Stormrise by Jillian Boehme is a magical reweaving of Mulan, twined with Twelfth Night. Rain is her family’s second daughter. She is one half of a set of twins and despite looking eerily alike, Storm is her brother. When a childhood fever attacks both, it stunts Storm’s mental growth. Now, as a teen, he is […]
The Old Dragon’s Head by Justin Newland is a magical realism historical fiction set in ancient China. For twenty years the last Dragon Master, Wing, has been missing. With no successor in place, the energies of the Old Dragon could not be summoned to strengthen the Great Wall, and now the Mongol threat looms large […]
Windwitch, second in Susan Dennard’s Witchlands series, finds Threadsisters Iseult and Safi separated by half a world. Iseult is determined to reunite with Safi and stumbles across Aeduan. The Bloodwitch had been tracking her and fallen into a Nomatsi bear trap. He has fallen unconscious thanks to the healing magic repairing his body. Iseult steals […]
Poignant and bittersweet, Magyarody’s Changeling of Fenlen Forest is a magical tale like the fairytales and folk legends of yore. You will find no ‘happy ever after’ ending. Instead, you’ll find deep life lessons about following your heart and trusting your intuition. And that life’s not always fair. When Elizabeth is but a young child, […]
Inspired by thePopol Vuh, Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow is a dazzling coming of age/ alchemic transformation story steeped in the rich mythology of the ancient Maya. Casiopea Tun and her ma live in virtual servitude to her grandfather. Unlike her ma, Casiopea bridles against the strict rules, and the disrespect of the family, […]
A Bad Breed by Kat Ross is third in the Gothic Gaslamp series. Deep in the Carpathians, the village of Mara Vardac has been beset by a series of vicious attacks. At first thought to be animal attacks, it becomes clear something far more sinister is afoot. Anne, an SPR agent, goes to investigate and […]
Schwartz’s Haunted Charlottesville and Surrounding Counties explores the many haunted locations in the history rich area of Charlottesville and its surrounding counties. In addition to looking at well-known, ‘popular’ spots, many private residences are discussed. This is a territory steeped in the past. From the Revolutionary War, to the Civil War, there are numerous structures […]
Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall was rollicking good fun! It’s Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series for YA readers. Stovall is quickly becoming a name I look for. I’ve read a few of her other works, and she’s great at adjusting genres! We follow Volke, an orphan on the Isle of Ruma, who wants nothing more […]
Stronger than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan is an Asian inspired tale that follows Liang Anlei on her quest to save her village from the ravages of the demonic Ligui. Anlei is one of the few women serving in the Dailan Guard, protecting the village from the nightly predations of the Ligui. When the […]
Lesath by AM Kherbash is an X-Files-esque read tinged with elements of Shutter Island, Inception, and the Agent Pendergast series by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. We mostly follow Greg, an unreliable narrator if ever there was one. A drifter who lives in his truck, and hopes to create a career in free-lance writing, Greg […]