The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember is a f/f retelling of The Little Mermaid wherein the little mermaid falls in love with a Viking shield maiden. I bet a whole bunch of you just one-clicked, didn’t you? It works really amazingly as a feminist retelling of a beloved fairytale, and it’s rich in detail about what mermaid life would be like, but purely as a romance, the heroines spend too much time apart to be … Continue reading The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember →
Squee from the Keeper Shelf is a new feature wherein we share why we love the books we love, specifically the stories which are permanent residents of our Keeper shelves. Despite flaws, despite changes in age and perspective, despite the passage of time, we love particular books beyond reason, and the only thing better than re-reading them is telling other people about them. At length. If you’d like to submit your reasons for loving and … Continue reading Keeper Shelf: Beauty by Robin McKinley →
Short version: This book is seriously fun, and I had a very good time reading it. Yes, you should read books one and two, but you must know by the number of times I’ve squeed about this series, including in my review, that having to read them is not at all a bad thing. Go read books 1 and 2, then get 3, then lie back and bask in the collective bliss of getting to … Continue reading The Unyielding by Shelly Laurenston →
This may be the hardest review I’ve ever had to write because there are just so many things trying to escape my mind at one time. My love of Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones has been broadcasted on my Twitter and I even made a super delicious cocktail for it. The prose is beautiful, lyrical, and it seems to surrounded you. This is definitely a book that drags you into it. You won’t be able to … Continue reading Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones →
Of Dreams and Rust is a sequel to Sarah Fine’s Of Metal and Wishes . The two books basically function as one single book, and this review contains spoilers for Of Metal and Wishes. Alert – this is a YA story with first person, present-tense narration and a love triangle. Fortunately, the setting, characters, and overall plot made it feel fresh. Of Metal and Wishes is inspired by The Phantom of the Opera, one of … Continue reading Of Dreams and Rust by Sarah Fine →
A Promise of Fire is a fantasy romance and the first book in the Kingmaker Chronicles. I cannot, in good conscience, promise that this will be the last time you hear me talk about this book because I am obsessed. I will also go on record to say that, so far, this is the best book I’ve read in 2016. I want to read it again. I want the next book immediately, because the world … Continue reading A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet →
This is the first book in a new series, and to be honest, it read more like a pilot episode or maybe even pilot season than a book. I’ve tried a few times while writing this to articulate that impression, and the best I can come up with is that while the central characters, Katie Faith and Jace, have a very quick relationship development and commitment, and there is a happy-for-now ending for them both, … Continue reading Moonstruck by Lauren Dane →
This book, like the one I reviewed previously, is part of another series, but boy howdy am I happy to say that it’s the first one. Some iffy points stand out, but overall I enjoyed this book so, so much. Scott blends coming-of-age, political intrigue, high fantasy, and romantic themes into a coherent and compelling story—I finished this book in two days, mostly because pesky things like work got in the way of tearing through … Continue reading The Shattered Court by M. J. Scott →
This has been a rather difficult review to write, but then, Followed by Frost was a rather difficult book to read. Not because it was a bad book. Far from it: Holmberg writes with an engaging, readable narrative, and once the plot really got going I was glued to the book right up to the end. But Followed by Frost’s plot felt like it suffered from a series of false starts, which meant that it … Continue reading Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg →
Smitha is seventeen and seems to have it all: she’s one of the smartest, prettiest, richest girls in town. Sure, she can be a little bit vain and lazy and rude, but what does that matter? Then she makes the mistake of turning down the wrong guy, who curses her to be “as cold as her heart.” Now winter forever follows her, anyone who touches her skin freezes to death, and she can never, ever … Continue reading Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg →
THIS BOOK WAS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS. (I was promised ridiculous and then I got it.) The premise is this: Berni, a New York socialite, dies of a heart attack, and ends up in Purgatory. She hasn’t led a bad life compared to some, but she doesn’t have enough credit to make it to heaven without performing some good deeds. She’s assigned Nellie Grayson, a good, kind doormat of a heroine, who’s got a terrible family, food … Continue reading Wishes by Jude Deveraux →
