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In the near and distant future the Earth has been ravaged by mega storms and blistering heat tearing families apart and new communities to form. Some were lucky to get a place in safe enclosed society but most were left to survive on their own. Violence from weather and humans is always a threat and trust is a thing of the past. Readers jump back and forth in time and characters through several time periods focusing on tough women who push through to find those they loved and lost. It is a bleak future that might make you want to brush up on your survival skills. I listened to the audiobook and while it takes some time to acclimate to all the time and character jumps the author's writing and narration is riveting. 4 stars 
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Two soul sisters are joined by ancient magic that allowed them to transform their snake bodies into human ones. They have existed in this state for a thousand years but have not lived in the same place for much of that time. Su lives in Singapore and is the dutiful wife of a government minister while Emerald lives the wild life slithering between sugar daddies in New York City. Even though they are ying and yang, oil and water and green and white snake they are as dangerous to each other as they are protective and Su rushes to Emerald's side when she is shot in New York. Bringing Emerald back to Su's orderly and placid life does not work for Emerald or for Su's husband Paul. Based on a Chinese folktale this is an interesting look at the horror of being yourself, freedom and family loyalty. While not quite a retelling of a fairy tale or completely a shapeshifting horror story it does offer both a scare and a cautionary message. 4 stars  I would have rated this higher but I was lost between the various realities which is on me. For an avid Murakami fan this would not be a problem. A teenage boys falls in love over time with a girl who tells him that her "real" self is in a walled city. When she disappears without a word he tries to find her in this other reality where people have no shadow and he becomes a dream reader. When that doesn't feel satisfying he goes back to the other reality where he eventually leaves his job and relocates in a remote town well outside of Tokyo. He works in a library there that is very quiet and spends most of his time with a ghost and the story circles back. Short chapters and simple prose keep the illusion of nothing feeling real or permanent (especially relationships). A love of libraries is clear but the two cities - shadows, ghosts and characters are wispy and hard to grasp. 4 stars  A beloved children's book seen through the eyes of an unlikely character - Toto. When Toto and Dorothy land in OZ killing the witch it turns them both into heroes of sorts but also sets off a sibling war. The crooked wizard snags Dorothy into doing his evil business with the promise of getting them home and Toto leads a small revolution of his own among the animals in OZ. We see OZ in a different shade of green with the familiar and new characters added to the storyline. Wonderfully witty with normally "good boy" Toto acting out and putting on his "bad dog" fur to protect his human and his new friends from dirty dealings in OZ. The transition of bit player animals to the main stage worked well for me but I wish the ending had more punch. 4 fun stars  An accidental car crash transports pro hockey star Tucker Taylor back in time to Regency England. Luckily he is rescued by a very open minded and modern Lizzy who sees Tuck as a way out. Lizzy is in the market for a quick marriage to a husband who will not be around long making her a widow with independence instead of being auctioned off on the marriage market. What they don't count on is an attraction neither of them can ignore - marriage of convenience or not. Tuck wants to go back to his time and Lizzy doesn't want a husband controlling her life right? Add to this Regency romp the not yet famous Jane Austen along with a carriage full of spice and sizzle and you have a clever historical tale of modern romance. While the time travel science seems a bit loosey goosey the love scenes will leave Bridgerton fans weak in the knees. 4 stars  Bristol and her sisters have led a nomadic life without knowing why but now that their parents both gone she steps up to take care of her sisters. She strikes a bargain with an unusual group to find and close a portal and in exchange they offer her much needed money and will help her find her missing father. What Bristol is unaware of is that the deal she makes is with the fae and she goes into their world to find that she has more in common with them than she could have imagined. As she trains for a war that is surely coming and discovers her own power she falls for the king with secrets of his own. Great world building, a dangerous love affair, court politics and a smart woman who must confront the life and family she thought she knew with their true origins. Bristol is caught between worlds not knowing who to trust or where she belongs. I listened to the audiobook and it is brilliantly narrated. This will appeal to readers hungry for new worlds to explore with a healthy dose of love. 4 stars  Tao has her trusted mule to share the long miles while she travels from small town to the next as a fortune teller. She doesn't stay in one town too long as she is a stranger not wanting to bond with anyone or tell too big of a fortune. When she meets a pair of men who are searching for the kidnapped little girl of one of them they agree to travel together. Along the way she picks up another stray baker to be who yearns for adventure and a fresh start. Tao soon realizes that friends make the journey sweeter even if it adds more attention to herself. A cozy fantasy with a touch of magic that will appeal to fans of Travis Baldree or Patrick Rothfuss. 4 stars  A clever mix of fantasy and historical fiction set in 1930's America. Velma is a skilled aviatrix as well as a former bootlegger and detective of sorts. She leaves the daredevil show along with an annoying reporter and switches to a detective hat in search of a strange machine that is wreaking havoc. The relationship between Velma and the reporter goes from irritation to much more and I enjoyed the dialogue between them but I did get a bit lost with all the side characters. This is billed as a standalone but is part of a series so that could be where the backstory for much of this has already been ironed out in a previous book. The energy level is kept high between Velma using her magic, escaping near death, flying and a bit of romance. There is a distinct Agatha Christie vibe especially at the end that is sure to please old fashioned murder mystery readers. 4 stars  Scoina has just been admitted as the first woman to attend the University where she will graduate as a Highmage. She has been tasked with creating spells to map pockets of energy which is used to power her city. These pockets of energy are found in the barren Otherrealm and Scoina has been taught that what the mages do is essential for the survival of all. She is given an assistant (whose job had been as a janitor) as a hazing joke by her male students but she decides to keep Thomil . He is one of a vanishing tribe who has escaped the Otherrealm just scraping by to survive and Scoina is naive. Their viewpoints are vastly different but begin to agree that something doesn't fit with the teachings of the Highmages. Armed with this new information Scoina is determined to right a great injustice at great danger to herself. The author weaves in a new world where religion and politics feel all too familiar. The storyline moves quickly and had a surprising ending. Perfect for young adult and adult fantasy lovers with a handy glossary I wish I had spied before finishing the book. I would imagine this is the start of a new series. 4 stars  A cozy story laced with family stories, myth and magic handed down through generations, a little bit of romance and the many ways emotion and fear can get in the way of happiness. Carrie has returned to Woodsmoke after a hasty exit a decade earlier. She isn't there to stay only to fix up her grandmother's cottage and sell it before moving on again. Generations of the mountain women have passed on stories and making her family sought out and cursed for their spells and magic which doesn't make her homecoming any easier nor does the fact that her great aunt is hoping to pass the book onto her. Carrie meets a mysterious mountain man who helps her fix up the cottage but her great aunt is convinced he is part of a curse and Carrie has given her heart to a ghost. This story has all the elements of family and small town drama mixed with the pull of going home and superstitions of the mountain folk. Readers of magical realism authors like Adrienne Young, Alice Hoffman and OTHER BIRDS by Sarah Addison Allen will enjoy this. 4 stars  |
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