A Viking fantasy high adventure with a female hero. We are all used to the Viking stories that center around the men who ventured out in longboats conquering new lands but this story features Freya who has been blessed by the gods which means she is now a pawn to be used, captured or killed by those men in power who always want more power. To protect her family and her land she marries a fanatical jarl and for as long as she does what he wants (basically kill , don't get killed and help him take over the entire region) her family will be kept alive. She has been blessed with magical powers and it has been foretold that she will be the one to unite the kingdoms. Flanked by her protector, the jarl's son Bjorn who also has magical powers, she feels both safe and uneasy by their mutual attraction. There are horrific battle scenes, political intrigue and forbidden love between Freya and Bjorn. This is a great start to a new series that will appeal to everyone who misses THE VIKINGS and wants non stop action with a strong female warrior and a steamy love story to boot. 4 stars
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In Sixteenth century Mexico the Spaniards have firm control and have killed off and forced the remaining indigenous people to the jungle or servitude. Lady Leonora is of nobility and she has been promised to the prince of Spain but what others don't know is that she is also the masked warrior known as Pantera and is actively fighting for justice against the Spanish. A fierce warrior who has been cursed with an early death but blessed with magic and the ability to shape shift into a panther, Leonora must keep her identity a secret and get information to her people living in the jungles of Snake Mountain. She is drawn to a mysterious captain/pirate who makes it difficult to know who is an ally and who is a distraction. This is a different kind of Zorro story with a fierce female warrior at its center, non stop action and fascinating MesoAmerican mythology. There is a lot going on here but I enjoyed this unique debut that felt like Rick Riordan for adults. 3 1/2 stars
A young bookseller is given a strange book by an older long time customer who passes away. Cassie isn't sure of what to make of The Book of Doors or why he gave it to her but she and her roommate discover it is magical and gives the owner the ability to step through whatever door they imagine. Cassie travels in and out of time and all over the globe but soon a dark violent woman is after her to get her hands on that and all the magical books. Cassie along with the help of the owners of other magical books must work together to rid the world of the hunter. Easier said than done and it makes for a fantastic romp through time and space with danger at their heels. Fans of THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY, THE WISHING GAME and all those books about magical books will seek this debut out. 4 1/2 stars
Laura, Daniel and Mo are presumed dead but suddenly return to be greeted by their old high school teacher who gives them an interesting proposition - if they can complete a series of magical quests they will be allowed to stay with the living. Not all will make it and there are a handful of supernatural creatures that want to make sure none of them succeed. Laura, Laura's sister Susannah and Daniel have been best friends and more for a long time. Susannah has been lost without them but is equally unsure how to deal with them back. Mo comes back to an empty house where his only family, his grandmother, passed away while he was gone. This book has a hefty page count and a rambling style that pulls in some many different examples of love, loss and magic. It explores the unshakeable bond of sisters, friendship, love and the trials and tribulations of growing up with a smattering of horror and violence. This will appeal to fans of her short stories and readers of the unusual, early Stephen King and PIRANESI. 3 1/2 stars
A murder mystery coupled with the Chinese mythology surrounding foxes and fox gods. A private detective is hired to solve the identity of a woman who froze to death with a smile on her face. He is pulled into the case much longer than necessary due to the connection of other mysterious deaths and missing people and fox gods being hinted as the culprits. Meanwhile Snow, who is a fox disguised as a woman is searching for the man who is responsible for her child's death. She ends up as a companion to an elderly woman who also has a fascination with foxes. Told in the halting soft cadence of a Chinese fairy tale it is mesmerizing in audiobook format. An ancient tale that you almost wish was true full of animal spirits, longing and revenge. 4 stars
The horrors of war and the yearning for human connection drive two unlikely men together - one Canadian and one German trapped in a foxhole depending on only each other to survive. Meanwhile, back at home Laura receives word that her brother Freddie is missing and presumed dead she goes back to the front to find him. She is a skilled war nurse and has already been wounded but nothing prepares her for the current horror at the front line. She meets a strange violin playing hotelier Faland whose gift of helping others see what they want to see comes at a high price. Laura will do anything to find and help her brother and free others caught up in Faland's allure. Battlefield shock and the extreme violence of a brutal war makes it hard to see the good guys from the bad guys and gives way to ghosts, nightmares and perhaps selling your soul to the devil to find peace. A vivid portrayal of WWI staged beautifully in a hellish setting that reads like a cautionary fairy tale. 4 stars An immortal love story and a search to find yourself. Ricki leaves her very successful but stressful family in Atlanta for Harlem where she falls straight into the arms of a mysterious stranger. Ricki's fairy grandmother has helped her realize her dream of opening a flower shop and its success is everything so she doesn't need the distraction that Ezra presents every time he appears wherever she is. They play a cat and mouse game but secretly we know that they are soulmates. Ezra also knows that he wants Ricki and she is the one person he can't have. The beauty and colorful history of Harlem in its golden age combined with the very real problem of curses, steamy love scenes and witty dialogue will have readers swooning and rooting for Ricki. Readers of MIDNIGHT LIBRARY, Pete Hamill's FOREVER and ill-fated love stories will fall heavily for this. 4 1/2 stars
If it seems too good to be true it usually is. Kate and Tommy leave their friends, family and cozy life behind to live in a small town in Sicily. It happens to be where Tommy's dad grew up and where his grandparents still live made better by a deal that allows them to buy a house for 1 Euro. At the last minute they are upgraded to a huge house which needs work and may have a couple of creepy rooms but is perfect for their dream to become reality. Soon however they find their Sicilian "home sweet home" was once a home for possessed people and the priests who attempted to exorcise them including the catacombs where hundreds lay entombed. A tourist attraction or their own private Hell - this is one haunted house you want nothing to do with. For fans of THE SHINING and Dan Brown's religious mythology thrillers. 4 stars We have wiped out every elephant on the the planet thanks to the insatiable thirst for ivory. Once the leading expert on elephants thought she could save them from poachers until she was murdered but now she may get another chance. It is the future and a group of scientists have brought back the mighty mastodon but the herd is struggling so they insert the mind of the scientist who tried to save them before so she can teach them how to survive in Siberia. Damira not only teaches them how to be a herd but will take them to new heights of retribution that the humans are not prepared for. This slim novel is poetic justice for wild animals in danger of extinction brought to life in a sci fi thriller. Anyone who has admired the beauty and gentle intelligence of elephants will inhale this in one sitting. 4 stars
On the coast of South Africa there is a house, once grand and now crumbling, home to a diverse group of haunted people and a djinn. The Doctor leases out rooms to Sana and her dad. As the only young person in the house Sana keeps to herself but soon begins to explore and when she finds a diary of a past inhabitant she finds herself drawn into secrets the house has tried to hide for decades. Driven by her own ghosts Sana becomes obsessed with the mystery of the journal's owner and her life at the house stirring up emotions long buried and mournful ghosts unseen. A tale full dichotomies- of loss and great love, of tragedy and joy and of guilt and forgiveness. Beautifully crafted, the melodic writing pulls you under the spell of the lost souls of the house. Fans of gothic haunted houses filled with tortured souls that always seem to be by the sea will enjoy this. 4 1/2 stars |
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