Nikki Giovanni’s death; New Jersey protects the freedom to read; British authors’ society calls for ghostwriters to be credited; AI creates a ludicrously bad textbook cover; Romantasy has been there all along; Sanderson on writing fantasy; and more article links.
The third book in Mercedes Lackey’s Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, Fortune’s Fool is an enjoyable if eclectic remix of a number of fairy tales. Lackey takes a wide assortment of elements drawn from Russian, eastern and northern European, Japanese, and Middle Eastern folk and fairy tales, and mixes them up, higgledy-piggledy… and it works surprisingly well.
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.
Two Tales of the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne Published by self-published on May 18, 2015 Genres: Contemporary Fantasy, Urban Fantasy Pages: 39 Format: Kindle or ebook Source: purchased Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible Add to Goodreads Also by this author: Hounded, Hexed, Hammered, Tricked, Trapped… June 5, 2024 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 3 ★★★★
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.
This week’s links include: more on the Hugo Awards controversy; OpenAI lawsuits; Balzer + Bray moves to MacMillan; fantasy and romantasy explained; GenZ turns to physical books & libraries; diversity in romance; book banning (again); a fiction piece about a fearsome giant snail; a fantastic review of Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell mystery series; and more.
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.
Lost Heart Series: Celta’s Heartmates #14.5 Published by self-published on April 16, 2016 Genres: Fantasy Romance Pages: 224 Format: Kindle or ebook Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Chirp Add to Goodreads Also in this series: Heart Mate, Hearts and Swords Celta, a place of magic, telepathic… October 27, 2023 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 4 ★★★½
Tricked by Kevin Hearne Narrator: Luke Daniels Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #4 Published by Random House Audio on April 24, 2012 Genres: Urban Fantasy Format: Audiobook Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Chirp Add to Goodreads Also in this series: Hounded, Hexed, Hammered, Trapped, Two Tales of… July 14, 2023 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 3 ★★★★
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. The meme was originally the brainchild of The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book. NOTE: Thank you to Nicole at Bookwyrm Knits for the topic inspiration…. Read more »
