Freedom comes at a price… TSS Agent Joe Anderson has a problem with authority. They say he’s insubordinate… or so it’s called when you punch a superior officer during a routine training exercise. With no other place for him, Joe is shipped off to the outer colonies to run undercover surveillance. The assignment seems tedious until he makes his way onto a newly purchased cargo ship. Captain Iza Sundari came from nothing, but she’s fought to carve out a life for herself with her eclectic crew on a ship of her own. Captaining a ship is the closest thing to freedom she can find, but she’ll have to pay for it. And freedom comes at a steep price. When a risky proposition leads to the perfect job, it seems Iza’s financial troubles might be over. But with hidden agendas at every turn, she’ll have to cross a line she swore she never would to protect her ship and crew. Set in the internationally bestselling Cadicle space opera universe, the standalone Verity Chronicles series is perfect for fans of Firefly, Dark Matter, and classic space adventure.
This book was good. The overall premise is a little lackluster, but I think it picks up in the next installment. I’ll be reading book 2 to find out.
The characters were real. I loved and hated them all at times and was thankful none of them fell into the caricature of themselves, as can sometimes happen. They grew and changed and softened and hardened when they needed to. Reminiscent of Fhttps://amzn.to/3YbFJfnirefly without being derivative. If you love space adventures centered around people and relationships, check this out.
Far beneath the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is searching for his door, though he does not know it. He follows a silent siren song, an inexplicable knowledge that he is meant for another place. When he discovers a mysterious book in the stacks of his campus library he begins to read, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Suddenly a turn of the page brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood impossibly written in this book that is older than he is.
A bee, a key, and a sword emblazoned on the book lead Zachary to two people who will change the course of his life: Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired painter, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances. These strangers guide Zachary through masquerade party dances and whispered back room stories to the headquarters of a secret society where doorknobs hang from ribbons, and finally through a door conjured from paint to the place he has always yearned for. Amid twisting tunnels filled with books, gilded ballrooms, and wine-dark shores Zachary falls into an intoxicating world soaked in romance and mystery. But a battle is raging over the fate of this place and though there are those who would willingly sacrifice everything to protect it, there are just as many intent on its destruction. As Zachary, Mirabel, and Dorian venture deeper into the space and its histories and myths, searching for answers and each other, a timeless love story unspools, casting a spell of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a Starless Sea.
Stories within stories within stories, all connected.
I loved reading this book. While I tend to binge-read, I could not do that with this. I’d have to put it down and go away to let it simmer and melt in my brain before returning.
The narrative was so vulnerable. Like the layer we hold ourselves on when speaking to each other in real life, that layer where fear of being misunderstood and judged lives large was peeled back, and a whole new kind of communication was established. I loved how each seemingly unrelated nuance added more layers to the entirety. If forced to look up concepts in a dictionary, like you might a word or phrase, this jumble of tales is what you might find because every sidebar enriched the rest.
While reading these pages, I felt like I could believe in fairies, unicorns and real magic again. For a moment, I was sad that maybe I had missed my door without the second chance Zachary received. Perhaps this wasn’t some story but a recount of what we all might find.
I loved how personal relationships mattered. Pairs ground each other to “reality;” to motivate beyond a bigger picture none were sure they could see or define.
Around halfway through, the book stumbles a bit. At a point, I lifted my head and wondered if maybe we weren’t about to fall into redundancy. But don’t worry. That’s where it picks up, and the pieces really start coming together.
Such a richly crafted chronicle that reminds us the end is never the last, and all beginnings stem from what was to become what might be.
A Great Magic System and unique take on Magical Realism
I promised to avenge my parents.
But their killer is still on the loose, and he’s stolen more than my parents’ lives. Now, as he draws closer to his mysterious goals, he’s poised to destroy what little I have left.
I promised to translate an ancient grimoire.
But it holds the secrets of my family—and the secret history of demon summoning. I fear its answers as much as I need them. Who was the foremother of Demonica…and who am I?
I promised to send my demon home.
But the way he watches me, the way he protects me, the way he touches me—how can I cast him away forever? I swore I would do this for him, but can I? Should I?
But I promised—and I will keep my promises even if they cost me my heart, my soul, and my life.
This series was adorable. I loved our main Miss Nerd, who was forced to become a power to save herself, and especially loved the slow-burn romance I kept changing my mind on. Some days, I thought, ‘Don’t do it!’ while others had me hope things worked out. I also enjoyed that the romance angle didn’t overshadow the story. I appreciated the entire world and magic system. Definitely my favorite of the series.
The Queen of Nothing, Book 3 of The Folk of The Air series
By Holly Black
5 Stars
This one made all the others worth it
I don’t usually review anything but the first in a series, and I rarely review bestsellers, but after finishing The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, I want to talk about it. Maybe I’m feeling sentimental, and nostalgic-Christmas is coming, a season that brings all the feels out of me-but whatever the reason, this book made me happy.
Book 1 in the series, The Cruel Prince, was all right. I happened to get an audio copy from the library (my experience with this series is all in audio format, which I know can change much about the “reading” experience), and though I was not a fan of Jude, and felt the entire storyline petty and absurd, I made it through to the end. I believe I gave it 3 stars.
Obviously, I was curious enough to wait for book 2. I think it was Cardan that kept me in it. His cruelty was such an obvious front, and Jude’s jumbled feelings for him seemed worth seeing through to the end. Also, I like having an audiobook to listen to on standby, so rather than make a decision on something else, I stuck with it. Okay! I got sucked into the teen angst of it. Isn’t that why we read these books? #sorrynotsorry
Book 2 was better. I genuinely could not anticipate what the hell anyone was up to, and the end literally had me asking, “What just happened.” So much so, even through Book 3, I forgot the main rule of fairy-the Fae can’t lie-that I continued to wonder if it was all a con. Part of me was excited about this antiromance stance. If this con was what it seemed on the outside, this series would not end like I thought (hoped?).
Going into Book 3 (here’s where I get into spoilers), I figured we’d see Cardan and Jude reconcile and get together. It’s the nature of the genre. But read my last paragraph. I was so curious about how that might be possible. There was nothing I could see that would allow the pair to ever trust each other, regardless of their feelings. Maybe this wouldn’t be a happily ever after story. Ironically, this was a book where I hoped for it. Where Throne of Glass sorely disappointed me by not having a more gritty, heart-jerking ending, I was rooting for it in The Folk of The Air.
“Will you just let yourself be rescued?” This quote explains another reason for my enjoyment of this book. Jude really needs no one to save her. There was a moment, maybe two, when I was actually a little annoyed with how the author took liberties with Jude’s character to make her so unsure and lost. I’d like to think Jude’s time in Book 2 might have washed that out of her. Sure, she found herself elevated beyond what she might have dreamed, but she kept saying it to herself throughout: I am the High Queen of Fairy. She was angry she couldn’t draw on the title, and when Jude finally could, she didn’t know what to do? At least she would have known how to pretend; she would understand the need to posture. I digress. I meant to talk about how awesome Jude is. In Book 1, I found Jude a little much, but even getting in way over her head, she rocks it. Staying firm against the pressure to give up some power to Madoc in Book 2 showed a will of steel. I was rooting for her to tell him what was going on. I guess I should never be made a spy, or advisor to any crown, especially not a High Queen.
I did want to see a bit more development of Jude’s magic, her tie to the land, but there’s only so much paper to print books on, and I guess, at the end of the day, it wasn’t really relevant. Still, when has more magic ever been a bad thing?
The Queen of Nothing made me glad I stuck with the series, even when I considered turning it off for other things. A modern take on the Fae Courts, a little present-day mixed with magical, some teen angst and enemies-to-lovers twisted in with sibling rivalry and grand fights, makes the series worth being swallowed up in.
The English Civil War. The Royalists of King Charles I, and Cromwell’s Parliamentarians, battle, both eager to lay claim to a tattered country, where life has become cheap and death trivial.
Though, for the lowly commoner, a greater, far more devious, war rages. It threatens the souls of the weak, timid and needy. Seeking refuge in the Lord’s word, God fearing folk employ the skills of one man, the Witchfinder. His success speaks of his talent, to seek out, punish and rid the countryside of Witches, the Devil’s Whores.
2016 – A paranormal team are called to investigate, as poltergeist activity brings terror to one family. Under the cover of darkness, in silent suburbia, an endless night of battle against evil ensues, until finally, a new day dawns.
I appreciated the classic witch trials tale of this story, and especially loved the way it all came together. Even so, I felt there was a little too much obscurity in the backstory. An appropriate storytelling technique, especially in this genre, I found it disjointed rather than suspenseful.
If you love a creepy, witchy tale, read this. Despite the flaws, it was worth the time.
Author C.M. Martens 