Music Monday (267): Pentatonix, Mariah Carey with Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: It doesn't feel like the holidays without at least one Pentatonix song. I love their music just as much as I do Mariah Carey's for this time of year. Check out Pure Imagination/Christmas Time Is Here!

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Oh Santa! by Mariah Carey featuring Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson. Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (243) & Book Beginnings: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE **Note: Freda @ Freda's Voice is taking a break from The Friday 56; Anne @Head is Full of Books is hosting for now.**

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can't stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland--and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot. Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home. As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares. If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.

Beginning: "I dream sometimes about a house I've never seen. I mean, pretty much nobody has."

56: "The only reliable measurement of time is the state of the place."

Comments: I wanted to do one last Friday 56 & Book Beginnings before the year was over, and it's for Starling House. This is the first book I've read by Alix E. Harrow, and I loved it. What are you reading this week?

Music Monday (266): Nick Phoenix, Mariah Carey

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: My pick this week is All Hang The Lights On Christmas by Nick Phoenix. I wasn't expecting this song to come up on Two Steps From Hell's channel, but I love how festive it is.

Adri: Last week, I wrote about how I can only dream about Holiday/Christmas House music. Yes, that pick was house, but I wanted more. I had certain sounds in mind. Well, though I was trying to find artist that aren't on my typical holiday playlists, that search took me back to Mariah Carey. So my pick this week is Joy to the World - Flava Mix.

What are you listening to this week?

Short Stories I Read In October

It’s the twenty-ninth of November. So it’s time to talk about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in October. 

The Locked Coffin: A Judge Dee Mystery by Lavie Tidhar (Tor.com; October 25, 2023)

Admittedly, I haven’t kept up with the Judge Dee stories lately. But in October I was in the mood for something with vampires and, as it happens, a new Judge Dee story was released. I enjoyed this latest installment! The dynamic between the judge and Jonathan remains an endless source of entertainment. As for the case, this one had another castle but also a locked-room aspect to the mystery. Or should I say, as the title says, a “locked coffin mystery?” The world of Tidhar’s vampires remains fascinating and totally vicious in a myriad of ways, and there is never a shortage of suspects. That remains true here. And the twists—including the one that ultimately resolved the mystery of The Locked Coffin—usually play into the complicated nature and the interpersonal relationships of the vampires Judge Dee and Jonathan encounter. Overall, if you’ve enjoyed Judge Dee stories in the past, then I recommend this one as well.

What You Are and the Wolf by Jae Steinbacher (Lightspeed Magazine; October 2023; Issue 161)

The second story I checked out in October was Jae Steinbacher’s What You Are and the Wolf, and I liked it. This one is essentially a loose retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with the wolf, the red cloak, and visits to the grandmother’s house. That was combined with some social commentary and what was effectively a coming-of-age narrative set within a dark fairy tale.

From around the web…

• How Do You Manage Reading Expectations? [Molly Templeton; Tor.com; October 26, 2023]
• How Becoming the Doctor Made My Heart Bigger on the Inside [Riley Silverman; Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty-Four]
• New Story Out: Six Version Of My Brother Found Under The Bridge [Eugenia Triantafylloy; October 6, 2023]
• Failing the Marshmallow Test: On Not Saving Books for Later [Marissa Lingen; Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty-Four]
• Hitmen and Monster: The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey [Charles Bonkowsky; Tor.com; October 25, 2023]
• The Haunted Hallways of Midnight at the Houdini by Delilah S. Dawson [Vanessa Armstrong; Tor.com; October 26, 2023]

The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater

Title: The Witchwood Knot

Series: Victorian Faerie Tales #1
Author: Olivia Atwater
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Romance; Gothic
Publisher/Publication Date: Starwatch Press; November 28, 2023

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Olivia Atwater returns to the world of Half a Soul with “a sharp and beautiful gothic romance” (Alix E. Harrow). Dive into The Witchwood Knot, and enjoy a dark faerie tale set in a magical version of Victorian England.

The faeries of Witchwood Manor have stolen its young lord. His governess intends to steal him back. Victorian governess Winifred Hall knows a con when she sees one. When her bratty young charge transforms overnight into a perfectly behaved block of wood, she soon realises that the real boy has been abducted by the Fair Folk. Unfortunately, the lord of Witchwood Manor is the only man in England who doesn’t believe in faeries—which leaves Winnie in the unenviable position of rescuing the young lord-to-be all by herself. Witchwood Manor is bigger than its inhabitants realize, however, and full of otherworldly dangers. As Winnie delves deeper into the other side of the house, she enlists the aid of its dark and dubious faerie butler, Mr Quincy, who hides several awful secrets behind his charming smile. Winnie hopes to make her way to the center of the Witchwood Knot through wit and cleverness… but when all of her usual tricks fail, who will she dare to trust?

I have, of course, heard of Atwater’s other series, namely because of Half a Soul. While that book is still on my TBR list, I didn’t hesitate to request The Witchwood Knot, which was set in the same world. It promised to be a dark fairy tale with aspects of gothic fiction and romance, which is pretty in-line with some of my favorite books recently—i.e A Study in Drowning. And I liked The Witchwood Knot for what it was.

This was a relatively dark story, particularly when it delved into themes of trauma and harassment. This was something alluded to fairly early, particularly in relation to the backstory of the MC, Winifred Hall, as she became more and more immersed in the mysteries and the general strangeness of Witchwood Manor.

Generally speaking, I liked the cast of characters here. The ghost cat was an MVP, and I loved every scene he was in. Mr Quincy was an enigmatic presence, and I liked how Atwater portrayed his incongruous nature. Winifred was an easy favorite. She was resilient, confident, and relatively resourceful. And her quest—both to further her own aims and fulfil the terms of her employment—made her a relatively dynamic character.

The romance was on the subtler side for much of the story. There was a host of issues for Winifred to navigate—and her personal motivation influenced much of her early actions within the context of the plot—so her focus was, understandably, elsewhere.  There was a gradual build toward it, though. I just wish there had been more scenes of them exploring the depths of this burgeoning relationship. And I say this because, in the end, they were two very interesting characters, and I wanted more from that end of the story.

The best part for me, though, was the fantasy adventure. The setting was suitably creepy with plenty of hidden corners and an almost maze-like quality. That, when combined with the overarching mystery concerning the house’s creation and the current troubles surrounding it, gave a sense of intrigue that kept the story moving at a good pace.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a spinoff of another series. I personally don’t care about reading spoilers for the other books, but it’s something to think about when going into The Witchwood Knot.

Overall, The Witchwood Knot was good, and I had a lot of fun with it.

 

About the author....

Olivia Atwater writes whimsical historical fantasy with a hint of satire. She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and her two cats. When she told her second-grade history teacher that she wanted to work with history someday, she is fairly certain this isn't what either party had in mind. She has been, at various times, a historical re-enactor, a professional witch at a metaphysical supply store, a web developer, and a vending machine repairperson.

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