Review: This will be Fun by E.B. Asher

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We all know the stories of the heroes who finally win over their adversaries after years of fighting with each other. What happens after they succeed? Go back to regular life? For Elowen, Beatrice and Clare they each handled it differently. Elowen retreated to her treehouse and became a recluse. Clare reveled in his new celebrity, and Beatrice got married and lived a life as a rich wife. It’s coming up on the tenth anniversary of their victory, and they are all expected to attend the Queen’s wedding. The trauma of their shared experiences and the grief of losing the fourth hero on their team have kept them apart, but now they have to face it. This is a fun little adventure novel. They are forced together and deal with their trauma while also going on a new mission to vanquish the old enemy again. I liked it. They all had great chemistry with each other. Especially when they are fighting. Like most conflicts, a lot of their issues stem from misunderstanding covered in grief. They all had experienced great loss and are now really famous, and they all didn’t really know how to deal with it, so they went their separate ways. Over the course of their mission, they learn not only what happened with each other, but also, over time, they work through it and come out better. The ending seems like a happy ending for all, but a decision made by Beatrice, I have a feeling she is going to regret very soon. I’ll find out in the next book.

Review: Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake

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I am not sure where to begin with this one. It’s a satire that follows Nina, a sophomore pledging to a sorority, and Sloane, an adjunct professor who is asked to be the Academic Advisor for the sorority. Nina is an ambitious student who hopes that joining The House will open doors because it has an abnormally high success rate of alumni who have become successful. Sloane is going back to work after giving birth and struggles with being a good mother. Before she had her child, she had a tenure track at a small private school, but now she’s only an adjunct professor because her husband has a tenure track job. The narrative goes back and forth between their points of view, and while they are both in different places in their lives, they are still grappling with how to deal with the unrealistic expectations of being a woman. Nina is only at the beginning of her journey, and being in The House and the sisterhood that comes with it all that she ever wanted, but she soon starts to realize that not everything is as it seems. Sloane meets Alex, who is a former sister of the sorority, and is immediately thrown by how perfect her life is and how easy things seem to come to her and her fellow sorority sisters. Well, Spoiler Alert, the answer is cannibalism. The sisters have been sacrificing people and absorbing their nutrients that come with it. It makes them look younger, work harder, healthier, and just more focused. The satire is not just about the girl boss ethos, but also the wellness trends. I found this book to be really intriguing, but not sure it stuck the landing. I have very mixed feelings about the ending. It came out of left field, but it also makes sense, but I wish it had gone in a different direction. So yeah, I enjoyed it but think it could have been a bit better.

What I’m Reading Now: This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher

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I’m fascinated by stories of what happens to heroes after they have defeated the villains. This book was described as The Princess Bride meets People We Meet on Vacation. I haven’t read the latter, but the former is not only one of my favorite movies but also a great book, so I’m stoked about this one.

Quick Review: The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

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The Ex Hex was cute. I wouldn’t say it was as good as the last two witch books I read, but still entertaining. While in college, Vivienne had a fling with Rhys, and it ended badly. So bad, she drunkenly cursed him. Nine years later, Rhys comes back to town to renew the ley lines in the town, but because he is cursed, he ends up cursing the ley lines and the whole town. Vivienne and Rhys have to team up to figure out how to reverse the curse so they can straighten out the ley lines and get themselves out of this mess. They are both likeable characters, but honestly, they are not all that memorable separately. I can’t say that either really stands out to me, but they do have some cute banter back and forth. It’s just a good book, when you need something quick and whimsical to read that won’t make you think too hard. If that is what you are looking for, this fits the bill.

Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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Sangu Mananna really knows how to write a cozy novel. Just like the last book I read, this one was comforting to read. Also, about witches who live in Britain, it is not a part of the same world. Mika has always been alone. She has been told it has been too dangerous for witches to hang out because it would cause too much magic, and that would alert witch hunters. So, it’s a surprise when Mika gets a job offer to teach three young witches how to control their magic. She agrees to move in with them and their adult caretakers and discovers that not only is it okay for witches to be together, but also that Mika herself is worthy of love. In this world, as soon as a new witch is born, their parents die, and they become orphans. Mika is taken in by Primrose, a powerful witch, but is raised alone with a rotating slate of nannies. As she grew up, she never stayed anywhere too long. Always moving so she cannot become attached to anyone. That is, until she meets the young witches of Nowhere House and Jamie, one of their caretakers. It’s a sweet book about found families and founding oneself. Mandanna’s writing style is just so crisp and accessible that you feel like you not only know these characters but are a part of their lives. I couldn’t help but feel comforted by the story and so happy that Mika had finally found the family she had always wanted. I hope that Mandanna writes more books like this because we all need a little comforting, cozy reads rightnow.

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.