Weekend Reads: A Pile of Clean Fantasy (Lauricia)

Greetings all! I hope you are well and keeping warm! Where I live outside of Houston, Texas, the weather is going CRAZY. Last week I literally wore a summer-appropriate dress on Tuesday and a sweater and long-johns yesterday. These weather swings are crazy! Fortunately, no matter what’s going on outside, I can always trust the weather will be relatively stable inside – perfect for reading!

I have desperately been trying to get through the ARC of Emberhawk, Jamie Foley’s upcoming release, so I could have a review ready for you, but my day job is crazy-busy right now. I would rather revel in the book and be able to give you a full review of its awesomeness than skimp because I’m in a hurry, so for today I’m going to leave you with a few other books that I’ve read in the past and haven’t reviewed here yet. If you’re curious about Emberhawk, you should be – it has awesome magic and a crazy cool elemental fox and I’m totally LOVING it. It’s set to release on Valentine’s Day, but you can pre-order it now. Go check it out.

Until its release, though, here are some other books that I highly recommend:

                

The Book of Things to Come and The Blood Sword (Hand of Adonai Series Books 1 and 2)

Aaron D. Gansky

This is a great series about teens who get sucked into a gaming world. However, in these stories, the theme is spun a little differently: two of the teens who wind up in the game world are the game's creators, and they have no idea what's going on. The other teens who get sucked in are semi-innocent bystanders. All of them, though, are there for a reason. The question is, how did they get there and how do they find their way home?

If you enjoy playing role playing games of any kind, you need to check out this series.

 

Mirrors and Pearls: A Retelling of Snow White

by Lea Doue

If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, you need to read this book. Although it’s short for a novel, the plot is fully drawn and fleshed out. Doue’s unique contributions include female dwarves, a hall of mirror prisons, and dragons. This is a version of Snow White that you don’t want to miss.

The City of Ember (Book of Ember #1) by Jeanne DuPrau

Set in a post-apocalyptic society deep under the ground, The City of Ember is a dystopian novel that tells the story of how Lina and her friend, Doon, save their city from a fate of eternal darkness. Originally published in 2004, this story has won several notable awards and has even been made into a movie. Written for about middle school readers, this story is an enjoyable read for all ages.

Whatever the weather in your part of the world, I hope that your weekend promises some time with at least one good book. Let me know what you think of any of the books mentioned here in the comments below, and keep your eye out for the upcoming review of Jamie Foley's Emberhawk.

Cheers and happy reading!

The Long List of Top Books and Authors of 2019 (Lizzie)

I'm not finished reading for the year yet, but since this is my last post of the year, I decided to dedicate it to my favorite books and authors of the year so far. I actually, for the first time, keep a list of the books I read. It's been really fun to see how many I actually read (or started previously and finished). The total for full-length books (fiction and non-fiction) is 37! I also read 7 novella-length books! I read fewer non-fiction books this year (and only finished one writing book), so I will have to work on that in 2020, but I "discovered" novellas this year, which was a pleasant surprise. As for favorite books this year, I couldn't do a Top 3 Books because I loved so many of them, so I'm breaking them down into categories. :)

Top 3 Most Read Authors of 2019

There were many authors this year (some new to me) who convinced me to read a second book, or third, or more. One stands out a little more than the rest...

1. WR Gingell with 8 novels and 2 novellas (Lady of Dreams, Lady of Weeds, Spindle, and the addicting City Between series currently consisting of 5 novels and 2 novellas)

2. Christopher Healy with his three delightful and hilarious The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom middle grade stories.

3. H.L. Burke with Nyssa Glass House of Mirrors, To Court a Queen, and Spellsmith and Carver Magician's Rivarly (I may need to move her up before the end of the year since I have at least one other book currently on my Kindle app).

For authors who I read two books of (and have read or likely will read more by), the list is long (which is exciting): Lea Doue,  Patrick Carr, Nadine Brandes, JF Rogers, RC Sproul, Morgan Busse.

Top 3 Fantasy Romance Novellas

(You can find more information about these on my post here.)

1. Nyssa Glass: House of Mirrors by H.L. Burke
2. Mirrors and Pearls by Lea Doue
3. Curse and Consequence by Savannah Jezowski

Top Fantasy Novels with Romance

1. Lady of Weeds by W.R. Gingell
2. Lady of Dreams by W.R. Gingell
3. The Lord of Dreams by C.J. Brightley

4. Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue
5. Identity by Camille Peters

6. Fawkes and Romanov by Nadine Brandes

7. Mark of the Raven and Flight of the Raven (Ravenwood Chronicles) by Morgan Busse

Top Short Stories

I have to brag on my friends and I for all the fantastic short fairytale retellings in our anthology Encircled.

Deep Magic Winter edition is also a winner just based on the two short stories I've read so far.

Top Non-Fantasy Books

Non-fiction

1. Star Struck: Seeing the Creator in the Wonders of Our Cosmos by David Bradstreet and Steve Rabey

2. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

3. Fight Write by Carla Hoch (Okay, I've only read a few chapters of this, but it already deserves a place here.)

Historical Fiction

1. The End of the Magic by Patrick Carr

2. More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemyer

3. The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson

Top Series to Read More of in 2020

1. City Between by WR Gingell

2. The Firebrand Chronicles by JM Hackman

3. Ravenwood Chronicles by Morgan Busse

I enjoyed that. :) So many great reads this year! And so many books on my TBR pile for Christmas break and next year. What are your favorites reads of 2019 so far? Which books are you looking forward to in 2020?

Top 3 Fantasy Romance Novellas of 2019 (Lizzie)

I've been looking through my Books Read list and discovered that several of my favorites from this year were actually shorter works. So in keeping with last month's post on Top Fantasy Romance Novels of 2019, I'm doing a Top 3 Romance Novellas of 2019. Enjoy :)

1) Nyssa Glass: House of Mirrors by H.L. Burke

Laurie briefly reviews this delightful steampunk tale here. Electrician and ex-thief Nyssa is on the run after her kind boss is murdered. Someone wants to use Nyssa's talents to get information out the abandoned and booby-trapped house of an eccentric inventor. With mystery, adventure, a lovable MC in Nyssa, and a very lovable house computer called Hart, this is certainly a keeper and a recommended story.

2) Mirrors and Pearls by Lea Doue

A charming and somewhat different Snow White retelling with dragons and hair of feathers, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and look forward to more in this story world. And isn't the cover stunning? You can read my review of it here to learn more about it.

3) Curse and Consequence by Savannah Jezowski

A fun romp through a Regency-like world where a curse might just get you the love you want--or get you turned into a pig or a dragon. This was cute, humorous tale of curses gone wrong and two brothers vying for the attention of likable heroine, who, of all things, is a pig-keeper. You can read a guest post by Savannah here.

Do you have a favorite shorter fantasy romance? Have you read any of these?

Top 3 Fantasy Romance Novels of 2019 (Lizzie)

I love a good romance, and I'm very happy to say I've read a few of those this year, both novel length and novella. I'll focus on novels here and have a separate post for novellas next month.

1) Lady of Weeds by W.R. Gingell

I love the way Gingell writes this tale of a cold, isolated Guardian of the Shore who must collect magic-infused seaweed before the selkies get it and whose life changes when a mysterious boy washes ashore with no memory and a hidden treasure. It's not the deep POV I'm used to in historical romance and even many fantasy stories. It's more omniscient and classic in feel, and it is perfectly suited to the brave and lonely (though she wouldn't admit it) Carys. The hero is charming, the story fraught with danger but relatively little action, and full of mystery. With selkies and magic in seaweed and sand, the story world holds an interest as well. I've kept it in my mind's shelf with much pleasure, and I hope to get a print copy to add my bookcase (and to read it again).

2) The Lord of Dreams by C.J. Brightley

A young women must rescue the fae prince who's been the villain of her previous adventures in the realm of the fae. A delightful romance and lovable, related heroine and noble hero; it still makes me smile to think of it. This one is definitely on my read-again list. You can read Laurie's review of it here.

3) And a tie for third: Identity by Camille Peters and Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue

My initial thought was to put Identity by Camille Peters as third and The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue as Honorable Mention. Then I realized I read The Firethorn Crown at the beginning of the year and Identity a few weeks ago, which might affect my judgment. I enjoyed them both, both sweet romances with a fairytale tie-in. The Firethorn Crown is a fun retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" with a sweet romance and lots of dragons of all shapes and sizes. Identity is a sweet romance and a Goose Girl retelling with a goose girl who becomes a ladies maid to a princess who looks just like her and who is then forced to impersonate the wild princess--on her honeymoon. The prince Anwen is forced to marry is sweet and a bit childish and Anwen is soon torn between her growing affection for him and the premonition that the princess will tire of her current scheme and force Anwen out of the marriage she forced her into.

Extras: Fawkes by Nadine Brandes and Mark of the Raven and Flight of the Raven (Ravenwood Chronicles) by Morgan Busse

I couldn't not mention two others of my favorite novel-length romances, but I put them here because I wouldn't say the focus is the romance. They have more of an adventure feel to them. But I love the romance as much as the rest of the stories. :)

Fawkes, with its fantasy retelling of the Gunpowder Plot and intriguing world of color powers and a protagonist who must become a hero, this is definitely one of my favorites--of the year and ever.

Mark of the Raven and Flight of the Raven (Ravenwood Chronicles) by Morgan Busse, again with a main character torn between family and destiny and the truth, is another great book. Great story world and wonderful hero to our strong, troubled heroine as well. :)

What are your favorite fantasy romances? Have you read any of these?

BOOK REVIEW: Mirrors and Pearls by Lea Doué (Lizzie)

Once upon a time in a land of magic and dragons …

There was a delightful, imaginative Snow White retelling complete with dragons and hair of feathers.

Mirrors and Pearls by (Fairy Tale Dragon Riders) by Lea Doué tells the story of Snow White but in a unique world of dragon riders, fairies, a talking squirrel, and other magical creatures. Here's the blurb from amazon.com:

Forced to flee for her life on the morning of her eighteenth birthday, Princess Snow hides from her cruel stepmother, wielder of the mysterious magic mirror, and dreams of the day she can free her people.

But dreams never come true that easily.

Among those by her side are a huntsman who is more than he seems, an enthusiastic talking squirrel, and a handful of dragons who are not as helpful as Snow would like. If she is to reclaim her throne, she must come up with a bold plan to stop the Queen before it's too late.

I loved Snow and the prince (and their sweet relationship) and all the creatures. Snow's fairy "blessing" (skin white as snow and all that) is reminiscent of the type of dubious fairy blessings found in Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted. I particularly enjoyed Lea Doué's application of the blessing, but, sadly, I can't talk about it without spoiling the surprises for you. Just know it's really cool. The only disappointment (and I knew this going in) is that Mirrors and Pearls is only a novella. So not nearly long enough for such a cute story.

Top Three Fairy Tale Retellings (Lauricia)

For many of us, fairy tales supply our first taste of the fun of fantasy. At a young age we are introduced to magical adventures in which the good guy always wins, and we explore wondrous worlds with just enough danger to add a sense of urgency while assuring us that, as long as we keep our wits about us, we can overcome any threat.

As we grow older, many of us think back on those stories with fondness. We love to revisit them, but the sense of wonder is gone, replaced with the comfort of something so familiar that we have it memorized. We long to return to the original stories, but we wish they weren’t so well worn. It is this desire that makes fairy tale retellings so popular.

I have yet to write a fairy tale retelling. I worry that I will not do the original story justice, or that my version will come off as hackneyed and flat. However, every once in a while I come across a retelling that I am drawn to read, and I am happy to share my top three most recent discoveries with you.

 Masque by W. R. Gingell

This is a delightful retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" that takes the story in a way readers would never expect it to go. Think Disney’s Beauty and the Beast meets Sam Spade, private detective, set in Regency England. In this version, Isabella Farrah, the daughter of an ambassador, is more interested in getting her man than she is in being rescued. The only problem is Lord Pecus, Commander of the city’s Watch, keeps getting in the way. Well, Isabella actually keeps getting in his way, but if Pecus would just let Isabella have her way, she’s certain she could nab the murderer of one of her oldest friends.  A feisty heroine whose nobody’s fool and witty dialogue highlight this story’s unique blend of the fairy tale and murder mystery genres, making Masque a retelling must-read.

The Firethorn Crown (Firethorn Chronicles, Book 1) by Lea Doue

Before I knew this story was a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", I fell into it in a way that I hadn’t done with any story for a long time. I was pleased with the cast of characters, with the author’s attention to detail, with the way she managed to include all twelve girls without causing confusion, and—most of all—with the love triangle. While love triangles seem to be obligatory recently, Doue handled this one in a gracefully realistic way. As I finished the book, I was already looking forward to the second book in the series.

Waking Beauty by Sarah E. Morin

This is an excellent retelling of "Sleeping Beauty". However, this version examines the story from a unique angle, asking: What happens if, every time Beauty thought she woke up, she found out that she was truly still asleep? Once Prince Charming rescued her, how could he convince her she was truly awake? This story is a cleverly thought out variation of the original with slightly allegoric overtones. The author cleverly challenges the assumptions readers naturally make when thinking of the story and does so with developed wit and poignancy.

Do you enjoy fairy tale retellings? Why or why not? If so, which ones are your favorites?