The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven King
Series: The Raven Cycle #4
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Fantasy; Young Adult
Publisher/Publication Date: Scholasic Press; April 26, 2016

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Synopsis from Goodreads...                                                                                                                                              All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

Earlier this year, I mentioned one of my blogging related goals was to tackle at least one of the unfinished series that had been on my TBR list for far too long, and one such collection of books was Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle. I know there’s a spinoff trilogy, but my goal was to read all of the initial books—or reread, in the case of The Raven Boys. And now, I finally got around to The Raven King.

“Richard Gansey III had forgotten how many times he had been told he was destined for greatness.”—pg.1

Every story has its beginning and its end. And every page of The Raven King felt like another ending. It was, effectively, the culmination of every plot thread, hint, and pivotal moment that occurred from The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, and Blue Lily Lily Blue. The Raven Cycle has always also been about its characters—the titular Raven Boys and Blue Sargent—as well as boasting of a colorful secondary cast that were given as much care as the core group. The character arcs came full circle in The Raven King too. And it was exciting—an emotional rollercoaster—to say the least, to see how it would all end: the hunt for Glendower, the prophecy that Blue would kill her true love with a kiss, Noah’s true role in all that had happened, and what would become of the places and characters with the threat of a demon and an unchecked (and horribly misguided) quest for influence.

Let me reiterate: The Raven King is a page turner, and it’s easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Title: Sabriel
Series: The Old Kingdom #1
Author: Garth Nix
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Collins; January 1, 1995

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Enter the Old Kingdom, a world of dark secrets and dangerous magic.

As a child, Sabriel was sent across the Wall to Ancelstierre to safety. Now eighteen years old, she receives a cryptic and desperate message from her father, the Abhorsen—the magical protector whose task it is to bind and send back to Death those who won’t stay Dead. Fiercely determined to help her father, who is perilously trapped in Death, and save him from the sinister Free Magic entity that has somehow ensnared him, Sabriel must prepare to enter Death herself—and find her destiny. To preserve life, the Abhorsen must enter death.

I haven’t picked up a Garth Nix book in many-many years—the last ones I read were The Keys to the Kingdom with Mister Monday and the following novels. However, one series that has persisted on my TBR list (for just as long) has been Nix’s The Old Kingdom. So in the interest of slimming down that TBR by another book, I picked up Sabriel, the first of that series.

Sabriel was a phenomenal novel, and had almost everything I love about fantasy. There was a good deal of traveling the main character, Sabriel, undertook during her adventure. However, each step of the way presented its own pitfalls, ensuring the story kept a sense of urgency. It was part cat-and-mouse game, part fetch quest, and there was no happy ending guaranteed in a story that dealt with so much death.

The magic had a cool system, essentially necromancy, which required literally stepping into death as well as a set of very particular bells. I loved this aspect of the story and the details that went into developing it. After all, each bell was imbued with a different power—and had varied consequences for ringing them—which only added another layer of detail to a magic system that was already working within a clear set of relatively unique rules.

There were two primary places where the story took place. There’s Ancelstierre, where Sabriel attended Wyverly College, which—although a fantasy country—could have been reality, albeit a historical time period. There were cars, electricity, and even weapons. The Old Kingdom, by contrast, was pure fantasy and entirely bleak; a place that was clearly on the losing side of a conflict. And it was into the horror left behind and the grueling battle against “those who won’t stay dead,” that Sabriel enters as a begrudging player, in the grand scheme of things. She didn’t want the job, more than that, however, she wanted to find her father, the Abhorsen. And her anxiety is part of what propels the story, at least early on, before she gained allies and came to understand the greater danger posed to everything and everyone. As a result, the story had intensity to it, and I enjoyed every second of it.

All in all, I adored this novel, and I’m looking forward to eventually continuing with this series.

 

The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko

Title: The Maid and the Crocodile 

Series: Raybearer
Author: Jordan Ifueko
Source/Format: Publisher; Paperback ARC
More Details: Fantasy; Young Adult; Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: Harry N. Abrams; August 13, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The smallest spark can bind two hearts . . . or start a revolution.

In the magic-soaked capital city of Oluwan, country bumpkin Small Sade needs a job—preferably as a maid, with employers who don’t mind her unique appearance and unlucky foot. But before she can be hired, she accidentally binds herself to a powerful god known only as the Crocodile, who is rumored to devour pretty girls. Small Sade entrances the Crocodile with her secret: she is a Curse Eater, gifted with the ability to alter people’s fates by cleaning their houses. The handsome god warns that their fates are bound, but Small Sade evades him, launching herself into a new career as the Curse Eater of a swanky inn. She is determined to impress the wealthy inhabitants and earn her place in Oluwan City . . . assuming her secret-filled past—and the revolutionary ambitions of the Crocodile God—don’t catch up with her. But maybe there is more to Small Sade. And maybe everyone in Oluwan City deserves more, too, from the maids all the way to the Anointed Ones.

I rarely pick up young adult romances these days, except for on rare occasions like this, when a synopsis is enough to garner my attention. The Maid and the Crocodile is Jordan Ifueko’s standalone romance set in the same world as the Raybearer series, and while I still want to check out those books eventually, that didn’t curb my enthusiasm for this story.

Small Sade was a very personable character. Life hadn’t been kind to her and, now that she aged out of the orphanage, she needed a job more than ever, and her ability as a Curse-Eater might just be the thing to do it. Enter a plucky, lovable gecko and the Crocodile, a supposed god with a questionable reputation. When Small Sade and the Crocodile’s paths cross, they end up with an unexpected bond, and embark on a journey of self-discovery in a story set to challenge everything they thought true about themselves.

The Maid and the Crocodile is a slow burn romance through and through. The story spent a good chunk of its page space developing the characters, and bringing them to a place of equal footing. The relationship wasn’t without its troubles and was even tumultuous at certain points. However, that being said, I liked that Ifueko gave the relationship enough time to breathe and develop into something not only believable but also heartwarming and something to really root for.

The relationship wasn’t the only point of the book, though. There was the storyline set at the Balogun Inn. I also enjoyed this look into the Raybearer world, and it is something to keep in mind when approaching The Maid and the Crocodile. If you’re like me and don’t mind spoilers for the other books, then it won’t be an issue. But, as this takes place after Raybearer and Redemptor, there were passages related to events that took place in those books.

That aside, with a cast full of colorful and endearing characters, cute and romantic moments, and even aspects of a race against time, The Maid and the Crocodile was a delightful, heartfelt story. And I can’t recommend it enough.

About the author....

Jordan Ifueko is the NYT Bestselling Author of the RAYBEARER series & the Disney-Marvel comics MOON GIRL & DEVIL DINOSAUR. She’s a Nebula Award, Ignyte Award, Audie Award, and Hugo Lodestar finalist, and she's been featured in People Magazine, NPR Best Books, NPR Pop Culture Hour, & ALA Top Ten. She writes about magic Black girls who aren’t magic all the time, because honestly, they deserve a vacation.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Harry N. Abrams) in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Clock Striker Volume 2: The Sharing Society by Issaka Galadima and Frederick L. Jones

Title: Clock Striker Volume 2: The Sharing Society

Series: Clock Striker #2
Author: Issaka Galadima; Fredrick L. Jones
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Manga; Teen
Publisher/Publication Date: Rockport Publishers; September 10, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Clock Striker, Volume 2, is the exciting follow-up to the acclaimed first volume, featuring shonen manga’s first Black female lead character! Combining sci-fi, steampunk, action-adventure, and insightful humor, this new volume explores teenage hero Cast’s desire to (once again) save her friend Klaus while dealing with an entire town that confounds her with its unique sharing culture. Something is off—and Cast and her mentor, Ms. Philomena Clock, engineer-warriors called SMITHS, are determined to find out what it is before it’s too late.

Klaus is a runaway prince who has been captured by cybernetic outlaws, the Demon Bandits. Cast has almost never ventured past her hometown, so the demanding trek, including rough terrain and the strange kingdom of Alter, will test her beyond anything she has encountered before. With a rival SMITH and STRIKER on their tails, as well as the mysterious King of Alter—who seems to have a powerful kingdom despite rejecting cutting-edge technology—can our female dynamic duo save the day?

**Note: mild spoilers for volume 1 past this point, you’ve been warned.**

Another one of the sequels I was keeping an eye out for was Issaka Galadima and Fredrick L. Jones’ second volume of Clock Strikers. The series opening was one of my favorite manga releases of 2023, and I have been eagerly awaiting its sequel since.

Titled, The Sharing Society, the story charges right ahead and quickly picked up where the last volume left off. It combined a couple of humorous moments with plenty of action, while also continuing to explore some of the darker and far more complex themes present in the series. It had echoes of the conflict that took place in the first volume, but while the core was similar, this time around it was under vastly different circumstances—which kept the volume interesting as well as moving at a good pace. I flew through this one, and enjoyed every second of it.

This volume was story heavy and threw the characters into a number of perilous situations. Klaus is in a bind. He’s back in Altar and at the mercy of his father. However, there’s trouble in paradise for the Demon Bandits who were his captors, but it seemed like it was a deal/exchange that was always destined to go sideways. On the other side, our Striker and Smith duo, Philomena Clock and Cast, are in pursuit—while also being pursued. Some of the most unexpected twists arrived while the majority of the cast was in Altar, the supposed “sharing society.” The story peeled back the layers of that society and delved into the underlying darkness of the situation, and those were among the most compelling areas of the volume.

And, while a lot of ground was covered, the last chapter ends on a cliffhanger with the beginning of another mystery. However, that nicely set up the potential for the next volume.

Overall, Jones and Galadima have hit it out of the park with the second volume of Clock Striker.

 

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Rockport Publishers/ Quarto Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell

Title: It Came from the Trees

Series: n/a
Author: Ally Russell
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Middle Grade; Paranormal; Horror
Publisher/Publication Date: Delecorte; July 30, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The legend of Bigfoot gets a bone-chilling update in this scary story about a young girl and her scout troop who are willing to brave the woods to find her missing friend when no one else will. Perfect for fans of Daka Hermon and Claribel A. Ortega!

The wilderness is in Jenna’s blood. Her Pap was the first Black park ranger at Sturbridge Reservation, and she practically knows the Owlet Survival Handbook by heart. But she’s never encountered a creature like the one that took her best friend Reese. Her parents don’t believe her; the police are worthless, following the wrong leads; and the media isn’t connecting the dots between Reese’s disappearance and a string of other attacks. Determined to save her friend, Jenna joins a new local scout troop, and ventures back into the woods. When the troop stumbles across suspicious huge human-like footprints near the camp, scratch marks on trees, and ominous sounds from the woods, Jenna worries that whatever took Reese is back to take her too. Can she trust her new scout leader? And will her new friend Norrie—who makes her laugh and reminds her so much of Reese—believe her? After the unthinkable happens, the scouts, armed with their wits and toiletries, band together to fight the monster and survive the night.

It Came from the Trees, Ally Russell’s debut, is a new middle grade paranormal horror novel set in the great outdoors. With a Black main character who loves camping and the wilderness, and a mystery surrounding strange occurrences (and disappearances) at Sturbridge Reservation, there was so much to like about It Came from the Trees.

Norrie, like Reese, was a character who could worm her way into anyone’s heart. And, in fact, the Owlet Scouts were a far more personable and colorful group to follow. And then there was Jenna, who was a great main character, and I liked her enthusiasm and knowledge about the outdoors. This was shaken, of course, with the disappearance of her best friend as well as the situation she subsequently found herself in, where she felt silenced and isolated. It was part of her character arc, where the author showed her bravery and determination but also didn’t shy away from her vulnerability and fear. Her POV was nerve-wracking to read, and I’d credit that how immersive and atmospheric the writing was.

Another area of note was how Russell utilized camping. The woods were the perfect location for the story, especially after the sun was down and visibility was low. There was no quick way to run from any issues.

The story also touched on a negligent troop leader who played favoritism and was willing to lie, if it meant covering her own culpability when one the scouts in her care went missing. It was a difficult (and frustrating) situation that felt all too familiar, but the author did a great job with it, creating a balance between real world issues and a story which was, at its heart, paranormal.

Going into It Came from the Trees, I was expecting Russell’s spin on Bigfoot. It’s one of the main hooks of the synopsis. However, even knowing that much didn’t erase how tightly the legend was woven into the story. The way it was written was enigmatic and incredibly menacing. It wasn’t an isolated occurrence only Jenna knew about either, but there were clues sprinkled throughout the book about how deeply the strange occurrences were connected to Sturbridge Reservation—even in the form of blog entries and comments. And while I was reading It Came from the Trees, I kept remarking to one of my co-bloggers about how much tension there was as well as the intensity of its most frightening scenes.

At the end of the day, It Came from the Trees was excellent, and it has plenty to offer for fans of middle grade horror.

About the author....

Ally grew up on a steady diet of Halloween parties, horror films, Unsolved Mysteries, and Goosebumps books. She has always loved scary stories, and got her MFA from Simmons University and, eventually, a job working in children’s publishing. She hails from Pittsburgh—ground zero for the zombie apocalypse. Ally lives with her husband and her two black cats, Nox and Fury. She’s afraid of the woods, the dark, and heights. It Came from the Trees is her debut novel.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Delacorte) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran

Title: In the Shadow of the Fall

Series: Guardians of the Gods #1
Author: Tobi Ogundiran
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Novella
Publisher/Publication Date: Tordotcom; July 23, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A cosmic war reignites and the fate of the orisha lie in the hands of an untried acolyte in this first entry of a new epic fantasy novella duology by Tobi Ogundiran...

Ashâke is an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, yearning for the day she is made a priestess and sent out into the world to serve the orisha. But of all the acolytes, she is the only one the orisha refuse to speak to. For years she has watched from the sidelines as peer after peer passes her by and ascends to full priesthood. Desperate, Ashâke attempts to summon and trap an orisha—any orisha. Instead, she experiences a vision so terrible it draws the attention of a powerful enemy sect and thrusts Ashâke into the center of a centuries-old war that will shatter the very foundations of her world....

I’ve read Tobi Ogundiran’s short fiction before—The Nine Jars of Nukulu, which was published in The Book of Witches edited by Jonathan Stahan and illustrated by Alyssa Winans. So, when I heard about his 2024 novella, In the Shadow of the Fall, I knew it was going to be at the top of my list for July releases. And like The Nine Jars of Nukulu, Ogundiran packs a lot into this novella’s pages.

It begins with Ashâke, an acolyte, attempting to and ultimately failing at a desperate bid to bind an orisha. Sounds bad, right? The story makes it abundantly clear her sentiments were unwittingly fostered by her feelings of being rejected and ostracized for failing in areas where other acolytes had succeeded. She wanted to belong in the only place she’s ever known. So the epiphany she has, her crisis of faith—for lack of better words—that desire and her failings, is why I found her instantly sympathetic and likeable as a character.

The story is pretty fast paced and it doesn’t stay in one setting, even so it never felt rushed. The world building was one of my favorite aspects. I was engrossed with following Ashâke’s journey as she discovered the nuance of a history she once believed she was well versed in. And I liked how Ogundiran turned her understanding upside down as well as how the information was imparted to me, the reader. It was often through song, storytelling, and conversations between the characters.

This, however, was by no means a light story. Every secret was consequential, and it got pretty dark at times, what with how the villains operated.

That being said, In the Shadow of the Fall was excellent.

 

About the author....

Tobi Ogundiran is the Shirley Jackson, British Science Fiction Association Award, Nommo and Ignyte award-nominated author of the acclaimed collection of stories, Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic (Undertow Publications). He's called many places homes, including Lagos, Russia, and now Oxford, Mississippi.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Tordotcom) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

Title: Masquerade

Series: n/a
Author: O.O. Sangoyomi
Source/Format: Bookish First/Publisher; Paperback ARC
More Details: Loose Retelling; Historical Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Forge Books; July 2, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Set in a wonderfully reimagined 15th century West Africa, Masquerade is a dazzling, lyrical tale exploring the true cost of one woman’s fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she’ll go to secure her future.

Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the the warrior king of Yorùbáland. Already shunned as social pariahs, living conditions for Òdòdó and the other women in her blacksmith guild grow even worse under Yorùbá rule. Then Òdòdó is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, Òdòdó realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife. In a sudden change of fortune, Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy becomes too enticing to resist. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed by re-forging the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue that turn an entire region on its head.

I originally read an excerpt of this book on Bookish First. I was sold on the concept laid out in the synopsis as well as intrigued by it being a loose retelling of the myth of Persephone, but set in a fictional version of fifteenth century West Africa. Having read the whole story, I have a new favorite book. And between Katherine Arden’s The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Leigh Bardugo’s The Familiar, and now O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade, historical fiction is having quite a year.

Òdòdó, a blacksmith from Timbuktu—which carried its own connotations (and stigma) in the context of the story—finds herself whisked away by the king of Yorùbáland after an act of naïve kindness, to be his bride. It's in the early beginnings of Masquerade where some of the strongest aspects related to the myth could be found. It wasn’t on the nose either, and instead Masquerade was sprinkled with subtle nods.

The story was wonderfully detailed and steeped in the rich history, traditions, and folklore of its setting. It also meant superstition and often strict societal norms, and one of the most interesting parts of the book was seeing how Òdòdó would learn to navigate the sudden change in her environment, between Timbuktu and Sàngótè.

The king’s characterization was done so well. He was portrayed as a capable leader as well as the kind of person who has never been told no. I was expecting it, since even the synopsis makes mention of his cruelty. And he was ambitious and entitled, even to have Òdòdó become his wife. I could almost say he was arrogant in that regard, and he wasn’t careful with how he spoke to or treated—or even acknowledged the ambition and the suffering—of his supposed soon-to-be wife.

Being at the whim of a fickle king who Òdòdó’s power—and the favor bestowed to her by his people—depended on, was a heavy a burden. There was a power imbalance, especially between the king and his bride, which wasn’t helped by the superstition (and suspicion) surrounding the blacksmith guilds and the woman who worked there.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed Òdòdó’s journey. It was a costly one in a politically tense environment, but her quest was one of self-discovery, power, and influence. She wanted more and more, which was often the crux driving the story forward: escape from the life as a blacksmith, her desire for power and status, and the lengths she was willing to go to not only obtain it but to keep it as well. It was perilous and dark, and no one was left unscathed by the end.

 
Masquerade had a lot going for it. As a loose retelling, it worked. And as historical fiction, it had everything I was looking for. If you like richly detailed world building and political intrigue, then I highly recommend Masquerade.

About the author....

O.O. Sangoyomi is a Nigerian American author with a penchant for African mythology and history. During a childhood of constantly moving around, she found an anchored home in the fictional worlds of books. She is a recent graduate of Princeton University, where she studied literature. Her debut novel, Masquerade, will be published by Macmillan/Forge in July 2024.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Forge Books) via Bookish First in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Title: The Familiar
Series: n/a
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Source/Format: Purchased; Hardcover
More Details: Fantasy; Historical Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Flatiorn Books; April 9, 2024

Synopsis from Goodreads...

From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age

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.

It’s no secret: I love a good standalone. And one of my most highly anticipated book releases of the year was Leigh Bargugo’s new historical fantasy novel, The Familiar. Set in Madrid during the “Spanish Golden Age,” this was a story of curses, magic, and ambition; part tragedy and part romance. And I loved every second of it.

Luzia Cotado was ambitious and hungry and wanted more than her life as a scullion: the ability to freely express her intelligence, and most of all comforts and ease unlike what her life had been to that point. While Luzia would admit that her position made her a good actress—able to hide her true self behind a façade—she was kind of resentful toward it. The family she worked for, the Ordõnos, didn’t help with her pessimism, particularly (and especially in the beginning of the novel) Doña Valentina’s habit of taking out her discontent—with her married life and with her social prospects—on the people who worked for her. As the first sentence of chapter one states: “If the bread hadn’t burned, this would be a very different story.” But I’m so glad it wasn’t, because without the circumstances, there would’ve been no story. And without (even the tragic aspects later on) there would’ve been no romance and none of the the interpersonal dramas happening alongside the high stakes schemes. And those were among the most notable highlights of The Familiar.

If you can’t tell, I adored the characters.

Luzia could be witty, but she was also in a situation involving political machinations, which left her as a fish-out-of-water, if not right out trapped and (again) subservient. Some of what occurred was due to her ambition, though. She wanted to win to change her life, regardless of the consequences. Her “little miracles” were dangerous to perform; she lived in a time of strong adherence to religion as well as under the threat of attracting the notice of the Inquisition.

Guillén Santángel was brooding, enigmatic, and dangerous. He was the familiar the title referred to and was compelled to do the bidding of an ambitious, cunning, arrogant, and cruel man. He and Luzia were a little alike, in that they desired freedom from their circumstances.

The question was what had to be given up to achieve those aims.

Valentina was the most surprising for me. I didn’t expect to like her character as much as I did. She was an instigator, but she was also sympathetic. She, like Luzia and Santángel, hungered for more. And a pivotal part of her story was discovering if what she always insisted she wanted would still hold true by the end of The Familiar.

The tournament was fairly standard and involved some intrigue, particularly between the competitors and their patrons. There was genuine talent and fraud mixed together, and alliances were murky and never what they first appeared to be. And with the large personalities of the characters, it made it interesting.  

All in all, The Familiar was everything I was hoping it would be, and it’s easily one of my favorite books of 2024 so far.

The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo!

Title: The Brides of High Hill

Series: The Singing Hills Cycle #5
Author: Nghi Vo
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Novella
Publisher/Publication Date: Tordotcom; May 7, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The Hugo Award-Winning Series returns with its newest standalone entry: a gothic mystery involving a crumbling estate, a mysterious bride, and an extremely murderous teapot.

The Cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to her wedding to an aging lord at a crumbling estate situated at the crossroads of dead empires. But they’re forgetting things they ought to remember, and the lord’s mad young son wanders the grounds at night like a hanged ghost.

One of my most anticipated releases of the year was Nghi Vo’s next novella in The Singing Hills’s Cycle, The Brides of High Hill, which the synopsis described as a gothic mystery. I’ve enjoyed books of that type from time to time, so, going into The Brides of High Hill, I was interested to see what Vo’s interpretation of it would look like.

The latest adventure of Cleric Chih takes a slight detour from the typical structure of the series, and puts them right in the thick of the action. There’s still a story that’s being told, but its clues can be subtle and are deeply embedded in the occurrences of the novella, rather than a story that is being imparted, in pieces, to Cleric Chih by other characters. The switch, however, works well, when the mystery and gothic aspects are taken into account. Atmosphere can be key—sometimes—and getting to see the faded or outright eerie elegance as well as the dilapidation that make up Doi Cao was a crucial part of setting the stage for the story.

And what a story it was. The twist managed to catch me by surprise, because it subverted the way I thought the story was going to go. But hindsight is 20/20. However, the ending is part of what I love most about Vo’s handling of The Brides of High Hill. It could have been straightforward, but it wasn’t. And I enjoyed that direction at lot more than my guesses.

At the end of the day, The Brides of High Hill is another great installment in the series.

About the author....

Nghi Vo is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle, which began withThe Empress of Salt and Fortune. The series entries have been finalists for the Locus Award and the Lambda Literary Award, and have won the Crawford Award, the Ignyte Award, and the Hugo Award. Born in Illinois, she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick, the power of stories, and the right to change your mind.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Tordotcom) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

About The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

In January, I posted a Thought Corner about my reread of The Raven Boys. If you read it (HERE), you’ll know I was in desperate need of a refresher before attempting to continue with the series. It had been around a full decade since I last picked it up, and details get lost overtime. That was true for my recollection of the VERY fine print about the overall story of The Raven Boys. So, I reread it. And when I was considering what my 2024 blogging goal would be, one of the series I kept in mind was The Raven Cycle.

“There are three kinds of secrets.”—page 1.

The prologue begins with a page long monologue about three kinds of secrets and what Ronan Lynch has to do with them. In a way, it does some heavy lifting by informing the reader about the exact kind of story The Dream Thieves is going to be.

Where The Raven Boys was about exploring (the hunt for Glendower and the places it took the characters), new friendships, and laying the groundwork for the series. The Dream Thieves felt (and often read) like a book about consequences, risks, and implications.

The book is hectic, but I mean that in the best way possible. The consequences—Adam’s sacrifice, Blue’s prophecy, Ronan’s penchant for trouble, Gansey’s quest, and Noah’s reliance on the ley lines—were catching up to the main cast. It tossed a proverbial monkey-wrench into the fray, which tested the limits of both the platonic and romantic relationships. And that was coupled with the introduction of The Gray Man (a literal hitman) and Kavinsky (an endless source of potential trouble), which only added to the strain. Something had to give. And give it did.

And where The Raven Boys felt more like Blue’s story of how she got involved with the hunt and the titular Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves felt like it was for Ronan. The other characters were present and had their own growth to go through. There was a broader exploration on the meaning of Ronan’s secrets: a deep dive into his character, his family, and the circumstances and aftermath of his father’s death and the terms of his will. Since dreams and dreaming were a large aspect of the story, the focus on these things, on his character, was only fitting. I liked the way it was handled. It was portrayed as a serious, and more often dangerous, manner that never crossed the line into being hyperbolic—the consequences were too steep for that.

I enjoyed The Dream Thieves as much as The Raven Boys. Up next, I look forward to tackling Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

Happy reading!

About the book...

If you could steal things from dreams, what would you take? Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.One Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.Ronan is one of the raven boys - a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface - changing everything in its wake.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Title: The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Series: n/a
Author: Katherine Arden
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Historical Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Del Rey; February 13, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else? November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear. As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.

Katherine Arden—the author of the Small Spaces quartet and The Winternight Trilogy—has returned to adult fantasy with her latest novel, The Warm Hands of Ghost. Set during World War 1, the story is a superb, devastating, and meticulously plotted historical novel with a dark (and thrilling) fantasy twist.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is split between the perspectives of two siblings: Laura Iven, a combat nurse honorably discharged, and Freddie, a soldier who, early in the story, is assumed dead.

This book is a challenging read. Anything set during a war typically is, particularly in World War 1 and 2 as well as any of the conflicts that are part of real world history. But Arden doesn’t use it simply as set dressing. The author draws the conflict closer with stark imagery, detailed writing that immerses the reader, and by making it intrinsically personal to the characters.

Laura’s position as a combat nurse put her up close and personal with the wounded, the fighting, and the horror. She was cynical but also caring, skilled at nursing, and desperate for information about her only remaining family. Freddie’s experience is just as harrowing, and that was especially true of his time in the overturned pillbox and the events afterwards—it forever changes him. Even the secondary characters—for example Mrs. Shaw—are touched by the conflict, although they process their grief in different ways (and it spurs different actions). And that’s what makes each member of the cast standout.

The speculative aspects were excellent. They’re in a like vein to The Winter of the Witch, fitting seamlessly with the setting and themes. It was a period of change, and that too had to adapt to the times. And the result was an eerie, terrifying, and clever antagonist.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is part ghost story and part story of survival. It’s also about family, loss, change, and hope; a tale that was intense and dark, and an incredibly emotional read. And I loved every second of it.

About the author....

Born in Austin, Texas, Katherine Arden spent her junior year of high school in Rennes, France. Following her acceptance to Middlebury College in Vermont, she deferred enrolment for a year in order to live and study in Moscow. At Middlebury, she specialized in French and Russian literature. After receiving her BA, she moved to Maui, Hawaii, working every kind of odd job imaginable, from grant writing and making crêpes to serving as a personal tour guide. After a year on the island, she moved to Briançon, France, and spent nine months teaching. She then returned to Maui, stayed for nearly a year, then left again to wander. Currently she lives in Vermont, but really, you never know. She is the author of The Bear and the Nightingale.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Del Rey) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Title: Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands

Series: Emily Wilde #2
Author: Heather Fawcett
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Historical Fiction; Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: Del Rey; January 16, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.  

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore—she just wrote the world’s first comprehensive of encylopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Folk on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival, Wendell Bambleby. Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, and in search of a door back to his realm. So despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and danger. And she also has a new project to focus a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by Bambleby’s mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambley’s realm, and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans. But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.

**This is a sequel, so there are mild spoilers for the first book from here on out. You have been warned.**

If there was one book I was looking forward to in January of 2024, it was going to be Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands. This is Heather Fawcett’s follow-up to the Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Suffice it to say, I was more than ready to be back with the smart, adventurous, but awkward—and as the book synopsis describes her, “curmudgeonly”—Emily Wilde.

This book had the same style as the first one, in that it’s essentially Emily telling the story to the reader via her journal.

In Map of the Otherlands, Emily, Wendell, Shadow, and two new characters, set off into the Austrian Alps. It’s partly to continue research for her next project, the titular Map of the Otherlands, as well as the potential of finding a door into Wendell’s realm. There was also the necessity to get out of Cambridge for a while.

The set up for this adventure happens relatively early in the story. The threat to Wendell’s life—and the collateral damage that comes from a sudden attack fueled by magic—ensured Map of the Otherlands, from that point, had VERY high stakes for the remainder of the story. It also had a good balance between Emily’s penchants for putting her desire for discovers first with the danger posed by the very subjects of her studies. There was action, and also an element of whimsy. The fairy realms—the doors and the places that share borders—were bizarre in an ethereal, if not surreal, manner.

I loved the setting from the first book, but I also liked this one as well. It too shared a relatively remote locale, being in the mountains, and it was described as very quaint and picturesque with a lot of open land. The terrain once again posed its own issues, and the local customs had certain requirements and dictated the time of day they could be out and about. It’s one of the things I appreciate about this book: the attention to detail.

This series has such a lively cast. A few faces from the previous book were present here as well, but I also liked getting to know the new characters as well, particularly one who she could verbally spar with. Wendell is in a tough spot in this one, but he still manages to come off as witty, sometimes a little arrogant, but also very caring for the people he holds in regard. 

Fawcett’s use of folklore, particularly with a focus on fairies as a subject of intense study, remains one of my favorite versions of a fey-themed novel. Emily’s approach is very analytical, but she’s self-aware. And it’s always fun to see her in her element but, with the addition of new characters to this expedition, she also had new relationships to navigate. It wasn’t her strong suit, to say the least. But there was development on the platonic as well as romantic fronts.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is a fantastic sequel. If you’ve read the first book then I highly recommend this one too.

About the author....

Heather Fawcett is the Sunday Times and internationally bestselling Canadian author of books for adults, kids, and teens, including Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Even the Darkest Stars, Ember and the Ice Dragons, The Grace of Wild Things, and more. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and somehow all include dragons in one form or another. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature and a Bachelor’s in Archaeology. She lives on Vancouver Island.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Del Rey) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!