The nitty-gritty: Luminous and magical, The Rules of Magic is Alice Hoffman at her best. Today everything smelled earthy, the rich scent of mulch and decaying leaves and roots. It was an ending and a beginning, for the month itself was like a gate. October began as a golden hour and ended with Samhain, the […]
The nitty-gritty: A beautifully written and conceived tale of rival magicians, but with too many characters and ideas, it just seemed too big for a single volume. I have to admit it was my husband who “got” the title of this book. He took one look at the cover and said, “An Unkindness of Magicians. […]
The nitty-gritty: A multi-generational saga of a family of witches, with plenty of drama, familiars, and just a touch of magic. I’ve always loved multi-generational stories, although I usually associate them with historical and literary fiction, not fantasy. But Louisa Morgan has combined all three genres into a fascinating and far-reaching tale of a family […]
The nitty-gritty: A compulsively readable tale about the hidden lives of one married couple. Best Day Ever was just what I needed. I’ve been surviving on a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy for the last six years, so it was a nice change of pace to read a contemporary thriller for a change. […]
The nitty-gritty: Fast and furious, violent and action-packed, this story will make you wish you had magical powers! Brad Abraham’s debut is being billed as “Harry Potter meets James Bond” and after reading Magicians Impossible I have to say that’s a pretty good description. I had several Harry Potter flashback moments while reading this, and […]
The nitty-gritty: A bloody good, bloody brilliant sequel in Kristoff’s ode to the Roman Empire. Hey, let’s face it. This story is just bloody. Small, unavoidable spoilers for Nevernight, if you haven’t read it yet. Fair warning! There were several times while reading Godsgrave that I had to stop reading and ask myself, “Did Jay […]
The nitty-gritty: A heady mix of high entertainment, non-stop action and interesting facts about physics and future technology, this book was, simply put, a blast! After reading a couple of fellow bloggers’ rave reviews of this book, I knew I had to get a hold of a copy and read it for myself. And they were […]
The nitty-gritty: As twisty and complex as Shakespeare, this story surprised me in every way possible. This is definitely one of 2017’s “must reads!” When Curtis Craddock asked me if I’d like a copy of his debut to read and review, I didn’t know much about it at the time. But I’m ecstatic that I […]
The nitty-gritty: Part nail-biting historical journey and part Terminator-like thriller, The Clockwork Dynasty will surprise readers with its unexpected emotion, violence and unputdownable, page-turning storytelling. “We cannot succeed,” she says, and her voice is a melody, the chirping of clockwork birds. Indeed, the mechanism that speaks for her was created from a singing wooden clock […]
The nitty-gritty: A modern-day supernatural mystery cloaked in Victorian garb, with monsters. When I first saw the cover of Strange Practice, I knew it was going to be different from other books I’ve read. This is exactly the kind of cover that grabs my attention: quirky, brightly colored, and there is obviously an interesting story […]