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I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Ace Books (July 21, 2024)

Length: 368 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

I confess, when I went into The Year of the Witching, my expectations were pretty high. This debut by Alexis Henderson had already drawn comparisons to The Handmaid’s Tale and other highly acclaimed TV shows and movies like Salem and The VViwtch, and I mean, those are some mighty big standards to live up to. Perhaps that’s why I finished the book with some mixed feelings, though in the end I felt this was a solid effort for the author’s first novel.

The story follows sixteen-year-old Immanuelle who hails from a shepherding family in the small isolated village of Bethel. Here, the people live in a closely-knit but insular community, following the word of the Father. Their leader is the Prophet, who is the head of both the church and government, enforcing a body of strict rules and laws based on the Holy Protocol.

Still, the problem for Immanuelle is that her very existence is anathema to everything her society stands for. The product of her mother’s scandalous union with an outsider, our protagonist had been branded an interloper the moment she was born. Raised by her grandparents, Immanuelle was brought up to worship the Father, follow the Holy Laws, and swear obedience to the Prophet, though it’s not as if she had much of a choice, as anyone who strays from this path are punished severely.

But then one day, on the way home from the market, Immanuelle accidentally wanders into the forbidden woods surrounding the village, which are said to be filled with dark magic and evil spirits. After a terrifying encounter with witches, a curse is unleashed upon Bethel, putting everyone in it in grave danger. Fortunately, a most unlikely ally comes in the form Ezra, the Prophet’s son, and together he and Immanuelle try to save their home and those they love.

No doubt about it, the greatest strength of The Year of the Witching is its spooky and oppressive atmosphere. I loved Henderson’s handling of the setting, with the highlights being life in the village of Bethel as well as the horror of the surrounding woods. The story is also written in a style that feels vaguely old-timey but is nonetheless very readable. In fact, its label of adult fantasy notwithstanding, the novel feels distinctly YA at times, mostly likely due to the age of the main characters and the way certain plot elements are handled, such as the romance.

Regarding the themes though, they’re admittedly a bit pedestrian and familiar, speaking as someone who reads a fair bit of feminist fantasy. Bethel’s society is puritanical and patriarchal, the women having little to no say in the running of things. Predictably, the male leaders who are supposedly the most pious of them all are in fact the most hypocritical and corrupt. The plot also followed a similar trajectory as many of these kinds of stories, so there were no big surprises there.

In addition, I thought characterization was slightly lackluster. Henderson’s rich prose is something of a double-edged sword in that regard, with much of the emphasis on the artistry of the writing which sacrificed creativity of the plot and authenticity of the characters. Immanuelle didn’t have much of a personality beyond what her role called for, and Ezra fared even worse, coming off as bland and ultimately forgettable. As I alluded to before, their love story felt scripted and not very convincing, reminding me of the way some YA romances are included not because they are really needed, but because they are what genre conventions call for.

All in all, it is clear that Alexis Henderson has a lot of talent and skill, though balancing that with original storytelling and interesting characters will likely come with more experience. At the end of the day, while The Year of the Witching was not entirely what I expected, I still thought it was a well-crafted debut and hopefully the author will have future projects because I’m looking forward to see how her work will continue to grow.

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熊猫云村官方网址-outline

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

veee加速器电脑veee加速器电脑 by Alice Feeney

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (July 28, 2024)

ios 加速器vp10 hrs and 39 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrators: Richard Armitage, Stephanie Racine

旋风vp加速器is the second book I’ve read by Alice Feeney, and it’s definitely a thriller that’s more to my tastes! I love a good mystery that presents multiple sides, keeping you on your toes to pick up on those subtle clues, not to mention the story also closes out on one hell of a fantastic twist. However, reader discretion is advised if you’re sensitive to certain topics, as this one also contains a lot of graphic depiction of unsettling themes throughout.

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However, I also have to warn you, there is some seriously twisted, horribly sick shit in this book. Do not read if you are bothered by disturbing subjects such as animal cruelty, extreme bullying, traumatic loss of a child, sexual assault, and other such violent and unpleasant topics. This is a very dark thriller, especially in the sections that delve into Anna’s past. I’m talking the kind of stuff that makes you shake your head in disgust and wonder at the lack of humanity in some people.

As well, as with many thrillers, sometimes His & Hers can get a bit extreme and carried away with the shocks and surprises—unless, of course, that’s exactly what you signed up for. Feeney certainly isn’t the least bit shy or apologetic about throwing every kind of twist she can think of at us, which made this one a whiplash inducing read. But again, to an extent you must be willing to suspend your disbelief when it comes to the genre, so I’m not sure calling this one “over-the-top” is truly a criticism.

Ultimately, I found His & Hers very enjoyable and exactly what I wanted into a thriller, the kind that keeps you guessing until the very last moment. I also thought the book’s concept was pretty damn clever, and as difficult as it is to read at times because of its unsettling themes, I know I won’t be forgetting the story any time soon with the way it dug its claws into my heart.

Audiobook Comments: As a special bonus, I listened to the audiobook narrated by the one and only Richard Armitage alongside the equally talented Stephanie Racine, both of whom were perfect for their roles. I was especially thrilled with Armitage’s performance because I am a big fan of his work both on screen and in the audio recording booth, and his voice is especially well-suited for thrillers. I also enjoyed the voice changing/distortion effect used for the killer’s chapters, which helped to preserve the mystery. A great listen overall.

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熊猫云村官方网址-outline

Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.

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I’m back from my vacation! Of course, I didn’t get as much reading done while I was away which was sort of expected, but hopefully I’ll be able to get the reviews flowing again as I work on getting back into the rhythm of things. And since I was away and missed last week’s round-up, today’s post will cover two weeks. I also came home to some book packages waiting for me, so here are the ones I’ve cataloged so far.

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My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!

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First up, with thanks to Tor and the kind folks at Kaye Publicity, I received a finished copy of The Living Dead by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus. It’s so big and beautiful, I just can’t wait to take a great big zombie bite into this one! Also from Tor I received an ARC of Architects of Memory by Karen Osborne. I’ve been hearing lots of praise for it already, and the story sounds like a sci-fi adventure that’s right up my alley.

Also huge thanks to Orbit Books for an ARC of The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie, and mere words cannot describe how excited I am for this sequel to A Little Hatred (which I loved!) With thanks also Grand Central Publishing for sending me an ARC of The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, the writing team that also brought us The Strain trilogy. While I did not fall head over heels in love with veee加速器电脑, I thought it was thoroughly entertaining and I’m crossing my fingers we’ll get the same kind of horror-thriller vibes here!

I would also like to thank Kensington for sending me an ARC of The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea, a thriller mystery that’s new to me, but it sounds absolutely amazing! I mean, the main character is a “forensic reconstructionist” and you know I’m all about that stuff. Of course, I only found out after looking up the book that it’s actually the second book in a series, but apparently it works perfectly fine as a standalone. Here’s hoping, because I’m really looking forward to checking it out. Some really nifty swag included in the publicity package too! Wonder what the candle signifies…

I guess one benefit of being on the road and not having the internet readily available is that I wasn’t tempted to check NetGalley or Edelweiss every ten seconds for new eARCs! Only three new audiobooks in the digital haul today, with thanks to Hachette Audio for Chaos Vector by Megan O’Keefe (which is sequel to Velocity Weapon) and Penguin Random House Audio for We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin and The Mother Code by Carole Stivers.

Reviews

Left for Dead by Caroline Mitchell (3 of 5 stars)
Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power (3 of 5 stars)
Obliteration by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth (2.5 of 5 stars)
Night Train by David Quantick (2 of 5 stars)

Guest Posts

“Where The Trail Cuts: The Golgotha Series, The New Trilogy, and the Ghost Dance Judgment” by R.S. Belcher

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“My Favorite Creepy Children” by Tim Major

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Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!旋风vp加速器

Friday Face-Off: White

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by 旋风vp加速器! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.

This week’s theme is:

~ a cover that is predominantly WHITE

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The Court of Broken Knives is unlikely to shatter any molds in the grimdark genre, but I do have to give it credit for its gritty elegance. Also, the writing is exquisite, and so incredibly polished and well done. I think the same can be said about the book’s covers, which are more on the plain and simple side at first glance, but a closer look reveals more.

From left to right:
Orbit (2017)  – HarperCollins (2017) – German Edition (2024)

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Winner:

I had a hard time choosing a favorite this week, because I’m not generally a fan of covers with a lot of white space. Also, they all seemed pretty generic – at least at first. However, the HarperCollins edition redeemed itself somewhat, after I examined it a bit more closely and noticed some details I had missed, so that’s the one I’m going with.

But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Audiobook Review: Left For Dead by Caroline Mitchell

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Left For Dead by Caroline Mitchell

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Mystery

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veee加速器电脑Brilliance Audio (July 8, 2024)

veee加速器电脑10 hrs and 4 mins

veee加速器电脑Website | Twitter

Narrator: Elizabeth Knowelden

Left for Dead by Caroline Mitchell is the third book of a police procedural style mystery series featuring protagonist DI Amy Winter. While it is not my usual habit to jump into a book mid-series, I thought I would make an exception for this one because the publisher description simply sounded too good to resist. As it turned out though, I might have made the wrong call with that one (but more on that in a bit).

As the story opens, a heinous murder has just taken place, and the next day, Amy and her sister are out shopping when they discover the victim in the most shocking and macabre manner. Through a store window of a gorgeous Valentine’s Day display, Amy notices that the mannequin in a luxurious diamond-encrusted wedding dress is leaking blood out of its mouth. Turns out, the mannequin is actually a corpse of a young woman, who had been alive when she was trussed up in her layers of skirts and lace, then left to die where she sat on her elaborate display.

Pretty soon, more women are reported missing as the killer becomes emboldened by the thrill of the spectacle, choosing his targets using an escort service to satisfy his urges. But he’s also clever and knows how to cover his tracks. Not to mention, he has a special interest in DI Amy Winter, who is heading up investigation. In her, he sees the possibility of a kindred spirit, since it is known that Amy comes from a family of serial killers. In fact, the whole country has been watching the much publicized trial against her mother, Lillian Grimes, who is facing a life sentence for her murderous crimes. It is also the perfect opportunity to throw off the police, knowing that their lead detective will most likely be distracted by the media circus surrounding the court coverage.

To its credit, Left for Dead did work pretty well as a standalone. However, if I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn’t have started with this one. Although the story managed to do a good job catching new readers up with the backstory of DI Amy Winter, so much of the plot was tied up in her mother and her court trial that, not being familiar with all the details that were covered in the previous books, it was hard for me to feel emotionally invested in what was a big chunk of the novel. That’s definitely on me and not the book, though, so readers who have followed this series from the beginning will likely not have the same problems.

That said, there were other issues that affected my enjoyment. While I’m aware Left for Dead is less of a suspense-thriller and more of a crime mystery involving the police and the culprit playing cat and mouse, it was still a little disappointing to find out who the killer was right off the bat. It’s one thing to give readers an intimate look at the inside of a psychopath’s mind, and I can certainly appreciate it if that was the author’s intent, but the overall character development was pretty light. Sam, a high-power advertising exec was something of a paint-by-numbers villain, and it didn’t feel like much time was put into building his persona.

Without that many twists and surprises, the book mainly relied on the Lillian Grimes plot thread to generate interest, and like I said, those of us who didn’t start reading the series from the beginning will be at a disadvantage. Not that I minded following the courtroom parts too much, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find them to be a distraction from the murder case plot arc. And with the attention divided, the result was that the investigation storyline felt a tad rushed and overly simplistic.

Ultimately, Left for Dead isn’t a bad read at all, but having read a lot more of this genre in recent years, admittedly the book falls on the more generic and easily forgettable side of things with a fairly predictable plotline and run-of-the-mill characters. Also, while you can still jump in mid-series and enjoy this as a standalone because it features a self-contained case, there’s simply too much of the story that refers to the character’s backstory in the previous books that prevented me from becoming fully invested. It’d be great if future books give Amy the closure she seeks and Lillian the punishment she deserves, but I doubt I’ll continue with the series, at least without going back to the previous books to fill in the gaps first.

Audiobook Comments: Great narration by Elizabeth Knowelden, who also narrated a great book I listened to recently (the excellent What Lies Between Us by John Marrs) so I knew the quality of performance to expect. The only change that might have made this one better was a second narrator, namely a male reader for the killer’s perspective which would have made the character’s sections feel a lot more convincing and immersive.

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Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy’s Pick

The Silver Shooter by Erin Lindsey (November 17, 2024 by Minotaur Books)

I just love Erin Lindsey! I was so happy to discover that there will be a third volume in her ghostly historical mysteries starring Rose Gallagher, and I can’t wait to see what paranormal activities she will be investigating next.

veee加速器电脑“Erin Lindsey’s third historical mystery The Silver Shooter follows Rose Gallagher as she tracks a monster and searches for treasure in the wilds of the Dakota Territory.

It’s the spring of 1887, and Rose Gallagher is finally coming into her own. She’s the proud owner of a lovely little home near Washington Square, where she lives with her mother and friend Pietro, and she’s making a name for herself as a Pinkerton agent with a specialty in things . . . otherworldly. She and her partner Thomas are working together better than ever, and mostly managing to push aside romantic feelings for one another. Mostly.

Things are almost too good to be true—so Rose is hardly surprised when Theodore Roosevelt descends on them like a storm cloud, hiring them for a mysterious job out west. A series of strange occurrences in the Badlands surrounding his ranch has Roosevelt convinced something supernatural is afoot.

It began with livestock disappearing from the range, their bodies later discovered torn apart by something monstrously powerful. Now people are dying, too. Meanwhile, a successful prospector has gone missing, and rumors about his lost stash of gold have attracted treasure hunters from far and wide – but they keep disappearing, too. To top it all off, this past winter, a mysterious weather phenomenon devastated the land, leaving the locals hungry, broke, and looking for someone to blame.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Retellings

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish, a weekly meme that now resides at That Artsy Reader Girl. The meme first came about because of a love of lists. Who doesn’t love lists? The original creators also wanted their lists to be shared with fellow book lovers and to ask that we in turn share ours with them and connect with other book bloggers. To learn more about participating, stop by their page dedicated to it and dive in!

This week’s topic: Top Ten Retellings (Freebie!)

This week’s theme is a freebie, and while I’m still away on vacation I thought it would be great to schedule a topic that I’ve wanted to do for a while! In recent years I have been reading a lot of retellings, so today I just want to shine a spotlight on ten of my favorite ones.

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Pride and Prejudice retellings and other Austenesque-inspired stories have traditionally been hit-or-miss with me, but there was something about Heartstone that drew me to it right away. Might it have been the dragons? Okay yeah, it was the dragons. 旋风vp加速器is actually a pretty faithful rendition of the original, in some places following the plot so closely that I was surprised the author took such a direct route. The story follows Aliza Bentaine, the second of five daughters in a family living at Merybourne Manor. Their home has been set upon by monsters as of late, and six months ago tragedy struck as Aliza’s youngest sister was attacked and killed by one of the wild gryphons that have invaded the surrounding woods. This has led to the arrival of a band of Riders who have come to Merybourne to eradicate the creatures, and among them are the warriors Master Brysney and Master Daired. The publisher blurb for this book describes it as Elle Katharine White infusing Austen’s classic with her own brand of magic. With the exception of the ending, I wouldn’t say that the strength of Heartstone is in its story since most of the plot closely mirrors the original, but what really shines is the world-building. White doesn’t stop at populating her book with all sorts of extraordinary creatures from hobgoblins and wyverns to lamias and lindworms, for she has also fleshed out the world with a vibrant culture that’s entirely of her own imagination. (Read the full review…)

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Few things get me more excited than a book by Jacqueline Carey, and on the list of my must-read authors, her name definitely sits way up near the top. And with the growing trend in Shakespeare retellings these days, I suppose I wasn’t too surprised when I initially discovered that she was working on a retelling of The Tempest. That project ultimately became Miranda and Caliban. As the book’s blurb states, many of us are already aware of how the original story goes, with Prospero and his quest for revenge against his usurping brother as well as the complicit king. But in her version of this classic tale, Carey has chosen instead to shine the light on Prospero’s gentle and kindhearted daughter Miranda, reimagining her in a coming-of-age romance with the other titular character Caliban, who was actually the monstrous antagonist of The Tempest. In this book, however, Caliban is the misunderstood feral boy who opens up to Miranda after being enslaved by her father, with the bond between them increasing in strength over the years as the two grow up together on the lonely island under Prospero’s overbearing tutelage. The Tempest fans will love this beautifully written and richly imagined retelling which approaches the story differently from an interesting and thought-provoking angle. (旋风vp加速器)

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Any book that can make me laugh like a maniac deserves high marks from me. This one’s funny—and I do mean funny, as in exploding-in-uncontrollable-giggles-so-that-nearby-bystanders-are-staring-at-you-sidesways-and-backing-up-slowly funny. This was something I did not expect. When the Warlock Holmes series was pitched to me, I figured it would be your run-of-the-mill classic literature mashup with paranormal elements. Oh, little did I know. The key to this book’s success, I think, was the way Denning stuck close to the source material while still keeping the tone light and readable, and he dressed the story up with just enough of the fantastical to make it feel unique and different. After all, everyone knows of the great fictional detective Sherlock Holmes whose logical reasoning and powers of observation are unparalleled. But what if, instead of a brilliant genius, he was a bit of a dippy eccentric, albeit endowed with arcane powers and the scary ability to tap into the world of demons? This, in essence, is Warlock Holmes. He’s well-intentioned, but rather dim. To make up for it though, at least he’s something of an expert in the supernatural and occult. I had a hell of a good time with this book. (Read the full review…)

Lost Boy by Christina Henry

Christina Henry has written quite a few dark fairy tale retellings at this point, but this one reimagining Peter Pan from Hook’s point-of-view is my favorite. In this book, Peter is the villain, who spends his never-ending childhood stealing boys from the “Other Place” to bring back to his island paradise so that he will always have playmates to amuse him. However, Peter has a very sick sense of what constitutes “amusement”. His outward appearance of an eleven-year-old boy belies the fact that he is a master manipulator, with an infectious charm that makes all his Lost Boys love him and want to please him. The only one who can see through all of this is Jamie, the first boy Peter ever brought to the island. They’ve been the best of friends for a long, long time—long enough that Jamie has become Peter’s favorite companion and right hand man, the one who takes care of the rest of the boys. Someone has to, after all, considering the way Peter goes through playmates like dogs go through chew toys, a fact that Jamie hates. And here I thought Disney’s depiction of Peter Pan was an annoying little shit. The portrayal of the Boy-Who-Wouldn’t-Grow-Up in Lost Boy on the other hand, is on an entirely different level of evil and heartlessness. This in turn made it easy to root for Jamie, whose characterization was a huge part of what made Lost Boy such a fascinating, addictive read. (Read the full review…)

蚂蚁vp加速器官网Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel

Here we have another veee加速器电脑retelling, but this one also had the added element of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Although the book may draw inspiration from one of two of the most beloved novels of classic literature, it would be a disservice to simply label Pride and Prometheus as just your average literary mashup. Not only has the author succeeded in capturing the tone, spirit, and style of these two works, he’s managed to create a perfect fusion of its deeper themes as well. Kessel’s writing is absolutely gorgeous, emulating the style and manner of the original novels that inspired this tale. All in all, I adored everything about veee加速器电脑, from the utterly engrossing struggles of its characters to the emotional themes about obsession and attachment. I think Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein fans will be impressed with how well Kessel has captured the original novels’ forms and styles, but even if you’re familiar with both classics, there will still be plenty of surprises. This book endeared itself to me and then broke my heart, but all I could think about after finishing this was how I wanted more. Truly a treasure of a novel. (Read the full review…)

All The Ever Afters by Danielle Teller

I’ve never been able to say no to a good fairy tale retelling, especially by the recent crop of novels touting the point-of-view of the “villain.” That ultimately led me to pick up All the Ever Afters, which boldly bears the tagline describing itself as the untold story of Cinderella’s stepmother, the notoriously cruel and wicked antagonist from the classic fairy tale we all know and love. However, Danielle Teller’s approach to this novel is one that I’ve seldom seen in most fairy tale retellings I’ve read, in that she has completely eschewed all aspects of fantasy and magic, choosing instead to ground her story in history. Our tale introduces readers to Agnes, a young girl born into poverty. Worked to the bone and unfairly treated, she had no choice but to use all her wits and wiles to finagle a better position for herself. With Cinderella only playing a bit part, this tale truly belongs to her stepmother, who has been given new life in this heartfelt novel. With no magical spells or fairy godmothers, Agnes is a woman who relies on nothing but herself to change her life and make a better future for her children. If you prefer fantasy in your fairy tale retellings, you may wish to reconsider this one, but if you don’t mind a narrative that’s more rooted in realism, then I really can’t recommend this highly enough. (Read the full review…)

蚂蚁vp加速器官网The Winters by Lisa Gabriele

The Winters has been described as an updated, modern retelling of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Like its 1938 inspiration, the book stars an unnamed narrator, but many of the similarities to the original character end there. Our protagonist is a 20-something-year-old American woman from the Cayman Islands, where she works at a boat charter company that caters to clients from many of the elite local clubs. That is how she meets Max Winter, a charming and wealthy state senator from New York, who has come to the Caribbean for work and holiday. He is also a widower, his wife having died in fiery car crash about two years ago. In spite of this recent loss, Max and our protagonist fall into a whirlwind romance, and within a month of their meeting, he asks her to marry him. Before she knows it, our narrator is whisked away to the Hamptons, where Max’s family owns a lavish seaside estate called Asherley. Needless to say, life in New York takes some adjusting to for our protagonist. Like all retellings, The Winters takes a particular slant on a familiar story, and therein lies plenty of opportunities for fun fresh spins but also the possibility for some difficulties. Fans of 旋风vp加速器will probably want to read this, with the added caveat that while it pays homage to the Daphne du Maurier novel by drawing heavily from some of its plot elements and themes, Lisa Gabriele’s retelling also brings a lot of her own voice and originality to the table. More generally, fans of psychological thrillers and suspenseful family dramas may also want to check it out. (Read the full review…)

旋风vp加速器The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross

Few retellings invite more scrutiny from me than Beauty and the Beast, one of the most beloved fairy tales, so I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this. As retellings go, The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross is pretty low-key, focusing on atmosphere and emotion instead of miring itself in attempts at audacious new twists. Told from the perspective of the Beast, our story begins in the enchanted forest where our protagonist lives with the curse cast upon him long ago. Slowly, painfully, he begins to remember the man he once was, but has no memory of why he was made into this beastly form, let alone how to break the curse. My favorite part of this book is hands down Shallcross’ depiction of the Beast. He is no monster, and over time it becomes clear that there’s not a malicious bone in his body. In fact, I wasn’t even sure why he was cursed in the first place (though later we do get some answers). As for the atmosphere, The Beast’s Heart also offers a nice change of pace. It is dark, but not oppressively so; moody, but not to the point of being melodramatic. In fact, I found the whole book to be quite charming and lovely. Overall, this is not a fast-paced read, but it’s a passionately earnest and eloquent debut that would be perfect for fans of quiet, evocative and lyrical fairy tale retellings. (Read the full review…)

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After consistently being disappointed by so many books described as “Mulan retellings”, you can probably understand why I went into ios 加速器vpwith no small amount of trepidation. But ultimately, I was blown away. Sherry Thomas has written a refreshing new take on this famous Chinese folktale about the legendary female warrior, applying her own unique approach to the portrayal while staying faithful to the original story and ensuring historical and linguistic accuracy. Inspired by the traditions of 蚂蚁vp加速器官网, a genre which translates to “martial-chivalric” fiction, Sherry Thomas spins an epic tale of courage and adventure. I adored her depiction of Mulan, who embodies all the traits we think about when it comes to the character—fiercely independent, altruistic, and honorable. At the same time, the narrative never lets us forget that behind all that armor, our protagonist is a teenager, and wholly human. I was also glad this story shone a light on Mulan and the love and respect she has for her father, which a surprising number of retellings tend to neglect, considering his role in her decision to enlist in the army in his place. The Magnolia Sword adds another complex layer to their bond, making the final chapter with Mulan’s homecoming and seeing her father again even more touching and poignant. Bottom line, I just loved this. (Read the full review…)

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Even though I first read this a while ago, it remains a perennial favorite so I decided to I had to include it in this list. The book introduces us to Sorcha, who should have been the seventh son of a seventh son, but she is loved no less for being a girl, the only daughter of Lord Colum in the kingdom of Sevenwaters. She grew up with her six doting older brothers, and the siblings could not have been closer despite their different personalities and walks of life. However, peace at Sevenwaters is shattered when their widower father is seduced into marriage by an evil enchantress. To stop the siblings from meddling, the witch curses them all, turning Sorcha’s brothers into swans. It’s up to Sorcha to lift the spell, but she has to undertake a long and difficult quest thrust upon her by the Fae to do so, all the while remaining silent until she completes it. To those familiar with their fairy tales, this is of course a retelling of The Six Swans, one of the stories collected by the Brothers Grimm. It’s a pretty close adaptation, actually, though Marillier fleshes it out a lot more and sets her version in the medieval Celtic era. She does not stray too far from the source material, which ended up being perfect for someone like myself, who adores fairy tales but at times wishes someone to come along and give them the deeper, more detailed treatment. This is simply a gorgeous book, filled with pain and sadness but also hope, healing and love. (Read the full review…)

Guest Post: “Where The Trail Cuts: The Golgotha Series, The New Trilogy, and the Ghost Dance Judgment” by R.S. Belcher

Today we’re thrilled to welcome author R.S. Belcher to the BiblioSanctum! As you know, I’m a huge fan of his work, ever since I discovered The Six-Gun Tarot, which also led to me check out his Nightwise and Brotherhood of the Wheel series and most recently 旋风vp加速器which was published as an Audible Original. Now Belcher is back with another installment in the Golgotha series, called veee加速器电脑! With the book due to be released soon, we’re celebrating with a guest post! Mr. Belcher has kindly shared with us his inspiration for the novel and series, and I hope you’ll enjoy and check out strange and amazing world of Golgotha!

WHERE THE TRAIL CUTS: THE GOLGOTHA SERIES, THE NEW TRILOGY, AND THE GHOST DANCE JUDGMENT
by R.S. Belcher

I first stumbled across Golgotha in the years before my daughter was born.  I was living in Richmond, Virginia and I had finished my first novel, veee加速器电脑.  It hasn’t, to date, seen print.  I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing.

I recall my first idea for the book, which was originally going to be called Golgotha but became The Six-Gun Tarot, was a man stumbling through a hellish desert and coming across a pile of  sun-bleached skulls holding up a slate sign that said:  “Golgotha:  18 miles, Redemption: 32 miles, Salvation: 50 miles.

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I hadn’t heard the term “Weird Western” yet, that came after Six-Gun was published.  I didn’t think that I was writing steampunk either.  I found all this out when the book reviews came out.  No, I was writing a traditional western story except for all the weirdness and horror.  I viewed it as “High Plains Drifter Meets Twin Peaks, with some H.P. Lovecraft thrown in for good measure.”  In short, I didn’t think I had a chance in hell of selling this thing, but I sure was enjoying writing it.

Needless to say, it managed to get sold, and did pretty well.  Soon my publisher was asking what I might want to work on next, and of course I said a sequel. Then years later,there was a third book, but that was one of the places where the trail into Golgotha began to cut back on itself a little.

After the sequel, The Shotgun Arcana, came out, I had an idea to do kind of a spin-off series from the main Golgotha books, the ones that focused on an ensemble cast of all the characters that made up the town. I wanted to do this other series of books that focused on one of the characters, exclusively.  The pitch to the publisher was to buy both the single character-focused book and the next ensemble book. My agent and I pitched five books (from three different series I was writing at the time) total and they bought three.  Not too bad, if I do say so myself, but they passed on the ensemble book at that time.

So the third book in the series, The Queen of Swords was a bit of a game-changer.  It focused  on the character in the Golgotha books who is most popular with the readers.  That would be Maude Stapleton, Daughter of Lilith, secret defender of Earth, and single mom in the late 1800s.  It also focused on Maude’s mentor, the Pirate Queen, Anne Bonny, who I also get a lot of positive comments about.  If you’re curious, after Maude, I get a lot of positive feedback on Deputy Mutt, Sheriff Jon Highfather, oh, and of course, Malachi Bick.

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The Queen of Swords was well-received but many readers wanted to go back to Golgotha and catch up with everyone else.  So, now, after several years, I am very excited to announce that the fourth Golgotha novel, will be released very soon (either late July or early August) by the wonderful folks at Falstaff Books.  It’s called the Ghost Dance Judgement and it is an ensemble novel with all the characters you’ve come to know over the last three books together again, along with a few new faces.

Ghost Dance is exciting for me in numerous ways.  It begins a “second trilogy” for the series that will be coming out over the next few years.  After Ghost Dance, we have book five: The Hanged Man, a novel that focuses on Golgotha’s mysterious Sheriff, Jon Highfather, and then book six: Slap Leather With the Devil , which is another ensemble story with all our characters together in Golgotha.

Ghost Dance Judgement shakes up the series in several way, which I think long-time readers, as well as those picking up the series with the latest book, will enjoy.

Book six is the last Golgotha book I presently have plotted out and under contract, but if the readers continue to enjoy the series, believe me, I have plenty more Golgotha stories to write. I have an idea for an anthology of Golgotha short fiction, maybe filling in some the previous bizarre  events in the town, that are alluded to but never fully detailed.

I hope you pick up and enjoy the next novel in the Golgotha series.  Please let me know what you think.  I’d like to thank the BiblioSanctum, and Steff for letting me drop by and tell you a little about my home away from home and how I found it in the desert.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

R.S. (Rod) Belcher is an award-winning newspaper and magazine editor and reporter. Rod has been a private investigator, a DJ, a comic book store owner and has degrees in criminal law, psychology and justice and risk administration, from Virginia Commonwealth University.  He’s done Masters work in Forensic Science at The George Washington University, and worked with the Occult Crime Taskforce for the Virginia General Assembly. He lives in Roanoke Virginia with his children: Jonathan and Emily.

YA Weekend Audio: Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

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Genre: Young Adult, Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing (July 7, 2024)

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Author Information: 旋风vp加速器 | Twitter

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Rory Power is an author I’ve wanted to read for a while, ever since her debut 蚂蚁vp加速器官网took the YA world by storm. Thus it was with great excitement that I started Burn Our Bodies Down, which I was fortunate enough to receive from NetGalley’s new audiobook review program. I loved the description of the book, and the fact it sounded closer to an “American Farmland Gothic” than a true horror. So then, why didn’t I enjoy this more? Well…a lot of it to do with the main character.

Margot has always been something of an outsider. The only close relationship she’s ever had is with her mom Josephine, and she’s not exactly mother of the year. Josephine works a lot, and even when she’s at home in their tiny run-down apartment, she’s emotionally distant or volatile, causing Margot to tiptoe on eggshells whenever she’s around. And when she asks about her father, or any question about family really, Josephine simply shuts her out. Finally, Margot has had enough. Defying her mom, she uncovers an old photograph with a name and phone number of someone she believes is her maternal grandmother. After calling the number, the old woman who answers confirms Margot’s suspicions and extends an invitation to visit her in a nearby rural town called Phalene.

Excited at the prospect of answers at long last, Margot travels by herself to Phalene to meet her Gram. Upon her arrival though, Margot quickly gets the sense that things aren’t quite right. First, Vera, her grandmother, is not the exactly the kind little old lady she led Margot to believe. Her farm, Fairhaven, is an eerie place, yielding strange and unnatural crop. Soon, Margot starts seeing and experiencing disturbing things that defy explanation. She came to Phalene to learn more about where her family came from, but the longer she stays, the more she understands why her mother left this town, never to speak of it again.

As usual, I’ll start with the good. First, we have the incredible atmosphere. 蚂蚁vp加速器官网is all about the setting—a creepy small town that feels isolated and forgotten by the rest of the world. What amazed me most was how such a wide open space with its sprawling fields and endless skies could still result in such a strong sensation of claustrophobia and suffocation. Phalene feels like its own little world, the tensions growing ever more stifling as the pressure builds within. As the reader, you’re made to feel acutely aware that this tight little bubble can burst at any time, and when it does, you know bad things are gonna be a-coming.

However, the trade-off for such thick and delectable atmosphere is a hit to the pacing. Admittedly, this is not a story that goes anywhere fast. While I think there’s plenty to keep the reader entertained, especially when Margot meets other people in town like Tess and Eli, for the most part the plot development chugs in place as the narrative focuses on establishing the mystery and immersing you into the setting. There’s also a lot that doesn’t make sense—at least at first. Rest assured things come together in the end—mostly. There will be some loose ends, and for a long time, it just feels like you’re supposed to ignore all the questions and inconsistencies, which might be a bit too much to ask.

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Bottom line, the world-building was fantastic, but atmosphere alone couldn’t carry this novel, and ultimately I thought the story and characters were lacking. My experience was also affected by an overdramatic narrator, but if you’re not listening to the audiobook, you’ll most likely not encounter that issue, though I can’t say I was feeling all that sympathetic towards the protagonist regardless. At the end of the day, 蚂蚁vp加速器官网wasn’t a bad book and I thought its premise was interesting, but overall, I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as I’d hoped.

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Friday Face-Off: Framed

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.

This week’s theme is:

~ a cover featuring a FRAME

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There were several ways to interpret this week’s theme, and we were free to choose any one we wished. I decided to go with the idea of a picture frame, and even though I haven’t read this particular book, I’ve been a fan of Claire North for years and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August has been on my to-read list for years.

From left to right:
Redhook Paperback (2014)  – Redhook Hardcover (2014) – PS Publishing (2017)

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German Edition (2015)  – Dutch Edition (2014) – Italian Edition (2017)

French Edition (2015)  – Portuguese Edition (2017) – Danish Edition (2016)

Hebrew Edition (2016)  – Persian Edition (2017) – Estonian Edition (2015)

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Winner:

It might be the one I’m most familiar with, but the Redhook paperback also happens to be my favorite. I just love the visual effect with the frames, and it definitely makes the cover extremely eye-catching!

But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?

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