Tag: Book Review

Christmas Advent: Short Story Edition! (Part 1)

December 9, 2019

For the month of December, Short Fiction Friday is being upgraded to feature daily stories as part of an advent calendar exchange I’m running with a friend! Every week, Black Forest Basilisks will be shining a spotlight on each of the short stories, novelettes, or flash fics that we exchanged for each day of advent. All of these stories will be available online for free.  … More Christmas Advent: Short Story Edition! (Part 1)

The Hanged Man by KD Edwards

December 4, 2019

You know what’s a great feeling? When you love a book, start up the sequel, and discover that the sequel takes everything you loved in the first book and makes it even better. KD Edwards has nailed his voice in The Hanged Man, and has given us even more and even better character interactions. Brand and Rune are still the ultimate bromance, and Addam is still the kind and caring partner Rune needs and deserves. Max, Quinn, Ciaran… everything you wanted and more. Absolute cinnamon rolls, all of them – and the new characters are similarly great.  … More The Hanged Man by KD Edwards

Among Others by Jo Walton

November 27, 2019

Among Others is a love letter to books and reading. It’s about the sheer joy and validation in finding people who are like you. Jo Walton thrills in the connectedness of the human experience, finding magic within the threads that bind us all together. This is a cozy, warm tale about finding your home after tragedy. It is not the trip to Mordor; it is the Scouring of the Shire. The Chosen Ones have already won, and the world is saved… so now, it’s time to live. … More Among Others by Jo Walton

My Beautiful Life by KJ Parker

November 25, 2019

My Beautiful Life plays with structure and characters in a way that seems to be slightly divorced from its intended audience. When taken as a writing study, it’s actually quite interesting – how might an author bring about a story wherein the end is revealed at the beginning? Unfortunately, writing studies typically aren’t being published en masse. They’re just studies, meant to hone writing skills. Although this novella nails the tone and characters it seeks to portray, it was very difficult to connect with the story as a reader.  … More My Beautiful Life by KJ Parker

Do Not Look Back, My Lion by Alix E. Harrow

November 22, 2019

Told in Harrow’s always stunning prose, Do Not Look Back, My Lion tells a heart-rending tale of love and sacrifice. She uses gender, title, and reader expectation to create a society that’s both foreign and familiar. Husband has become a role divorced from gender, even as wife has remained a status limited to women. Women are not only the givers of life, but also the takers.  … More Do Not Look Back, My Lion by Alix E. Harrow

The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith

November 20, 2019

The Vine Witch is steeped in the soil of the Chanceaux Valley, an area made famous for its wine. It seeks to transport you and all of your senses such that you feel the grapes, the vines, smell the rich scent of soil, and the fragrance of the aging barrels tucked away in the ancient wine cellars. The novel takes place during the turn of the century just as the automobile & airplanes have become established into public knowledge, giving the novel a wonderful sense of the old coming into first contact with the new more modern ways of doing things. Wine making acts as a bridge between the two – it’s a tradition that spans generations, even as it finds itself in a new, more modern era. … More The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

November 18, 2019

I read this book shortly after a trip down to visit my parents and step-siblings in Florida. I had thrown a request up on Reddit’s r/Fantasy board seeking a book with a married couple who are just genuinely good to one another, and this absolutely delivered on this front. The Calculating Stars is a reminder to the reader that couples who genuinely care and hold respect for one another do exist, which is just such a lovely thing in a world filled with books focused on strife. It was also lovely to have a book about two people who are truly a team, where they start out together and finish together. This wasn’t a book about dating or will-they-won’t-they. It was a book about two people who are completely in love with each other and want to support each other.  … More The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal