To Defy a King - Elizabeth Chadwick

To Defy A King by Elizabeth Chadwick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. I didn't like this as much as the others in the series, partly because there were so many characters that I didn't like - it's during King John's reign, so I guess you have to expect some of that. Chadwick got me feeling angry about lots of characters - King John, of course, and his nephew, Ida's son, but also Roger Bigod, who really disappointed me. I thought he was made of better stuff after quite liking him in For the King's Favor. Now that I look back, I realize there were hints in that book of who he would become.

I also felt Mahelt's frustration at her powerlessness in the face of men, her isolation from her family, and her struggles to meet the very different expectations of her marriage family. I liked that she didn't give up in spite of everything, and didn't lose her spirit. Not for lack of being squashed! It was realistic for her time, but I don't have to like it.

The other reason I didn't like this as much is that Mahelt's viewpoint was really limited. She wasn't able to take as active a role in the Bigod family as her mother did in the Marshal household. Much of the real action took place either by messenger, or in her husband Hugh's point of view, which was still peripheral. I'm glad I had read The Scarlet Lion because the central events were more directly explored there from William Marshal's point of view.

Heir to Sevenwaters - Juliet Marillier

Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was not quite as good as the books of the original trilogy, but that's such a high standard to meet. I still couldn't put it down. Sevenwaters is the same magical place, but this time a new foe appears, and another daughter of Sevenwaters rises to the challenge of defending her family and loves. I can't wait to see where the next one takes it all.

4.5 stars?

A Breath of Frost - Alyxandra Harvey

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love Fantasy of Manners, that sub-genre that blends Jane Austen-ish social settings and romance with a magical version of the 19th Century. A Breath of Frost introduces a Regency world with a magical society hidden beneath the surface of all the polite society balls and soirees. Three cousins, debutantes, discover that magic is part of their heritage, and begin to learn about this world. And it's kind of strange.

Familiars that jump out of their witch's chests, gargoyles that animate to protect (or attack), portals to the underworld, earthy magic made with rowan berries, protections of salt and iron, stags in the forest, shifters, blood magic and evil warlocks back from the dead. This is not your average magical London. Or YA novel.

It did take me a while to get used to the strange assortment of magic and to the rules of the hidden society. But once I got into it and understood how things worked, I was intrigued, and I enjoyed the next book more.

Unfortunately, the publisher decided not to publish the third book, but the author kindly wrote a novella to bring closure to the series so don't let that stop you. There aren't enough of these types of stories out there, so if you enjoy Fantasy of Manners like I do, at least give this a try.

In A House Made of Bones and Teeth - Alyxandra Harvey

In A House Made of Bones and Teeth by Alyxandra Harvey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm so thankful to the author for wrapping up the Lovegrove Legacy. Since the publisher dropped the series, this novella resolves the cliffhanger at the end of book 2 very nicely. It really reads like an extended ending for that one, the action and intensity continuing without pause. I'm mostly satisfied, but I wish there were more!

I find myself wondering what we're missing since we didn't get a full length novel. What was Penelope's story going to be? There are a couple of characters that have slightly loose ends, too, even though the main story is all there.

I do also wish there were at least one more chapter in the aftermath of the battle. I needed to see everyone dealing with what happened and finding each other. In the turn of a page, it went from intense and desperate end of the world to the distance of an epilogue showing years in the future. My emotions are still trying to find their way back down!

I'm really bummed that the publisher didn't give us a chance to get a full book 3, but since the main story is wrapped up in this novella, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the series to anyone who enjoys Regency-era novels tossed with Fantasy. This Fantasy is full of strange magic of salt, earth and metal, and is centered on three fierce cousins, debutantes who - you guessed it - defy convention, but with a unique set of talents that made it seem fresh. I wish I could read more.

Vicious - V.E. Schwab

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There was a point when I almost turned away from Vicious. Given the title and what had happened so far, I had a sickening feeling that it was about to devolve into a grimdark-style, twisted killing spree. Don't get me wrong, there's a high body count. But it didn't end up being hollow and bleak as I feared. Somehow there's enough humor and good that I felt there was hope - not a grimdark feature at all. The side characters and the cool powers really made the book, even though they didn't show up until about half way through. With a nail-biting showdown, in the end I actually enjoyed it. Perseverance can have its rewards sometimes!

The Red Lily Crown - Elizabeth Loupas

The Red Lily Crown: A Novel of Medici Florence by Elizabeth Loupas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are some parts of this that I enjoyed - the alchemy, the dogs, the relationship between the two main characters. But, it's a very brutal book. So many deaths. The sadistic prince's viewpoint was especially disturbing, and any revenge or happiness that is achieved comes at a very high cost. I'm afraid the brutality overshadows the book for me.

An Officer and a Spy - Robert Harris

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An Officer and a Spy is a nail-biting espionage/legal thriller set in France at the turn of the 19th Century, and is slightly outside my comfort zone. I love Historical Fiction, but thrillers are... uncomfortable. They make me tense. I spend a lot of effort trying not to be anxious in real life, so to chase that feeling purposely is maybe a bit silly. I have to knock off a star because "enjoyment" isn't a word I can use in relation to such emotions.

That said, this is a fantastically written story that probably actually deserves 5 stars if I could get beyond my emotional response to it. What horrifies me the most is that it's a true story. Reality can truly be more cruel than fiction. I felt the despair, the sense of being stamped out by a government for knowing the wrong information, and the outrage at crimes uncovered and injustices committed. Great stuff. I recommend it if historical spy thrillers are your thing. And even if they're not.