Title: Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales
Author Kate Forrester
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tales
Source: Ebook
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws

The traditional stories of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales transport us to the fantastical world of Celtic folklore. Translated and transcribed by folklorists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the 16 stories in this compilation conjure forgotten realms and rare magical creatures in vivid prose. These timeless tales brim with wit and magic, and each one is brought to life with elegant silhouette art by Kate Forrester in this special illustrated edition.

I have always loved fairy tales and folklore, none more than Celtic Tales as that is my heritage.  I was so excited when I seen this book and delved right into the stories.  They are short enough to devour in a few short hours, or you can read a few and set the book aside for another time.  Great for bedtime reading.  I love the story about the skelkies and the Witch of Lok Island.  They are all great stories but those two were among my favorites, I love skelkies as a whole and for some reason Lok Island Witch was interesting as well, it was one I haven't read before.

There is a certain enjoyment from reading fairy tales especially those from one's ancestry and this was no different for me.  I almost crave more Celtic tales to add to my knowledge and this book definitely does that.  I love how it is broken up between tricksters, the sea and romance.  Now if I want a short romance story or one about tricksters I know where to look.  Each story tells you where it originates and includes a nice little illustration.

Kate Forrester did a great job putting this collection of fairy tales together and I am glad I got to read it.  While the book is only about 177 pages take the time to enjoy each story and the fantasy world it creates.  Let the magic overtake you to a new realm.

The Other Girl

Title: The Other Girl
Author: Erica Spindler
Genre: Mystery, Thriller/Suspense
Source: Library Hardback
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws.

Miranda Radar is a highly trusted and respected officer in the small town of Harmony, Louisiana, but she had to work hard to overcome her troubled past.  But when the murder of a prominent college professor comes her way, she must once again face the trials of her past, including an assault that no one believes.  Miranda must now to try solve the case of the murder all the while trying to convince everyone around her that 1) the professor was not the man everyone thought he was and 2) that she had nothing to do with the gruesome and brutal murder.  When another man from her past winds up dead with more links to her, she struggles to prove herself innocent.  Will she be able to solve the issue of why her, why now? Or will the evidence be too much to handle?

 

I seen this one at my library and decided to check it out and see what it was about.  I am glad that I did, while this was my first Erica Spindler novel, I don't think it will be the last. I enjoyed every bit of the story, even though there were some elements that are normally not my cup of tea, but Spindler presents everything in a way that it's easy to handle to hard subjects.  The novel has shorter chapters which makes it feel like it reads fast, which is a good thing.  I finished this one in roughly 5 or 6 hours on a Saturday night.  I devoured the book, it would have been a shorter read time, but conversations were being had while reading.

There is nothing about this novel that I didn't like.  I love than the MC Miranda had a troubled past, run-ins with the law and overcame all of that and became an officer herself.  She quickly becomes the strong female lead that I love reading in novels.  As we read through the story, we see she has faults and weakness but that makes her all the more relatable and likable.  I could have done without the relationship aspect between her and her partner Jake, but it wasn't overdone nor did it overthrow the rest of the story.

The story is not completely predictable and sends a few red herrings your way.  I figured one aspect out, but not the other which blew my mind and I may have whispered "no way" when I got to the big reveal.  Spindler presents a story that holds its own without the need for excessive violence, gore, or sex scenes.  Sure there is a little bit of everything, but it isn't overdone, she presents it neatly and in a tasteful manner.

I would highly recommend this book to other mystery, thriller/suspense readers.  It is definitely one to add to the book shelf or to read shelf.  It will hold your attention and make you crave what happens next.  I have already added some of Spindler's other books to my to read shelf and will search my library for more.

WitchBorn

Title:  Witch Born
Author: Nicholas Bowing
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Library Hardback
Rating: 3 out of 5 paws

Alyce's mother is brutually burned at the stake when she was a young girl.  Witchhunters return to her home in search of Alyce, in a fit of self defense, Alyce manages to kill the hunter.  But she is captured and taken to an asylum, which she manages to escape after sometime and befriends an actor and innkeeper.  She knows she needs to find a Mr. John Dee, but she doesn't know what to expect when she finds him.  While she searches, witchhunters continue to hunt for her and Alyce manages to find herself in the company of actors who happen to be living in Queen Elizabeth I's palace.  Throughout her trials Alyce continues to wonder why her, why is she so important.  Caught in the battle between two Queens Alyce now has the fate of England on her shoulders.  Can she manage it?

I wonder why so many authors use Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary as witches in stories, granted I have only read two that utilize this, but I am sure there are more.  Let me just say this novel was nothing like what I was expecting it to be.  I expected a suspenseful novel of a young girl coming into her powers (yes there was that, but I don't think enough) trying to hide from a group of neredowells.  What we get is a young girl who sort of stumbles onto her powers I don't even remember when or how they began to manifest, but nothing extravagant.  We also have villains looking for her, but it seems all to easy that they find her basically in the second place they look.

I love love fantasy novels with witches and such, but this one seemed like a little bit of a let down for me and that makes me sad.  I was so excited to read this because it felt like a fantastic book.  I was able to predict almost everything that happened, the big "twist" towards the end was very predictable though I told myself it would be what I thought it was.  Overall it was kind of meh for me while reading.  I didn't find it super exciting or super dull.  It held pace, held my attention and had characters that could be more than what they were.  I enjoy Solomon a lot and wanted to see more from him, even maybe a little bit of magic from him too.  Like an opps kind of thing for him.

Young adult fantasy lovers I think would find this book enjoyable.  I would recommend it because even if it was the end all books for me, someone else might find it the best book they read this year.  I find myself more of a Deborah Harkness kind of witch lover.  Check it out for yourself see what you think. 

In Her Bones

Title: In Her Bones
Author: Kate Moretti
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Source: Paperback: Goodreads win
 Rating: 3 out of 5 paws.

Fifteen years ago a serial killer brutally murdered six women.  Now Lilith Wade is sitting on death row, but her murders still fascinate the public with an unauthorized biography and media frenzy.  Her daughter, Edie now thirty, is trying to survive her own life outside of the spotlight, but she finds herself obsessed with the families of the women her mother had killed.  Edie quickly finds herself in the home of one man, Paul whose wife had been murdered.  The morning after Paul is found murdered and Edie becomes the prime suspect.  Now she must elude the police while trying to find out who really killed Paul.  She goes into hiding while she conducts her research that leads are down the path of her past.  Can she figure it all out before it's too late?

 



I was lucky enough to receive this book as a Goodreads giveaway, if you haven't tried goodreads yet, you should.  It is a fantastic site.  Anyway, as I said I won this from the giveaway and I finally was able to read it over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I think I was more excited to read it and seen all great reviews for it, but I felt a little disappointed in this novel.  It was far from what I was expecting.

There were a lot of things, that while they were interesting to read they made no real sense to the story such as excerpts from the biography.  Sure it gave an idea of what had happened with the murders, and investigation etc, but it did nothing to contribute to the overall story.  Most of the book is Edie hiding and questioning people who were in Paul's life which barely takes her anywhere.  I understand the idea and use of "red herrings" in a story, but to have over half the book be one, made it uninteresting.  I will give the author credit in that I was unable to predict who the killer actually was in a weird turn of events, that gave the book a few more points.

The characters felt a little drab, I was  unable to really connect or have any feelings for Edie or the other minor characters.  I would have liked to have seen Brandt in the story more than he was, he seemed like an interesting character who was left to the back-burner a little, the same with her brother Dylan.  There was a lot of potential for depth in the characters but it didn't seem like this novel really scratched the surface of them much.

Mystery fans may like this novel, I don't think there is much thrill or suspense to entertain or interest thriller/suspense fans.  I would be willing to attempt another one of Kate Moretti's novels, but I have a feeling they may be much like this one....fall short of expectations.

Daughter of the Pirate King

Title: Daughter of the Pirate King
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Source: Library Hardback
Rating2.5 out of 5 stars.

Alosa's father sent her out on a secret mission, to find and steal a piece to a treasure map, one that will lead the pirate to a secret treasure trove.  In order to do so, Alosa must allow herself to be kidnapped by the pirates who hold this piece.  But the only thing standing in her way of success is the first mate: Riden.  Not only is he her captor/guard, but also devilishly handsome.  She must somehow keep him occupied while she searches the ship for what her father desires.  She has many tricks up her sleeves to accomplish her goals, no one can stop the pirate princess.

 

I was intrigued with this novel, a little unsure of what to expect from it, but it wasn't as impressed as I had hoped I would be. I felt "meh" about this book and didn't fully care if I finished the book or not. I almost didn't, but kept with it because I had started it.  It wasn't overly entertaining or thrilling.  Just....meh.  There wasn't anything that really made me excited about this book.  Alosa spent most of her time trying to seduce one of the brothers so she can search their chambers, or trying to figure out her feelings for Riden, or talking about how great she is, but she kept getting caught hmm.  There didn't seem to be much action nor did it seem like there was any urgency for Alosa to find the treasure map.

I couldn't stand the characters I wanted to like them so much but there was so much wrong with them.  Such as Riden just standing by while Alosa is assaulted and virtually abused because in his mind she was able to handle herself and situation...say what?  But then gets upset and jealous when she mentions his brother's assault, not because of the brother harming her, but because he thought she had sex with him whether it was consensual or not..there's something wrong with that there. 

There was one element that could have been interesting if it wasn't thrown into the story almost out of nowhere, like the author liked the idea but didn't know how to incorporate it into the story properly and just boom magical elements.  The tale wasn't all that streamlined and bits were just thrown about haphazardly.

I don't think I would recommend this to too many people.  It had so much potential only to fall way way short of the mark.

Literary Quote

Discovery of Witches

Title: A Discovery of Witches
Author:Deborah Harkess
Genre: Fantasy, Magic
Source: Library Hardback
Rating: 5 out of 5 paws

Diana Bishop is doing research when she comes across an old manuscript, thought to be lost.  Upon further inspection she finds the manuscript is different that the others she has read.  Diana comes from a long line of powerful witches, and she wants nothing to do with that life, but because of her connection with the manuscript all sorts of creatures are looking for her.  Members of each race descend upon the library and Diana has no choice but to turn to handsome vampire Matthew Clemont to help her discover the truth about the manuscript and herself.  But soon Diana finds herself face to face with her powers and her fears.  She must learn what her powers are and how to control them. She will find herself traveling outside her comfort zone and facing dangers untold and unspeakable horrors, but she will also find her way to guidance and assistance, to the one who will help her understand her new life.  How will she be able to unlock the secrets hidden within the manuscript?

 



This book series has been recommended countless times from book store staff to friends, and those in my book club group on facebook.  Because of all the glowing fantastic reviews, I decided to pick this one and see what all the fuss was about. I am so glad that I did, I enjoyed this novel more than I expected too.  I like the alchemy aspect of it because I love the idea of alchemy and hope the series continues with this.  I love that Diana is in her 30's (I think) and she is still learning about herself and the world around her.

The story is very vivid and easy to picture the world Harkess has created, but sometimes it was a little too much description, but I still enjoyed it none the less.  I love that it felt like she knew what was talking about down to ruins, covens and practices.  She must have done her research or was already familiar with some aspects of the culture.  I love love that she included that.  I don't think many authors really create a culture within their worlds, but Harkess does just that.  She creates something new and exciting to read.  I couldn't stop reading!

There was a bit of action and explanation throughout the story.  When there was an action scene it was exciting and thrilling to read, Harkess did not hold back from the descriptions here.  I enjoyed that there was some romance in this as well, but I wished there was some more action or conflict maybe not so much fighting but confronting one another.  But there is a lot going on in this novel that makes me really excited to pick up the second and see what will happen next.  There are some dark themes and horrible moments, but they are handled well and not overdone.

Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good fantasy novel with witches, vampires, and daemons (not to be confused with demons or fallen angels.)  This book will give you everything you are looking for in an epic tale and leaves you wanting more. 

The Sin Eater's Daughter

Title: Sin Eater's Daughter
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Genre: Fantasy
SOurce: Library Hardback
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws

Twylla spends most of her das inside the castle, where those around her cower in fear of her touch.  She is engaged to the Prince, but hasn't seen him in years, and she isn't a member of the court, but she is goddess-embodied.  This means she has the power to kill anyone with one touch, thus making her the kingdom's executioner.  Every week she must kill traitors to the crown.  When she is given a new guard things begin to change and she discovers things about herself that make her question everything she knows.  A plot is discovered that the queen plans to destroy her enemies, but with the use of an age old legend.  Can legends be real? or are they just legends?  Can Twylla protect those she loves as well as her kingdom or will she abandon all she knows in favor of her love?

I picked this book up on the recommendation of a co-worker.  She basically told me the premise but couldn't remember the title, so I had to do a little research to find it. I am glad my library had it available.

I was drawn in on the premise of Twylla having skin or pores that were poisonous, thats something I have not seen done before and Salisbury did a good job presenting the story, characters, and setting.  I loved that she created a legend for this story and developed the tale around that, and even had other characters skeptical about it.  Thinking the rumors were stuff of fairy tales.

I loves Twylla's character as well as her guard (forgive me his name completely escapes me right now).  He was a character that gives the reader hope and then breaks your heart.  They are both relatable characters 4i enjoyed their banter and relationship.

Overall this book was very enjoyable to read it was a quick read as the story progressed very quickly. I think many young adult and fantasy readers would enjoy this story there's a lot in it that will appeal to readers. I myself look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Demon: A Memoir

Title: Demon: A Memoir
Author; Tosca Lee
Genre: Mystery/Suspense, Christian Fiction (though not marketed as such),
Source: Paperback
Rating:  2.5 out of 5 paws




Clay had a mysterious meeting on his calendar that no one knew about.  He stayed late at work only to  have no one show up.  One his way home he stops for some dinner when a man in the corner begins speaking with him, as if he was waiting for him.  Clay believes he is a writer looking to get his book published but Lucian claims to be so much more; a demon.  A demon who wants his story, or rather his memoir, published and has decided that Clay is the person to do this.  Clay sprials down a demonic rabbit hole as he strives to piece together Lucian's tale.  But...it seems there are some frightening similarities between Lucian's tale and Clay's own life. But he is now beyond the point of no return and has to finish things and find out how the story ends.

I have had this book on my to-read shelf for years, since 2012 in fact, so I decided to buy it and see what it was that intrigued me six years ago. The idea behind the story is an interesting one, a demon wants to write his memoirs, tell his side of the story.  Then the man he's telling the story to begins to feel the story is as much his as it is the demon's.  Seems interesting and compelling right?  At some points it was, at other points...it fell flat, it didn't compel me to continue reading it as much as I had hopped it would.  At times it felt like it dragged on and didn't go far.  There wasn't any..umph so to speak to this story.


The name of the main character: Clay, seems to be a play on words, but it didn't feel like a clever one, especially as it is mentioned time and time again. Clay comes off as a man desperate to cling to anything that might define his life, or bring excitement to his life; even if it is a memoir from a demon.  He continues to wallow in self-pity and it gets old rather quickly.  Lucien doesn't come off as being demonic and doesn't anything outright demon like, he has moments of being "bad" but those aren't really what you would expect from a demon of his self proclaimed caliber.  The story he tells doesn't go beyond things most Christians know or beyond Lucien basically stating "we hate humans, and are mad that Elohim chose them over us" over and over again.


There seemed to have been the beginnings of a subplot of agents from both realms following the two characters, but this is never fully expanded on.  If it was it might have brought my rating and enjoyment of the novel up a little more than where it is at.  At the end Clay has a revelation about his own life, but we don't see anything that provides evidence of him coming to this conclusion.  It felt like there are so many questions opened that have no satisfactory resolutions. 


I am on the fence on whether or not I would recommend this book.  I may not have liked it but someone else might.  Do not go into this book thinking you will read  horror or thriller type novel as it is marketed as, go into it expecting to read something that is Christian Fiction at best.

A Head Full of Ghosts

Title A Head Full of Ghosts
Author: Paul Tremblay
Genre: Horror
Source: Library Hardback
Rating: 3 out of 5 paws


The Barretts seem like a normal suburban family.  Soon their perfect life begins to crumble, dad loses job and the oldest daughter begins acting strange and saying things a 14 year old girl shouldn't say.  There are signs of schizophrenia, but dad believes their is something more sinister happening.  With the help of Father Wanderly, they come to the conclusion Marjorie is possessed.  If life with a possessed daughter wasn't hard enough a production crew is ever present in the house as they film a reality show "The Possession."  This could be the answer to all their prayers.  Years later, a writer interviews Merry, the youngest sister about the events that happened during the show.  Secrets and painful memories are brought back to life as Merry relives everything the family went through.  But the question an avid horror blogger poses is....was it all real or was it all fake?

I picked up this novel as an attempt to step outside of my reading comfort zone.  I have only ever really read 2 or 3 horror novels and know it is not a genre for me, but I decided to give this one a shot and see if Paul Tremblay could win me over.  Unfortunately, he didn't.  I found the story to be a little bland.  While it was interesting and I did finish the book in about two days, it seemed to really drag on and didn't have much that was actually scary.  If you want scary and demon possessed story check out Seven X by Mike Wech.  Now that was one I didn't want to read at night.  I digress....


I couldn't find myself really relating or caring about the characters all that much, they were just....there.  Merry while she was 8 seemed to think and talk in a way an 8 year old wouldn't yet she was still obsessed with childlike things like a playhouse and children's picture books.  From the beginning, I felt like there was something a little bit...off with Merry.  There was more to her than we actually see in the novel because the primary focus was always on Marjorie.  We learn virtually nothing about any of the characters including Merry who is supposed to be the main character.


Then we have the blog posts which made no real sense to me other than to explain what was happening in the house during the show and attempts to debunk what we see.  The writer of this blog I feel is revealed a little too early.  I think it should have been held back or not even used at all, it didn't shed light onto anything within the story.  I would think Merry would have been a little more traumatized to witness some of these events even if her sister claimed she was faking.  Almost nothing added up for me and I felt a little let down.  I wanted to be scared. 


There were a lot of references to pop culture items such as The Exorcist, but only to point out all the similarities and how much alike it was. Was this to make the readers feel like it was all fake?  It was an okay book for me and I would recommend it to others who like this genre, but don't expect it to actually be scary or even creepy.

D Like Doll E Like Evil

Title: D Like Doll E like Evil
Author:Omid Olfet
Genre: Horror
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars





John's mother and father have split and John losses his connection with her, the only thing he has that connects him to her is a doll.  John moves in with his dad and step mother, whom he struggles to find any affection towards.  Shortly after he becomes mute and no one understands why.  When he opens his mouth to speak, all he says is utter gibberish.  Throughout the course of John's young life events occur that make his feel more animosity towards his step mother, which in turn puts a strain on the relationship with his father Max.  Stepmother is able to manipulate his father enough to make him turn on the young boy as well. Causing him to turn more towards his doll which in turn has some interesting effects on the step mother. Will John be able to overcome his evil step mother or will he succumb to her tactics as well?


I like the idea of this story, young boy loses his mother, is abused by his step mother, therefore turns to the only thing he has that connects him to his mom, a doll.  Great idea, a lot potential, but very poorly executed.  The novel is rather short about 67 pages long, so while it is a quick and easy read there are still many questions left at the end of the novel.  We know what happens, but readers are left with more questions than need be.  There were many parts of the story that felt awkward and didn't fit well with the rest of the story. 


Some of the wording was off for example in the beginning of the novel when Max's mother is speaking "'Everything is God's will never forget that.' Max's mother named Martha said"  When reading that sentence it feels choppy.  This kind of choppy sentence structure continues throughout the rest of the novella which makes it difficult to read.  There are also no spaces between paragraphs so it feels as though one is reading a rather long paragraph rather than a book.  In the same sense, there is no spacing or clear distinction between speakers making it hard on the reader to determine who exactly is speaking.


I think Omid has a wonderful idea for a great novel, it just needs to be cleaned up a bit.  Part of me wonders if the book was originally written in another language, different from English, and then translated, which might explain some of the awkward sentence structure.  If you enjoy horror and can look past odd sentencing and long paragraphs, the by all means pick up a copy of this book.  I personally had a hard time finishing it, thus giving it a rating of 2 out of 5 stars.