Weekend Reads: The Fey of Castle Garden (Upcoming Release) - Mary

 For this episode of Weekend Reads I am SO excited to get to share the upcoming release by Naomi P. Cohen, The Fey of Castle Garden!

Official Blurb:

New York City, 1859: On Samhain night, a mage pledged to the Wild Hunt is violently murdered. Tensions between the Hunt and Triona, Fey Queen of Central Park, heat up and threaten to boil over into a full-scale conflict. Sofia De Benedetti, mage and musician in Triona’s court, has her hands full making enough money to support herself and help women who are down on their luck in the rough corners of the city. Now a fey war looms and a mage killer is on the prowl. Everything Sofia has built since immigrating, and her life itself, is at risk. With the help of a cait sidhe and a tempestuous storm fey, Sofia must find the murderer before the streets of the city erupt into a magical battleground.

 

This book is utterly magical. It's a shorter read, one that feels like treating yourself to a tiny, beautifully artistic, and deliciously sweet fancy dessert from a five-star restaurant.

I'm a big fan of literary fiction, and while this book has a very clearly-defined plot unlike the literary genre, Cohen's vivid, luscious descriptions echo the enchanting tradition of L.M. Montgomery (my personal favorite).

This book also boasts a very unique setting, but one that meshes perfectly with the genre to make it highly unique. Cohen has done a fantastic and well thought-out job of interpreting and expanding urban fantasy and Irish mythology tropes into new realms. As I was beta reading it, I kept finding myself thinking "I want to live in this world!"

The Fey of Castle Garden is set to release on October 31st, 2021. If you like Irish mythology, urban fantasy in historical settings, gorgeous descriptions of magical creatures and realms, and Jane Austen-esque explorations of a society's inter-class dynamics, you will want to have this book in hand to begin reading this Halloween!

Weekend Reads: Rogue Spotter series by Kimberly A. Rogers (Rachel)

I am a chronic re-reader of books and re-watcher of movies. So, when I felt in the mood for something familiar a few weeks ago, I reached for a favorite UF series and realized that I should share it with you.

Rogue Spotter Series

Lauren Hope is a Spotter, a paranormal who sees numbers over everyone’s heads that indicate their dangerousness. Because of this skill, there are those who would wish to kill her or force her to use her skill for their purposes. She has spent her life on the run and alone. That is until the day she looks up to see a man with the highest number ever right there in her workplace. He had a 10 glowing in the air over his head.

A dangerous hero with a delicious accent, a heroine with an amazing character arc, and phenomenal world-building that weaves ancient mythology and pre-Covid modern times, the series is the perfect escape. The romance is sweet and realistic against the background of action, adventure, self-discovery, quests, and a battle to save the world. The high-paced adventure unfolds over a six-book series that barely stops for breath. What more can one want?

Do you reread your favorite series too?
What are your favorites?

Weekend Reads: Legends of Northeast Scotland by Fenton Wyness (Mary)

 Hello, everyone! I am so excited to be one of the newest writers here at Lands Uncharted!

I fell in love with folklore, legend, and mythology when I was a very little girl, after my grandmother (who lived in England nine months out of the year) brought home a book of English myths and legends. I read it secretly, because I was afraid my mom would think it was too scary for me...and she would have been right. It scared me senseless!

But through the chills and skittishness it gave me, I was completely captivated by the mystery and wonder in the stories, the idea of a fantastical world of fairies and leprechauns and ghost hounds and sunken islands, intertwining and echoing through our own world. I also loved the format - short, simply-told stories that could be read in a single sitting, reminiscent of the bedtime stories my parents often told. And although I didn't realize it at the time, those legends and folk tales had a huge influence on my own writing style and genre preferences. Some of the first short stories I ever wrote as a child were written in the style of legends.

I still have that book, left to me when my grandmother passed away. (You decide - shall I feature it in another Weekend Read post?)

Which brings me to this week's Weekend Read: Legends of Northeast Scotland by Fenton Wyness.

I found a copy of this book at a local library sale and snatched it up in the hope that it would be similar in format and feel to my grandmother's book of legends. I was not disappointed.

The book is a collection of bite-sized stories, only a few pages long each, that are completely independent of one another, creating an ideal bedtime-story format, should you wish to read one at a time over a few weeks. (Confession: I tried to do this, but got so hooked that I read the entire book in one night.) 

The stories are a wonderful array of ghost stories, forbidden romances (sometimes ending in happiness, sometimes in tragedy), missionary adventures among hostile druids, miracles, knights, witches, fairies, castles, treachery, and war. Even though the scene settings and descriptions are minimal, you can just feel the coolness of stone in castle walls, the damp loneliness of ancient forests, the eerie moaning of wind through the hills.

The stories themselves are simple and straightforward, with little to no suspense, which might sound like a turn-off to some readers, but you know...I actually kind of love it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good 500-page fantasy epic bursting with world building details and a gaggle of plots and sub-plots. But sometimes that can just be a bit...much. Sometimes I just want something simple, something with only a few characters, a single basic plot line, something I don't have to sweat or strain my brain over. Sometimes I don't want or have the energy to agonize - sometimes I just want to be told a bedtime story. These stories fit that bill perfectly.

Which I think is good for me as a writer, as well as enjoyable for me as a reader. I occasionally find myself getting so caught up and bogged down in trying to develop an incredible story world and embellish a plot with more twists and sub-plots, that I start to lose track of the story I actually set out to tell. Reading stories like these reminds me that it's okay to keep it simple and straightforward, that a story doesn't have to be complicated to be good.

Plus, much of my fantasy fiction is inspired by, influenced by, or styled after Medieval European history, so I find a lot of inspiration in stories like these.

Do you enjoy legend and folklore? What culture's mythology is your favorite?