Just a quick update today. Last week was stressful and tiring, and I’m glad it’s done. Now on to what I’ve been reading! What I’ve Read:
The Temptation of Charlotte North by Camilla Bruce The island of Margaret’s Keep is a quiet place with more sheep than people, and the spirited young Charlotte North feels constrained by it all– especially where it comes to her domineering mother who blames Charlotte for everything that goes wrong. When an earthquake demolishes an old tower at the island’s edge, something strange is released and that something develops an interest in Charlotte. As her relationship with the spirit develops, she begins to see how it could give her everything she has ever wanted, assuming she is willing to pay the price. This Gothic novel develops slowly– almost too slowly sometimes– but is so atmospheric and full of interesting characters that I didn’t mind the slow pace at all. I was a bit frustrated by a somewhat rushed ending, but that wasn’t enough to put me off this book and it makes me want to look for other books by Camilla Bruce. Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the advance copy.
Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle #1) by Tracy Deonn After the sudden death of her mother, sixteen year old Bree wants nothing more than to escape her memories and grief. The Early College program at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill seems like the perfect way out until, on her very first night on campus, Bree witnesses a magical attack which draws her toward an ancient secret society of wizards and warriors descended from King Arthur and his knights who are sworn to defend the world from the dark forces that would destroy everything. With the help of Nick, a self-exiled member of this society, Bree goes in search of answers that will unlock the truth of her mother’s death and of her own family’s long-buried secrets. I don’t read very many YA novels these days, but as the third book in this trilogy was nominated for the Lodestar Award, I figured I would give it a shot. I’m glad I did, because I had a great time with it. Deonn wrote an engaging story with realistic characters who have ordinary teenager problems heaped on top of the racism a young Black woman in the US faces, plus the magical happenings that Bree has stumbled into. I have the next book sitting on my shelf, and I really need to get to it before it’s due back at the library. What I’m Currently Reading:
The Book of Fallen Leaves (The Autumn Empire #1) by A.S. Tamaki When Sen Hoshiakari was a small child, he was the sole survivor from his family after they were murdered for their treachery against the empire. He is determined to restore his family name, regardless of the cost. Rui is a peasant woman who was found alongside Sen after his family’s destruction. Because of their social standings, they were separated and sent along different paths in life. As Sen grows up, he finds his family history may be darker and more treacherous than he imagined; Rui, as a commoner, is at loose ends and feels like she has no purpose in her life until the gods take notice of her and choose her to complete a dangerous task for them. While the political machinations in the Autumn Empire are neverending, the shadows begin to gather as demons appear and demand their due. As things grow more dangerous for Sen and everyone around him, he must decide between his desire to restore his blood family and his love for the family that raised him, all while civil war brews around them all. I have about 130 pages left of this book, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Tamaki is a Japanese American author who has based his story on Japanese history and legend. The Book of Fallen Leaves is his debut novel, though it doesn’t read like a debut. This feels like a book by someone who has been writing books for a while, and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next. Then begins the long wait for the next book.
Painted Devils (Little Thieves #2) by Margaret Owen After her adventures in Little Thieves, Vanja set out to find her own way in the world, only to accidentally wake an old god and start a cult. It was a complete mistake and she can explain everything, but now that Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad has found her again– and brought an uptight supervisor with him, Vanja’s been hard-pressed to talk her way out of everything. When the Scarlet Maiden appears and demands a blood sacrifice, her choice of sacrifice is Emeric. With a tight deadline on their hands and Emeric’s supervisor being only too happy to believe the worst of Vanja, the two of them are in dire straits. Their search for answers takes them to remote towns, into criminal underworlds, and to the end of their wits as they struggle to find the answers to the Scarlet Maiden’s existence as well as what they mean to each other. This is another book I’m reading because of the Lodestar Award as book three in this trilogy, Holy Terrors, is also nominated. I’ve already read the first book and it was a lot of fun, but I’m not enjoying this one quite as much. It’s still a solid story with engaging characters, but I prefer the first book a little more. I’m halfway through, though, so there’s a lot of time still for my opinion to change.
Bone of My Bone by Johanna Van Veen Johanna Van Veen returns with her third historical horror novel, this time set during the German Thirty Years’ War in the first half of the 1600s. It was a brutal time of religious strife and violence, and many who grew up in the period knew little but violence. In Bone of My Bone, we meet Elsebeth and Sister Ursula, two young women on either side of the religious divide who find each other when Elsebeth saves Sister Ursula from the soldier who would have raped and murdered her. They stay together for the sake of survival, but begin to develop romantic feelings for each other as they travel. Their situation grows more complicated when they find a strange relic– a decorated skull that speaks to them in their dreams and demands to be returned to her body with the promise of granting them their hearts’ desire. They do not know that a necromancer who is searching for the skull is trailing them, and he will stop at nothing to take it back. This is a gory, violent story about the darkest elements of humanity, but Van Veen doesn’t forget to contrast this with moments of love and beauty. Elsebeth and Sister Ursula are flawed young women who refuse to let the violence surrounding them strip them of their humanity and I appreciate that. I’ve come across too many historical horror novels that just sink into the mire of “everything is awful, the past is awful, people are awful, it’s all awful and gross”. I’m not interested in reading about that. I need some bit of light to shine through the darkness, and Van Veen gives that to us with the relationship between Elsebeth and Sister Ursula. I’m about 60% of the way through, and I worry that things are going to go horribly wrong for our heroines. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advance copy for review. —- And that’s all for last week. I’m hoping this week will be a little calmer and that I’ll have a little more time to get things done in general. Next Sunday, I’m hoping to have some knitting and other life updates. Have a great week! Traveling in Books is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Traveling in Books that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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