Weekend Reads: Top 4 Anticipated Releases (Kimberly)

 It's December already! And I have four great books for you to put on your reading wishlist!

I decided to do something a little different to close out 2022. Instead of reviewing a single book, I thought it would be more fun to list the four books I'm most excited about reading in the near future. The first three books will release in December and the fourth will release in early February. So here are my top picks in order of their release dates.

#1 - The King's Captive: Magiford Supernatural City (Gate of Myth and Power #1) by K.M. Shea

Releases December 16, 2022

I can turn into a housecat.

It’s a fun magic, except in a world filled with vampires and werewolves, it doesn’t exactly make me a powerhouse. Instead, the supernatural community has classified me as an outcast, which means one thing: Picking on me is open season all day, every day.

The local fae are the worst of all, and it’s during one of their regular “capture the cat-girl” sessions that I shift into my cat form and meet HIM for the first time.

Noctus is so powerful his magic radiates off him like a sun, and my fae captors can barely look in his general direction. And then my life gets even more terrifying when Noctus decides to take me with him. As a pet.

Why did he pick today to “adopt don’t shop” a cat?

It gets worse when I realize he’s an elf, a ruling race of supernaturals that was supposedly killed off centuries ago.

But he’s not just any elf, no. He’s an elven king, with heaps of secrets to protect. Secrets that I am quickly learning since he includes his new pet in everything from breaking into buildings to inspect classified paperwork to tracking down sketchy supernaturals.

All this means if he gets even a hint that I’m not a real cat, I’m going to find out firsthand how elves treat their prisoners.

So, escaping Noctus is priority #1. How hard can it be? (Answer: very.)

King’s Captive is the first book in the Gate of Myth and Power urban fantasy trilogy, and is part of the Magiford Supernatural City world. It features elves, fae, werewolves, and vampires, and contains an adventure-filled and hilarious take on the Hades and Persephone myth. It’s packed with humor, battles, and a sweet, slow burn romance between an outcast magic user and the deadly king of the elves.

My Thoughts: I'm so excited to return to the wonderful world that is Magiford! Shea writes such a fun light noblebright urban fantasy world and with so many great layered characters (main and secondary) that every entry into the Magiford Supernatural City universe is a guaranteed delight. And this time there are ELVES!!! With the new trilogy launching NEXT Friday, I cannot wait to read how Shea has adapted Hades and Persephone into her own unique spin.

#2 - The Rogue Princess: A Retelling of Puss in Boots (Return to the Four Kingdoms Book 5) by Melanie Cellier

Releases December 26, 2022

Kali has always dreamed of adventure, but she never expected to find it in the company of a talking cat. Puss definitely has an agenda, but he isn’t sharing it with her. All she knows is that he wants a miller’s child to accompany him across the Great Desert to the mysterious lands beyond.

Kali doesn’t mean to let her opportunity go, even if she doesn’t understand the purposes of the mysterious creature at her side. But when she encounters thieves and misadventure, she realizes something bigger is underway. Her people are under threat, and she can’t turn her back on them—no matter how irritated she is by the fellow traveler who turns up wherever she goes. Kali knows Xavier isn’t to be trusted, but she and Puss need his help. Only together can they avoid the traps laid for her and uncover the truth.

In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Puss in Boots, a miller’s daughter will have to trust a tricksy cat and a handsome young man if the three of them have any hope of saving her people.

If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, and intrigue, then try the books in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series now! These interconnected fairy tale retellings each feature a different heroine who finds herself friendless in a strange land and who must fight to save her new home and win her happily ever after.

My Thoughts: After traveling across the desert and exploring new kingdoms for the last two books, we're headed back to the Four Kingdoms proper in this latest entry. Three series into this world and I always enjoy the way Cellier twists familiar and sometimes obscure fairytales into fresh interpretations. This time we have the added bonus of a talking feline. The blurb promises an adventure and I am extremely curious to see how Cellier puts her own spin on Puss in Boots. 

#3 - Song of Ebony: A Snow White Retelling (The Singer Tales Book 1) by Deborah Grace White

Releases December 26, 2022

In a city trapped in the treetops, one princess’s song will change everything

Crown Princess Bianca has always been unusual, from her snow-white hair to the strange way her words dance. But just like every other Selvanan, she’s restricted to the trees, unable to set foot on the deadly soil. That is, until her stepmother betrays her on the eve of her coronation, sending Bianca to the ground to die. Except the jungle floor is not what Bianca expected—from supposedly mythical elves to magic gone wild, it seems there’s much she didn’t know about both her kingdom and herself.

Prince Farrin never intended to get trapped in Selvana forever. He only came to find a cure for his brother’s terrible affliction. But after two years, he’s no closer to his goal. And his continued survival depends on his ability to navigate both the treacherous Selvanan jungle and the ways of the bargain-loving miniature elves.

When he crosses paths with an exiled princess, his course takes an abrupt change. It’s not just because he’s rattled by his all-consuming determination to keep the princess safe. More Selvanans than Bianca will pay with their lives if the pair can’t find a way to outwit her enemies and harness the power of Bianca’s voice.

Song of Ebony is the first installment in The Singer Tales, a series of interconnected standalone novels set on the continent of Providore, where magic is harnessed by singers. Each story follows a different heroine navigating everything from miniature elves to brutish giants as she chases her own happily ever after. If you enjoy strong heroines, clean romance, and fantasy worlds with a dash of intrigue, discover the world of The Singer Tales today.

My thoughts: White is a newer author but I've really enjoyed reading her different series from epic fantasy to fairytale retellings. Her Snow White retelling sounds so intriguing! I'm especially looking forward to finding out more about the magic system of singers!

#4 - The Elven Healer's Apprentice (Elves of Eldarlan Book 4) by Elisa Rae

Releases February 9, 2023

Merlon, the king of Eldarlan’s healer, hides his soft heart beneath a prickly exterior. Despite a traumatic childhood, he strives to excel as a healer and an elf. But he gets more than he bargained for when he rescues a human woman from certain death right before being snared in the curse put on the king of Eldarlan.

Left to fend for herself in an absent elf healer’s compound, Adela tries to be useful. The patients call her the healer’s apprentice. Something the healer rejects when he finally returns. Despite his grumpy manner, the healer displays a strange mixture of kindness and care. Intrigued, Adela suspects the healer hides more than he reveals.

The Elven Healer’s Apprentice is a light, fantasy romance novella about a romance between an elven healer and a human woman. It features a grumpy sunshine romance where opposites attract when they encounter forced proximity and jeopardy.

My Thoughts: Some of you may remember that Elisa Rae is the magical fantasy pen name of our own Rachel Rossano and she's releasing the fourth book in her elven series! I have loved the three previous entries in this series. The elves are fun and both unique yet familiar. The grumpy healer Merlon has been one of my favorite side characters from the previous books and I'm so excited he's getting his own story! And a human love interest who can hold her own with this grump with a heart of gold! February can't get here soon enough!

This is my final entry for 2022 so I wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May your reading stockings be filled with excellent reads!

Kimberly

Weekend Reads: The Spoken Mage series by Melanie Cellier (Sarah)

 

I don’t know about you, but I love series, especially if they’re already complete and I can follow the character journeys from beginning to end, as quickly as my time permits. The Spoken Mage series offers one such experience, with four books in the initial series, one companion book about side characters, and a follow up series (partially released) already available. 

The first book, Voice of Power, introduces us to Elena, a girl with an ability believed impossible. Her existence shakes the foundation of the existing mage system in the kingdom of Ardann and earns her many enemies. She's installed in the Royal Academy for mages, and nearly everyone there wants to see her fail. Those who desire her success do so only because they wish to study her and gain an advantage in the exercise of their own powers. Many view her powers as a threat to the kingdom (or conversely, as a weapon to be wielded against their enemies)—and as such, her life is in constant danger.

I appreciated Elena’s devotion to family and her determination to make the best of the difficult situation she landed in. Sometimes her hasty speech and various immaturities felt a bit much, but they were also believable for a teen without guidance in a difficult situation. Elena has ample room to grow as the series continues, both in character and the exercise of her abilities, and thankfully, she takes those opportunities. 

I found the general concept of The Spoken Mage world intriguing, with its foundation resting on the power of words, a power so great that those without an innate gift cannot read or write without accidentally unleashing explosive and deadly force. It begs many questions about how a world would function without the written word available to most of society (although certainly for much of our own world’s history, only the upper classes were literate) and provides an interesting exploration of those concepts. 

In addition to a fresh world concept, this YA academy series has a slowly unfolding romance and plenty of conflict found in the burgeoning power that Elena must learn to control, an ongoing war with a neighboring nation, and various factions struggling for control within Ardann. The series is an entertaining quick read with nice twists and a satisfying conclusion. I’d especially recommend it for any teens in your life. 

Are you a series reader or do you prefer standalone novels?

Weekend Reads: The Secret Princess by Melanie Cellier (Kimberly)

Hi everyone! Can you believe we’re midway through JUNE already? This year is flying by, isn't it? But I have the perfect summer escape in today’s book! For fairytale and adventure/intrigue lovers, The Secret Princess by Melanie Cellier is just the ticket!

The Secret Princess: A Retelling of The Goose Girl (Return to the Four Kingdoms Book 1)

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

This retelling of the Goose Girl is the first book in Cellier’s third fairytale retelling series. While the book takes us back to the kingdom that started it all in The Princess Companion and brings several secondary characters from the second series into the spotlight, there’s enough background worked in that you can pick this book up without reading the first two series. But if you want to read from the beginning, there’s eleven novels and three novellas between the preceding series.

In The Secret Princess, I loved that we were able to go back and see the changes that happened in Arcadia during the twelve year time gap from that first novel including character cameos. This is something I absolutely adore when it happens because I so enjoy being able to check in on previous characters and discover what’s happened since we last saw them. Now I have to admit that Goose Girl is actually not one of my personal favorites and I can sum it up in one word: Falada. And if Falada is included in a retelling, there’s normally a heartbreaking adherence to the original fairytale. So I actually don’t read very many Goose Girl retellings and the main reason I picked up The Secret Princess was because I trust Cellier’s style and I was very hopeful that she would find a non-traumatic solution to the Falada situation. She totally delivered on that trust! Arvin is the most sarcastic, prideful, and hilariously sassy talking horse I’ve met! Think Bree from Horse and His Boy only even more sarcastic. I laughed so hard at his “I’m far better than a mere horse thank you very much” vibe and he’s now one of my favorite sass masters. The perfect answer to Falada and I hope we see him again as the series progresses.

I very much enjoyed Giselle and her interactions with just about everyone. The way she ends up in her situation and gets stuck there is simply perfect because it tackles those logic questions from the original fairytale in just the right way. And then we bring in the intrigue/adventure. From the moment Giselle is separated from her companions (and why) to the intense ending, there’s a wonderful current of intrigue and suspense. And the red herrings! Oh, they were just right in this one since Cellier actually made me guess at the shadowy background villain and then second guess. I was wrong both times on one piece, which actually made me pretty happy because it was a good surprise when the truth was finally revealed. The other piece was another red herring where I really waffled on calling it or not. And I loved the twist with Philip because I did not see that coming. All the twists and red herrings were the perfect amount of satisfying without veering into frustration.

This is such a fun read and I would love to go into even more exact details but I won’t because SPOILERS! I will say that the next book in the series, a Cinderella retelling, won’t be out until next year which leaves lots of time to catch up on the entire Four Kingdoms and Beyond universe if you’re just jumping in.

Have you read this one yet? What did you think about it? What are some other Goose Girl retellings I should check out?

Until Next Time,

Kimberly A. Rogers