Wayward Bookshelf

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang This book has some great themes that sold me on wanting to read it. Lin Chong is an arms instructor who gets targeted when a powerful man decides she'd be better off dead. Her options are to die, or to run from the law and its corruption. As an outcast herself, she reluctantly begins to understand what drives the bandits who live at the margins of the Empire. She is recruited by them, and a story of stubbornly trying to right injustice and claw their way to a more equal society unfolds. It's a tale of anti-heroes becoming legends. Some elements that I particularly enjoyed were the alchemy and the scholar's skills that explored super-human capabilities in fighting and channeling power. I also found the camaraderie and intense loyalty between the bandits to be compelling, as well as all the detail in their governance and operation. The characters surrounding Lin Chong were vibrant and complicated, and there was a good amount of growth and cha

Calamity by Constance Fay I was ready for something lighter, and this book was just the thing! It's a romp in space following a found-family type crew who get hired for a scouting mission, and it doesn't turn out to be quite as straight-forward as expected. I enjoyed the mash-up of Science Fiction and Romance, and found myself really flying through the book. The plot starts right in with action, and the pace pretty much keeps up all the way through, making this a pretty fast-paced read. The characters aren't terribly deep, but they're mostly likable types as we get to know them. The main character, Temperance Reed, has been knocked down by life a few times and copes by being snarky, self-deprecating, a little reckless, and fiercely protective of her crew. Sometimes this comes off as insecurity or incompetence, but I have to say I kinda liked her for it. The world has some definite political dynamics in play, and I thought it worked to add some intrigue to the story. A

Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire The reviews get harder to keep spoiler free the further into a series we get. But I'll do my best! Things I liked: This book is from the perspective of Mary Dunlavy, the ghost babysitter who has helped raise 3 generations of the Price family, and that combined with her ability to bounce between family members who call her, means she is uniquely placed to be a very effective narrator for this book and the events unfolding in it. McGuire continues to handle big emotions and hard conversations between her characters with her signature pragmatism and insight that I find to be so effective. And that's especially important since there are a lot of big feelings in this one. Things I didn't like as much: Mostly that this was just a heavier book. Things ramp up with the Covenant in a big way, and this read was definitely not as fun or light-hearted as some other Incryptid books have felt. That doesn't mean it's not an excellent book,

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst My rating: 4 of 5 stars Spellshop is a very cozy read that hit all of the right cozy fantasy beats: leaving an old life behind, starting over somewhere new, finding a community and a purpose within it, and a little no-spice romance. Bonus points for a sentient spider plant, bookish characters, mermaids, and a few other pretty cool magical elements. I did struggle initially with the main character's insular attitude towards other people, but she has a decent growth arc. So if you find yourself rolling your eyes at her at the beginning, I'd say to stick with it knowing she's going somewhere. And it's arguable that her frame of mind at the beginning does have a function in keeping the tone of the story lighter, because there are some rather high stakes things happening in the larger world, but her world view keeps our focus pretty small with everything else being more in the background. This was an easy read, and cozy cottagecore is an

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow This was such a wonderful read! It's been a minute since I sunk into a gothic novel, and this was just a lot of fun to spend time with. It was very gothic, a little gritty, and a little romantic. Starling House is a somewhat sentient old manor that sits on the edge of a bad luck town. It's only occupant, Arthur, is a bit of a recluse. Rumors about the house have swirled around for years, and the truth might still be in them somewhere. Opal has always felt drawn to the house. And that's where our story begins. The setting of Eden, Kentucky is so well done, you can almost taste the pollution from the local power plant, and feel the miasma of bad luck that has settled over the town. Opal is fierce, tough, has never felt quite at home, and is still learning how to trust the people who have cared for her. Arthur has been carrying too much for too long, he's resolute, and very broken. I loved them both as soon as they appeared on the page. T

Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr I fully expected to love this book from the description and the fact that I've really enjoyed a lot of Melissa Marr's work. But I didn't. I think the issue was partly the marketing text and vibe of the cover did not match the book at all. So I'd say there's definitely a bit of a marketing mix up here that's probably not entirely on the author. If you're looking at this and thinking it will be a cozy, sapphic fantasy with just enough stakes to make it interesting (like I did), don't read it. If you're looking at this and seeing a fully complicated world with an ensemble cast of rather flat, morally ambiguous characters who are not always making good decisions as they try to solve problems out of their control, then you'll have a better chance of enjoying it. My other big issue was that there was a major bait-and-switch cliffhanger right at the end that was chock-full of coercion and consent issues due to the nature

Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace  & S.O. Callahan I was highly anticipating this book, and it absolutely met my expectations! I've read solo works by both Wallace & Callahan, and was very interested in seeing what they came up with working together. The result is an alternate regency era London in which the fae and humans live alongside one another cordially, though not yet entirely integrated as one society. Our MC's are perfectly flawed individuals, each in their own way, and I couldn't help but root for them, and the way they learn to really see each other during one whirlwind of a London season. I also enjoyed the cozy academic vibes, and the discussions on the difference in the fae and human magic systems at play. I also really appreciated how the writers managed to create a world with some built in inequality, and then very thoughtfully found ways for our characters to be aware of it and try to address it in the course of the story, all while k

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett I really loved the first book, but I think I might've enjoyed this one even more. This book takes Emily and Wendell to the Alps, where the veil between the fae and human worlds is thin, in search of answers to some pretty old questions. Wendell is, as expected, surprisingly useful at seemingly useless things, while Emily is grumpy, academic, and frighteningly efficient. Their banter is excellent in this book, and I do think that's what pushed it just over the top in being my favorite of the two thus far. In addition to Emily & Wendell, we also have Emily's niece and one of her senior professors from Cambridge along on the expedition and they serve to both liven things up and complicate them in entertaining ways. This book gives us lots of cozy academic moments with stacks of research, and lively discussions over cups of tea, as well as a healthy dose of adventuring in the wilds the solve mysteries and make dis

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire While I enjoyed this book, I think it's important to note that it certainly feels like more of a connecting story in a longer saga than a standalone story. My sense is that we're laying groundwork for some big things to come. I have certainly learned to trust McGuire with long plot lines, and sometimes we just need a story to get us from A to B (or in this case A to E via Y, because the Doors are complicated). This is one of those stories. Antsy's ability to see the Doors is a coveted skill at the School for Wayward Children, and before we know it circumstances have the usual suspects plus Antsy bouncing through various Doors. We see some old faces and new ones on the way, and just maybe set a thing or two right in the process. A couple storylines are tied off and a few questions answered. But the real strength of what I call the Quest books in this series (where the whole crew goes off together) is in seeing how the children

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree This book was an absolute delight to read. We first met Viv in Legends & Lattes, and now we get to spend time with her again at a much earlier point in her adventuring career when, due to an injury, she's got to stay put in a little seaside town called Murk while she heals up. While she's there, she can't help getting to know some of the local folks and get just a little involved in their concerns. Baldree does such a wonderful job writing characters that are lovable folks you can't help but root for. I especially love how proactive Viv is when she gets an idea and just jumps right in to make it happen. And while there are just enough stakes to keep the story interesting, and a couple spooky touches that make this an excellent autumn read, this book still falls very much into the cozy fantasy vibe complete with cozy reading nooks, tantalizing baked goods and everyday folks supporting each other doing everyday things. Thi

Under the Smokestrewn Sky by A. Deborah Baker This is the fourth and final book in the Up and Under series, and what a journey it's been. I love reading books based in folklore and faery tale, and Baker/McGuire is so very adept at weaving new tales from these ancient ideas. In the Up and Under series (and the Alchemical Journeys by association) the main mythos at play is that of the Winter King and Summer Queen who are supposed balance each other perfectly as the wheel of the year turns, but as we all know, sometimes things can get out of balance, and that is where the stories come from. (Funnily enough, I have also just finished Terry Pratchett's Wintersmith , which features the same lore in a big way, so clearly this sort of thing is right up my reading alley) In the first book of this series, Over the Woodward Wall , Avery and Zib climb an unexpected wall in the middle of a road and find themselves in an entirely different world. The rest of the tale is their journey to tr

Divinity 36 by Gail Carriger I loved this book, for so many reasons. The alien landscape and peoples are unique, and at the same time the characters are real, diverse, and relatable. There are moments that are very clever, and others that are thoughtful. I can't think of a good way to give a sum-up of the premise and why it works so well without spoiling things, because this is a book that feels like more than the sum of its parts. The world is intriguing, the characters are great, the premise is entertaining, and all together, it's a delightful read. I can't wait until the next one comes out, thankfully Ms. Carriger is releasing these really close together! I had read Crudrat before reading this, so I did know the universe, and had a bit of background about why our main character, Phex, is who and how he is. That said, you don't need to read Crudrat first. Divinity 36 stands well on its own as the first in this Tinkered Starsong series, and Phex's background is

The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire First of all, I don't usually do star ratings on here, but this book gets stars, so many stars, all the stars. Book 17, Sleep No More , takes place at the same time as this one but with October as our usual point of view for the series. THIS book, released just a month later, shows us Tybalt's point of view on those same events, and it is so incredibly good. I read it in a day, I was laughing and crying. I've loved Tybalt pretty much since day 1, so a whole book from the perspective of my favorite Cait Sidhe was like Christmas came early. We've seen in past books that October is one of Tybalt's vulnerabilities. We've also seen that Faerie can be unkind to shapeshifters. Both of those get put into play in big ways, and Tybalt has to assemble a ragtag bunch of allies to try and put things back to right while fulfilling his duties to the Court of Cats. We get to see him be clever, compassionate, responsible, fragile, angry (so

Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire After the ending of book 16, October Daye fans were on tenterhooks for Sleep No More. It's been a long road with a LOT of world building and connecting threads for McGuire to get us here. And I think it's pretty amazing how she can continue to throw us something we didn't see coming. Without getting into spoiler-y specifics, one thing that I was particularly intrigued by are the relationships forged between several different characters who had never really had a chance to get to know each other previously. They open up lots of new layers and possibilities for future books. McGuire's characters have always felt very real, they have real tensions and real difficulties and real ways of working through them even though they're usually in the midst of a stressful and chaotic plot. I've always loved her ability to balance the heroic adventures with the mundane, and this particular book forges some alliances out of necessity that are q

Dear Bartleby by Sarah Wallace One of the things I've enjoyed about Wallace's Meddle & Mend series (and there are a lot of things I love about these books) is that she explores different narrative formats and voices. The first book,  Letters to Half Moon Street , is epistolary, then we got a couple with regular prose, and now Dear Bartleby is in a journal format. I don't think I've actually read a book with this type of narrative voice in 15 or more years. And I was honestly surprised to find how much I still enjoyed it! Because regardless of the narrative style she chooses, Wallace has created wonderful characters that you can't help but root for. So, Dear Bartleby is the story of Seb, a wayward prankster whose been kicked out of secondary school, and ends up being sent to live with his brother Gavin, and a whole flock of well-meaning siblings, in-laws and friends in Tutting-On-Cress, who are just older enough to help set him straight and still young enough t