Humouress popping in and out of the pub in 2025

We're nearly halfway through the year and we're about to leave Singapore for an European holiday but I thought I'd start a thread for the year. I do have threads in the 75 Group Challenge and the ROOTs group (I'm not doing so well with reading my own tomes) so I'll just copy some stuff across and post reviews on any fantasy or sci-fi that I've read (and managed to finish reviewing)

We land in London on 15th June; let's see if we can cobble together a meet-up. I'm probably free during the day on Wednesday and Thursday - nights are taken up with catching up with family and friends from when I lived in the UK, and then we're off to Spain and Ireland.

🐉 Continuing on from Humouress drops by in 2024

⏮️ 75 Books Challenge for 2024; thread 4

2025
1️⃣ 75 Challenge Humouress hops Down Undah in 2025 - first thread
2️⃣75 Challenge Humouress at home - second thread
3️⃣ 75 Challenge Humouress humming around Europe - third thread
4️⃣ 75 Challenge Humouress at home for the holidays - fourth thread

🌳 ROOTs humouress ROOTing (and re-ROOTing) in 2025

I'm copying my list of books I've read this year over from my 75 Book Challenge threads. My 🐉 fantasy/ sci-fi reads are highlighted in bold in the list on this thread and I'll post the reviews (once I've finished them) here, too.

4th quarter

3rd quarter

review posted/ rated/ written/ read/ (released)
✔ /  / (#) / Title

August

✔     🐉 53) Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (2019) ⚡️
✔     🐉 52) The Secret of the Wild Wood by Tonke Dragt (1965){translated 2015}
✔   🐉 51) A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow (2018)
✔   📙 50) A Case of Mice and Murder* by Sally Smith (2024) 💚
✔   🐉 49) A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey (2023)
✔     🐉 48) All the Wandering Light by Heather Fawcett (2018)
✔   🐉 47) A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross (2022)

July

✔     🐉 46) A Hero Returned by Eura Abrams (2025) ⚡️
✔     🐉 45) Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen (2008)
✔     📙 44) Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer (2020)
✔        📙 43) Finn's Causeway Adventure by Lauren Graham; illustrated by Dave Orchard (2006)
✔     📙 42) Samson's Titanic Journey by Lauren Graham; illustrated by Roisin Matthews (2004)

* I'm including A Case of Mice and Murder, even though it's not F/ SF since it was a Green Dragon BB.

2nd quarter

review posted/ rated/ written/ read/ (released)
✔ /  / (#) / Title

June

✔     🐉 41) Northern Lights (BBC Radio Dramatisation by Philip Pullman (1995/ 2004) 🎧
✔     📙 40) The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (2021)
✔   🐉 39) The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten
✔        📙 38) Penelope Goes to Portsmouth by M.C. Beaton 1991/ 2011
✔     🐉 37) The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (2024)
✔     📙 36) The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (2014) 🎧

May

✔   🐉 35) The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen (2022)
✔        🐉 34) Elven Blood by Mark Stanley (2024)
✔   📙 33) The Murderous Marriage/ 'The Disappearing Trick' by M.C. Beaton (2009) 
✔     📙 32) Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart (2015) 
✔     📙 31) Belinda Goes to Bath by M.C. Beaton (1991/ 2011) 
✔   🐉 30) The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White (2019)
✔     🐉 29) The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson (2016)
✔          🐉 28) Foothills Fae Academy Book Three by Callie Woodridge (2024)
✔     🐉 27) A Mere Formality by Ilona Andrews
✔     🐉 26) Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews
✔       🐉 25) Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews (2009/ 2018)

April

✔        📙 24) The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews (2024)
✔   📙 23) The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall
✔     📙 22) A Stitch in Time by Kelly Armstrong
✔     🐉 21) Other Aether edited by Greg Schauer and Danielle Ackley-McPhail (2024)
✔     🐉 20) Princess of the Sword by Lynn Kurland
✔     📙 19) The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

first quarter

review: LT/ rated/ written/ read/ (released)
✔ /  / (#) / Title

March

✔   📙 18) The Wizard of Evesham by M.C. Beaton {BBC adaptation} (2009)
✔     📙 17) Who's Sorry Now? by Maggie Robinson (2019)
✔        🐉 16) Stars Beyond Realms by Marie-Hélène Lebeault (2023) 
✔     📙 15) Love in Lockdown by Chloe James (2020)
✔   🐉 14) The Call of the Sword by Roger Taylor (1988)
✔        📙 13) The Spare Room by Laura Starkey (2024)
✔     📙 12) Emily Goes to Exeter by M.C. Beaton (1990)
✔     📙 11) The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews (2022)
✔   🐉 10) Abhorsen by Garth Nix (2003)
✔     🐉 9) The Mage's Daughter by Lynn Kurland (2008)
✔     🐉 8) Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (2019)

February
✔   🐉 7) Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith (2010)
✔     📙 6) Funny Story by Emily Henry (2024)
✔   🐉 5) Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland (2008)
✔        🐉 4) The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (2011)

January

✔     🐉 3) Starling House by Alix. E. Harrow (2023)
✔     🐉 2) Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst (2020)
✔     🐉 1) Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (2020)

The constellation:

  You have got to read this one!                           
  Really good; worth reading                                 
     Good, but without that special 'something' for me   
      Very nice, but a few issues                                    
         An enjoyable book                                                   
         Um, okay. Has some redeeming qualities                   
              Writing is hard. I appreciate the work the author did    
             (haven't met one - yet)                                              
                  Dire                                                                            
                  Rated only as a warning. Run away. Don't stop.              

13 - Alphabetical roots



Last year (2024) I decided I would try to read books off my shelf alphabetically by author. I thought that f I could do two a month I should be able get through the alphabet by the end of the year ie A and B in January; C and D in February and so on. Of course there are some letters (like Q and X) that I don't have any authors for but it's just an experimental idea at this point. I didn't do too badly, getting down to P (especially considering that some sections of my physical library are currently quarantined for suspected mould).

A = Atwater, Olivia - Half a Soul : January
B = Britain, Kristen - The High King's Tomb : January (re-read)
C = Clough, Brenda W. - King of the Book : October
D = Duncan, Dave - Paragon Lost : March
E = Eloise, Roxy - Guidal: Discovering Puracordis : March
F = Fleury, Clive - Off Season : March
G = Goddard, Victoria - Stargazy Pie : April
H = Hambly, Barbara - The Time of the Dark : June (re-read)
I
J = Jones, Marty Kay - Girl Meets Horse: An Easy Introduction to Horse Care and Riding for Kids and Tweens : August
K = Kästner, Erich - Emil and the Detectives : July (re-read)
L = Ledford, Hannah - Elephant and Castle : June
M = Miller, Karen - The Innocent Mage : December
N = Novik, Naomi - A Deadly Education : December
O = Owen, Margaret - The Merciful Crow : February (re-read as a library book and then acquired)
P = Pierce, Tamora - Alanna: the First Adventure & In the Hand of the Goddess : December (both re-read)

Continuing on in 2025:

Q no authors beginning with Q in my library
R = Rogerson, Margaret - Sorcery of Thorns : March
S = Smith, Sherwood - Blood Spirits : February
T = Taylor, Roger - The Call of the Sword : March
U } no authors beginning with U in my library
V
W
X }
Y } no authors beginning with X or Y in my library
Z

6 - first quarter

review: LT/ rated/ written/ read/ (released)
✔ /  / (#) / Title

March

✔   18) The Wizard of Evesham by M.C. Beaton {BBC adaptation} (2009)
✔     17) Who's Sorry Now? by Maggie Robinson (2019)
✔        16) Stars Beyond Realms by Marie-Hélène Lebeault (2023) 
✔     15) Love in Lockdown by Chloe James (2020)
✔   14) The Call of the Sword by Roger Taylor (1988)
✔        13) The Spare Room by Laura Starkey (2024)
✔     12) Emily Goes to Exeter by M.C. Beaton (1990)
✔     11) The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews (2022)
✔   10) Abhorsen by Garth Nix (2003)
✔     9) The Mage's Daughter by Lynn Kurland (2008)
✔     8) Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (2019)

February
✔   7) Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith (2010)
✔     6) Funny Story by Emily Henry (2024)
✔   5) Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland (2008)
✔        4) The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (2011)

January

✔     3) Starling House by Alix. E. Harrow (2023)
✔     2) Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst (2020)
✔     1) Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (2020)

ETA: oops - I seem to have confused myself, copying things across too quickly. Will come back after dinner and have a look.

1) Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

2) Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst

3) Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

4) The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

5) Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland

7) Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith

8) Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

9) The Mage's Daughter by Lynn Kurland

10) Abhorsen by Garth Nix

14) The Call of the Sword by Roger Taylor

{first of 4 in The Chronicles of Hawklan/ first of 12 in Chronicles of Hawklan Universe; fantasy, epic fantasy, adventure, sword and sorcery}(1988)



The prologue starts with a text which depicts a battle in which a great evil was defeated and imprisoned but not without cost to the defenders including the loss of Ethriss, one of the four immortal Guardians; and they know that they have only put off the inevitable and there will be a second coming of Sumeral.

But in His falling, two things He did. His mortal hand loosed the spear that struck down Ethriss, and His spirit shrank and vowed and learned and hid in the hearts of His most faithful until some future time would come.

The peoples who exist in the present time (as the story begins) don't even have any racial memory of that war or the expected resumption except for a few practices and superstitions that they hold onto though they don't remember the reasons for them.

Hawklan is a gentle healer who appeared out of the mountains above the Orthlundyn village of Pedhavin twenty years before the story proper starts. He has no memory of his life before that but he did have the key to open the long-sealed gates of the legendary castle-fortress of Anderras Darion. He has since made a life there and made good friends, among them the raven Gavor who is as intelligent as a human (although he might claim more intelligent).

After the tinker Derimot Findeel Dan-Tor (who may be a predecessor of Padan Fain of The Wheel of Time) visits Pedhavin, Hawklan feels impelled to visit the Gretmearc, the perpetual market in the neighbouring land of Riddin, where he may find answers - or great danger. Before he leaves his friends tell him he needs to carry a sword and, from out of the depths of Anderras Darion, a black sword falls at his feet

Hawklan stood up and wrapped his right hand firmly around the hilt of the sword. As he did so, he heard a sound like a distant trumpet. A faint, infinitely distant clarion call from another age. For an instant he felt a surge of recognition, also from times past, but it slipped away like a dream at dawn.
'My sword,' he heard himself say softly.

and has the effect of immediately transforming him from healer to warrior just in the way that he instinctively carries it.

Hawklan wore the clothes and the sword as if they were a natural part of him. The brothers saw before them the man they knew as a healer. A gentle, slightly innocent man, full of gentleness and light. But his healer's cowled robe had been laid aside and, standing armed, breeched, and booted, in a metal-buckled jerkin and with a long hooded cloak over his shoulders, the whole in black, his bearing was purely that of a warrior and leader. A warrior and a leader the like of which could be seen in the thick of battle in many of the carvings that filled the Castle.

Meanwhile, we learn that Dan-Tor has come from another neighbouring country, Fyorlund, where he has weasled his way into position as the king's right hand - although he is no native of Fyorlund either but owes his allegiance elsewhere - and he seems to be undermining that country's policies from the inside.

This was probably one of the first series I bought in its entirety for my own shelves, back in my student days and I really enjoyed revisiting this world. I'd say it's epic fantasy because of the scope but it has an intentionally gentle feel to it though it still had me on the edge of my seat (so to speak) at times - and there I was worried that it wouldn't live up to my nostalgia. It’s well written and I like the humour too, which had me chuckling a few times.

'I wonder what killed it? I can't see any injury. It looks healthy enough.'
'Apart from being dead,' chuckled Gavor, then, apologetically, 'Sorry.'

I do like the cover (Headline edition) by Mark Harrison (9) which shows Hawklan’s castle of Anderras Darion, built at the mouth of a hanging valley, and the picture is framed by what looks like the gateposts of the castle that is in the illustration; it takes me back to that time of life when I was just starting to discover the fantasy genre, and the covers of the books I was reading could transport me to another world. Just looking at them again now sends a thrill through me.

(March 2025)
4.5-5 ****

Litsy Notes

I love the cover of this book; I‘ll have to search for the artist‘s name.

The pedlar (Derimot Findeel Dan-Tor) seems to be a predecessor of Padan Fain (from the Wheel of Time series).

ETA: according to ISFDB the artist is Mark Harrison

16) Stars Beyond Realms by Marie-Hélène Lebeault

20) Princess of the Sword by Lynn Kurland

21) Other Aether edited by Greg Schauer

I'm a bit behind on my May reviews at the moment.

Who's Sorry Now, The Husbands and A Stitch in Time have some paranormal elements (a ghost of a former husband; an attic which swaps husbands; time travel from a room) but aren't really fantasy and The Wizard of Evesham, despite it's magical-sounding title, refers to a hairdresser.

Alrighty. Let's talk meet-ups. We'll be in London 15th-22nd June and in Dublin 10th-13th July, according to the schedule I have in front of me (though some things may have changed). Do you think we can catch up?

I loved Starling House and Sorcery of Thorns! I thought Rogerson's third novel, Vespertine, was her best yet.

I'd love to meet up if you can fit it in! Evenings are best for me due to work, but if people can come to Regent's Park then we could have lunch together as I work across the road from the Inner Circle. There are a couple of cafes close by, or it's a perfect spot for picnics if the weather is kind. If you can't fit it in on this trip, I totally understand! It's hard to see everyone on a short visit.

>23 Sakerfalcon: Unfortunately our evenings are already booked catching up with family and friends. But I can meet you at Regent's Park during the day; I'll have to confirm which days though. I think Friday won't work.

I'm currently struggling with a 1,500 piece Clementoni puzzle of a tiger walking in dry grassland. Every piece seems to be a shade of brown. I wanted something challenging but I think I may have overdone it.

   

I've made a bit of progress with the sky since I took the photo last week.

That puzzle looks like a killer! I too enjoyed Starling House, and I thought Vespertine was amazing. I have not read Sorcery of Thorns, but I did read An Enchantment of Ravens, and I thought that was fun.

>23 Sakerfalcon: >26 clamairy: Two endorsements for Vespertine; I'd better read more Rogerson. I do have her Mysteries of Thorn Manor already on my shelves.

>25 humouress:
Wow!
As the saying goes, “Rather you than me.”

>28 pgmcc: Well, my pattern seems to be that I search for a few pieces which might work in a specific area then sit down and manage to fit a handful of pieces before getting fed up and giving up so it's going to take a(nother) while to finish.

Ooh - maybe I should repost my otter sighting; that was pretty exciting (given that we don't get much wildlife in super-urban Singapore) ...

But that reminds me. I don't usually walk Jasper along the canal after about 10 am because there's no shade on the path after that but today was cloudy when I came back from volunteering at RDA and I've been wanting to take him on a long walk in that direction. So (with some suitable breaks for sniffing interesting patches) we went that way. I noticed, halfway along, that a couple of people were looking at something on the other side and I was thrilled to see otters! I've heard that there are otters in the canal but I've never seen them - I assumed they came out in the early morning so I missed them. I managed to capture some video of them and took some random photos. I'll post them if they're good.

We eventually continued on after they swam away and took the underpass and so to the park on the edge of the next town which runs around one of the reservoirs. My back registered a protest so I sat down for a bit and had a nice chat with a gentleman. We'd seen him on the way, tucking into a papaya, and of course Jasper showed some healthy interest (I don't know why; he's not a huge fan of fruits). When we sat down on the next bench to him on the way back he very kindly pulled out a bun and fed it to Jasper who, naturally, wolfed it down and now he's a friend for life.

Sp then we came back along the canal and, just before we got to the small road which crosses it coming into our 'esatate' (for want of a better word - it's not gated or private or anything like that), there were the otters again. This time they were on our side of the canal and Jasper took notice (more friends!) and they seemed interested in us, too - though I was mindful of a recent article, touted in our area's WhatsApp 'wildlife' chat, about someone being bitten by an otter - and their heads all popped up, they all came out of the water, up the bank and started coming through the fence. At which point I decided maybe we should leave. I suspect they were looking for free food. But I had started taking another video, and this time, rather than the five or so I spotted on the way out, there must have been about fifteen.

Naturally my phone died before I managed to swing it round to capture them all.

This is the best still shot I've got; I'll see if I can get a screenshot from the videos.



There are a couple of heads there and maybe a third just ducked under water.

>24 humouress: That sounds good. I have most flexibility on Wednesday and Thursday next week; Monday, Tuesday and Friday I'd need to take lunch at 12.

>25 humouress: That certainly looks challenging! I used to have a lovely tiger jigsaw with the tiger in a similar pose to yours, but walking through a meadow of small white flowers. I have no idea what happened to it; I miss it.

>30 humouress: The otters are one of the main reasons I want to visit Singapore!

>31 humouress: That's just awesome. I love otters. So many of them must be a sign of a healthy ecosystem.

>30 humouress: and >31 humouress: I love the story of your encounter with the otters.

>32 Sakerfalcon: Great! Let me sort out a few family meet-ups and I'll get back to you. Tentatively, how does Wednesday sound?

I'm taking the jigsaw slowly; I have done a bit more (not much) since I took the photo.

Come on over! We'd love to see you here.

>33 clamairy: Apparently they're endangered but have been making a comeback because the waterways have been cleaned up.

>34 jillmwo: Thanks :0) I've been walking down to the canal since then, but no luck yet.

Ooh - I did see a purple heron yesterday. It was stock still for ages and then caught a fish. Unfortunately I think we scared it when we continued our walk but it just went to the other side of the bridge. And then we came across it again as we walked back later but I didn't realise it was there until it flapped off to the other side of the canal.

>31 humouress: What a great story! Otters are wonderful :)

>17 humouress: Thanks for reminding me that I need to get back to that series.

>35 humouress: Wednesday is great!

>38 Alexandra_book_life: I'm just amazed that I saw them. We're lucky enough to live in a less densely built up area of Singapore because we're just off the catchment area for the reservoirs but there's not really any countryside here.

>39 Karlstar: You're welcome. It is fun; I should keep going with it too.

>40 Sakerfalcon: So we'll say Wednesday for now, then.

>37 humouress:

>44 humouress: Great photo!

>45 Sakerfalcon: Thanks. He was busy fishing very close to the bridge Jasper and I were crossing so he stood still for ages.

What time on Wednesday works for you? I’m pretty sure we have dinner with family, so not too late for me.

And where? Are we planning a bookshop raid?

>46 humouress: As it's my lunch break I'll only have an hour, sadly. We could come prepared for a picnic, or go to the Regent's kitchen which does very good pizzas as well as salads and sandwiches. I work across the road from it and get a discount with my staff ID. The best way into the park at the moment is from Baker Street, and crossing Clarence Bridge. I can meet at any time between 12 and 1 and stay for an hour, and I can recommend bookshops for you to go to after we've eaten. There are a couple of good ones on Marylebone High Street.

>47 Sakerfalcon: Sounds like a plan! A picnic sounds like fun but I don’t think I’m organised enough for that. Say I meet you around 12 at the Regent’s kitchen?

That sounds great! Looking forward to it!

This is the photo @Sakerfalcon and I took when we met a couple of weeks ago:

>50 humouress: Oh, that's really lovely as a photo!

>51 jillmwo: Thank you! I'm not very good at taking selfies and @superboy decided to visit his cousins this time instead of joining us.

View from the top of St Paul's dome (you can see the edge of the dome, past the railing); looking across the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Gallery.



@firelion and I really got our exercise in that day; we had to climb all the way up by iron stairs - no modern day lifts - which go up within the inside and outside of the dome (so we were climbing between the ceiling and the roof). From the St Paul's website: There are a total of 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery, 376 steps up to the Stone Gallery and 528 steps (total) to the Golden Gallery.

Really? It felt like double that ...



This was taken looking back at St Paul's as we walked to the Millennium Bridge. We walked around the gallery at the bottom of the dome (above the pillars in a circle) and you can also see the gallery at the top of the dome (below the pillars in a square) from where the first picture was taken.

This is looking down at the floor (ETA: the starburst, the two sections of pews and (presumably) the pulpit) below the centre of St Paul's from the top of the (inside) dome. You can see the reflection of the stairs going up to the outside. I usually take perspective photos of staircases but obviously I was too busy climbing :0)



This is inside St Paul's. You can see the floor (the starburst) and some of the pews - and you can almost see the centre of the dome at the top, which is where I took the first picture from.

>51 jillmwo: Nina did a great job, especially considering our height difference!

>53 humouress: Great photos from Saint Paul's! I haven't been up to the galleries for years, but I still remember how stunning it is (and all the stairs ....)

>54 humouress: Wonderful photos! Thank you :) I did not visit St Paul's when I was in London (I visited lots of other places though) - maybe I'll get another chance.

>53 humouress: Great pictures! That was a lot of steps!

>55 Sakerfalcon: Thanks Claire!

If you remember all the stairs, it's probably why you haven't been up to the galleries in a while ;0)

>50 humouress:
It is great to see LT meet-ups.

>53 humouress: Wow. That is not a view I have seen before. You certainly got your steps in that day. :-)

>54 humouress: I am dizzy looking at that picture down the spiral staircase.

Thank you for the pictures. You appear to be enjoying yourself.

>56 Alexandra_book_life: Thanks Alexandra.

This is the first time I've been into St Paul's, despite having grown up in London (the usual thing - you can do it any time so you end up never doing it). My husband made it up to the Whispering Gallery - and I could actually hear him talk from the opposite side of the dome.

>57 Karlstar: Thanks Jim. Yes, it was!

>59 pgmcc: Thanks Peter. We are having fun, thanks. Currently we're in Londonderry and plan to head for Dublin tomorrow.

re >54 humouress:, that's actually a piece of glass set into the top of the inside of the dome to look down at the floor (which is why it's rather fuzzy - it was a bit scuffed up) and the staircase is a reflection of the one going on up to the outside galleries.

We're back in Singapore and I'm still getting back into routine (not helped by the fact that a lot of my usual exercise classes are on hiatus for the northern hemisphere long school break or that our eldest son is here but has elected to go back to the UK in early August so we're cramming as much stuff in with him as possible). I'm rather behind on my posting (what's new?) but I'll put some photos here from our trip to Spain:

Alhambra, Granada:



Palace of Comares, Alhambra; by day and by night:

 

Court of Lions, Alhambra; by day and by night:

 

We also went to Madrid; I'll have to see if I can find some nice photos. Mainly I snapped photos of interesting looking buildings as we whizzed past in a taxi or we just meandered round for walks near our hotel during the heatwave (though, to be honest, I didn't find it too bad since it was a bit hotter but a lot drier than Singapore). We did visit the Réal Madrid stadium - any football fans here?

A few more photos from our trip, this time from the Irish leg:



These are the amazing rock formations of the Giant's Causeway.

The story is that Fin McCool built a causeway to go over to Scotland to challenge the Scottish giant (I'm sorry, I forget his name) but once he got there and saw the giant, he realised he was much bigger than Finn, so he ran back to Ireland. Unfortunately the Scottish giant saw him and chased him back. Finn (dropping his boot as he fled - though we didn't go and examine that rock formation; however we did see Humphrey the camel) rushed back to his cave and asked his wife 'What can I do?' and Oonagh said 'Go into the nursery and get into the crib.

So Finn, did so, squashing into the crib and plopping the baby's bonnet on his head. When the other giant came in and demanded to see Finn, Oonagh replied 'He's out, but stop shouting or you'll wake the baby'. Finn accidentally made a noise (maybe squeaked in fear), and the Scottish giant rushed into the nursery to see Finn in the cradle. Well, he thought, if that's the size of the baby, I don't want to meet the father - and he ran back to Scotland, tearing up the causeway behind him.

(ETA: this is quite similar to the cover illustration for >36 humouress:, a story about Finn the shark.)

'Humphrey the camel:



(I think this was Finn again.) So Finn had seven league boots and liked to go wandering but his wife said 'Make sure you're home for dinner or you won't get any.' One particular day, Finn had ended up in Egypt and suddenly realised he would be late back. So he looked around for some way of getting home quickly and bought a camel. He rode it home (and was in time for dinner) and the camel liked Ireland so stayed on to this very day.

The Causeway, formed when America separated from Europe and molten lava came up through the crust but cooled slowly allowing the columns to form, was initially miles inland until more movement of the Earth's crust allowed the sea to come in.

There are also similar formations on the Scottish coast facing Northern Ireland. We were lucky enough that the weather cleared the morning we went there so we could see the island of Islay from the Causeway.



(You can see Islay on the horizon.)

And we saw dolphins surfing through the bay!

This is the stunning Long Room in Trinity College, Dublin (ROI); where we went to see the Book of Kells (which has its own separate room and exhibition). Currently, they are emptying the books from the Long Room to digitise them and to clean the books and the shelves. There is an art installation called 'Gaia' which is a globe suspended in the room which is based on NASA's satellite imagery of the Earth

Great pictures of Spain and the Giant’s Causeway. It looks like you had a good time.

Beautiful photos, especially >50 humouress:. Thank you for sharing these.

>68 humouress:
A very iconic library.

>69 pgmcc: Thank you. We did, thanks.

>70 clamairy: You're welcome :0)

>71 pgmcc: It absolutely is. We went primarily to see the Book of Kells and the library comes in the same booking. I was just expecting shelves of books but the Long Room, when I caught sight of it, literally took my breath away - even with some of the shelves empty.

>66 humouress: The Scottish end is the Isle of Staffa, which has Fingal's Cave (cue appropriate Mendelssohn music)...

>63 humouress: Alhambra is magical! Thank you so much for sharing. It brings back wonderful memories for me :)

>68 humouress: I enjoyed your photos of Ireland. It sounds like a great trip! I'd love to go to Ireland some day :)

>75 haydninvienna: Ah, thank you. I was going by Google Maps. I wonder if they have the same/ equivalent legend?

>76 Alexandra_book_life: Isn't it, though? I went when I was about the same age as my younger son is now and I really wanted my family to see it. It more than lived up to my expectations and even my boys (16 and 21) enjoyed it.

They are slowly renovating some sections; maybe it really does look grander now. In the daytime photo of the Court of Lions, the roped off section in the foreground shows the original flooring; it doesn't look too bad, though, for having been walked on for centuries.

>77 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you. We had fun (though the boys and I were starting to get on each others' nerves). Despite growing up in the UK I had never been to Ireland before.

>80 humouress: You've been enjoying some lovely travels. Cherish the memories.

>81 jillmwo: Thank you :0)

So, it's my Thingaversary today (or was; we've crossed midnight to the 3rd here now) and I'm due 17 + 1 books. I'm going to (have to) count the books I picked up on my trip:

1-Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel 1) by T. Kingfisher
2-Paladin's Strength (The Saint of Steel 2) by T. Kingfisher
3-Paladin's Hope (The Saint of Steel 3) by T. Kingfisher
4-Paladin's Faith (The Saint of Steel 4)
5-Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
6-To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda
7-This Gulf of Time and Stars by Julie E. Czerneda
8-Relight My Fire (The Stranger Times 4) by C. K. McDonnell
9-The Sacred Hunt Duology by Michelle West
10-A Hard Day's Knight (A Nightside Book 11) by Simon R. Green
11-Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch

There are several more, which I will dig out in the morning (including a gift from a friend). I would like to get the Penderwicks series, to top it up to the required number.

>83 humouress: Happy Thingaversary! :)))

You've picked up great books!

>84 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you!

Glad you've made it back home safely and that you had a wonderful time away. It was great to see you!

>86 Sakerfalcon: Thanks Claire. It was lovely seeing you again too!

>83 humouress: You know Pub memberrs get extra points for actually posting and celebrating one's Thingaversary on their actual date. This means your full count should be more like 20 + 1. Congratulations. Go find a good bookstore and support your favorite authors!

>83 humouress: Happy Thingaversary! Great pictures too.

>88 jillmwo: Ooh, a top-up! I shall look for a bookshop. Actually, the 9th will be National Day here so I'm hoping there'll be some sales. Still waiting for any notifications to come through *tapping fingers* ...

>89 Karlstar: Thank you!

>83 humouress: Happy Thingaversary! Love all that Kingfisher on your list.

>92 clamairy: Thank you Clam! Now to read them all ...

>83 humouress:
Happy Thingaversary (belated). I hope you enjoy your Thingaversary books.

>94 pgmcc: Thank you! Um, well they're in the TBR pile. I'll get to them ... soon?

Oops; I'm waaaay behind on reviews (well, June and July were rather busy). Let me try and catch up:

30) The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

{First of 3 in Camelot Rising trilogy; fantasy, Arthurian, King Arthur, magic, young adult, first in trilogy}(2019)



I borrowed this from the library when it first came out and loved it so much I bought the entire trilogy for my shelves. I'm re-reading this first book again (my own copy this time) and still loving it - and still a little anxious for our heroine. It's told from Guinevere's perspective (third person, past tense) and we meet her as she's riding to Camelot to marry Arthur. Except that she has a secret - which is that she is not the real Guinevere, who died, but has been sent by Merlin to protect Arthur.

Guinevere - she tells no-one her real name, not even us - has small magics without the power that Merlin wields and she feels inadequate for her role, especially as she has holes in her memories and an unreasoning fear of water.

She felt a pang at Merlin's name. It should be him here. He was so much better suited to this. Smarter. Stronger. But he was not exactly marriageable material for a young king.

Arthur realises that she has been sent by Merlin and it is a relief for both of them to be their true selves with each other with no need to pretend to the outside world behind closed doors. She is sixteen and Arthur is eighteen, and has been king for only three years building the dream that is Camelot since pulling Excalibur from the stone. And, of course, we meet some of Arthur’s knights including Mordred, Arthur's half-nephew, a year older than he is.

And Mordred, always watching. He was beautiful, smooth-faced, with mossy-green eyes. She was reminded of the elegance of the snake gliding through the grass.

(A little tingle of premonition there?)

We are given occasional glimpses beteeen chapters of the dark queen, defeated by Arthur but who still has a presence, who uses magic to try to spy on Guinevere and callously uses up the lives of wild creatures to do so.

Because there are gaps in Guinevere's memory (she struggles to remember parts of her everyday life with Merlin) there is a sense of mystery as we discover our narrator while she is discovering Camelot. Guinevere - and I - feel the opposing pulls between the worlds of magic, chaos and wonder and that of man, order and technology.

This book tugs on my heartstrings; I loved being in this world but I was trepidatious for Guinevere so there were times I had to put the book down for a bit. And couldn't wait to pick it up again.

I'm hoping, despite the signs, that this Arthurian tale might go against tradition and end happily.

(May 2025)
5 stars

Litsy Notes

Guinevere rides to Camelot to marry Arthur. Except that the real Guinevere died and has been replaced. She tells no-one her real name, not even us. She seems to be Merlin's daughter, sent by him to protect Arthur against some unknown imminent threat, but she has gaps in her memories so there is a sense of mystery as we discover our narrator while she is discovering Camelot.

Re-reading. This book tugs on my heartstrings.

Ch 11: I grew up with the Knights of the Round Table and was sad at the ending of the stories. I read takes on the Arthurian tales for a while, hoping for a different ending but gave up. Guinevere is already feeling Arthur‘s charismatic pull but he doesn‘t reciprocate the feeling. Wikipaedia tells me that the love triangle was a later addition to the tradition … so 🤞🏼

My review from June 2020:

{First of 3; Camelot Rising trilogy. Fantasy, YA}

I got hit by a book bullet for this book and I am not happy.

Sixteen year old Guinevere is on her way to Camelot to marry the eighteen year old king Arthur - but she is actually a changeling witch put in place by Merlin to protect Arthur against the danger that is coming. Unfortunately Merlin, who lives across all times, has not been specific about what type of danger it is or when it will arrive and so the girl - who deliberately loses her name to magic so as to be more convincing in her role - does not know what to protect against or for how long she will be required to play her part. Merlin helped Arthur defeat the Dark Queen - the embodiment of chaos - but Merlin and all other practitioners of magic have since been banished from Arthur's lands so that, should she return, she should not find a foothold within Camelot. So the girl will have to practise her tricks, which she feels have nothing like Merlin's power, in secret so that she neither undermines Arthur's position nor has to leave Camelot and be unable to protect him.

And so the new Guinevere, who has grown up in the forest, must navigate the city and make new allies while not giving away her true nature and trying to discover what dangers she has to protect Arthur against. Meanwhile, as she wields her magics, she discovers gaps in her memories - maybe Merlin did not tell her the whole truth?

“Did Merlin teach you this?” Arthur asked, curious.

“No, he—yes.” Guinevere paused, trying to remember. Merlin would never stoop to knot magic, even to demonstrate it. It was far too human. Frail and temporary. She tried to conjure a memory of Merlin explaining it to her, teaching her. It would have been at their sturdy table. Or in the forest? She remembered her neat bedroll, the cottage she kept tidy. The trees and the sun and the birds. Staring at her own hands in wonder. Night and day, sleeping and waking, hunger and food and everything swirling and obscured as though she were searching through fog…

Merlin, frowning, pushing his fingers against her forehead. “This should be enough,” he had said. “Do not look for more.”

She rubbed at the spot on her forehead. He had pushed the knowledge into her brain. Willed it to be there, rather than teaching her himself. He could be very lazy.

“Yes, he taught me, in his own way.” She finished the knot.

Satisfied, she turned and almost ran into Arthur. He had come up behind her to watch her work.

“Sorry!” Her hands were on his chest. She pulled them back quickly. “I am sorry. I should go. I am tired.”

He walked her to the tapestry, pulling it aside again and holding it for her. “Thank you. I am glad you are here, Guinevere.”

“Me, too,” she whispered, surprised to find how much she meant it. And surprised by how much she wished she had told him her name after all.

As the door closed behind her, leaving her holding a candle in the dark passageway, she closed her eyes and leaned close to the flickering light. She whispered her name directly into the flame.

And then she blew it out.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Guinevere is a very capable young lady but she has to discover the ways of her new world as much as we, the reader, do as well as uncover what may be missing in her own past. And she has to work out what her place is at Arthur's side as his queen. Arthur is charismatic and tries to be all things to all people so it’s no wonder that they all love him. His knights have come to Camelot because they share his vision of what it can be, a beacon for justice.

She and Arthur both come across as very human, facing the uncertainties that come with their huge responsibilities while having to present a strong facade to those around them despite their young ages. I appreciated seeing them able to be themselves with each other. The people around them have lives and personalities too, such as her lady's maid Brangien and Arthur's nephew Mordred.

I must confess that the romantic in me is hoping that the cautious attraction between Arthur and Guinevere develops into something a lot stronger. I devoured so many versions of the story in my youth (partly because I wanted to be a knight) in the hopes that the shining dream that was Camelot would not be destroyed until I finally gave up in despair and refused to read any more of them. However, reading this book, I am hopeful again.

At the end of the book, although Guinevere is starting to find her place in her new life, the mysteries of the past are still mysteries. I can't wait to find out what happens next - but the second book in this trilogy isn't due to be published until the end of this year. Thank you so much whoever it was that shot that book bullet in my direction.

5 stars

>97 humouress: I really like the premise of this series! Such a nice review :)

>98 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you :0)

The Kinsmen Universe by Ilona Andrews
{short story omnibus; sci-fi}(2018)

 

25) Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews

{first of 4 in Kinsmen series; sci-fi, steamy}(2009)



In a world where the Kinsmen families battle for financial supremacy and, thus, survival, Meli was engaged at age 10 to Celino, then 17, for the sakes of their families though neither of them wanted it. Six years later he broke the engagement, spurning Meli's family and destroying her future. But in the meantime she had discovered a genetic talent that allowed her to be a superlative assassin so she made a career killing on behalf of her family. Now (twelve years on), though she has retired, her family ask her to do one last job. And the target is Celino - so Meli sees the chance to get her revenge.

I found the premise of this story a bit creepy; not the arranged marriage aspect but the more-than-arrogance of the male lead; he meets her once and, having tracked her down (a bit stalkerish), decides to break into her house instead of knocking. And once they're together and he has to leave on business we find out that he's got someone watching her and he's planted a camera in her garden (controlling). There's a lot of lust on both sides - there is more lust than love; in fact there is not enough detail in this short story to understand why (or even confirm that) they fell in love.

Meli is an intelligent woman with an unique talent (even if she doesn't necessarily enjoy her work) and she does refuse some of the jobs her family request her to undertake. But she spent six years of her life researching this man and even if 'grooming' didn't have the negative connotation in 2009 that it does today, that is literally what happened to her. Apart from that predisposition, I don't know why she would fall in love with him. He doesn't seem to have any redeeming qualities that we're shown.

Other than that, this was a decent story. I like the description of the world they’re in and generally the writing is good. There were a couple of moments of lightness. If, like me, you picked this up because you liked the Innkeeper Chronicles be warned that this one is not as clean, romance-wise.

(May 2025)
3-3.5 stars

Litsy Notes

Silent Blade: Not liking the man in this one. I suspect he‘s going to be the love interest (at the moment, at the beginning, there‘s a lot of lust on both sides) but he sees her once and decides to break into her house.

I like the world-building but the premise of the story is creepy. And we're not shown why they fall in love.

Silver Shark: much more fun, even if it does start on the bleak, grey planet of Uley. I like the descriptions of the psychic landscape. Different protagonists but we do get to see the couple from the first story, about 10 years on.

The Kinsmen Universe by Ilona Andrews
{short story omnibus; sci-fi}(2018)



26) Silver Shark

{second of 4 in Kinsmen series; sci-fi, paranormal, romance, steamy}(2009)



Claire is a Kinsman with a strong psycher talent on the war-torn planet of Uley where she uses her talent to go onto the bionet to exterminate psycher minds of the enemy. She soon moves to the colourful province of Dahlia on the planet of Rada, of the previous story. She has to camouflage her talent or risk being terminated and does so well that she gets an admin job at a bionet company on the basis that she has no talent at all. But then some acquaintances from her old planet need her help which requires her to break into secure files on the bionet and she will risk everything if she's caught.

This story was much more fun, even if it does start on the bleak, grey planet of Uley. I like the descriptions of the psychic landscape which different psychers perceive differently and even Claire's landscape changes over the course of the story. The attraction between the two leads was more believable (palatable?) in this story than in the previous one and there was a hint of actual romance/ falling in love. This has different protagonists but we do get to see the couple from the first story, about 10 years on.

(May 2025)
3.5-4 stars

Litsy Notes

Silent Blade: Not liking the man in this one. I suspect he‘s going to be the love interest (at the moment, at the beginning, there‘s a lot of lust on both sides) but he sees her once and decides to break into her house.

I like the world-building but the premise of the story is creepy. And we're not shown why they fall in love.

Silver Shark: much more fun, even if it does start on the bleak, grey planet of Uley. I like the descriptions of the psychic landscape. Different protagonists but we do get to see the couple from the first story, about 10 years on.

 

27) A Mere Formality



{fourth of 4 in Kinsmen series; sci-fi, paranormal, romance, spicy}(2018)

Deidre is an analyst with the Second Intergalactic Empire Diplomatic Corps on the team on the Orbital Embassy negotiating a four-way deal between the Vunta Caliphate and the Monrovian Republic (who are at war) while the Empire would like to acquire the Colchida Cluster of planets from the Monrovians and get the Reigh to protect it. The Reigh are, effectively, mercenaries but their code precludes them from accepting payment for their services. So they find a novel way around it, which will require all Deirdre's diplomacy.

I liked this one the best. It's not even really a romance but was possibly the most romantic of this collection. I like the metaphors; space-linked ones for the galactic imperials ('If we’re late, Robert will suffer a deep space fit.') and plant ones for the planet-based Branch Nagrad (Nagrad ran his hand through his hair. 'I’m past my undergrowth years.' - a synonym for being past his teenage years). I'm not sure what the porn was about though, except that they were trying to one-up each other.

(May 2025)
3.5-4 stars

28) Foothills Fae Academy Book Three by Callie Woodridge

{third of 4 in Foothills Fae Academy; teenage relationships, bullying, LT ER}(2024)

   

A group of kids who can do magic are students at the Foothills Fae Academy. A group of people called 'immortals' keep attacking them.

This story is narrated in the first person, past tense from the points of view of four of the students; Amber, Michael, Ben and Ellen. Though it was published in 2024, information towards the end of the book suggests that it is set in 2004. The first several chapters contain a content warning, a list of characters and synopses of the first two books before the book proper starts at chapter 4.

Admittedly I was on the back foot because I haven't read the first two books and (despite the content warning) I was blindsided by an explicit scene right at the beginning (though, since there weren't other explicit scenes, that one seems gratuitous). The writing could have been better and needed to be better edited; there was a lot of repetition, a lot of descriptions were paraphrased in the next sentence or paragraph and many unusual words were repeated in the next sentence. There was too much repeated description while at the same time not quite enough information to join the dots so that often the narrative jumped a bit.

Although the character list would normally be helpful, there were too many people in this book and it was too hard for me to keep track of who was related to whom (some of them had had their parents magically swapped or were adopted or came from blended families). Most of the story seemed to be about the relationships between the kids (who was dating whom, who wanted to date whom, who was fighting with whom ...) rather than advancing the plot. The magic system, the kids' primary or secondary talents and the different magic/ non-magic/ hybrid realms didn't have any logic to them that I could discern - maybe that was covered in the previous books. Mermen, for some reason, were never referred to as mermen but as mermaids or - oddly - sirens.

Maybe I'm the wrong age for this and it would appeal to teens better? And, as a parent of children of a similar age to those portrayed, I'm not comfortable with the characters' casual sex or use of drink and drugs. The aforementioned content warning mentions that the previous books (in book one the characters were 13 years old and in book two they were 16 going by the synopses) are more innocent so I don't know what the target age for this series is.

If you want to read this series, definitely don't start with this book.

(May 2025)
2-2.5 stars

notes:

slogging through this because it's an ER but I may DNF it at this rate. I'm a bit handicapped because this is the third book in the series and I haven't read the first two books though they are recapped for us at the beginning of this book. There is also a long list of the characters which would normally be helpful but there are a lot of them and a lot of different relationships so it's actually a bit bewildering. Once the book proper started (chapter 4), after wading through a welter of adjectives I was blindsided by an explicit scene, despite the content warning, since it came out of nowhere and right at the beginning - so please do heed the warning. I'm now up to chapter 18 (of 57) and all it seems to be is relationship angst between characters I have no interest in and who resent authority just because they are now (or almost are now) 18 years old. I don't understand who is related to who or whose parents are whose (since a lot of them seem to have had fake parents or are adopted) or who dated who or how the eight different realms are connected (or not) or how their magical powers work (though there isn't much of that).

I might have been a bit more invested in them if I'd read the first two books - though, given how choppy the quality of writing is, I doubt it. The writing is a bit simplistic and there is information missing although whether that's because it's covered in the previous books or just bad writing (also repetitive, overexplaining; needs editing), I don't know. If you're going to read this I'd recommend starting with the first book.

Maybe I'm the wrong age for this and it would appeal to teens better. Also, as a parent of kids a similar age to those portrayed, I'm not comfortable with the characters casual sex or use of drink and drugs. The aforementioned content warning mentions that the previous books (in book one the characters were 13 years old and in book two they were 16 going by the synopses) are more innocent so I don't know what the target age for this series is.

1st person, past tense, multiple POVs. No logic to the magic - sometimes it's spells, sometimes potions, no limits or restrictions. No real plot. Confuses sirens with mermen. Despite the series title, they don't ever seem to be at school or, when they are, they're at different schools.

Gritting teeth and slogging on ....

currently 2.5** at ch 18

29) The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson

{stand alone/ first of 1 in Magdalene Diggers series; fantasy, adventure, archeology, Central America, British Honduras, Maya Rainforest}(2016)

 

Re-written as Empire of Shadows in 2024

Eleanora Mallory works as an archivist in the Public Records Office in Victorian England. She's more qualified than her (male) colleagues, having graduated at the top of her class from the University of London, and would rather be out in the field making new discoveries - but those avenues are ... discouraged ... for women. Then, just as she's fired for having spent a night in prison as a suffragette, she discovers a disregarded artefact and an old map amongst the clutter on her boss's desk which call to her. Her expertise tells her that the artefact seems to be ancient Mayan and the map could lead to the discovery of an unknown city, the ruins of which might have survived to the present day - and which might be behind the legend of El Dorado. So she 'borrows' them and some research at the British Library informs her that an unexplored area of British Honduras is the most likely candidate for the area shown on her map. When she gets home, there are two sinister men waiting for her so, acting quickly, she runs away. A friend helps her take ship to Belize City where she ponders her next steps.

There she bumps into Adam Bates, the assistant surveyor general of the colony, who has just come in from the bush and doesn't make a good initial impression (but he's much more attractive later, once he's cleaned up). To her horror, the two men from London also turn up and she needs Bates's help to escape from them. The only way to do that is to leave Belize City and follow the map into the Mayan Rainforest. And maybe, if they can discover a hitherto unknown ancient civilisation, it will make her name as an archeologist.

This story has a similar overarching premise to The Mummy film (with Rachel Weiss as Evie) except that Ellie is in British Honduras on the trail of a Mayan city, not among the Egyptian pyraminds. They are both late 19th/ early 20th century enthusiastic, well-qualified female would-be archeologists, overlooked by male colleagues, who discover an artefact which leads them to look for an ancient city lost to time which would make their name in the field. They both encounter an American who can guide them - but the first time they meet, he doesn't look very prepossessing. Their adventures are further complicated by a race against time as others are also looking for the city. And there is a supernatural element menacing them as they travel.

This book is well plotted - though there are a few coincidences to help things along - and nicely written. It's a rollicking adventure with some tension though some details, such as the morality of the way Ellie acquires things to help her in her quest, are glossed over in favour of moving the story forward (but don't worry about it, just keep reading; there was nothing that stopped me in my tracks). Ellie is a strong, resourceful heroine full of derring-do though she does need Adam's help in negotiating the bush. There is a bit of romance and Adam does take off his shirt a few times (which has Ellie noticing) and there are some deaths of tertiary characters but I'd say it's young adult rated. The story is complete in itself (the ending is similar to that of the second Mummy Returns film) but leaves things open for further adventures.

I don't know why Benson decided to rewrite this (as Empire of Shadows in 2024) unless it was to tweak it to a different series because this is a good book as it is (though, reading the LT reviews for that, I sense that she depicted Ellie better in Smoke Hunter. I was actually hit by a book bullet by JulesG on Litsy for Empire of Shadows but my e-libraries don't have it; I'm glad I read this version instead). The romance is fine (just enough, not too much) though the couple of scenes when we saw Adam and Ellie fretting over it (does she actually love me? did he mean that?) - in the middle of their most dire straits (navigating a booby-trapped maze), no less - didn't add anything to the story and were unnecessary.

This lively adventure was lots of fun to read - I recommend you try it.

(May 2025)
4 - 4.5 stars

Litsy Notes

Similar overarching premise to 'The Mummy' film (with Rachel Weiss) but Ellie (not Evie) is in British Honduras on the trail of a Mayan city. Victorian/ Georgian era, female would-be archeologist overlooked by male colleagues, looking for an ancient city lost to time. Meets an American who can guide her but the first time they meet, he's just come in from the bush and doesn't look very prepossessing. Others are also looking.

Enjoying this so far.

I started off intending to give this book the benefit of the doubt especially since my last couple of LTER books haven't impressed me too well, but I was struggling with it a bit and peeked at other reviews, when I discovered that some reviewers (on LT and GR) claim that it is AI generated. My notes I made as I read are at >87 humouress: but I'll try and be nice here.

34) Elven Blood by Mark Stanley

{first of 4 of Vellhor Saga; fantasy, LT Early Reviewers} (2024)

   

This story takes place on Vellhor and concerns five main protagonists of different races and a prophecy about some of them thwarting an attempt to resurrect a malevolent deity. Anwyn is an elf living in the forest and Gunnar is a dwarf on patrol at the Drogo Mulik border; both races stand at around five feet tall. Kemp is a student mage researching a theory for his thesis that some dragons (which have now disappeared from this world) attained immortality and Ruiha is an ex-gang member; both are humans. Dakarai is a Drogo; they are a race of humanoid/lizard/dragon who stand at around seven feet. They all live in different parts of the continent of Vellhor and don't meet until towards the end of the book; in fact, even then not all of them meet each other. Essentially, this book is an introduction to the characters and the beginning of their adventure. The prophecy only concerns Anwyn and Gunnar and it hasn't been explained how the others fit in.

I have seen claims that this story was generated by AI but, since I don't know one way or the other, I'll review it as though it weren't.

I had a lot of issues with this book and, to be brutally honest, I struggled to finish it. Firstly, the formatting threw me; this Early Reviewer version transferred to me as a solid document with no chapter divisions so that, even though the chapter titles were there, I couldn't go directly to them from the contents page by clicking a link. I couldn't get the page size of my app to co-ordinate with that of the document so the headers and footers (book title/ chapter titles/ page numbers) would turn up randomly within the sentences of the text and in the same font, which was rather confusing and slowed my reading down.

Secondly there were far too many descriptive words used for even the simplest ideas which really bogged the story down and many of the word choices were not ... quite correct. A few times, despite all the words, we weren't given relevant details; I'd suddenly realise (after the action was over), for instance, that we had now moved to a forest because the vegetation had been torn up in the battle which had just ended. On the other hand, things we had already been told were constantly paraphrased in the next sentence or paragraph which didn't help the flow of the story either. There were also some issues with grammar and wrong tenses.

The narrative switched between the different characters so I couldn't get a clear idea of the story and it was only at the halfway point that we learned of the prophecy and finally caught a gist of the direction the story was going in. There was a lot of talk about doom and gloom, such as 'the weight of responsibility' that characters felt though the story itself didn't bear that out.

The coloured map of Vellhor was nice (although, unfortunately, it came through in two sections spread over three pages in my e-book). The glossary was useful (although, again, because of the formatting issues they all flowed into one another rather than presenting as - presumably - four separate glossaries) though I would have preferred it at the end of the book rather than at the beginning.

This book could have done with tighter editing. If half to three quarters of the jungle of words was pruned back hard we would be able to see the story itself more clearly. I do like the cover by David Leahy.

(May 2025)
I feel this effort deserves 2.5 stars
(but if it was AI written, then 1/2 stars - and only because we can't give negative stars)

35) The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

{first of 3? in Hart and Mercy series; romance, fantasy, open door romance, demigods, food}

 

Library books, dogs, a man who cooks superlatively - what's not to love?

Oh - you want to know what the story is about?

Alrighty: (The story is narrated in the third person, past tense from both Mercy’s and Hart’s points of view.) Mercy Birdsal is an undertaker's daughter running Birdsal and Son, the family company, until her brother can take over after finishing his degree. Hart Ralston is a marshal keeping Tanria free of zombie-like drudges. From their first meeting, when Hart took the body of a drudge to Birdsal and Son, they've riled each other up and sniped at each other. But Hart is an outsider, a demigod who has never known his immortal father (which is a bit of a sore point for him) and who used to write letters to his mum after she died and then his mentor in the Marshals, Bill, after he died.

Drudges, by the way, are corpses which have been reanimated by lost souls, of which there are many floating around Tanria. Hart's demigod superpower, which he's not told anyone about, is being able to see lost souls as a bar of light - a very handy asset for a Tanrian Marshal. One day when the loneliness really gets to him, but not feeling like writing to either Bill or his mum, Hart writes a letter to 'a friend' and posts it in a nimkilim box (nimkilims are anthropomorphic post-animals - you know what? Just read the book), not expecting it to be delivered to anyone. But then Mercy receives a mysterious letter from 'a friend' which strikes a note with her and she replies, thus beginning an ongoing correspondence.

He paused. Was that... flirtatious? Was he flirting? But neither of them was speaking of dancing here. This was a metaphor, and Hart was hardly likely to be found at a party anyway. Besides, this was a letter to a person he never intended to meet. That was the beauty of it. He could be completely honest with someone who would never see him, never know him in reality.

There and then, he decided that he would never again cross something out or start over. He wouldn't censor himself. He would be exactly who he was.

He wrote the letter and folded it into fourths, making a mental note to buy envelopes the next time he resupplied. Because there would be more letters. He was certain of it.

Once the lanterns were put out, Hart lay on his back, staring at the night sky, at the stars that had once been gods. He couldn't sleep, and he didn't want to. He listened to Duckers's baby-soft snores, and in his mind, he read the words of his friend's letter over and over again.

For the first time in a long, long while, he wasn't alone.

The world that the story is set in is a little confusing but fun.

What else do you need to know? Oh - they both love reading, especially library books, they both love dogs - the only reason Hart goes to Birdsal and Son, in spite of having to see Mercy (apparently), is because of Leonard, her bulldog (his own dog, Gracie, died before the story starts) - and Mercy's brother Zeddie discovers a passion for cooking (which is good because neither of his sisters nor his dad can cook decently). And Hart is a great dancer.

To be honest, I felt a bit lost at the beginning; we do get thrown into the middle of things at the beginning, though much of it is explained later. There's a Western flavour to this story with the Marshals keeping the peace but they drive around in autoducks (I still don't know what those are but I'm imagining pick-up trucks/ utes) and they drive on waterways between islands (... oh, I get it now; ducks/ water). And then there's Tanria, bounded by Mists where the Old Gods were penned. And whole pantheons of gods - which I read about, decided I'd discovered enough though I was a bit confused, and hurried on with the story itself.

And the story itself I loved. The people are lovely - even the villains aren't out and out bounders. The families, both found and inherited, were a joy. It's an all round feel-good story. It's not just a romance; there's also the mystery of the sudden increase in the number of drudges and the backstory of the gods. And I loved the resolution, which I didn't see coming. I found the whole premise (re the world that the story is set in) unusual, one I haven't seen before and I'm glad that there are more books in the series so we can explore it further.

This was a BB for me from @curioussquared. Recommended; and I'm looking forward to the next one.

(May 2025)
4.5 stars

Litsy Notes & Quotes

Library books, dogs, a man who cooks superlatively - what's not to love?

Mercy is an undertaker's daughter, holding the fort till her brother can take over after his degree; Hart is a marshal keeping Tanria free of zombie-like drudges. From their 1st meeting they've hated each other but each feels lonely. Hart writes a letter to 'a friend' and sends it off into the ether. Mercy receives a mysterious letter and replies. Maybe ...

He paused. Was that... flirtatious? Was he flirting? But neither of them was speaking of dancing here. This was a metaphor, and Hart was hardly likely to be found at a party anyway. Besides, this was a letter to a person he never intended to meet. That was the beauty of it. He could be completely honest with someone who would never see him, never know him in reality.

There and then, he decided that he would never again cross something out or start over. He wouldn't censor himself. He would be exactly who he was.

He wrote the letter and folded it into fourths, making a mental note to buy envelopes the next time he resupplied. Because there would be more letters. He was certain of it.

Once the lanterns were put out, Hart lay on his back, staring at the night sky, at the stars that had once been gods. He couldn't sleep, and he didn't want to. He listened to Duckers's baby-soft snores, and in his mind, he read the words of his friend's letter over and over again.

For the first time in a long, long while, he wasn't alone.

I think they attached the same review in >101 humouress: and >102 humouress:.

>107 Karlstar: That was me; I read and reviewed an omnibus edition of three books. If you click the 'show more' button, it'll show all three.

>108 humouress: I see now! Thanks.

>83 humouress: And so; Books K had a discount sale on their website today so I dropped by and ordered a few books. Let's see; I was up to 15 for my Thingaversary ... I needed to get to 18 ... 15 + 12 makes 18, right?

(continuing the list:

12 - The Alhambra of Granada - Dosde
13 - Mr Men in Ireland by Adam Hargreaves
14 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - a gift from a schoolfriend now working as a virologist in a budget-struck NHS.

Saturday was National Day for Singapore and I was hoping that Books Kinokuniya would have a sale on so I could top up my Thingaversary purchases but I never got an e-mail. I took the boys to the dentist on Friday - which just happens to be in the same building (same tower/ lifts, even) as the Books Kinokuniya main store and I had to renew my discount card, which expired on 4th August so of course I had to pop in. And good thing we did, too, because they had a sale on for members just for the 7th and 8th.

I went to the counter to renew my card but apparently it's all done on the app now. The lady at the counter kindly talked me through it (despite the dreadful internet signal) while my eldest son tut-tutted at my lack of tech aptitude because I could have just done it myself at home. Then I browsed the shelves, spotting a few books I had been looking for but picked up in London this time, but my youngest son rushed me along, since we had a dinner booking.

Nevertheless, he picked up A Heart Full of Hatred, the latest in the Skulduggery Pleasant series (which I may eventually read but I've stalled on the first book in the series 3 times already) and I snaffled:

15 - Arabian Folk & Fairy Tales: Fables, Folkore & Ancient Stories (Flame Tree Collector's Editions) )

In other news, yesterday I slipped on some slime while walking Jasper and landed on my bum but jarred my right arm. Looks like there are a couple of small fractures but - until I can get a cast on it - my arm is bandaged fingertip to elbow with a splint to prevent me bending my wrist, which is rather inconvenient.

So I'm currently functioning one handed which means peck-&-hunt typing; please excuse typos, shortcuts, cut & paste posts etc.

>111 humouress: Ouch! Poor you. Heal quickly.

>112 haydninvienna: Ta. Mostly, it's annoying.

>111 humouress: Oh no!!! Are you right-handed, too? I'm so sorry. At least it sounds as though you have plenty of reading material to keep you occupied.

>114 clamairy: Ha ha; yes, i do have lots to keep me occupied. I like crafting too but i think some of those activities may be limited fora while. And yes, I am right-handed. i was probably holding the leash in my left - nary a bruise, even, on that side.

>111 humouress: I am sorry to hear that! I hope you will heal quickly.

>111 humouress: So sorry for that! May you heal quickly and with very little pain.

>116 Alexandra_book_life: >117 MrsLee: Thank you both.

>111 humouress:
Get well soon.

>119 pgmcc: Thanks Peter

>111 humouress: Ouch! I hope you heal up soon.

>111 humouress: Ow, I hope that heals quickly.

>121 Sakerfalcon: Thanks Claire.

I have a half cast on it now, down just one side of my forearm to support my wrist, having spent half the day in a hospital waiting room. They couldn't see any breaks but it's just in case until I can see a specialist. At least I can wriggle my fingers now!

meanwhile, Jasper (our retriever) has been moping - but that probably has more to do with @superboy (our eldest) returning to the UK.

>122 Karlstar: Thanks Jim.

Just saw that you'd had the cast added for a strained/broken wrist. Hopefully everything will heal quiickly. If it's any consolation, when I broke my elbow (some 10 years back) it mended within 3 weeks. But do pamper it a bit.

>125 jillmwo: Thank you Jill. And thank goodness (re 3 weeks); other folks around me (not the doctors though) have been touting 6-8 weeks - or longer because I'm 'older'. The taxi driver on the way to hospital today was telling me about his poor wife who, at different times, has broken both arms and suffered from trigger finger in both hands.

The funny thing was listening to my sons debating my treatment over the phone. The one who's back in the UK insisting I should go the hospital for a cast right then when he called at 8pm our time; his brother said no need (it was bandaged & splinted) but I should be using a sling (he who rarely wore a sling when he broke his collarbone a couple of years ago), to which my eldest replied that I didn't need to .... I sat on the sidelines somewhat bemusedly enjoying the conversation.

>126 humouress: It is amusing to be "mothered" by our kids. Of course I did the same to my mom after I was an adult. As I tell my kids when I give unasked for medical advice (even to those who are medical professionals), it is the only way I know how to express my love and concern when they are so far away.

>126 humouress: I think the medical professionals tell you 6-8 weeks as a cover and because there's no single right answer for all patient. I was only in the cast for 3 weeks. But there was a six week mantra I was given that went "Don't push. Don't pull. Don't carry. Don't lift" for the full healing period. Like I said, just pamper yourself during these early weeks, insofar as possible. Common sense is key.

>127 MrsLee: True.

My mum's the doctor in our family and my go-to for medical advice so I don't (think I) offer her medical advice - but i do roll my eyes at her when she doesn't follow basic common sense.

>128 jillmwo: Thank you. Will do.

I was hoping that having my fingers free would make typing easier but it's in the sling (thank you 🙄 @firelion) and twinges a bit - so I'll just let it rest and pamper myself, as you say.

Yes, please do take it easy with that arm. And don't, under any circumstances, break up a fight between your little brother and a neighbor boy as that vile boy may kick your arm and break it all over again so you'll have to be in the cast twice as long.

>131 Bookmarque: Thank you.

And: oh no! Did that happen to you?

Unfortunately, yes. Little jerk. The price of being a responsible big sister.

>133 Bookmarque: Oof, poor you.

Fortunately for me, my younger sister (my only sibling) is a continent away.

>131 Bookmarque: Ouch. Poor you!

Spent the afternoon seeing the specialist (etc, etc). Looks like I do have a. couple of fractures. I was getting fed-up with the 1/2 cast yesterday, down the inside of my wrist; that's off (yay) but now I have a full cast for another 3 weeks. But it's lighter than the plaster cast and lets me move my fingers fully.

>136 humouress: Oh my. Best of luck. Moving ones fingers is rather essential.

>136 humouress:
Wishing you a rapid recovery. I am glad you can move your fingers and that the cast is lighter now.

>137 clamairy: It feels much nicer. But now I have exercises to do, for circulation.

>138 pgmcc: Thank you.

37) The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

{first in Librarians of Alyssium series; fantasy, feel good, young adult}(2024)

 

Kiela is a blue haired, blue skinned, magenta freckled librarian at the Great Library in Alyssium. As the story starts, there is a rebellion, the emperor is killed and - even worse - the Library is set on fire. Kiela with her assistant, the dog-sized sentient spider plant Caz, have been choosing books to save but not really believing they would have to leave the library until they actually have to and so they flee the city with five crates of spell books. Having nowhere else to go, Kiela decides to return to her childhood home on the outer island of Caltrey which is so far away from the capital that rebellion doesn't affect their daily lives and they haven't even heard about the havoc that Kiela barely escaped from until she informs them that the emperor has been overthrown.

Kiela has been something of a hermit in the Library but she is forced to interact with people to help her set up on the island. Her parents' old cottage is still habitable but she needs to get supplies in and learn to grow her own food. And she needs some income so, after finding her parents' old recipe book, she decides to make and sell jam. Fortunately for her, her neighbours are nosey (in a friendly way) and helpful - especially Larran, her nearest neighbour.

But Kiela's jam shop will be a cover for selling spells because the outer islands have been suffering from the imbalance of magic. Even before the rebellion, spells that the islanders need to keep living here have been failing so she can't just sit by and watch when she has the means to help even though by law only the emperor's sorcerers can give out magic. But who's going to know, this far from the centre of the empire?

This was a fun, feel-good story with (almost) everyone helping everyone else though there was an occasional soupçon of danger to overcome. I enjoyed it, as I enjoy the other books of Durst's that I've read so far, but I had been seeing this touted in unexpected places not usual for a fantasy book so I was expecting more. I see that there is a second book in this series and I will be happy to borrow that from the library too.

(June 2025)
3.5-4 stars

39) The Foxglove King by Hannah Witten

{first of 3 in The Nightshade Crown series; fantasy, death, gods, poison, magic, necromancy}(2023)

 

(The blurb on Overdrive - and therefore maybe the book jacket too - has some spoilers, so I'd try to avoid reading that if I were you.)

Lore lives in the Auverraini capital city of Dellaire far above where the body of the Buried Goddess lies which leaks Mortem, the power of death. This world used to have five gods (who had previously been human) until they started dying one by one, their bodies found in various countries, and only Apollius the Bleeding God is left. Those who have almost died from horrendous accidents can wield Mortem. Lore, too, is a necromancer but she was born with the power which is growing stronger as she nears her consecration on her twenty fourth birthday; she can feel death but can also use its power. As a consequence of possessing the power she is physically unable to leave Dellaire.

Lore acts as a spy for her adoptive mothers who are illegal poison-runners; some people take poisons which can, if they get the dose right to get just to the edge of death, lengthen their lives but it destroys the quality of those lives. When a poison-drop goes wrong and Lore uses her power she is discovered and taken by the Presque Mort, the monks who use Mortem in the service of the Church (of the Bleeding God). Normally, as a necromancer, her life would be forfeit for using Mortem without being a member of the Presque Mort but they need her unusually strong powers so she is handed over to the Church to be guarded by Gabriel, one of the monks. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder; when she needs to find suitable court clothes quickly and is shown a treasure trove of discarded clothes:

Gabriel snorted. “The peerage likes to do just enough to think they‘re helping without inconveniencing themselves. What‘s in fashion moves fast, and it‘s easier to donate clothes you wouldn‘t be caught dead in after a season than it is to keep them in storage.”
Her brow arched. There was a low poison in Gabriel‘s voice, made more potent by the way he tried to hide it. “You seem to know the court well.”
A long pause. Gabriel shifted uncomfortably, his impressive shoulders inching toward his ears. “Better than I‘d like,” he said finally.

Recently, whole villages in Auverraine have been mysteriously slaughtered near the borders with the ambitious Kirythean empire, with no detectable cause of death. Anton, the Priest Exalted, wants her to raise some of those who were killed to find out how they died. Whereas August, the Sainted King and Anton's twin brother, wants her to spy on his ne'er-do-well son and heir, Bastian. Of course if she doesn't do as they order she'll be executed.

Lore is streetwise and, with Gabriel and Bastian to show her the court, she quickly finds her feet. She, and the reader, see sides to both of them that they keep hidden from others; Gabriel is not as tough as he presents himself and Bastian is more serious than he seems at first. Lore is attracted to both men but Gabriel has sworn oaths as a monk - and how trustworthy is Bastian really? But the three of them form an uneasy alliance (most of the time) and discover that there is far more going on in Auverraine than they realised.

I really liked this book; I'm not sure my review does it justice. I got Kushiel's Dart vibes while reading it - the Francophile setting, the magic linked to dark powers, the celibate monk-guardian. I felt that the first couple of (establishing) chapters were slow to take off but then it got addictive and there were some unexpected twists and turns. And, oh! the library:

After that, entirely by accident, they ended up in a library.
The Citadel was a study in opulence, dripping excess in every corner, but this was the room that really made Lore‘s jaw drop. The library had three levels, all of them visible from the bottom floor—balconies ringed the walls, accessible by small, polished-wood staircases set into the shelves. All three levels were filled to bursting with books, glowing in the gentle light through the solarium window above. Small chairs upholstered in brocade were grouped in various places on all levels, ready-made reading nooks that held no readers.
“There‘s got to be buckets of gold in here,” Lore breathed. “Do you know how expensive books are?”
“I do.” A scowl darkened Gabe‘s face. “All that money, and hardly anyone here reads.”
“No one, really? What a waste.”

Read it - especially if you like your fantasy a little bit dark and your plots a little bit twisty.

(June 2025)
5 stars

Litsy Notes

ISBN: 9780316435192

The first couple of (establishing) chapters are slow to take off but then (I'm up to chapter 9) it gets addictive.

Lore can feel death but can also use its power but, as a necromancer, could be put to death if she's discovered. She acts as a spy for poison-runners; people in the Auverraini capital of Dellaire use poison to get to just the edge of death for the power of extending their lives - but it comes at a price.

This one has 'Kushiel's Dart' vibes

Ch 5:

Gabriel snorted. “The peerage likes to do just enough to think they‘re helping without inconveniencing themselves. What‘s in fashion moves fast, and it‘s easier to donate clothes you wouldn‘t be caught dead in after a season than it is to keep them in storage.”
Her brow arched. There was a low poison in Gabriel‘s voice, made more potent by the way he tried to hide it. “You seem to know the court well.”
A long pause. Gabriel shifted uncomfortably, his impressive shoulders inching toward his ears. “Better than I‘d like,” he said finally.

Ch 16:

After that, entirely by accident, they ended up in a library.
The Citadel was a study in opulence, dripping excess in every corner, but this was the room that really made Lore‘s jaw drop. The library had three levels, all of them visible from the bottom floor—balconies ringed the walls, accessible by small, polished-wood staircases set into the shelves. All three levels were filled to bursting with books, glowing in the gentle light through the solarium window above. Small chairs upholstered in brocade were grouped in various places on all levels, ready-made reading nooks that held no readers.
“There‘s got to be buckets of gold in here,” Lore breathed. “Do you know how expensive books are?”
“I do.” A scowl darkened Gabe‘s face. “All that money, and hardly anyone here reads.”
“No one, really? What a waste.”

Ch 41:

Anton‘s bright eyes tracked to Lore and the Night Priestess. “I‘m still owed a village,” he said, almost irritated, as if he didn‘t have a knife to his throat.

41) Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

{first of His Dark Materials trilogy; fantasy, steampunk, children's fantasy, audio, BBC full cast adaptation, abridged}(1995/ 2004) 🎧

 

PS - 'scuse spellings. I'll have to look up things I heard.

Lyra Belacqua is a fourteen year old girl who lives in Jordan College, Oxford in a parallel world to ours where everyone has a 'daemon' of the opposite gender to them who reflects their souls. These daemons take animal shapes; for children, their daemons can take any animal shape they choose though they tend to have favourites but at some point, when the person becomes an adult, their daemon's shape becomes fixed in a form that reflects their human's characteristics (servants' daemons tend to be dogs, for instance). Lyra can talk to her daemon, Pantalaimon, but not to other people's. Daemons can communicate with each other and it is ingrained into everyone that no one can touch another person's daemon. There is, in this world, a substance that has been named 'Dust' which seems to be linked to daemons and may be used to create powerful magic if it can be harnessed.

Lyra doesn't go to school but runs half wild around the college and Oxford streets, occasionally being taught by one or another of the junior academics so her knowledge of the world is somewhat skewed - though she amply fills in gaps in her knowledge with her imagination (though the narrator claims at one point that - though she lies artfully - she isn't imaginative enough to be scared of the unknown). She has been told that her parents died in a balloon accident (this world, which would probably coincide with our 1920s, uses zeppelins for travel) but her uncle, Lord Asriel, visits the college periodically and interviews her on occasion to see how she's doing.

We are told that children around Britain have been disappearing, rumouredly didnapped by 'the Gobblers' and one day one of Lyra's good friends, Roger the Jordan College kitchen boy, disappears. Lyra is fiercely determined to find him especially as no one else seems to care. Meanwhile the beautiful and fascinating Mrs Coulter, whose daemon takes the form of a golden monkey, visits Jordan College and offers to take on Lyra as an assistant and educate her further to which the captivated Lyra eagerly agrees. However as she is leaving the Master of Jordan College, who is obviously troubled by her new appointment, gives her a rare instrument called an alethiometer but tells her to keep it secret.

Lyra initially enjoys her studies until she realises that Mrs Coulter doesn't care for her but - as Pant, who is scared of the golden monkey, has always insisted - is keeping her as a pet so Lyra runs away and is rescued by her friends, the Gyptians (akin to gypsies), who travel through Britain on canal boats. One of their children is also missing so they all decide that an expedition must be made to the North, where rumours say the missing children have been taken to be experimented on, to find them and rescue them all. There she meets the American hot air balloonist Lee Scoresby and the armoured bear Iorek Byrnison who help her in her quest and she learns to manipulate and read the alethiometer to guide them.

Lyra, as a child, easily forms fierce loyalties and dislikes. Since we see her world (albeit in the third person) through her and Pantalaimon's eyes, though we can glimpse something of the true personalities of the adults, it makes it hard to work out whom she can trust. It also lends something of an intensity to Lyra's adventures; she's always doing something like playing on the rooves or feuding with the Townies (where allegiances seem to be able to change from day to day) or rescuing her friends from the Gobblers (the mythical people who, rumour claims, are taking the missing children). Lyra may not always be honest but she does have strong convictions and is willing to go to the ends of the earth (literally) to find her friend.

I read this book many years ago and it was worth listening to it again. I enjoyed listening to this BBC Radio full cast dramatisation (though I learned that I need to be actively doing something else while listening; I borrowed this for a TIOLI challenge and was listening to it on holiday, towards the end of the month) and I increased the play speed so it sounded a bit squeaky until I got used to it. But after the initial chapters I found it easy to listen to it.

June 2025
4 stars

I've finally finished my June reviews (I had more important things to do this summer - places to go, people to see). I think the idea behind posting reviews was to prove I was actually reading the books I've been buying - but I've only read 10 of my own books this year and omly 4 of those were physival (vs e-) books.

>141 humouress: I really enjoyed The spell shop. It is a good read for stressful times.

>143 humouress: I remember how much I had enjoyed this book, it was such a wonderful discovery. Thank you for making me think about it again :)

>141 humouress: I am reading the sequel now, interestingly enough. It seems a little slower to get going than the first one was. That might be me, though. I do have a lot going on right now.

>145 Sakerfalcon: >147 clamairy: I like her books; they're good for relaxed reading. Though I'm not sure why there seems to be so much buzz about this particular one. I haven't got to the sequel yet.

>146 Alexandra_book_life: You're welcome.

45) Here, There be Dragons by James A. Owen

I didn't realise I had read this before; this time I listened to it as an audiobook. This is my review from May 2013:

 

(July 2025)
4 stars

Litsy Notes

Listening to this and (4 chapters in) enjoying it. Has a feel of Narnia about it so far.
ETA 🤦‍♀️ looks like I borrowed this from the library and read it 12 years ago - but I liked it then too

46) A Hero Returned by Eura Abrams

{first of ? in The Last Rae of Hope series; fantasy, portal fantasy, sword and sorcery} (2025)

   

This was a LibraryThing Early Reviewer win for me and generally I enjoyed it. There were some aspects of it that I found slightly confusing but it was easy enough to go with the flow and assume things would be explained later (though it didn't happen in this book - maybe in the next book?). I don't read manga or web serials and I get the impression that this book is written to match those styles, so I don't know if I missed out on anything. I don't know if this is an authorial debut (currently this is the only book listed on LibraryThing for this author) but I found this better written than a lot of recent Early Reviewer books I've been reading; most of the rookie mistakes are absent though not completely (if I want to be nitpicky).

We start with a prologue titled 'How Did I Get Here?' which jumps in at (presumably) the end of the story - but unfortunately doesn't tie up with the end of this book (I would have left it out altogether or written one that did tie in to this book), though the story obviously continues so I suppose it will tie up with the end of the story.

The story proper (narrated in the first person, past tense by Rachel (Emily Smith)) begins with Rachel and her best friend Nora in school as they are making their college applications. Rachel doesn't have many friends but she and Nora have bonded over reading the same ongoing serial web novel, 'The Last Rae of Hope'; however at this point, after a climactic battle (but no resolution), the villain causes Rae, the heroine, to disappear and then the author announces that she is taking a hiatus from writing which upsets the girls.

The story continues about five years later when the girls have graduated from college and are applying for their first jobs. They both get an interview at the same time for a job at a publishing company and it turns out that, following their comments and ideas on the last chapter of 'The Last Rae of Hope', the author Eura 'Euphridia' Abrams (yes, the same name as the author of this story) wants them to help continue the story. However on their first day on the job they go through a portal to the world of Sperenza (a play on 'hope'?) where Rae (actually, only Nora calls her that, to match with the heroine of the web novel) is mistaken for Raelynn Lightbringer, Seventh Appointed Hero of Legend. They meet Raelynn's former companions - Iron Tiger Tetora and Aleph the Ox-like - and decide to head for the city of Chairo to talk to the Holy Sage Relias, another of Raelynn's companions, finding friends, foes and adventures on the way. Although the book doesn't end on a cliff-hanger, it is obviously not the end of the story.

I enjoyed this story including the 'post-chapter omakes' that follow some of the chapters towards the beginning of the book where Eura, Rachel and Nora discuss the book they are writing (ie this one) about their adventures, including some input from the villain - who doesn't seem so bad.

There are some hints dropped that I couldn't fit into the puzzle, such as Rachel getting help from other iterations of the heroine (such as Raeonna, Third Appointed Hero of Legend) who speak to her within her mind but can take control of her body and speech if they require; or a secret from Rachel's past which is gradually revealed to the reader over the course of the book but not really explained; or Euphridia being the name of the Goddess of this world. I'm sure they'll be explained in future book(s). It also took me a while to get the hang of Rachel integrating her thoughts and the reactions in her head into the flow of the story (even though, admittedly, I often have my own running commentary going inside my own head) because I kept missing the transition from speech to thought, but I appreciated them.

I did not appreciate the sudden appearance of randomly italicised phrases from chapter 23 onwards. In the last couple of chapters the writing tends to jump a bit; for example, Rae & co. take shelter from the battlefield in a warehouse and when they decide to join the battle there's suddenly a convenient stable full of horses just there for them. And if I'm going to be nitpicky, I felt that some word choices (such as 'A lump formed in my throat, threatening to activate that awful cranial nerve responsible for tears of sorrow') were a bit awkward (especially in the prologue and in the chapters towards the end). There is a map provided (yay!) but unfortunately, in the format I received it, it was rotated through 90º so it was a bit too small to read. But these were small issues which did not throw me out of the story.

I enjoyed this book and I'm curious to see how the story ends.

(July 2025)
4 stars

Litsy Notes

Received this via LT Early Reviewers. Sadly the map is at 90º so it's a bit small. Narrated in 1st person, past tense. It took me 6 chapters to realise that we're reading a book she's writing about her experiences (still getting into the story); 'omake' is Japanese for 'extra' and ch 6 has an omake with her discussing the writing with her co-authors.

I'm still getting the hang of this story but enjoying it so far.

Now that I'm getting the hang of them, I'm appreciating the post-chapter omakes. It also took me a bit to get the hang of Rachel integrating the reactions in her head into the flow of the story (even though, admittedly, I often have my own running commentary going inside my own head) but liking those, too.

Ch 23: sudden appearance of randomly italicised phrases

Some word choices are a bit awkward, especially in the prologue & near the end. In the last couple of chapters) tends to jump a bit (as with less experienced authors) eg they take shelter from the battlefield in a warehouse and when they decide to join the battle there's suddenly a stable full of horses just there.

Though it doesn't end on a cliff-hanger it doesn't link up with the prologue, which starts at the end with 'this is how I got here'

This is our birthday boy when we first got him. Jasper turns 9 today (in human years).

Happy birthday puppy! Keep smiling.

And, in case you feel sad that he was locked up in a cage, don't be:

>152 humouress: What a beautiful baby. Happy 9th birthday, Jasper!

>154 clamairy: Thanks. He took it easy today :0)

Lovely pup pictures.

>152 humouress: Happy Birthday, Jasper!

>156 pgmcc: >157 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you :0) I'll give him some extra ear rubs from the Pub.

>153 humouress: That is one adorable puppy dog. Don't you really want two of him? Twice the belly rubs required.

>159 jillmwo: Thanks :0)

I absolutely do. I petitioned today at dinner but it wasn't very successful.

Yay! I'm out of 'hand prison', as the doctor called it.

I spent half of yesterday in the hand department of the hospital. It's efficiientlu organised with little bays of 6 rooms for each speciality, so I went to one to have the cast removed, then another for X-ryas, then I had to go to another department for scans because the machine wasn't working, then back to another bay to see thedoctor and then the last bay to see the OT for a splint and some exercises.

I can't believe how stiff my hand is and painfu to get the range of motion back, my wrist having been immoblised for a month. I can type faster without having to look at the keyboard so often bt it's still a bit awkward - so there are still typos (which I'm too laz y to correct. But it'll still take another month or two to heal fully.

>161 humouress:
Wishing you rapid and relatively pain free recovery.

>162 pgmcc: Thank you.

>161 humouress: It's nice to be out of "hand prison"! I wish you a quick recovery :)

>161 humouress: I hope you are pain-free and back to functioning normally soon.

>164 Alexandra_book_life: >165 clamairy: Thank you, ladies :0)

Typos are readily forgiven under these circumstances. Are they not encouraging physical therapy or other form of exercises to bring your hand back up to par?

>161 humouress: Congrats! I hope the rest of the recovery proceeds well.

>161 humouress: Congrats for getting the cast off! I'm sorry it's so stiff and sore - here's hoping that the full healing goes quickly now.

>167 jillmwo: >168 Karlstar: >169 terriks: Thank you everyone :0)

Yes, I've got some physiotherapy to do and I'm supposed to go back in to see the occupational therapist sometime this week for them to monitor my progress.

>170 humouress: Good luck with your therapy. At least the cast is officially in the rear view mirror!

>171 terriks: Yes! Now I can use (almost) two hands.

>172 humouress: Like about 1.9 hands?

>173 haydninvienna: About 1.7.

47) A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

{first in Elements of Cadence duology; fantasy, elemental spirits, romance, YA, adult, magic, enchantment, music, bard, laird}(2022)

 

Jack Tamerlaine is called back to the isle of Cadence after ten years of exile, learning music at the university on the mainland. He feels that he was banished at the age of eleven but the islanders on the east side of Cadence have been waiting for him to return to them as their bard to play for the elemental spirits which only live on Cadence. The spirits are capricious; they can compress four hills into one and five miles into one as you travel, if they're feeling benevolent - or the other way round for their own amusement.

Now his laird has requested his return, with his harp, as Jack is the only one who can play to summon the spirits; two little girls have gone missing, literally disappeared into thin air with no trace for trackers to find, and only the mischievous spirits could do that. The laird is in failing health and Jack has to work with the laird's daughter Adaira, Heiress of the East and his childhood nemesis, to call up the spirits.

Adaira glanced across the room, her face solemn. “Two weeks ago, eight-year-old Eliza Elliott went missing on her walk home from school. We searched acres of land, from the school to her family’s croft, but we found little trace of her. Only a few places in the grass and heather, where it looked like she walked, only to vanish.” She paused, her eyes returning to his. “I’m sure you remember the ways of the isle, Jack.”
He did.
He remembered the perks as well as the dangers of straying from Cadence roads. The roads were pathways that resisted enchantments. The spirits couldn’t influence the roads, but they could toy with the grass and rocks and wind and water and trees of the isle. They could turn three hills into one, and one hill into four, but even then, there were ways of knowing the lay of the land, and which parts of it were prone to shift, and which landmarks remained fixed. Many children who didn’t know that secret map had gotten lost for hours if they wandered from the road.
“You believe the folk have tricked her?” Jack questioned.
Adaira nodded.

In all these years Jack hasn't seen his mum, Mirin, who lives by herself near the clan line which divides the east side of Cadence from the west. Due to a long ago curse, in the east any magic done comes with a cost to the wielder's health but the west suffers from poor harvests and hard winters and so the Breccans of the west raid across the clan line for food for their families.

Jack could soon see firelight in the distance, escaping through closed shutters.
It drew him off the road, where he found the narrow path that wound to Mirin’s front yard as easily as if he had walked it yesterday, the grass whisking against his knees. The air smelled sweet from bog myrtle and sharp from smoke, which streamed from the chimney, smudging the stars.
All too soon, he reached the yard gate. Jack stepped inside it, his eyes sweeping the ground in the dim light. He could see row after row of vegetables, ripe from warm days. He remembered all the hours he had knelt in this soil as a boy, tilling and planting and harvesting. How he had complained about it, opposing everything Mirin had asked him to do.
He was stricken with nerves as he approached her door.

There are multiple points of view in this story including that of Torin - nephew to Laird Alastair and captain of the East Guard who watch the clan line to defend the Tamerlaines from the Breccans - and of his wife, Sidra, who is a healer. This lets us see different facets of life on Cadence as well as the lives of different people while keeping the story flowing.

I enjoyed this story which was somewhat reminiscent of Susan Dexter's writing - one of my favourite authors. It is the first half of a duology but it ended at a natural pause and not on a cliff-hanger. I liked the gentle, sweet romances (yes, more than one) and appreciated there not being spicy scenes in my fantasy reading (but do be aware that there are a couple of bedroom scenes, though not steamy). I felt that the outline of the plot, though executed differently, was similar to that of Divine Rivals, also by Ross; two young people who have traditionally been enemies find common ground (and romance) and have to work together (but then find that there are otherworldly powers and a larger picture involved).

I'm looking forward to the second book in this duology.

(August 2025)
4.5 stars

48) All the Wandering Light by Heather Fawcett

{second in Even the Darkest Stars duology; fantasy, young adult, YA, climbing, expedition, adventure, magic, sisters}(2018)

 

I've been looking for the Emily Wilde series by Fawcett in my Overdrive libraries but they don't have it so I thought I would try this duology instead. Following on from Even the Darkest Stars - where Kamzin wanted to prove she could be an explorer and mountain climber like her mother rather than a shaman (which she has no aptitude for) and beat her sister Lusha to the top of Mount Raksha but received a shock when she got there - she decides to team up with her sister. They are going to try to prevent the witches of this world from taking revenge on the emperor for casting the spell that limits their magic - which is the very essence of their being - by destroying the Empire. Kamzin especially wants to protect their tiny village of Azmiri which lies on the outskirts of the Empire, close to the Nightwood where the witches live.

Something rustled in the trees behind him. Probably a ghost—the forest was full of them. Any creature that died in the Nightwood tended to stay there—something about the forest was sticky, and held on to the spirits of the dying like spiderwebs. They were humans mostly—merchants, soldiers, village children. Esha was responsible for many of them. River’s brother had never discriminated between soldiers of the Empire and her children, something River found distasteful. There were also animal spirits, those of livestock stolen from the mountain villages. River had encountered more than one yak ghost, which was always unpleasant. Many animals mistrusted witches for their ability to assume their shapes, but yaks, for some reason, had particularly disliked him. It was an antipathy they seemed to retain in spirit form. There were no witch spirits. Witches didn’t become ghosts.

I'm trying to write this review without spoilers for Even the Darkest Stars so there isn't much I can say but, though it follows on from the first book and is a result of the actions taken in it, this is a different story as Kamzin, Lusha and friends attempt to circumvent River and the witches. Well this is in the blurb, so I can say that a shooting star was seen falling in the mountains. As fallen stars have immense power (shades of Stardust) the witches want to find it to help them raze the empire; in fact, the emperor used one to help him cast the spell that limits the witches' power. When Kamzin discovers this, she decides that they need to recover the star before the witches do and take it to the emperor. And so the race is on.

I thought this adventure, told mainly in the first person (past tense) from Kamzin's point of view with some chapters (in the third person) from River's and a couple of other characters' points of view, was well paced. The scenes of them climbing down the glaciers of the mountains (though I've never been - nor am likely to go - climbing, especially in cold climates) were described effectively. Fawcett demonstrates the fae nature of witches, who don't have the same concerns or magics as humans, and how different they can think and act although they look human. Contrary to tradition, most of the witches that the story focuses on are male.

I like the way that there are so many dragons scattered inconsequentially around. They're small and only used as a source of light (contrary to tradition where they're big and scary/ big and friendly) but it's still fun when you come across a mention of them. And there are also yaks.

Three witches claiming to be innocent travelers,” said the man, with a glance at Lusha. “Several dragons, and one confused yak.”
It took a second for this to sink in. “Azar-at,” I muttered, knowing the fire demon, wherever it had gone, could hear me, “you brought the yak?”
You said “us,” Kamzin.
I closed my eyes briefly.

There are one or two loose ends at the end of the story but it's clear that the characters will deal with them. With the witches and their shadow magic this could have been darker (and I'm glad it wasn't), especially as some of the witches are cruel and vengeful, but it focused more on the adventure and the relationships Kamzin has with her sister (they're always competing with each other but would die to save the other) and the others in their group.

(August 2025)
3.5-4 stars

litsy

I borrowed 'Even the Darkest Stars' (the 1st book in this duology) in Oct 2024 because I was trying to borrow 'Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries' by the same author but none of my Overdrive libraries have any books in that series. Continuing on ...

So many dragons scattered inconsequentially around; they‘re small and only used as a source of light

Quotes
Chapter 4:
Something rustled in the trees behind him. Probably a ghost—the forest was full of them. Any creature that died in the Nightwood tended to stay there—something about the forest was sticky, and held on to the spirits of the dying like spiderwebs. They were humans mostly—merchants, soldiers, village children. Esha was responsible for many of them. River’s brother had never discriminated between soldiers of the Empire and her children, something River found distasteful. There were also animal spirits, those of livestock stolen from the mountain villages. River had encountered more than one yak ghost, which was always unpleasant. Many animals mistrusted witches for their ability to assume their shapes, but yaks, for some reason, had particularly disliked him. It was an antipathy they seemed to retain in spirit form. There were no witch spirits. Witches didn’t become ghosts

Chapter 19:
Three witches claiming to be innocent travelers,” said the man, with a glance at Lusha. “Several dragons, and one confused yak.”
It took a second for this to sink in. “Azar-at,” I muttered, knowing the fire demon, wherever it had gone, could hear me, “you brought the yak?”
You said “us,” Kamzin.
I closed my eyes briefly

49) A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey

{stand alone; fantasy, alternative London, bargaining, true love}(2023)

 

When Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine the Vatican refused to allow it and so he pulled away from the Catholic church - and allied with Faery. Below London, if you need to, you can find the Untermarkt, also known as the goblin market where everyone shouts their wares in rhyme, where you can buy ... anything.

the Untermarkt stepped in to tempt him.
‘Prose spelt in poseys! In pansies and roseys!’
A single voice leapt out at him, clear above the clamour. Right on cue. The Market couldn’t resist an unspoken desire.

Anything your heart desires - but you pay in kind, not in money. You might want the strength of ten men, flowers that literally freshen you up or lustrous locks or the lustre of the locks; you might pay with a first blush, a memory, the ability to see in the dark ... anything.

‘Why does it have to be so complicated? What’s wrong with plain money for stuff, no tricks?’
‘It’s boring,’ Deri answered without thinking, ‘and what would most of us do with a bunch of dead metal anyway? It’s easy enough to get, in Faery. The last blush of innocence, though, that’s truly rare. That has lasting value.’ Deri bit his tongue before it spilled any more freebies.
‘I’d not thought of it that way,’ Owain said.
‘Most mortals don’t need to.’ Deri glanced around at the crowded market.

In the time of High Queen Victoria, seventeen year old Deri is an indentured servant to Merchant Maurlocke (a humanoid being with skin of gold and eyes of flint) who, of course, runs him ragged and extracts every ounce out of their contract as any worthy merchant of the Untermarkt would. Deri, who is an irrepressible mortal and determined not just to survive his servitude but to beat the system and come out on top, has picked up tips and tricks and traded on his mystrer's reputation to build his own relationships with other merchants to amass bits and pieces of wealth (such as someone's good luck for a few hours) to hopefully buy himself out of his contract in about a year instead of five and a half. When he comes across a princess in the market looking to sell her destiny he knows that his fortune is made - if he can play his cards right; Maurlocke is entitled to take Deri's property unless Deri can prevent ym from finding out about it.

Then Deri, who had almost amassed enough to buy out his contract even before finding the princess, meets Owain who is an indentured servant in London Above to the Graspars, who run a factory on the labour of children like Owain (we all know about the horrors of workhouses), Dame Aurelia Steele turns up looking for the lost princess and then his life really gets complicated. Does Deri have the nous to win his future as well as that of his new friends'?

This was a lot of fun; nicely plotted, well written though it started picking up more for me around chapter 9 (of 52) despite some delightful ideas earlier on. I like the magic and the irreverence for traditional items.

the incense smelled of his favourite meal – fish and chips –

or

Aurelia took a deep breath of the clear country air and nearly choked on the smell of manure

(Well that does happen, as my sons discovered on our recent holiday.)

I like Aurelia and her sister.

Silvestra ignored both the verbal barb and the needlessly complex idiom. Aurelia waxed sesquipedalian when stressed.

Aurelia is a Knight to the High Queen while Silvestra is an inventor, following in their father's footsteps.

Pay attention to names; there are elements of the Dick Whittington story woven into this one as well as a riff on 'Oranges and Lemons, Say the bells of St. Clements'. Deri speaks the language of bells (who are very gossipy) ...

Did you hear? Did you hear? rang the Bell of Auld St. Cyr. The Merchant Shade did disappear!
Pish and tosh! Pish and tosh! rang the bell near Merchant Kosh. He’s simply gone to do his wash!

(I like the way that the phrase each bell says rhymes, not only with itself but also with their names) ... and is trying to learn the Language of Gold (all gleams and shine) which Maurlocke speaks to shiny items, and especially to yse sentient tent whose material is threaded with gold, without others being aware.

Much like Deri, from whose viewpoint we see most of the action, this was a charming, ebullient story set in a parallel London which is (given his name - Trip Galey (gaily?), though the copyright is to Powder Thomson) the author's intent, I'm sure. There were some dark themes but Deri and his friends worked together to overcome them.

Recommended.

(August 2025)
4-4.5*****

Litsy Notes

9781803363691
Intriguing concept, though I‘m just starting this. I like the way everyone shouts their wares in rhyme in the Untermarkt and the bells sing their messages to rhyme with their names (as in ‘Oranges and Lemons‘ say the bells of St Clemens)

Author‘s name is Trip Galey (gaily?) but copyright is Powder Thomson

Lyrical descriptions

I like Aurelia.

It started picking up for me around ch 9 (of 52) despite some delightful ideas earlier on

Quotes:

Ch 1

Did you hear? Did you hear? rang the Bell of Auld St. Cyr. The Merchant Shade did disappear!
Pish and tosh! Pish and tosh! rang the bell near Merchant Kosh. He’s simply gone to do his wash!

the Untermarkt stepped in to tempt him.
‘Prose spelt in poseys! In pansies and roseys!’
A single voice leapt out at him, clear above the clamour. Right on cue. The Market couldn’t resist an unspoken desire.

Ch 2:

‘Why does it have to be so complicated? What’s wrong with plain money for stuff, no tricks?’
‘It’s boring,’ Deri answered without thinking, ‘and what would most of us do with a bunch of dead metal anyway? It’s easy enough to get, in Faery. The last blush of innocence, though, that’s truly rare. That has lasting value.’ Deri bit his tongue before it spilled any more freebies.
‘I’d not thought of it that way,’ Owain said.
‘Most mortals don’t need to.’ Deri glanced around at the crowded market.

Ch 3:

the incense smelled of his favourite meal – fish and chips –

Ch 9:

Silvestra ignored both the verbal barb and the needlessly complex idiom. Aurelia waxed sesquipedalian when stressed.

Ch 34:

Aurelia took a deep breath of the clear country air and nearly choked on the smell of manure

50) A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith

{first in Trials of Gabriel Ward series; detective, crime solving, law, Inner Temple, early twentieth century, London, Edwardian Britain}(2024)

   

BB @jillmwo, @pgmcc

Set in Edwardian Britain, London, May 1901 in the Temple (which has been a centre for English law since the 14th century) when forensic methods were in their infancy. (It was also the era in which little children should be seen (rarely) and not heard. Percival (Lord Dunning's son) - otherwise seemingly a child after Sir Gabriel's heart - obviously does not subscribe to that philosophy.)

Smith herself is a KC (King's Counsel), now retired, who still resides in the Inner Temple. There is a map of 'Gabriel's Temple' which is helpful. I love maps in my books (although I've been finding those in e-books a bit problematic).

Sir Gabriel Ward KC is startled to find the body of the Lord Chief Justice of England on his doorstep as he arrives at his chambers on the morning of 21st May 1901. Lord Dunning had clearly been murdered and inexplicably, since he was otherwise impeccably attired in full evening dress, was not wearing any socks or shoes.

‘But he has bare feet.‘
‘Even the Lord Chief Justice has feet, officer,‘ said Gabriel. ‘And in this instance,‘ he added with the characteristic little snuffle that indicated a witticism, ‘they were feet of clay.‘

(Initially I wasn't sure if we were supposed to like Ward but, as his quirks and habits were explained, I came to empathise with him.)

Ward, studious and brilliant, and Dunning, not academically gifted but the scion of a line of senior judges, have studied and worked at the same institutions since they were 7 and 8 years old respectively (although they have been more acquaintances than friends). Dunning is ... er ... was generally popular and conformist

He was the very last sort of man to be murdered.

while Ward (who resembles a turtle in appearance and mannerisms) is somewhat shy and reclusive, happiest when tackling a complex case.

He was the very last sort of man to become an amateur sleuth.

Gabriel, our protagonist, is a very precise individual who loves the law and loves the letter of the law. He is the barrister that your solicitor takes you to consult if your case is especially tricky (or a bit hopeless). His current case, Cadamy vs Moore, is particularly fascinating him but he is ordered - to his horror - by Sir William Waring, Master Treasurer and the head of the Inner Temple (which title he carries with great officiousness) to take a week to question the inhabitants of the Inner Temple before allowing the City of London police to investigate (the Inner and Middle Temples being outside their jurisdiction). Fortunately for Gabriel, who has dwelt quite happily within the Temple precincts with no necessity to leave them since he first arrived ...

Looking from the great dark bulk of the library looming in front of him to the green slope leading from the Terrace to the wide expanse of the lawn, he would often murmur to himself the words of the great Roman advocate Cicero: ‘If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.’

... Constable Maurice Wright (I do like Constable Wright; he's more open minded than his superior officer, Sergeant Rayner, who doesn't believe in modern nonsense like fingerprinting) is assigned to help him. The two men bond over a convivial glass of sherry

Now off-duty, it was time for Constable Wright’s nightly beer, but he gingerly held out his large pink hand to take the exquisite stem of the eighteenth-century sherry glass proffered to him. Sipping the pale liquid, he tried to hide a slight grimace.
‘I do hope it is not too dry for you?‘
‘No, sir, thank you,‘ said Constable Wright, whose mother had brought him up to be polite. ‘It is really quite wet.‘
Gabriel looked at him rather sharply; Constable Wright looked back. And suddenly Gabriel chuckled. He did not often chuckle, but when he did, it was immensely charming. Without knowing why, Wright beamed, and they sat for a few seconds in a silence that was of a different, almost companionable, nature.

Through Gabriel, whose snobbery is of intellect not social standing

‘Are you patronising me, Sir Gabriel?‘ was the sharp reply.
‘No,‘ he said in his considered way, ‘and I should be sorry if you thought I was. I merely sought a fresh mind, and yours was available.‘

(which is why he gets on better with Wright than with Dunning), we meet the denizens of the Inner Temple, some from adjoining Fleet Street and also take a peek at the domestic lives of a handful of the senior judges as Smith passes on some social commentary concerning social and gender inequalities of the time.

Interspersed with this investigation is the case that Ward would much rather be investigating, that of Cadamy vs Moore. He is to represent Herbert Moore who owns Moore & Sons, a publishing house across the road from the Temple, which usually prints legal tomes. Four years previously Moore had come into the possession of the manuscript for Millie the Temple Church Mouse, a children's book, which had been left in a parcel on the doorstep of Moore & Sons. Moore published the book to please his young daughter and as a Christmas gimmick - and it turned into an unexpected success. Despite his efforts to find them the author did not step forward at the time. On the back of this success, Moore entered into various contracts on behalf of 'Miss Cadamy' and Millie the Mouse plush toys (and other such paraphernalia) were created (also a wild success). The resulting financial windfall came at just the right time for Moore & Sons, which had been in trouble.

But now someone has come forward to claim that they are the author, writing under a pseudonym; not, apparently, for the money but because they want Millie the Mouse to be attributed to the correct person. The case law is not clear on whether the claimant has a case nor on what kind of restitution they might be due - the kind of puzzle that Gabriel relishes.

And yet, having been emotionally blackmailed into investigating the case of the Lord Chief Justice and forced to undertake excursions outside the Temple precincts (chaperoned by Constable Wright), against his nature Gabriel finds himself involved in the case.

Gabriel hesitated. His week of enforced detecting was over. He had complied with Sir William‘s demands. He was released from the investigation he had so reluctantly undertaken, and surely also from the threat to his home. He was outside the boundaries of the Temple, and the suspect was … (redacted)
He was surprised to find the suggestion of continuing involvement in the mystery utterly irresistible.

That’s good because I’ve enjoyed getting to know Gabriel and his … associates. I’m looking forward to reading A Case of Life and Limb.

(August 2025)
4.5-5****

TBC; typing 1-handed ...

Litsy Notes & Quotes

Set in Temple (a legal centre since C14) in May 1901 when CSI methods were in their infancy

‘But he has bare feet.‘
‘Even the Lord Chief Justice has feet, officer,‘ said Gabriel. ‘And in this instance,‘ he added with the characteristic little snuffle that indicated a witticism, ‘they were feet of clay.‘

Set in the era in which little children should be seen (rarely) and not heard. Percival, otherwise seemingly a child after Sir Gabriel‘s heart, doesn‘t subscribe to that.

Ch 1:

He was the very last sort of man to be murdered.
...
He was the very last sort of man to become an amateur sleuth.
...

Looking from the great dark bulk of the library looming in front of him to the green slope leading from the Terrace to the wide expanse of the lawn, he would often murmur to himself the words of the great Roman advocate Cicero: ‘If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.’

he would often murmur to himself the words of the great Roman advocate Cicero: ‘If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.‘ 🌺📚

Ch 9:

Sipping the pale liquid, he tried to hide a slight grimace.
‘I do hope it is not too dry for you?‘
‘No, sir, thank you,‘ said Constable Wright, whose mother had brought him up to be polite. ‘It is really quite wet.‘
Gabriel looked at him rather sharply; Constable Wright looked back. And suddenly Gabriel chuckled. He did not often chuckle, but when he did, it was immensely charming. Without knowing why, Wright beamed, and they sat for a few seconds in a silence that was of a different, almost companionable, nature.

Ch 25:

‘Are you patronising me, Sir Gabriel?‘ was the sharp reply.
‘No,‘ he said in his considered way, ‘and I should be sorry if you thought I was. I merely sought a fresh mind, and yours was available.‘

Ch 28:

Gabriel hesitated. His week of enforced detecting was over. He had complied with Sir William‘s demands. He was released from the investigation he had so reluctantly undertaken, and surely also from the threat to his home. He was outside the boundaries of the Temple, and the suspect was not a member of that august body but just another Fleet Street vagrant.
He was surprised to find the suggestion of continuing involvement in the mystery utterly irresistible.

51) A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow

{stand alone; short story, online, fantasy, urban fantasy, escapism, library, librarians, witches}(2018)



A librarian ...

(There have only ever been two kinds of librarians in the history of the world: the prudish, bitter ones with lipstick running into the cracks around their lips who believe the books are their personal property and patrons are dangerous delinquents come to steal them; and witches).

... monitors a young boy returning over and over again to the county library and tries to help him by giving him books to read that speak to him and feed his soul. But she is forbidden by the librarian witches' code from giving him the one book he really needs.

This is so me:

So, it’s only a certain kind of patron I pay attention to. The kind that let their eyes feather across the titles like trailing fingertips, heads cocked, with book-hunger rising off them like heatwaves from July pavement.

Available here: https://www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-magazine/post/a-witchs-guide-to-esca...

(August 2025)
5 stars

Oh boy... Book bullets are flying!

I was not aware of the existence of that Harrow story!

52) The Secret of the Wild Wood by Tonke Dragt

{second of 3 in Unauwen series; adventure, battles, children's, young adult, fiction, knights, fantasy}(1965)
(translated from Dutch by Laura Watkinson)(2015)

 

I read this for the August TIOLI/ The Grand European Tour memorial reads for @FAMeulstee; it also works for Women in Translation month.

Tonke Dragt (according to Wikipedia) was born in Indonesia in 1930 (she died only last year, in 2024) and was interned in a Japanese camp during WWII, along with her family, which was where her writing career began at the age of thirteen; maybe a little of her overseas experiences have made their way into her works in her illustrations and the landscapes she describes.

Less than a year after his adventures in The Letter for the King (which I enjoyed reading a few years ago) Tiuri, now 17 years old and a knight of the kingdom of Dagonaut, is on his way along with Piak, his squire, and Ardanwen, his black horse, to meet some of the friends he made on his adventures. He meets them, as agreed, at Castle Ristridin and later a party from the kingdom of Unauwen, travelling to the capital of Dagonaut on a secret mission, arrive as well. Tiuri plays chess with one of them to pass the time since they are still waiting for Sir Ristridin - sent on a mission to the Wild Wood by king Dagonaut - who continues to be missing. Worried about him, the friends set off in different directions to search for him which results in further adventures for Tiuri, Piak and their friends. Tiuri and his squire head for the mysterious and forbidding Wild Wood and end up experiencing many trials including being captured and held prisoner, fighting battles and encountering the black knight with the red shield again (an enemy from the first book) as well as meeting more friends, both old and new.

The book is divided into eight parts, some of which are told from other characters' points of view (not just Tiuri's). There is also a bit of comic relief from a character called Red Quibo, who is usually to be found in pubs.

“At my age it is too late to begin another life,” said Red Quibo. “I‘ll never get used to drinking water"

I do like the illustrations at the beginning of each section, which are by Dragt. I’ve just discovered - after finishing the story - that there are two maps (at the beginning) which are useful although they’re a bit difficult to read in the e-book. Some of the names can be a bit puzzling until you get used to them; for instance, Tiuri's father is also called Tiuri and in this series the kingdoms seem to be named after their kings - or maybe it's the other way around. I do wonder if Robert Jordan had read this before he wrote the Wheel of Time books;

“But history becomes legend, and legends are forgotten.”

is a similar sentiment to the quotes he put at the beginning of each book in his series.

Initially I found this book nice but not engaging and the writing a bit rough, which snagged me and slowed me down. Whether that was due to the translation or the original writing I don't know; I think you'd have to ask someone who has read the book in the original Dutch. Though, to be honest, I'm a little vague on how the black knight got so many men to follow him and I've forgotten the details from The Letter for the King about the kingdom of Eviellan - minor quibbles - I thought the plotting was good especially of the over-arching story. There are occasional rich details and subtleties to the story, such as the second chess match, but I felt that the vocabulary and maybe the pacing were off. It's not all happily ever after; Tiuri and his friends face real danger and there is some loss of life, both friends and foes.

I thought this story improved somewhat as it went on. By part 3, with its maybe-fey woods and cryptic remarks by several characters, I started to feel we were on the cusp of something. In part 8 (of the 8) the tension was really mounting, which pushed up my rating by half a star - I even had to put it down at the penultimate chapter to regroup!

The ending is slightly open-ended but there are only two novels in this series - though there are some short stories set in the same universe so maybe there are some conclusions in those. I'll have to see if any have been translated into English.

(August 2025)
3.5-4 stars

Litsy Notes & Quotes

for the memorial read.

I liked 'Letter for the King' a few years ago. Nice but not finding it engaging (whether that is due to the translation or the original writing I don't know). I do like the illustrations, which are by the author

Part 3 chapter 7: with its maybe-fey woods and cryptic remarks by several characters I feel we‘re on the cusp of something. First we were looking for a friend, who still hasn‘t turned up, and now we‘re helping another friend find his way home, but he doesn‘t seem sure that he wants to go there.

Finding the writing a bit rough (the original?/ the translation?); I keep getting snagged and it‘s slowing me down. ETA: I think the plotting is good but the vocabulary and maybe pacing are off. There are subtleties (the chess match) and tension - I had to put it down at the penultimate chapter. Better get back and see what happens…

“But history becomes legend, and legends are forgotten.” (Part 6, ch 4) WOT anyone?

“At my age it is too late to begin another life,” said Red Quibo. “I‘ll never get used to drinking water, (part 8 ch 8) - Quibo is usually to be found in pubs

>180 clamairy: Oh, so sorry (she says insincerely) *rubs hands in satisfaction*

>179 humouress: This is short and sweet. And available to read on the internet.

53) Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

{first in Greenhollow duology; novella, TOR, fantasy, romance}(2019)

 

I got this years ago as a free e-book from Tor.com and am finally reading it now. Set in a parallel (presumably) Britain similar to the Victorian era, mainly in the countryside, this is the first of a duology. We see this story from the point of view of Tobias Finch, a reclusive woodman (though he does have a cat)

Pearl graciously crawled into his lap and butted his hand with her head to indicate he might have the honour of petting her.

and he is a conscientious guardian (I love the fact that he always looks after his socks. And, of course, his knives.)

Tobias sharpened all his knives, and darned all his socks, and checked and rechecked his crossbow, and patrolled every night through the woodsmen’s copse and around the boundary-stones of the village.

The story begins when he invites Henry Silver into his cottage, since he is standing outside getting soaked in the rain. Silver has come to Greenhollow to research the legendary Wild Man of Greenhollow (or 'Greenhallow' as Tobias pronounces it). As he does, he relates the folktales he collects to Tobias and we (as readers) slowly uncover the legend, piecemeal, although there's a feeling that the puzzle may not be complete. Until one day Silver's ogress of a mother turns up - and everything changes.

“And don’t think you can send me off with thorns in my ears,” added the voice tartly. “The very idea! I don’t approve of you using a dryad for a guard dog, either. She’s much too old to be running about this way; you’ll go peculiar, young lady, if you keep this up.”

I like Adela Silver and her practical, no-nonsense attitude. When Tobias finds himself at a loss:

He had thought himself a thing uprooted, like the great oak, ready to begin his death.
“Mr Finch,” said Mrs Silver, the one time he said anything about it, “you are not, in point of fact, a tree.”

I did feel bad for the poor old, innocent oak tree.

I thought this was a lovely little story but I would have liked more information about the legends and stories within it. I thought the perspective of Bramble, the dryad, was interesting:

“And you, my dear?” Tobias said after a moment. “You should choose yourself a tree, you know. Plant yourself. Else you’ll get peculiar.”
“I am peculiar,” said Bramble. ”
...
“Good,” said Bramble. “He’ll need you.”
“You won’t, though.”
“No,” she said patiently, “because I’m not a people. But I will still love you.”

I hadn't realised this was the first of a duology; now I'll look out for Drowned Country to read as well.

(August 2025)
4 stars

Quotes:

Cat attitude:
“Pearl graciously crawled into his lap and butted his hand with her head to indicate he might have the honour of petting her.”

Tobias makes sure his socks and knives are always in tip-top condition:
“Tobias sharpened all his knives, and darned all his socks, and checked and rechecked his crossbow, and patrolled every night through the woodsmen’s copse and around the boundary-stones of the village.”

and he feels like part of the woods:
“He had thought himself a thing uprooted, like the great oak, ready to begin his death.
“Mr Finch,” said Mrs Silver, the one time he said anything about it, “you are not, in point of fact, a tree.”

The perspective of Bramble, the dryad:
“And you, my dear?” Tobias said after a moment. “You should choose yourself a tree, you know. Plant yourself. Else you’ll get peculiar.”
“I am peculiar,” said Bramble. ”
...

“Good,” said Bramble. “He’ll need you.”
“You won’t, though.”
“No,” she said patiently, “because I’m not a people. But I will still love you.”

>178 humouress:
I am delighted you enjoyed A Case of Mice and Murder. I thought it was great fun.

>184 pgmcc: It was! Thank you for the book bullet (ow!).

ETA: whoops - replied too quickly and the post link went squiffy

I hit a review drought at the end of August/ beginning of September but I've finally managed to tidy up my reviews of the last couple of books from August, so here they are. I still have to make a start on September's though.

>183 humouress: I really enjoyed this duology, especially this first one.

>175 humouress: I wonder why LT has her name backwards?

>187 clamairy: I hadn't realised it was a duology before I wrote this review. I'll have to read the second one.

>188 Karlstar: I think I've resolved it. (Might have been my fault; I'm too sleepy to work it out.)

>190 humouress: Sorry about that. It looks fixed now.

>191 Karlstar: No worries.

Yesterday was a good day. My husband took the day off and we went out for my birthday lunch. I thought I'd risk the tasting menu - all 16 courses - and we were both so stuffed. We brought the desserts home and they gave us some of their yummy breads and cheeses too. Of course I hit the bookshop, but only to pick up a web order (I've given up with the local delivery services; they've changed providers but both just left the parcel on the gate post out in all weathers even when I specified that they should ring the gate bell so we'd know to collect it. The previous one even used to scribble in the box that said we'd signed for collection).

This time I picked up:
The Penderwicks boxed series and
Cuckoo Tree

I'm anticipating a couple more coming in on the weekend.

>193 humouress:
Happy Birthday. I may be wrong on the day but you did mention birthday lunch. 16 courses sounds…celebratory. And books were involved. A good day by my reckoning.

>194 pgmcc: Thank you. Yes, my birthday was yesterday. And absolutely books were involved.

>193 humouress: Happy Belated Birthday! Books, cheeses and a gourmet meal? Sound like a perfect celebration.

>196 clamairy: Thanks Clare. (I wonder if there was an elephant that I missed?)

>197 humouress:
Of course there was. There is always an elephant.

>198 pgmcc: Ah, you saw it then? Oh good, all bases covered.

There was wine too, if that counts?

>199 humouress:
Wine can often account for people not seeing elephants. On occasion it can also account for people seeing elephants.

>200 pgmcc: So we both had too much? Or not enough.

>201 humouress:
Isn't that always the way. One can never get that balance just right.

>202 pgmcc: Maybe another glass, just in case, then. Cheers!

>203 humouress:
I like the way you think.

>193 humouress: Happy Belated Birthday!
What a wonderful day you had :)

>204 pgmcc: I hope you joined me. You know, to maintain you cover and all.

>205 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you Alexandra!

>193 humouress: Happy belated birthday! Enjoy your books.

>208 Karlstar: Thank you Jim.

54) The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

{first of 5+1 in The Bridge Kingdom series; fantasy, enemies to lovers, war}(2018)

 

Lara and her half sisters, the daughters of King Silas, are trained from the age of five for one them to marry the king of Ithicana, infiltrate the country and send information back to Maridrina. Lara, despite being somewhat inept compared to her sisters, is the one finally chosen to fulfil a fifteen year old peace treaty which was entered into after Maridrina tried to invade Ithicana to take the Bridge. The Bridge is an ancient, enclosed structure which runs high above the islands which make up the kingdom of Ithicana and connects the north and south continents. Ships can make the dangerous crossing in calmer months but the Bridge is the only safe way to move goods and people across, year round. Though Lara has no cause to love Silas, she hates the Ithicanians for charging such high tolls on the trade passing along the Bridge that Maridrinians are forced to starve. And so, though she marries King Aren, she views him as her enemy. Of course, when she goes to live in Ithicana, they don't trust her either and, of course, as she sees her world from a different perspective things gradually change.

I’m a bit divided on this one. I thought the background story was different. I liked the unusual setting of this world where Lara went from the desert to sub-tropical islands; I was imagining a setting similar to Australia as I read. And the Bridge - part man-made, part natural, winding above and through the island kingdom of Ithicana and connecting two continents - was unique. I thought the cover art on my e-book (jade green, art deco/ art nouveau style) was lovely.

On the other hand I thought the ‘romance’ element of the story, with them admiring each other’s bodies even though they didn’t trust each other, the obligatory bedroom scene with the same old obligatory sequence of events etc was a bit bland. It felt like I’ve read this plotline before but with a different background. I could see them moving from lust to caring about each other but not necessarily falling deeply in love within the time frame; I’d rather Jensen had focused less on the romance aspect and ironed out some of the wrinkles in the story itself (twelve daughters all the same age, for instance, seemed a bit improbable). I was not a fan of the non-communication trope and I felt that the descriptions of Lara were not borne out by what we’re shown of her. The twist at the end (though it was telegraphed) wasn't convincing character development and the about face of a secondary character didn’t ring true. There is some animal cruelty, which made me uncomfortable, and some snakes are killed (though, admittedly, some are just moved to somewhere safer).

This book was told in the third person from both Lara's and Aren's points of view and I see that the second book in the series continues their story, as it's not finished in this book, but other books in the series seem to focus on other characters such as Aren's sister. I'm intrigued enough to borrow the next book to see where this story goes.

(September 2025)
3.5 - 3.75 stars

Descriptions of Lara not borne out by what we’re shown.
the surprise at the end (telegraphed) wasn't convincing character development
The about face of a 2° character didn’t ring true
Told in 3rd person Lara & aren; other books other perspectives
Animal cruelty
Non communication!
Some wrinkles
nice cover - art deco/ art nouveau

55) The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Keer

{stand alone; Victorian England, English countryside, supernatural, mystery}(2024)

 

The story, set in Victorian England and written in the third person, opens with a girl running from the law but, just as she's about to reach the ferry and escape across the river, she (literally) runs into a man - Marcus Greybourne - and falls, breaking her ankle (and I thought she was awfully polite to him, considering). Surprisingly, rather than giving her up to the people chasing her, he claims that she is his wife and takes her back to his house to help her recuperate. It's a two-way deal; he needs her to impersonate his wife, Luna, during an upcoming visit from representatives of his wife's lawyers (who have not met Luna before) to ensure their marriage is sound and secure Luna's inheritance, which Marcus needs to keep his house standing.

The mystery girl agrees and inhabits her character so thoroughly that she is only known as 'Luna' for the rest of the book. But where is the real Luna - who apparently has had a tendency to disappear in the past? How is Marcus sure that she won't reappear soon and expose the deception? We discover that the real Luna was a troubled character who has vandalised Ravenswood House and killed the local ravens - there is a legend that Ravenswood Hall (Marcus's house) will stand as long as the ravens remain in the woods. The house is at a distance from the nearest village and, as the local gentry and madwoman - Luna is known as 'the Ravenswood witch' - the Greybournes seem to not have mixed with them much. The new 'Luna' is similar enough, both having blonde hair, though she's a bit smaller and her eyes are a different colour so it's possible that the ploy will work.

We also see flashbacks of a girl named Eloise though the two stories don't connect up until closer to the end of the book. I thought she wasn't unlikable but she was a little bit silly, and got sillier as the story went on, and I didn't really empathise with her.

Will the 'Greybournes' pull off the deception successfully? Does the new Luna want to? What happened to the real Luna? How does Eloise's story relate to the main story? What will the imposter do once her foot has healed? And is there a ghost haunting Ravenswood House?

This is the first book of this author that I've read. The writing is quite good though this genre is not quite in my wheelhouse; I was actually looking for another book of hers but didn't find it. I approached this with the attitude that the odd occurrences could be explained logically but the author writes as though there are some supernatural elements. I was confused by the choices the girl makes; she asserts that she is Luna even to the people who know that she is not, for example.

Mr Webber grunted his agreement, obviously reluctant to execute the ridiculous pantomime that a complete stranger could step into Luna Greybourne’s shoes.

Thinking back on it, there were issues I had with things that not just Luna but Marcus did that I wasn't entirely happy with. But this was a pleasant way to pass the time and not knowing what the true story was until the end kept me guessing.

(September 2025)
3.5 stars

Set in Victorian England.

I approached this with the attitude that the odd occurrences could be explained logically but the author writes as though there are some supernatural elements.

Thinking back on it, there were issues I had with things that not just Luna but Marcus did that I wasn't entirely happy with.

Litsy Notes & Quotes

A girl, running from the law, runs into a man and breaks her ankle. Feeling responsible, he claims that she‘s his wife. I‘m confused by the choices the girl makes; she asserts that she is Luna even to the people who know that she is not. And, from the story of her past life, which we get gradually in flashbacks, she‘s had a silly infatuation and behaved irresponsibly. At the halfway point; let‘s see how it goes.

It's written q. well (3rd person POV) and Eloise - of the flasbacks - isn't unlikable but she's a little bit silly and I don't really empathise with her.

Mr Webber grunted his agreement, obviously reluctant to execute the ridiculous pantomime that a complete stranger could step into Luna Greybourne’s shoes.

Ooh - I saw this in an e-mail from Forbidden Planet, if anyone who can get to London is interested:

We are happy to announce that we will be hosting an in-conversation event with Caitlin Rozakis and Alwyn Hamilton to discuss The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association at our London Megastore.

Monday 3rd November from 6:00pm-7:00pm

This is a ticketed event. Tickets cost £6.13 each, which can be redeemed against the cost of purchasing a copy of the book at the event.