Review: Confounding Oaths, by Alexis Hall

The year is 1815, and Mr. John Caesar is determined to orchestrate a successful coming-out for his younger sister, Mary. Despite his best efforts, he is thwarted by the various interventions of a ragtag regiment of soldiers, a mysterious military cult, and a malicious fairy godmother.
When Mary is cursed by the fair folk, the dandyish Mr. Caesar is forced to work with the stolidly working-class—yet inescapably heroic—Captain James to rescue her. While Mr. Caesar is no stranger to dallying with soldiers, until now he's never expected one to stay. Or wanted one to. But even if the captain felt the same, there'd be no chance of anything lasting between them. After all, he and Mr. Caesar come from different worlds.

"The world is chaos. We try to understand it and to shape it, but we cannot unsee it."

Alexis Hall's Confounding Oaths is a sequel, but as the spirited narrator tells us, we don't need to have read the first installment Mortal Follies (HERE you can read my review) to enjoy it, although the reading experience might be dampened if you haven't. Puck returns here to tell another story about the same family, as the helpful cousin from the first book is brought to the fore, and his immediate family faces the dangers this time. This tale delivers just as the first, with the right mix of humor (coming from Puck's witty comments), gravitas, and swoon-worthy romance.

As with the first book, the threat comes from both the supernatural world and the mundane, and we see more of the fairy court and its workings, more fairy characters, and gods again. We also see issues of class and racism, which didn't appear in the first book, adding some much needed edge; and the exploration of sexism and homophobia from the first book of course make a return, with a focus on what society deems beautiful. As Puck warns in the beginning, there is cruelty in these novels, but also a relatively happy resolution.

The romance goes fast, going from a strong initial physical attraction, which is immediately acted upon, to the slow and tender lowering of the walls the duo had to build around their hearts. The focus is mostly on Mr. Caesar and his struggles as the first and only male child, but Captain James has his say in more ways than one.

There are a lot more characters in this one, but they are all treated with care. Maelys and Georgiana return, of course, allowing us to see what became of them, and so does Miss Bickle, who I imagine will be the main character of a possible new novel.

Confounding Oaths is a delightful romp.

✨ 4 stars

 

🦋🕷 So you want to read about conniving fae in an alternate England?

Here's my review of Trip Galey's A Market of Dreams and Destiny  

 

Review: Mal, by Perla Zul

Once upon a time, Mal was a spinster who could weave magic into his thread. Hired by the royal family, he met the young prince and the two became inseparable. But when the two attempted to save the kingdom, Mal was the only one to pay the price. He wakes up from a hundred year sleep with a body made of thorns and roses, his prince having never returned for him. Now, when that same kingdom he saved doesn't invite him to celebrate the birth of the princess, Mal brings his own gift...

"In the same way you'd love a flower, love yourself with that same power."

Perla Zul's Mal is a delightful novella retelling of The Sleeping Beauty, with a twist: Mal himself was victim of a sleeping curse, and as such bestows the same gift to the baby princess descended from the king of the realm he tried to save. He'll need to learn to let go of regret and resentment, and to love himself. As the hundred years of the princess' curse go by, we witness him grow and find friendship and love.

The novella has a strong fairy tale feel; the time jumps and the leaps of logic, which are very hit-or-miss in more straighforward stories, here work because of the dream-like quality of the narration. It really reads like an old story, sweet and magical. This effect also comes from the writing decision to have almost all dialogue rhyme, which is absolutely delightful, but it might not be for everyone. I know I loved it so much that I was grinning everytime a character spoke.

The characters' development is mostly off-screen, but again, given the strong fairy-tale feel that the author is going for, this works. The cast is a delight, with seven fairies who take Mal under their wings, and the fantastic character of the princess, and the prince destined to wake her up. We know how the original story goes, but we might be surprised by the fresh take of this retelling and by the narrative, circular direction.

Mal is a delightful retelling.

✨ 4 stars

Review: The Last Hour Between Worlds, by Melissa Caruso

Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she's determined to enjoy the party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She's a member of the Guild of Hounds, after all, and she can't help picking up the scent of trouble. She's not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl.
They quickly identify what's causing the mayhem: a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual. As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they'll need to rely on their wits - and each other - to unravel the secret of the clock and save their city.

"Your life was always worth something, you insufferable fool."

Melissa Caruso's The Last Hour Between Worlds is an excellent magical mystery with a Groundhog Day twist, immaculate world-building, and a compelling relationship developing in a matter of hours. This first volume in a trilogy that promises to be explosive sets the scene for a story with clear stakes and memorable characters.

The main character and sole PoV, Kembral, is a great protagonist. On leave after giving birth to her daughter, she's quick to action and set on doing the right thing, even if it might mean not seeing her infant child again. She's a competent protagonist without being overpowered, even if she does have a special skill that sets her aside from the rest of her colleagues, but it's a learned skill, and she's not the only one to have it. Her dynamics with rival Guild member Rika are a delight, their shared past the real meat of the story, and Rika's an equally compelling character with secrets of her own. Their verbal sparring is fun and the way they set to work together a marvel.

This isn't a romantasy, the central mystery means they're on a clock, and the book balances that out pretty well. The supporting cast does a lot of heavy lifting, a number of colorful and interesting characters, each with their own voice and their own complex relationships. I especially loved the fiery swordswoman and her sibling, and I can't wait to see them explored more.

The worldbuilding is precise while not being overwhelming. It doesn't hand-feed the reader, but rather it allows to glean everything from context in a clear and concise manner. The Echoes, parallel universes of sorts, were especially interesting with their slighter differences the deeper one goes, and the Empyreans - functionally demigods - were appropriately eerie. The inner workings were clear if one is familiar with Faerie and fairy deals, spinning a familiar environment for the reader while doing something new with it. The Prime world had a lot of interesting dynamics and politics, too, which I can't wait to read more about.

The Last Hour Between Worlds is a delightful introduction to a new world.

✨ 4.5 stars

Review: Don't Let the Forest In, by C.G. Drews

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.
But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

"We let our love for each other cut us to the bloody core."

C.G. Drews' Don't let the Forest In is an excellent YA horror story about loneliness, grief, and rage. The only POV, an asexual boy struggling with bullies and with his growing feelings for his roomate, has to face a sudden supernatural threat that might have even come from himself. His codependent relationship with his roomate, an angry boy abused by his parents, and the similarly codependent relationship with his twin sister, the only one who believes in him, are explored beautifully, creating a tangle of emotions and a marvelous exploration of asexuality.

Growing parallel to this is the exploration of the bone-chilling threat coming to their isolated prestigious school, turning the surrounding forest into a place of untold horrors. The body horror imagery is quite strong, and so is the constant sense of something being utterly wrong. Things come to a head in the moving finale, where the readers realize all the pieces were there all along for them to fix the puzzle. I'm not ashamed to say I didn't figure out the twist until it was spelled out, but it was exhilarating to return to the previous pages and find the clues in plain sight.

More enterprising readers might figure it out sooner, but it shouldn't take from the overall enjoyment of this little gem. At its core, it's a story about the extent of what we would do for the people we love, and whether that's even right or wrong. The answer isn't so simple.

The prose is exquisite, very lyrical and also explicit in its horrific descriptions. The novel features illustrations and short fairy tales that are the very same that are described in the book, as the main characters are respectively an artist and a writer, and the role of their works is quite interactive.

Don't let the Forest In is a quiet marvel.

✨ 4 stars

Snippet: Under the Dragon Moon, by Mawce Hanlin

Mael Nguyen doesn’t believe in fate, but he does believe in magic. His entire life revolves around the study of the arcane—spells and rituals, potions and illusions. As far as Mael is concerned, all he needs is a book in one hand and magic in the other. Anything outside of his bookshop, hidden away in the streets of New Orleans, isn’t worth his attention. But when a strange human stumbles into his life and hires him for a job, bringing along his blinding smile and curious magic, Mael finds that Fate is just as dangerous as Magic.
Leo Greyson refuses to believe in fate, but he desperately wishes to believe in magic. As a small time rockstar, full time radio host, Leo has never been one to shy away from experience and adventure. He’s always lived his life on the edge—always moving, never standing still. But when his twin sister is murdered, and he gains custody of her strangely magical daughter, that constant motion comes to a screeching halt. Instead, he is launched into an entirely new world hidden right beneath his nose, and Leo finds himself wondering if Fate really does exist, and if she’s led him right where he needs to be.

“He kissed like a hurricane.”

Mawce Hanlin's Under the Dragon Moon is a sweet romantasy with great character work and a mysterious background plot that promises to take center stage in the next installments of the series. In this first book the focus is on a magical mystery and on the establishment of the main characters’ relationship, motivations, past, and their relationship with friends and family, other than laying the foundation of a pretty complex worldbuilding, with sidhe, Courts, pacts, dragons, and a magic that builds on magical patrons. The politics and lore of this scintillating debut of an urban fantasy are pretty layered, and the prose is fantastic: lyrical at times, at times funny, always very respectful of the many triggering aspects, and littered with references to pop culture. There are quite a few explicit sex scenes.

✨ 4 stars

Review: Faebound, by Saara El-Arifi

Yeeran is a warrior in the elven army and has known nothing but violence her whole life. Her sister, Lettle, is trying to make a living as a diviner, seeking prophecies of a better future. When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven lands, they are both forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their borders. There they encounter the impossible: the fae court.
The fae haven’t been seen for a millennium. But now Yeeran and Lettle are thrust into their seductive world – torn between their loyalty to each other, their elven homeland, and their hearts.

"Our ignorance made victims of us."

Saara El-Arifi's Faebound is a romantasy that follows two sisters in their in their journey to discover that a species that was supposed to be extinct isn't so extinct after all. The fae are cursed to live underground, and their abode is explored fully, filled as it is with magic and mysteries. Plot twists abound; the revelations are woven into the story well. But the main characters, while being in their thirties, often act like they are much younger.

The relationship between the sisters is at the center, exploring the bounds of sisterhood, grief, resentment, and love. Prophecies are a thing that isn't taken seriously in the elven realms, and Yeeran doesn't always believe in her younger sister. Constrained by duty and love, Yeeran wasn't always there for Lettle, and that puts a burden on their relationship. The sisters' romantic relationships, while being a focus of the narration, feel unearned and a bit tropey, but at least the sapphic relationship of the older sister is executed well in contrast to the fated F/M romance of the younger.

The magical system is interesting, intricate and layered, with many possibilities explored. The fae can bind themselves to animals, becoming two halves of a whole, sharing a beautiful connection. The world isn't explored much, past what we know of the feud between various tribes of Elves, but one gets the sense that will change in the following books of the series. I would have liked the religion, and the three gods, to be explored more, but again that seems like it will be better developed in the coming books.

Faebound is a nice romantasy with little focus on plot.

✨ 3.5 stars

📚📚📚 IF YOU LOVE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE:

* Walk Between Worlds, by Samara Breger

for: fae world, forest

Review: A Market of Dreams and Destiny, by Trip Galey

Below Covent Garden lies the Untermarkt, where anything and everything has a price: a lover’s first blush, a month of honesty, a wisp of fortune. As a child, Deri was sold to one of the Market’s most powerful merchants. Now, after years of watchful servitude, Deri finally spots a chance to buy not only his freedom but also his place amongst the Market’s elite when he stumbles into the path of a runaway princess desperate to sell her royal destiny.
But news of the missing princess and her wayward destiny spreads. Royal enforcers and Master Merchants alike are after it. Outmanoeuvring them all would all be hard enough had Deri not just also met the love of his life, a young man called Owain, whose employers are using the Market for their own nefarious schemes. Deri soon finds that the price of selling the royal destiny, making a name for himself, and saving the man he loves is dear. The cost of it all might just change the destiny of London forever.

"True Love? That’s worth far more".

Trip Galey's A Market of Dreams and Destiny is a fun adventure set in an alternative England where Henry VIII turned to druidry to achieve his divorce, and Elizabeth I made a pact with Titania; where magic permeates every dealing, and the goblin market is the place where one can find anything, ruled by its own fay rules, but also a place where great injustice abounds.

The setting is intriguing, and yet the execution feels a little lacking; much more could have been explored. We follow the lives of two indentured servants as they navigate the market and face new threats, attempt to buy back their contracts, fight against the system, and fall in insta-love. Their relationship isn't fully explored, and this takes away from the shock that the big resolution should provoke.

Deri is a great protagonist, mischievous and very smart, able to male do with less than nothing and find new ways out of trouble. A thorough planner, it's a joy to watch him outmaneuver almost everyone in his quest to find the best solution with the least loss, even though his more altruistic plans are almost an afterthought. His ability to hear words when the London bells ring makes for an interesting power that could have been explored further.

The prose is phenomenal, lyrical and vivid and filled with great imagery, clever turns of phrase, and memorable characters populating the goblin market, from Deri's master who can speak with gold, to the cat that decides to take an interest in Deri's affairs, and many others. The goblin and fae, being genderless, are referred to exclusively with a neutral pronoun of the author's design.

A Market of Dreams and Destiny is a book that's filled with wonder.

✨ 3.5 stars

📚📚📚 IF YOU LOVE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE:

* Lava Red Feather Blue, by Molly Ringle

for: faerie, mischief

Review: In the Roses of Pieria, by Anna Burke

When Clara Eden is offered a job as an archivist working for eccentric estate owner Agatha Montague, she thinks her prayers have been answered. Soon, she finds herself sucked into her research world, captivated by a romantic correspondence thousands of years old. But as her feelings for her employer's assistant, Fiadh, deepen, so does her suspicion that something about Agatha Montague isn't right. Unfortunately for Clara, it is far too late to run by the time her suspicions are confirmed.

"I'll paint your face into the histories". Anna Burke's In the Roses of Pieria is a sapphic horror novel with a complex worldbuilding and academic overtones that really enrich the experience. The story is interspersed with a millennia-old correspondence that tugs at the heartstrings with its lyrical passages and references to Sappho's fragments, while slowly unease creeps into Clara and the readers alike as the main character realizes the truth behind the letters.

The fictional Nektopolis, created by the author as a backdrop to such an ancient love story, is so vividly described that makes one wonder whether it's real; the novel begins with an academic discussion that goes on for pages and sets the atmosphere well. The genre-savvy reader will understand immediately what takes Clara a little more time to wrap her head around, but the novel is still full of surprises with an exciting (and mildly horrific) take on the fae.

As the story unfolds, so does the love story between Clara and Fiadh, speeding through the unraveling horror making itself known. Fiadh is a compelling love interest, mysterious and intricate in her loyalties, but fierce in her passions. The adventurous second part of the novel allows to explore her more as a character, and revelations abound. The story, while pretty self-contained, ends with an abrupt cliffhanger that leaves you wanting the second installment in the duology immediately.

In the Roses of Pieria is a gloriously weird sapphic vampire story.

✨ 5 stars

📚📚📚 IF YOU LOVE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE:

* A Long Time Dead, Samara Breger

for: sapphic vampires, love through the ages

Review: A Power Unbound, by Freya Marske

Jack Alston, Lord Hawthorn, would love a nice, safe, comfortable life. After the death of his twin sister, he thought he was done with magic for good. But with the threat of a dangerous ritual hanging over every magician in Britain, he’s drawn reluctantly back into that world. Now Jack is living in a bizarre puzzle-box of a magical London townhouse, helping an unlikely group of friends track down the final piece of the Last Contract before their enemies can do the same. And to make matters worse, they need the help of writer and thief Alan Ross.
Cagey and argumentative, Alan is only in this for the money. The aristocratic Lord Hawthorn, with all his unearned power, is everything that Alan hates. And unfortunately, Alan happens to be everything that Jack wants in one gorgeous, infuriating package. When a plot to seize unimaginable power comes to a head at Cheetham Hall―Jack’s ancestral family estate, a land so old and bound in oaths that it’s grown a personality as prickly as its owner―Jack, Alan and their allies will become entangled in a night of champagne, secrets, and bloody sacrifice . . . and the foundations of magic in Britain will be torn up by the roots before the end.

"Broken items wanted to be whole". Freya Marske's A Power Unbound sticks the landing with this exhilarating conclusion to the Last Binding trilogy. A new set of main characters takes center stage, but this time the protagonists of the two previous volumes are more entangled with the plot and even undergo more development as this big, queer found family races against time to unveil a plot that could destroy everything.

After the enclosed setting of the second book, we find ourselves once again in England, between estates and magical parliament; we also see poorer parts of the city as Alan, who was introduced in the previous book, is an immigrant with a big family he works hard to support. This allows the book to introduce themes of class and power dynamics that work very well in the general context of the series and give it more depth. The journalist who's secretly a writer of queer erotica finds his perfect partner in bisexual Lord Hawthorn, as the two of them slowly dismantle their walls over the course of the book and a couple of intense sex scenes.

Every loose thread from the first two books is accounted for in this finale that asks questions about family, power, and abuse. The magic is made bigger and more interesting as the roots of power are explained and explored; every character has a moment to shine, from the medium that facilitates a heart-wrenching heart-to-heart with a ghost, to the nobleman who once thought he wasn't as powerful as his peers, from the seer to the powerful actress to the one who got violently torn from his own magic. And then there's Alan, who isn't magical but who can disrupt magic, and the surrounding cast of magicians, friends and foes, enstranged family and abusive brothers, and mothers who'll tear the world apart for their children.

The book weaves a rich tapestry that's much more deeper for its focus on land and contracts, the places where we live that protect us, and the free contracts between two people. It's a honest exploration of unconventional desires, woven together by the books written by Alan and mentioned in the first two installments: a thread that slowly reveals itself and makes the whole series almost a metanarrative.

A Power Unbound is a powerful exploration of love and the ties that bind.

✨ 4 stars

📚📚📚 IF YOU LOVE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE:

* The Magpie Lord, by K.J. Charles

for: Edwardian England, power dynamics

Review: Lava Red Feather Blue, by Molly Ringle

Awakening the handsome prince is supposed to end the fairy tale, not begin it. But the Highvalley witches have rarely done things the way they're supposed to. On the north Pacific island of Eidolonia, hidden from the world by enchantments, Prince Larkin has lain in a magical sleep since 1799 as one side of a truce between humans and fae. That is, until Merrick Highvalley, a modern-day witch, discovers an old box of magic charms and cryptic notes hidden inside a garden statue.
Experimenting with the charms, Merrick finds himself inside the bower where Larkin lies, and accidentally awakens him. Worse still, releasing Larkin from the spell also releases Ula Kana, a faery bent on eradicating humans from the island. With the truce collapsing and hostilities escalating throughout the country, Merrick and Larkin form an unlikely alliance and become even unlikelier heroes as they flee into the perilous fae realm on a quest to stop Ula Kana and restore harmony to their island.

"Being interesting keeps you alive longer in there". Molly Ringle's Lava Red Feather Blue is a standalone fantasy adventure with a fairy-tale feel and a modern twist. Set in our time, but on a hidden island in the Pacific, it's a sweet tale of love and sacrifice, about the machinations of power and about finding common ground. The ending, after the tension is expertly built up, feels a bit rushed, but it manages to stick the landing.

The cast is huge and varied, but the two POV characters shine. They're two vivid and believable figures, one a bit of a troublemaker, the other bound by duty; they clash and merge so beautifully. Merrick is only looking for a way to save his father when he stumbles upon the ancient curse keeping his island safe from danger; Larkin struggles when he suddenly finds himself waking up in the future, everyone he knew dead, with a heavy burden. Their relationship proceeds gradually, as they don't have time for affairs when they're racing against time to save their island. The second half of the novel is where they're really put to the test, with all sorts of trials and dangers.

The world-building was done beautifully. This is a lush paradise hidden from view, the last refuge of the fairies driven away from the rest of the world. The cohabitation isn't easy, and there are grudges on both sides, and clear lines of separation. Humans can't cross the border, for there are many dangers in the parts of the island inhabited by faeries. The fairies are strange and dangerous, and time spent in their land passes differently; it's not an otherworld, it's still on the island's territory, but the rules are different there. Living on the island has also rendered the humans magical and capable of inheriting three different types of magic; and there are half-fae characters, born from unions between humans and fairies.

The contrast with the modern world makes the novel even more interesting, especially with Larkin and his confusion at electricity and the internet. The island isn't cut out from the rest of the world; people from the island can travel elsewhere and come back, or decide to stay away. Progress reached the island too, and was adapted to the magical environment. This lent the novel a unique feel that I really enjoyed. The novel also features poems from Merrick's father, who's ailing from a curse caused by his stay in the fairy lands.

Lava Red Feather Blue is a refreshing take on a Sleeping Beauty premise.

✨ 4 stars

Review: Witchmark, by C.L. Polk

Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be enslaved to his family's interest or to be committed to a witches' asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family, but even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans' hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is.
When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder. To find the truth he’ll need to rely on the family he despises, and on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen.

"Amaranthines had no choice but to speak the truth, so they lied with honest words". C.L. Polk's Witchmark is a cozy fantasy mystery with a steampunk feel that delves into PTSD and classism. It's the first book in a trilogy, but it works well enough as a stand-alone novel; the protagonists fade into the background in the two sequels, that focus on different characters seen here. This is a debut, and it shows in the writing.

The plot follows the protagonist's attempts to find out what is happening in his country and to escape the clutches of his family, while also having a cute romance with a gentleman that is more than he seems. The most engaging part was the conflict with the system of the families of mages, that control the weather at the cost of enslaving less powerful witches in their families, while low-born witches are committed to asylums while the general public seems to have no clue that magic does exist. This conflict meshed well with the mystery that was set up, and the struggles of soldiers coming home took also center stage in the narrative. But the world isn't really well-developed, and the conflict with another nation is never explained well, until we get to a rushed finale that sets up bigger things with very little preparation.

While matters unfold, Miles also has the time to pursue a relationship with the mysterious man helping him. The romance is very cute and sweet and charming; it feels a bit like insta-love, but it works well in the context of the story. This book however seems very focused on the aesthetic, more than anything else. There's bikes and waistcoats and carriages and it feels more like they're there for the vibes, than for some actual world-building. There is character development, and an interesting journey, but the only character who is explored with any depth is the protagonist, and while he really is explored well, his sister and his romantic interest are more like cardboard figures.

Having also recently read Polk's most recent story, I'd say the author hasn't changed much over the years. The ideas are fascinating, but the execution feels lacking. While I'm mildly intrigued to know how the trilogy continues, I might wait a while before tackling it.

Witchmark is a cozy fantasy mystery for a quick, easy read.

✨ 3.5 stars

Review: Mortal Follies, by Alexis Hall

It is the year 1814 and Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into the highest society of Bath hindered by an irritating curse. It begins innocuously enough, with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at the ball of the season, a scandal she only narrowly manages to escape. However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, she realises she must seek out urgent assistance, even if that means mixing with the most undesirable company-and there are few less desirable allies than the brooding Lady Georgiana Landrake-who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune. If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress. Then again, a malign enchantress might be exactly what Miss Mitchelmore needs.

"A woman who lifts her own curses is a witch". Alexis Hall's Mortal Follies is a queer Regency romance with an unexpected narrator that I personally loved: Puck, or Robin, straight from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Forced to stay in the mortal world due to a transgression, Robin chooses to pay the bills by writing books about the many things he saw happen over his long life, and his narration constatly breaks the fourth wall in hilarious ways.

So we follow Maelys as she struggles against a curse set on her by a mysterious foe, and as she meets the devilish duke Georgiana and decides to put her faith in the mysterious witch. We meet witches, goblins, nymphs, and a goddess, as Maelys races against time to find a solution before she winds up dead or worse. All the while, Maelys cannot help feeling from the start a strong attraction to the duke, and their back-and-forth is exquisite.

In addition to the duke, Maelys has assistance from her cousin, a gentleman who loves other gentlemen, often the voice of reason, and from her best friend, an ingenue with hidden depths, who is enthusiastic and full of life and launches herself at things. The trio's banter is hilarious, but there's also more serious moments. I'm also in love with the prose, filled with conventions and turns of phrase of the time as the author satirises the genre - with many gentle jabs at classics - while also crafting an excellent romance.

The fantastical elements are well-woven into the tale, with two different curses coming into play and a clever denouement that definitely seems to set up for a sequel or a series. I'd give my firstborn for another book narrated by Robin.

Mortal Follies is a delightful romance with a unique voice.

✨ 4 stars

Review: The Faerie Hounds of York, by Arden Powell

 

William Loxley is cursed. A pale and monstrous creature haunts his dreams, luring him from London to the desolate, grey landscape of his forgotten childhood. There, it will use him to open a door to Faerie—a fate that will trap Loxley in that glittering, heathen otherworld forever.
His only hope of escaping the creature's grasp lies with John Thorncress, a dark and windswept stranger met on the moors. The longer Loxley stays in Thorncress' company, the harder it becomes to fight his attraction to the man. Such attraction can only end in heartbreak—or the noose.

This was terrifying, for me, personally. The pale and monstrous creature? Its descriptions are so vivid that I was about to throw my kindle away. Arden Powell's The Faerie Hounds of York is an atmospheric novella that I couldn't enjoy fully because that thing just kept creeping me out. It's not classified as a horror, but uhhh for me it was! I couldn't focus on the intriguing plot because that thing kept lurking. The romance was bittersweet, with unexpected twists and turns. The conclusion was fantastic.

The Faerie Hounds of York is a solid novella for horror enthusiasts.

✨ 3 stars

Snippet: Ash, by Malinda Lo

 

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Their friendship, as delicate as a new bloom, reawakens Ash's capacity for love--and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

This isn't the fairy tale you think it is. Malinda Lo's Ash is a lovely retelling of Cinderella that veers half-way through towards a different, exciting direction. But it's also a story about grief, and the romantic relationship is put a bit on the background. The book's pacing is quite slow, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. I have a big soft spot for this book, one of the first explicitly queer books I've ever read.

✨ 4 stars

Review: Walk Between Worlds, by Samara Breger

Sergeant Major Scratch Keyes of the King’s Guard is having a bad day.On what should be the biggest night of her life, everything suddenly goes horribly wrong. First, her king denies her the promotion she rightfully earned, as well as the knighthood that goes along with it. And then, when Scratch is wallowing somewhere near the fetid rock bottom, she and her best friend, the flamboyant and carefree Sergeant James Ursus, are arrested for orchestrating the abduction of Princess Frances and sentenced to death. On the whole, things could be better. Luckily, help comes in the form of the mysterious Shae siblings―Vel and Brella―who inform the doomed pair that the issue of the missing Princess is far more complicated than it appears.

This is a short novel done right. Samara Breger's Walk Between Worlds weaves expertly a story of self-discovery and colonialism, perfectly contained. It's light-hearted, but it never shies away from heavier subject matter. Only the ending feels a tiny bit rushed, as if it were setting up for a sequel, but it works well enough on its own.

The world is well described. Our protagonist is a very competent soldier who serves a colonialist kingdom without worrying too much about the consequences, set on finding her own way to the top: she comes from a place that was colonised before her birth, and the road is too set for the citizens of annexed countries, who have few choices in their lives. There's a scene where a character reads aloud the emanated laws, showing how a nebulous phrasing in a written law can mean few people realize what the law is actually saying.

The eponimous "Walk between Worlds" takes place in an enchanted forest where a portal can bring certain people wherever they want. A good chunk of the book is spent inside the forest, teeming with bandits and more supernatural dangers. Fae creatures inhabit the forest, and not all of them are benign; and those who are benign are still alien in their manners and wants. There's a beautiful love story bewteen two of them in the latter half of the book, painting in a few pages a tale of love and loss everlasting.

The relationship between our protagonist and her best friend is lovely and supportive, showing true mlm/wlw solidarity: Scratch loves women and James loves men, and there's a beautiful line of dialogue highlighting their affection for each other. Once the story gets going, both find a love interest. I initially expected Scratch's love interest to be someone else, and was pleasantly surprised to have my expectations subverted. The ensuing love story is tender and challenging at the same time, showing the pair navigating their difficult situation.

Walk Between Worlds is a lovely read for romantics who want to read a low-stakes adventure.

✨ 3.5 stars

Review: Misrule, by Heather Walter

 

Feared and despised for the sinister power in her veins, Alyce wreaks her revenge on the kingdom that made her an outcast. Once a realm of decadence and beauty, Briar is now wholly Alyce’s wicked domain. And no one will escape the consequences of her wrath. Not even the one person who holds her heart.
Princess Aurora saw through Alyce’s thorny facade, earning a love that promised the dawn of a new age. But it is a love that came with a heavy price: Aurora now sleeps under a curse that even Alyce’s vast power cannot seem to break. And the dream of the world they would have built together is nothing but ash.

Vengeance can't be everything. While the first book in the duology, Malice, is simply a compelling retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty, the second book deals with the aftermath. Heather Walter's Misrule asks heavy questions: what happens after you exact revenge for everything they did to you? How much can you push until it only becomes an endless cycle of violence? Is there any way to stop? Alyce, now called Nimara, spends a century lost in the need of taking revenge against those who wronged her and her people, saving Goblins and Vilas and making the fae pay the ultimate price. There's nothing to keep her in check until Aurora awakens, and the princess ends up acting as a moral compass of sorts. Aurora isn't happy with the changes within Alyce, especially those she feels are only caused by the darker presence buried deep inside Alyce. Aurora knows that the status quo couldn't remain the same, but she doesn't think that endless violence is the answer.

This conflict is at the heart of Misrule, showing a constant pull between what is easy and what is right. The question whether Alyce and Aurora will finally overcome their differences and get back together is almost in the background, and it's a good thing. Obviously the matter is at the forefront of Alyce's mind, but it's also shadowed by the core conflict. The resolution, too, to this clash of values is beautiful. Forgiveness takes time, and rightly so.

The world, which was fairly circumscribed in the first book, here takes on new depths. We meet all manners of new fae species, and the past is more explored. I found especially well done the inner conflict Alyce experiences when faced with the Shifters, reminding her of the betrayal she suffered in the first book. This wariness mirrors her fear of accessing that very same part of herself, and it's fitting that part of the resolution is exactly making her peace with it.

The new characters shine, but it's an old one that I find especially fascinating. The Grace who used to torment Alyce - and whom I would have loved to see redeemed - here takes a sharp turn towards villainy, but it's still a turn that makes sense with the character, and with what she suffered over a whole century. While I didn't like her ending, I appreciated how it reinforced the deeper point about revenge being an endless cycle.

All in all, Misrule is a solid conclusion to the duology, with an ending more complex than I expected.

✨ 3.5 stars

Review: Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo

 

“No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill—but she doesn’t care. She’d rather play a monster than a maid.
But in Luli’s world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes—even if that means becoming the monster herself.

There's power in what we choose to call ourselves. Nghi Vo's titular Siren Queen is unnamed, forced to use her own sister's name when a pseudonym is demanded of her. Battling against racism and sexism and later, homophobia, she shrouds herself in a coldness that protects her and allows her to succeed in an old Hollywood where studio executives are literal monsters, inhabited by ancient beings - maybe fairies, maybe demons - powered by blood sacrifices. Such coldness, and her determination to not have what she perceives as demeaning roles, finally lands her the role of a monstress, a murderous mermaid in a successful movie franchise. The character we know as Luli Wei is the Siren Queen, at least in the studio.

Inside, we see her insecurities and her loves, from her first love to the person whose comments pepper and interrupt the recollection, small playful moments that show us how things will get better, which constantly remind us that while things are bleak in the narration, there exists a future where Luli is free. We also see her friendships, the lengths she can go to in order to help the people she loves; but we see her shortcomings too, and her regrets. She's very human in this regard, a character who is allowed to make mistakes. Every character is fallible and complex, and the strongest part of this book are the bonds between them, messy and real and tragic and beautiful. Her lovers especially are all treated with the same dignity, and even when her first love ends due to her partner's choice to protect herself, said partner isn't villanised. After all, the villains of the book are something else.

The magic is fey, never explained, in the same way as it was(n't) in Nghi Vo's The Chosen and the Beautiful. This is a world were the Wild Hunt takes place every Friday night, where the Hunters mount cars instead of horses. Every year on Halloween, an actor is sacrificed. Actors and directors sometimes disappear; sometimes their place is taken by dolls. It's unclear whether the studio changeling are actual folklore changelings, or if it's a metaphor. Pacts are made with creatures who will take years off someone's life in exchange for the chance to be extraordinary. Sometimes your fellow actor can be a kidnapped magical being, or a plain boy transformed into a beautiful man. Immortality can be achieved by successful Hollywood stars. These things are all taken for granted, and never explained; but it works perfectly.

In the Afterword Nghi Vo says that the novel began as a set of novellas. This is especially visible in the structure, with each part taking place some years after the climax of the previous one. I wouldn't mind other novellas further exploring this world and the protagonist. While the ending is satisfying, it leaves tantalizing morsels of information that beg to be turned into a full story.

Nghi Vo caught my attention with The Empress of Salt and Fortune, but with this book she fully captured my heart.

✨ 5 stars

Review: Peter Darling, by Austin Chant

 

Ten years ago, Peter Pan left Neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as Wendy Darling. Growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is.
But when he returns to Neverland, everything has changed: the Lost Boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. Even more shocking is the attraction Peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, Captain Hook—and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain.

Sometimes you see a book's premise and you just know that you have to read it. Peter Darling by Austin Chant is a dazzling novel that takes your hands and asks you to believe in fairies once more. I've never been particularly taken with Peter Pan, but this retelling and sequel manages to strike a chord deep within oneself. If you ever felt you couldn't belong, this is the book for you. It's a heartfelt tale about finding oneself and growing up and finding companionship despite all adversity.

The book starts in medias res, the past slowly unraveling as we witness Peter's return to Neverland, his first meeting with Hook after many years, as we sense the attraction between the two grow from swordfighting to more and more. Theirs is a pairing I can honestly say has never crossed my mind, especially given their respective ages in the original novels, but Austin Chant makes it work perfectly. Peter, grown up and terribly unhappy with the shackles he was forced to don once more when he returned to his family, finally decides he can't take it anymore and returns to Neverland with the help of an aged-up Tinkerbell, always nonchalant in her cruelty and terribly fond and protective of Peter. Neverland isn't as it once was, and Peter falls easily into old schemes, unable to change. But it's not his fault, at least not consciously: the island is a haven, and as such clouds memories. It's only with the help of the Fairy Queen that Peter is able to unveil his past.

It's a past he doesn't want to relive, nor return to. And yet it's him that awakens in Hook the man's own lost memories, lost to decades spent on the island. James Hook, once he remembers who he was and too his own trials, is a softie. He just wants to protect Peter, and take him back home, save them both from the danger of losing oneself in a fantasy. Peter doesn't want to, not when only in Neverland he can truly be himself, but with the help of Hook he realizes he can be himself even in the real world, or rather, he can be himself with Hook and the world is none the wiser.

Peter is transgender; his life before Neverland, and when he bent back home before the beginning of the novel, is described with infinite kindess. His parents are blinded by society's expectations, and can't see how they are harming him. His brothers, too, are blind to it, but we don't really see how they act in the years leading to his decision to leave again.

One thing I would have liked to see more is a deeper exploration of Neverland and the way it works. The fairies are eerie creatures, not the ones we know from folklore; a kraken inhabits the waters. The island is elsewhere and exerts a certain kind of control over its denizens, but Hook often mentions known pirates, and there's a treasure buried on land. The island creates illusions to keep happy those who find themselves there. I wouldn't have minded a longer work, if it meant to flesh out more these aspects.

As it stands, the book is a lovely tale, heartwarming and profound, that will leave you giddy.

✨ 4 stars