The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

September 9, 2024

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

After the battle for control of the four Londons and Kell's loss of his powers, Kell and Delilah have roamed the world in her ship, returning regularly to visit Red London where Kell's brother Rhy is now king. The city is thriving with peace, prosperity and magic. But not everyone is happy with that, and a group calling themselves The Hand are working to sabotage the peace of the kingdom. Meanwhile, in White London, magic is dying out and the new queen is desperate to restore magic to her kingdom.

A return to the world of Schwab's beloved Shades of Magic trilogy, with a new story line featuring many of the beloved and despised characters from that series. The White London sections are less interesting than the Red London plot line, but I am assuming the author is setting up another book focused on White London. The audiobook is narrated by four different narrators which helps to differentiate the various threads and POV's. It would be helpful to read at least the first book in the trilogy before tackling this one to get an idea about the characters. Recommended for readers of high fantasy.

Boy of Chaotic Making by Charlie N. Holmberg

April 25, 2024

Boy of Chaotic Making by Charlie N. Holmberg

Hulda and Merritt's wedding is only weeks away, when Merritt receives a letter from Queen Victoria (yes, that Queen Victoria) expressing interest in Owein. Owein is Merritt's 223 year old many-times-great uncle who died at the age of 12 and originally inhabited the walls of Merritt's house. Owein currently resides in the body of a mixed-breed terrier, and is also a powerful wizard. The queen's necromancer believes he has a way of transferring Owein's spirit and magical powers to a human body. With plenty of reservations, Merritt, Owein and Hulda travel to England to find out if such a thing is possible and the potential fallout. But almost as soon as they arrive, they realize that not everyone may want the experiment to succeed.

The third book in the Whimbrel House series. I love Owein, so I was happy that we got a book about him. This is a charming historical fantasy series. I recommend reading the books in order.

Example of a Victorian necromancer

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

October 6, 2023

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

Four months after the events of A Darker Shade of Magic, Lila Bard is living her dream life on The Night Spire, a privateer craft. Kell is living in Red London with the royal family, assisting with preparations for the upcoming magicians' tournament and trying to keep his brother Rhy from getting himself killed. But with all the great magicians gathered in Red London, it's only a matter of time before the situation gets out of hand and becomes explosive.

The second book in Schwab's Shades of Magic series. People seem to either adore or despise it on Goodreads. Like many sequels, this isn't as good as the first book, but it's not terrible either, although the last third did start to drag. There are lovely descriptions of magic, the settings, and the characters. While the first book can be read as a stand-alone, there is a cliffhanger at the end of this one. Not sure if I'm interested enough to read the third book. Recommended for hardcore fantasy readers.

Dueling wizards

Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore

November 11, 2022

Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore

Ten years ago, famous magician Violet Volk disappeared in the middle of her stage act. Violet always had magic tricks that seem beyond rational explanation, even to other magicians. No one has seen or heard from her in ten years, not even her sister Sasha, although rumors of Violet sightings run wild on the Internet, creating a cult of Violet fanatics. Unlike her sister, Sasha has led a quiet life in their hometown of Willow Glen, NJ, with a husband, daughter and business. To protect her family, Sasha tries to avoid all the misinformation about Violet. But now the ten-year anniversary of her vanishing is approaching, and the uproar is increasing to new levels, with a podcast series in addition to the annual vigil. As Violet mania intensifies, Sasha begins to wonder if she is losing her mind.

This started out as a decent missing persons story, and I would have been happier if it had stayed that way without the magical realism slant. Although some readers may find it annoying, I liked the combination of narrative mixed with podcasts, emails, and interviews - it worked quite well in the audio format and reflects how we get information in the 21st century. Sasha also talks about the horrible things that people do today, like throwing a Molotov cocktail through the window of her business because someone didn't think she was grieving properly (again, a reflection of the times we live in).

But then the ending just falls flat. Instead of finding out what happened to Violet, the reader is led to believe that she transported to some higher plane or alternate universe, and that maybe Sasha wants to go there, too. This is the second book by Montimore that I've read - the first one was disappointing, but I decided to give her another try. This one was disappointing too. It's like she gets her characters into a situation and then can't figure out how to get them out, without "magic."

A female magician with her male assistant - there are plenty of female magicians out there

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

September 29, 2022

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Kell is an Antari, one of the last magicians who can travel between the four Londons: Grey, White, Red, and once upon a time, Black. His home is in Red London with the royal family, while the most dangerous one is White London, ruled by the Danish Twins and Holland, their Antari. Kell has a side business smuggling magical artefacts for collectors and dilettantes. In Grey London, he encounters a pickpocket named Delilah, who first robs him and then rescues him. Together they must return a mysterious stone to the correct London and find the other half, but which London is the right London?

Colorful, weird characters, invented language, magic in many forms, all mixed with social and political aspirations. Four Londons exist in the same place but on different planes (multiverse), and Kell speculates that there may be more. I have come across the multiple city concept before, in books like The City and The City by China Mieville, where the main character crosses from one version of a city to another by going through a checkpoint. Kell cuts a doorway from one London to another by using his blood. There are two more books in the series.

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

November 2, 2021

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

Ceony Twill graduated at the top of her class at magic college, yet the only apprenticeship that she is offered is working with a paper magician, considered to be the simplest type of magic. Once she is bound to paper, that is the only magic that she will be allowed to perform, although she longs to work with metal spells. The paper magician turns out to be kindly and the spells he shows her are more wonderful than she ever expected. Because Ceony was unable to bring her dog with her, the magician even makes her a paper dog who acts much like a real dog. But when a dark magician invades the house and rips the paper magician's heart from his chest, Ceony must face the evil to save her mentor's life.

After reading the author's Spellbreaker/Spellmaker duology, I was really disappointed in this book. It was just way too strange.

Origami/paper art

The Magpie Lord by K. J. Charles

October 1, 2021

The Magpie Lord by K. J. Charles

Upon the death of his father and older brother, Lucien Vaudrey is summoned home from the far east, having inherited the family earldom. He is now Earl Crane. But his family has magical enemies and he needs help fast. He summons a magician from London to assist him. Magician Stephen Day arrives to help but he secretly hates Crane's family, for good reason. But the two are forced to work together to clear the malevolent forces threatening Crane's estate. They also discover a powerful physical attraction to each other.

This was a freebie from Amazon Prime. It's the first book in the Charm of Magpies series. There's nothing wrong with the story or the magic aspect, but I did not like how Lucien treated Stephen. Stephen is a petite man and Lucien bullied and abused him, even/especially during the sex scenes (which were more graphic than I expected them to be). I'm a small person (although female) and I know how threatening it feels to have a much larger person trying to dominate you, just because they can.

Not going to continue with the series.

A magpie

Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence

April 16, 2020

Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence

A young man is found dead in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, an apparent suicide, but Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton isn't so sure.  As the number of victims mounts, Hamilton realizes that there is a serial killer on the loose in Edinburgh.  With the murders increasing in frequency and scope, the detective finds himself desperate to interpret the few clues left by the ruthless and organized sociopath.

This is the first title in a historical series set in Edinburgh in the late 19th century, in the early days of forensic science.  Like all good detectives, Hamilton is a damaged man carrying secrets from his past.  The point of view changes with the chapter and sometimes it's hard to figure out what character is speaking or thinking at the moment.  But overall it is quite a good historical mystery.

During the shelter-in-place period here in Illinois, I've been doing what work I can from home, doing things like working on book orders, writing book reviews, and staying in touch with my staff.  I have also been sewing face masks for friend and family.

Last night was a movie night - Hulu is streaming some older movies for free.  I watched Blazing Saddles, which is randy, tasteless and certainly not politically correct but still hilarious.  It's similar to Blades of Glory, which is about two male competitive figure skaters who are banned from competition for brawling at a competition, but then team up as pairs figure skaters since the competition rules don't state that a pair has to be a man and a woman.  Predictable and stupid, but some parts are just so damned funny.  

Stay well!