Weekend Reads: Love and Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean

 

Source: Goodreads.com

Love & Other Great Expectations, Becky Dean's debut novel is one of my favorite books of 2022 and ranks high among all books I've read. It's so fun and engaging! I had to force myself to put the book down to eat, work, sleep, and generally adult.
It's rare that I identify with heroines and a non-bookish athlete is not one I expected to find such a connection. And yet I did. Probably because our heroine is a thinks-before-she-speaks extrovert. So many authors are introverts and consequently, so are YA heroines often spilling more about themselves with pens or keyboards except for the dystopian chosen ones. Then their few words flip Shakespeare and swords take on the might of their authors' pens. But Britt wields neither pen nor sword but a soccer ball. Or at least she used to...

Britt Hanson is neither bookish nor brawny. She's a wounded athlete with no hope of attending UCLA once her soccer scholarship is pulled after a career-ending injury. That is until her English teacher invites Britt, her former best friend, an ambitious classmate, and an annoying one on a literary scavenger hunt in England.

Equipped with only a battered gym bag with a less than sturdy construction, Britt becomes an international traveler. Albeit one with a rather embarrassing baggage claim arrival. Whisked off to a posh London townhouse, Britt with her rule-following "babysitter" she sets off on a series of literary quests.

At their first stop, an orphanage, Britt meets Luke a bookish and very cute British boy with a future as uncertain as Britt's. Through their scavenger hunt (Luke can't help - that's against the rules), the clues teach Britt about Dickens, Chaucer, Austen, and other things she didn't learn in English class. But this is a competition with one winner, and all competitors have reasons they need the prize.

While unraveling the clues they experience a sword fight, high tea, and a camping trip with a quirky family. But someone is determined to win at all costs, and Britt is put in danger. One stop forces Luke to encounter the place of his greatest pain.

All the while, Britt's key to victory, completing a journal of her adventures, eludes her and may keep her from her dreams. She's a YA heroine. She has to be born to write great things and win the day. Except Britt is "not like every girl" (er, YA heroine) in a great twist on this classic trope. Writing is not her thing. And even as a writer, I love her for it.

But lest you think Britt is nothing but a vapid chatterbox, the pool under her churning waters is deep. Britt hides a soccer-career ending medical condition, not the obvious ACL-surgery scar but one that runs literally to her marrow. It's in that depth she connects with Luke the kind boy who is good with the written word. And in her enthusiasm, she pulls Luke out of his own pain.

Labor Day is around the corner, and this is the perfect weekend read. And feel free to pass it to the teenage girls in your life. It's a clean read with PG content. There are late-night talks and a few kisses but no heat, and I don't recall any objectionable language or content.

The City Between Series by W.R. Gingell | Weekend Reads (Lauricia Matuska)

 Pet lives alone in the house where her parents were murdered.

Of course, “Pet” is not her real name. It’s more of a job title, really. But when the knowledge of someone’s real name can grant power over that person, it’s better to keep that name to yourself. Especially when dealing with arrogant fey, eternally adolescent vampires, and the other denizens of the realms Behind and Between.

Four years after her parents were killed, Pet discovers another body hanging, horribly mutilated, outside her bedroom window. While she tries to avoid discovery inside her house, two fey and a vampire begin investigating the murder outside. This leads to them buying Pet’s house without knowing that she still lives inside and is exactly how she becomes the human pet of three other-worldly detectives.

Greetings and happy New Year’s Eve! I’m not one for resolutions -- I try to make improvements on an as-needed basis and for me they are, alas, regularly needed. However, I can agree that one thing I resolve to do every year is read good books. So, as we celebrate another transition from old to new, I’m thrilled to recommend that your first read for the new year be The City Between Series by W. R. Gingell. This series is a collection of urban fantasy detective stories set in Australia. The entire series consists of ten novels and two novellas that tell the story of a snarky mostly eighteen-year-old who is thrust into the politics of the worlds Behind and Between as she tries to make sense of and resolve the murders of her parents. You don’t have to read the companion novellas in order to understand the books that follow them, but I recommend that you do because the events that occur in them are referenced frequently in the subsequent stories. (Read Cloudy With a Chance of Dropbears after Book 5 and read All the Different Shades of Blue after Book 6.)

These stories drew me in because Pet is so delightfully snarky. She is also relatable in many ways, and, while naive about much, she is very capable. Her interactions with the other characters in the series are witty and droll enough that I laughed out loud several times. While the series is extensive, the story lines are masterfully woven together at a pace that kept me engaged throughout the series. I even thought I’d take a bit of a break between the books so that I didn’t become bored, but I found myself jumping into them one right after the other, instead.

If you enjoy paranormal / urban fantasy with a hint of mystery and a bit of snark, then I highly recommend you begin your reading for 2022 here. I’d also love to hear your new year reading recommendations, along with other questions, observations, and remarks about all things related or relatable to Lands Uncharted, in the comments below.

As ever, it has been a delight to be among the authors who blog here. We hope you have a wonderful 2022 filled with grace, love, and peace. From all of us here to all of you, happy reading!

Story Snippets: Guardian Prince by Lauricia Matuska (Lauricia)

Greetings, all and happy fall. Only THE best season of the year. I adore the way the light takes on a richer tone and the air takes on a mysterious smell, and the mist... having grown up in a land-locked, semi-arid desert, I can't tell you enough how I adore misty mornings. I hope that you're finding this time of year just as enchanting.

Here's a snippet of my most recent release, Guardian Prince (book two in the Ceryn Roh series), for you to enjoy during these magical autumn days. When you've finished, I'd love to know what your favorite season is and why. Tell me in the comments below! 

        Sabine expected to walk into complete blackness. Instead, she found the cave faintly illuminated by a multitude of green luminescent specks draped like a canopy across the cave ceiling. At first, she compared them to stars—although she knew she was now inside the cliff and could not see the sky, she could think of no better way to describe them. Upon closer inspection, however, she noticed the lights were moving, squirming over one another, like—
         “Glow worms,” Koen stated, his head craned back to study the ceiling. “Gaoth will be beside himself when he learns of this.”
         “He eats them?” Sabine guessed.
         Koen chuckled dryly. “He can’t resist them though they make him very ill. His droppings glow for days.”
         Sabine grinned. Ahead of her, Gaelan snorted.
         A thought of Bree twinged Sabine’s heart. She wondered how the dog was doing without her, then reminded herself that Bree had Gaoth for company. Besides, Sabine would only be gone for a few sennites. The dog would be fine.
         For some reason she couldn’t explain, Sabine had expected the labyrinth to be constructed of carved stone, so the ruggedness of the path they now stood on surprised her. The glow worms were so numerous that they provided enough light to see by, but only just. Even so, everyone agreed it would be best to not use additional light, yet, in case it alerted the Rüddan to their presence. Because of this, Sabine stumbled several times as her toes got caught in shadow-concealed holes.
         Sabine checked the cuff often, worried that she would misjudge the distance between the twists and turns of the path. Fortunately, the glow on the armband seemed to fade behind them as they followed the trail, indicating where they were as they moved. Sabine was grateful for this, because the strain of peering through the gloom was making her head throb and her eyes ache so that when they came upon the first turn, she almost walked right past it.
         “Turn here,” she called, directing the others off the main path.
         “Are you sure?” Gaelan furrowed his brow. “We’ve already passed two branches just like this.”
         Sabine nodded. Displaying the armband, she explained how the path was fading as they followed it.
         “We’re here,” she pointed a fingernail to the spot where the black path behind them met with the red glow before them and turned right. “And we go there.”
         Gaelan nodded but said nothing before stepping into the new tunnel.
         Sabine led them like this for a while, constantly checking the armband and indicating turns as they came upon them. The others followed without much comment.
         Then the path ended.
         “What now?” Gaelan asked as they faced a wall that blocked any forward movement on the path.
         “The cuff says to turn right again,” Sabine said, looking from the cuff to the wall and back again.
         “I’d love to,” Gaelan remarked. “Would you like to tell me how?”
         “Look around,” Koen said. “Labyrinths are full of concealed paths. You just have to find them.”
Sabine’s face burned, the heat of embarrassment scalding her cheeks. What would she do if she had led them to a dead end? Could she have misread the armband, maybe misunderstood how it worked? She scanned the wall in front of her desperately, so focused that she almost missed the clue that revealed the hidden path Koen had suggested they find.
         It was the breath of cold air that caught her attention. She had stumbled yet again as she moved to inspect a new section of the wall and had paused to massage her ankle when the wisp of cold passed her face.
         “Did you feel that?” she called softly to the others.
         “Feel what?” Koen said as he drew near.
         “A small wind, as if from outside.”
         “Wind?” Gaelan’s voice carried across the path. “In a cave?”
         “Maybe a cross tunnel,” Aodhan countered.
         Sabine surveyed the wall doubtfully.
         “Don’t expect it to be obvious,” Koen cautioned. “The easy paths are often the deadly ones.”
Sabine nodded, not really sure what she was looking for until she felt another puff of cold air. Following the direction it came from, she examined the shadowy crannies and nooks until she found an opening that turned out to be much wider than it had initially appeared.
         “Over here,” she called to the others. “This crack is wider than it looks. If we go single-file, we can fit through it easily.”
         “The glow worms stop here, so we’ll need a light,” Aodhan said as he peered over her shoulder. “A dim one, though. The Rüddan will discover our presence soon enough without our announcing it.”
A moment later an orb of light blossomed in the darkness. Hovering near Koen’s shoulder, it was just bright enough to illuminate the path clearly. Sabine was glad for this since the new tunnel was just as rugged as the one they were leaving.
         The air grew colder as they walked. At first, Sabine welcomed it. The chill refreshed her as it cut through the still, dank cave air. Soon, however, it grew chilly. Not long after that, it became uncomfortable enough for Sabine to draw her cloak around her. Unfortunately, everything she wore was still damp, so the chill soon sank into her core.
         “Human, does that map of yours indicate any new turns?” Gaelan asked, apparently unfazed by the drop in temperature.
         Sabine checked the armband. “Not for a while yet.”
         “Then that gate is going to be a problem.”
         Squinting into the gloom ahead, Sabine envied her companions’ superior eyesight. She continued forward, reluctant to admit she saw nothing. “There’s no mark on the cuff to indicate any sort of barrier, but that’s not necessarily significant. It could be the map only marks distance and direction.”
        “Let’s hope so.”
         Just then, Sabine spied the gate, as tall and as wide as her former home in Khapor. Small black mounds dotted the ground before it, splayed randomly in a half-circle array. Yes, she agreed silently, wrinkling her nose as she caught a whiff of a charred, acrid smell. Let’s hope so, indeed.

Weekend Reads: The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (Lauricia)

 Greetings and happy summer!

I know school is still weird as we're still dealing with the effects of the pandemic, but no matter where you are on the scale of no school to full school, I hope you are well and enjoying your favorite things. Especially an abundance of good stories.

Speaking of good stories, I have been on a roll lately with the books that I have been choosing. I WANTED to review The King's Spell by E.J. Kitchens, but I'm a little late to that party (see posts for June 17 and June 22). Even so, if you haven't read it yet, you REALLY need to. It's fabulous!

After The King's Spell, one of the recent titles I have read that I think you will enjoy is The Rook (The Rook Files Book 1), by Daniel O'Malley.

Myfanwy Thomas (pronounced “Miffany”) is a high-level operative in a secret agency that protects the world from supernatural threats.

Or so she's been told. She doesn't remember anything before the moment she found herself standing in the rain, surrounded by a ring of unconscious bodies all wearing latex gloves.

Guided by letters written by the previous inhabitant of her body (whom she thinks of as Thomas), Myfanwy learns how to navigate her role in the agency while trying to discover who wiped out her memory and why. In the process she unearths a conspiracy among her fellow agents and realizes that being herself is significantly more important than trying to live the way others expect of her.

I can't tell you any more than this without giving something away. The plot of this story is so tightly woven that revealing anything could easily spoil the entire experience.

I was so interested in this book that I actually bought this book for my To Be Read pile twice. Let that be a warning to you: keep track of what waits in your TBR pile! A blend of Mission Impossible and Men in Black, this spy thriller kept me completely engrossed. I even laughed out loud often enough to make my older son interested. I highly recommend this read for fans of the superhero genre and fans of speculative literature who are looking for something a little different. For those who are selective of content, there are a few infrequent instances of cussing, and there is a lot of violence and gore.

I'd love to know what you think of this book. I'm also curious to know what you've read lately that you've really enjoyed. Let me know in the comments!

Story Snippets: Guardian Prince (Lauricia)

Greetings once again, all!

I hope you are well and well-read. We are getting A LOT of rain where I live, but my house is high and dry, so I'm not too worried. Plus, it's great reading weather, and school's almost out for the summer, which means A LOT of reading time for me!

Today I'm sharing a snippet from my recent release, Guardian Prince (book two in the Ceryn Roh Saga). As you know, I'm a huge fan of fantasy, but it always vexed me that a deity-based magic system could be ultimately controlled by mortals. I always that thought that if mortals received magical ability from a deity, that deity should have the authority to decide when and if the mortals get to use it, or else why was he/she the deity? In Guardian Prince, I chose to explore what a deity-based magic system would look like if the deity whose power is being used not only could but did say, "No." This excerpt is one of Sabine's introductions to that kind of magic system. I hope you enjoy!

    Sabine followed a dry stream bed until she came upon a large stone jutting out into the path. Water marks stained the lower half, revealing the gradual recession of the river that had once flowed around the rock. The top was relatively smooth and flat, so Sabine sat upon it, settling into the safe, familiar comfort of being alone in the woods.

    She had not been there very long when she heard the snap of a twig. Sabine tensed, suddenly alert, but the noises of the animals around her continued unchanged, so whatever had moved nearby was not unfamiliar to the surrounding animals. Since this meant it was not an Aethel, she relaxed.

    “You have good instincts,” Koen said as he emerged from behind a nearby tree, “but you dropped your guard too soon. Although the forest knows me, that doesn't mean I'm safe for you.”

    “Koen,” Sabine greeted the Dryht tersely. Frustration flared within her, stirred to new life by his intrusion. “What are you doing here?”

    One corner of the Dryht's mouth curved wryly. “Communing with the forest. It's what Dryht do. Mind if I join you?”

    Before Sabine could say no, he sat beside her on the rock.

    “How soon do you expect to hear from Gaoth,” Sabine asked, her tone more terse than she intended. 

    “The bird is fast, but he gets distracted. A juicy berry here or a lovely she-raven there, and business is a lost priority. I don't expect him until morning.”

Sabine nodded, but grimaced inwardly. So much for that topic. “So...you knew my friend Mariel?” 

    Koen nodded. “She did much to fight for the freedom of your people. She was not strong in her use of magic, but she was diligent. She worked hard to master her ability.”

    Sabine shook her head. “I never would have thought it.”

    “That was rather the point,” the Dryht countered. “What about you? Your mentor believed you held even more potential than your friend. Shall we find out?”

    “What, now?”

    Koen glanced around, exaggerating the action as if to make a point. “You have pressing business elsewhere?”

    “All right,” Sabine consented. She truly wanted to say no, but it was clear the Dryht was not going away. “How do we begin?”

    "Technique,” Koen stated simply. “The last time we spoke of this, we discussed how all magic comes from one of two sources: the will of Torian or of Nymhon, depending on whom you serve. So. Now you learn how to tap into that power.”

    “Let me guess,” Sabine said when she recognized the Dryht's silence as a prompt. “A prayer? A chant? An incantation?”

    “All of those are options,” the Dryht conceded, his tone reluctant, “but each of them is time consuming. It's really just a simple matter of the will. You focus on what you want to happen, will it to occur, and it happens.”

    “As long as Torian allows it,” Sabine amended, recalling the night of Aodhan’s rescue. She had certainly wanted the arrowhead out of his shoulder, but nothing had come of it.

    “Yes, there is that. Still, calling on your will is much faster than any other option and is preferable in any number of situations.”

    Sabine was about to ask for an example, but she remembered when she had first used magic to rescue Danelle's baby from being still-born and kept quiet. As she considered it further, she could imagine many instances in healing when time made all the difference. “I suppose this method is the easiest to learn as well?”

    “Actually, no. The benefit to prayers, chants, and the like is that they help you narrow your focus and pinpoint your will. It takes much discipline to focus your will without them, because you can be easily distracted by everything around you. You must be able to block everything else out.”

    That shouldn't be a problem, Sabine mused, since she had been blocking out distractions all her life: her mother's criticism and negativity, her sister's snide comments. Blocking things came easily to her. 

    “Sabine,” Koen prompted. “Are you still listening?”

    “Yes,” she replied, chagrined at the way she had let her thoughts wander. So much for focus.

    “Then watch.” The Dryht held out his hand. A moment later a butterfly rested in his palm, opening   and closing its wings a few times before fluttering away.

    "Did you make that?"

    Koen chuckled and pointed to the opposite bank of the dry riverbed. “No. Creation of something from nothing is reserved only for Torian and the Creator God. I simply moved it from that flower over there.”

Weekend Reads: The Near Witch by V. E. Schwab (Lauricia)

Greetings, all!

As I’m writing to you this month, Texas is emerging like a burrowing mammal from our great Icepocolypse. The sun is finally shining in a clear sky, and the temperature is finally scheduled to rise above freezing. Those of you in the north may scoff, but we southerners are simply not prepared for this type of weather. As a meme I saw phrased it, “I love that no one in Texas owns actual snow clothes. It’ll snow and you’ll see everyone outside in mismatched pajamas and a hoodie.” Not to mention four layers of socks on our hands for gloves. It just doesn’t make sense to own clothing for weather that usually occurs only once in a decade or so!

But enough of the weather. We’re here to talk about books you need to read. For this weekend, I recommend The Near Witch by V. E. Schwab.

In the village of Near, the winds on the moors sing a haunting song. It’s best not to listen too closely, though, because bad things happen to those who do. Like the boy Jack, whose mysterious death led to the mob hunt and murder of the Near witch two generations ago.

Lexi knows the story, but still the wind calls, its haunting tune trying to tell her something if only she would listen just a little closer. She can’t let the wind distract her, though, because the children of Near are disappearing, whisked away from their beds during the night. Lexi has to find out why, or her little sister could be next.

The Near Witch is one of those stories that contains everything I love about the fantasy genre: mystery, magic, a touch of romance, and an able heroine I can relate to. It’s a “quiet and strange” story, in the author’s words. Quiet and strange in the style of Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and Neverwhere and Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Quiet and strange in the way that I am most drawn to in a story.

I don’t remember how I found this book, but I am supremely glad that I did, and that I bought the hardback version because it’s going to have a long life on my shelf of treasures. I hope you adore it just as much.

Until next time, happy reading!

Weekend Reads: Toch Island Chronicles, Finding Angel

For this Weekend Read, I'm going retro back to my first years in the writing world, and one of the series that drew me into Christian speculative fiction, The Toch Island Chronicles by Kat Heckenbach. This series is one of my all-time favorites. Finding Angel is the first book in the series. I recently listened to the Audible recording of it for the second time (my third "reading"), and it was even better this time around. Alas, it's the only book of the trilogy available in audio format, but I assure you it's every bit as good in print as are the other two books in the series.

Angel is an orphan who meets an unusual boy named Gregor who whisks her away from her foster family. He has a special Talent that allows him to travel long distances by drawing gates. He takes her to Toch Island, her homeland, which she doesn't remember. They go on a quest to find the man who tried to kill her as a small child. On Toch Island, Angel discovers her Talent, her true identity, as well as friends and family including an Elven rocker with more attitude than he has tattoos and a kindly professor with a pet dragon that prefers naps to barbecuing objects or people. There is so much to love about this series, memorable characters, an intriguing setting, and a tight, well-paced plot.

Kat Heckenbach is an artist as well as an author with a background in science, all of these details come into play in Finding Angel. Her artist's eye and creativity are apparent in her vivid descriptions of Horatio, a black and silver beetle to the metallic trees and quaint village on Toch Island. Her magic system is based on a manipulation of the laws of physics. Simplified, it's the ability for the inhabitants of Toch Island to pick up a piece of trash and drop it into a trashcan using aerodynamics like an airplane flies from New York to LA along with their special Talents. The magic system is related to faith, a subtle element that makes the story so much deeper on subsequent readings.

The entire series is clean and appropriate for a YA audience. Finding Angel would appeal to teens of all ages as well as adults. The series spans several years and romantic relationships develop; however they remain subplots and even when couples are together, their interactions are often focused on the friendship and caring aspects of their relationship instead of emphasizing the romantic and physical like many YA books.

A Trio of Must-Reads (Lauricia, Weekend Reads)

Greetings all! I hope this installment of Lands Uncharted finds you safe and well. I am holed up in my little nook of forest, where I have been quarantined since my school’s Spring Break. The good news is all of this down time has given me plenty of opportunities to indulge in reading of all kinds (both for entertainment and for learning), which means I have a trio of stories to recommend for this weekend’s reading (in no particular order).

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

This enchanting story retells the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche from the perspective of Psyche’s sister, Orual. As will all good retellings, it examines the story from a perspective I never contemplated in the original. With the original, I questioned Psyche’s faith in her husband. This version, however, explores jealousy, betrayal, and loss, as well as the complexities of love. Written in classic C.S. Lewis style and voice, reading this story left me feeling nostalgic for other C.S. Lewis works and prompted me to look anew at my understandings of the story’s themes. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking to read something that will leave you thinking.

  

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Another story about the power of love, this is the tale of Luna, a baby left as a sacrifice to placate the witch who lives in the forest. That witch, however, doesn’t know why the babies are left to die. She makes it her business to collect them and adopt them out to loving homes in nearby villages. All of that changes, though on the night she rescues Luna and gives the baby moonlight to eat.

Peopled with unique characters you’ll never forget and told in a way that leaves you feeling wistful and nostalgic, this enchanting story will stay with you for a long time. It is one of those stories that will become part of your personal cannon, as it has mine.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Miryem is the daughter of a money lender who has such a soft heart that he hesitates to collect on the debts owed him. Driven by the poverty her family lives in, the disgust with which the people of her village regard her, and the failing health of her mother, Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart to call in the debts owed her father, Miryem soon reverses the bad fortune of her family and gains a reputation for being able to spin silver into gold. This gains the attention of a neighboring fey king, who comes looking for Miryem and the riches she is said to follow her.

This story is a fabulous retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale. Filled with overtones of Jewish and Slavic cultures, the story world is richly developed and unique. The characters are also exquisitely drawn, and the plot is robust, unique, and memorable.

I’m very excited to share these stories with you. I hope you get the chance to read one, if not all, of them. If you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Weekend Reads (Katie): Until June and the TBR Pile

Weekend Reads (Katie)

Until June by Barbara Britton

Hi fellow explorers (of Lands Uncharted...get it? No? Oh. Sure. Let's move on...)! Today I want to talk about the book I just finished reading as well as two books on my TBR pile that I'm about to start (yes, I sometimes read more than one book at a time).

When seventeen-year-old seamstress, Josephine Nimetz, agrees to take care of a WWI amputee in a remote Alaskan lodge, there's enough friction to melt the Mendenhall Glacier. Her position is only until June, and it pays well enough to overlook the hardship of managing a rustic home and a shell-shocked veteran.

Geoff Chambers makes it clear that he isn't too fond of the runt sent to take care of his needs, nor of her painful mistakes. Dealing with a depressed and addicted veteran pushes Josephine to the brink of leaving, if not for the money her salary brings.

But Josephine is a perfectionist, determined to get Geoff back on his feet—figuratively...Although, sending a rich, handsome veteran back into society may cost Josephine the man she has grown to love.

My Thoughts

I absolutely loved this book! When I first read the description , I was immediately interested for the mere fact that it's set in Alaska and my family happens to have a trip booked there in 2021.

Within the first couple pages, though, I knew I had made a good choice in picking up this book, and by the halfway point I was hopelessly devoted and couldn't put it down.

The story is beautiful. The characters are real, and their problems are real--but the entire story is handled with such HOPE. I loved it, start to finish.

Until June gets two big thumbs up from me.

You can find it on Goodreads here!

On To the TBR Pile!

The Story Peddler by Lindsay Franklin                        

This book isn't new, but it's one I've wanted to read for a long time and haven't gotten around to it. So, I'm excited to dive in!

Here's the description:

Tanwen doesn’t just tell stories—she weaves them into crystallized sculptures that sell for more than a few bits. But the only way to escape the control of her cruel mentor and claw her way from poverty is to set her sights on something grander: becoming Royal Storyteller to the king.

During her final story peddling tour, a tale of treason spills from her hands, threatening the king himself. Tanwen goes from peddler to prey as the king’s guard hunts her down . . . and they’re not known for their mercy. As Tanwen flees for her life, she unearths long-buried secrets and discovers she’s not the only outlaw in the empire. There’s a rebel group of weavers . . . and they’re after her too.

Magician's Rivalry, Book 1 in the Spellsmith & Carver Series by H.L. Burke

I've been reading lots of H.L. Burke books lately (and loving them!). I've already started into this one and I can't wait to keep going! Here's a little more about it:

An estranged son. An adopted heir. A magical attack that forces them to work together.

The disappearance of Auric Spellsmith’s mother has strained his relationship with his father to the breaking point. Now, after five years away at the Magicians’ Academy, Auric returns home, determined to prove himself to his father and claim his birthright.

Apprentice Jericho Carver has held Spellsmith Manor together in Auric’s absence. Now his master’s son is back, and if he can’t get rid of Auric, Jericho will forfeit his career and lose all hope of wooing the master’s enchanting daughter.

Neither man intends to back down.

But then Master Spellsmith vanishes into the mysterious Fey Lands. With Fey magic threatening the mortal realm, Auric and Jericho must work together to save the man they both see as father.

So, what about you? Have you read any of these books? What have you been reading?

Weekend Reads: EmberHawk by Jamie Foley

Oh. My. Goodness, y'all! I'm so excited to share my pick for this installment of Weekend Reads that I've tossed out my "professional" tone for the introduction and gone into full-on, unfiltered "me" voice! I honestly could not wait to review this book, and I kept worrying that someone would get to it before I could. For real, though!

That being said, I am beyond thrilled to introduce you to Jamie Foley's new book, EmberHawk (Book One in the Katrosi Revolution Series). Known for The Sentinel Trilogy, her YA dystopian series, Jamie breaks new ground in the fantasy world with EmberHawk and it's already scheduled sequel, SilverBlood. One of the things I loved about EmberHawk was the rogue-ish fox character of Felix, not to mention its gorgeous cover... but I'm rambling in my excitement. Without further ado... I present to you the review:

War is threatening in the Malano Empire. Conflicts between ranchers on the border and outlying tribes are increasing, causing hostilities to flare even as drought scorches the land.

With her father and older brother away preparing for war, Kira must help her ailing mother, her grandmother, and her younger brother maintain their family's ranch, but the drought has made resources scarce. Desperate to find a cure for her mother's mysterious illness, Kira supplements her family's resources by trapping animals in the wilderness across the border. Her family is barely holding on, but they're making it.

Until Kira accidentally shoots a tribal scout with an arrow.

He shouldn't have been on her ranch in the first place. Even so, if Kira doesn't make things right, this incident could spark a war that no one wants.

Set in a world where elementals roam the land and are worshiped as gods, is a fantasy unlike any other. The story world is a unique blend of ancient Eastern an American frontier that blends the two in a unique way, presenting a fresh take on fantasy culture.

EmberHawk is a tightly-woven story peopled with quirky, enduring characters that readers can relate to. The fast-paced plot drew me in and kept me engaged without sacrificing character development, and I thoroughly enjoyed the magic system and world building. The details dropped throughout this story like clues also hint at a richly-developed sequel that I can't wait to read.

I hope you pick up a copy of EmberHawk and that you enjoy it as much as I did. If you do, I'd love to hear what you think of it. Let me know below.

Review of The Piper's Pursuit (Katie)

Review of Melanie Dickerson's The Piper's Pursuit

What We're Reading (Katie)

Aren't books the best? They can pick you up when you're down, welcome you home when you've been away, or take you away when you've been in one place too long. I've been reading a bunch of great books over the last six weeks, and today I'm telling you about The Piper's Pursuit by Melanie Dickerson.

A plague of rats. Children going missing. A giant beast attacking just outside the walls of Hamlin.  And one young woman determined to save her town.

Katerina’s stepfather, Hennek, is neither a good father nor a good husband, but he is the mayor of Hamlin. Could he somehow be causing the misfortunes that have befallen her beloved town? The evidence points to a beast of unusual size—a wolf, perhaps, or a large dog—killing people who venture too far from town. But does that explain the disappearance of so many children, many of whom seem to have gone missing from inside the town walls?

Steffan knows he must reconcile with his father, the Duke of Hagenheim, but he’s not sure he’s ready. In the meantime, he roams from town to town seeking adventure and reward. When he hears of a giant beast terrorizing the town of Hamlin and an equally giant reward that includes gold, money, and the mayor’s daughter in marriage, he heads to Hamlin. Steffan plans to kill the beast, rid the town of its rat infestation, and take the reward—everything except the girl in marriage. However, when he meets Katerina, he’s not so sure. Perhaps his plans need changing.

Katerina is hunting the Beast of Hamlin for herself, determined to win liberation from her conniving and controlling stepfather. When she finds one of the children who has been missing for many months, dirty and wandering around the woods, the mystery only seems to deepen. Katerina will have to team up with Steffan, the handsome but brash duke’s son who infuriates her—he’s the only one in town who isn’t controlled by the mayor. Danger dogs them from both man and beast. Can Katerina and Steffan stop the “Pied Piper” from stealing every last child from Hamlin? Or will their interference create an even worse fate? 

I've been reading and enjoying Melanie's books for several years now, and while there are some books I've liked more than others I was thrilled with The Piper's Pursuit. I thought I'd give you a few of my favorite parts.

* Katerina's raw emotion throughout the story

* The "realness" of the antagonist (aka the bad guy)

* Steffan's gentle yet strong presence

* The orphans (love kids involved in the story like this!)

* And, as always in Melanie Dickerson's stories, the great adventure and action throughout the story

If you want to learn more about The Piper's Pursuit you can check it out here on Goodreads. It will be available for the general public in December. However, I was given an advanced copy by the publisher. All thoughts are entirely my own.

What We're Reading: Shadow of the Fox (Lauricia)

Yumeko is a kitsune. Okay, technically she’s only half-kitsune, but even that’s more than enough to get her into trouble. Although her jokes and pranks exasperate most of the monks that she lives with, her trickster nature could be the only thing that enables her to stay one step ahead of those who pursue her; those who covet what she carries.

Tatsumi is a shadow warrior trained to hunt and kill yokai when instructed to do so by his clan. Equipped with a sword that imprisons a demon, Tatsumi is an unstoppable force – as long as he feels no emotion. Why, then, after a lifetime of training, does the presence of one girl stir up so much feeling? The more he comes to care for her, the more likely it is that he will be overtaken by the demon, but this girl’s draw is irresistible. Even so, he must focus and stay on task until he finds the thing he has been sent to retrieve.

Once every age, the great Kami Dragon grants the fulfillment of one wish to the bearer of The Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. For the safety of the land of Iwagoto, the scroll was torn into three pieces and hidden in four remote monasteries, to be guarded against the possibility of the Dragon’s wish being fulfilled for evil. Now a new age is beginning, and the Kami Dragon will soon rise once more. There are many who long to see their greatest wish come true, and they will do whatever it takes to retrieve the four pieces of the scroll.

Rich in Japanese folklore, Shadow of the Fox is a fantasy novel written by Julie Kagawa. I first learned of this author when I read her Iron Fey series, a collection of novels in which the author takes common fairy tale elements and twists them in a way that is both unique and refreshing. Julie Kagawa then went on to do the same thing with the Christian myth of Saint George the dragon slayer in her Talon series. Shadow of the Fox, the first book in a series by the same name, is rich in a manga/anime flare and weaves a spellbinding tapestry lush with the mythology of the Japanese culture. Fans of Howl’s Moving Castle, Bleach, or Sword Art Online will be thrilled with Shadow of the Fox and the soon-to-be-released sequel, Soul of the Sword.