Wayward Bookshelf

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher I'll be honest, I liked this far more than I expected to! I generally enjoy T. Kingfisher's fairytale retellings, but I wasn't terribly excited by the Snow White premise until it became clear we had a unique perspective on the tale with Anja, a researcher of poisons and their antidotes, trying to solve the mystery of Snow's deteriorating health. Things I liked: Anja's enthusiasm for discovery was infectious A gradual romantic thread that didn't take center stage to the story Intriguing mirror magic A solid cast of characters, including a particularly sassy cat I don't usually stomach horror or suspense elements very well, but T. Kingfisher seems to be an exception to that rule, because her more grotesque creatures don't have me skipping pages. I couldn't tell you exactly why that is, but if you're a horror wimp like me, don't be put off! While it did take a minute for the book to gain momentum, I though...

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher I enjoyed a lot of details in the book, but the thing I loved most was our narrator. Thornhedge is a fairytale inspired by Sleeping Beauty, told from the perspective of the fairy who gives a gift to the princess on her christening day, and things don't go exactly to plan. Our fairy is named Toadling, and she is so gentle and humble and determined not to do any harm and to right her past mistakes. I just loved her. Other characters are not exactly what you'd expect from the original tale either, the princess and the knight in particular have also undergone intriguing changes in this retelling. This tale also turns the original quest on its head by asking the question, 'what if some curses aren't meant to be broken?'. When the knight discovers Toadling's brambly hedge, that question is put to the test. Thornhedge may be a quick read, but it brings a fresh take to this familiar tale, and the focus is on the journey through the story, n...

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett This was more or less exactly what I'd hoped for from book 3 in this series! Emily continues to try and tackle problems using her scholarship and study, Wendell continues to be both fearsome and endearing by turns, and the majority of this book actually takes place in Faerie.  My only real complaint is that while I really appreciate how much our two have grown to trust each other to be competent in their own strengths, and it is very sweet to see them so in love, I did miss some of the bickering and banter that we saw in the first two books. I would have liked to have more of that, perhaps with a more playful or teasing tone as their relationship matured. I really enjoyed the nature of the problem that they were trying to solve, the stakes felt a little higher, and the application of storytelling and fairy tales applied to searching for a solution was excellent. And I especially liked spending more time getting to know...

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher I enjoyed this book! It had a slower build-up to a pretty wild ending. I didn't read it particularly fast at first, but found myself really enjoying the last third or so. Things I liked: - Minor horror elements that didn't squick me out. As someone who's not a fan of horror in particular, but appreciates fantasy with some darker bits as long as I can stomach it, finding an author who's able to strike that balance is always exciting. - Romance and true friendship between the older characters. The MC in this book is a YA character, but she's not part of the romantic thread, nor is she at all interested in romance because she's focused on surviving with a monster for a mother. The story's one true romance is between a couple that reads as being somewhere in their 50's-60's, and I thought it was very sweet. And the friendships that ring as the most lasting and true are also between three middle-aged ladies. I...

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...

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...

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow Zinnia Gray, ex-Sleeping Beauty and current fairy tale hero from A Spindle Splintered , is continuing to bash her way through fairy tale realities rescuing Sleeping Beauties trapped in narratives much like her own (at the expense of her own health and relationships) until she finds herself pulled for the first time into a different fairy tale, faced with a very different type of person in need of help - a villain. I like how this series plays with fairy tales, and with the long tradition of retellings - from traditional, to gender swapped and grim-dark etc, etc. For someone who has always had fun reading these various takes on fairy tales, fiction that is self-aware of it's nature as a retelling is good fun. I also liked this book because the misunderstood baddie is a trope that tends to really work for me. And the Evil Queen is great - she knows who she is, and she doesn't compromise her sense of self even as she searches for a different nar...

Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker The Up-and-Under is Seanan McGuire's series written as Deborah Baker from her SFF masterpiece, Middlegame. I love that these books function on their own as a Middle Grade or YA level series that feels a bit like the movie Return to Oz , the The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making series, or the animated series, Over the Garden Wall . And at the same time, they add to the richness that is Middlegame. In this installment, Avery & Zib along with their two new companions from the Up-and-Under, Niamh & Crow Girl, continue along the Improbable Road and find themselves at the Saltwise Sea, and get into a bit of a pirate ship adventure. The story doesn't have so much of a clearly defined beginning-middle-end, because the children's main story is definitely continuing on, but there is still a smaller arc that sees it's time finished. So I felt it was a satisfying read. For me, the best bits of these...

  Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker This is a brilliant novel and premise, because while it is connected to Seanan McGuire's Middlegame and will provide some amazing context and easter eggs for fans of that book, it is also an excellent read as a standalone novel. AND it is easily approachable for middle grade and young adult readers who may be ready for some of McGuire's gorgeous weaving of faerytale and folklore, and maybe not quite as interested in as much of the blood or real-world stressors that her adult characters tend to encounter in her other books. Our characters are Avery and Zib who are as different as two children could be, and running late to school one day in their perfectly ordinary lives when they come to a huge wall blocking the road they usually take to school. They climb it to try to continue on their way to school, and so begins an adventure on the other side of the Woodward Wall. There are a few things that make this book particularly excellent...

Burning Roses by S.L. Huang This is a gorgeous little book. A fairytale woven through with both love and regret that follows Rosa and Hou Yi on a quest that forces them to revisit their pasts. And in their own retellings, they encounter some difficult truths about the stories they've told themselves, decisions they've made, and people they've loved.  The writing is descriptive and beautiful, creating vivid images and engaging the sensory imagination. Huang creates a lush world in this short work that is both tangible and memorable.  Part quest, part flashback, and part redemption tale, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read.  "The woods surrounded them in dark shades of silver, as if the trees had themselves been carved from moonlight."   "Her heart leapt and sang, even as it sank, leaden and unsure."  "Every sense had gone inside out, like her mind had turned slick. She could think, she could move - and in moving, she swam."  Thank you to Netga...

Deerskin by Robin McKinley When I added this to my TBR list, I had a few friends reach out and let me know that it was a really good book, but had some brutal moments. I appreciated those warnings because I did some research and then waited to read it until I was in a good mental place. So I'm starting this review with a trigger warning. This book has some really tough stuff in it. If rape or incest are triggers for you, be aware and take care of yourself. This is a retelling of Donkey Skin, a fairy tale published in the 1600's that has mostly faded into history, for understandable reasons, but McKinley handles it very well. Lissa is our main character, and her growth through the events of the story, and the conversation this book has around healing from trauma, are so authentic. There is some very real imagery of Lissa's body purging the wrong done to her at the end of the book, and they are powerful, painful and beautiful. While there are definitely fairytale and mag...

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire In this 4th book of the Wayward Children series, we focus on Lundy, who we know from the other books as the girl who will never grow up. We see her enter a door to the high-stakes, logical world of the Goblin Market and begin to navigate it. We see her build relationships, we see her care about her biological family and her found family, torn between finding meaning in her two very different worlds. We see the consequences of 'fair trade.' While my favorite Wayward Children installment thus far is Down Among the Sticks and Bones , there were a couple things that made this book very compelling. One, [little spoiler warning] we see an example of a child who finds the same door her parent did. This informs part of their relationship. It also informs a little of Lundy's existence in the Goblin Market, because the market has known another Lundy (and lost him when he chose to remain in the 'real' world). The second compelli...

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner This book is a blend of fairytales & Jewish history. Our story follows two sisters, Liba & Laya, in chapters that alternate perspectives. Liba is cautious & rule-abiding, while Laya is more of a free spirit. When their estranged grandfather falls ill, and their parents travel to the city and the girls are left alone to begin a coming of age journey. But before their parents go, Liba & Laya are each given some information about their family history & their own natures, they realize that they may not be simply human as they seem. This is where some of the fairytales come to life in our story. Things that I especially enjoyed about the book was the reference to Rosetti's Goblin Market poem, the seamless interweaving of the history and fairytales, especially towards the end when the more fantastic elements of the story affect the real world outcomes. I enjoyed themes of transformation, sacrifice and forging...

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik After reading Uprooted, I knew I really loved Naomi Novik's fairy tale style, and once Spinning Silver was announced, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. And the book totally lived up to my expectations. Billed as a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but with elements of Cinderella and a handful of other folk & fairy tales, this is a truly unique and captivating novel. I did listen to the audio book version, and found the inflection that Lisa Flanagan gave to each character to be very clear when our point of view shifted between them without pulling me away from the story to have to catch up. Our story follows the trajectory of two parallel kingdoms as they intersect: the Staryk kingdom of a cold elven race - the stuff of winter & fairy tales, and Lithvas - the kingdom of a tsar with nobles, farmers & peasants. Our heroines are three women: Miryem, Irina & Wanda who we follow as each fights to protect their place in the...

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire Another beautiful novel from Seanan McGuire. The openings of the Wayward Children books are some of my favorite pages to read. I look forward to them with relish. Seanan writes for those of us who as children who looked for Narnia in our closets, or down rabbit holes for adventure, or created imaginary worlds of our own to just belong in. For the dreamers & the lost ones. . . Beneath the Sugar Sky introduces us to Rini, who falls from the sky into the Turtle Pond at Eleanor West's home for Wayward Children. She is in search of her mother, Sumi, who was killed several years before being able to conceive Rini (time is wonderfully weird in Nonsense worlds). Time is running out because, since she's technically never been born, Rini is slowly disappearing. So Kade, Christopher, Nadya & a new character, a mermaid named Cora, join her in a quest that takes them to new worlds, to face old villains, make new friends, meet a baker and co...

The Ravenous Gown: And 14 More Tales about Real Beauty by Steffani Raff After the first story in this collection made me laugh out loud several times, I knew I had to get this book and keep reading. All the stories have alternative takes on beauty, and feature witty, self-sufficient characters who take active roles in shaping their respective destinies. From conquering dragons to having incredibly smelly feet, issues both fantastic and mundane are addressed in this excellent read-aloud for all ages.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire Oh goodness, this was a beautiful book. I really enjoyed the first in the Wayward Children series " Every Heart a Doorway ," but I may have loved this one more. Jack and Jill were such intriguing characters, so very tragic and dysfunctional that I really wanted to know their story.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik This dark fairy tale was a gripping read. Nieshka is a compelling and unique character, with many talents who is, by virtue of her nature & personality, simply unable to fit into the boxes that others would put her in. She grows up near the Wood, which is full of elemental forces & spirits that have become corrupted and sinister, but the Wood is also a source of essential food & water. When the time comes for the Dragon, the local wizard, to choose a new assistant from the town's young women, Nieshka is selected to be his assistant for the next decade. And he might have gotten more than he bargained for.  In a world where magic is tidy, orderly and performed to strict guidelines, Nieshka literally shakes the foundations of the kingdom by breaking form and performing spells that are supposed to be long forgotten - and it's a good thing too, because together Nieshka & the Dragon end up facing an unforeseen enemy that is crafy & st...