"Paws" For Thought: Book Blog Tag!

Designed by me. Photo Credit: Unsplash

 

(Originator: https://lynns-books.com/2022/10/15/paws-for-thought-book-tag/)

Thank you to Raina at Enthralled By Love for tagging me!

The puppy: illegally cute, will eventually grow into it’s paws and ears, will chew your shoes,
possibly your clothes and the table legs and demand all your attention before curling up to sleep exhausted.
Photo Credit: Unsplash 

1. The most recent book that you read and loved

The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky. I picked up this book as a freebie during a random giveaway event, because your girl loves a good retelling, and with this one seemingly focusing on Wendy herself as the main character, I hoped it would be good.

I won't spoil too much about it, since you can read the full review by clicking >this hyperlinked text<, but suffice to say that it was a brilliant re-telling and all the references were absolutely on-point!

The Retriever: intelligent, hard working hunters with a love of life.
Believed to have originated in Scotland.
Photo Credit: Unsplash

2. A book that was carefully planned, clearly well researched and was intelligent and thought provoking 

Diamond Stained by J. M. D. Reid. I had a lot to say about this book and its world-building (which you can read by clicking >this hyperlinked text<) in my featured review, but suffice to say, the thought-provoking nature of the conversations and observations between the main characters, the pacing and the development of the characters themselves as they go on an entire arc, with so much more adventures left open to exploring in further installments, I really thought of this book first when I read the prompt!

Poodle: the aristocrat of the canine world. 
A proud and elegant athlete. 
Photo Credit: Unsplash

3. A book with a beautiful cover. 

Time Tree: The Emergence by Lisa Rae Morris. I can still remember the day I was sitting across from my friend, a housewife and mom of three, and listening spellbound as she expounded upon an "idea for a novel" she "just happened to have on hand"... and the more she talked about it, the more I was like "You have to write this!" And so she did, and I couldn't be prouder of her, because now it's a trilogy with some gorgeous covers. So what if I've only read the first one? I have the others, and I'll get to them (hopefully sooner rather than later!) If you want to find out what captivated me so, you'll have to read my review by clicking >this hyperlinked text<, and believe me, you won't be disappointed in the least!

The German Shepherd: an all-purpose working dog,
loyal and courageous.
Photo Credit: Unsplash

4. A book that gave you a strong case of the heebie-jeebies.  You needed all your courage to pick this one up. 

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. This one was a completely random recommendation from a total stranger, and a completely accidental first encounter with "grimdark fantasy"--I tended to be a pretty squeamish reader up to that point, shying away from anything too graphic or visceral because of the images it left in my brain, so when the person was describing the novel to me, I was picturing one thing in my head... and when I read it, I found it to be quite something else! Yes, there were the "medieval fantasy archetypal characters, but in a modern post-apocalyptic setting with like skyscrapers and electricity and stuff", as was first described to me, (that's not too much of a spoiler... you'd just have to read the book itself to find out how the author combines those two images!), but at the same time... there's murder and cussing and uncouth behavior and creepy imagery and altogether stuff that made getting through those first ten chapters a struggle... but the thing that kept me coming back was the amazing prose of the narration, and the intriguing nature of the plot, the mystery surrounding it all, and the one or two characters with enough redeeming qualities to keep me invested in their ultimate survival! This series ended up becoming the gateway to a few more trilogies by the author that I ended up finding much more enjoyable, and one that I don't hesitate to recommend to friends whom I know would enjoy that sort of thing!

Lakeland terrier: a "big dog in a small package"
Photo Credit: iStock

5. A book with great characters  

The Firebird Fairy Tales by Amy Kuivalainen. This one, I'm excited to hype all over again, because shortly after I read the trilogy for the first time, the author ended up needing to pull it out of production and I waited at least a couple years for her to re-release it. By now, the whole trilogy is available once more, so you can read them all and hopefully you'll be as enchanted as I was! You can read my review of Book 1 by clicking >this hyperlinked text<, the review for Book 2 is at >this hyperlinked text<, and the review for Book 3 at >this hyperlinked text< to get specifics on what I enjoyed each time, but for the sake of this blog hop, I will say that the varied and intriguing cast of characters this author included in her books has a lot to do with how much I enjoyed it!

Rottweiler: descendent of the Roman mastiffs,
playful and protective. 
Photo Credit: Unsplash

6. A book based on ancient history. 

Interesting that the Roman empire should be mentioned, because although the book that springs to mind is not exactly based on history, it's definitely set in an historical period! Ancient Rome, to be precise! The Stories of Togas, Daggers, and Magic series by Australian author Assaph Mehr is a delightful mashup of the standard "paranormal investigator" fare... meshed with ancient culture and its associated superstitions! I've read two books in the series so far, Murder in Absentia (which you can find the review >here<) and In Numina (which you can find also >here<) and every time, I get vibes of contemporary "wizard investigating paranormal crimes", but set securely in a culture well-researched and long-extinct! It's brilliant.

Greyhound: gentle and independent, a dog that embodies the saying
"form follows function." Bred for speed. 
Photo Credit: Unsplash

7. A book that was fast paced and kept you racing to the end. 

The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore. 

Oh yeah, if there was ever a series that kept me spellbound until I finished it... I read half the first book before watching the film adaptation (which, even at that point, was a sore disappointment!) and I had no idea that it was going to be a series until I found it at a bookstore... alongside two more books! "Oh joy!" I thought, "It's a trilogy!" I trundled my way through it, returning to the bookstore day after day until I reached the end of book 3... and discovered a cliffhanger!! I had to wait months for each ensuing book to come out, and when they did, you can bet I read it as quickly as possible, only to discover yet another cliffhanger until I reached the last book in the series! But if there was ever a series worth plowing through, it would have to be this one!

Dachshund: these dogs are not necessarily built for speed but they are relentlessly persistent. 
Quite often known as "the sausage dog." 
Photo Credit: Unsplash

8. A book that made you hungry; this is a book that you need to stock up on treats before you crack it open. 

Goode-Grace Mysteries/What The Chat Dragged In by Cyn Mackley The second title is more a recent read than the series mentioned first--but the recipes are definitely more plentiful, since it features a food blogger! I don't know why Mackley chose to include so many tantalizing dishes in her books, but holy moly, you're really going to want to stock up on the snacks, because the dishes she describes will have you salivating! Cakes, breads, pastries, salads--everything you could think of, all unique and inventive, and charmingly described! Read my reviews of the Goode-Grace Mysteries by clicking >here< for Book 1, and >here< for Book 2, and read my review for What The Chat Dragged In by clicking on >this hyperlinked text.<

The Mixed breed: Or “Heinz 57” as its sometimes affectionately known, this is a dog of indeterminate breed.  Generally speaking such dogs are believed to live longer and suffer less hereditary diseases. Photo Credit: DepositPhotos

9. This is a book with a bit of everything going on. Could be lots of different elements/POVs or a collection of stories.

 

The Chronicles of Lorrek by Kelly Blanchard. 

This series really does have it all! It starts out your typical sword-and-sorcery setting, with castles and wizardry and magic and battles... but then as the series develops and expands, there's cyberpunk thrown into the mix, with mech-suits and artificial intelligence... and then it hops off-world with the use of spaceships as the simple beginnings of different continents on the same planet expands to whole galaxies that are connected to one another! Yet in spite of it sounding like the series spreads all over the place, Blanchard manages to keep things relevant, with each of her characters serving a specific purpose, and even the function of the new technologies fitting seamlessly alongside the magic elements, as well! To read my reviews on each book, just click >here< for Book 7, the most recent book I have reviewed in the series, and scroll to the bottom for access to all the others!

The French Bulldog: enjoying great popularity at the moment. Playful and adorable and loved by
City dwellers who have less space. Photo Credit: Unsplash

10. A book that is irresistibly cute. 

Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales by Pauline Creeden. 

At first glance, it may seem like a contemporary re-telling of The Little Mermaid... but Creeden infuses her story with popular local Virginian legends, especially concerning the wild ponies of Assateague and Chincoteague (for example: the ponies are rumored to be sympathetic to Merfolk, since their keen senses can detect the presence of werewolves and issue a warning) It's a sweet tale, full of endearing characters, and a story that will have you gasping at each plot twist and give you a warm, bubbly feeling as you read it! To check out my complete review of all the books, click >here<

The Portuguese Podengo: alert and independent.  A breed of hunting dog believed to have descended
from dogs brought to Portugal by Phoenician merchants. Photo Credit: Dreamstime

11. A book that is a standalone. 

Black Train by Clareesa Savka. 

This is another book by a friend of mine, sort of like if Hunger Games was told in more of an allegorical sense. This community is restricted to living in the massive Train Station, assigned to clean the windows of the train and shovel coal for the train, but never allowed to ride the train... unless they are given a ticket, and those people are never seen again. It's a simple premise, but Savka does well with it, giving readers a cast of diverse and unique characters, with their own goals and personalities, and the choices and struggles they face are very much relatable. You can read my full review on my blog by clicking >here<

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: the nobility of Dogdom with a silky coat,
mild temper and graceful athleticism. Photo Credit: Unsplash

12. A book with Kings and Queens or something historic.

Bhinian Empire Duology by Miriam Forster. This was one I acquired early on in my book-blogging days due to a "friend-of-a-friend" connection to the author... and I confess, I waited way too long to read it! When I did, though, it was shortly before I actually discovered a copy of the book itself at my local library, and as for the story... It was far from disappointing! A kingdom of shifters, intrigue between royal families, conspiracies and peril at every turn--this duology colorful and while its social structure is more reminiscent of Eastern empires than Western kingdoms, it fits the bill for this category and I definitely recommend it! To read my reviews for both books, just click >here< for Book 1 and >here< for Book 2!

Old Faithful:  This is the dog that has been your steadfast companion over the years. Lies with it’s head on your foot so that it knows when you move, scents you out no matter where you are and waits patiently.  Is the first to greet you in the morning and the last at night and is always happy to see you. 
Photo Credit: Unsplash

13. A book that you’ve read many times, you could pick this book up and just let the pages fall open to where they may and dive right in. 

The Princess Bride by William Goldman. 

This is one of those stories that I grew up watching as a film so many times that I could probably quote the entire thing from memory, never realizing that it was an actual novel that existed. I remember reading it for the first time, and enjoying it so much that I was rolling on the floor laughing at some scenes--and not all of said scenes were even in the film itself! It's near and dear to my heart, as a campy, flamboyant fantasy classic that, really, everybody should read. (And if you've read it, you should know what I mean when I say: Chapter 4 is my favorite!)

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So there we go, a list of thirteen recommendations of books I've read--I hope I've contributed to somebody's TBR list at this point!
Speaking of recommendations, I'd like to tag the following bloggers, and I highly recommend that you check out their responses to this tag!

Heidi Angell
Jo Linsdell
Quill and Pen
WittyLibrarian
Jennelle Schmidt

Reader's Review: "Tree of Bone and Mist" by Melissa E. Beckwith

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

Looking for clues to a past she cannot remember, Rhiannon stumbles into a dangerous new world. Can she survive the evil that hunts her long enough to fulfill her destiny? 

Suffering from vivid nightmares, Rhiannon Kossi is sure that she’s been lied to about her childhood. Seeking the answers to long forgotten questions, she is mysteriously taken from her quiet, simple life on a Montana cattle ranch and thrust into a new, violent world where she is forced to either fight or die. In her quest for answers to her past Rhiannon must accept hard truths that will forever change the course of her life… that is, if she can stay alive.

>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

Chalk this up to one of those I picked up during a giveaway event, it looked really cool and I started following the author... and then just kept postponing reading it again and again, until finally it comes time!

The very first scene is stellar, setting up the world, the antagonist and protagonist, in absolute heart-thumping intrigue. Then the scene switches to a young woman in a cabin on a farm with a pet wolf--in rural Montana?? From that point, I knew it was going to take me a while to warm up to this author's style. Just how easy is it to domesticate a wolf, and why a wolf, in particular? Why not just a wolfdog or something more credible? Main Character Rhiannon (love that name!) is set up as someone who just wants to find her dad and stay out of trouble, and this leads her to a portal that brings her into this alternate world--which makes for a fairly straightforward portal fantasy, right? Except that the author seemed a bit indecisive about the actual age of her main character.

When she's panicking about being in a strange world all of a sudden with everyone depending on her as some mysterious savior of some sort, or adamant about finding her father, it feels like she could be in her mid-teens. But then there are events that happen, situations she finds herself in that are in no way suitable for a mere teenager (including, but not limited to: unwanted sexual advances, going berserk and killing grown men on multiple occasions, and getting her clothes ripped off to display a birthmark on her chest) that make me think that she could be in her early twenties, which would make this more "Young Adult" or even "New Adult" and less "Middle-Grade" than I was expecting. I mean, I guess I should have been more aware of the fact that the series is called "The Sword of Rhiannon", but at the same time she is presented as someone very scared and remarkably tender-hearted, in no way a killer until she starts... you know... killing. The way, too, that Rhiannon is brought from "rejecting the call" to "accepting her fate" happens very fast and very near the end of the book, almost too late, as it were... She left a lot to be desired, as far as main characters go!

But I have to say, the fantasy world-building itself was everything I hoped for. I loved the rich lore, the different biomes, the varying vistas described over the course of the story. The antagonist, as mentioned above, is well-written as well, and if it were anybody else I just wish it could have been populated by more varied and interesting people! The epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter were a nice touch, as well. It lent an air of ancient mystique to the whole vibe of the book--although it didn't do much to help me understand what was going on any better.

Taking all of the above into consideration, I'd say Tree of Bone and Mist earns itself at best a ****4 STAR**** rating. Good world-building, the dialogue wasn't too forced or contrived (maybe repetitive sometimes when Rhiannon would still be trying to figure out what was going on...), the conflict and resolution did their jobs, and the plot did deliver on the premise.

All I know at this point is that this is definitely a book that is setting up the rest of the series. I can only hope that the downsides to this story are the result of "debut novel jitters" and perhaps as the series progresses, the writing improves as well--but at this point, I am honestly not as invested in the success of the protagonists as I'd like to be, and I could take or leave the series.

Further Reading: (Tough Heroines/Compelling Plots/Portal Fantasies)

The Vemreaux Trilogy--Mary E. Twomey
       -The Way 
       -The Truth 
       -The Lie 

The Untamed Series--Madeline Dyer
       -Untamed 
       -Fragmented 

The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
       -Gutshot (Novellette) 

       -The Alcatraz Coup (Novella) 
       -Vulnerable (Short Story) 
       -Jacq of Spades 
       -Queen of Diamonds 
       -Ace of Clubs 

-Ugly Girl (Faite Falling Series)--Mary E. Twomey

-The Seventh Crow--Sherry D. Ramsey

-Chasing Rabbits--Erin Bedford 

-Mythical Doorways--Fellowship of Fantasy 

-You're Not A Real Goth Until You Sack Rome--Jeffrey Cook & Katherine Perkins

The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
        -Foul is Fair 
        -Street Fair 
        -A Fair Fight 
        -All's Fair

The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen
       -The Cry of the Firebird 
       -Ashes of the Firebird 
       -Rise of the Firebird 

Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
     -Escape From Neverland 
     -Dance Into The Wyrd

The Portal Prophecies--C. A. King
     -A Keeper's Destiny 
     -A Halloween's Curse 
     -Frost Bitten

Talented Series--Amy Hopkins
     -A Drop of Dream 
     -A Dash of Fiend 
     -A Splash of Truth 
     -A Promise Due 

The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster
     -City of A Thousand Dolls 
     -Empire of Shadows 

Reader's Review: "The Wendy" by Erin Michelle Sky and Stephen Brown

Synopsis from Amazon:

When the world doesn't want you to be who you are, you must become more yourself than you knew you could be.

London. 1789. More than anything in the world, Wendy Darling wants to be the captain of a ship, but women aren't allowed in the Royal Navy. When she learns the Home Office is accepting a handful of women into its ranks, she jumps at the chance, joining the fight against the most formidable threat England has ever faced. Magic.

But the secret service isn’t exactly what she hoped. Accompanied by a reimagined cast of the original Peter Pan, Wendy soon discovers that her dreams are as far away as ever, that choosing sides isn’t as simple as she thought, and that the only man who isn't blinded by her gender ... might be her nation's greatest enemy.

>>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

I picked this up during a giveaway event. Goodness knows I cannot resist the idea of a fairy tale retelling--and a twist on one of my favorite fantasy tales, featuring Wendy in a much more prominent role than she had in the original novel was too good to resist.

I had a few other books to get through before its turn came along, but it finally happened, and oh the cleverness of the authors!

It's a truly splendid retelling, keeping relatively close to the original in matters of time period (late 18th-century) but at the same time, tweaking all the right details to come up with an entirely new context for each of the characters that still manages to fit.

Wendy, John, and Michael aren't siblings in this one, they are more "siblings-at-arms", as it were. Wendy is an orphan anxious to prove herself in a social landscape that tends to pigeonhole its women (and, in a way, all genders) into a limited array of homemaking positions. She encounters a captain in the Royal Navy who encourages her to break boundaries and make her own niche where she can, and when she hears that the Home Office has been accepting women into its ranks, she seizes the opportunity. 

As an agent of the Home Office, Wendy meets John and Michael, two officers in her unit, and together they brave an encounter with the fearsome and secret enemy they're actually fighting, while feeding the public a very different story: a race of magical beings known as simply the "Everlost"--savage creatures who strike at night, are rumored to drink the blood of their victims, and are near impossible to kill, as conventional weapons have no effect on them and they seem for all intents and purposes to be immortal. Their leader? His name is Peter Pan.

See where the author is going with this??? It only gets better from there. Wendy's unit is helmed by one Captain James Hook, who lost his hand in an altercation with Peter, and has since vowed revenge, searching not only for the island of the Everlost, but also desiring to have for himself one of those magical flying ships they use. (and just wait till you find out the peculiar device that allows them to fly! It's not just happy thoughts and fairy dust!) When Hook hears that Peter is fascinated by Wendy, he immediately has her sequestered at his family estate, under the guise that she is his fiancée and he wants to keep her safe until the Everlost have been conquered.

Wendy herself teeters on the fine edge between being a "self-absorbed, pathetic Mary-Sue", and the converse of "the-only-capable-person-in-the-scene, tough-as-nails, gender-norm-breaking, sarcastic rule-breaker who will immediately fall in love with the devastatingly handsome Bad Boy just because she has to, and end up betraying everybody because she has to follow her heart" without committing to either of those archetypes. Wendy is strong and she has her encounters with plenty of "outsider" characters, but she also knows when to make decisions by herself, and when she needs to have help from others on her team. 

The whole story is enchanting, magical fun, and it is only the beginning of the Tales of The Wendy series! I'd rate this book *****5 STARS*****, and I'll add an Upstream Writer Certified TOTALLY RECOMMENDED endorsement, as well! If you love fairy tales, retellings, and period-style adventures, and especially Peter Pan lore, I can almost guarantee that you'll love The Wendy!

Further Reading: (Fairy Tales/Fantasy Adventures/Retellings/Capable Heroines)

-Severance--M. A. Smith

The Vemreaux Trilogy--Mary E. Twomey
       -The Way 
       -The Truth 
       -The Lie 

-Wolves And Daggers--Melanie Karsak

Punk Anthologies--Writerpunk Press Group
      -Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1 
      -Once More Unto The Breach: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2 
      -What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk 

-Dreamtime Dragons--Dreamtime Fantasy Authors 

-Chasing Rabbits--Erin Bedford

-Anamatus--Derrick Tribble 

-Mythical Doorways--Fellowship of Fantasy

-Cracks in The Tapestry--The Tapestry Group 

-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey

The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
        -Foul is Fair 
        -Street Fair 
        -A Fair Fight 
        -All's Fair

Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden
       -Scales
       -Submerged 
       -Salt 
       -Surfacing

The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen
       -The Cry of the Firebird 
       -Ashes of the Firebird 
       -Rise of the Firebird 

Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
     -Escape From Neverland 
     -Dance Into The Wyrd

Wonderland Guardian Academy Series--Pauline Creeden
       -Red The Wolf Tracker

The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris
       -The Emergence

Reader's Review: "What The Chat Dragged In" by Cyn Mackley

Synopsis from Amazon:

A romantic suspense story balanced on the point of a knife.

FBI Special Agent Martha Garrett spent her career protecting children from predators, but one night she saw something so awful that it broke her mind and her spirit.

Starting a new job and a new life, she’s found a kindred soul in Seth Christopher, a man who photographs flags, daisies, and food for a living and spends his time creating recipes for his food blog. Her tattooed, handsome soulmate is ready to whisk her away to a dream house in the Texas Hill Country, but unspeakable childhood abuse has left him with scars of his own and a dark side he warns Martha she never wants to see.

But the past refuses to leave them alone. When child predators that escaped justice start to die, cops think there's a vigilante at work settling her old scores. Now, Martha has hard questions to ask about herself and her newfound love.

With her name at the top of the suspect list, can Martha stop the killing before it destroys her second chance?

>>>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

Well, this one was different than I was expecting, for sure! I picked it up because Cyn Mackley is an excellent "cozy" author, I really enjoyed her Goode-Grace mystery series. I figured this one was going to be a bit like that, except from the perspective of a federal agent who specializes in sussing out pedophiles in chat rooms and whatever. I was all set for a gripping mystery, sudden plot twists, and high peril all the way.

What I got was more of an emotional journey than a physical thriller. What The Chat Dragged In kind of flips the usual emphasis of cozy mysteries. The crime itself and the investigation becomes almost a backdrop to the budding romance and the personal journeys of the two individual characters, Martha (the Fed) and Seth, a food blogger who seems to have his own past trauma that keeps coming back to haunt him. After a particularly harrowing case that results in a mental breakdown, Martha needs to find ways to relax and take it easy, and at the behest of a couple trusted friends, starts the process of healing and mending by pursuing a relationship with Seth.

I suppose it was partially due to the fact that I was expecting something like the relationship between Trinity Goode and Bobby Grace that I found Martha and Seth's relationship a little bit uninteresting, and at times uncomfortable. She may be "retired" in a way, but Martha still finds herself digging into different unsavory characters in between speaking engagements where she can share her skills and explain her processes to other law enforcement groups--and especially when she meets Seth, and learns about the abuse that happened in his past, things kind of converge in crazy ways. Simply based on the title, I thought for sure the cat named Chat would feature more prominently than it did. I kept waiting for a scene where Martha's conversation with a prospective criminal might dredge something up, or Chat would physically drag something in that would launch an investigation... but no dice.

But in spite of the disappointments, I will say that Mackley does not fail when it comes to the food references in her books, nor the sweet, sultry, slow-burn romance that builds between characters! Seth's occupation as a photographer and food blogger provides ample opportunity for him to cook up dish after dish of tantalizing food for Martha's enjoyment. Their bonding over that aspect in particular is very sweet and endearing, a sort of "oasis" in the midst of the chaos that is the rest of their lives. I do acknowledge that this feels like more of the main thrust of the story rather than any kind of mystery: Martha's and Seth's own journey through healing and recovery, and the way they support each other in it, and the threat of the way their own pitfalls could drag each other down if they're not careful. The criminals are suitably reprehensible, and the community surrounding both characters is unique and relatable, and provide their own breeds of "setbacks" as well as support that both Martha and Seth need at varying times.

On the whole, I'd rank What The Chat Dragged In with a fairly-decent ****4 STAR**** rating. There wasn't much in the way of an actual antagonist (more like the past abuse and psychological trauma is the villain in this piece!) and thus not a whole lot in the way of a linear plot with clear trajectory and a satisfactory resolution, but honestly, the food references were great, the characters are awesome, and I do think a story like this could speak volumes to readers who can relate to the trauma. Mackley does an excellent job crafting a sympathetic story that lets every reader find themselves in the story. Despite it not going the way I expected, this book goes to show that when the reader can relate to the experiences of the main character, the message comes through loud and clear, "You are seen. You are heard. You are not alone." And that's the best kind of cozy fiction of all.

Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Clean Romance/Thrilling Mysteries/Cunning Conspiracies)

The Goode-Grace Mysteries--Cyn Mackley
       -American Goth 
       -A Maze And Grace

The Painter Place Saga--Pamela Poole
       -Painter Place 
       -Hugo 

The LouisiAngel Series--C. L. Coffey
        -Angel in Training 
        -Angel Eclipsed 
        -Angel Tormented

The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris
       -The Emergence

The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
       -Gutshot (Novellette)

       -The Alcatraz Coup (Novella) 
       -Vulnerable (Short Story) 
       -Jacq of Spades 
       -Queen of Diamonds 
       -Ace of Clubs

The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan
       -Bounty 
       -Blood Ties 
       -Behind the Badge 
       -Behind The Mask 

Reader's Review: "The Girl and the Clockwork Cat" by Nikki McCormack

Synopsis from Amazon:

Feisty teenage thief Maeko and her maybe-more-than-friend Chaff have scraped out an existence in Victorian London's gritty streets, but after a near-disastrous heist leads her to a mysterious clockwork cat and two dead bodies, she's thrust into a murder mystery that may cost her everything she holds dear.

Her only allies are Chaff, the cat, and Ash, the son of the only murder suspect, who offers her enough money to finally get off the streets if she'll help him find the real killer.

What starts as a simple search ultimately reveals a conspiracy stretching across the entire city. And as Maeko and Chaff discover feelings for each other neither was prepared to admit, she's forced to choose whether she'll stay with him or finally escape the life of a street rat. But with danger closing in around them, the only way any of them will get out of this alive is if all of them work together.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

This one might have been a book I expressed interest in ahead of time. Certainly at the time, I wasn't intending to pick it up. Usually when I get a book by a new author, it's usually after I've interacted with them or a review of their book online. In this case, I went to a local craft expo intending to pick up the three books in a series I really loved--and, lo and behold, it was a "buy-three-get-one-free" deal, and the seller (an author I heartily support, and who has supported me ever since he was so supportive of me when I was just starting out as a review blogger) heavily recommended it to me, so I figured, "Why not?" I added this fun steampunk adventure with a spunky heroine and a cat with a mechanical leg to take home with me, sight-unseen!

Having read it, all I can say is, it's a good thing I love steampunk so much, because that is this book's best feature! Most of the world-building was your standard Victorian-era fare, to the point that it wouldn't really look out of place in a British period film--but then McCormack adds touches like the quasi-police force known as the Literati to bring a touch of otherworldly whimsy to the story as a whole.

The mystery at the heart of it was deliciously twisty. Plenty of conspiracies and intrigue, the story took a while to build itself, but eventually we arrived at the scene--a mother and child murdered in a swanky penthouse, and a man--brilliant inventor, notorious scientist--gone missing. The only clue is a cat left behind, with a mechanical hind leg.

That cat, and its inventor were probably the two most interesting characters in the whole novel. Possibly in a pinch, I would recall a few instances in which the main character, a half-Japanese "street rat" named Maeko, made herself relatable and almost interesting. Frankly, I cared more about her dysfunctional relationship with her only surviving relative that she blamed for abandoning her to her current situation than the two "love interests" that were made into a whole thing in this story. Frankly, I didn't know one well enough to root for him, while the other seemed a lot more interesting, but somehow the author didn't think it was in Maeko's best interest to go with him... we'll see how the "romance that doesn't want to be a romance" plays out in future installments, sure.

For all of the downplaying I've been doing, The Girl and The Clockwork Cat is some decent storytelling. I give it a *****4.5 STAR***** rating, and yes, as I mentioned, I would be interested in seeing how the series develops from there! Certainly the aesthetic and the world-building makes Clockwork Enterprises a series to watch! If you're looking for a light, fun, steampunk adventure, start here!

Further Reading: (Steampunk/Conspiracies/Teenage Heroines)

Dawn of Steam Trilogy--Jeffrey Cook
      -First Light
      -Gods of The Sun 
      -Rising Suns
The Alexander Legacy--Sophronia Belle Lyon
       -A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist 
       -The Pinocchio Factor
-Sky Knight--Sandra Harvey
-AmsterDamned--Nils Visser
-Wolves And Daggers--Melanie Karsak

The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
       -Gutshot (Novellette) 

       -The Alcatraz Coup (Novella) 
       -Vulnerable (Short Story) 
       -Jacq of Spades 
       -Queen of Diamonds 
       -Ace of Clubs 

The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
        -Foul is Fair 
        -Street Fair 
        -A Fair Fight 
        -All's Fair 

Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
     -Escape From Neverland 
     -Dance Into The Wyrd

-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey

The PSS Chronicles--Ripley Patton
       -Ghost Hand 
       -Ghost Hold 
       -Ghost Heart 
       -Ghost Hope 

Blog Tag: Get To Know The Fantasy Reader!

I haven't really gone and joined one of these outside an established group... but I've just been invited to a couple different tags, so you're getting some "insider information" on me!

The blogger who invited me was Raina Nightingale over on Enthralled By Love, and the tag itself originates as a romance reader tag, from Bree Hill on Falling For Romance.

*Quick note about the thumbnail image: I made it myself, with an AI-generated image. Feel free to use it if you are participating in this hop!*

1-What is your Fantasy Origin? (The First Fantasy you Read) 

I grew up homeschooled, so aside from the usual (Mossflower by Brian Jacques, and the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis; I actually didn't get into Lord of the Rings until later) there are two titles in particular that I know influenced my early stories. One was Brill of Exitorn by Peggy Downing, about a boy who gets conscripted to be the companion to a spoiled, selfish son of the wicked emperor who has been oppressing the land. The boy uses cleverness, honesty, and compassion to win over the "emprince", as his title went, and although he and another girl were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned when they tried to liberate others who had been wrongfully imprisoned, they manage to survive and set off to have more adventures--unfortunately, I never knew that there was more to the story, but it definitely ignited my imagination to read it several times!
The other was The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye, and trust me, I had plenty of thoughts about what I would do if I encountered a King that was secretly masquerading as a footman in his own castle! I certainly identified with the titular Princess, her being so "ordinary" and "mousy", while her gorgeous sisters didn't want anything to do with her... Feeling quite plain, myself, I felt inspired to use this to my own advantage, improving my mind and my character while not worrying overmuch about my looks!

2-If you could be the hero/heroine in a fantasy novel, who would be the author and what’s the trope you’d insist be in the story? 

Me? Well... That's a tough hypothetical! There are so many authors whose style I very much enjoy... but I might not survive as a character in their books! But as far as "writes beautiful prose and excellent at world-building", I'd probably go with Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Naomi Novik, or Amy Hopkins. In the scope of their books, I'd probably want the role of a wise counselor or mentor-figure, like a "fairy godmother" type. I don't always need to be the center of attention all the time, but I like having the position of influence, to be the "hub of knowledge and information", as it were. One of my favorite tropes and the one I hope is in the book I am a part of is that "Truth Wins." Like, for the discovery of truth to be the key to the undoing of the antagonist. Also, I love the "found family" trope, as well as the "strong silent softie archetype" trope, so I'd want those to be present as well!

3-What is a fantasy series you’ve read this year, that you want more people to read? 

To be honest, 2022 hasn't been my best year for reading. I've been doing a lot of discovering of new crime thriller authors, some stand-alones... but for the sake of having a response, I will say that I've at least read A Promise Due, the next (fourth) book in the Talented series by Amy Hopkins. It's an urban fantasy series that I've described as "If Hermione Granger decided to use her talents in Herbology to open a tea shop just outside London." The main character, Emma, is a "Half-Talent", where her full-magic father married a "normal" woman. As such, she's too "normal" for the magic community, and too "magic" for the normal community, she's kind of in a social limbo that tends to be very uncomfortable... particularly in the circumstance when the series starts, in which someone capable of dream-walking has been killing people off. At first she's a suspect, because her enchanted teas are a well-known staple--but as the mystery deepens, Emma figures out that the killer is going after Half-Talents like herself... and she's been getting disturbing imagery in her dreams that could indicate she might be the next target. Of course, that's just how it starts, and the mysteries just get deeper and bigger and more twisty from there. The characters and world-building are wonderful. Emma lives with her faithful dog Lenny and the "family boggart", sort of like a monstrous cryptid butler, and she meets two Talent Lords, brothers who kind of take her under their wing as an honorary sibling when she navigates the Talent high society, a Fae stylist named Bee who is absolutely delightful, a hound shifter who works on the police force... and so much more! If I were to recommend any series I read this year, that would definitely be the one!

4-What is your favorite fantasy subgenre? 

I have lots of favorites! Fantasy is definitely the biggest genre I read. Fairy tales, Portal fantasy, urban fantasy, sword and sorcery and noblebright fantasy are among my favorites. I love a good shifter fantasy as well!

5-What subgenre have you not read much from? 

Dark fantasy and especially grimdark fantasy are subgenres I have only a "dabbler's" interest in. I tend to be pretty squeamish, so if the violence is too intense and there isn't a secondary feature like amazing world-building or thought-provoking prose to kind of take my mind off the gore, then I don't enjoy it for its own sake. And I will say, that while I like romantic stories like fairy tales and whatnot, "fantasy romance" is not what I would go for, in its own right. I like romance as a subplot, but if it's the only thing the novel has going on, frankly that bores me!

6-Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors? 

One author whose books I'm always looking for, and definitely know that I want to read as soon as I see her name on it is Marissa Meyer. Her series The Lunar Chronicles was one of the first series I ever actually bought to own. I have at least one of her stand-alones, too--but I'm ashamed to admit I haven't gotten into her new series yet! (But that is to come, for sure!) In the indie realm, the author I've immediately bought when I had the money to spare and she's come out with a new book is Kelly Blanchard. I have signed copies of the entire Chronicles of Lorrek, which I promised myself I needed to read before I got her spin-off series, the Hand of Sorrow. Her books are so good, though!

7-How do you typically find fantasy recommendations? (Goodreads, YouTube, Podcasts, Instagram, etc.)

Goodreads is usually how I find out about a lot of books, since I can see what my friends are reading and how they've enjoyed books--even titles I find randomly at the library that I find exciting, I typically look them up on Goodreads just to see what the reviews are like, and what people enjoy or object to in a given title, and what my friends have said about it. My library also has a "staff picks" shelf, where they feature books in a few different genres that staff members recommend--a few times I've found books that I ended up really liking on that shelf as well!

8-What is an upcoming fantasy release you’re excited for? 

Well, if you'd asked me that a few months ago, I would have said The First Binding by R. R. Virdi--he's an author I've reviewed many times on this blog, ever since I read and loved his debut self-published novel. This year, he got picked up and published by Tor Books, a massive publisher, and since its release in August, the book is already making waves! By now, though, I'd have to say: Over The Moon by S. E. Anderson! She's an author I've been in a few groups with (and on a podcast panel, too!) and although I haven't read a lot of her works, I absolutely love her creativity and the ideas she comes up with. For example, this upcoming release of hers is a sort of "cyberpunk remix" of the Wizard of Oz, replete with secret royal twins, aliens and AI versions of the different character archetypes from the source material, and I'm betting there will be tons of entertaining references throughout! I still remember catching the social media update when she was talking about the concept in the "infant" stages of the idea, back when it was under a different title... and for sure I will be hyping it upon release!

9-What is one misconception about fantasy you would like to lay to rest? 

That it's somehow "just for girls." Or that it's all one thing (like fairies and unicorns and dragons and tall and graceful Elves...); or even further, that it's "just escapist stories that have no bearing on reality, but are really a distraction from actual real-world problem solving."
On the contrary, I believe that fantasy is necessary because it allows one to see real-world problems out of their real-world context, so maybe aspects of that problem are more readily apparent. Reading fantasy could allow you to read a situation or an issue you may relate to, but in this new context it gives you the ability to see it from another perspective.
Fantasy isn't all castles and princesses and unicorns; it's not all girly romance and damsels in distress. Fantasy can be worthwhile for all genders and ages, not just to escape reality and chase after flights of fancy, but to exercise one's mind and learn to view situations from new and inventive ways of thinking. I've met people who only read nonfiction because they don't see "the point" of fiction... I would argue that their objection is precisely why fiction and especially fantasy is necessary, because the real world is too vast for just one way of linear thinking; we need to learn to see beyond the surface, beyond our empirical (or senses-based) interactions. Fantasy gives shape to the abstract, and allows us to grasp the invisible.

10-If someone had never read a fantasy book before and asked you to recommend the first three books that came to mind as places to start, what would these recommendations be? 

Ooh, this is a tough one! Namely because fantasy is such a broad spectrum. I might select a few from different subgenres, just to see what more I could give them. Maybe I'd start my friend out with Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis as a good portal fantasy—if they like that one, then I know that they’ll like books with lots of magic, they don’t mind talking animals, and they definitely want to see good win out sooner rather than later. 

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, I would recommend to somebody who watched a lot of Disney films growing up, but they don’t see how the fairy tales could be “upgraded” for even more entertainment. 

And thirdly, I’d want them to read Inkheart, because Cornelia Funke has an amazing way with bringing fantasy so close to the real world that it’s kind of amazing, that book in particular captures an “outsider’s” perspective of fantasy literature.

11-What is the most recent fantasy retelling content creator you came across the you’d like to shout out?

As a matter of fact, the most recent featured review I've posted here on the blog happens to be a retelling, and yes, I did enjoy it very much!
The book was Severance by M. A. Smith, and it came off as sort of a re-telling of The Little Mermaid--but very much along the lines of "if Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale had truly been told entirely from the mermaid's point of view", rather than just the surface things described as a human would. I would go on, but you can read my full review by clicking >This linked text<. Bottom line, she deserves a shout-out for her excellent work!

And finally, I'll close out this post by tagging five more bloggers to talk about their reading experiences!

Katie Writes Fantasy
The Obscure World
C J Brightley
Laurie Lucking
K. M. Carroll

Feel free to offer your own answers to any of these questions, or comment about any of these titles you've read, or you might want to read! Join the conversation!