YA Weekend: A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
Posted on March 7, 2021 14 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of A Dark and Hollow Star
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (February 23, 2021)
Length: 512 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Lately, I have become much more circumspect about the YA books I pick up, especially debuts. However, there were several things going for A Dark and Hollow Star which made me decide to throw caution to the wind and just go for it.
But first, this book is an urban fantasy style story about the Fae. For hundreds of years, they have lived among humans in secret, using their powerful magics to successfully shield and hide themselves even in a bustling, built-up metropolitan city like Toronto, where the Unseelie have actually established their Court. Unfortunately, that fine balance is now in jeopardy, threatened by a series of ritualistic killings pointing to a possible serial killer on the loose—one who is specifically targeting Ironborn, the half-fae.
An Ironborn herself, Arlo Jarsdel has cause to worry. Even though she is descended from the royal fae bloodline through her mother, her father is a mortal, and her human heritage means she has yet to manifest any magical powers with which to defend herself. Caught between the two worlds, Arlo doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere, and for the longest time, her only close friend was her cousin. However, that was before she meets Nausicaä, a mysterious Fury who had been exiled to earth for an unforgivable crime. But in truth, Nausicaä is on a mission of revenge, hunting the real culprit, and after the Fury saves her life, Arlo agrees to help her in her quest.
Meanwhile, out in the Nevada desert where the fae of the Seelie Court dwell, Prince Vehan is determined to prove his worthiness for the crown he must one day wear. He and his guardian Aurelian Bessel have caught wind of the Ironborn killings and believe that they are part of larger plot to further destabilize the peace between the fae and mortal realms. Together, Arlo, Nausicaä, Vehan and Aurelian must prevent the coming war from tearing their worlds apart.
As always, I’ll begin with the positives, and undoubtedly one of the strongest aspects of A Dark and Hollow Star is the world-building. While faeries in urban fantasy stories are nothing new, the sheer number of factions and characters involved in this book ensured a steady flow of interesting court dynamics and intrigue. It’s also clear that the magical systems and rules for Fae powers were inspired by certain gaming mechanics, particularly tabletop and roleplaying games, which are close my heart.
And speaking of topics that are near and dear to me, it thrilled me how so much of this novel took place in Toronto and read like a love letter to my hometown. The author made the setting come to life with her rich descriptions of the diverse neighborhoods and cultures of the city, displaying a natural talent for creating a breathing, pulsing milieu.
Now, as for what I thought could have been better, the characters immediately come to mind. Like so many new authors, I think Ashley Shuttleworth mistakenly believes that having good diversity equates to having good character development. The queer and transgender rep notwithstanding, I found these characters rather bland. When it comes to their personalities, they’re virtually indistinguishable from of sea of other angsty brooding YA protagonists that are riddled with clichés, not to mention they’re your typical boilerplate depictions of the Fae.
Then there’s the plot, which was full of bloat. Clocking in at more than five hundred pages, this book is significantly longer than your average YA novel and urban fantasy, and no wonder, given the amount of unnecessary repetition and overly elaborate description. The ham-fisted infodumps and other problems that stemmed from this resulted in unstable pacing, which also affected my enjoyment.
All in all, A Dark and Hollow Star was a mixed bag, with as many flaws as there are strengths. On the whole, overused character tropes and genre clichés made this one a run-of-the-mill YA fantasy, though to its credit, the book did get a lot of important things done right and will no doubt appeal to readers who are specifically looking for those aspects which it has to offer.
Bookshelf Roundup: 03/06/21: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on March 6, 2021 30 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
This one is new to me, but my thanks to 47North and the awesome team at Wunderkind PR for an ARC of Bacchanal by Veronica Henry, described a Depression-era historical fantasy about a mysterious traveling carnival. Now that it has officially caught my attention, I hope I’ll have time this spring to get to it!
With thanks also to Subterranean Press for an ARC of Collectibles edited by Lawrence Block which is a collection…about collecting! We all know how obsessive some collectors can get about their collections, and this one’s described as an anthology of stories about the darker side of an impulse we all share.
I’d also like to thank Titan Books for this gorgeous finished copy of All the Murmuring Bones by Angela Slatter, a magical novel of the Mer. I’ll be reading this one soon and featuring a review later this month, so keep an eye out for that.
Up next, it’s a parade of new arrivals from the kind folks at Orbit! I was very excited to receive an ARC of The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne, the first novel of the author’s new series called The Bloodsworn Saga. I also received a finished copy of The Unbroken by C.L. Clark, which I’m planning to read soon. I’ve been seeing lots of great reviews for it already, so I’m eager to get started. And finally, earlier this week I also received an ARC of Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, a West-African inspired fantasy of magic and political intrigue. I’m very curious to try it!
And wow, I guess I really went to town on the audio review copies this week. With thanks to Brilliance Audio, I received listening copies of The Councillor by E.J. Beaton and Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine. The latter is the final book of the Stillhouse Lake series as well as the last book the author completed before she passed, so I imagine it’ll be a bittersweet experience.
From Blackstone Audio, I also received The Conductors by Nicole Glover, a fantasy mystery set in post-Civil War Philadelphia. I knew very little about this book at first, but I knew the moment I read the synopsis there was no way I could resist snagging a review copy.
Also huge thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for a listening copy of Later by Stephen King, a brand new novel of terror and secrets from the master of modern horror. I’ve already heard the story described as having echoes of his other books like IT or The Outsider, so boy I am just itching to get started.
My thanks also to Macmillan Audio for ALCs of The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth, a mystery thriller about twin sisters who share a very big secret, as well as Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas, an dark, haunting retelling of Peter Pan.
And finally, thank you to Random House Audio for a listening copy of Star Wars: Victor’s Price by Alexander Freed, the third book of the Alphabet Squadron series. I still need to get to the second book, but my goal is to read all the new Star Wars canon novels at some point, so I’ll be catching up soon.
Reviews
Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones (4 of 5 stars)
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (4 of 5 stars)
The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle by Timothy Miller (4 of 5 stars)
Guest Posts
This Week’s Reads
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
Friday Face-Off: War
Posted on March 5, 2021 21 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
~ a cover of a book about WAR
Mogsy’s Pick:
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
Today’s theme celebrates March as the month named for Mars, the Roman god of war. The interpretations allowed for this theme were many, from a Roman style cover or a cover featuring god or gods to simply a book about war. I’ve decided to go this latter route, and even picked a book with “War” in the title! Rhythm of War is the fourth book in the Stormlight Archives, and as the title implies, a brutal war has been raging for quite some time, almost to the point where the constant violence has become a way of life.
Let’s take a look at the covers:
From left to right:
Tor Books (2020) – Gollancz (2020)
Spanish Edition (2020) – German Edition (2020)
Winner:
I confess, I’m just a tad biased towards Michael Whelan’s art (and just get a load of the full wraparound cover!) but I have to say these are all winners!
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Guest Post: “The Hidden Side of Darkness: The Second Bell and The Monsters of Slavic Folklore” by Gabriela Houston
Posted on March 4, 2021 11 Comments
Today, we’re excited to welcome author Gabriela Houston to the BiblioSanctum as part of a blog tour to celebrate the release of The Second Bell, her new fantasy novel described as a Slavic His Dark Materials meets The Bear and the Nightingale. A folklore retelling exploring the themes of family and the strength and empowerment of personal belief, the book is published by Angry Robot and is due to hit shelves March 9, 2021 so mark your calendars! In the meantime, please check out this guest post by Gabriela and also be sure to visit the other stops on the tour!
THE HIDDEN SIDE OF DARKNESS: THE SECOND BELL AND THE MONSTERS OF SLAVIC FOLKLORE
by Gabriela Houston
The world of Slavic folklore is without mercy, with little sentiment. The rules must be obeyed, where every new day is a battlefield against the dark forces of the spirit world. Nature is to be respected and feared.
Growing up with Slavic stories and folklore, I have always been fascinated by the dark, the hidden. Slavic mythologies and what we have left of the pre-Christian Slavic traditions, are invariably dark, disturbing even, ever mindful of the dangers lurking just beyond the trees, on the wind and in the water.
A Rusalka might pull you underwater, a Poludnica might cause a stroke, the Kikimora with her screechy scream might drive you mad.
Even the less bloodthirsty creatures, while they might not pull out your heart or gnash your bones, are hardly harmless and most often are at best indifferent to the lives of the humans.
Benevolent magic, where it exists in the old stories, is distinctly transactional and often resembles The Godfather-style “protection”. Lasownik, the dangerous spirit guardian of the woods, might overlook your presence in his forest if you bring him bread and eggs. Should you be less thoughtful, Lasownik has a wide repertoire of catastrophes to send upon you, including paralysis, sickness and a confusion that can stop you from ever going home again. The cat-shaped Gumiennik would protect the untwhrashed wheat, but that very touchy spirit will destroy the whole harvest or even burn down your barn should you disrespect it.
Perhaps those creatures were something else originally. But while we can mourn the lack of written records and reliable and consistent sources for the ancient Slavic customs and pantheons, on the other hand a world of stories and beliefs that grew from the bastardised and twisted mythologies gave birth to something perhaps altogether more interesting. After all, villains hold a fascination angels can only dream of.
And so my bedtime books told the stories of a forlorn topielec (a spirit of a drowned man), who in his search for love hatches a plan to drown a local beauty, except he is thwarted by her crafty mother and so left broken hearted; of a crow, who threatened a giant father with blindness by stealing his only eye so he’d give his only daughter to the crow to marry.
When a monster can be a hero, and their sadness and motives, however unreasonable, form the centre of the story, it creates a fascinating sort of duality to the storytelling, forcing the reader to, if not empathise, then to at least understand the villains while hoping they don’t succeed at the same time.
That ability to see beyond the mask of the monster; to counteract humanity’s capacity for othering, to me is at the heart of Slavic stories. Danger can be beautiful, monstrosity can be understood, commonality can be found.
When I was writing The Second Bell, I thought of how the strigas, in Slavic stories presented as pretty straightforward monsters with vampiric proclivities, and like most monsters residing in the shadows, hidden from view, are said to begin as children born with two hearts. And while we can remain emotionally detached from such a monster while they remain hidden, will this detachment fall apart when we meet its mother.
Danger is still there, but once humanity creeps in, once the bonds between a mother and daughter, between friends and a community are created and exposed, the darkness falls away, and a new story can be told.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gabriela was born and raised in Poland, brought up on a diet of mythologies and fairy tales. She spent her summers exploring the woods, foraging and animal tracking with her family. At 19, Gabriela moved to London to study English Literature and obtained an MA in Literature and Modernity. She has worked as an assistant editor and as a freelance writer. Gabriela’s short stories have been selected for the Editor’s Choice Review by Bewildering Stories and have been featured on the Ladies of Horror Fiction podcast. She lives in London with her husband and two children.
Waiting on Wednesday 03/03/21
Posted on March 3, 2021 22 Comments
Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (July 13, 2021 by Berkley)
Grady Hendrix’s horror stories tend to be as scary as they are quirky, often with a twist or meta-commentary, and looks like his next novel will be no exception. I like the sound of the concept and can’t wait to see how he’ll pull it off.
“A fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
In horror movies, the final girl is the one who’s left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?
Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. And she’s not alone. For more than a decade she’s been meeting with five other actual final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynnette’s worst fears are realized–someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.
But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.”
Audiobook Review: Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
Posted on March 2, 2021 24 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tantor Audio (February 23, 2021)
Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Gary Tiedemann
Night of the Mannequins was my second book by Stephen Graham Jones, and compared to The Only Good Indians, I would say it was most definitely more my cup of tea! Or at least it was, until the ending. But I’ll get into that later.
It all started with a prank. Our protagonist Sawyer, a teenage boy with too much time on his hands, is part of a group of friends who decided to have a little fun with one of their own. Some years before, the gang had been playing in the woods when they happened to come across a discarded plastic mannequin, the kind you typically find in any department store. Nicknamed Manny, the mannequin had been an endless source of amusement, but then the kids grew up. Manny has since been stowed in Sawyer’s garage, almost forgotten, but now the friends are in their last year of high school, and they’ve decided to bring their plastic pal out for one final stunt.
The plan was simple—or should have been, anyway. Recent shenanigans by the group had resulted in one of them, Shanna, working at the local cinema as punishment, inspiring the rest of them—Sawyer, Tim, JR, and Danielle—to play a trick on her, with Manny as the star of the show. Step one: smuggle the mannequin into the theater in pieces. Step two: reassemble him and dress him up in some old clothes. Step 3: place Manny into a center seat up in front, so that when Shanna comes by later to check ticket stubs, she would get the shock of her life.
However, much to Sawyer’s consternation and horror, that moment never arrives. Instead, the would-be pranksters all sit stunned at the back of the theater watching as, at the end of the show, Manny stiffly gets up and walks away. Not long after that, a semi-truck swerves off the highway and smashes into Shanna’s house, killing everyone inside. Everyone is calling it a random freak accident, just a sad case of wrong place, wrong time. Still, while it should have been impossible, Sawyer can’t help but feel with a sick certainty in his gut that Manny is somehow responsible.
In my very limited experience with the author, I can already tell he loves his ambiguous stories, blurring the lines between reality and the supernatural. Throughout this entire tale, you can never really trust what you’re seeing or hearing through Sawyer’s eyes because as you’ve probably guessed, he’s as unreliable as they come. The writing also reflects his frame of mind, presented in an almost stream of consciousness flood of memories, thoughts and observations. It likely would have been a struggle reading this book in print, but fortunately the style wasn’t as much of an obstacle with the audio format.
Due to the vagueness of the plot, it’s also very difficult to talk about it without giving too much away. There’s a dreamlike quality to it, which might be more accurately described as a nightmare as the story becomes stranger, losing much of its coherence the more it progressed. There’s really no better way to put it: it’s like a descent into madness.
In the end, that was what prevented me from embracing this book fully. The first half was nothing short of brilliant; I loved the chilling atmosphere and the horrific moment as you realized the prank involving Manny was not going at all as planned, and that there was definitely something freaky afoot. The final section of the book though, was very different. As you know, I’m not one to enjoy “weird” books. I just don’t do too well with “weird.” And well, that ending was WEIRD. Plus, the final revelations just weren’t that great. I had wanted more, especially since we were teased so hard with all the preceding twists and turns. The tensions by then were practically through the roof, but ultimately, the ending that we got wasn’t even a fizzle but more of a “huh?”
That said, this being such a short read/listen, I don’t know if the negatives were significant enough to really make a blip in my enjoyment. On the whole, I really liked the book’s concept and execution, creepy vibes and all. Since novellas aren’t typically something I prefer, I was also impressed how well this one worked for me, and I’ll be looking out for even more of Stephen Graham Jones’ work in the future.
Book Review: The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
Posted on March 1, 2021 28 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor (February 16, 2021)
Length: 256 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
My one and only experience with Sarah Gailey before this had been River of Teeth, the first book of an alt-history hippo western novella series which I didn’t really get on with, so suffice to say I had no clue what I was in for with The Echo Wife, which sounded so different. However, one look at the wide range of genres and topics Gailey has tackled in recent years, it’s clear I’m also reading a very versatile and creative author, so I was actually feeling quite optimistic when I discovered this was a work of science fiction mystery and suspense.
Turns out, my hunch was correct. While The Echo Wife was certainly not typical of what I would expect from the genre, it hooked me regardless. We’re introduced to protagonist Dr. Eveyln Caldwell, a brilliant geneticist who specializes in cloning. At the start of the book, she is receiving an award for her contributions to the field, and we’re in her head as she reflects upon the journey and the sacrifices she’s had to make in order to get where she is today. For while her professional career may be in bloom, her personal life is in tatters. Years of putting her work before everything else has driven an irreversible wedge between Evelyn and her husband and fellow scientist Nathan, and now he’s made it clear she’s not the woman he wants anymore. He’s recently left her for someone else, a new wife who can give him what he’s always wanted: a family.
But what really sends Evelyn’s world crashing down is the other woman’s identity, who is soon revealed to be a clone of Evelyn herself. Still, while Martine may be physically identical to Evelyn, her personality is not. Nathan had programmed his new wife to be a more docile and compliant version of the original, and on top of that, he had also somehow managed to find a way to reverse a clone’s sterility, because Martine is very visibly pregnant when she confronts Evelyn for the first time. Angry and wounded, Evelyn subsequently unleashes a torrent of hurtful words at Martine, sending her scurrying home.
And that was the end of that—or so Evelyn thought. That very night though, she receives a frantic call from Martine, begging her to come over, and when Evelyn arrives, she finds Nathan dead on the floor in a pool of blood. Gradually, the story comes out. After her heated conversation with Evelyn, Martine had confronted Nathan on some of the subjects that were broached. He had turned violent, resulting in Martine having to defend herself. Now Evelyn has no choice but to help cover up the incident, because even if she didn’t feel slightly responsible for Nathan’s death, any police investigation would lead right back to her work and destroy her reputation and career.
Granted, this one took a little while to take off, but once we reach Evelyn’s point of no return, things just zip right off from there. And given the premise, of course you’re going to get a story that’s all about cloning! A good chunk of the action actually takes place in the lab as Evelyn takes us through the ins and outs of her research, and these turned out to be some of my favorite parts. Now might also be a good time to point out that Gailey plays pretty fast and loose with the science behind cloning, but that’s okay, because the point is not the technology, it’s the story and the characters. I especially enjoyed how the author explored the implications of Martine’s creation and the fact that her feelings and desires are no less real, even though they may have been “programmed” into her by Nathan, who had wanted her to be and act a certain way.
In this setting, we are not only steeped in a palpable atmosphere of experimentation, we are also granted little glimpses of insight into Evelyn’s personality (especially that bit with the breaking bones, yikes!) She’s clearly a driven woman, but under that cold, hard exterior is also a flawed and vulnerable person who can’t help but question her life choices even as she judges Martine for being her antithesis. Ultimately, I think the characters are why I enjoyed this book so much. The Echo Wife may have elements of a psychological thriller, but at the end of the day, it’s more of a slow-burn suspense than anything that will get your heart pumping. Evelyn was really the star of the show, her eerily cool demeanor adding to the forbidding atmosphere, though she is also a sympathetic protagonist. It helped that we got flashbacks to her childhood, which went a long way in explaining some of her hang ups. Then there were her interactions with Martine, and it’s clear that by the end of the book, the two of them have learned a lot from each other.
Sure, the ending was kind of slapdash and might have tied things up a bit too neatly, but by then I think the message has been established and, to be honest, the tensions up to this point were so elevated that I was just glad to have some relief. Obviously, I got what I wanted out of this psychological sci-fi suspense, and my experience with The Echo Wife turned out to be smashing success.
Book Review: The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle by Timothy Miller
Posted on February 28, 2021 22 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle by Timothy Miller
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Seventh Street Books (January 19, 2021)
Length: 256 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
What, me say no to a Sherlock Holmes retelling? Never! Even better when they come in the form of a mashup, pulling in characters from a few other classics, such as George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion (which is also popularly known by its musical film adaptation, My Fair Lady) as well as a certain Robert Louis Stevenson novella about a respected physician and his evil alter ego.
The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle begins some years after both Holmes and Watson have announced their retirement from detective work—officially, anyway. Watson, however, can hardly wait to be on the investigative trail again after he is contacted by Colonel Hugh Pickering, his old friend from his British Army days, with a bizarre story about a former cockney guttersnipe flower girl who has seemingly transformed into a right proper duchess overnight. While it may be true that Henry Higgins, the man claiming responsibility for such a miraculous transformation, may have been spurred on by a wager with Pickering, surely such an extreme change couldn’t have been the result of just a few elocution lessons?
Suspecting foul play, Pickering even goes as far as to suggest that the girl, Eliza Doolittle, may have been substituted with a doppelganger. In any case, Watson decides the circumstances are curious enough to bring in his old partner Sherlock Holmes, who agrees there are enough oddities about Pickering’s story to warrant a closer look. And as ever, the brilliant detective’s instincts prove correct: something strange is definitely afoot.
Literary mashups seem to be all the rage these days, but what clearly sets The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle apart is Timothy Miller’s intimate knowledge of the source material. Granted, this novel took me longer than expected to read, mostly due to the writing style, i.e., dense and full of Victorian literature affectations. And yet, I think it says a lot about the author’s talent and attention to detail that he was able to capture so well the original tone of the source that inspired him, and eventually, the ride did smooth out as I gradually grew accustomed to the prose. Miller perfectly emulates Watson’s voice from the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tales, complete with all the stylistic traditions which were popular at the time.
Still, while the prose might be somewhat clunky at times with Victorian vocabulary and long descriptive phrases, it was also surprisingly easy to get used to. As well, the sardonic humor was a welcome element. More than once, I found myself laughing out loud at the mix of cleverness and comedy. Then there’s the incredibly ambitious yet creative idea of throwing all these literary characters together. After all, many of us are at least passing familiar with these classic stories, and I had wondered how Miller was going to present his novel in a way that was both unique and interesting while remaining faithful to the original works.
To my delight, the results were extremely entertaining. While I won’t be going into too much detail in case of spoilers, I’ll share some of the more outrageous scenarios, which range from Sherlock Holmes posing as an American gangster, an appearance by actor William Gillette who became quite famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on stage in the early 1900s, and of course, what investigation involving the possibility of a doppelganger would be complete without Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? The story became even stranger, funnier, and twistier as time went on, but throughout it all, not only did the characters stay amazingly true to themselves, the narrative also delivered a proper mystery with clues to follow as well as a satisfying conclusion.
If you’re curious to see the world of Sherlock Holmes transformed in a way you’ve never seen before, you’ve got to check out The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle. Well-written and well-conceived, this book has definitely earned the distinction of being one of the most intriguing and quirky literary mashups I’ve ever read! Not to be missed by fans of fun, creative reimaginings of classic characters and stories.
Bookshelf Roundup: 02/27/21: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on February 27, 2021 20 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
This week courtesy of Subterranean Press, I received an ARC of The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The author has certainly been busy churning out books lately, as I had not even heard of this one before it arrived! I love her work and will read anything she writes though, so this “magical journey of revenge and redemption” is going straight on the list.
Up next, with thanks to Margaret K. McElderry Books for an ARC of A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth. I’m being very circumspect when it comes to YA this year, but I couldn’t say no to this urban fantasy faerie tale and it seems to be getting pretty good reviews all around, so I’m looking forward to starting it next. Plus, it takes place in my hometown of Toronto, and a good chunk of it even features my university, UofT!
I’m also grateful to Del Rey for a review copy of Minecraft: The Mountain by Max Brooks. I’ve been reading the books from the official Minecraft series on and off, but this is one I’ll definitely check out because it’s sort of the direct follow-up from the first one, Minecraft: The Island also by the author. Gonna be interesting to find out where our stranded hero ends up!
And a huge thank you to Tor.com for an ARC of Hard Reboot by Django Wexler! In case it’s not totally obvious from the cover, the blurb states this features “giant mech arena battles and intergalactic diplomacy.” Just take my damn money already.
In the digital haul, I picked up a couple audiobooks. With thanks to Hachette Audio for The Fall of Koli by M.R. Carey, third in the Rampart trilogy. I still need to catch up with the second book, but I have that in audio too so it will be a quick listen. Also thanks to Penguin Audio for a listening copy of Red Widow by Alma Katsu, which will actually be the first thriller I’ll read by the author, so I’m looking forward to that.
Reviews
The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst (4.5 of 5 stars)
The Future Is Yours by Dan Frey (4.5 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
Guest Posts
“Building Imaginary Architecture” by Michael Johnston
This Week’s Reads
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
Friday Face-Off: Magic in the Title
Posted on February 26, 2021 22 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
~ a cover with MAGIC IN THE TITLE
Mogsy’s Pick:
Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan
Magic and magicians seem to feature strongly in Trudi Canavan’s books, and this one’s no exception. In Thief’s Magic, we meet Tyen, a young archaeology student (though calling what he and his professor and fellow students do “Archaelogy” might be a bit of stretch…they’re more like tomb robbers) who discovers a sentient book while excavating an ancient tomb. The book can read the minds of anyone with whom it makes physical contact, communicating through text appearing on the pages. Calling herself Vella, the book claims to have once been a sorcerer-woman, until she was transformed into her current form by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. She has been gathering and storing information through the ages ever since. Sensing bad things to come if Vella were to ever fall into the wrong hands, Tyen decides to keep her to himself for now, but as we all know, a secret this big is always bound to come out sooner or later.
Let’s take a look at the covers:
From left to right:
Orbit (2014) – German Edition (2014)
Bulgarian Edition (2014) – Bolinda Audio (2014)
Winner:
Not a single interesting or good looking one in the bunch, if I’m to be honest. I think the fantasy genre as a whole has decided to move on past the “generic hooded figure” design which used to plague so many of its covers, so a lot these already have a dated look despite not being that old. I guess if I had to choose, it would be the Bulgarian edition, because you can at least see more of the person’s face.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
The BiblioSanctum