Tag: fantasy
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Book review: Castle and Key by W.R. Gingell
Castle and Key by W.R. Gingell My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the latest (but hopefully not the final!) book in the author’s Two Monarchies series. I have loved all of the books in this series and highly recommend that you read them. This most recent book is the story of Susan Farrah…
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Book review: Beyond by Mercedes Lackey
Beyond by Mercedes Lackey My rating: 4 of 5 stars Prequels are difficult. Because the readers (assuming they have read the subsequent books) know how the book turns out, it’s difficult to build up suspense. And origin prequels are especially difficult because everything isn’t supposed to work quite as smoothly as in the subsequent series…
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Book review: Cinderella Must Die by W.R. Gingell
Cinderella Must Die by W.R. Gingell My rating: 4 of 5 stars A re-telling of the Cinderella fairy tale that turns everything you know on its head. In this version, the evil stepsisters are good, and Cinderella is bad. Now the stepsisters are accused of escaping from prison, killing Cinderella, and are on the run.…
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Book review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton My rating: 3 of 5 stars A lighthearted frothy fantasy/romance. The book ostensibly takes place during the Victorian period and has many of the components of a Regency romance (I use “Regency romance” broadly and not at all accurately when it comes to time periods). The…
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Book review: The Cecilia & Kate Novels by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
The Cecilia & Kate Novels: Sorcery & Cecilia by Wrede & Stevermer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Instead of starting a new series, complaining about starting a new series, and not finishing a new series, I decided to read ALL THREE of the books in this series consecutively. (No applause necessary.)The conceit of this…
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Book review: Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Sunshine by Robin McKinley My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really dislike vampire novels. I find them clichéd and silly (other than Bram Stoker’s Dracula, of course). And, if it weren’t for the fact that Robin McKinley is one of my favorite fantasy writers, I wouldn’t have read this one either.But I’m glad I…
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Book review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have never read anything by Sarah Maas before, but this book looked interesting and so I thought I’d give it a try. I am so glad I did! The book is best described as a romance tucked inside…
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Book review: Chalice by Robin McKinley
Chalice by Robin McKinley My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have loved almost everything I’ve read by Robin McKinley, and “Chalice” is no exception. On the surface, this is a conventional fantasy with magic and villains and heroes. The author lifts the book out of its conventional genre with lyrical–almost poetical–writing (as is typical…
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Book review: The Black Company by Glen Cook
The Black Company by Glen Cook My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a departure from what I often read. It’s fantasy, yes, but it’s a gritty, mercenary fantasy–all sharp edges and plot-driven. I liked it a lot–it’s a little magical, a lot gory, generally unsentimental, and a tad dystopian. For some reason,…