Burton Book Review - Leafing through history: Fantasy

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Oct 10, 2021

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

BurtonReview Sunday, October 10, 2021

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

Published by St. Martin's Press, September 14, 2021; 752 pp.

Illustrations by Ben Orthwick

Personal eBook copy

Synopsis:
From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail.

Author Jay Kristoff is well known for his young adult fantasy series such as Aurora Cycle, Illuminae Files, but Empire of the Vampire is definitely not for the young reader. It is a twisty, dark, smutty fantasy tale with Game of Thrones vibes and has one of the most intriguing anti-heroes that I have ever come across in its MC Gabriel.

I am not one to say I like vampires, yet I also read A Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires (for book club) and that one was a little more shocking on purpose for the thrill of it which was simply over the top. Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff does it right: An entire world of clans of witches and vampires, distinctions between highbloods and palebloods, and a church in the same world.

"That saints and sinners suffer one and the same. I know every time you give a piece of yourself to someone, you risk them breaking it. I know there are some wounds that never truly heal, and sometimes all that’s left of people are their scars. I know time eats us all alive.”

I love the religious aspect of the story: there's a lot of faith and loss of faith but strong redemption vibes, full of hope threads throughout.

Readers compare this to Interview with a Vampire which I haven't read but I can say this is a similar narrative that upon capture Gabriel is telling his story to a historian, so there are a lot of punctuation quotes in this book. Otherwise this is an entirely new level of vampires.

"I’ve seen armies of faithful men slaughtered like hogs while God stood by and did nothing. I’ve seen parents eat their children. And I can’t say it gets better. I can’t tell you I believe like Chloe did – that you’re going to be the one to fix all this. I won’t lie to you like that.”

There is a bit of a slow build up as we are trying to see why Gabriel is imprisoned as the story begins. Gabriel proceeds to tell us his story of a unique day's death world that the author has created, complete with various creatures and swords that speak. We are jostled about from bloody event to bloody event in slightly different time frames, but it is such a good beautiful slow bloody torture.

There are so many things going on there is no way that the author could edit this chunkster down from its 752 pages but also a special treat is the illustrations. And there is no way to easily express in my own words the perfection of reading bliss that Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff bestowed upon us.

I bought the eBook as there was no way I could wait for a hard copy to arrive via the postal office and these are some of the screen grabs from the eBook:

The author has done a great job of pre - selling multiple special editions and I am still a little bit annoyed that I haven't scored one of those but I am trying to simplify my living space and continue buying ebooks plus there's that instant satisfaction for downloading immediately, but I am not going to say no right away for his next release of a special edition which I pray that he will release book two ASAP. While I tend to forget about characters and specifics between releases of books of a series I do not think I will ever forget this book it was that amazing of an experience for me.

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff:

Definitely a Five Star Favorite.

⚠

Not for the feeble stomach.

Probably a zillion trigger warnings.

There is blood. Sex. Heresy? Lots of gore. Language. Everything else spicy is here. You are warned.

Aug 5, 2021

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

BurtonReview Thursday, August 05, 2021

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Hodder & Stoughton, October 2021

egalley via Netgalley

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl...

A scrappy maid must outsmart both palace nobles and Low Gods in a new YA fantasy by Margaret Owen, author of the Merciful Crow series.

Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother's love, and she's on the hook for one hell of a debt. Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja's otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back... by stealing Gisele's life for herself.

The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.

Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele's sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja's tail, she'll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life.

Author Margaret Owen already has a following due to her successful Merciful Crow series and I was very intrigued by the synopsis of Little Thieves coming out this fall. I loved the energy of the characters and oh how flawed they are! The only thing that Vanja needs is survival.. but still that takes skill, money, time. She has skill at stealing money and a specific identity (Gisele's) but she is not in a fantastic situation even though she technically is to marry a prince.

There are so many fun elements in this story such as fairy tale (Grimm's!) vibes, godmothers, orphans, magic, palace guardian goblins, rags vs. riches, wicked rulers, nerdy love interests, I could go on..but I absolutely love the antihero plot.

While the writing style was witty and flowed well with interesting storytelling chapter openings, there were hiccups for me with the Germanic words. They were heavily used and it was a bit maddening for me trying to work out the context of the foreign word. The other noticeable thing is that I felt like I was rushed to the ending and boom it's done. I wonder if I just wanted to live in the world of Vanja and Gisele for a while longer.

My favorite supporting character was Ragne (probably because she shape shifted into a cat) and I was rooting for her side story to work out. She was a sweet thing who could have been a pain in Vanja's life but instead she helped her out of many situations.

Because there were so many different things going on that I may have missed, I am putting this book on a very high pedestal that has potential for a re-read. While this is a stand-alone I would like to read more about this set of diverse characters. Little Thieves is a thrilling adventure and now I am going to have to read some of the other books by Margaret Owen.

May 18, 2021

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

BurtonReview Tuesday, May 18, 2021

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

Published by Sourcebooks, June 2021

eGalley provided via Netgalley in exchange for this review, thank you!

The Summary:

"One of the Most Anticipated Young Adult Debuts of 2021!

From a stunning new voice in YA comes the fierce, romantic story about a world on the brink of destruction, the one witch who holds the power to save it, and the choice that could cost her everything she loves.

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It's wild and volatile, and the price of her magic—losing the ones she loves—is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.

In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she's the only one who can make a difference.

In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she's terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.

In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves...before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos."

This was such an intriguing concept of Witches versus Shapers but I will say that it is definitely not geared towards the perception of witches that most people think of. It's really more of a science/nature/climate control novel where teenagers are trying to hold off impending doom by controlling weather patterns.

The main character is especially gifted and called an 'Ever' who is able to create her magic during all seasons. She has issues with her powers and decides that she is tired of being used and tired of hurting those she loves. The novel centers on how Clara deals with her powers and how it affects her relationships. She herself was an easy character to root for, but some of the things she worried about were repetitive and sometimes she went through the same thing twice.

"We aren’t in this alone and shouldn’t act like we are; the atmosphere is hurting, and that’s a problem for all of us, witches and shaders alike. The challenge is great, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. But we’re in this together, and if there’s anything I’ve learned this past year, it’s that together is where the magic lies."

I loved the relationship Clara has with Paige and Sang as they added depth to both the story and the character development. There were a few spots of ingenious scenes that I don't want to give away that have to deal with flowers or creations which were spectacular. The teacher Mr. Burrows was quite easy to dislike, and it gave off the villainy Hogwart's vibes. A very enjoyable and entertaining experience with a worthwhile ending to savor.

Mar 17, 2021

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

BurtonReview Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Chain of Iron, book 2 of The Last Hours

Available March 2021

(The silhouettes will appear randomly in the Kindle version)

LitJoy Crate did a special edition with an added bonus of this Cordelia Carstairs print.

The LitJoy edition comes with a gorgeous slipcase and this quote is on one side.

----

Synopsis:

The Shadowhunters must catch a killer in Edwardian London in this dangerous and romantic sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling novel Chain of Gold, from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Cassandra Clare. Chain of Iron is a Shadowhunters novel.

Cordelia Carstairs seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood. She has a new life in London with her best friend Lucie Herondale and James’s charming companions, the Merry Thieves. She is about to be reunited with her beloved father. And she bears the sword Cortana, a legendary hero’s blade.

But the truth is far grimmer. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with the mysterious Grace Blackthorn whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it, while her father has grown bitter and angry. And a serial murderer is targeting the Shadowhunters of London, killing under cover of darkness, then vanishing without a trace.

Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James, and Lucie must follow the trail of the knife-wielding killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each is keeping a shocking secret: Lucie, that she plans to raise Jesse from the dead; Cordelia, that she has sworn a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power; and James, that he is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself may be the killer they seek.

------

OK so last year I fell in love with Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunters.

I have read everything on this list except for the last two in red & Ghosts of the Shadowmarket which is a short story collection. Those last two in red were co-written so I am not in a rush for those.

Chain of Gold is the last one on this list, and not yet shown on the list is Chain of Iron which is book two in The Last Hours series. Technically you can read The Last Hours series after you have read The Infernal Devices series (shown in green) but I recommend that you read her books in the same way shown in the graphic.

It is hard to review a book that is like #19 that I have read from this Shadowhunter world but I felt like I needed to write about it just because I have enjoyed being devoted to this unique world.

It's Young Adult, fantasy, angels, demons, all-inclusive and delightful fun. Werewolves and vampires.

The love interests are verrry slow burn but mostly worth it.. HOWEVER in Chain of Iron I felt ready to throw the book. It was slightly predictable with the build up of tension and SO MUCH MISCOMMUNICATION that it was stressing me out.

But of course I will have to pray it resolves itself in the next book but I will have to wait a year.

My all time favorite character is still Tessa from The Infernal Devices. I love that this universe is modern times and also Victorian England depending on the series, but I love most of all the saga of all the intertwining families.

Find me on Facebook or Instagram for any questions about these books!

Oct 3, 2020

The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

BurtonReview Saturday, October 03, 2020

The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

Published by Random House Delacorte Press, November 10, 2020

The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

"The second book in a new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White, exploring the nature of self, the inevitable cost of progress, and, of course, magic and romance and betrayal so epic Queen Guinevere remains the most famous queen who never lived.

EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE IN CAMELOT: King Arthur is expanding his kingdom’s influence with Queen Guinevere at his side. Yet every night, dreams of darkness and unknowable power plague her.

Guinevere might have accepted her role, but she still cannot find a place for herself in all of it. The closer she gets to Brangien, pining for her lost love Isolde, Lancelot, fighting to prove her worth as Queen’s knight, and Arthur, everything to everyone and thus never quite enough for Guinevere–the more she realizes how empty she is. She has no sense of who she truly was before she was Guinevere. The more she tries to claim herself as queen, the more she wonders if Mordred was right: she doesn’t belong. She never will.

When a rescue goes awry and results in the death of something precious, a devastated Guinevere returns to Camelot to find the greatest threat yet has arrived. Not in the form of the Dark Queen or an invading army, but in the form of the real Guinevere’s younger sister. Is her deception at an end? And who is she really deceiving–Camelot, or herself?"

4.5 stars!

I read this directly after book one, The Guinevere Deception, and I feel like this was paced a lot better.

The Camelot Betrayal was really well done for a second installment and brings a lot of magic along with more fairytale stories that it's hard for Guinevere to know what's real. I loved the storyline behind the newest characters and it kept me guessing as to who to trust. How it ends of course opens up an entirely new set of problems for Arthur and Guinevere that has me wishing for the final book in the trilogy.

Thank you for the eGalley, Random House!

Sep 7, 2020

A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe

BurtonReview Monday, September 07, 2020

A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe

October 2020, Wednesday Books

review copy via netGalley, thank you!

In her debut novel A Golden Fury, Samantha Cohoe weaves a story of magic and danger, where the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone will haunt you long after the final page.
Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.
While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of a revolution looming, Thea is sent to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.
But there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.

My first love is historical fiction so when magic/fantasy collide with it I am happy! This story of a young Thea opens up with her leaving her crazy wizardly mom behind in revolutionary France so she can find her father in England. Thea has learned a lot at her mother's skirts as an apprentice of alchemy and when she reaches her father in England that skill is all she has to her name.

Thea's entire purpose for living is to be loved by William Percy but more importantly to achieve the ultimate success in creating the magical Philosopher's Stone. Fame, health and fortune beckon as Thea pursues this potion but it has to be under the careful watch of captors of her beloved Will.

While there are a few threads of converging storylines with each of the characters the author does not digress far from focusing on the Golden Fury of what is the Philosopher's Stone. The plot is fairly straightforward and could be a double edged sword as it teeters towards lacking in depth but yet again it sticks to the point of the storyline. A Golden Fury is an intriguing debut novel with a spunky heroine in Thea who makes it easy to be invested in her quest, so much so that if there is a sequel I'm on board!

I turned off commenting long ago on the blog but I welcome comments at the Facebook page here.

Jun 30, 2020

Halfway through 2020 For the love of God

BurtonReview Tuesday, June 30, 2020

My year started with Ruthless Gods by Emily Duncan. Did that title signal the coming of the Covid-apocalypse of 2020? Maybe. Here we are at the last half of 2020 (hallelujah!) and I am aiming for my Goodreads Reading Challenge of 70 books. I am sitting at 44 books now, most of those are pictured above.

I kinda wove around a bit but loved reading all of the Cassandra Clare Shadowhunters books. The other pleasant surprise was the Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir and also The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater which I have to finish both of those but I don't want to rush through them. I have Tahir's December 2020 release on pre-order though!

The two Audio books before Covid derailed me: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid was excellent on audio, and so was Sadie by Courtney Summers. Both excellent stories via audio.

I have started the famously popular Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas but it didn't knock my socks off yet. I am told the series gets better as you go as the author matured as the books were written but I am not in a rush to continue with them.

Here's my newest Five Star Read:

I just finished This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger and I LovVVEd it:

"Over the course of one unforgettable summer, these four orphans will journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an enthralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole."

I absolutely have totally enjoyed having access to library eBooks while this Covid stuff has everything topsy turvy. If you have a smartphone and/or a kindle and have a library card you can set up a Libby aka overdrive account to get access to your library's eBooks. Yes, you may have to wait for them to become available like This Tender Land was, but it was so worth it!

I haven't read an abundance of more books than usual due to Covid as one would expect. I am still blessed to be able to bring in a paycheck (knock on wood) but not having to go in the office as much as things were so nutty. Every time I think we could be turning a corner it turns out to be another detour. I am trying to be positive and manage my anxiety successfully but sometimes I feel like it's just giant black hole. Hence my desire to try and focus on books instead but that's easier said than done.

Feel free to friend me over on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1170687-marie-burton

I turned off commenting long ago on the blog but I welcome comments at the Facebook page here.

Jun 29, 2020

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

BurtonReview Monday, June 29, 2020

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

April 2020 Houghton Mifflin

* review copy via Netgalley, thank you!

Four stars from me!

Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke

BurtonReview Monday, May 04, 2020

Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke
North Star Editions/Flux
Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA
Kindle Pub Date 26 May 2020
Full release February 2021
EGalley via netgalley in exchange for this review, thank you!

Ren Kolins is a silver wielder—a dangerous thing to be in the kingdom of Erdis, where magic has been outlawed for a century. Ren is just trying to survive, sticking to a life of petty thievery, card games, and pit fighting to get by. But when a wealthy rebel leader discovers her secret, he offers her a fortune to join his revolution. The caveat: she won’t see a single coin until they overthrow the King.
Behind the castle walls, a brutal group of warriors known as the King’s Children is engaged in a competition: the first to find the rebel leader will be made King’s Fang, the right hand of the King of Erdis. And Adley Farre is hunting down the rebels one by one, torturing her way to Ren and the rebel leader, and the coveted King’s Fang title.
But time is running out for all of them, including the youngest Prince of Erdis, who finds himself pulled into the rebellion. Political tensions have reached a boiling point, and Ren and the rebels must take the throne before war breaks out.

I do not read tons of books in the sub-genre of sci-fi but I have been loving the fantasy/teen/YA genre over the past year and this book is another great fantasy novel (with additional themes of LGBT so be forewarned) and a really delicious debut. Ren's character of being a silver wielder, an outlawed talent, is easy to like: she is tough, independent, snarky and realistic. A concurrent character storyline of a soldier of the monarchy follows Adley, who is an orphan with a dangerous love interest but wholly focused on her mission to kill for her evil leaders. And it turns out that Adley is hunting Ren and is eager to do so as it would guarantee Adley the highest position possible for her dire life's existence: the King's Fang. The setting of the kingdom of Erdis is dark, lonely and hopeless but the author is skilled at offering a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel for the main characters who are working towards a better reality but the endgame of our characters work against each other.

Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke is a courageous story that doesn't hold back; its myriad of rough characters pulls you in as they reveal their insecurities as the plot unfolds. The themes of forbidden love and violence with poetic justice really give this story a punch but it is the flowing writing style of the author that makes this novel so easy to enjoy. There is so much going on that this review is very subpar when it deserves to much more. Very well done and can't wait to read more from the author.

~~~

Unfortunately with the Covid -19 pandemic I can't really tell when the book is to be published, it was originally slated for May 2020 and that is what Amazon shows the kindle release it but paperback is 2021.

I turned off commenting long ago on the blog but I welcome comments at the Facebook page here.

Mar 12, 2020

House of Earth and Blood: Crescent City #1 by Sarah J Maas

BurtonReview Thursday, March 12, 2020

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

March 3, 2020 from Bloomsbury, 816 pages

****Not inserting a synopsis because it contains a huge spoiler **** (first clue this book contains zero merit)

I fell in love with Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series last year; so much so that I reread them this year. I also fell into the hype trap and pre-ordered a signed copy of the House of Earth and Blood book one of the newest series by Sarah J. Maas, Crescent City, marketed as an adult book as opposed to her previous titles. The writing is the same though so it was decided to reissue the previous titles soon as adult, too. Whatever brings in the money, right?

It is a huge book! I love huge books, I cannot lie! Except this one, as it was 800 pages of repetitive whining back and forth between the fallen slave angel Hunt and the druggie half-Fae half-human Bryce. They were in heat for each other throughout the 800 pages, demons are unleashed and supergirl Bryce saves the day. Surprise! That's the synopsis.

Second clue I would hate this is the purposeful insertion of the F**K word 528 times. Then the third clue was how many times Bryce's toes curled as a reflex of being attracted to the fallen angel who is an 'alphahole' (eyeroll).

Fourth clue is that I zzzzz'd through 700 pages before action started to happen. The actual climax at the end of the book didn't make up for the utter disappointment of the majority of the book so One F**King star from me. Too crass, crude and way too long of a build-up.

Sex crazed Bryce needs her Fae Daddy to love her for who she is so she does drugs to get away from her sadness/stupidity of her life. She seeks redemption and revenge on her Fae Fam by eschewing their traditions and battles demons to save babies. The End.

Feb 11, 2020

Wicked Saints and Ruthless Gods by Emily Duncan

BurtonReview Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Wicked Saints published April 2019

Ruthless Gods published April 2020

Something Dark and Holy series, books 1 & 2 by Emily Duncan.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing the eGalley to review Ruthless Gods, the sequel to Wicked Saints.

I had read Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan last November as this short summary was quite intriguing:

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy..

The story is about magical gods, stranger customs to evoke magical powers through blood and one girl's journey of gruesome survival as she struggles to understand who or what she is while trying to save her country. Definitely a fantasy with a bit of incredulity involved but a great premise. While the action in the story was drawn out it was the characters that kept me reading as they were the most intriguing element of Wicked Saints as the shifting plot line bounced out of grasp as to who we were rooting for.

"Ruthless Gods opens the door to a world of fallen gods and eldritch horrors... Gruesome, grotesque, and so, so glorious." - Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows.

Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. Their paths are being orchestrated by someone…or something.

The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.

In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless.

Book two of Something Dark and Holy is Ruthless Gods and yet I am not quite seeing where the Ruthless Gods were in the whole story as yet again that was out of grasp. Serefin and Malachiasz are proven to be more connected than we first imagine which made for a neat twist but the whole Serefin is gay thing was out of place in the story. This seems to be a trope thing thrown in to newer YA reads just to pander to the audience; I think it is offensive at times to those who identify as such in the first place (but that's another topic for another day). Speaking of offensive: the author also warns her readers of several trigger warnings such as self-harm and "body horror/eye horror".

The main heroine in the series is Nadya and she is supposed to be super magical and 'holy' but apparently she needs to have special beads to talk to gods to be special (so this time she fell flat for me) as the gods were not listening- since Malachiasz is still alive. It was 432 pages of this journey where the characters are at separate stages of their journeys and at 21% I wrote "So they're on this forgettable journey to get Zaneta from the Salt Mines (not that I know what that means) & "Something is stirring. Something is hungry." & if Something Doesn't Happen Soon I AM SLITTING MY WRISTS"
There was a lot of foreshadowing and build up to action as the author really likes to develop the characters thoroughly.

I am writing this review a few weeks after I actually finished it and yet it feels like it has been much longer than that. The saving grace for this story are those characters and yet I still don't feel like these characters' goals were explained properly; the narrative was a lot of musing. Not that I could do better, I do think there was so much potential .. but I kinda think this series would have been better off whittled down from a trilogy down to a good chunky book if some of the repetitiveness was edited out.

I am undecided as to whether or not I would like to read book three, it would depend on the description and the length of it. If the description doesn't tell me exactly what the actual goal is, then I don't want to embark on their journey of weird magic for no particular reason/just to see people interact with each other.

But yet-- if the story would really let something develop and focus on Nadya and Malachiasz saving the world without all the other hangers on, you might rope me into it if St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books is willing to take another chance with me. They certainly do not need to attempt it as these books have quite a following already on Goodreads and I am one of the few that did not give this one five stars.

I turned off commenting long ago on the blog but I welcome comments at the Facebook page here.

Feb 1, 2020

The Hazel Wood Volume 1 and 2 by Melissa Albert

BurtonReview Saturday, February 01, 2020

The Hazel Wood originally published January 2019

The Night Country originally published January 2020

Thank you to Flatiron Books for offering the eGalley of The Night Country in exchange for this review.

Welcome to Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood―the fiercely stunning New York Times bestseller everyone is raving about!

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert was a very intriguing debut novel about Alice-Three-Times whose grandmother has written Tales from Hinterland/fairy tales which aren't necessarily fairy tales in Alice's world. Alice was living her life moving from place to place as her mother fled from unknown threats until the weirdness caught up with them and mom disappears. So Alice and her nerdy friend Finch head out in search of the Hazel Wood in the hopes to rescue mom Ella in spite of mom's famous last words to stay away from the Hazel Wood. I loved how the more creepy fairy tale nuances were ever present and how we as a reader get to experience the journey along with Alice as she discovers more secrets than she can imagine about her own origins. The word 'story' is a very important theme as they are all part of a puzzle that Finch and Alice need to unravel in order to survive the Hazel Wood. A novel so well done and mesmerizing that I couldn't wait to read the sequel, The Night Country:

In The Night Country, Alice Proserpine dives back into a menacing, mesmerizing world of dark fairy tales and hidden doors. Follow her and Ellery Finch as they learn The Hazel Wood was just the beginning, and that worlds die not with a whimper, but a bang.
With Finch’s help, Alice escaped the Hinterland and her reclusive grandmother’s dark legacy. Now she and the rest of the dregs of the fairy tale world have washed up in New York City, where Alice is trying to make a new, unmagical life. But something is stalking the Hinterland’s survivors―and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose. Meanwhile, in the winking out world of the Hinterland, Finch seeks his own adventure, and―if he can find it―a way back home...

So now we have Alice but no Ellery Finch back in the real world, naively feeling safe from The Hazel Wood. Alice is hanging out with other "survivors" from the Hinterland but then strange occurrences are happening to those who tried to escape to New York City, painting Alice as the chief suspect behind the mayhem. She also gets strange notes from Ellery and she realizes she misses him more than she thought she would and perhaps the two need to meet up again in the unknown but spooky Night Country to see if they can spark up a romance. But time does funny things and one doesn't know how time correlates from one world to another; and then: who is part of a story or just a witness to one? Tales are spun and more puzzles to solve and Alice's life as she knows it is in dire jeopardy if she doesn't come up with some real evidence that she isn't really the bad guy from one of the tales that were spun by the evil spinner.

I am so glad that I was able to read both of these books so close to each other because there are many threads originally sewn with the first book weaving through The Night Country and reading book one of The Hazel Wood is a definite must before reading The Night Country. I noticed a lot of references to other stories and fantasy novels that I have recently read which was a little weird but ultimately felt like, "hey -I knew about this too!" type of fandom feel. I really enjoyed both of these books and I am certainly looking forward to anything else Melissa Albert publishes as I adore her writing style.

I turned off commenting long ago on the blog but I welcome comments at the Facebook page here.

Jul 8, 2018

Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

BurtonReview Sunday, July 08, 2018

August 07 2018 USA edition

Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley
August 07 2018 Sourcebook Landmark
448 pages HistFic/Sci fi/Fantasy
egalley provided via NetGalley from the publisher, thank you!

"The house, when I first saw it, seemed intent on guarding what it knew; but we all learned, by the end of it, that secrets aren't such easy things to keep."

It's late summer, war is raging, and families are torn apart by divided loyalties and deadly secrets. In this complex and dangerous time, a young French Canadian lieutenant is captured and billeted with a Long Island family, an unwilling and unwelcome guest. As he begins to pitch in with the never-ending household tasks and farm chores, Jean-Philippe de Sabran finds himself drawn to the daughter of the house. Slowly, Lydia Wilde comes to lean on Jean-Philippe, true soldier and gentleman, until their lives become inextricably intertwined. Legend has it that the forbidden love between Jean-Philippe and Lydia ended tragically, but centuries later, the clues they left behind slowly unveil the true story. Part history, part romance, and all kinds of magic, Susanna Kearsley's latest masterpiece will draw you in and never let you go, even long after you've closed the last page.

I do like this cover as a departure from their previous covers but I think there are a few different covers depending on region. I have to sadly state that this was not my favorite Susanna Kearsley novel. No matter how much I tried to enjoy it there were times I just could not talk myself into picking it up again. I spent 20 plus years on Long Island and I thought I would feel a special connection to the setting but it was not very atmospheric for me. I love ghost stories and the novel was unsuccessful in trying to be a creepy ghostly goose bumps thing. Being told in the same style of dual time period that Susanna Kearsley is known for writing the ghosts were in the form of the occasional unplugged lamp in the house, or the spark of a lantern in the woods and the modern day characters would imagine that they were there in the house of the Wilde family.

The historical time period story was very interesting: the Wilde family (all fictitious unfortunately) hosting prisoners of war while keeping a slave that they called a cook. The modern day story of Charley dealing with her restless/depressed niece as Charley discovers clues of the Wilde family is very slow but I did appreciate the slavery issue and how the descendants of the family were saddened that their family did indeed have slaves which was a no-no for the northern half of the country at the time. (The time being when there was a war going on so when the Canadian prisoner falls in love with the young daughter Lydia all drama is supposed to ensue.)

The house is a character in itself, since the spook factor is the fact that some things just don't work right when Charley is around but the best part of the story was the thread of romantic tension between Charley and the guy who was working on renovations. There were a lot of loose threads for Charley to tie together as she learned more about the Wilde house and the people who lived there. The ending did actually make up a bit for the slow start and I appreciated the happier than expected conclusion.

The one thing that set me off on the wrong foot altogether was the dividing line of Canada and USA. Canada readers were treated to an April publication date while Long Island and the rest of the USA had to wait until an August publication date. BOOOO

Maybe since it was my eighth Susanna Kearsley it was just destined to be boring all the way around, but this one just wasn't all there for me as much as some of her others were.

I turned off commenting long ago on the blog but I welcome comments at the Facebook page here.

Nov 25, 2015

The Gifting Trilogy by K.E. Ganshert

BurtonReview Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Book one of The Gifting Trilogy by K.E. Ganshert

If science is right, then I am crazy. And crazy is dangerous.

Tess Eckhart has always felt things nobody else can feel. Then the Ouija board incident happens at a high school party. Her complete freak out sends her family across the country--next to a nationally-renowned facility for the mentally ill. Worried Tess suffers from the same illness that tormented her grandmother, her parents insist she see a psychiatrist.

Tess is more concerned about fitting in at her new school, and hiding the fact that she's seeing a therapist at the Edward Brooks Facility. She's used to whispers and stares, but when it comes to Luka Williams, a reluctantly popular boy in her class, she's unused to a stare that intense. Then the headaches start, and the seemingly prophetic dreams that haunt her at night. As Tess tries to hide them, she becomes increasingly convinced that Luka knows something--that he might somehow be responsible.

But what if she's wrong? What if Luka Williams is the only thing separating her from a madness too terrifying to fathom?

Somewhere around November 15th I had decided I was going to read something that I wanted to read, something that didn't require a review kind of thing especially since I was coming up on a week long vacation. So I decided to pick up my Kindle Voyage and peruse my large collection. I came upon The Gifting by K.E. Ganshert, (a.k.a Katie Ganshert) and decided this was perfect, and I already had the whole trilogy. A really neat premise - something different when we are talking about supernatural things and how they fit into our reality. I completely loved the character build up of Tess, and the cutest boy in town, Luka along with their relationship. Taking a look back at the whole trilogy, it seems like so long ago when the two of them were sharing classes together in an affluent part of California.

Book #2

I read The Gifting in less than four days, and moved on immediately to book two as I was totally hooked and there was some cliffhanging action going on. In The Awakening there is a lot of action and thrills as we enter into a completely new norm for the characters. The characters have gifts, but the 'other side' is trying very hard to eradicate the world of those people with gifts. The gifts we would normally see as psychosis are actually some really cool abilities that are tailored to fit together in a group attack against evil. More characters are introduced in the second installment which add to the intrigue and the suspense that is building before the ultimate finale: The Gathering.

The final installment

"Darkness is a tricky thing. Especially when it cloaks itself in light."
Luka isn’t dead. He’s not beyond saving. Tess knows because she saw him with her own eyes. After what she saw, she’s sure of one thing: If they don’t rescue him soon, Luka won’t be Luka anymore.
If only she could convince the other members of the hub. They’re not sure Tess saw what she claims she saw. And they’re preoccupied by the fact that their kind is being systematically eradicated. Answers lie in an ancient prophecy, one that revolves around a seventeen-year-old girl who never asked for any of this.
K.E. Ganshert’s final installment in The Gifting Series brings readers on an action-packed journey through loss, sacrifice, betrayal, and the impossible choice between what we want most and what we know is right.

The final installment really did a fantastic job of completely pulling off the whole entire supernatural/good side versus the evil/bad side. I loved the creativity and the imagination of the series, and I was sitting there with tears streaming down my face a couple of times. Such a fantastic job of writing and storytelling, I sincerely hope that Katie Ganshert does another series like this again. Five stars all around. Thank you to Katie for such a wonderful adventure I've had the last ten days with the trilogy. I really enjoyed reading for pleasure again, but I am really going to miss these special characters.

Go check out the first installment on Amazon, it is free for the taking!

Jul 12, 2012

Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling: A Novel by Michael Boccacino

BurtonReview Thursday, July 12, 2012

Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling: A Novel by Michael Boccacino
Facebook Fan Page: Michael Boccacino
Author Twitter campaign: @mboccacino
William Morrow Paperbacks, July 24, 2012
320 pages
Review EGalley downloaded via the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating: 3 stars

Neil Gaiman meets Tim Burton in this debut-a Victorian gothic tale of the world beyond the living and the price you pay to save those you love.We bid you welcome to the House of Darkling…
When Nanny Prum, the nanny to the young Darrow boys, is found mysteriously murdered in the forest, Charlotte Markham, the recently hired governess, steps in to care for the children. During an outing in the forest, they find themselves crossing over into The Ending, the place for the things that cannot die, where Lily Darrow, the late mistress of Everton, has been waiting. She invites them into the ominous House of Darkling, a wondrous, dangerous place filled with enchantment, mystery and strange creatures that appear to be, but are not quite, human.

Through repeated visits with Lily, Charlotte and the boys discover the wonders of the House of Darkling, careful to keep the place and their mother's existence a secret from their father, Henry Darrow, lest the spell linking the two worlds together be broken. But when the boys and their mother become trapped in the enchanted house, Charlotte has no choice but to confide everything to Henry, to whom she finds herself increasingly drawn. Together they search to find a way to travel back into The Ending, but when they learn the price demanded by the creatures who inhabit the netherworld, Charlotte and Henry must decide if the sacrifice is worth the danger.

Not since Coraline unlocked a door and discovered a distorted world through a mirror has the simple act of walking through a dense fog revealed such a fantastic journey that is so splendidly strange, frightening, and exhilarating.

At first glance I thought this would be a quaint British-nanny-murder-mystery with a gothic flair.. but after a bit more reading I realized I was in for the full Tim Burton effect. Which means this is fantasy-fairytale with not so quaint images. Even a bit of Stephen King peeks out of these pages. This is an imaginative and creative story that follows the replacement nanny, Lily, into another world beyond an orchard, where her charges find their dead mother and explore the possibilities of rescuing her.

Lily knows what it is like to lose loved ones, so she allows the boys to visit their mother, but of course everything has a price (I would assume) when you are dealing with the dead/underworld/evil creatures. Along the sidelines of the plot is the possibility of a romance between Lily and the boys' father, as is expected.. and eventually that works itself out, too. The father Henry was off to the side throughout the story, so the romance aspect which could have exuded Jane Eyre was a mere nuance throughout most of the novel.

I am very glad this was a short novel, since I had reached just about my fill of odd otherworldly creatures, and I am not too sure I enjoyed the ending. When the author says "Think of it as 2 cups Jane Eyre, 6 oz of Lovecraft, and a tbsp of Tim Burton", I would reverse the Tim Burton and the Jane Eyre quantities. (No idea what Lovecraft is).

Obviously, this is not my normal type of read, so for those readers who do enjoy the fantasy/fairy/horror realm, this just might be their cuppa tea. The writing flowed nicely (I did read this in a day) but this is not for those with weak stomachs. Or for those who have may have recently lost a loved one. Or for those who do not like disturbing images frolicking throughout their mind. I would also say this should appeal to the paranormal and young adult audience as well.

Jun 10, 2011

Surprise Giveaway! Happily Ever After by John Klima

BurtonReview Friday, June 10, 2011

Have you seen the promos for Happily Ever After by John Klima?

This is such a fun premise for a book I had to share it with you all.. aren't you lucky?
I first saw it on Shelf Awareness, and was immediately intrigued and requested an ARC.
Somehow I got two finished copies of these wonderful books.. so I am giving the spare away to one of my USA Followers. I haven't reviewed it yet, but I am certainly going to! I have not read fairy tales since I was a child, and I thought this would be a fun summer read and I might brush up on some stories to share with my own children. I haven't read fantasy or anthologies etc in a dog's age either, so this read will cover my bases.

Check this book out.. and I've bolded what is even so amazingly clever which sold me on this book...

Happily Ever After by John Klima

450 pages, May 24 2011 Night Shade Books

Once Upon A Time...

...in the faraway land of Story, a Hugo-winning Editor realized that no one had collected together the fairy tales of the age, and that doorstop-thick anthologies of modern fairy tales were sorely lacking...

And so the Editor ventured forth, wandering the land of Story from shore to shore, climbing massive mountains of books and delving deep into lush, literary forests, gathering together thirty-three of the best re-tellings of fairy tales he could find. Not just any fairy tales, mind you, but tantalizing tales from some of the biggest names in today's fantastic fiction, authors like Gregory Maguire, Susanna Clarke, Charles de Lint, Holly Black, Aletha Kontis, Kelly Link, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Briggs, Paul Di Filippo, Gregory Frost, and Nancy Kress. But these stories alone weren't enough to satisfy the Editor, so the Editor ventured further, into the dangerous cave of the fearsome Bill Willingham, and emerged intact with a magnificent introduction, to tie the collection together.

And the inhabitants of Story, from the Kings and Queens relaxing in their castles to the peasants toiling in the fields; from to the fey folk flitting about the forests to the trolls lurking under bridges and the giants in the hills, read the anthology, and enjoyed it. And they all lived...

...Happily Ever After.

Table of Contents:

1."The Seven Stage a Comeback" by Gregory Maguire
2."And In Their Glad Rags" by Genevieve Valentine
3."The Sawing Boys" by Howard Waldrop
4."Bear It Away" by Michael Cadnum
5."Mr. Simonelli or the Fairy Widower" by Susanna Clarke
6."The Black Fairy's Curse" by Karen Joy Fowler
7."My Life As A Bird" by Charles de Lint
8."The Night Market" by Holly Black
9."The Rose in Twelve Petals" by Theodora Goss
10."The Red Path" by Jim C. Hines
11."Blood and Water" by Alethea Kontis
12."Hansel's Eyes" by Garth Nix
13."He Died That Day, In Thirty Years" by Wil McCarthy
14."Snow In Summer" by Jane Yolen
15."The Rose Garden" by Michelle West
16."The Little Magic Shop" by Bruce Sterling
17."Black Feather" by K. Tempest Bradford
18."Fifi's Tail" by Alan Rodgers
19."The Faery Handbag" by Kelly Link
20."Ashputtle" by Peter Straub
21."The Emperor's New (And Improved) Clothes" by Leslie What
22."Pinocchio's Diary" by Robert J. Howe
23."Little Red" by Wendy Wheeler
24."The Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman
25."The Price" by Patricia Briggs
26."Ailoura" by Paul Di Filippo
27."The Farmer's Cat" by Jeff VanderMeer
28."The Root of The Matter" by Gregory Frost
29."Like a Red, Red Rose" by Susan Wade
30."Chasing America" by Josh Rountree
31."Stalking Beans" by Nancy Kress
32."Big Hair" by Esther Friesner
33."The Return of the Dark Children" by Robert Coover

Doesn't this sound fantastically intriguing? What do you think? Would you want this for your own fairy tale collection?
If so.. comment here at Burton Book Review to enter the book giveaway for Happily Ever After by John Klima! Remember to leave your email address so I can contact the winner.

Open to my followers of Burton Book Review in the USA for an undetermined amount of time, and I will haphazardly pick from the comments in any way I see fit when I get around to it. Today, tomorrow, or next week. Or the next? Surprise me with your wittiness and clever commenting abilities..

Nov 12, 2010

Book Review: Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley

BurtonReview Friday, November 12, 2010

Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley
Sourcebooks REISSUE, November 1, 2010
Historical Fantasy
Review copy provided by Sourcebooks, thank you!
The Burton Review Rating: Three Stars

The Guinevere Trilogy by Persia Woolley:

Child of the Northern Spring (1987)
Queen of the Summer Stars (1991)
Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn (1993)

Among the first to look at the story of Camelot through Guinevere’s eyes, Woolley sets the traditional tale in the time of its origin, after Britain has shattered into warring fiefdoms. Hampered by neither fantasy nor medieval romance, this young Guinevere is a feisty Celtic tomboy who sees no reason why she must learn to speak Latin, wear dresses, and go south to marry that king. But legends being what they are, the story of Arthur’s rise to power soon intrigues her, and when they finally meet, Guinevere and Arthur form a partnership that has lasted for 1500 years.

This is Arthurian epic at its best—filled with romance, adventure, authentic Dark Ages detail, and wonderfully human people.

Arthurian legends have held the aura of mystique for quite a few years, but the recent releases of Anna Elliott's Avalon series have helped me to quench the thirst for more stories of the period. There are several popular authors of the Arthurian genre such as Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Helen Hollick's Kingmaking series, and we also have the Guenevere novels by Rosalind Miles that I have wanted to read for awhile. Instead the opportunity came to review this reissue of another Guinevere/Guenevere trilogy, starting with Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley.

The story starts with Woolley's Guinevere as a young woman about to be wedded to Arthur. On the excrutiatingly long journey to meet with her new husband, Guinevere's thoughts are full of reflection and the author recounts previous experiences in her life which makes the story jump back and forth in the timeline. This was not received well, as all I wanted was for Arthur and Guinevere to get married as promised upon the opening of the novel, and she doesn't become queen during this novel although the event was alluded to many times.

Irritatingly slow and dry was Guinevere's early story, and I found it difficult to want to pick up the book many a times. This is definitely something that you have to be ready to sit down and enjoy the atmosphere along with the young Guinevere as she sees and hears it for the first time, but if you are waiting for the dramatics and mystical realms of the Arthurian legends you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I feel that the author does a fine job of weaving Arthurian nuances throughout the many different characters in the story, but I wanted more of Guinevere's character and not the entire realm as it occurred around her and before her time as Queen. The cast of characters seemed complete though, with Arthur, Merlin, Morgan Le Fey and Mordred as well as several kings, soldiers and family members.

If you are the type of reader that gets put off by jumps in time (like I am) this will be a thorn in your side. To be fair, I have read that the later installments in Woolley's trilogy were much better received than this first piece, and perhaps those installments as a whole achieve what I was looking for here. And the last half of book one was better than its first, but it was slow going getting there. Alaine at Queen of Happy Endings did thoroughly enjoy Child of the Northern Spring, you can read her review here and get a difference in our two opinions. I think you need to be willing to immerse yourself in the setting of Arthurian legend, just as Guinevere herself tries to unwind the tales and customs, in order to enjoy the story. I have heard great things about the other Guenevere trilogy by Rosalind Miles and I have those waiting for the gift of my time and for when I am brave enough to delve back into Arthurian fantasy. It could be that I have worn out the welcome for Arthurian tales and not all that intrigued by he and his family any longer. Coupled with that and the time jumps within this story, this just wasn't the right moment for me to be able to thoroughly enjoy this novel.

Visit Heather at The Maiden's Court to read a guest post from the author Persia Woolley where she discusses her vision of Guinevere, and where there is also a giveaway for the book which ends November 20th.