Shanna Swendson

Very entertaining alt-history, steampunk nouveau american revolution. What I loved: fast paced and fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, totally all about steampunk and magic and the main character is a delightfully intelligent young woman, who keeps her cards close to her chest. She's awesome. Bit of a love triangle (yes, I felt the feelings of doom that presents in a YA novel, and was delighted when it resolved in a different manner than I expected). While I found it not at all realistic show more in a social mores reading of history, I loved the deconstruction of how one comes to find oneself spying for a revolution, the airships and steam constructs, the mechanics and magic, and frankly a heroine I could not just like but respect. Pretty cool. show less

Tea and Empathy by Shanna Swendson is a sweet, calm book. Elwyn is a healer on the run from an incident in her past who’s ready to expire in the forest when she stumbles into an odd, semi-abandoned village. The healer’s cottage opens its door to her (literally) and she moves in but opens a tea shop as a way to serve the villagers while avoiding officially being a healer.

This story is akin to the cozy fantasies like Legends and Lattes where the protagonist escapes the real world to live a show more new life. Instead of watching Elwyn renovate a building, we watch her serve tea and other remedies to her new friends as she slowly accepts the role of healer. There is almost no conflict in the story and the romance is very slight.

My favorite part was the magical healer’s cottage and the general mysterious vibe of the village, which mostly doesn’t get explained. show less

I remember when I finished "Don't Hex with Texas" thinking, for the first time, 'she should self-publish the next book because the publishing houses are obviously too stupid to know a good thing when they see it'. So I was thrilled when I read earlier this year that Ms Swendson announced that she'd decided to do just that with the fifth book, Much Ado About Magic. I had it on my e-reader as soon as it was available, and finished it the same day. The story didn't disappoint - long held show more secrets revealed, lots of magical action, and the same wonderful cast of characters in a light, frothy, fun tale. My only 'gripe' (and it's not really that) is the seeming distance between Merlin and Katie - in previous books she was a bit of a confidante to Merlin and I saw no evidence of that in this book. Still, an excellent read and if Ms. Swendson ever decides to physically publish, I'll buy another copy to add to my bookshelves at home. I'm truly looking forward to the sixth book in October. show less

This is a pretty wonderful book. My 13-year-old son read it first because it was on this year's Truman Award Nominee list and he recommended I read it, too. I'm so glad he did! It's charming and imaginative, but also thought provoking and incredibly relevant to issues of today. The main character Verity is faced with some tough questions as she learns ugly truths about the society in which she lives. Almost unwittingly she becomes involved in a rebellious movement, where she serves as a spy show more and writes for an alternative news source as the reporter Liberty Jones. Soon she finds herself facing the ethical dilemma of determining just how much can/should truth be manipulated in pursuit of a cause. Both my son and I look forward to reading more of the series. show less