This book combined a lot of things I love about Jasmine Guillory, and a few things I didn’t love so much. Isabelle is a likeable character, sympathetic and fairly well-developed. She works as an assistant in a publishing house, and I found the description of the work fascinating. Izzy actually gets to coach, prod, and…
I’ve loved all of Kingfisher’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint. Her books always seem original, even when they are playing on well-worn tropes, as this one does. Kingfisher blends really dark topics with humor and sarcasm in a way I always enjoy, just as she blends fantasy with modern-day realism. In Nettle & Bone, Marra…
I’m not a fan of novella-length work, because it’s not long enough for me to really get into the story and its characters. That said, I’m becoming a big fan of Harrow, having read The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches. A Spindle Splintered is the first of a series…
I liked everything about Harrow’s new novel, a story that blends the mythology of Grimm’s fairy tales with historical misogyny. The Eastwood sisters Beatrice, Agnes, and Juniper haven’t seen each other for seven years. The two elder sisters fled the family farm because of their abusive father, and the youngest, Juniper, has been scarred by…
This book is an often-disturbing look at some classic children’s tales. If you’ve read much children’s literature, you know many of these stories are pretty creepy to begin with, like Grimm’s Cinderella where the sisters cut off their toes and heels to fit in the slippers, and Snow White where the evil queen is forced…
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis I’ve been wanting to read something by Connie Willis for a while now. In April I went to an exhibit of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in Seattle at the Museum of Pop Culture, and Willis was one of the female authors featured. To Say…
This was a fun book that combines a 19th century mystery with fairy tale folklore and a good dose of modern-day snark. Ophelia and Prudence are friends traveling to Europe for an acting job. Along the way, they lose their jobs and lie their way into maid positions with Mrs. Coop, who has a castle…
The Book Stop 