I generally prefer only one or two narrators, by this point in the series, I’ve adjusted to it and liked this format.

Have you read any of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books? Which are your favorites? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Six of Crows

05 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I have been reading a lot over the past few weeks, but I wanted to step back to review some books that I read earlier in the year. I had really enjoyed the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo and have since finished a read-through of her other novels. Most of them are set in her Grishaverse world, so I’m going to start with those. Next up in the reading order after the Shadow and Bone trilogy are the Six of Crows Duology books: Six of Crows and then Crooked Kingdom (paid links). I listened to the audiobook version of Six of Crows, narrated by a cast of Jay Snyder, Brandon Rubin, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Roger Clark, Elizabeth Evans, and Tristan Morris.

You can find my reviews for other books by Leigh Bardugo here:

I listened to the audiobook edition.

Here is the blurb:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

It’s hard to even know where to begin with this book, but it was by far one of my favorite reads in the past few years. At it’s heart, it’s a heist story with the six characters in the blurb taking on a seemingly impossible task. Yet where this book shines is the characters. Each one has their own reasons for being there and secrets abound. While they are all criminals of some sort, it was easy to root for them and to understand the circumstances that brought them to this life.

While this book is set in the Grishaverse, it takes place in parts of the world that did not feature in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. Grisha magic is also less of a factor here, although the group still has a renegade grisha. There is romance woven through the plot as well, and it is torturously good. Just don’t expect a payoff from any of the characters’ relationships in this first book.

I think that you could also read Six of Crows without having read the Shadow and Bone books. The events of the earlier trilogy are mentioned, but none of that is directly relevant to this story. The grisha powers might be a little confusing, but since those play a smaller role here, it shouldn’t limit the enjoyment of the book.

The audiobook used a different narrator for each character’s chapters. This worked well and I was able to adjust to the different voices easily. One difference in my reading when I listen to an audio performance of a book is that I don’t always have a good sense of how much of the book is left. However in this story, I realized that I had too many minutes of the book left when I thought it was almost done. While that isn’t specifically a spoiler, I knew that something more was going to happen, which I think actually added to the tension at the end, making it tragically perfect.

Find more of my reviews here.

Returning to Blogging and Reviews

03 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I’m not sure what happened this year.

Everything was going well and then I just stopped writing posts and book reviews here. I guess I got busy with other priorities, but I don’t remember a specific event that occurred. Whatever it was, it is time to get back to writing posts and book reviews!

While I often feel like I haven’t been reading enough, when I look at my numbers on Goodreads, I have been steadily working through my to-be-read list for the year, despite the lack of posts about any of it.

I had set an unreasonable goal to read 100 books this year when I usually fall somewhere between 40 to 50 books read per year. My current number stands at 32, so that puts me on track for my usual numbers. I would like to think that I’ll have time to read 2 books per week through the end of the year (giving me about 26 more), but that is likely wishful thinking. In any case, here is a peek at what I’ve already read this year:

Paid links help to support this blog.

Some standouts to me included The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik, Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows and Alex Stern series, Babel by R.F. Kuang, and Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Stand out reads so far from 2023

I’m currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing (physical book) by Delia Owens (not genre, I know) and The Fated Sky (audiobook) by Mary Robinette Kowal, the second book in the Lady Astronaut series.

Other books that I’m planning to read by the end of the year include The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, Horse by Geraldine Brooks, Scorpica by G.R. Macallister, On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu, and The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis.

Upcoming reads for the end of the year

I also wanted to comment briefly on some series that I have been reading. It took me a LONG time to get through book 4 of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. I’m planning to get back to that series, but I needed a break from it. I may start book 5, The Fires of Heaven, by the end of the year.

Another project that I have had was to read all of the original six Dune novels by Frank Herbert. I had finished the first three, but struggled to get into God Emperor of Dune. I’m going to try again, but also not until at least the end of the year.

The last ongoing series that I’ve been plodding through is the Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett, but I can’t figure out why I keep putting this one off. I have really liked these books so far. I have the final two in the series, as well as another related work. Maybe I’m afraid to find out how it ends?

Next up in some long series

In 2023 we also got to see the release of Brandon Sanderson’s four “secret project” novels that he wrote during the lockdown portion of the pandemic. He broke the record for the most-funded Kickstarter in 2022, topping $41.7 million for the campaign.

I have mixed feelings about Sanderson’s writing (I liked one book but hated another series). But I appreciate his work ethic and his efforts to help other writers, so I contributed toward the Kickstarter and found myself with four more novels on my to-be-read list. I do intend to read them, but haven’t had time yet.

Brandon Sanderson’s secret project novels

There are so many other books that I need to read and write about, but I’m going to stop now and get back to reading! How is your year of reading going? Let me know in the comments (above).

Graphic Novel Review – Demon in the Wood

12 Jan 2023 2 Comments

by Clare in Books, Comics Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I received Demon in the Wood for Christmas and decided it would be a nice short read before I jumped into the next Wheel of Time book. This story is set in Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse that is the setting for her Shadow and Bone series that I reviewed here: (book 1, book 2, book 3). The graphic novel is illustrated by Dani Pendergast.

Haven’t read any of the Grishaverse yet? Looks like you can pick up the first 5 chapters of Shadow and Bone for free on Kindle here.

Paid links help to support this blog.

Here is the blurb:

Before he led Ravka’s Second Army, before he created the Fold, and long before he became the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy burdened by an extraordinary power.

Eryk and his mother, Lena, have spent their lives on the run. But they will never find a safe haven. They are not only Grisha—they are the deadliest and rarest of their kind. Feared by those who wish to destroy them and hunted by those who would exploit their gifts, they must hide their true abilities wherever they go. But sometimes deadly secrets have a way of revealing themselves…

This is a prequel and origin story for the Darkling – the antagonist in the Shadow and Bone series – so I don’t think it would be a good place for someone new to this world to jump in. The grisha (magic-users) feature in this tale and very little explanation of their powers are given.

Going by the name of Eryk during this story, we find him traveling with his mother as they arrive at a grisha village. Their unique power and its secrets has forced them into a nomadic existence which has never allowed Eryk to have more than brief friendships. He tries to fit in with the other grisha teenagers while a village of non-grisha exists nearby.

I didn’t expect the turn that this tale took, and it showed how harsh the life of the grisha must be. Eryk garners sympathy, but I was also able to loosely see how the trauma he went through in this story led to later events in his life.

The art throughout this graphic novel created a beautiful depiction of Leigh Bardugo’s world. I liked how there was relatively more artwork than words, and the illustrations clearly displayed the story.

My only negative comment about this book was that it was too short, really no more than a short story. I would have liked to see what happened after the events in this book. While I can see how this affected the Darkling to some extent, surely there’s more that happened to lead him down his isolated path.

Are you a fan of the Grishaverse? Which book is your favorite? Did you watch the television adaptation? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

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