Review: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

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In the description of this book, they call it cozy, and it is. Reading it was like being wrapped in a warm blanket, even while reading on the subway. Sera was one of the most powerful witches in Britain, and then she cast a spell to resurrect her aunt, who died suddenly when she was a teenager. Fifteen years later, she is running her family’s Inn, housing the most unusual lodgers. There is a nosy, gardener, Matilda, Nicholas, who believes he is a real-life knight, a witch, cursed to live as a Fox and the Inn it’s self. Before she lost her powers, she magic’d the inn could only be found by those who needed it. Enter Luke and her sister Posey. Luke has taken responsibility for raising Posey, who is autistic. A smart girl, but she doesn’t understand why she has to hide her magic. Luke is also a historian who happens to arrive when Sera comes into possession of a spell to get her magic back. It is written in a language that not a lot of people know, but Luke does. This book touches on found family, depression, abuse, rascism and discrimination. Sera is half Icelandic and half Indian, and that alone is enough to ostracize her, but then she had all this power, and she didn’t, and was exiled from other witches. When once was once an apprentice to the other most powerful witch, and he was threatened by her power. He used his power not only to bully her but also others as well. He made sure that when she was exiled, no one would ever help her. Sera used to think that what made her worthy was her powers, but over time, she learns that she is more than her powers. Her new family may be unconvential but they truly love her, and she truly loves them. They are all a bit crazy, but it is also what makes each character so lovable. No one was one-dimensional. They all got their own little story arch and even if the ending is a little bit heartbreaking, it was still lovely because no matter what happens. They have each other, and that is worth more than all the powers and magic in the world.

Review: Fate Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

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I do love an unabashedly good fantasy novel. Multiple POV’s, magic, mythical creatures, an obvious bad guy, and an obvious good guy. Coryane and crew are in retreat and spread across the ward after the attack against Taristan goes very wrong. All is not lost, though. Coryane survived and has Taristan’s sword. Andrey has made allies with Valtik’s people. Charlie finds a spin, and Dom, Sigil, and Sorasa, have wreaked havoc on Erida’s castle. In the first half of the novel, our heroes are separated from each other and have to work to get back together. This gives each character a chance to grow and come into their own. For Corayne it was finding the strength in herself. She discovered that not only can she take care of herself, but she can also inspire others to help. This found family is strong, and they show that throughout the story. They may despair at times, but they never question each other. As for Erida and Taristan. We start to see a role reversal in them. Erida, becomes more obsessed with power and will do anything to get it. Taristan, was once like that, but discovered that Erida was the one thing he would give up power for. Twists and turns throughout the book kept me invested and had a satisfying ending to an entertaining trilogy. I look forward to what Victoria Aveyard does next.

Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

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I understand why this was such a talked-about book when it came out years ago. It’s very intriguing. In her grief of losing her brother, Fox, she finds out she is a Bone Witch by accidentally raising her brother back to life. She tells her story to a Bard while in exile. We do not know what she did to be exiled, but we know that she is someone with extraordinary powers. Tea tells her story from when she raises Fox, through her training as a Bone Witch. She is a little bit of an unreliable narrator because the events are all coming from her perspective. What we do learn is that she is someone who definitely chafes a little bit at authority and often questions her mentors. She also has a good sense of what is right and wrong and is a bit inflexible at times. She also has a lot of power and likes the power. A recipe for going rogue. I do like the world-building of this story. The witches are kind of like geishas in a way. They are trained in the arts and entertain in the tea houses. They are also trained in martial arts. Bone witches are revered but also feared. Makes sense because they can raise and control the dead, but they also have an important role in combating the Daeva, dragon-like creatures that, left unchecked, can destroy cities. I am intrigued to see where this series goes because we do not learn why she was exiled, but we get a little bit of a clue with one cliffhanger of an ending.

Review: Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

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This book was cute, if you can call a book about serial killers who kill other serial killers who fall in love. Sloane and Rowan are killers. However, they hunt other killers. It is a form of vigilantism. Going after people who have victimized other people who can’t defend themselves is an interesting moral code, but really, they do it because they like it. It gives them a rush. After a chance meeting, Rowan proposes a game. Once a year, they will meet up and hunt the same person. Whoever gets the kill first wins. Their banter between the two as they mock and goad each other is fun. They are attracted to each other from the moment they meet, but it shouldn’t surprise you that people who kill people for fun are not the most sociable or had a happy childhood. For years, they have played these games and ignored their feelings for each other. Once they do open up, the floodgates open, and oh boy, it gets spicy. It does take almost 2/3 of the book to get there, but worth the wait. It was a fun read, and I am looking forward to reading the next book that follows Rowan’s older brother and Sloane’s best friend. It’ll be a while before I can read it because it’s a long waitlist at my library, but I have other books to read in the meantime.

Review: The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

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This was a very cute book. Osric has an incurable condition, and Aurielle is the only one who has any chance of finding a cure. The problem is that they are from different orders that are opposed, let’s say ethically. Osric is a paid killer, and Aurelle is a healer. They are forced to work together because Osric agrees to pay an exorbitant amount of money to find research for a vaccine for a pandemic affecting children. Aurielle is the best at what she does, so her order’s leader tells her to do what she can to help him. With all traditional methods proven to be unsuccessful, she must study the old ways, which, of course, puts them in tight situations. Over time, they both start to learn more about each other and that they may have more in common than they thought. I love the banter between the two of them. They are both quick and cunning. It is quite amusing. Halfway through, they start to discover that the virus causing the pandemic might not have been an accident, and someone powerful is behind it, but who? That is the mystery for the next book, which I don’t think has been released yet. I am very interested in seeing how this will end and maybe get a little more than just a kiss between our new lovebirds.