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Review of Reverie by Ryan La Sala

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This is a contemporary magical realism/fantastical story that follows our main character Kane Montgomery who wakes up in the hospital following a coma. He learns that police found him nearly dead in the river.

But he cannot remember anything at all about the accident – how he got there, what he was even doing there. Moreover, everything now seems a bit strange and off-kilter — a feeling that this world isn’t quite right.

He then discovers that one of the girls from his school was a friend of his, and they hung out quite a bit, especially over the past few months. The funny thing is that he has no recollection of ever being friends with this person. Moreover, he then discovers that he was extremely close to three other classmates who call themselves “The Others” but again, no memory of ever associating with them.

At this point, he has no idea who he can trust, and the gaps in his memory disturb him more and more.

But when fantastical worlds begin materializing out of nothing, Kane has to put his trust in these one-time-friends/strangers to figure out what in the heck is going on. Oh, and he has to do this before a certain villain destroys the world, and only he can stop it…if only he could remember what he needs to do.

This was such a delightfully queer and campy book. Our main character, Kane, is gay. There may or may not be a love interest, and another one of the main characters is a quite flamboyant drag queen.

But apart from that, I also found this to be quite an imaginative and fun romp, full of magic and adventure. The premise of dream worlds becoming manifest was also quite compelling, and I thought the author did an excellent job of bringing it to life.

The visual imagery was stunning and really solidified the whole concept for me. What I especially enjoyed, however, was how and why these dream worlds or “reveries” came into being and how they could prove deadly for all those involved.

It was fun journeying along with Kane as he tried to fill in the gaps in his memory until he discovers the sinister and dangerous truth of his and The Others’ situation. I thought this was quite an ambitious novel and enjoyed this fascinating world.

Purchase Reverie from Amazon

Review of Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle

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Lava Red Feather Blue is a fun fairytale-esque gay-themed fantasy that takes place in Eidolonia. In this world, the fae realm and the human realm are separated by a border, though many of the inhabitants intermingle. In this world, magic and faeries are commonplace, and peace between the two domains is maintained because of prince Larkin and the evil and powerful fae queen Ula Kana, both of whom were placed under an enchanted slumber in the year 1799. As long as they’re both asleep, the human realm is safe.

The story follows our main character, Merrick Highvalley, a modern-day-witch who is half-fae and a descendant of the original witch who cast the spell placing prince Larkin and Ula Kana into their slumber. When Merrick inadvertently awakens the sleeping prince, chaos ensues because when Larkin awoke, so did Ula Kana, and she is determined to destroy the human realm.

Larkin and Merrick then embark together on a potentially deadly plan to stop the evil queen, and as the story moves forward, their connection to each other deepens. I really loved the chemistry between these two very different characters, and it was fun watching them fall for each other while they both attempted to fight their attraction. I also enjoyed watching Larkin try to adjust to the new century, given that he’d been asleep for 200 years. It gave me a chuckle several times, watching him trying to differentiate between magic and technology. The banter and flirting between the two of them were also lighthearted and comical.

Another thing I enjoyed about the story was how there was no homophobia by either society or anyone’s family — being gay was just automatically accepted by everyone. Additionally, one of Merrick’s siblings was non-binary, which was also universally accepted, so I really enjoyed the representation.

Additionally, I thought the world-building and the magic system in this story were phenomenal. The author really brought the story to life because of the atmospheric and lush descriptions. The tale was moody and immersive, giving me the feeling that I was right there along with the characters.

Ringle has created here a cleverly crafted new world that I wanted to lose myself in. It’s a story featuring a great cast of believable characters, a compelling world, an intriguing political and magical system, and a satisfying conclusion. It’s a dark and fascinating tale — a beautifully woven magical adventure of two desperate souls who enter into a strange new world.

As an extra treat, the author included a section at the end of the book explaining the mythologies behind the names of the characters — both human and fae — as well
as the names for the various places in the story.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy of this book. The book goes on sale on January 5th, 2021 but it available for preorder now.

Purchase Lava Red Feather Blue from Amazon.

Review of The Player by Joe Consentino

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The Player by Joe Consentino

Blurb:

When young music teacher Andre Beaufort discovers an antique player piano in the basement of his apartment building, he is visited by the ghost of the original owner: a dapper and charismatic playboy from the Roaring Twenties, Freddy Birtwistle.

Andre has never seen a ghost and Freddy has never been one, so they get off to a rocky start. But when Andre finds his neighbor murdered on his doorstep, he and Freddy join forces to narrow the pool of suspects.

Soon Andre and Freddy discover that opposites attract, even if one’s alive and the other dead. Together these amateur detectives make an enticing team, and it’s a good thing too, because the first murder they solve together won’t be their last. But the real mystery isn’t just whodunit—it’s how a romance between a man and a ghost can have a happily ever after ending.

The Player contains two stand-alone cozy murder mysteries, The City House and The Country House.

Review:

I love stories featuring ghosts — especially romances — so I couldn’t wait to delve into this novel. The Player is actually two gay cozy mystery stories in one book. The first novella is entitled “The Country House,” which opens with Andre discovering an old player piano in his apartment building’s basement. His Aunt, who is the landlord, agrees to let Andre haul up the piano to his apartment. What Andre doesn’t know is that there’s a handsome ghost named Freddy Birtwistle attached to the piano whom Andre inadvertently releases when he begins to play the pianola.

As we soon learn, Freddy, a wealthy meticulously-dressed socialite from the roaring 20s, was shot at the age of 30 by a jealous husband in 1935. Freddy was quite the gay “player” in his day, and if any of his numerous stories about his exploits can be believed, he left a trail of broken hearts in his wake. According to Freddy, he broke the heart of every eligible male Hollywood celebrity, and even his presence would often send spouses/partners into a jealous rage. This part of the book was a lot of fun, though I did find that Freddy’s rambling anecdotes got to be a tad repetitive by the second book.

The novel then takes a compelling turn when one of the tenants in Andre’s building is murdered, and once Andre becomes a suspect, the duo takes it upon themselves to investigate the crime in the style of Holmes and Watson. Through their investigation, we meet all the other quirky tenants of the building as we try to guess whodunit.

Given that Freddy was bound to the piano and couldn’t physically leave the apartment, Andre did all the legwork and then reported his findings back to Freddy. The two men then put their heads together to try to figure out the case. And of course, while working together, they fall deeply in love.

This story was a lot of fun and incorporated several surprising plot twists that I didn’t see coming. I also loved Freddy’s continuous stream of 1920s lingo and expressions, many causing me to laugh out loud.

The second book, The Country House, takes place at Freddy’s former country house, now converted into a B & B. At first, we think that Andre is on his own, but another of Freddy’s original player piano’s is in Andre’s rented room, and a couple of pumps of the pedal bring Andre’s ghostly lover to him.

Once again, a murder occurs, and this time, it’s the surly proprietor of the B & B. Like The City House, this second book is also populated with a plethora of compelling and outlandish characters. I found the second book to be as delightful as the first one. It was fast-paced, delightfully twisty (more so even than the first) with a shocking ending.

Now it’s worth mentioning that given that these two novellas are cozy mysteries, meaning there is no on-page sex, swearing, or violence. What we do get, however, is a sweet romance between a young man and a saucy charismatic ghost from the 1920s, as well as a couple of captivating murder mysteries to solve. I hope the author writes more in this world as I’d love to revisit these two enchanting characters.

Purchase The Player on Amazon

Review of Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro

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Blurb:

Xochital is destined to wander the desert alone, speaking her troubled village’s stories into its arid winds. Her only companions are the blessed stars above and enimagic lines of poetry magically strewn across dusty dunes.

Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit.

One night, Xo’s wish is granted—in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town’s murderous mayor. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match… if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.

Review:

The story follows Xochitl, who lives in Empalme in Central America. Since she was eight years old, she has filled the role of the “cuentista” of her village, which is sort of a sin-eater. She has the power to “take in” the villagers’ stories and, later, deliver those stories to Solís, their god. Giving their stories to a cuentista removes the burden of their transgressions, guilt, and secrets from the villagers, in essence, freeing their conscience in the process. So in taking their stories, Xochitl refreshes them, unburdens them, and cleanses them. Once Xochitl gives the story back to Solís in the desert through a ritual, she no longer remembers any of the story that was given to her, though she is utterly drained, exhausted and forgetful for quite some time afterward.

After a particularly horrendous and brutal event in her village, Xochitl decides to head out into the desert to find her true self — to try and discover her place in the world. Along the way, she encounters all sorts of unusual beings, some human, some magical.

She ends up traveling with a girl named Emilia, which may seem surprising given that Emilia is the daughter of the brutal, murderous man who terrorized Xochitl’s entire village. In the beginning, neither woman trusts the other, but they slowly warm to each other as they progress along their perilous journey.

It’s also worth mentioning that this is a post-apocalyptic story, in that the world was burned by Solís, an event referred to as La Quema. This event is considered to be Solís’s wrath/curse upon humanity. Thus, the majority of the story takes place in the desert, and the author does an excellent job of taking the reader along with our characters into this harsh environment. The setting is vivid, intense, and atmospheric, and we really get a sense of the desperation, sadness, and mistrust of the people of the various villages that were ravaged by the angry god’s fire. In this way, I found the world-building to be phenomenal.

I loved Xochitl’s character arc throughout the story as she ends up being quite a different person by the end of the book — strong, brave, and resilient. Moreover, she learns that just because a story/belief has been passed down to you, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s true. In the process, Xochitl discovers, in an eye-opening way, that though a belief or an idea can extend through generations and across different lands, the actuality of that idea may be different from culture to culture and from village to village. And it is this aspect of the story I found especially riveting. In this way, our main character learns that things are not always what they seem, and there may be more than one “right” way of viewing a situation, thus challenging her belief system in the process.

As Xochitl and Emilia journeyed through the desert, several different themes and lessons unfold in the story, such as freedom, the power of stories, sacrifice, responsibility, human shortcomings, the coexistence of different belief systems and destiny. I really enjoy stories centered around the idea and power of “story,” and this novel was no exception. I loved how the story focused on not just our own personal stories but how those stories fit in with the stories of our community and of our land.

Additionally, I found the prose to be utterly beautiful — ethereal and flowing. I thought that the substantial inclusion of Spanish words added to the authentic feel of this story, though it did send me running to my Spanish dictionary many times. I imagine some people may find this aspect of the book a bit off-putting as not every Spanish word’s meaning is clear from the context. So the reader may have to put in a bit of work.

The LGBTQ+ relationship in this story was such a beautiful, slow burn, and though it was by no means the main point of the story, it was satisfying and a joy to read.

All in all, I really loved this powerful story. Though I found the ending a tad abrupt, overall, Each of Us a Desert is an ambitious, unique, and at times heartbreaking novel with compelling characters and lush, gorgeous writing. This is my first Mark Oshiro novel, and I hope to read more of his work.

Each of Us a Desert will be release on September 15, 2020 though it is available now for preorder.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this novel.

Purchase Each of Us a Desert on Amazon

Review of Thomas Wildus and the Wizard of Sumeria by J.M. Bergen

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Blurb:

A boy discovering his destiny. An ancient object of unspeakable power. An impenetrable web of deception.

Three months ago Thomas and his friends faced off against the enigmatic Arius Strong in a fight to determine the future of humanity. When they defeated the billionaire-magician and his two most powerful allies, they thought the war was over. It was only just beginning.

Now, with a mysterious message from an unknown hacker, the action starts again. This time the stakes are higher, the enemies stronger, and the future more uncertain. Will Thomas and his friends see through the lies in time to stop the forces of evil and prevent a global catastrophe?

Review:

Thomas Wildus and the Wizard of Sumeria takes place three months after the events of the first book, in which Thomas and his friends defeated the powerful dark wizard Arius Strong, thus preventing an apocalypse.  

Now, Thomas’s group receives an enigmatic message from an unknown hacker and, subsequently, discovers that they are once again facing a formidable foe, one who’s searching for a magical artifact that’s perhaps even more powerful than the Crystals from the first book.  Thomas and his group are convinced that it’s once again the work of Arius, but this time, he’s not alone.  He’s apparently gathered all manner of dark and powerful creatures include shapeshifters that are nearly impossible to injure, evil warlocks, and other powerful beings.  

What’s interesting is how this evasive new foe can defect all of their magical attacks and possess technology far superior to theirs, rendering their quest even more difficult.  In this way, their enemy seems to be always several steps ahead of them.

The magic is really leveled up in this book as Thomas and Enrique engage in private training with Scott Alpheus to augment their magical abilities and prepare them for the imminent encounter with their evil nemesis.  I enjoyed the training scenes with the boys who worked with multiple instructors. It’s worth mentioning that success doesn’t come easily for our characters, though, and through it, we see themes of tenacity, resolve, friendship, and the necessity of working together.  

This is one of those novels that sucks you in and doesn’t let go for a moment. There’s a delightful, pervasive feeling of menace that lingers over the story, and this really added to the book’s intrigue.  As is befitting a middle-grade fantasy, the action never lets up, and the characters never lose their endearing humanity.  What I enjoyed is how the thrill never wanes, the dread never diminishes, and the pulse rarely slows down.  Smart and original, this edge-of-your-seat gripping fantasy has irresistible characters and startling twists around every corner (the huge one at the end I did not see coming!).  There was also an element of “nobody is as they seem” which I enjoyed.

What I found especially endearing about the novel was the relationship between Thomas and his friends, Akhil and Enrique.  I loved the powerful bond of friendship that existed between them as well as the fun banter they shared.  In fact, all of the characters are vividly and wonderfully rendered.  This fun series pulled me in early, on the strength of the world-building, but the vividly drawn characters drew me in further for enjoyment .. . and anticipation of the next volume.  The writing also is excellent — it flows smoothly, seamlessly with no unnecessary fillers.

All in all, I found Thomas Wildus and the Wizard of Sumeria to be a delightful, fast-paced, rollicking fantasy adventure set in a fascinating world and populated with lovable, memorable characters.  I adore what the author has created here, and I find their vision and their voice beyond exciting. What we end up with here, then, is a sympathetic and enterprising group of heroes and an evil stop-at-nothing villain with the fate of the world, once again in their hands.

So did it deliver, I hear you ask? YES!!!!! 

A huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book.

Purchase Thomas Wildus and the Wizard of Sumeria from Amazon

Review of Or What You Will by Jo Walton

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What a clever, unusual book this is!  It’s kind of a “book within a book” and is one of the most interesting experimental books I’ve read. I have to admit that the initial ancient Celtic-style stream of consciousness by the book’s narrator at the beginning took a bit of getting used to as I desperately struggled to figure what was going on.  But once I caught on (about 10% of the way in) that our narrator is sort of a self-aware Muse with a distinct personality inside of Sylvia’s head, I relaxed into what turned out to be quite an enjoyable journey.  

The narrative alternates between the discussions between Sylvia, an aging fantasy writer who may or may not be dying, and her muse, the nameless narrator.  We also follow along with the latest fantasy novel that Sylvia is writing – a fusion between Shakespeare’s The Tempest and The Twelfth Night that takes place in Ilyria, one of the worlds that Sylvia wrote about in her earlier books.  

It is in Ilyria where we meet several Shakespearean characters, and we learn that it’s also a place where immortality is possible. It actually took me a moment to realize that the title of this book comes from the original title of The Twelfth Night (The Twelfth Night, Or What You Will).   

So the narrator/Sylvia’s Muse is trying to convince her to go to Ilyria before she dies so they can continue to be immortal together, and in doing so, he steers her new story in that direction.  

What’s interesting here is that in Sylvia’s chapters, we learn about her challenging and painful past and how our narrator fits into it all.  There’s a lot of different moving parts and layers to this novel, and I found it so much fun to be carried along with them. 

I will say that this isn’t the sort of story you can sit back with your feet up and mindlessly sail through; it requires careful attention and the ability to quickly switch gears even mid-chapter. That’s not to say that the story is difficult to follow, because it’s not — as long as you don’t let your attention waver too much. It might also be helpful for the reader to be a bit familiar with the storyline of The Twelfth Night and The Tempest plays, as doing so could increase your enjoyment of the story.  

There are a plethora of themes and subplots in this book.  It’s about art, creation, immortality, mortality, Italian history, magic, myths, and Shakespeare, but it’s also about child abuse, emotional trauma, grief, and spousal abuse, and all of it comes together cohesively in the narrative.  I really enjoyed all the ideas in this story and how it all went in so many exciting and fascinating directions.

All in all, I loved this magical gem of a book about a writer’s life, and the world and characters that she created.  I feel Shakespeare enthusiasts would especially enjoy this book though prior Shakespeare knowledge is not necessary — just helpful.  Though I’m not always a tremendous fan of speculative fiction, I thought this book was brilliant, and I’m so glad it came to my attention.  I’d definitely read more by this author. 

A huge thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian-Tor/Forge for providing me with a review copy of this book.

Purchase Or What You Will from Amazon