Witches
Kingdom of the Wicked Book One
Written by Kerri Maniscalco
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Witches, Romance
Published October 27th 2020
448 Pages
Thank you to Jimmy Patterson Books
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆
Two sisters.One brutal murder.A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…And an intoxicating romance.Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe, witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin... Desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost, even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.
Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...
As children, Emilia and Vittoria listened intently to the stories of their grandmother and the Dicarlo family grimoire, monsters, demons and the stregheria, the matriarchal families of the Sicilian town of Palermo. As the ocean gathers the changing winds, the demon world becomes restless, it's been an age since demons were banished into the netherworld and with a solemn prophecy from their grandmother, the underworld has arisen.
Emilia and Vittoria are contrasting characters, Vittoria is spirited whilst Emilia is passionate about literature and culinary delights, a kitchenhand in their family owned restaurant Sea & Vine. As children, Emilia and Vittoria confided in one another but are now distant, Vittoria secretively indulging in parties and tumultuous love affairs until her body is found within the local monastery, her heart removed in a ritualistic killing. Emilia's sorrow is palpable and although the sisters have grown distant in recent years, she is determined to avenge her sister.
Throughout the narrative, Emilia discovers that Vittoria harboured a dangerous grimoire as she summons a demon from the underworld, the unsuspecting war general, the demonic prince of Wrath. Capturing the devastatingly handsome general for information. Wrath is one of seven demonic princes, each representing the seven houses of immortality. To freed the brothers, a willing bride must be chosen to break the binding spell placed upon the underworld. These princes are deliciously sinful and almost impossible to resist. Yes, they're evil but so incredibly handsome that you almost forget they're in the business of stealing souls. Because handsome.
Wrath is ridiculously attractive. He and Emilia share a vested interest in finding who killed Vittoria, reluctantly agreeing to work together. Over the course of the narrative, Wrath begins to care for Emilia and although she's more than capable of fending for herself, he is a wonderful yet alluring support for Emilia. Remember when you first discovered Twilight and couldn't get enough of the sexual tension? This.
Emilia is a vengeful witch, Wrath is a demonic prince and the mortal enemies to maybe lovers, smouldering attraction and very much wanting to get it on romance is slow and simmering and how I'm here for it. Chef kisses all round friends. If you've read the Stalking Jack the Ripper series with Audrey Rose and Thomas then you'll be well aware of the smouldering, agonising Kerri Maniscalco romances and this was painful in the most delicious meaning of the word.
Kerri Maniscalco writes incredible narratives, mysteries with dangerous undercurrents and passionate romances and Kingdom of the Wicked was intensely brilliant. So much so that I've run out of words. It's sexy. Damn sexy and hot as hell. Literally.
In summary, this is one of those reads you'll sell your mother for.
The Dark Tide Book One
Written by Alicia Jasinska
Fantasy, Witches, LGBT, Romance, Australian
Published June 2nd 2020
336 Pages
Thank you to Penguin Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆
Every year on St. Walpurga's Eve, Caldella’s Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking.
Convinced her handsome brother is going to be taken this year, Lina Kirk enlists the help of the mysterious Thomas Lin, her secret crush, and the only boy to ever escape from the palace after winning the love of a queen. Working together they protect her brother but draw the queen's attention.
Queen Eva cast away her heart when her sister died to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won't make the same mistake. With the tide rising higher than ever before and the islander's whispering that Eva's magic is failing, she's willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city.
When Thomas is chosen as sacrifice, Lina takes his place and the two girls are forced to spend time together as they wait for the full moon. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, the two girls find themselves falling for each other. As water floods Caldella’s streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice, they must choose who to save: themselves, each other, or the island city relying on them both.
The tides begin to rise over the city of Caldella as the eve of Saint Walpurga approaches, the Queen choosing a sacrifice to appease the dark tide.
Lina lives within the village of Caldella, a passionate performance artist who after an altercation with brother Finley, is unable to dance in the festivities. On the eve of Saint Walpurga, Finley evades Lina and despite pleading with her brother to remain at home, Finley escapes into the village to entertain the revellers. Lina and Finley have an interesting sibling relationship, Lina tolerates his temper and possessive arrogance and Finley indulges in the attention of the villagers. Lina is a capable young woman and although she exudes confidence while performing, she is subservient within their sibling relationship.
Throughout the township, Eva and her companions meander the streets in search for a sacrifice, luring an unsuspecting young man back to the palace where he will be sacrificed to the dark, rising tide. Eva is the new Witch Queen, inheriting the title from her late sister, a Queen who sacrificed herself to the tides after finding love with villager Thomas. Thomas returned home to his family and now Eva is seeking retribution. Eva is a formidable young woman, fierce, determined and effortlessly debonair in her pantsuits, until Lina volunteers as the dark tide sacrifice to save Thomas, her beloved.
The final day of the winter season and the eve of Saint Walpurga, the village of Caldella is illuminated under the enchantment of the festivities, witches converse with villagers. The enchanting Caldella is reminiscent of the idyllic waterways of Venice, romantic and romanesque. Emerging over the village is the palatial home of the reigning Queen, where Thomas is being held as a sacrifice, Caldella is beautifully illustrated throughout The Dark Tide, a community swelling with liveliness and vivacity.
Lina and Eva are characters of contrast, Lina is compassionate and considerate, Eva is brusque and detached and although Lina is held captive as the dark tide sacrifice, their attraction is smouldering. As the narrative progresses, Lina and Eva blossom and flourish as individuals. Lina's confidence and fortitude is a beautiful aspect of her journey of discovery and self realisation, discarding her naivety and desperation to please others. Eva is conflicted by her ambivalence, undermined by her closest adviser, the village community and herself, believing the dark tide has been enraged by the sacrifice of her sister and former Queen.
The Dark Tide is formidable and meticulously imagined, a mesmerising read of sacrifice and redemption, atmospheric and beautifully lyrical. Alicia Jasinska has created an exquisite debut novel, unequivocally enchanting.
Written by V. E. Schwab
Fantasy, Witches, Romance, Paranormal
320 Pages
Published January 2020
Thank you to New South Books
Add to Goodreads
★★★★
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
In the quaint town of Near, the Near Witch sings the hills to slumber each night from her resting place on the moors, the children sing as they play throughout the village. Sixteen year old Lexi Harris remembers the stories her father told her as a child, of the Near Witch and village children who we welcomed to play in her garden, a centuries old fable told by generations of Near, until a boy was found in her garden and the witch was banished to the moor.
Since her father passed away, Lexi lives with her younger sister Wren and her mother on the fringe of Near, the witch whispering on the winds that swept through the moor each night as a stranger arrives in town and Near is awash with speculation. Whispers on the wind are waking children from their slumber, lured into the forest in their nightgowns and disappearing and the town suspects the stranger is stealing their children.
Centuries past, the Near Witch lived on the Near fringe, her cottage garden captivating the village children on the moor. The children of Near sing the fable of the fated witch who sings the hills to sleep at night. If you listen carefully, you can hear her calling on the winds that swept through the moors.
Near is a grudging, prejudice community, thriving on restlessness and governed with a firm hand by three archaic council members, while a vigilante group gathers to restore order. Lexi and sister Wren lost their father three years prior, their father a wonderful man who believed in the folklore of Near and taught his children consideration, independence and to appreciate the Near folklore, including Magda and Dreska Thorn.
Fear is a strange thing, he used to say. It has the power to make people close their eyes, turn away. Nothing good grows out of fear.
Magda and Dreska are the eldest residents of Near, living on the fringe of town on the moors, as the Near Witch once lived. As a young girl, Lexi and her father would visit the sisters who have been ostracised by the village community. The witch siblings are providing the stranger with refuge as the children begin to disappear during the night. Lexi suspects the Near Witch, the villagers accusing the stranger of abducting their children. Lexi is intrigued by the newcomer, his secrets and his story, the young man with the dark fathomless eyes and ashen skin. He is nameless, homeless and Lexi is determined to prove his innocence.
The villagers are positively dreadful, dishonest and vengeful, incredibly chauvinistic. At sixteen, the girls within the village and allowed to legally marry and often betrothed. Women are bakers, seamstresses or homemakers, Lexi consistently reprimanded for wearing the workboots and knife of her father who taught his daughter independence. The men of the village refusing to listen to the resolute young woman who begins skulking around the village at night in the hope to discover where the children have gone.
The trees all whisper, leaves gossiping. The stones are heavy thinkers, the sullen silent types. He used to make up stories for everything in nature, giving it all voices, lives. If the moor wind ever sings, you mustn’t listen, not with all of your ears. Use only the edges. Listen the way you’d look out the corners of your eyes. The wind is lonely, love, and always looking for company.
The Near Witch is enigmatic and enchanting, immersed in mesmerising folklore of a small village community. The lyrical prose is unequivocally captivating.
Written by Kesia Lupo
Fantasy, Witches, Magic
448 Pages
Published June 6th 2019
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆
In a sealed off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, running for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. Her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear, those with magic.
On the other side of the locked gates is a masked lady, Constance, determined to find a way back in. She knows only too well how the people of Duke's Forest loathe magic. Years ago she escaped before her powers were discovered. But now she won't hide who she is any longer.
A powerful and terrifying storm cloud unites them. It descends over the dukedom and devastates much in its wake. But this is more than a thunderstorm. This is a spell, and the truth behind why it has been cast is more sinister than anyone can imagine. Only Lena and Constance hold the key to destroying the spell. Though neither of them realise it, they need each other. They are the blood and they have the thunder within.
Lena Grey is a Cryptling, preparing the deceased for their resting place below the township of Dukes Forest, an isolated community shrouded in a menacing cloudscape of pestilence and destruction. Dukes Forest has been decimated by disease, the Ancestors resting below the township have begun to awaken and as Lena prepares the Duchess for burial, she is accused of being an enchantress and sentenced, her life shall be taken by the ferocious hounds of the Justice. Mages are dangerous and abhorrent, according to the Justice, the authority of Dukes Forest. Lena escapes into the surrounding woodlands and into the unknown.
Lena is a naive and sheltered young woman, an orphan and abandoned by her parents to the underground Cryptling community of the hearing or vision impaired, physically or visibly disabled. An apprentice who prepares the deceased for the afterlife, Lena's only companion is an elderly man who has nurtured the young woman since arriving in Dukes Forest. A Cryptling lives a simple existence without material possessions so when Lena discovers an extraordinary mechanical butterfly within the underground chambers, she begins to imagine a life beyond her veil of darkness.
In an incidental encounter in the forest, Constance discovers Lena escaping capture and guides her towards Emris, a Huntsman and self appointed educator of the the City of Kings. The City of Kings provides refuge to Rogue mages, to control their abilities and pledge their allegiance to one of nine temples throughout the city. Although Emris alludes to being a former lover of Constance, he's enchanted by Lena and abandons all reasoning and purpose to pursue an unknown young woman on her journey.
In an incidental encounter in the forest, Constance discovers Lena escaping capture and guides her towards Emris, a Huntsman and self appointed educator of the the City of Kings. The City of Kings provides refuge to Rogue mages, to control their abilities and pledge their allegiance to one of nine temples throughout the city. Although Emris alludes to being a former lover of Constance, he's enchanted by Lena and abandons all reasoning and purpose to pursue an unknown young woman on her journey.
Constance Rathbone is returning to Dukes Forest, a young woman seeking the essence of the cloudscape incantation threatening to consume her homeland. Upon returning home to reclaim her birthright as Duchess, Constance is confronted with her fathers ailing health and the oppression and cruelty of the Justice. Constance is a mysterious and alluring young woman who is returning home from exile, her father is no longer in governance, the township ravaged by disease and pestilence and her only allies are her brother Winton and childhood companion Lord Irvine, positioned within the guardsmen for the Justice respectfully. Constance is an unreliable narrator, unashamedly boasting of her untruths. Her unexplained absence raising suspicion among her kinfolk, unaware of her abilities and why she has chosen to claim her birthright as heir.
Lena and Constance appear as contrasting characters but their lives are irrevocably entwined as Lena's journey traces the pathway that Constance once paved. It was interesting to compare the similarities between the two morally grey characters. One of my favourite aspects was female independence as neither Lena or Constance depended on male characters as saviours or to define their characters. We Are Blood and Thunder is a wonderful instance of feminist fantasy literature, of independent female characters that celebrate imperfections.
Lena and Constance appear as contrasting characters but their lives are irrevocably entwined as Lena's journey traces the pathway that Constance once paved. It was interesting to compare the similarities between the two morally grey characters. One of my favourite aspects was female independence as neither Lena or Constance depended on male characters as saviours or to define their characters. We Are Blood and Thunder is a wonderful instance of feminist fantasy literature, of independent female characters that celebrate imperfections.
As a standalone debut fantasy novel, We Are Blood and Thunder is beautifully written, intense and captivating.
See my review for A Curse of Ash and Embers here
Daughter of Lies and Ruin
The Witches of Blackbone Book Two
Written by Jo Spurrier
Paranormal, Witches, #LoveOZYA
352 Pages
Published September 24th 2019
Thank you to Harper Collins Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★
If they didn't want to get turned into beasts and used to fuel a ritual, they shouldn't have attacked a witch. That's all there is to it.
There's something strange brewing in this tinder dry forest, a girl with a sword and a secret, a troupe of vicious bandits vanished without a trace, beasts that don't belong and a witch with a macabre plan.
Elodie hasn't been learning witchcraft for long, but she knows enough to be worried, and the fact that her mentor Aleida wants to pack up and leave in short order isn't helping to settle her nerves.
Elodie just hopes to get everyone out of this mess unharmed, but it's looking more unlikely with every passing hour. And when the strange witch's ire falls on her, Aleida's wrath sparks a fire that threatens to scorch the earth itself.
Elodie Blackbone is an apprentice sorceress, bygone is the young woman denied an education and labouring on her family farm, now disciplined in the artistry of witchcraft under the guidance of Aleida Blackbone. The two new companions have departed the Black Oak Cottage in Lilsfield and travelling the dusty, lonely roads when ambushed by a band of roadside bandits ransacking the wares and treasures of stagecoaches and travelling merchants.
Elodie is no longer the naive young woman summoned to the Black Oak Cottage and although she's wisened to the world of sorcery and alchemy, the young apprentice is continuously experimenting with her newfound abilities under Aleida's guidance. Elodie has the ability to inhabit the body of wildlife and birds, often soaring high about the landscape and observing their journey from the skies. Unlike Aleida, Elodie also has the ability to walk between worlds, opening a fissure and guided by an ethereal sprite.
Aleida slayed Gyssha Blackbone and the protege has now become the mentor, albeit cursed by her predecessor. Weakened by the fissure opening to the otherworld, Aleida and Elodie depart the cottage, along the journey they meet the stoic and resolute Kara, being held at the local abbey since her father disappeared. Armed with her sword, Kara has enlisted the aid of local bandits to escape and is searching for her father, an outlaw masquerading as a mercenary while throughout the arduous, backbreaking landscape, an otherworldly disturbance is gathering. Men have become monsters, manipulated by a mage taking shelter in the desolate mountains.
Kara is an interesting character, surly and unapologetically ambitious. Kara has been unwillingly taken into the care of the abbey, devising her escape to find her father as the arrival of Aleida and Elodie provides the opportunity to disappear under the cover of darkness. Although her father is an outlaw, Kara remembers her father for his kindness, a gentle father and loyal friend and after Elodie's insistence, Aleida reluctantly agrees to assist the young brusque woman. The conflict and intensity within Elodie and Aleida's tentative friendship emanates from Kara and their conflicting opinions. Elodie's humble beginnings have resurfaced as a humanitarian crusade, playing the role of saviour especially where Kara is concerned. She constantly undermines Aleida, questioning her judgement and expertise. It's frustrating but an important learning moment for Elodie, it also brought out a compassionate and gentleness from Aleida who masks her emotions.
The subtle attraction between Elodie and Kara is enchanting, although it seems to impair Elodie's judgement and her ability to make rational decisions. Given her interest in Kian in A Curse of Ash and Embers, Elodie may identify as being bisexual. Friendship and sisterhood are the central focus of the Witches of Blackbone series, independent women in an environment where women are chaperoned by men, often dominated by men and their significance determined by men. Capable women with the ability to slain grown men, those who share a quiet resilience, who encourage and endure. The sisterhood who are reclaiming their sovereignty.
Simply magical.
Simply magical.
Tales of the Blackbone Witches Book One
Written by Jo Spurrier
Paranormal, Witches, #LoveOZYA
368 Pages
Published September 24th 2018
Thanks to Harper Collins Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★
A dead witch. A bitter curse. A battle of magic. Some people knit socks by the fire at night. Gyssha Blackbone made monsters.
But the old witch is dead now, and somehow it's Elodie's job to clean up the mess.
When she was hired at Black Oak Cottage, Elodie had no idea she'd find herself working for a witch; and her acid tongued new mistress, Aleida, was not expecting a housemaid to turn up on her doorstep.
Gyssha's final curse left Aleida practically dead on her feet, and now, with huge monsters roaming the woods, a demonic tree lurking in the orchard and an angry warlock demanding repayment of a debt, Aleida needs Elodie's help, whether she likes it or not.
And no matter what the old witch throws at her, to Elodie it's still better than going back home.
Elodie Foster is forsaken. Isolated to the family cottage, Elodie maintains the small, ramshackle homestead, illiterate and denied an education. Elodie is verbally and emotionally abused by her stepfather, her mother remains passively apathetic, accusing her daughter of antagonism and initiating conflict. A mysterious correspondence arrives providing salvation, an opportunity for employment in the small pastoral community of Lilsfield, migrating to the infamous Black Oak Cottage, escorted by a local farmer, his daughter and a destitute magician on her journey.
Returning to the small ramshackle cottage, Aleida Blackbone tenaciously liberated the Lilsfield community from the subordination of Gyssha, a malevolent crone pleasured by consuming the small town. Fiercely independent, the confrontation has diminished the once apprentice to an ailing woman needing assistance to endure the forthcoming catastrophe. The apparitional cavalrymen.
Elodie and Aleida are contrasting characters. Aleida is assured, confident and perceptive. An apprentice to Gyssha as a young woman, exploiting her humanity to ensure her compliance. Elodie and Aleida have experienced a callous manipulation, remarkably similar as they find solace within their tentative companionship.
On her journey, Elodie encounters a young magician. Although charming and eccentric, he abandons his travelling companions rather peculiarly, perplexing why his character was introduced within the narrative.
All The Women Who Are Independent... Throw Your Hands Up At MeElodie is an intelligent young woman, despite denied an education. As a young lady, her biological father passed away, survived by his daughter and destitute young widow. Elodie is isolated from her community and although is forsaken by her abusive stepfather, reluctantly accepts the position of servitude. An ancient sorceress befelled by her young apprentice, monstrous creations arisen from the land and a small community encompassed in folklore.
Returning to the small ramshackle cottage, Aleida Blackbone tenaciously liberated the Lilsfield community from the subordination of Gyssha, a malevolent crone pleasured by consuming the small town. Fiercely independent, the confrontation has diminished the once apprentice to an ailing woman needing assistance to endure the forthcoming catastrophe. The apparitional cavalrymen.
Elodie and Aleida are contrasting characters. Aleida is assured, confident and perceptive. An apprentice to Gyssha as a young woman, exploiting her humanity to ensure her compliance. Elodie and Aleida have experienced a callous manipulation, remarkably similar as they find solace within their tentative companionship.
I Don't Want No ScrubsAlthough Elodie is enchanted by local huntsman Kian, neither Elodie or Aleida are interested in pursuing a romantic relationship. On occasion entrusting neighbour Attwater for assistance. Aleida is independent, inspiring Elodie to discover her own bravery and heroism, becoming Aleida's caregiver during her recovery. A Curse of Ash and Embers reiterates that female characters are individuals and independent, unreliant on male characters or masculinity to further their own narrative.
On her journey, Elodie encounters a young magician. Although charming and eccentric, he abandons his travelling companions rather peculiarly, perplexing why his character was introduced within the narrative.
Legends And FolkloreThe Lilsfield folklore is captivating. The monstrous automatons created from the fertile earth, Laurel the dryad and her companion Attwater, the apparitional warlocks and the Blackbone legacy. The atmospheric Black Oak Cottage creates a foreboding whimsicality, enchanting and captivating throughout the narrative of sixteen year old Elodie.
We are the eye of the storm. We are the darkness behind the stars. We are the glare of the sun, and nothing touches us unless we let it.
A Curse of Ash and Embers is a charismatic narrative of enchantment and folklore, of independent women and shared experiences. Wonderfully characterised, beautifully illustrated and emphatically captivating.
Contains sensitivities such as abuse, post traumatic stress disorder and self harm
Written by Leslye Walton
Magical Realism, Witches, Romance
288 Pages
Published April 1st 2018
Thank you to Walker Books Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★☆
From the author of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender comes a haunting maelstrom of magic and murder in the lush, moody Pacific Northwest.
When Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island more than a century ago, her otherworldly skills might have benefited friendlier neighbours. Guilt and fear instead led the island’s original eight settlers to burn the witch out of her home. So Rona cursed them. Fast forward one hundred some years, all Nor Blackburn wants is to live an unremarkable teenage life. She has reason to hope. First, her supernatural powers, if they can be called that, are unexceptional. Second, her love life is nonexistent, which means she might escape the other perverse side effect of the matriarch’s backfiring curse too. But then a mysterious book comes out, promising to cast any spell for the right price.
Nor senses a storm coming and is pretty sure she’ll be smack in the eye of it. In her second novel, Leslye Walton spins a dark, mesmerizing tale of a girl stumbling along the path toward self acceptance and first love, even as the Price Guide’s malevolent author, Nor’s own mother, looms and threatens to strangle any hope for happiness.
Flames consumed Anathema Island as the Blackburn matriarch retaliated against the patriarchal society, men who colonised the small north western island. Accusations of witchcraft coincide with eight generations of Blackburn women, blighted abominations including the estranged Fern Blackburn.
Abandoned by her neglectful and abusive mother, Nor Blackburn is a wonderful young woman, friend and granddaughter, her grandmother and her partner creating a nurturing and environment. Although Nor is supported within a fostering environment, she continues to endure the torment and violence of her mother, comforted upon the harm she inflicts upon her body. Her anxiety is palpable and as the youngest Blackburn daughter, she was a causality of abuse and family violence.
Abandoned by her neglectful and abusive mother, Nor Blackburn is a wonderful young woman, friend and granddaughter, her grandmother and her partner creating a nurturing and environment. Although Nor is supported within a fostering environment, she continues to endure the torment and violence of her mother, comforted upon the harm she inflicts upon her body. Her anxiety is palpable and as the youngest Blackburn daughter, she was a causality of abuse and family violence.
The legacy of each Blackburn child is her ability, each generation fostering aptitudes from their matriarch. The village smouldered as the lineage is condemned to isolation, each Blackburn woman enchanting a lover for three days of passion to produce an heir. Fern Blackburn was consumed by her unwilling suitor, using incantations and her daughter as a blood sacrifice as entrapment. Fern has returned from isolation with The Price Guide to the Occult, monetising the Blackburn legacy, amassing a congregation of loyal disciples and darkness is descending upon Anathema Island.
The mysticism is captivating, predestined to isolation through the legacy of their matriarch. The Blackburn name continues to be a formidable presence throughout the Pacific Northwest Islands. Unfortunately the narrative is incomplete. Characters are introduced without significance to the narration and despite the compelling compensation, the characterisation is rudimentary and the narration becomes monotonous.
Although I enjoyed aspects of the narration, The Price Guide to the Occult is an exasperating novel. Unfortunately not for me.
Written by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Fantasy, Middle Grade
Published September 2014
320 Pages
Purchased. Published by Random House Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★☆
Think you know magic? Think again. The Magisterium awaits.
Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.
All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.
So he tries his best to do his worst, and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him. It’s a place that’s both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.
The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come.
It's the day or The Iron Trial, where teens are plucked from their classrooms to be tested for their level of magical ability as to whether or not they will be chosen for the Magisterium, a boarding school for the gifted. But not twelve year old Callum. His father had always instilled the fear that magic must never be used and children taken into the Magisterium will never return. Callum blunders his way through the trial but has caught the eye of the Master Rufas, a prestigious senior tutor who has also guided Callum's late mother and sees the potential in the untrained mage.
"You will discover what your ordinary self would never have had the privilege to see. You will learn great things and you will do even greater things.
Welcome to the Magisterium."
Suddenly it seems as though everything Callum was taught about the Magisterium may have been a lie. Along with teammates Tamara and Aaron, Master Rufas will take the three young mages under his wing to one day face combat against an enemy in which power has engulfed their humanity, while the Magisterium awaits a chosen hero to counteract the Enemy of Death. Finding friends, allies and a place where Callum feels accepted and valued will come at a price, what will unravel will shake Callum to his core. A secret that will threaten to tear the magical world apart.
The Copper Gauntlet Magisterium Book Two
Written by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Fantasy, Middle Grade
Published September 1st 2015
270 Pages
Thank you to Random House Australia
★★★★
Callum Hunt’s summer break isn’t like other kids’. His closest companion is a Chaos ridden wolf, Havoc. His father suspects him of being secretly evil. And, of course, most kids aren’t heading back to school in the magical world of the Magisterium.It’s not easy for Call... And it gets even harder after he checks out his basement and discovers that his dad might be trying to destroy both him and Havoc.Call escapes to the Magisterium but things only intensify there. The Alkahest, a copper gauntlet capable of separating certain magicians from their magic - has been stolen. And in their search to discover the culprit, Call and his friends awaken the attention of some very dangerous foes and get closer to an even more dangerous truth.
Callum has survived his first year at Magisterium, now a second year mage who's magic cannot be bound. He's home for the summer break and his relationship with his father is now strained at best, still attempting to convince his only child to leave the school behind. With his Chaos wolf by his side, it seems his father has an ulterior motive and before he can confine Callum to a life of experimental testing, Callum flees for the safety of the Magisterium once more.
But when a priceless artifact is stolen, all fingers are pointed firmly at Callum's father who has now fled and on the run. Callum's secret threatens to be exposed, but along with Aaron, Tamara and a very reluctant Jasper, they'll need to hunt down the Alkahest, find Callum's father and stop the sacrificial mistake he's about to make. Before it's too late.
Kelly's thoughts
The Magisterium series had drawn similarities to the Harry Potter series, a boarding school for magicians slash mages who are fighting against the evil of the world, but with enough differences to stand on it's own merits. Both The Iron Trial and The Copper Gauntlet are fantastic middle grade reads that explore a boarding school for teens known as the Magisterium, where children with magical abilities are chosen to hone their skills as mages, training for a war against their own kind. Despite his father's wishes, Callum not only is chosen to enter the Magisterium but will train under the accomplished Master Rufan who also trained his late mother, a woman tragically killed when Callum was still an infant and left the boy irrevocably damaged.
Callum's injury has always ensured his loneliness, mocked throughout school for his distinct limp. But now at the boarding school for mages, Callum finds himself not only with friends but a purpose greater than he's even known. I really liked Callum's character. Even with his permanent impairment, he never saw himself as anything other than able and wanted to be treated as such. Along with his team slash roommates Aaron and Tamara, they begin training under the prestigious master Rufas, a man known for only training the best of the best and despite Callum's best intentions to be expelled from the Magisterium, he starts to realise his father may have been wrong in his dire warnings.
The tentative friendship between Callum, Aaron and Tamara was a strange combination, I think that's where the Harry Potter similarities also lie along with the boarding school location and rivalry between the mages in training. But for me, that's where the similarities end. I loved the character dynamics and rivalry, it added a much needed layer to what was a fairly light storyline. Appropriate for the intended audience and those who enjoy an entertaining middle grade read.
The tentative friendship between Callum, Aaron and Tamara was a strange combination, I think that's where the Harry Potter similarities also lie along with the boarding school location and rivalry between the mages in training. But for me, that's where the similarities end. I loved the character dynamics and rivalry, it added a much needed layer to what was a fairly light storyline. Appropriate for the intended audience and those who enjoy an entertaining middle grade read.
Compared to Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series, I enjoyed the writing so much more with thanks to Holly Black I suspect and looking forward to reading her previous releases as a result. I enjoyed The Copper Gauntlet slightly more than The Iron Trial and looking forward to the next release in the series. Rather than recommend it to fans of Harry Potter, I feel the Percy Jackson audience may appreciate this series more so. It's entertaining and a quick read for those who enjoy middle grade fantasy and adventure such as myself.the final verdict
Kelly is an Aussie who's love of chocolate milk is only surpassed by her love for Alice in Wonderland. She is currently on a semi hiatus.
follow kelly via TWITTER INSTAGRAM BLOGLOVIN' FACEBOOK GOODREADS
Brew (Salem's Revenge: Book One)
Written by David Estes
Apocalyptic, Paranormal
Publication October 1st 2014
440 Pages
Thank you to David Estes
Salem’s Revenge strikes without warning or mercy, ravaging the powerless human race under the forces of united gangs of witches, wizards, and warlocks. During the slaughter, Rhett Carter's foster parents and sister are killed, and his best friend and girlfriend are abducted by a gang of witches calling themselves the Necromancers, who deal in the dark magic of raising the dead. Rhett’s sword-wielding neighbor with a dark past saves Rhett from becoming another casualty of the massacre and teaches him the skills he needs to survive in this new world.Rhett is broken, his normal high school life of book blogging and football playing shoved in a witch apocalyptic blender. The only thing he has left is his burning desire for revenge. Armed with his new witch hunting skills and a loyal, magic powered dog named Hex, he sets out into the unknown with one mission: hunt and destroy those who took away everyone he ever loved.But Rhett isn’t just a witch hunter; he has secrets of his own that he has yet to discover, secrets that his enemies will stop at nothing to keep him from.And discovering the truth about himself is the human race’s only hope.
Sage (Blood Crave: Book Three)
Written by Christina Channelle
Paranormal, Supernatural
Expected publication September 13th 2014
Thank you to Christina Channelle
Add to Goodreads
Paranormal, Supernatural
Expected publication September 13th 2014
Thank you to Christina Channelle
Add to Goodreads
"I know that, what we are. But why do you hate me?"
Escape. It was the only word pounding through fallen angel Sage Cross' mind when her world came crashing in. Fallon was nothing but a painful memory, something she wanted, no needed, to forget.
Now she has a chance to let that part of her past go and be in a place where she can finally heal. A place where Lamia and Lapsus don't exist and she can just be... Sage. But of course, it doesn't last. Nothing ever lasts.
Her happily mediocre life with her cat familiar, Sunny, and best friends, Janie and Perkins, is nothing but a mirage. Especially when a brooding vampire, first name Adam, last name irrelevant, takes roots in her life. Someone who hates her for simply existing, yet she is unable to get him out of her mind. Or her heart. With her brother and friends in danger, Sage is the key to either ending it all or causing the destruction of not one, but two supernatural beings.
Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die: Book One)
Written by Danielle Paige
Fantasy, Retelling
Published April 1st 2014
464 Pages
Add to Goodreads
I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado, taking you with it, you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though, but even that's crumbling.
What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm, and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then... Dorothy must die!
The Lost Boys
Written By Lilian Carmine
Published 24 / 10 / 2013
512 Pages
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK
Fate has brought them together. But will it also keep them apart? Having moved to a strange town, 17 year old Joey Gray is feeling a little lost, until she meets a cute, mysterious boy near her new home. But there’s a very good reason why Tristan Halloway is always to be found roaming in the local graveyard. Perfect for fans of Stephenie Meyer and Lauren Kate, The Lost Boys is a magical, romantic tale of girl meets ghost.
It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.
His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live, not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.
Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong... These aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.
Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.
If it hadn't been for new friends Carmel and Thomas, Cas and his mother would have packed up months ago after Anna Korlov disappeared. Anna may be gone, but Cas certainly can't let her go. Cas is a ghost hunter, he lurks during the darkest hours for resident ghosts that are intent on harming the living. Cas is determined to find out what happened to Anna that night, when he had confronted the Obeahman and realised that his sacred athame was connected. Each and every ghost Cas had killed, the Obeahman had feed upon, leaving Anna to pull him from the world with her on night her house imploded, with both Anna and the Obeahman inside. Anna didn't leave, she was taken.
A tip leads Cas to an abandoned barn, where the ghost is suspected to take the loves of the living, by conjuring accidents. Six deaths in three decades doesn't usually rate on his radar, but now being based in Thunder Bay, ghost hunting's are few and far between. The barn looks ominous, standing alone in a blackened field. Ghosts in nature are shy but curious, so Cas, Carmel and Thomas lure the otherworldly being out. As they explore the barn, the words accidental death fresh on their minds, as Thomas is pushed from the loft. As the young farmer becomes corporal, Cas hesitates in using his knife... The ghost's laughter sounds remarkable like Anna's. Cas must be hallucinating, be he can't let her go without knowing that Anna is at peace.
But Cas isn't seeing things, everywhere he turns, he finds a piece of Anna. Her simple white dress in a window display at the mall, standing in the bushes outside of his house, her eyes empty and hollow without any trace of recognition. Each time Anna appears the athame comes to life, a warning beacon making Cas aware of her presence. He feels Anna calling to him, if only he could hear what she wants. Seeking help from Thomas's voodoo grandfather Morfran leads them to a woman who may be able to help them reach Anna, but not without warning. When Cas is tipped off about a ghost who burns his victims, he never expected to see Anna. Disposing of the ghost isn't easy without being burnt, but when Anna floats across the floor towards the furnace, ignoring everything around her and climbs in, Cas will be lucky to escape alive.
Cas can't take much more, Anna floating in and out of his life, haunting him, she doesn't speak and doesn't acknowledge Cas. Both Gideon and Morfran both warn that it isn't possible, Anna can't return and that Cas has no business searching for answers... But what is Gideon not telling him? Anna is being tortured and Cas can see that wherever she is, she's hurting and cannot escape. As a last attempt, Thomas and Cas visit Riika, a Finnish witch that may be able to help. Cas has doubts, considering Anna's own mother Malvina was also a Finnish witch. Her own mother cursing Anna and binding her to her house, after her mother brutally cut her throat. Rikka confirms that Anna has been present in Cas's life and the secret to freeing her is through the athame.
When Cas is finally able to contract Anna through an ancient ritual, finally learning where the was sent... And who is there with her. She lives in the dimension with her bones being broken, burnt, cut and killed over and over again. But when she finally speaks to Cas, he knows he'll walk through fire to reach her... And he just may have to.
After receiving a photograph sent from London, robed beings at an alter with identical knives to Cas's Athame, calling themselves the Order of the Biodag Dubh, or Black Dagger. His only hope is Gideon, and Thomas and Cas fly to London on a whim to catch him by surprise. But they didn't expected to be accosted by Jestine, a young fiery witch with a story to tell. Gideon is hell bent on sending the two boys home, but the moment they arrived, his father's oldest friend's hands were tied. Cas's life is now in the hands of the Order of the Black Dagger. But just how far will he go to save the dead girl he can't imagine his life without?
Girl Of Nightmares is the second installment in the Anna Dressed in Blood series. After Anna saved the lives of Cas, Thomas and Carmel, no one knows what happened to her, but Cas is determined to give Anna her happy ending. Sadly, Girl of Nightmares didn't live up to the hype for me, it was good, but not as poetic as the original. The original was mesmerising and almost magically, mixed with the horror and gore, it made for an incredible read. I think Anna's ending didn't need revisiting, but I can understand those readers that needed to know what had happened to her, and I'm in two minds whether I regret reading Girl Of Nightmares or not. It's only the storyline, not the actual writing. Kendare Blake is a master at creating a world where the reader is fully submerged, creative and unique. I'm really looking forward to her new release Anti Goddess, the premise sounds incredible.
Girl Of Nighmares
(Anna: Book Two)
Written By Kendare Blake
Published 07 / 03 / 2013
384 Pages
Written By Kendare Blake
Published 07 / 03 / 2013
384 Pages
Dark. Night. Death.
Things
Rowan has been trying to avoid for the many years since she was first
turned. Her choice: to sleep away the darkness; it beats having to deal
with the craziness of life. Or rather, death. However soon after
awakening, she stumbles upon a lone figure whose presence is shrouded
with mystery.
She assists him in his search for answers making it
even more difficult for Rowan to forget her past. She realizes she
can’t hide forever as she is literally being sucked back into her
chaotic world: a world where both fallen angels and vampires exist,
manifested on earth as lapsus and lamia.
Not particularly … Friendly with one another.
Rowan
struggles to resist her hunger as a demon vampire while dealing with
unwanted desires for a fallen angel from the past: a relationship that
could only spell trouble. Not to mention the unresolved feelings she
still has for a loved one from long ago.
While all of this is
happening, they must all seek the hidden evil that hunts them, for
there’s an ancient fighting to wake up and destroy everything Rowan
holds dear
It's been four years since Rowan left Fallon, dubbed the City of Fallen Angels due to the Lapsus that swarm the city, leaving Remy behind. Unable to come to terms with bringing death to his doorstep, the Lapsus not satisfied until the entire Lamia race has been wiped from existence. Rowan is a Lamia, a vampire or child of the night. Having been turned four years ago by the prestigious vampire Kaji. She's awoken from a self imposed slumber to quench her need to feed, only to find human Sam in a darkened alley, a warm corpse under the powerful lure of magic.
Rowan has no other choice, to leave Sam dying a slow death, or turn him. Sam can't remember the moments leading to his demise, or the supernatural force his body was so desperately trying to battle. Rowan is now responsible for Sam, as Kaji was once for her but left her to fend for herself. There is only one place she can take Sam to seek refuge, to the boy who once vowed to protect her, Remy, a Lapsus who's family have helped the Lamia for centuries.
But it seems there is a greater force at play. Ancient Lapsus Merrick, who had been snared and trapped, is now stirring, with the help of his fellow fallen angels who are following the ancient's orders. No doubt involving Sam. When a knock on the door announces the arrival of Dahlia, Sam's foster sister, the pieces seem to fall into place. Dahlia is a half breed, seemingly, the only one of her kind with a mixture of Lapsus and Lamia blood, making Dahlia a rare commodity, and Merrick's estranged daughter. Her potent blood part of the puzzle to facilitate Merrick's release. But Merrick isn't working alone.
Dahlia's half sister is forging the steps to ensure Merrick will rise again. Absorbing the ancient's power, she is unstoppable, and has Rowan in her sights. With power on her side, Rowan is no match for the all consuming magic and finds herself at the crossroads once again, her humanity draining from her body, struggling to fight another day. Only the return of Rowan's creator can save her existence, but will he reach her in time?
I love Rowan's character. She's a tough vampire, who battles each day with retaining her humanity. She's strong, sassy and her only weakness is the two men in her life, her creator Kaji and the magical Remy. She struggles with allowing herself to be happy, knowing that Remy harbors feelings that she feels she can't reciprocate, believing that he deserves a chance at a normal life, a life that Rowan could never provide. The reader will find themselves immersed in their banter and sexual tension.
Beautifully written with poetic passages, reminiscent of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series. Absolutely loved it and can only hope that Christina creates a Rowan spin off series, the feisty vampire deserves her own spotlight.
Rowan
(Blood Crave: Book Two)
Written By Christina Channelle
Published 26 / 04 / 2013
(Blood Crave: Book Two)
Written By Christina Channelle
Published 26 / 04 / 2013
305 Pages
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)