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Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
“He spoke the spell under his breath, still a little uncertain after the agonies he had endured. But magic came, ever his friend—magic answered his call.” Written in a playful pastiche style Sorcerer to the Crown will certainly appeal to fans of Susanna Clarke, Neil Gaiman, and Diana Wynne Jones. Cho’s bombastic prose, characterized by…
1800s, 1810s, 19TH CENTURY, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, academia, Adult, adventure, all girls school, alternate history, bombastic style, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, curses, DRAGONS, FAERIES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, FANTASY OF MANNERS, favourite authors, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, HUMOR, MAGIC, magic school, Malaysian author, My reviews, playful style, published in 2015, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2021, reading, Regency era, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, Sorcerer Royal, WARLOCKS/WIZARDS, WITCHES, Zen Cho -
Tithe by Holly Black
“It was one thing to believe in faeries; it was totally another thing if you weren’t allowed to even have a choice about it. If they could just walk into your normal life, then they were a part of normal life, and she could no longer separate the unreal world from the real one.” Holly…
2000s, 3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Contemporary, court intrigue, dark fantasy, FAERIES, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, fairytalesque prose, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, gay side characters, HOLLY BLACK, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, Modern Faerie Tales, My reviews, new jersey, PARANORMAL, published in 2002, re-reads, read in 2007, read in 2016, read in 2021, reading, ROMANCE, Tithe, URBAN FANTASY, YOUNG ADULT -
The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction by Neil Gaiman
The Neil Gaiman Reader showcases Gaiman’s range as an author. Gaiman moves between genres and tones like no other. From funny fairy-talesque stories to more ambiguous narratives with dystopian or horror elements. While I have read most of his novels and a few of his novellas I hadn’t really ‘sunk’ my teeth in his short…
1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Adult, adventure, America, American Gods, angels, books about writers, British author, curses, DEMONS, DETECTIVE, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), dystopia, england, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, favourite authors, film industry, FOLKLORE, gods, great storytelling, HISTORICAL FICTION, HORROR, HUMOR, lgbtq+ side, m/m side, male authors, morality, myths, Neil Gaiman, PARANORMAL, published in 2020, RETELLINGS, SCI-FI, short stories, SPECULATIVE FICTION, story within a story, Storytelling, The Neil Gaiman Reader, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction, URBAN FANTASY, what ifs -
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
“I am nothing,” Cardan said, “if not dramatic.” Holly Black’s prose is as tantalising as ever.The tales collected in How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories focus on Cardan. We learn more of his childhood and get to see certain scenes and events from The Cruel Prince through his perspective.Stories are at the…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, FAERIES, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, FOLKLORE, great storytelling, HOLLY BLACK, How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories, MAGIC, published in 2020, read in 2020, ROMANCE, short stories, story within a story, the folk of the air, YOUNG ADULT -
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire — book review
Although occasionally entertaining, Come Tumbling Down struck me as a rather unnecessary and insubstantial addition to the Wayward Children series. “Once a wayward child, always a wayward child.” Don’t get me wrong: Seanan McGuire’s writing style is as lush as ever. Her prose, with its use rhythm and repetition, echoes that of fairy-tale, lending a…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, Come Tumbling Down, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, fairytalesque prose, FANTASY, female authors, lgbtq+, magic school, MAGICAL DOORS, MAGICAL REALISM, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, portal fantasy, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, science, Seanan McGuire, TOR novella, twins, VAMPIRES, Wayward Children, YOUNG ADULT -
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black – book review
Court intrigue ahoy! “We have lived in our armor for so long, you and I. And now I am not sure if either of us knows how to remove it.” Holly Black’s sensual and lush writing style perfectly complements the menacing world her heroine inhabits. Black’s silvery prose brims with lavish descriptions: she renders the…
1st pov, 4 STARS, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, BOOKWORM, court intrigue, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, f/f side, FAERIES, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, HOLLY BLACK, HYPED, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, PARANORMAL, queer side characters, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, ROMANCE, sea, THE CRUEL PRINCE, the folk of the air, the queen of nothing, URBAN FANTASY, YOUNG ADULT -
The True Queen (Sorcerer Royal #2) : Book Review
The True Queen by Zen Cho★★★★✰ 4.5 stars Now, this is what I call a great companion novel. “Relations are a terrible burden to a girl with magical ability.” It’s not easy to describe this series. A mad fantasy romp? A fantasy of manners? A pastiche of 19th-century literature?I strongly recommend reading Sorcerer to the Crown before…
19TH CENTURY, 3rd pov, 4.5 STARS, academia, Adult, adventure, alternate history, bombastic style, DRAGONS, england, f/f, FAERIES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, FANTASY OF MANNERS, favourite authors, lgbtq+, MAGIC, magic school, Malaysia, Malaysian author, playful style, queer, re-reads, READ IN 2019, read in 2021, Regency era, ROMANCE, royals, sapphic, SISTERS, Sorcerer Royal, The True Queen, The True Queen (Sorcerer Royal #2), Zen Cho -
IN AN ABSENT DREAM: BOOK REVIEW
In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children, #4) by Seanan McGuire ★★★✰✰ 3.5 stars Katherine–never Kate, never Kitty, never anything but Katherine, sensible Katherine, up-and-down Katherine, as dependable as a sundial whittling away the summer afternoons–was ordinary enough to have become remarkable entirely without noticing it. Compared to the previous volumes in this series [book:In an…
3.5 STARS, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, CHILDHOOD, CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, female authors, GOBLIN MARKET, In an absent dream, magic school, MAGICAL DOORS, MAGICAL REALISM, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, portal fantasy, published in 2019, READ IN 2019, Seanan McGuire, URBAN FANTASY, Wayward Children -
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
McGuire’s style resonates completely with the fairytales she draws from. Her lyric narration thrums with the magic which she portrays. Her prose is alluring, it carries a melodic repetition that is incredibly compelling. And while she might be paying homage to old tales, McGuire is also creating her own – equally spellbinding – tales. Her…
3rd pov, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Beneath the Sugar Sky, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, female authors, friendships, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, MAGIC, magic school, MAGICAL DOORS, mental health, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, portal fantasy, published in 2018, queer, read in 2018, Seanan McGuire, URBAN FANTASY, Wayward Children -
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
First things first: I read both Tithe and Valiant, when I was about twelve or so, and I absolutely loved them. They influenced my later readings, for I had found myself desperately in want of more dark fairy tales.To say that I was looking forward to The Cruel Prince would be an understatement. I was…
1st pov, 5 STARS, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, bad love, coming of age, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, f/f side, FAERIES, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, HOLLY BLACK, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, political intrigue, queer side characters, read in 2018, ROMANCE, royals, SISTERS, THE CRUEL PRINCE, the folk of the air, unreliable narrators, YOUNG ADULT
luce [is reading] 