Review: The Year of the Witching

 

Title: The Year of the Witching      

Author:  Alexis Henderson

Synopsis: “A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

     “In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy.  Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

     “But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches.  Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanualle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

     “Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches.  But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness.  And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.”

Review:  I both loved and hated this book.  What I loved:  The Year of the Witching is extremely well written.  It’s like I was right there, with Immanuelle, whom I really started to care about.  What I hated: The Year of the Witching is extremely well written.  It’s like I was right there, with Immanuelle, whom I really started to care about.  Remember, this is a horror novel, set in a dystopian, puritanical, secluded society… I spent most of the time battling feelings of anger and terror.  At one point I had to put down the book for over a week to work out my emotions. 

     I love the idea of a secluded, low tech, mostly agricultural society.  The Village is one of my favorite movies, please don’t judge me. The idea of a simpler life is very appealing to me.  However, you add in a crazy, blood thirsty Prophet who is also a sexual predator, evil witches who live in the dark ominous woods, and a bloody curse, and it’s no longer the idyllic place I would imagine.  I loved it.  I hated it.  I wanted to throw it against the wall.  I had to put it in time out.  And that is how you know it’s a fabulous book.  I highly recommend The Year of the Witching for any fans of horror, and I just cannot wait for the next book in the Bethel series.

 

Publisher:  Ace

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

The Gossamer Mage - Review

Title: The Gossamer Mage

Author:  Julie E. Czerneda

Synopsis:  “Only in Tananen do people worship a single deity: The Deathless Goddess.  Only in this small, forbidden realm are there those haunted by words of no language known to woman or man.  The words are Her Gift, and they summon magic.

     “Mage scribes learn to write Her Words as intentions: spells to make beasts or plants, designed to any purpose.  If an intention is flawed, what the mage creates is a gossamer: a magical creature as wild and free as it is costly for the mage. 

     “For Her Gift comes at a steep price.  Each successful intention ages a mage until they dare no more.  But Her magic demands to be used; The Deathless Goddess will take Her fee, and mages will die.

     “To end this terrible toll, the greatest mage in Tananen vows to find and destroy Her.  He has yet to learn She is all that protects Tananen from what waits outside.  And all that keeps magic alive.”

Review:  You all know that Julie Czerneda is one of my favorite authors, so when she asked if I would be interested in an advance copy of Mage I freaked out.  But, the freak out was on the inside because we were in public.  It was when I went to Albany NY.  Flights of Fantasy bookstore had a multi author event this Spring.  Julie Czerneda, Anne Bishop, Kristen Britain, and Deborah Blake were all there.  Last fall I promoted Julie’s new book Search Image, you can check out the live videos on Facebook and read the review of Search Image here on the blog.  It was my last blog push before taking a little break for my mental health, and I’m glad that it was for my favorite science fiction series.  So, anyway, I met Julie in person at this event and she asked if I would like to review Mage.  It was a crowded event and I was nervous (crowds in small spaces make me anxious, even when they are friendly book loving crowds), but I managed to blurt out an affirmative.  Poor SuperSteve had to listen to me chatter about it all the way home (it was a 4 hour drive and we stopped for dinner at Cheesecake Factory).  It went something like this:

Me: “I introduced myself, but she knew who I was!”

SuperSteve: “That was awesome.”

Me: “She asked if I wanted to review Mage!”

SuperSteve: “That’s awesome!”

Me: “I shook her hand.  And I talked to her!  I mean, I talked a little.  I was really nervous, and it was crowded.  But she knew who I was!”

SuperSteve: “That’s awesome!”

    Yeah, I admire authors like others admire actors.  But would you expect anything less from someone who is obsessed with books and reading?  So I got Mage in the mail, and even the cover is so pretty that I took tons of pictures of it. 

     I stayed up hours past my bedtime to finish The Gossamer Mage because once I reached a certain point, and you’ll know it when you get there, I could not stop reading and just had to know what was going to happen.  I think that this is Julie’s best work so far, and that’s saying a lot because I absolutely love her Web Shifter’s series.  Mage hooked me in the first page and held me spellbound until the final word.  As is typical with Julie’s works, the world building is perfectly done, and the characters come across so real.  The interactions with Kait, her son and her uncle are beautiful.  All of the details have been fully thought out and are absolutely wonderful.  And there’s maps!  Because of Julie’s attention to detail I became fully immersed in the story, and frequently lost track of the real world around me.  Mage is darker than anything I’ve read by Julie before (and I’ve read everything she’s written).  There is always a price to pay for magic, and the price that mages pay to use Her Gift is unique (and dark), and Mal’s quest to destroy the Goddess to eliminate that price is fascinating.  Even though this is a dark fantasy it has many light moments that balance out the dark perfectly.    

     The Gossamer Mage is the most beautiful work of art that I’ve read in a long time and I might turn right around and read it again.  It releases on August 6, 2019.  Thank you Julie and DAW for sending me an advance copy!  

Publisher:  DAW

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Night’s Edge Series by Julie E. Czerneda

Ephemera Series by Anne Bishop

Valdemar: Eye Spy - Review

Title: Eye Spy

Author:  Mercedes Lackey

Series: Valdemar: Family Spies #2

Synopsis:     “In this second installment of the Family Spies series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, the children of Heralds Mags and Amily must follow in their parents’ footsteps to protect the realm.

     “Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids.  Their daughter, Abidela, dreams of building upon her parents’ legacy by joining the Artificers, hoping to offset her seeming lack of a Gift.

     “But when Abi senses the imminent collapse of a bridge only moments before it happens, she saves countless lives, including that of her best friend, Princess Katiana.  The experience, though harrowing, uncovers her unique Gift – an ability to sense the physical strains in objects.

     “Intrigued by the potential of her Gift, the Artificers seek to claim her as their own – but so do the Healers.  Through training with both of them, Abi discovers unique facets of her Gift, including a synesthetic connection to objects that allows her to “see” as well as feel the strains.

     “Her Gift may also grant her a distinct advantage as a spy – there won’t be a building in the entire kingdom of Valdemar with a secret room that she doesn’t know about.  With the help of her mentors, she must hone her gift to uncover the hidden secrets in the depths of Valdemar.”

Review:  This was a fabulous second book in the Family Spies series about the children of Mags and Amily.  The first book, The Hills Have Spies was about the oldest child in the family, Perry.  This second book is about the middle child Abi.  Abi thinks that she is ungifted until the incident on the bridge that reveals her Gift, which allows her to sense the physical strain in inanimate objects.  She begins training with the Artificers and the Healers.  Just as she is completing her training she has to leave on a special journey to help Valdemar’s neighbors. 

     You all know by now that Valdemar is my favorite series.  If you don’t know all about it check out that post here.  This most recent installment in the series does not disappoint.  I enjoyed finding out more about Abi and was delighted by the inclusion of an asexual character in the Valdemar universe.  Representation matters!  Whether you’re a fan of Valdemar or not you will want to add Eye Spy to your collection.

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Daw

If you like this book you may want to read:

If you haven’t read any Valdemar novels and want to start I recommend you start with one of these:

Vows and Honor Series (The Oathbound, Oathbreaker, Oathblood)

Or

The Arrows Trilogy (Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, Arrow’s Fall)

If you’ve read the Valdemar novels and are looking for something similar:

The Quarters Quartet by Tanya Huff

The Green Rider Series by Kristen Britain 

The Chronicles of the Necromancer by Gail Z. Martin

Valdemar: The Hills Have Spies - Review

Title: The Hills Have Spies

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Series: Valdemar: Family Spies #1

Synopsis:  “Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids.  The oldest, Peregrine, has the Gift of Animal Mindspeech – he can talk to animals and persuade them to act as he wishes.  Perry’s dream is to follow in his father’s footsteps as Herald Spy, but he has yet to be Chosen by a Companion.

     “Mags is more than happy to teach Perry all he knows.  He regularly trains his children, including Perry, with tests and exercises, preparing them for the complicated and dangerous lives they will likely lead.  Perry has already held positions in the Royal Palace as a runner and in the kitchen, useful places where he can learn to listen and collect information.

    “But there is growing rural unrest in a community on the border of Valdemar.  A report filled with tales of strange disappearances and missing peddlers is sent to Haven by a Herald from the Pelagirs.  To let Perry experience life away from home and out in the world, Mags proposes that his son accompany him on an expedition to discover what is really going on.

    During their travels, Perry’s Animal Mindspeech allows him to communicate with the local wildlife of the Pelagirs, whose connection to the land aids in their investigation.  But the details he gleans from the creatures only deepen the mystery.  As Perry, Mags, and their animal companions draw closer to the heart of the danger, they must discover the truth behind the disappearances at the border – before those disappearances turn deadly.”

Review:  Valdemar is my favorite series of books of all time.  I talked about that in an earlier post (see that post here) so I won’t go into much detail about that in this review, but suffice to say that it helped me get through some hard times and was my first introduction to fantasy written for adults.

     The Hills Have Spies is the first book in a new Valdemar series (Valdemar: Family Spies) which is pretty much a continuation of the series before it (Valdemar: The Herald Spy), which is about Mags, Amily and their friends.  This new series is about Mags, Amily and their children.  I love Mags so I was really excited for another series about him!  This book focused a lot on Perry, Mags and Amily’s oldest child.  He has the gift of animal mindspeech, which I think sounds amazing!  There is a Kyree character that I absolutely love and made me nostalgic for The Vows and Honor series, I may have to go back and read that series after I finish book 2 in this series Eye Spy which comes out on Tuesday 7/9/19. 

     The Pelagirs have always fascinated me and I don’t feel like we have had enough stories about it during our travels through Valdemar, so I was excited to get to explore a little bit more.  We got to meet quite a few new characters in The Hills Have Spies, and I found the interactions between Mags and Perry heartwarming and real feeling.  The story is entertaining and the big bad is believably big, bad and scary.  Returning to Valdemar is always a treat for me.  I can’t wait for the next installment!

Publisher: DAW

If you like this book you may want to read:

If you haven’t read any Valdemar novels and want to start I recommend you start with one of these:

Vows and Honor Series (The Oathbound, Oathbreaker, Oathblood)

Or

The Arrows Trilogy (Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, Arrow’s Fall)

 

If you’ve read the Valdemar novels and are looking for something similar:

The Quarters Quartet by Tanya Huff

The Green Rider Series by Kristen Britain 

The Chronicles of the Necromancer by Gail Z. Martin

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet - Review

Title:  Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet  

Author:  Charlie N. Holmberg

Synopsis:  “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from.

“When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.

“During her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who is reluctant to reveal his connection to her. The more often they meet, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is—as well as past mistakes that yield cosmic consequences.”

Review:  When I started reading Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet I wasn’t sure what to expect.  All I knew of the novel was that the main character could infuse what she bakes with feelings.  I sort of thought it was going to be magical realism similar to Sarah Addison Allen, and I thought a novel about a woman who owns a bakery and makes magical baked goods would be awesome (if anyone knows of a book like that please let me know).  This is not that novel.

     Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet is a fantasy novel.  It’s set in a fantasy world where magic and gods are real.  It starts out with Maire in her bakery, but swiftly turns darker.  Most of the town is slaughtered by bandits and Maire is sold into slavery.  There are some brutal violent bits, I started to get afraid there was going to be rape (I don’t handle those scenes well and I would have quit right there) but there is not. 

     Even though it is not the story I thought I was going to be reading, Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet has the excellent writing that I have come to expect from Holmberg, strong well developed characters and careful world building.  I definitely recommend fans of fantasy read this novel.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review via NetGalley.**

Publisher:  47 North

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Paper Magician (Paper Magician Series #1) by Charlie N. Holmberg

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Besieged- Review

Title:  Besieged

Author: Rowena Cory Daniells

Series: The Outcast Chronicles #1

Synopsis:  “Sorne, the estranged son of a King on the verge of madness, is being raised as a weapon to wield against the mystical Wyrds.  Half a continent away, his father is planning to lay siege to the Celestial City, the home of the T’En, whose wyrd blood the mundane population have come to despise.  Within the City, Imoshen, the only mystic to be raised by men, is desperately trying to hold her people together.  A generation long feud between the men of the Brotherhoods and the women of the sacred Sisterhoods is about to come to a head.”

Review:  I’m going to be upfront about something right away; please don’t judge me.  I bought this book because I fell in love with the cover.  Look at it.  It’s beautiful.  Can you blame me?  It was when I started reading Besieged that I realized this novel is beautiful inside and out.  I became emotionally invested in the lives of the characters.  If I hadn't been able to finish reading this in one day I would have worried about the characters while not reading.  The fantastic world building and political intrigue in this epic fantasy novel will keep you reading for hours that feel like seconds.  I read Besieged in one day and immediately ordered the second and third in the series.  I highly recommend reading Besieged.

Publisher:  Solaris Books

If you like this book you may want to read:

Exile (The Outcast Chronicles #2) by Rowena Cory Daniells

The Sentinel Mage (The Cursed Kingdoms Trilogy #1) by Emily Gee (Read BookGirlR’s review here)

The Warded Man (The Demon Cycle #1) by Peter V. Brett (Read BookGirlR’s review here)

Sorcerer to the Crown - Review

Title:  Sorcerer to the Crown

Author:  Zen Cho

Series:  Sorcerer Royal #1

Synopsis:  “At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, freed slave, eminently proficient magician, and Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers – one of the most respected organizations throughout all of Britain – ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up.

     “But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain – and the world at large.”

Review:  I loved this novel!  It did not go the way I expected based on the cover blurb.  I felt that the novel was much more about Prunella and less about Zacharias than the blurb lead me to believe.  I was fascinated by the story of Zacharias and Prunella.  Together they deal with the heavy issues of racism & sexism.  At first I was annoyed by Prunella’s insistence on just wanting to marry a rich husband, but came to like her more as she came into her own.  Sorcerer to the Crown features a beautifully crafted world with intricate, well thought-out politics, and fully fleshed out characters.  I can’t wait to read the next novel in the series!

**I received a free copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review, via NetGalley**

Publisher:  Ace

If you like this book you may want to read:

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (read BookGirlR’s review here)

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone 

Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep - Review

Title:  Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep

Edited by: Paula Guran

Synopsis:  "The sea is full of mysteries and rivers shelter the unknown.  Dating back to ancient Assyria, folkloric tales of mermaids, sirens, rulsalki, nymphs, selkies, and other seafolk are found in many cultures, including those of Europe, Africa, the Near East and Asia.  Dangerous or benevolent, seductive or sinister -- modern masters of fantasy continue to create new legends of these creatures that enchant and entertain us more than ever.  Gathered here are some of the finest of these stories.  Immerse yourself in this wonderful -- and sometimes wicked -- watery world!"

Review:  I'm not really a fan of short stories.  I generally enjoy a longer, more in depth story.  Which is why I usually stick to novels.  However this collection is about mermaids, and that fascinates me; and it has stories by a lot of well known (and many of my favorite) authors.  Here's a list of the stories contained in Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep:

Elizabeth Bear - "Swell"

Samuel R. Delany - "Driftglass"

Neil Gaiman - "The Sea Changes"

Delia Sherman - "Miss Carstairs and the Merman"

Margo Lanagan - "Sea-Hearts"

Christopher Barzak - "The Drowned Mermaid"

Genevieve Valentine - "Abyssus Abyssum Invocat"

Seanan McGuire - "Each to Each"

Sarah Monette - "Somewhere Beneath Those Waves Was Her Home"

Peter S. Beagle - "Salt Wine"

Caitlin R. Kiernan - "The Mermaid of the Concrete Ocean"

Amanda Downum - "Flotsam"

Cat Rambo - "The Mermaids Singing Each to Each"

Chris Howard - "The Mermaid Game"

Gene Wolfe - "The Nebraskan and the Nereid"

Angela Slatter - "A Good Husband"

A. C. Wise - "Letters to a Body on the Cusp of Drowning"

Jane Yolen - "The Corridors of the Sea"

Lisa L. Hannett - "Forever, Miss Tapekwa County"

Catherynne M. Valente - "Urchins, While Swimming"

Tanith Lee - "Margritte's Secret Agent"

     My favorites were: "Swell", "Miss Carstairs and the Merman"; "Each to Each"; "Salt Wine"; and "Forever, Miss Tapekwa County".  However, there weren't any of the stories that I disliked.  The writing is all very well done, and all of the stories are unique.  I recommend Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep for  fans of mermaids, fantasy, science fiction and other speculative fiction; even if you normally shy away from short stories, like me. 

Publisher:  Prime Books

If you like this book you may want to read:

Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant

Human For a Day edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Jennifer Brozek

Steampunk edited by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer

Uprooted - Review

Title:  Uprooted

Author:   Naomi Novik

Synopsis: “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

Review:  I loved Uprooted.  It’s going on my top 10 list, although I don’t know who to boot from the list.  Maybe it will be my top 11 list now?  Although not really a Beauty and the Beast story Uprooted reminded me of Robin McKinley’s Rose Daughter.  I think it’s the writing style.  Uprooted is full of rich, meaningful details and strong characters that you come to care about.  The story evolves in unexpected ways.

     At first I thought that Uprooted was going to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it starts out as if it is.  But very quickly it becomes much more as Agneiszka discovers her power, and shoulders the responsibility for the survival of the Kingdom.  If you enjoy fantasy I am confident that you will enjoy Uprooted.  Do yourself a favor and start it today.

Publisher: Del Rey

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley