book review

Miranda and Caliban – By Jacqueline Carey – Book Review

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Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A lovely girl grows up in isolation where her father, a powerful magus, has spirited them to in order to keep them safe.

We all know the tale of Prospero’s quest for revenge, but what of Miranda? Or Caliban, the so-called savage Prospero chained to his will?

In this incredible retelling of the fantastical tale, Jacqueline Carey shows readers the other side of the coin—the dutiful and tenderhearted Miranda, who loves her father but is terribly lonely. And Caliban, the strange and feral boy Prospero has bewitched to serve him. The two find solace and companionship in each other as Prospero weaves his magic and dreams of revenge.

Always under Prospero’s jealous eye, Miranda and Caliban battle the dark, unknowable forces that bind them to the island even as the pangs of adolescence create a new awareness of each other and their doomed relationship.

Miranda and Caliban is bestselling fantasy author Jacqueline Carey’s gorgeous retelling of The Tempest. With hypnotic prose and a wild imagination, Carey explores the themes of twisted love and unchecked power that lie at the heart of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, while serving up a fresh take on the play’s iconic characters.

Jacqueline Carey is one of those authors that I absolutely adore. When she writes a book, I buy it, no questions asked. She has never disappointed with her novels and she continues to live up to the pedestal I have placed her on in my mind.

I, personally, have never read The Tempest, the Shakespeare play this novel is based on, but I don’t think it’s necessary to have done so before reading this book. I did look up a summary of the The Tempest so I had some idea of what to expect. A part of me wishes I hadn’t because it gave away much of the story.

Anyway, this novel begins when Miranda is only 6 years old. She has been living on the isle with her father and several elementals that act as servants to her father. Except for a random wild boy that sometimes leaves gifts for her, there is on one else on the isle. When Miranda’s father summons the wild boy and essentials binds him into servitude, the plot truly begins.

Caliban, the wild boy, has lived alone on the isle since the death of his mother. He is unable to speak until Miranda begins teaching him. For the first time, Miranda has a friend and companion to spend her days with. As they grow up together, it is only natural for them to form a strong bond.

Jacqueline Carey captures the essence of a Shakespeare play without actually using the same type of language his plays were written in.

I loved Miranda and felt a great deal of compassion for her as she grows up knowing only obedience to her father, who is quick to punish any kind of disobedience with physical pain. She is little more than a pawn in her father’s plans with no real choice in what her life will become.

Caliban is also an interesting character. Seeing through his eyes as he learns how to speak and comprehend and more and more is amazing. Prospero, Miranda’s father, I feel, is the true villain of the story even if Caliban is made out to be so at certain times. If someone bound you against your will, forced you to do all the chores and punished you for the slightest infraction, you’d probably want to kill them too.

I particularly felt for Miranda when she got her first period. She had absolutely no prior knowledge of what to expect and of course was alarmed when she suddenly started bleeding. Even thinking that she was somehow bleeding internally. It was a very stark contrast to the current time when girls are educated about puberty and what to expect to happen to their bodies. I try to imagine not knowing that such a thing was perfectly normal and then have it happen. It would be a terrifying experience to say the least. The description of Miranda’s confusion and symptoms were so very apt.

The ending felt a little vague, perhaps leaving it open for a sequel. I would love to read one if one was ever written. It was also rather bleak, as you don’t know what might come next. My imagination could certainly fill in a few dark happenings afterwards.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and give it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Shakespeare retellings, fantasy novels, and well, anyone who just loves good books.

Have you read Miranda and Caliban? Do you agree with my review? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

The Princess of Elsseria – Legends of the Blue Forest #1 – Leslie G. – Book Review

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Synopsis: She is the heiress of the throne, the guardian of the blue forest, the princess of Elsseria, and a creature of darkness.
Liah does not know her origin, or what type of blood runs through her veins. Suffocating in a court that perhaps expects too much from her, she embarks on an adventure to find her own self, although what she might discover scares her more every time.
This book will take you to a world of magic, threatened by a legendary enemy. Where a different kind of princess tries to find her place, and a young Captain falls in love with the wrong person. A world that its inhabitants will defend with fury, rescuing old alliances and forging new ones. A place to dream.

My first impression of this book? Wow! The way the author describes things is so mysterious and beautiful! It drew me in right away and didn’t let go!

This book follows Liah, the Princess of Elsseria, as she tries to find her place in the world and figure out who she is. She already knows she is different from everyone else. Her increasing thirst for blood and inability to control her growing power force her to run away, convinced her people think her a monster.

I loved the way the author described things. It made the forest come alive in my mind, making it easy to fall into the story. Liah is a great character. She’s unique, not only in her appearance but her personality as well. She’s not a pampered princess. She’s knows how to defend her self not only with a sword but her hands as well. Yes, she’s going through emotional turmoil, but who wouldn’t if they thirsted for blood and shot green fire from their hands when they got upset?

Other characters were definitely secondary and not as fleshed out. Except for Derek, the captain of the royal guards. Derek comes from another kingdom to serve as part of an age old agreement between the two kingdoms. He’s instantly enthralled with the beautiful land of Elsseria and it’s beautiful princess. Derek knows that as a mere captain of the guards that he can’t possibly be worthy of Liah, but he can’t help falling for her.

While I really did love this book, I felt that there were a few things that were lacking. The development of the relationship between Derek and Liah was a big one. They’ve barely met and already think of each other like they’re known one another for years and been slowly falling in love over those years. I really think the development of that relationship would have benefited greatly from more interactions between the two before the plot really got rolling.

The dialogue also left something to be desired. The book was originally written in Spanish so I wonder if something was lost in the translation. The pacing was a bit quick. There were a few things that happened “off screen” that I think would have been beneficial if they’re been written in.

I don’t read a lot of YA anymore since I’m no longer a young adult myself, but I was offered a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and I’m glad I accepted.

My rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to anymore who enjoys YA fantasy looking for a quick and fun read.

Have you read the Princess of Elsseria? Do you agree with my review? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

The Redemption of Althalus – Book Review

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Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Althalus is a young thief and occasional killer known for his skill and incredible luck. A number of capers end without much monetary reward for him, until he stumbles into a shrine built to the fertility goddess Dweia. Soon afterward he meets with the wizard Ghend, who hires him to steal the Book, a magical tome that can be found in the bizarre House at the End of the World. There, Althalus discovers Dweia in the form of a black cat and learns that she has chosen him to aid her in a war against Ghend and her evil brother, the destroyer god Daeva. Together Althalus and Dweia use the power of the Book and gather together a small team of questionable heroes who must battle Ghend’s supernatural forces and armies. The thief Althalus can only hope his luck holds out for this one last task, since the very fate of humanity is at stake.

What to say about this book? Well, first, this book is fairly long, clocking in at just under 800 pages and is actually a stand alone novel, which is a bit unusual for a fantasy novel. (if you know of others, I’d love to know too)

The tone of this book very much has a feel of when it was published. First released in 2000, it reminded me of other books published around that time that feel heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings. Of David Eddings’ other books, I’ve only read his Dreamers series, which I don’t remember much of, so perhaps this is simply his writing style, I’m not sure. I don’t really know how to describe the feel I got from the tone either.

Anyway, at first I felt like the pacing of this book was a bit off. There seemed to be a bunch of stuff at the beginning that didn’t really matter to the story overall and it would jump ahead in time fairly often. Turns out that in the end, it all mattered, so that changed my feelings about the start of the book.

I wouldn’t call the story particularly original. The basics of the plot are the basics of most high fantasy novels: an likely group of individuals come together to fight against evil in order to save the world. The people making up this particular band are a bit stereotypical. You have the charismatic thief, the warrior, the priest, the beautiful girl with a special gift, a young noble woman, and a smarter than can be believed kid. Leading this group is the maternal and loving goddess, Dweia.

There’s only one race in this fantasy world: humans. As for magic…there is magic, but only Althalus really uses it and not even that much. It’s more like divine power from a Knife and a Book.

There were a few things that bothered me about this book. One was Leitha’s insistence on calling Althalus “Daddy.” Yes, he establishes the group to be a “family” and as the male leader he takes on the role of the father, but why “daddy?” It felt ripe with sexual innuendo and I cringed nearly every time she said it. The tampering with time also bothered me. That’s a really difficult thing to pull off without thinking through every little detail and I don’t think it was.

What did I like? Well, considering how generic I thought the basic plot was, there were actually a few surprises that I didn’t see coming. I couldn’t for the life of me think how everything was going to be wrapped up by the end of the book and not have a sequel. Well, it all came together nicely and you could probably tack on a “happily ever after.”

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book. I didn’t stop reading it, though I didn’t spend long periods of time on it. I wouldn’t say it was bad either. My rating for this is 3 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend this to people who are maybe just getting into the Fantasy genre and just want to dip their toes into without getting into a long series. Also for fantasy fans that don’t want to get in to a long series, this could be a good read.

Have you read the Redemption of Althalus? What did you think? Do you agree with my review? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!

Narcissistic Abuse and Trauma Recovery: 10 Steps to Heal from Hidden Abuse – Book Review

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This review is going to be short and simple.

Everyone should read this book. The information in here is good for everyone to know regardless of who they are. The best way to prevent this time of abuse is to know the signs

If you or someone you know is suffering from narcissistic abuse, this book can help you get through it.

At around 200 pages it is also a fairly quick read.

4 stars.

22: The War of the Gods – Manuel Martinez and Phyllis Barash – Review

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Synopsis:

Through the pages of this exciting novel, we will find out that the world was created by 22 Gods who created the different human races to use them to increase their power. By playing a game created by the Light and the Darkness, we watch the Gods use the 22 Major Arcana Cards of the Egyptian tarot as a method of increasing their power and control over all the human race.

In the middle of all this power struggle for control of humanity, there is an unknown political and economic group named SCAN that controls all the power resources on earth. When Denise Richards, a front runner to the presidency of the United States, confronts SCAN by challenging them, they have no choice but to kill her.  

In this fascinating novel, past, present, and future are intertwined. Readers will discover the times of Jesus Christ, Pythagoras, Cleopatra, Napoleon, Hitler, and Martin Luther King, among other influential historical figures, to determine which tarot card was played by each to please the Gods in this long-lasting war between the Light and the Darkness.

My first impression of this book was one of confusion. I’m not sure what synopsis I originally read or where I got the idea from, but I thought this book was set in ancient Egypt, so when it started out in the modern era, i was, naturally, confused. So, I went back and read the actual synopsis. Things more sense after that.

Initially, this seems like a good vs evil story, but quickly shows that there isn’t really such things as “good” and “evil.” Light and Darkness are really one and the same. There a many different elements to this book including numerology, tarot cards and elements from multiple religions.

So, what did I like about this book? The authors clearly put in a great deal of research to write this book. There is a great deal of historical information about famous figures, including Ghandi, Jesus Christ and Hitler. The authors must also have studied numerology as well as religions all over the world. I was very interested in the historical figures, especially Cleopatra.

Sadly, that’s about all I liked about this book. If you are looking for a character driven novel, this is definitely not it. Oh, there are plenty of characters but I didn’t feel even a smidge of a connection with any of them. Sure I could name many of them, but i couldn’t tell you what their personalities were actually like.

This book also reads more like a text book than a novel. A lot of information is thrown at the reader to the point that it’s difficult to absorb it all. My mind wandered often while reading.

i found the constant mathematical equations especially annoying. Yes, the book is dealing a great deal with numerology so dates are constantly being added but having an actual equation in the middle of the text really threw off what little narration there was.

I didn’t really understand the need to go back to the life of Denis Richards and the goings on of the group called SCAN. Those things felt unnecessary and unrelated to the main plot. It was supposed to be about the war taking place between the Light and the Darkness, wasn’t it? There was this weird highlight of American politics that I really didn’t care for.

All in all, this was not a book I enjoyed. it took me a long time to get through it as I just couldn’t spend long periods of time reading. My brain just couldn’t handle the economic explanations.

My rating for this book is 2/5 stars. The historical fact saved it from 1 star

I personally wouldn’t recommend this to my friends who are readers as I’m sure their tastes are similar to mine. People who have an interest in numerology, history and American politics might enjoy this book. Sadly, it just wasn’t for me.

Have you read this book? Do you agree with my review? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Magic Slays – Kate Daniels #5 – Book Review

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Synopsis:

Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price.

This review will contain spoilers if you have not read the previous books.

Kate has left the Order of Merciful Aid and has opened up her own business, which so far hasn’t gone well for her. When she finally gets a real paying job, she of course jumps at the chance and is ready to get the job done and get paid. Of course, this job isn’t as simple as it seems at first and quickly goes sideways, as many things in Kate’s life do.

At the same time, Kate’s adopted niece, Julie, decided to run away from school again. Deciding to “put her to the test”, Kate doesn’t just go pick up Julie and haul her back to school. Kate isn’t really “mother” material but she is definitely guardian material. She’s teaching that kid to be resilient and how to survive in a world that will very likely want to destroy her.

Kate is now living in the Keep as Curran’s mate. At the end of the previous book she more than earned her place as the alpha female of the Pack, even if that isn’t really what she wants to be.

This book has a lot of twists and turns. In the course of her investigation, Kate comes to learn a great deal of about her past that she never knew before. Including things that a shed a whole new light on her mother and how Voron raised her. Learning these thing also casts Curran under suspicion.

I haven’t been Curran’s biggest supporter from the beginning, so I found this whole “does he love me? Does he love me not?” thing a little annoying. Personally, I would still love it if Kate just took off somewhere and found a way to deal with her biological father on her own, but I know that isn’t going to happen.

Curran needs a good punch to the nose sometimes. Though Kate has hit him on multiple occasions so I don’t think that will actually do any good.

Overall, this book is a great read. It’s fast paced and action packed and hard to put down.

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for reading!

I apologize if this isn’t the greatest review. I recently had minor surgery and am still on painkillers. I just wanted to get this written before i start the next book.

Magic Bleeds – Kate Daniels #4 – Urban Fantasy Book Review

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Synopsis: Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.

When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.

This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family… 

This book didn’t begin the quite the way I would have expected. It started with a bit of an emotional hit on our poor heroine.

This book was pretty action packed, and a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I felt bad for Kate many times. Her life isn’t easy and trouble has a way of finding her.

There was a part of me that really wanted Kate to walk away from everything. I wanted her to pack a bag, grab her new attack poodle and just disappear somewhere beyond all the politics and random messes that surround her. I thought it would be an interesting way to go but of course, Kate isn’t that kind of person. She will never abandon people who need her.

My opinion of Curran fluctuated a great deal in the book. I went from mildly disliking him to outright hating him to actually liking him. Will I continue to like him? Maybe. We’ll see.

A great deal happens in this book. Quite a few things change for Kate. The eventual confrontation with her biological father is looming on the horizon. 7 more books to go. What will happen next?

Get 50% off on an ebook on Book Lovers when you use my promos code JEANA50.

Magic Strikes – Kate Daniels #3 – Review

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Synopsis:

Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with these days. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot.

But when Kate’s werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games – an invitation only, no holds barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament – she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta’s shapeshifting community…

I devoured this book in two days and loved every second of it! From the first word, I was engaged and didn’t want to put it down. If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to work the next morning, I probably would have stayed up the entire night reading.

I continue to love Kate as her character builds and her secrets are slowly revealed. In this book, we get some glimpses into her past and what her childhood was like.

Curran is still an arrogant alpha male, but his behaviour has become a little less “I’m going to get in her pants because she said no” to “I’m going to get in her pants because I like her”. I feel confident Kate and Curran are going to end up together. Poor Kate, she knows logically why she shouldn’t get together with him, but her body has other ideas.

More of an overall plot to the series is developing, and I’m really pumped to see how it all plays out. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say much more there.

I give Magic Strikes 5/5 stars! I highly recommend it to anyone who love urban fantasy, especially series like Mercy Thompson. The relationship between Kate and Curran reminds me a bit of Mercy and Adam near the beginning.

Have you read this series? What did you think? Do you agree with my love?

Urban Fantasy Book Review – Magic Burns – Kate Daniels #2 by Ilona Andrews

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Synopsis:

Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare…

As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more is at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive…

I think I might be in love with this series. yes, I know this is only book 2, but wow, it is awesome! If it keeps on the way it started, this series is going to be a wild ride.

Kate is definitely a new favourite character of mine. She is a smart ass who can kick ass and also be empathetic. In this book, we get to see a bit of a different side of her when she encounters a 13-year-old girl, Julie, in need of her help. The way Kate refers to Julie as “my kid” is great! They barely know each other but they form a bond quickly, one that I think will continue throughout the series.

Curran is a character I can’t decide if I like or not. He is something of a stereotypical alpha male. He’s strong, arrogant and used to be in charge. He does well by the Pack, but not so much by Kate. Circumstances brought them together again in this book without her actually reaching out to him. Then, he blames her for bringing chaos into his life, while also taking every available opportunity to tease her in a sexual manner. I can’t decide if he truly likes or if he’s just an ass. Beast Lord or not, he really needs to be punched in the nose, preferably by Kate.

I’m sure their paths are going to cross again. His lion form is on the book covers after all.

There a quite a few little hints dropped about Kate, how powerful she could be and who her father really is. We learn a few little tidbits in this book and I can’t wait to find out more about her.

Thank for reading!

Urban Fantasy Book Review – Magic Bites – Kate Daniels # 1 by Ilona Andrews

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Magic Bites

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic…

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.
Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…

Buy Now: Amazon

Reread: August 31, 2020

I just finished rereading this book in anticipation of reading the rest of the series. I’m glad i did.  In the 3 years it’s been since I read it, I seem to have forgotten almost all of it.

On my second time around, I loved it just as much as the first time, and my original review (below) stands. There’s little else I can say about this book that I haven’t said below.

Other than that, I am pumped to keep on with the series.

Original Review: June 14, 2017

Many Urban Fantasy novels begin with a main character who is seemingly ordinary, a college student or waitress or private investigator, etc. Suddenly, this ordinary person is thrown into a situation that changes their whole world, everything they ever believed to be true and they discover they are somehow special and possibly needed to save the world.

This novel isn’t like that.

Kate, our lovely protagonist, has known about magic her entire life. She grew up being taught about magic and the different types of magical creatures that exist. In the world of this novel, magic isn’t a secret. Some might think that the world building in this novel is flawed, that it doesn’t explain how the world works properly. Personally, I liked the way things were presented. The novel is narrated from Kate’s point of view so she already knows how the world works. It would seem out of place if she were suddenly to start explaining things to the reader. Read between the lines (as the saying goes) and the workings of this world aren’t difficult to figure out.

The plot may seem a bit generic at first. Kate’s Guardian and mentor (the last person she considers family) has been murdered and she volunteers to investigate for her own personal sense of justice. Murder and revenge is a common story, but this plot doesn’t unravel the way you might think. During her investigation, she gets tangled up with Necromancers and Shapechangers while also being pursued by a human doctor. Despite the short length of the book, nothing feels rushed and there’s more than enough action to keep a reader satisfied.

Kate is a strong, independent, kick-ass female character. She knows exactly what she’s capable of and, more importantly, what she’s not. Though, that’s not going to stop her from trying. She may not be able to defeat 8 shapechangers at once but that doesn’t she won’t take down as many of them with her as she can. She will kick ass and shoot her mouth off at the same time.

As evidenced by the fact that the series is still ongoing, there is still a lot to learn about Kate and the world she lives in.

Overall, I give Magic Bites 4.5 stars out of 5. I would have given it 5 but some of the overbearing alpha male characters were a little stereotypical.

Have you read Magic Burns? What did you think?