I loved returning to the Lady Astronaut universe after several years. This installment looks at the Second Mars Expedition, and the start of the permanent colony. Elma York is back as the first-person narrator, and this book brings her arc to a satisfying point, if not the end of her adventures.
A cozy mystery set on a generation spaceship, Murder by Memory features a practical, wise, and observant detective who unexpectedly finds herself inhabiting the body of… a murderer? A victim? Or both?
Wooing the Witch Queen was an absolute delight, from its sweet, sensitive, traumatized cinnamon-roll hero to its introverted, reclusive, but decidedly not evil heroine.
Mary Robinette Kowal makes good use of the historical “year without a summer” in the third book of her Glamourist Histories. As Britain remains locked in winter’s grip, Jane and her husband Vincent are in London to work on a glamour commission for Lord Stratton, an Irish peer. Hearing that her sister Melody is melancholic and realizing there are few marriageable men near home, the Vincents invite Melody to stay with them. Melody’s growing affection for Stratton’s son, Mr. O’Brien, is complicated by Jane’s suspicions of the young man, and by the public’s growing belief that coldmongers are responsible for the unseasonable weather. Meanwhile, Jane and Vincent must contend with his father’s relentless cruelty and ambition, as well as a shadowy plot that threatens O’Brien, the young coldmongers, Jane and Vincent’s very lives, and even the British government itself.
A worthy prequel to Legends & Lattes! I absolutely loved getting to know young Viv and hearing about the early experiences that helped form the person she becomes in L&L.
Heartwarming cozy fantasy
What can I say about Legends & Lattes that hasn’t already been said? Baldree’s breakout, bestselling debut novel hits the sweet spot for me: low-stakes cozy fantasy, found family, believable (and likeable) main character, interesting secondary characters, and solid worldbuilding with a D&D feel. It’s a well-crafted novel with good pacing and just the right amount of description…enough to bring the scenes vividly to life without overwhelming the action or Viv’s emotional journey.
Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal Series: Glamourist Histories #1 Published by Tor on August 3, 2010 Genres: Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Romance Pages: 304 Format: Kindle or ebook Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Chirp Add to Goodreads Also in this series:… March 21, 2023 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews, From the Vault 3 ★★★★½
The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal Series: Lady Astronaut #3 Published by Tor on July 14, 2020 Genres: Alt-History, Science Fiction Pages: 384 Format: Kindle or ebook Source: the publisher Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible Add to Goodreads Also in this series: The Calculating… July 23, 2020 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 6 ★★★★★
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal Series: Lady Astronaut #1 Published by Tor on July 3, 2018 Genres: Alt-History, Science Fiction Pages: 431 Format: Audiobook Source: purchased Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible Add to Goodreads Also in this series: The Relentless Moon, The Calculating… July 12, 2019 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 6 ★★★★★
House of Four Winds Series: One Dozen Daughters #1 on August 5, 2014 Add to Goodreads The rulers of tiny, impoverished Swansgaard have twelve daughters and one son. While the prince’s future is assured, his twelve sisters must find their own fortunes. Disguising herself as Clarence, a sailor, Princess Clarice… Read more »
