Category: Magic

The Seelie Queen by Kortney Sizemore-Gallagher

I received a free eARC of The Seelie Queen thanks to the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

From reading the synopsis on Amazon, it’s unclear to really get the complete gist of the book. It is not inaccurate: this story is about a teenage girl, Adella, at her third new school in a year having to deal with extraordinary challenges. But it doesn’t let us know that we will be dealing with magical and mythical beings, contrasting and perhaps conflicting kingdoms, and so much more. I think this definitely should have been included, as it’s very important to the story but also so intriguing! 

I’ll be honest: stories about Fae and the like typically aren’t what I read. There isn’t necessarily a reason why, I’ve just never really gravitated toward them. After reading this story, however, I’ve started to rethink my choices.

The Seelie Queen: What Did I Think?

I really liked that Sizemore-Gallagher centered this on a female character. I love my strong female protagonists and not only did she make Adella her protagonist but she made her “sidekick,” Anna, a strong badass too! Anna was actually my favorite character. She was strong, smart, and her personality felt recognizable. 

There were a couple of points in the story that didn’t quite make sense to me or were confusing. Some seemingly important plot points were not mentioned again. At the end when the narrator was switched, it took me a minute to realize this because it wasn’t indicated.

I really liked the worlds that were created in this novel. I thought the concept of people drawing energy from contrasting sources was so unique. Also, the fact that one person could have both qualities or share aspects from both kingdoms was so interesting. I would have liked to have learned more about them both, however. They’re such an important part of the book and how the characters live and interact. I hope that we get more about the magic in the second book, if there is one.

Overall, I enjoyed this story involving seemingly friendly kingdoms with magical beings and teenage drama that became a little too live or die. I hope after that cliffhanger at the end, we get a second book so we can find out the fates of Adella and her friends.

The Seelie Queen is available for purchase, so be sure to pick up your copy!

The Seelie Queen by Kortney Sizemore-Gallagher

Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

I won a free ARC of Amari and the Night Brothers during NYCC/Metaverse in exchange for an honest review. Special thanks to Epic Reads and the publisher Balzer + Bray for the physical copy I was provided. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this book we follow Amari Peters, a young girl who just wants to find her missing brother, Quinton. When she gets an opportunity to visit the special camp that he used to attend every summer, she’ll find that things aren’t always as they seem, and she’s off to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Soon she finds out what her supernatural talent is, but will she be able to save Quinton in time?

I really enjoyed this book. It had everything I like in a middle grade novel. There were interesting characters, it was set in a fun world, there was magic, and we got to follow a strong Black female main character. So let’s get a little bit more into the specifics of what I really liked.

Amari and the Night Brothers: The Breakdown

First, let’s talk about this world building. This book has dual worlds in it: the natural world and the supernatural world. Alston did a great job juxtaposing the two throughout the book. Along with this, there were the specific jobs and departments that were a part of the supernatural world that I especially enjoyed. These included: Department of Coverups, Department of the Unexplained, etc. I thought these were fun additions to a book about a supernatural world and I can only imagine what a middle grade reader who enjoys magic would think.

So what about the magic? I’ll admit, I do hope there is more about this in the second book. What we were given was interesting, but I wanted more about how it worked. I don’t want to give any spoilers away about this aspect so I’ll just leave it at that.

Alston wrote interesting and recognizable characters. I love that the hero of our story is Amari, a young Black girl from the “wrong side of town” who just wants to find her brother. I love that we see her internal struggle with self-worth, because that is such a true-to-life issue, and it’s been validated for her by her peers. Alston did a great job with Amari’s character and showing her growth from self-doubt to self-assured. I also liked that he made her best friend, Elsie, a weredragon who is a science genius. The characters in here were so thought out and had such awesome quirks, I loved them!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I fled through it, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next with Amari and her friends. I can’t recommend this enough! It’s due for publication on 1/19/21 so be sure to get your copy!

Amari and the Night Brothers

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

I read Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo as one of my buddy reads for this month. I enjoy Bardugo’s writing; I’ve only read the Grishaverse trilogy so far, but I loved it. When I heard she had an adult book coming out, I had to read it. Then the content warnings and trigger warnings came out (list is courtesy of Roe from Goodreads) and it was all over Twitter. And I became wary…but also a little intrigued. Because as I mentioned in my Banned Books post, when people talk about a book, I need to read it. So, I read it.

Ninth House: Thoughts

Honestly, I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. It was predictable, so for that I didn’t find enjoyment. I also found things too convenient at times. The book was written in multiple aspects, implementing flashbacks as a way to get to know the different characters. I didn’t mind this style and actually at different parts of the story I found myself wishing to read more from different characters point of view because that character’s story was intriguing.

I didn’t really care for Alex, which is a shame since she was the main character. Strong female protagonists are favorites of mine to read about, but I could not get behind her. She was just bland. It may be a bit of an unpopular opinion but I wanted to know more about Darlington, or even Dawes. They seemed interesting. I also wanted some clarity surrounding the societies. They seemed to jumble together for me. Perhaps that’s just for me personally, but I didn’t get a clear sense of them and their differences. They just felt too similar.

Bottomline

Overall, I am not sure Ninth House really was as great as I thought it would be. Will I pick up book two? Yes. After that ending, I have to know what happens. And again, I do love Bardugo’s work. The potentially triggering content that everyone mentioned is there. It’s a lot of gore and sexual violence, and it is throughout the entire book, so you can’t really just skip a certain chapter. Just stay true to yourself and your own limits.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Hush by Dylan Farrow

I won a free copy of Hush by Dylan Farrow in a sweepstakes in exchange for an honest review. Special thanks to Wednesday Books for hosting the sweepstakes and providing the ARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own. *Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. You can read more here.

We follow Shae, a 17-year-old girl determined to figure out the secrets of her world. A world that’s kept quiet by Bards who use magic to silence its citizens. Shae must figure out who to trust and find strength to break the Hush. After a deadly plague tormented her world, killed her brother, and marked her family as cursed, Shae has lived a fearful life. When strange things start happening to her, Shae can no longer hide behind her fear, but instead must use her fear to find out the truth.

I was intrigued by this book from the start. The synopsis hooked me and I couldn’t wait to read it. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. A book about words being cursed? Sign me up! You can imagine my surprise and delight, then, when I opened up the mail to find I had won an ARC.

Strengths of Hush

You should know by now that I enjoy a good strong female protagonist. While Shae has her faults, I think she is a great main character. She is determined, having to know the truth behind her mother’s murder. She is strong-willed, stubborn, and smart. I appreciate that she isn’t painted as a damsel in distress. Being the only one left in her family, she doesn’t succumb to the “I need a man to protect me” ideal.

Another aspect that I love is the magic, although I wish we learn more about it. I love that Shae is told how it is a blessing and a curse, and she often thinks of comforting things to get her magic to “work.” I actually like the fact that it’s marketed as one thing and then we learn it’s another; it reminds me of true life.

The detail in the story, for the most part, is very vivid and well done. The way they dress, the way things smell, it is all described so well.

What Could Have Been Better

While I think Shae is great, for such a strong protagonist, she is very naive. She trusts some too easily considering her background and her world. I also don’t understand why she questions herself about stuff that she knows to be true.

Some things just don’t make sense to me. This included Shae’s ability to get away with stuff. Although it’s not allowed, Shae breaks into the men’s barracks to search Niall’s belongings for evidence. After she’s caught, essentially nothing happens to her.

Again, I want to mention the magic. It is so interesting, but we don’t really get a good understanding of it. I’m hoping that we get to learn more of it in the sequel.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I look forward to the sequel.

Hush by Dylan Farrow Physical ARC
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The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

I won a free copy of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London during BookCon thanks to Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This book is about an alternate London set in 1983 where the magical and the ordinary worlds, the Old World and the New World respectively, are intertwined. The booksellers are the ones who enforce the boundary of the Old World, making sure it doesn’t spill into the New World. Susan has always wondered who her father is and when she turns 18, she decides to find out who he is. Strange things start happening to her, and it is then that she meets Merlin, an odd fellow who coincidentally turns up whenever these odd things happen proclaiming he’s there to help Susan. As we find out, he is indeed not there with ill-intent but to aid her. He is a left-handed bookseller. We follow Susan, Merlin, and right-handed bookseller Vivien as they journey to find out who Susan’s father was.

Left-Handed Booksellers of London: Is It Worth The Hype?

As I’ve been on a bit of a fantasy kick, this book certainly hit the spot. It’s a nice light fantasy, with a twist of mystery sprinkled in. The synopsis had me hooked: magic, books, secret father? All things that I want to read about. I devoured the book and it’s stayed with me since I finished it. I can’t get the characters out of my head. My favorite character has to be Merlin. He was so magnetic and I enjoyed his sense of humor. I loved that his solace was to dive into a book when he was feeling particularly bothered; I related quite a bit to this.

Another character trait that Nix employed that I loved was Susan’s fearlessness. All of these crazy things happened to her, hardly any of them easily explained away, and she just took it all in stride and continued moving forward. Strong female main characters are always a plus, in my book, and in this case Nix had not only Susan but he also had Vivien. Vivien helped save the day on numerous occasions. It’s always great to see the woman being the hero instead of the damsel.

This was my first novel by Garth Nix. I’ve heard good things about his writing, and the premise sounded good, so I was excited to dive in. After reading this book, I have to agree that Nix does craft quite an intriguing story. I recommend you read this book if you’re into magic, fantasy, mystery, and adventure. It is now available for purchase.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix Physical ARC