Wayward Bookshelf

A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber A Certain Kind of Starlight is cozy magical realism with lots of talk of baking, family, and finding our way back to who we want to be. The baking tips that precede each chapter were great, the tone was in the voice of the characters, but the advice would serve the reader in their own kitchen. Those tips might have actually been my favorite detail of the book! I picked this title up because I enjoyed Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, and was interested in trying more from the author. This was one very similar. Probably a little too similar to my taste if I'm honest. I definitely like the general themes of family, community, and coming back to oneself, but could've done with more novelty in the details between the two books. The protagonists also have to make several leaps in logic to tie up remaining threads for the reader at the end. This could've been done more convincingly and gradually for a more effective reveal. That said,...

A Long and Speaking Silence by Nghi Vo Starting off with something mundane that I really enjoyed, one thread that has run through all of the Singing Hills books is excellent descriptions of food. If I don't have snacks with me while reading one of these, I will have to go get some, because they make me hungry! This book has an extra dose of that since Chi is spending lots of time in and around a restaurant. Readers who likes to know what the characters are eating will love this one. This installment finds Chi in a port town that has received several waves of immigrants over its history, and the tale takes a close at the displaced peoples and how they are received. The tensions explored were palpable, and Chi has to decide whether to remain an observer or take action in the midst of it. One curious thing was that, for me at least, this tale felt like it took place earlier in Chi's story than previous books. They felt younger and less experienced, and their neixin seemed younge...

Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst The third installment in the Spellshop series follows Marin, a supply runner who sails throughout the Crescent Islands, as her regular routes becomes more fraught in the aftermath of the uprising at the capitol city. Marin enjoys a life of solitude onboard her boat, with her only constant companion being a sea serpent named Perri, and a smattering of friendly acquaintances along their routes. Things I really liked: Perri was my absolute favorite character! Closely followed by Ree. The world building of the Crescent Islands really expanded since we were able to travel around with Marin's ship. Lots of new magical animals, mostly cozy, but some are admittedly a little more intimidating. The tension, upheaval, and recovery in the capitol was explored more with Marin making occasional visits there to deliver messages. The theme of finding your crew, and allowing oneself to be known and loved is always worth reading. Ree (sentient shrub from The Encha...

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow What an excellent read!  I loved how the story unfolded the deeper in it went, and so many of the components hit the mark: The groundhog-day-esque time travel aspect is really well done. Harrow has once again (a la Starling House ) created anti-heroes in Owen and Una that you end up rooting for so desperately. An excellent villain. Smart, ruthless, and a step ahead. For a book that moves through a huge span of time and place, the storytelling is focused and doesn't lose hold of the thread.  Compelling magic, including mysteries about why artifacts work the way they do.  When I finished reading and tried to think of a quick way to describe the book I came up with 'Fforde's Eyre Affair meets Arthurian Legen with a splash of Orwell's 1984.' That doesn't capture it entirely, because the characters come alive more than either of those, but there's a certain bleakness and absurdity that put those other titles in my mind. There a...

Cleaning Spells Before Courtship by Sarah Wallace Sage Ravenwing has a bit of a reputation. Yes, that kind, but also for sometimes being a bit mean. And to be fair, both are probably well earned. BUT that's not all there is to his story, and in the final Fae & Human relations book, we get to see some of what's been going on behind his facade. The setting is a weeks long house party in the English countryside where the Wrenwhistles have invited all of their closest friends, plus Sage hoping for a redemption arc, to spend the off-season away from London. There is a lot of silliness, and a lot of very 'in love' folks from the earlier books. In the background, the council is still looking for one more human member to balance out the numbers as society works to integrate Fae & Human folks. And to top it all off, an unexpected guest unintentionally crashes the house party bringing up a lot of questions and maybe a few answers. This installment was different from the...

A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo Just as a fair warning, this book went darker than I'd expected. The Singing Hills books haven't all been sunshine and rainbows, but this one was definitely grim. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, so I'll just say there could be trigger warnings for starvation and the types of decisions starving folks might make. With that out of the way, this is a thought-provoking and haunting book, and it was really a good read, if not always an easy one. Chi finds themselves in a town famous for a particular pork dish, and goes in search of stories of the region's food history. And things start to get interesting when some would prefer that certain histories stay hidden. Nghi Vo is an excellent storyteller, and does really well with these novella length snippets of legend and lore. I enjoy reading the Singing Hills books so much, and Mouthful of Dust is a moving new installment in the series.

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz This book was so much fun! It's cozy and real while still being in a magical world. Meet Violet Thistlewaite - a recovering evil witch who is determined to do good and starts by opening a plant shop in a small town. I love cozy reads that have really good community in them, and this book does that so well. The townsfolk who surround the main characters and provide lots of color to the story are wonderful and so well done. There's teamwork and problem solving that embraces the wide variety of skills the different folks have. It's great. I also really like Nathaniel and Violet as our main characters! It's definitely a bit of a grumpy x sunshine, and it works. They're both carrying their own burdens and the perspective they gain from getting to know each other helps them move forward. If you like plants, magic, and community in your cozy romance, this one is worth checking out!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab I really wanted to love this book, I've really loved most everything else I've read by VE Schwab, but on this one I've landed in the 'maybe it just wasn't for me' camp. That said, it wasn't an unenjoyable read, and there's some really beautiful prose. It's just so similar in tone to some of her earlier works (particularly Addie La Rue), and the plot and characters just don't hold up in the inevitable comparison. This is a somewhat classic story of an older vampire turning a younger one and the two become an item through the centuries with a somewhat unequal power dynamic. I was hoping for a new take on the trope, or on vampires in general, because I think Schwab can be very good at monsters that lurk in the dark. This fell a little bit short of that hope. BUT if you like that old tried-and-true vampire story, this is a prime example of it by a writer who certainly has a way with words and knows...

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire Toby has recovered from the chaos that was books 17-18, and is getting ready to have her baby! . . .But of course, Toby's life as a knight and hero of the realm mean she's never left alone for very long, and she is recruited/ordered by Arden to investigate some shady stuff going on. It's not supposed to be very complicated or dangerous since everyone is aware she's super pregnant. And. . . let's just say it doesn't go to plan. I love that Toby now has a very deep bench of talented friends she can call on when she has to go on these quests, as well as some old nemesis that we can immediately dislike. THERE BE SPOILERS & PERSONAL STORIES AHEAD: * * * Trigger warning for birth trauma * * * So here's the thing about me reading this book in this particular year of my life. I had a traumatic birthing experience earlier this year, and long story short, after a couple very long days I delivered via an unplanned C-section. Read...

Shade Spells with Strangers by Sarah Wallace This is a book of two strangers, Keelan and Silas, who connect briefly, and then spend a while finding their way to each other again. If you like a healthy dose of yearning in your romance, you'll like this one! This title also continues to explore the nature of human and fae magic in the world that Wallace and Callahan have created, and that is probably my favorite part of these books. Shade Spells takes it to a whole new level with the recruitment of several fae-human individuals who test out the rubric developed by Roger et al in the earlier books. This makes for a fun ensemble cast of characters of varying likability, and I love the discussions on different raw vs prepared materials that go into performing the spells, and how a preference for fae or human magic can affect the effectiveness of different elements. It's a very methodical magic system, well thought out, and lots of fun to read. Fans of cozy fantasy romances or deta...

Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuire Installment Immortality has us continuing to follow ghostly babysitter, Mary Dunlavy, after the climactic events of book 13. The anima mundi has a job that Mary is specifically suited to, but she needs the help of a couple human family members to pull it off - so Archie and Elsie get to spend a little time in the series spotlight. I enjoyed that we got some different family members in the main action this time, and since Archie in particular is a bit of an ongoing loose thread in the series at present, I liked getting to spend more time with him and see how his situation is shaping up. With a ghost as our main character, this is ultimately a ghost story this time! Lots of hauntings, and the lore shared around the different types of ghosts made for some interesting moments as each type of ghost has a specific skill set associated with their classification. I liked this book, but I have to say I didn't LOVE it quite as much as I have some o...

Alchemy and a Cup of Tea by Rebecca Thorne I have to say I was happy to get my hands on an ARC of this one after the cliffhanger ending in book 3! (Thanks Netgalley!) In this one Kianthe & Reyna find that their roles as high-profile figures begins to catch up with the little slice of home they've carved out for themselves in Tawney. From kidnapping, conferring with dragons, and hunting down alchemists, to city planning and tourist crowd control, this book really has a little bit of everything. As these books have gone along, they have gotten decidedly less simple and cozy, but I guess that's true to life. As soon as we find something to settle into, something else comes along to shake us up. I really enjoy how the found family that began in book 1 has continued to grow in size and strength of bond. As well as the discussions on magic, it's origins, and uses. The scope of the book has it feeling a little scattered or less focused, as there are multiple pulls on Reyna a...

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree This third installment in the Legends & Lattes takes a bit of a detour from the cozy vibes only routine, and follows our favorite rattkin bookseller as she goes on a wandering quest in search of that missing something when her life as a bookseller starts to feel a little stale. The tale has a little of a T. Kingfisher flavor to it in my opinion, it's like following a party on a dungeons and dragons campaign with a small splash of horror, but still manages to contain lots of cozy moments around the campfire with humor and thoughtful conversations. I have loved the entire Legends and Lattes trilogy so far, and while this one was a little different with some more adventuring and higher stakes, it felt very true to Fern's character. I loved meeting Fern back in book 2, and was thrilled when she got to take the spotlight. I also really liked the new characters introduced, and was especially entertained by Zyll - the chaos goblin. Wh...

Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers I first read the Monk & Robot books as the individual novellas when they came out, and absolutely fell in love with them. The gentle hopefulness of an imagined future, and the meandering conversation about nature, life, meaning and everything along the way were so healing and charming. I gave copies of those books to so many friends, and recommended them right and left. They are a couple of my all-time favorites. So I was thrilled when they packaged the two novellas together in this lovely paperback edition! It makes them more affordable, and even easier to gift. Set in a world where, in the pre-story, AI became sentient and humanity actually did the decent thing by setting them free, in book 1 we follow a tea monk named Dex as they travel around visiting different communities, until they eventually feel pulled to try something a little different. In learning more about the world, and meeting some new characters along the way, we discover a lush ...

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst Admittedly I am in my cozy fantasy era, and I love to garden, so this book ticked ALL of the boxes for me: Lovable characters who do lots of gentle growth while finding their place in the world, plus gardening talk, sentient plants, and a magical greenhouse on a remote island. Sounds like the perfect place to escape the world, and this book is a lovely little literary getaway in its own right. The Enchanted Greenhouse is a companion follow up to The Spellshop , and while it works just as well as a stand-alone story, continuing readers can enjoy mentions of favorite characters from the first book. Like Spellshop, the Enchanted Greenhouse manages to be a gentle tale set during a time of general upheaval. It starts off with a bit of a dramatic bang, which might put readers off if they're hoping for cozy vibes only, but it does even out pretty quickly as the tale goes along so I'd say to stick with it. Because the real story is about w...