Book Review – Magical Midlife Madness

28 Feb 2022 1 Comment

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

This book was gifted to me and I’ve had it sitting on my desk for a while now, taunting me with it’s pretty cover. Magical Midlife Madness is the first book in a paranormal romance series (Leveling Up) by K. F. Breene. It appears to be self-published, which isn’t necessarily a strike against it as I used to do book reviews for “indie” press books and am open to the idea of reading books that aren’t a product of a major publisher.

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Here is the blurb:

A woman starting over. A new house with an unexpected twist. A cape wearing butler acting as the world’s worst life coach.

“Happily Ever After” wasn’t supposed to come with a do-over option. But when my husband of twenty years packs up and heads for greener pastures and my son leaves for college, that’s exactly what my life becomes.

Do-over.

This time, though, I plan to do things differently. Age is just a number, after all, and at forty I’m ready to carve my own path.

Eager for a fresh start, I make a somewhat unorthodox decision and move to a tiny town in the Sierra foothills. I’ll be taking care of a centuries old house that called to me when I was a kid. It’s just temporary, I tell myself. It’ll just be for a while.

That is, until I learn what the house really is, something I never could’ve imagined.

Thankfully forty isn’t too old to start an adventure, because that’s exactly what I do. A very dangerous adventure that will change my life forever. I have a chance to start again, and this time, I make the rules.

This book had a fun premise and while parts at the beginning were a bit awkwardly written, it got better in the middle. Jessie is an entertaining character that takes a risk on a new chapter in her life and discovers strange magic in a small town and within herself.

There is a romance aspect to the story and a larger threat that is not fully explored in this book, so don’t expect any resolution to either of those parts of Jessie’s tale. I don’t know if I’ll keep reading this series or not. It was easy and fast to read, but didn’t grab me as much as some other books.

Have you read any books by K. F. Breene? Let me know in the comments above.

Find more of my book reviews here.

Book Review – Midnight Sun

14 Feb 2022 Leave a comment

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

I was looking for something easy to read to break up the longer, more complicated novels I had been recently reading and grabbed this only to discover it was over 600 pages long. Oh well! Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer is an odd story. It is basically a rewrite of Twilight but told from Edward’s perspective rather than Bella’s.

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Here is the blurb:

When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella’s side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward’s version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.

This unforgettable tale as told through Edward’s eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward’s past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?

In Midnight Sun, Stephenie Meyer transports us back to a world that has captivated millions of readers and brings us an epic novel about the profound pleasures and devastating consequences of immortal love.

I don’t know that this book lives up to the hype of it’s blurb, but it did keep me reading. I also don’t think this book would make much sense if you haven’t already read Twilight, since much of that story isn’t communicated from Edward’s perspective. Jacob is barely mentioned and while there are some scenes and dialogue between Edward and Bella that I don’t believe were in the original book, there simply isn’t a lot of conflict outside of Edward’s own head.

If you are already a fan of the series, then this book will probably add a little more dimension to the story you already know. But if not, then you can skip this one. I enjoyed it for what it was and I appreciated that it poked a little fun at itself as well.

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Shadow of Night

30 Nov 2018 2 Comments

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

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness is Book 2 in the All Souls Trilogy and is one of the books that I recently picked up at New York Comic-Con about 2 months ago. I had read the first book, A Discovery of Witches, back in the beginning of 2015, but with the recent release of the television show based on this series, I wanted to get back to the books.

First of all, I read the opening pages and realized that I had no memory of how the first book ended. I found some plot summaries online and was quickly up to speed. With the way that this book begins, it’s going to be impossible to avoid spoilers, so if you haven’t finished the first book, read on at your own risk.

Shadow of Night

Shadow of Night is set in Elizabethan England (and other parts of Europe). At the end of A Discovery of Witches, Diana Bishop and her new husband and vampire Matthew Clairmont must flee the modern world. Diana needs time to find a teacher who can help unlock her powers of witchcraft, and their relationship is forbidden by powerful creatures who are trying to hunt them down.

One thing that Diana does know is that she is a Timespinner–a witch who can travel through time. She takes herself and Matthew into the past in an attempt to avoid their enemies, find herself a teacher, and to search for the mysterious alchemical book that started it all: Ashmole 782.

Once they arrive, Diana and Matthew meet with his friends from that time. This turns out to be a blend of historical figures and a few imagined characters. While they attempt to blend in at first, it is quickly apparent that they must divulge their secrets to this group. While it is safe for Matthew’s friends to know that version of the vampire is from the future, he must go on playing his established roles in Elizabethan society.

Diana’s relationship with Matthew meets several challenges as she learns about the secrets he has been hiding. In fact, much of this book’s secondary plot revolves around the growing relationship between the witch and the vampire. She must also deal with trying to figure out Elizabethan dress, manners, and etiquette. Danger also follows Diana, with historical witch trials taking place in nearby Scotland and a constant suspicion of anyone new or unusual.

The story takes them to other parts of Europe, and the details from this time period felt very accurate to me. That only makes sense, because the author is a historian who studies and teaches European history and the history of science at the University of Southern California. This book was a lot of fun to read, and has several sections that deal with different aspects of the story. The overarching plot to find a teacher for Diana and search for Ashmole 782 is often in the background, but I don’t think that the book suffered for this, as the other events were entertaining on their own.

I’m hoping to get to book 3 in another couple of weeks and then watch the television show. Have you seen any of that yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Find my other book reviews here


Book Review – Sorcerer to the Crown

16 Mar 2018 1 Comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , ,

I received Sorcerer to the Crown through NetGalley, and while I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t really what I had expected. This story by newcomer Zen Cho is set in Regency London and is a light and fun adventure filled with magic, humor, social commentary, and a little romance. Sorcerer to the Crown is a stand-alone novel that could be followed by more books in this alternate world.

sorcerer_front mech.indd

Zacharias Wythe was seized from his home as a child, sold into slavery, and raised in England by Sir Stephen, England’s Sorcerer Royal. He is freed and raised much like a son to the sorcerer and trained in magic as well. Zacharias inadvertently inherits his mentor’s position as Sorcerer Royal after Sir Stephen dies under mysterious circumstances. This shrouds Zacharias in suspicion, and with his race already making him an outsider amongst the London social elite, the other sorcerers in England plot against him.

The true protagonist of the novel is Prunella, a young lady who teaches at a school for magically gifted girls. However, it is unseemly for women to use magic, so the true purpose of the school is to teach the ladies how to avoid using their powers. Prunella is particularly gifted, but runs into trouble when Zacharias Wythe visits the school. She leaves with the new Sorcerer Royal and hopes to learn more about her powers and her past.

The plot weaves back and forth between these two, with Prunella struggling to master her magic while keeping some dangerous secrets. Zacharias works to discover why England is running out of magic, a problem likely linked to the Faerie realm.

I found the story to be light and engaging and the plot drew me in. Prunella is a fantastic character, and overshadows Zacharias with her audacity and bravery. I don’t read a lot of books set in this time period, but to someone who isn’t overly familiar with Regency novels, the historical aspects worked and nothing seemed out of place.

The mysteries behind Sir Stephen’s death and Prunella’s past are all cleared up in a satisfying way. While the stakes are high, the outcome is logical and happy, as befits the overall tone of the book.

I’ll be looking out for more books from Zen Cho in the future.

Looking for a Few Reviewers

19 Mar 2015 1 Comment

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

Is anyone out there interested in becoming a book reviewer? I’m looking for a handful of new reviewers over at Book Spot Central for genre novels. The site covers mainly fantasy and science fiction, but books with some mystery or romance elements are fine. You can also review graphic novels.

Benefits include the ability to get a Net Galley account where you can find e-book advance review copies of the latest books. If you may be interested, fill out the form below explaining why you want to write book reviews and a link to anything similar that you’ve written (or paste it into the other box if it isn’t available online).

Book Review – Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

12 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , ,

Grimspace
By Ann Aguirre
Ace (2008)

I can’t remember who recommended this book to me, but I have had it on my to-read shelf for about a year. It looked to be a quick read and I decided to plunge into it while waiting for another book to arrive in the mail.

Grimspace Cover

Grimspace is the debut novel by author Ann Aguirre and the first book in the Sirantha Jax series. The story is set in a world in which interstellar travel is possible by using paired pilot-jumper teams. Jumpers are rare – born with the J-gene that allows them to enter grimspace and follow the beacons left by an alien race. They are also monopolized by the Corp, the organization that identifies, trains, and employs them until many suffer a fatal burn out.

Sirantha Jax is an extraordinary jumper who is psychologically broken, and that is what makes her such a fascinating protagonist in this novel. Imprisoned for “treatment” after a catastrophic accident on her last trip, she is grieving her former pilot/lover who was lost in the crash. Jax has been interrogated by the Corp and although she has no memory of the events leading up to the crash, she feels incredibly guilty over the loss of life.

When she is rescued from her cell by an abrasive stranger, Jax is thrust back into her role as a jumper. Caught up in the schemes of her rescuers and their mysterious leader, Marsh, Jax finds herself running from the Corp and her past. This book was also a romance, and it was intriguing to follow the relationship between Jax and Marsh because he had his own dark past to rival that of Jax. This forces him to keep his emotions bottled up and his motivations are initially unclear.

As a first novel, this was a solid read. There were a few hiccups initially, where I felt like I had missed some explanation about the technology or the characters. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was engrossed in the story. The plot was unpredictable but logically followed the characters’ motivations, and by the time I finished reading, I decided that I adored this book. There is enough of a resolution in this first novel for it to serve as a stand-alone read, with just enough unanswered questions to leave me wanting more. I plan to pick up the next volume in the Sirantha Jax series soon.

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