Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

Holy. Freaking. Moly.

I am a longtime T.J. Klune fan, so I was excited to learn about his new book. What’s so delightful about this author, is that each of his books is vastly different, all with a different feel to them, so you never quite know what you’re in for. Here, the author gives us a world here where humans and magical creatures coexist, though magical beings are stringently monitored by the government and are required to be ‘registered.’

This story follows a lonely middle-aged gay bureaucrat named Linus Baker who, for the past 17 years, has worked as a caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth where he travels to the various government-sponsored orphanages and evaluates them, strictly adhering to the suffocating RULES AND REGULATIONS as set forth by his department. It’s up to Linus to recommend whether or not the residences he inspects should remain open or be closed down.

One day, he is summoned to the offices of the fear-inducing Extremely Upper Management and told that he is to be sent on a mandatory top secret/top priority assignment: He must travel to the Marsyas Island Orphanage where six of the world’s most problematic and dangerous children reside, one of whom could even bring about the end of days. Linus is to remain there for a month and then report back on the residence’s daily operation — the children and their enigmatic caretaker — ultimately deciding upon the fate of the orphanage and the children therein.

So Linus, along with his grumpy cat Calliope, travel to Marsyas, which turns out to be the adventure of a lifetime. Linus’s presence on the island sets off a remarkable chain of events, and his life changes in ways he never could have predicted. As Linus and the children’s charming ward, Arthur Parnassus, grow closer and closer during Linus’s month-long stay on the island, long-hidden secrets of both the orphanage and the island are exposed.

The characters in this story completely won over my heart, and I fell in love with each and every one of them. Each was quirky and distinctly drawn and touched my soul in ways that I simply couldn’t have fathomed when I first picked up this book.

This story is brimming with personality as the tone shifts from light to dark, snarky to serious and back again with plenty of dry humor/black humor interspersed throughout. There is a deeper story within these pages as it speaks to the divisiveness of the world we live it. This book is all about casting off shame and stigma, and the reader should ready for some definite lump-in-the-throat moments.

This charmer of a story is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt out of place, like they don’t fit in. What we end up with here, is a moving novel about the deep bonds of family but not a family born of blood, but rather a chosen family. This is one of my favorite themes in a book: of how the bonds of a family chosen or “found” can be as strong or even stronger than those of the family you’re born into and teaches us to find solace in the special friendships that we forge and to trust those who love us.

The love and respect each child gives their caretaker and the close-knit relationships each of them has with Arthur was so endearing and sweet. This is an exceptional novel that delves into themes of prejudice, abuse, bullying, being different, tyranny, identity, mob mentality, doing what’s right vs. doing what’s expected of you, moving past labels, and finding your true family. It’s such an emotive story, and it moved me to tears many times throughout the book. It was full of laughs, smiles, some misty-eyed moments, excellent banter/dialog, with excellent LGBTQ representation.

The writing is superb, the storytelling is magnificent, and the ending is joyous and hopeful. Ultimately, this book about magical children hooked me and wormed into my heart and mind, and may end up being one of my favorite books this year.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and to Tor Books for providing me with a review copy of this book.

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This story follows Terrence McDonald, who has just died. He finds himself in the afterlife, and his presence has garnered the attention of “The Boss” himself. Terrence now has to complete his life review, but the stakes surrounding this event are incredibly high. You see, before he incarnated the last time, he made an agreement with the powers that be: If he does not learn the lesson of his life, he will cease to exist and any form. Goodbye, life; hello oblivion.

So the book then takes us on an incredible journey as we view the life of a man through the eyes of himself and his loved ones, a journey that is poignant, sometimes heartbreaking, oftentimes harrowing but undoubtedly unforgettable. We get to see and experience Terrence’s emotions, fears, doubts, and pain; we basically get to experience the pivotal events in Terrence’s life along with his family as both Terrence and the reader attempt to figure out his elusive life lesson.

I find stories about the afterlife exceptionally intriguing that this novel did not disappoint. It is a story with a huge heart and a melancholy emotional core that is wistfully sad and joyful at the same time.

I think that the author has created something truly special here — a razor-witted deeply moving that examines the modern human condition. It’s a novel of so many layers with such a massive heart that it succeeded in making me weep a time or two. So in this way, it was incredibly profound and shattering yet provided a sense of joy when it all came to an end.

It’s narrated with such great compassion that it left me wanting to follow the next chapter in Terrence’s life. I also loved how wonderfully full, complex and empathetic the characters are. As people drift in and out of Terrence’s story, they seem so complete, like they’ve wandered in from their own novel to appear briefly in this one.

My only niggle with the story was that there was a small poem before every chapter. Typically I’m not fond of this device very much and mostly gloss over then when reading a novel. There were a lot of chapters in this book meaning a lot of space devoted to the opening poems. I realized that this is just a personal dislike of mine as most people don’t seem to mind it.

But all in all, I was totally mesmerized by the story and continued to ruminate over the characters and story long after putting my Kindle to rest. This is such a smart story, an eye-opening account of letting go of prejudices and fear; of seeing beyond what we think we know. It’s a story of love, family, friendship, resilience, and truth. It’s a story about the boxes we let ourselves be placed in and the labels we refuse to wear.

So if you enjoy stories about the afterlife, then you may wish to give What Death Taught Terrence a go.

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This was last month’s Book of the Month Club selection whose synopsis grabbed my attention right from the get-go. I just couldn’t resist a book was the words “Mayan Death God” and “1920’s” in the description and turned out to be a delightful Mayan folklore story chock full of mythology.

Gods of Jade and Shadow is a standalone fantasy story that takes place during the Jazz Age in the Roaring ’20s and follows a young woman named Casiopea Tun who lives in Yucatán, Mexico. She and her mother are considered the poor relations and are pretty much servants, spending their days slaving away for their wealthy and tyrannical grandfather.

So one day, she discovers that her grandfather has left the key for the strange wooden trunk in his room, a trunk that has always remained locked. Unable to resist her curiosity, Casiopea opens the chest and inadvertently releases the Mayan god of Death, Hun-Kamé, who was apparently imprisoned in the trunk.

We learn that Hun-Kamé was the king of his realm and his twin brother, Vucub-Kamé, trapped him in the trunk and stole the kingdom, which is their Underworld called Xibalba, which is basically the land of Death. So Hun-Kamé, the rightful king and Supreme Lord of Xilbalba, requests Casiopea’s help in getting back his throne. Well, I shouldn’t say request — as it turns out, she doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter (for reasons I won’t go into).

Now the kicker is, is that if she fails, she dies. But if she succeeds, her deepest desire can come true. What follows is a harrowing journey as Casiopea, along with the handsome yet commanding death-god, embark on a treacherous adventure into Mexico City and subsequently into the dark Underworld, and along the way, encounter all manner of gods, demons and creatures.

I love a book where there’s an adventurous quest, and this one didn’t disappoint. From what I understand, this story is a fairytale-inspired by Mexican folklore. Now don’t worry if your knowledge of Mayan history and culture is lacking, as the author lays it all out in an easy-to-understand and compelling manner — there’s even a handy glossary in the back of the book. All the details you need are worked seamlessly into the action.

The prose in the story is luxurious, lyrical, and incredibly imaginative with vivid descriptions, a truly magical plot and a vast arrayP of exciting and complex characters. I loved the otherworldly, fairytale aspect to this tale and found it utterly enchanting. The blending of the old Mayan myths, legends, and gods with the new lifestyle of the 1920s really worked well for me.

I also thought that the world-building was terrific! It was so much fun to immerse myself into it and watch as the story slowly expanded it. The vibrant world that the author created here in this story was magical, captivating, twisty, and compelling yet also dark and dangerous. I felt that the detail that went into the storytelling here really brought it to life — at least it did for me.

I loved Casiopea’s character and felt she’s a phenomenal heroine. She’s feisty, headstrong, brave, determined, defiant, proud and refuses to take crap from anyone — even from Death himself — and I found myself falling in love with her more and more as the story progressed.

All in all, I loved this inventive and addictive story. It was elegantly written and well-constructed, with an evocative and gripping plot that I found fascinating. I thought that the author seamlessly blended the real and the mythic in a way that was a joy to read.

It also had a satisfying character arc for both of our protagonists, which I appreciated as both of them really changed and grew throughout the story. There was also an exceptional chemistry between the two main characters, which only increased as the story progressed.

So yeah, I loved the book, and I hope to read more of this author’s work.

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The story follows fifteen-year-old Grace Logan, a free-spirited young woman who yearns for adventure and longs to be a pirate like her father. But instead, all she has to look forward to is an arranged marriage.

But before her wedding can take place, the unthinkable happens: an unknown enemy has captured her father. Once an attempt is made on her life and a sleeping/death curse is placed on her home, Grace’s eyes are opened for the first time, and she discovers that she is surrounded by magic and magical beings.

Determined, she makes the decision to go on a quest to rescue her father from the Goblin underworld. Additionally, she discovers that a student, John Dee (yes, THAT John Dee) has stolen a magical book from her family and unless she retrieves it, the world will be thrown in utter chaos.

So Grace, along with two Sidhe friends, embark on a harrowing adventure into the world of Goblin, an adventure fraught with danger. Grace faces all manner of instances and comes face-to-face with a variety of monsters/creatures from Irish myth and along the way, learns more about herself, her family and friend than she ever thought possible.

This story is actually chock-full of Irish history, myth, and mythology, including faeries and folktales, and it was a delight to read about it. I will say, however, that for someone who isn’t familiar with Irish mythology (and the Book of Invasions), some of the information may seem a tad overwhelming. I have studied Irish mythology a bit, so I quite enjoyed the manner in which the author wove in these myths and legends, which added extra depth to the storytelling.

I loved Grace Logan and the Goblin Bones and found it to be an atmospheric novel where magic can be found in the mundane. This is a pulse-quickening story, and I loved how the author took these old myths and legends and turned them into something new and fresh. It was an exciting novel with fascinating characters and a fast-moving storyline which kept me on the edge of my seat. Prepare to be dazzled.

Many thanks to Pam Binder and The Wild Rose Press for providing me with an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

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