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A diviner who along with several other young orphan women predict the future after drinking from enchanted waters but no one can predict that she would be left as all the diviners go missing and Six begins to question everything she has ever been told. Six heads out with her trusty gargoyle in company with a king and his knights to find them. One knight in particular rubs Six the wrong way and the right way. A snarky gargoyle and the camaraderie of the knights and boy king add a bright spot to a journey filled with peril. Perfect narration in the audiobook that delivered just the right balance of mystery, danger and a spark of romance. Medieval in nature but uniquely original ,this is one beautifully imagined world. 4 stars 
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Happy book birthday to THE BACHELORETTE PARTY by Camilla Stein Dark noir involving a missing girls cold case and the young podcaster who goes on a one woman crusade to solve what happened during a bachelorette party she is attending. Here is the problem with trying to solve a murder that happened on a remote island when you are also on that same remote island - you can get trapped. A fun weekend celebrating with old friends leads to some gruesome results. The audiobook was intense and interesting but don't listen or read this on an island vacation before having an exit strategy. 3 1/2 stars  A dark tale of three women connected by a curse and blood through time. Sometimes as lovers, sometimes as killers but all feral roses of the midnight soil. A young woman seeks a way out of an arranged marriage only to find the strange widow with the solution. The price is high and that is what continues on. A captivating love story, historical connection of trapped women seeking independence and finding love in another's kiss of death. V. E. Schwab is a first rate storyteller able to turn vicious vampires into tragic wanderers doomed to live forever without really living a life. This will appeal to readers of THE HISTORIAN and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles in addition to Schwab's many fans. Didn't want it to end! 5 stars  Wendy and Thom are married. Wendy wants to kill Thom either out of boredom or fear that he will let their secrets come to light. We start with a little shove and work our way back through their roller coaster past. An intense Hitchcock-like storyline with strange little twists that Peter Swanson is famous for. If you don't like having to work to solve the mystery then this is not for you but if you enjoy fully engaging down the rabbit hole of subtle clues then this is your kind of book. Be prepared to not like any of the characters. It reminded me of a dark version of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? and very easy to visualize through the eyes of Alfred Hitchcock. 4 stars   Rhys is a recluse living like Thoreau on Walden's pond. He is living off the grid in a self induced punishment for not fitting into society or his family any more. No one is more surprised than Rhys when a woman shows up at his door with his grand daughters in tow and tells him their mother said to bring them to him while she is gone. The kid's father has joined a gun-toting religious extremist group who come to take the kids. With the help of a few old friends and bridges he hasn't yet burned, Rhys aims to get his grandkids back and find their mom. It feels like an old western where the broken down do gooder takes on the powerful bad guys in a fight he is sure to lose. At the same time it is a touching family story of forgiveness and apologies long overdue. Fans of Willy Vlautin and Tana French's THE HUNTER will enjoy this flawed yet redeemable character. 4 1/2 stars Sisters Rei and Kiki join to support their popstar sister Ai who is being publicly shunned over a scandal. They whisk her away to their childhood home to heal, hide and pester their great grandmother. Over the summer they will unleash old memories and create new ones for Kiki's five year old son as well as reconnect as siblings. A beautiful story of sisters, memory and human frailty. I did enjoy the subtle differences between cultures for example more interactions with multiple generations but this story transcends culture and time. Readers of Ann Napolitano and REAL AMERICANS by Rachel Khong will enjoy the family dynamics. 4 stars  A sleepy village on the English coast is the scene of a strange murder scene. The victim is found in the middle of the road naked with deer antlers glued to his head. The police begin investigating and even though one of the detectives grew up in the village the community closes up and being an insider doesn't offer much help in finding the killer. As loose threads get pulled and an unlikely source offers help secrets begin to unravel to a surprising ending. Fans of Broadchurch and other British police procedurals will enjoy this as will readers of Tana French. 4 stars  Happy book birthday to THE GREAT MANN by Kyra Davis Lurie A retelling of Fitzgerald's GREAT GATSBY told in a new voice and focusing on a very different group of people. This story takes place in the 1940's where Charlie returns from the war and heads to Los Angeles on an invitation from his cousin. She and the black families who live in the Sugar Hill neighborhood are living the American Dream - successful and able to afford nice cars, clothes and a beautiful home. But not all of Sugar Hill wants them there and the white homeowners are going to court to take everything from them. For Charlie this life is night and day from the world he and his cousin had growing up in the south and he is enjoying his newfound success. He makes friends with a mysterious man nicknamed "Reaper" who has his sights on Charlie's cousin. The thread of the original tale are here - new money, status, adultery there is the added layer of racial inequality, a court battle that has been largely overlooked and cameos of some of the more famous Sugar Hill residents. Exquisite writing that packs an emotional punch- the author has laid the American Dream, search for justice and morality at the reader's feet. 4 1/2 stars  Twin sisters share a love of all things Egyptian like their collector father and for one sister it becomes a lifelong passion. When a bad omen is discovered during the unwrapping of a mummy Clemmie fears that they have brought a curse down on their family. As tragedy does fall upon the household Clemmie knows she must travel to Egypt and return the treasure back to its rightful place. The beauty of the Nile is perfect for armchair travel as is the Victorian fascination with ancient mummies and their lack of concern over the decimation of ancient burial grounds and illegal antiquities. Even though the Egyptian myths and their connections to the sisters can feel at times as muddy as the Nile, the constant danger and intrigue adds wind to the ship's sails especially in the last third of the book. Clearly Victorian British society thinking but balanced with the addition of refreshing Egyptian characters. 3 1/2 stars  Happy book birthday to THE FIRE CONCERTO by Sarah Landenwich Clara is a bartender in Austin which is a far cry from her early years as a musical prodigy pianist. A fire took that all away. Her old mentor dies leaving Clara a metronome with a mysterious past and once again she is pulled back to the world of the concert stage and ambition that she once escaped. As she tries to solve the metronome's origins she will also come to terms with her own family legacy. Historical fiction that shows the hidden history of female brilliance as well as a mystery that some don't want solved. This does for classical musicians what Dan Brown's books did for religious art treasures. Fans of Brendan Slocumb's classical music mysteries will enjoy. 4 stars  |
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