Book Review: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

A Deadly Education
Author: Naomi Novik
Series: The Scholomance (Book 1)
Publication: Del Rey (September 29, 2020)

Description: I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life.

Everyone loves Orion Lake. Everyone else, that is. Far as I’m concerned, he can keep his flashy combat magic to himself. I’m not joining his pack of adoring fans.

I don’t need help surviving the Scholomance, even if they do. Forget the hordes of monsters and cursed artifacts, I’m probably the most dangerous thing in the place. Just give me a chance and I’ll level mountains and kill untold millions, make myself the dark queen of the world.

At least, that’s what the world expects. Most of the other students in here would be delighted if Orion killed me like one more evil thing that’s crawled out of the drains. Sometimes I think they want me to turn into the evil witch they assume I am. The school certainly does.

But the Scholomance isn’t getting what it wants from me. And neither is Orion Lake. I may not be anyone’s idea of the shining hero, but I’m going to make it out of this place alive, and I’m not going to slaughter thousands to do it, either.

Although I’m giving serious consideration to just one.

With flawless mastery, Naomi Novik creates a school bursting with magic like you’ve never seen before, and a heroine for the ages—a character so sharply realized and so richly nuanced that she will live on in hearts and minds for generations to come.

My Thoughts: This story is told by Galadriel, call her El, about her time at the Scolomance, a school for budding magicians. El has a difficult time there because prophecy has said that she will become an evil sorcerer. But El was raised by her flowers and butterflies and positive thinking mother and knows that she can fight her destiny and become the sort of sorcerer she wants to be. 

El's nemesis is Orion Lake. He's the school hero and has single-handedly saved a quarter of their class from being devoured by the many monsters that haunt the school. El doesn't want his help. She's determined to survive the school on her own. But Orion keeps turning up and saving the day. 

There are two kinds of magic in El's world: mana and malia. Mana is positive magic created by effort; malia is negative and stolen from other lives. The school is determined to make El into the sort of sorcerer who pulls and uses malia and turn her out into the world as a maleficer. She's determined not to be turned into one.

There is wonderful and complex worldbuilding in the story. It is filled with magnificent and hungry creatures of all kinds. It is also filled with engaging and well-rounded human characters. I especially liked that El gradually makes friends with some of her human classmates including the dreaded Orion Lake. 

Favorite Quote:

Some sorcerers get an affinity for weather magic, or transformation spells, or fantastic combat magics like dear Orion, I got an affinity for mass destruction. 

I bought this one September 29, 2020. You can buy your copy here.

Book Beginnings: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place.

Beginning:

I decided that Orion needed to die after the second time he saved my life. I hadn't really cared much about him before then one way or the other, but I had limits.

Friday 56:

Most people get alchemy assignments to produce antidotes or preventative elixirs, or the good old standby of producing gold out of cheaper elements. I'm never set recipes for anything useful; I've got to trade for them.

This week I am spotlighting A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. This one has been on my TBR pile since September 29, 2020. Somehow it got lost on my TBR mountain. Now, there are three books in the series, and I have all of them.

Here's the description from Amazon:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the first book of the Scholomance trilogy, the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic.

FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD • “The dark school of magic I’ve been waiting for.”—Katherine Arden, author of the Winternight Trilogy

I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life.

Everyone loves Orion Lake. Everyone else, that is. Far as I’m concerned, he can keep his flashy combat magic to himself. I’m not joining his pack of adoring fans.

I don’t need help surviving the Scholomance, even if they do. Forget the hordes of monsters and cursed artifacts, I’m probably the most dangerous thing in the place. Just give me a chance and I’ll level mountains and kill untold millions, make myself the dark queen of the world.

At least, that’s what the world expects. Most of the other students in here would be delighted if Orion killed me like one more evil thing that’s crawled out of the drains. Sometimes I think they want me to turn into the evil witch they assume I am. The school certainly does.

But the Scholomance isn’t getting what it wants from me. And neither is Orion Lake. I may not be anyone’s idea of the shining hero, but I’m going to make it out of this place alive, and I’m not going to slaughter thousands to do it, either.

Although I’m giving serious consideration to just one.

With flawless mastery, Naomi Novik creates a school bursting with magic like you’ve never seen before, and a heroine for the ages—a character so sharply realized and so richly nuanced that she will live on in hearts and minds for generations to come.

Audiobook Review: Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews

Stork Raving Mad
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow Mystery (Book 12)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (April 3, 2018)
Length: 7 hours and 52 minutes

Description: Meg Langslow is pregnant with twins when Michael asks if she wouldn't mind having a houseguest. One of his doctoral students is directing his new translation of a play by a minor Spanish playwright, who has agreed to come to town for the production. Surely they can spare some room for such an important academic cause?

Señor Mendoza turns out to be a partygoer who loves to spend raucous evenings among adoring students...at Casa Langslow. Into this chaos arrives the dean of the English department, who insists the play be canceled.

Then the unthinkable happens: the dean is found murdered, and Meg's house has become a crime scene. Now it's up to Meg to help Chief Burke solve the murders, rescue the student's dissertation, make sure Michael doesn't lose tenure, and, while she's at it, give birth to twins. Encore! Encore!

My Thoughts: Things are busy for Meg Langslow in this 12th book in the series. Because the heating plant isn't operational at the college, she and her husband Michael are hosting a bunch of drama students as they prepare for their latest production and a clutch of computer students have taken over the basement. In addition, Michael asks Meg to host the Spanish playwright of the upcoming production.

The chairman of the English department comes to tell them all that the play must be cancelled because the graduate student who is producing it didn't ask for permission. She and her minion from Administrative Services have done nothing but throw roadblocks into the paths of all drama students and are vehemently opposed to the formation of a separate Drama department. 

When the body of the English Department Chair is found in Meg and Michael's library, Chief Burke and his department all descend on the house to try to solve the case. However, Deputy Sammy is distracted by the recent hit-and-run accident his dog suffered and wants to track down the driver. 

It soon becomes apparent that many people had reasons to want the professor dead and most of them are currently in residence at Meg and Michael's. Meg who is eight-and-a-half-months pregnant finds herself overhearing all sorts of things she wants to share with the Chief while on the way to the bathroom or trying to get upstairs to take a nap. 

This was another fun entry into this engaging humorous mystery series. I enjoyed the narration. I really like Meg and the assorted characters who surround her. 

I bought this one at Chirp. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White

The Strangers on Montagu Street
Author: Karen White
Series: Tradd Street (Book 3)
Publication: Berkley; 1st edition (November 1, 2011)

Description: Charleston psychic Melanie Middleton discovers the past isn't finished revealing unsettling secrets in the third novel in the New York Times bestselling Tradd Street series.

With her relationship with writer Jack Treholm as shaky as the foundation of her family home, Melanie’s juggling a number of problems. Like restoring her Tradd Street house...and resisting her mother’s pressure to ‘go public’ with her talent—a sixth sense that unites them to the lost souls of the dead. But Melanie never anticipated her new problem.

Her name is Nola, Jack’s estranged young daughter who appears on their doorstep, damaged, lonely and defiantly immune to her father’s attempts to reconnect. Melanie understands the emotional chasm all too well. As a special, bonding gift Jack’s mother buys Nola an antique dollhouse—a precious tableaux of a perfect Victorian family. Melanie hopes the gift will help thaw Nola’s reserve and draw her into the family she’s never known.

At first, Nola is charmed, and Melanie is delighted—until night falls, and the most unnerving shadows are cast within its miniature rooms. By the time Melanie senses a malevolent presence she fears it may already be too late. A new family has accepted her unwitting invitation to move in—with their own secrets, their own personal demons, and a past that’s drawing Nola into their own inescapable darkness...

My Thoughts: The third Tradd Steet book has a ghostly dollhouse. Melanie is busy restoring her Tradd Steet home. This time it needs a new foundation which means she'll have to move out and live with her mother until the work is done. 

When Jack Trenholm comes asking for a favor, Melanie is torn. Her relationship with him is in a confusing state of flux. But when he asks her to take in his newly discovered thirteen-year-old daughter, she can't say no. She remembers how hard it was when she was thirteen and sympathizes with the child. However, Nola hasn't come alone. Besides a backpack and beat up guitar, the ghost of her mother has also made the journey. 

Things become more difficult when Jack's parents give Nola a Victorian dollhouse along with ghosts. Research shows that the house is modeled on one in town which is inhabited by an elderly woman who is the last of her family. The woman is a retired music teacher from the school Nola will be attending in the fall. Nola reluctantly agrees to take some music lessons, a sore spot since her mother was a singer-songwriter who recently committed suicide, and Melanie gets involved with the ghosts at that house too. 

Nearing forty and not looking forward to it, Melanie soon finds herself dealing with a teenager, a boyfriend with a variety of secrets, and ghosts both benign and malevolent while trying to keep to her schedule.

This was another excellent episode in the Tradd Street series. 

Favorite Quote:

I resisted rolling my eyes and tried hard to push aside my impatience, wondering once again why ghosts couldn't just come right out and say what they wanted. My life was like on long B movie, with me as the lone member of the audience shouting at the screen, "Just tell her already!"

I bought this one November 25, 2017. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Broadcast Blues by R. G. Belsky

Broadcast Blues
Author: R. G. Belsky
Series: Clare Carlson Mystery (Book 6)
Publication: Oceanview Publishing (January 2, 2024)

Description: Wendy Kyle took secrets to her grave—now, Clare Carlson is digging them up

New York City has no shortage of crime, making for a busy schedule for TV newswoman Clare Carlson. But not all crimes are created equal, and when an explosive planted in a car detonates and kills a woman, Clare knows it’ll be a huge story for her.

But it’s not only about the story—Clare also wants justice for the victim, Wendy Kyle. Wendy had sparked controversy as an NYPD officer, ultimately getting kicked off the force after making sexual harassment allegations and getting into a physical altercation with her boss. Then, she started a private investigations business, catering to women who suspected their husbands of cheating. Undoubtedly, Wendy had angered many people with her work, so the list of her suspected murderers is seemingly endless.

Despite the daunting investigation, Clare dives in headfirst. As she digs deeper, she attracts the attention of many rich and powerful people who will stop at nothing to keep her from breaking the truth about the death of Wendy Kyle—and exposing their personal secrets that Wendy took to her grave.

My Thoughts: In the sixth Clare Carlson mystery, Clare is worrying about turning fifty, dealing with the potential sale of the television station where she works, and dealing with an irritating new boss among other problems. 

In the quest for news to televise, Clare becomes interested in the death of Wendy Kyle. She's a former cop turned private investigator who specializes in getting evidence on cheating husbands. She dies when her car explodes as she was about to enter it leaving a cryptic page from her diary as the only clue to what she was working on.

Clare sees the death as the exciting news she has been looking for and decides to look into the death. Kyle was a fascinating person with at least as many enemies as supporters and a fair number of her enemies were with the police. Not to mention the many rich and cheating men that she exposed. 

The mystery was filled with twists and turns as Clare tried to find out who wanted Kyle dead the most. She calls on two of her ex-lovers to help her out. Both of whom wouldn't mind rekindling their relationships with Clare despite being married men themselves. 

I enjoyed this story. I like Clare for her dedication to her job of finding and reporting on important stories. I also like that Clare is angsting about turning fifty without a husband or lover in the picture. I also like her growing relationship with her daughter and granddaughter. 

Favorite Quote:

We were having lunch too. Janet had a yogurt she was eating with a spoon as we walked. I had a hot dog bought from a street vendor that was covered with sauerkraut, relish, onions and mustard. Sure, it was junk food. But I figured walking while I ate it -- some good solid exercise -- would make up for it. I'm always thinking healthy.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters

Lord of the Silent
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Narrator: Barbara Rosenblat
Series: Amelia Peabody Novel of Suspense (Book 13)
Publication: HarperAudio (May 13, 2014)
Length: 16 hours and 9 minutes

Description: Undeterred by world war and enemy submarines, Amelia and Emerson set sail once again for Egypt, where ghosts of an ancient past and spectres of a present-day evil hover silently over an inscrutable land.

In the autumn of 1915 Cairo is transformed into an army camp teeming with enemy agents and shockingly bold tomb robbers are brazenly desecrating the ancient sites. Amelia seeks refuge at a remote dig in Luxor, but this provides no guarantee of safety when she discovers a fresh corpse in an ancient tomb. But are the Emersons in even darker danger with the intervention of one of Amelias oldest and most dangerous adversaries? Tantalizing clues suggest this might be so, and point toward an archaeological discovery of unparalleled importance - and the resurrection of a voice that has been silent for millennia.

My Thoughts: This is the thirteenth book in the Amelia Peabody series. It's nearly Christmas 1915 and the Emersons are in Egypt. Ramses, who has refused to do more work for British intelligence, is newly married. When one of the men from his earlier work attempts to murder him, he and Nefret are sent to Luxor to check out thefts of antiquities and, hopefully, get him out of danger while Amelia and Emerson try to find out who wants Ramses dead.

But Luxor is no safer for Ramses and Nefret. Rumors of the reappearance of the Master Criminal and further attempts on Ramses' life along with persistent rumors of a marvelous new find all keep Nefret and Ramses busy.

Despite their vows to each other, both sets of Emersons are keeping secrets from the other and each are convinced that this is keeping the other pair safe. For example, the younger Emersons are aware that the Master Criminal who supposedly died in Amelia's arms after a heroic action is actually still alive and rebuilding his criminal enterprise in Luxor.

It isn't until both sets of Emersons reunite in Luxor that the mysteries are solved. 

I enjoyed this episode which seems weighted to the younger Emersons' viewpoint and provided a lot of action including the Master Criminal. I am becoming quite a fan of the Master Criminal. The plot was twisty as is the case when the subject matter includes spies and thieves and political activities. 

I bought this one as a Chirp audiobook. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Secret of the Lady's Maid by Darcie Wilde

The Secret of the Lady's Maid
Author: Darcie Wilde
Series: A Useful Woman Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Kensington (December 26, 2023)

Description: Inspired by the works of Jane Austen, this charming mystery series set in Regency London features Rosalind Thorne, a young woman with a talent for helping ladies of the ton with their most pressing and delicate problems . . .

Rosalind Thorne’s quick wits and discretion have proved invaluable to London’s haut ton. Success has at last brought her financial stability and a new home, which she shares with her best friend, Alice Littlefield. But now trouble has infiltrated Rosalind’s sanctuary, and the reputations in danger include her own.

Alice has formed a tender attachment to Amelia, the maid in their employ, and her affection is returned. But before meeting Alice, Amelia was involved with Cate Levitton, daughter of a well-respected family. The scandalous liaison caused the Levittons to banish Cate to the house of her widowed cousin. Amelia has no expectation of seeing Cate again—until she stumbles upon her in the marketplace, looking deathly ill.

The women bring Cate to their home with the help of Bow Street officer Adam Harkness, who deduces that Cate’s sickness may in fact be arsenic poisoning. But who had motive, or means? As Rosalind and Adam work side by side, their suspicions grow—as does the bond between them. Rosalind knows that both her blossoming relationship with Adam and her increasing independence would be frowned upon by society. Poison, politics, jealousy and jewel thieves combine in Rosalind’s most complex case yet. But to solve this dangerous puzzle, Rosalind must also decide where her heart and her future lie . . .

My Thoughts: Rosalind Thorne has made a place for herself solving problems for the haut ton and now has some financial security. The problem she's trying to solve this time is the most complicated that she has ever faced. Cate Levitton has run away from home and found herself at Rosalind's home after collapsing in the park. 

Cate's previous relationship with Rosalind's maid Amelia was the cause of Amelia losing her job. Now she has shown up dying of arsenic poisoning and lying about nearly everything. She won't say why she left home. When Rosalind goes to investigate, she finds a very dysfunctional family situation. Her aunt is the one with all the money in the family which fosters all kinds of resentment in Cate's oldest brother who is a jealous man. The younger of Cate's brothers tries to make peace between all parties but his efforts usually make situations worse instead of better. Her fiancé is her aunt's protegee and isn't really interested in Cate. In fact, he's having an affair with Cate's sister-in-law. And all of them are lying and keeping secrets about something. 

While Rosalind is trying to untangle all the lies and secrets, her love Adam Harkness is having his own issues as a Bow Street Runner. He feels that the Runners are more interested in doing the political thing instead of the right thing concerning a group of men accused of treason. He's facing pressure from his colleagues as he tries to find out the truth about the treason plot. He has also been approached by a radical Member of Parliament who has offered a life-changing reward for finding one of the conspirators which his colleagues don't want found. 

This story had a lot of viewpoint shifts and had a nicely twisty plot. I liked the look at the culture of the time period and sympathized with the tough decision Rosalind had to make. 

Favorite Quote:

"Let me tell you what I know, Adam Harkness. Those in power plan to stay there. They're not going to tolerate tuppeny-hapeenny revolutionaries. And you may have stood before the king, he may have praised your name, but if the men in charge decide you've betrayed them when they've been so very condescending to you, no Member of Parliament is going to be able to save your righteous ass."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 25, 2023)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever greeting you employ! As I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon, I'm listening to a light rain falling. For the first time in my memory, we won't be having a white Christmas here in Duluth, Minnesota. Some snow might mix in with the rain late on Christmas Day, but we aren't expecting any measurable snow. 

It's quiet here. My brother is at work and scheduled until Target closes at 8PM. I'll be continuing to listen to my current audiobook. 

We have all ingredients for tomorrow's Christmas dinner but nothing that needs to be done in advance. The ham is thawing in the refrigerator. We even have a julekage ready. I'm expecting a quiet week with lots of end-of-the-year blogging to do. LibraryThing distributed their end-of-the-year summary, but it isn't accurate for me. I'm still reading and adding books to my collection and expect to do the same this coming week too. 

Currently I'm two books away from my latest Goodreads goal which will be easily met and exceeded this coming week. 

Plans for this week include finishing my January review copies, finishing my State of the Stack for December, preparing my 2024 reading log on Google Docs, setting my 2024 Goodreads goal, and updating LibraryThing for January. I'll also be making my December reports and looking at my year as a whole. And I will also be setting up my blog February posts which will be mainly review books. I have spaces to choose seven audiobooks which will be easy since I have 206 marked TBR in my LibraryThing account. 

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Rebecca Fawcett (Review; January 16) -- This was an engaging historical fantasy. I loved the worldbuilding. My review will be posted on January 10.
• Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel (Review; January 16) -- This first in a new cozy series stars a recent widow who inherits an apple orchard near Gettysberg and decides to open a cider house. Unfortunately, the murder of her orchard manager needs to be solved before she can realize her plans. My review will be posted on January 11.
• Random in Death by J. D. Robb (Review; January 23) -- I enjoyed this latest in the In Death series that I read it twice -- back-to-back. Great characters and an intense police procedural for a plot made this one an excellent entry into the series. My review will be posted on January 16.

• Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook reread) -- This episode is set just after WWI and the whole clan has gathered in Egypt where they are dealing with stolen jewelry from a newly discovered cache of mummies. My review will be posted on January 18.
• Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffths (Audiobook) -- This is the second of the Brighton mysteries set in 1951. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. My review will be posted on January 23.
• The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook Reread) -- This mystery set in 1922 concerns the discovery of a golden statue and some papyri translated by Ramses. My review will be posted on January 25.

• The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka (Review; January 23) -- This contemporary romance was told in alternate chapters by the protagonists. It was very lyrical and entertaining. My review will be posted on January 18.
• Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas (Mine since May 19, 2021) -- First is the Barker & Llewelyn Historical mystery series. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. My review will be posted on January 20.

DNF

• The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks (Review; January 23) -- I quit this one because the plot was too slow and the writing style too "literary" for me. 

Currently

• Salvage Right by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings (Review; January 30)

Next Week

• Kris Longknife: Emissary by Mike Shepherd (Mine since 10/13/2022)
• In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros (Mine since 11/13/23)
• The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Review; February 6) 

• The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C. L. Miller (Review; February 6)
• Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrom (Review; February 6)
• A Killer Romance by Maggie Blackburn (Review; February 6)

Reviews Posted

• Second Duke's the Charm by Kate Bateman (Review copy)
• He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook)
• Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley (Review copy)

• Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas (Audiobook)
• Coconut Drop Dead by Olivia Matthews (Review copy)
• Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey (Review copy)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• An Unfinished Murder by Jude Deveraux (Review; April 30)

Bought:

• Salvage Right by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audible Credit)
• Witch King by Martha Wells (Kindle Daily Deal, $2.99)
• Archie Goes Home by Robert Goldsborough (BookBub, $.99)

• Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey (Kindle Daily Deal, $2.99)
• No Reserve by Felix Francis (Kindle Daily Deal, $2.99)
• Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha (Kindle $3.99, Audiobook $1.99)

What was your week like?

ARC Review: Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey

Valdemar
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: The Founding of Valdemar (Book 3)
Publication: DAW (December 26, 2023)

Description: The long-awaited story of the founding of Valdemar comes to life in this 3rd book of a trilogy from a New York Times bestselling author and beloved fantasist.

The refugees from the Empire have established a thriving city called Haven with the help of the Tayledras and their allies. But the Tayledras have begun a slow withdrawal to the dangerous lands known as the Pelagirs, leaving the humans of Haven to find their own way.

But even with Haven settled, the lands around Haven are not without danger. Most of the danger comes in the form of magicians: magicians taking advantage of the abundant magical energy in the lands the Tayledras have cleansed; magicians who have no compunction about allying themselves with dark powers and enslaving magical beasts and the Elementals themselves.

Kordas, his family, and his people will need all the help they can get. But when a prayer to every god he has ever heard of brings Kordas a very specific and unexpected form of help, the new kingdom of Valdemar is set on a path like nothing else the world has ever seen.

Perfect for longtime fans of Valdemar or readers diving into the world for the first time, the Founding of Valdemar trilogy will delight and enchant readers with the origin story of this beloved fantasy realm.

My Thoughts: The third book in the Founding of Valdemar series brings the Companions and the first Heralds. Kordas has stopped being able to dodge the will of his people and has been crowned King. He is the sort of man who is always thinking and planning for the good of his people in this new and dangerous land. With the Tayledras withdrawing to cleanse new parts of a Pelagirs, Kordas is concerned about his people's future. 

Kordas feels that he and his son won't be tempted to form their kingdom into an empire with all the abuses he fled to get to this new land. But he worries about his future descendants and petitions the gods for some sort of solution. The arrival of the Companions is an answer to that prayer. And the answer is timely because an Adept is planning to take over Valdemar and has an army of magical creatures at her disposal. 

I enjoyed this epic fantasy which had great worldbuilding. There is interesting magic and huge magical battles. There was a pair of cursed lovers whose story winds its way through many of the later Valdemar stories in the songs of the Bards. And there are also small things like grieving the loss of a cat. I enjoyed the people in the story and their trials in building a new world. 

This was engaging epic fantasy whether you are new to world of Valdemar or someone like me who has been reading in that world for more than thirty years. 

Favorite Quote:

:And, of course, there are traits we look for as well, which are part of that music. Empathy is an important one. A willingness to help others despite one own's expense. A broad mind. Intellect. The ability to listen first and speak second. There are other, but these might be the most important ones.:

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Beginnings: Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:

When one is accustomed to constant work, anything but work feels strange.

Friday 56:

The ferryman, brave heart that he was, had not jumped out and run to safety. When the rope he had been holding went slack, he began passing the children too big for Delia to Fetch up over the side of the boat and into the arms of waiting Heralds, who loaded themselves with two or three children at a time.

This week I am spotlighting Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey. It is her newest and is the third book in The Founding of Valdemar trilogy. I've been reading books about Valdemar since the 1980s and enjoyed them all. This new trilogy explores a new time period. 

Here's the description from Amazon:

The long-awaited story of the founding of Valdemar comes to life in this 3rd book of a trilogy from a New York Times bestselling author and beloved fantasist.

The refugees from the Empire have established a thriving city called Haven with the help of the Tayledras and their allies. But the Tayledras have begun a slow withdrawal to the dangerous lands known as the Pelagirs, leaving the humans of Haven to find their own way.

But even with Haven settled, the lands around Haven are not without danger. Most of the danger comes in the form of magicians: magicians taking advantage of the abundant magical energy in the lands the Tayledras have cleansed; magicians who have no compunction about allying themselves with dark powers and enslaving magical beasts and the Elementals themselves.

Kordas, his family, and his people will need all the help they can get. But when a prayer to every god he has ever heard of brings Kordas a very specific and unexpected form of help, the new kingdom of Valdemar is set on a path like nothing else the world has ever seen.

Perfect for longtime fans of Valdemar or readers diving into the world for the first time, the Founding of Valdemar trilogy will delight and enchant readers with the origin story of this beloved fantasy realm.

Audiobook Review: Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas

Murder on Cold Street
Author: Sherry Thomas
Narrator: Kate Reading 
Series: Lady Sherlock (Book 5)
Publication: Penguin Audio (October 6, 2020)
Length: 13 hours and 15 minutes

Description: Charlotte Holmes, Lady Sherlock, investigates a puzzling new murder case that implicates Scotland Yard inspector Robert Treadles in the USA Today best-selling series set in Victorian England.

Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’ friend and collaborator, has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with his wife at the great manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited.

Rumors fly. Had Inspector Treadles killed the men because they had opposed his wife’s initiatives at every turn? Had he killed in a fit of jealous rage because he suspected Mrs. Treadles of harboring deeper feelings for one of the men? To make matters worse, he refuses to speak on his own behalf, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.

Charlotte finds herself in a case strewn with lies and secrets. But which lies are to cover up small sins, and which secrets would flay open a past better left forgotten? Not to mention, how can she concentrate on these murders when Lord Ingram, her oldest friend and sometime lover, at last dangles before her the one thing she has always wanted?

My Thoughts: The fifth Lady Sherlock mystery has Charlotte Holmes and her colleagues investigating a murder case with Inspector Treadles as the accused murderer. Charlotte's relationship with Inspector Treadles has changed over the years and changed most recently when he learned that fallen woman Charlotte is not just a voice for her bedridden brother Sherlock but Sherlock Holmes herself. 

Treadles' worldview was first shaken up when his wife inherited a business which she decided to run. This didn't fit his idea of the proper place for a woman let alone his wife. His resentment of her moving outside her place fostered resentment and threatened their marriage. Events caused him to look at things a new way, but his marriage is still in need of repair. He's accused of murdering her mentor at the business and one of the men she worked with. 

Rumors are flying about a man killing other men that he was jealous of. Now Treadles needs Sherlock Holmes to find out the truth about what happened in that locked room on Cold Street. He's not helping. He refuses to speak about the case at all. 

Charlotte, Lord Ingram, Mrs. Watson and her niece/daughter have lots to investigate. And everyone is keeping secrets. As the Christmas season progresses, they have to uncover secrets and follow clues to prevent Treadles being charged with murder on Christmas Eve.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery. I love that Charlotte is a little disconcerted now that Lord Ingram is willing to change their relationship. She a bit off balance and this twisty case isn't helping her find her footing. I also loved the descriptions of Charlotte's eccentric fashions and the descriptions of the first love of her life - cake.

I bought this audiobook May 26, 2023, at an Audible 2-for-1 sale. I had previously read a review copy. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Coconut Drop Dead by Olivia Matthews

Coconut Drop Dead
Author: Olivia Matthews
Series: Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (December 26, 2023)

Description: The case in Olivia Matthews's Coconut Drop Dead is going to be a tough nut to crack.

Brooklyn’s annual Caribbean American Heritage Festival is finally here, and Spice Isle Bakery is thrilled to be one of the event’s food vendors. After all, the Murrays have been attending the festival for years. Co-owner Lyndsay Murray hopes their West Indian pastries and finger foods draw people back to the bakery in Little Caribbean. She’s looking forward to having fun, connecting with customers, and celebrating with her family.

The day's festivities are cut short when Camille, lead singer of an up-and-coming reggae band, dies. The police think it may be a tragic accident. But Lyndsay’s cousin Manny was close to Camille, and he believes someone cut her life short. Now Manny needs Lyndsay’s help to make sure a killer faces the music.

My Thoughts: Lyndsay Murray and her family are busy with the Caribbean American Heritage Festival when Camille Abbey falls to her death down a flight of stairs. Camille is the lead singer of DratonFlyZ an up-and-coming reggae band. Lyndsay's cousin Manny was close to Camille and wanted to be closer. Lyndsay decides to look into the death to see if it was murder.

When Camille's death is judged to be murder, and the police seem to be taking their own sweet time to investigate, Lyndsay and her family decide to do their own investigations to answer their questions and help Manny grieve.

There are a number of suspects from the manager who was often at odds with Camille and the ex-boyfriend who was her fellow songwriter. Maybe the backup singer who was displaced for Camille had decided to get rid of the competition. 

Besides investigating, Lyndsay is also busy with the upsurge in business the festival brought her bakery and the new catering opportunities the festival also brought. She's also wondering about her relationship with detective Bryce Jackson who seems to want to date her. But she still hasn't forgiven him for thinking that she was a murderer and worse that her mother was. 

Lyndsay has changed a lot since she and her family opened the bakery. She has grown more self-confident and assertive. Successes at solving two mysteries have been good for her self-esteem, While this case has its complications, Lyndsay and her family are up to the task of solving the murder.

I enjoyed the vivid and colorful descriptions of the bakery with all of its wonderful spices. There were so many delicious sounding dishes served there. A couple of recipes are included at the end of this story. 

Favorite Quote:

"You're Lyndsay Murray the Grenadian Nancy Drew. I've read about you in the Beacon."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley

Public Anchovy #1
Author: Mindy Quigley
Series: Deep Dish Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 26, 2023)

Description: Public Anchovy #1 is the third book in Mindy Quigley's delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

While Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.

But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

My Thoughts: The third in the Deep Dish Mysteries has Delilah and her crew catering a library fundraiser at the home on the in-coming chair of the Library Board. Delilah's hoping that this event leads to lots more catering bookings to help her business survive when it isn't tourist season in Geneva Bay. 

A last-minute request for a free-from pizza for one of the potential investors almost derails her hopes. She needs to make a delicious pizza without gluten, dairy, or anything from the nightshade family which includes tomatoes. And she has just a couple of hours to come up with something. 

Delilah doesn't have time to listen to the cryptic utterances of the out-going Board Chair. She's always thought that he was a bit weird even though her best friend Sonya is friends with him. She's too worried about her pizza and meeting the mother of the man she is interested in and who seems interested in her but hasn't made a move yet. 

When she and most of the rest of the guests watch Edgar Clemmons fall to his death down a flight of steep stairs, she wishes that she would have paid more attention to the message he was trying to give her. The fall was more likely murder than a tragic accident. Luckily, police detective Calvin Capone was in attendance playing the piano for his mother's singing when the crime happened because the bad weather is keeping the rest of the police from being able to get to the isolated mansion. 

Delilah and her crew are forced to spend the night along with an assortment of guests of the event while they wait for the police to get to them. An attack on Sonya and the murder of the head librarian means that the killer is one of the remaining people at the event. Delilah is determined to discover the killer to protect herself and her friends while Calvin is all for working slowly and methodically so that evidence can lead to the arrest and prosecution of the killer. 

This was an entertaining and twisty cozy mystery. I enjoyed meeting the characters and liked the setting. I might even try one of the recipes included at the end of the book. 

Favorite Quote:

"I will demand this of them," Jarka said.

I grimaced, hoping "demand this of them" was just a poor translation of "cheerfully motivate them."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

He Shall Thunder in the Sky
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Narrator: Barbara Rosenblat
Series: Amelia Peters Series (Book 12)
Publication: Recorded Books (May 27, 2004)
Length: 17 hours and 13 minutes

Description: In her best-selling Amelia Peabody mysteries, author Elizabeth Peters has created an award-winning mixture of vivid archeological detail, finely-tuned suspense, and witty romance. This, the 12th Amelia Peabody mystery, opens in 1914. As the tides of war rise, Egypt is threatened by attacks. Espionage abounds, pulling in several members of the Peabody Emerson household even as they embark on a new archeological season. Amidst a growing tangle of disguises and deceptions, Emerson's nemesis, the Master Criminal, appears. As increasing perils threaten the Peabody Emersons, their expedition, and Egypt, help arrives from a most unlikely source. He Shall Thunder in the Sky is a treasure; absorbing, intriguing, and highly entertaining. And the surprising resolution is one that leaves even the unflappable Amelia thunderstruck.

My Thoughts: This episode of the Amelia Peabody series is set in 1914. While most of World War I is occurring in Europe, Egypt is not completely spared. In fact, the Turks are eager to bring invasion forces across the Suez Canal and take over Egypt. They are hoping to foment revolution among the young Egyptian radicals to create chaos before their invasion.

Ramses, despite his outward persona as a pacifist uninvolved in war efforts, is acting as an agent of the police to prevent the Turkish invasion and preserve many of his friends among those eager for Egyptian independence. David, supposedly sent to India for his role with the Egyptian nationalists, is undercover in Egypt too. 

Ferreting out the spies and preventing the large-scale shipments of arms to reach the potential insurrectionists keeps both Ramses and David busy. Once Amelia and Emerson become aware of Ramses' work, they are eager - perhaps too eager - to help. But all agree that Nefret can't be told of Ramses' investigative work. She has proven to be too impulsive to be trusted with those secrets.

With many potential spies working in Egypt, all of the Emersons are busy trying to find out who is working to betray the British forces and encourage the Turks. Among the suspects are a merry widow with designs on any wealthy man, a Scottish major with a precocious daughter, and a smarmy French count. Oh, and cousin Percy is very active in Egypt too. For some reason, he is trying to make up his differences with the Emersons and being his usual smarmy self. Ramses fears that Nefret will be drawn in by his supposed charm. And the Master Criminal seems to have his hand in things too.

This was an excellent episode in the series. I loved the information about Egypt during World War I. I loved that Ramses and Nefret finally resolved their differences. I loved the intense emotion in this episode from fears for Ramses and the loss of Cousin Johnny in battle to Amelia finally being able to state that she loves her son. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Second Duke's the Charm by Kate Bateman

Second Duke's the Charm
Author: Kate Bateman
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 26, 2023)

Description: Meet Her Majesty’s Rebels: three brilliant women who run King & Co., London’s most exclusive investigative agency...

The wedding-night death of her much older husband left Tess Townsend the Dowager Duchess of Wansford―and still a virgin. Now she and her two best friends investigate London’s most scandalous crimes, and while Tess longs to experience physical pleasure for herself, she can’t risk losing her treasured independence...

Cynical shipping magnate Justin Thornton never expected to inherit a dukedom, but he’ll do his duty. When the ravishing woman he kissed at a party turns out to be the Dowager Duchess, Justin sees an obvious solution: a marriage of convenience that will suit them both.

But the passion that sparks between them is anything but convenient. As Tess works on a new case at the request of Queen Charlotte, her increasingly suspicious behavior makes Justin question her motives―and her past. The infuriating woman clearly can’t be trusted, but Justin doesn’t believe in love, so there’s absolutely no danger of him falling for his own wife...is there?

My Thoughts: This was an enjoyable historical romance. Tess Townsend was forced by her father to marry the aged Duke of Wansford who fortuitously died on their wedding night. Her father died shortly after. Leaving Tess as the virginal Duchess of Wansford and a woman with more freedom than most in 1814.

Tess and her two best friends form an investigations agency for problems too small or too delicate for the Bow Street Runners. Even the Queen comes to call when she needs someone to recover some indiscreet letters the princess wrote when she was much younger. 

Tess would like to explore her sensual side but her position makes it difficult. She and her friends attend a racy party where she meets the perfect man and the two exchange some kisses and petting. Imagine her surprise when she learns that the man she shared those intimacies with is the new Duke of Wansford.

Justin Thornton never expected or wanted to inherit a dukedom. He's a self-made man who has amassed riches in his shipping business. Nor has he ever expected or wanted to fall in love. But when he discovers that Tess is the woman who rocked his world at the party, he does propose that they marry and become lovers and then part after three months before they can either fall in love or get bored with each other. 

Tess demands some concessions which will secure her financial independence but agrees knowing that she is risking her heart. 

I liked this first in a series about women working to find their places in society. The characters were well-drawn and interesting. I'll be looking for Tess's best friend's stories.

Favorite Quote:

A shock of something elemental, almost like recognition, flashed through her as their eyes met. If someone has asked her to describe a "dangerous man," it would be him. Flint-gray eyes, high cheekbones. Lips that looked like they could command -- or kiss -- with consummate ease.

They'd never met in person, she was sure, but she knew him: he was every wicked fantasy she'd ever dreamed, come to life.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 18, 2023)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was another quiet week with above average temperatures. It actually rained all day Friday with rain turning to snow overnight but melting away again on Saturday. I woke up this morning (Sunday) to a light dusting of snow on the deck and very light snow is still falling but melting when it hits the ground. Right now, it's 32F with mist and fog. With temperatures forecast for this week of 20s and 30s, it doesn't look like we are in for a white Christmas. I'm more than okay with that. Snow means I don't drive and right now I still can if I feel like leaving the house. Not that I can think of any good reason to actually leave the house.

I added a bunch of new review books to my stack this week including a couple that are being released on January 11. I read those this week and enjoyed them. I also read four other review books releasing in early January. And I listened to two audiobooks. I'm getting closer to finishing the Amelia Peabody series. 

This week's cooking adventures weren't really all that adventurous. I make a salmon noodle casserole using the leftovers from our baked salmon and I made Salisbury steak. I also made his version of Macaroni and Cheese which includes a can of Cream of Something soup to go along with fish sticks on Friday. 

I have begun making my brother "TV dinners" to eat when he gets home from work on those shifts when he misses the dinner hour. We have some very handy microwaveable sectioned plates with vented lids. There will be a few of those needed this week. Today he works until midnight, and we'll eat Chinese he bought yesterday for our midafternoon dinner. He'll also be working until midnight Thursday and Saturday but will need his TV dinners Wednesday, Friday, and Christmas Eve. It is hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away. 

This coming week includes reading a number of review books and one book of my own. If I finish Children of the Storm, I have the second in Elly Griffiths' Brighton Mysteries series and the penultimate Amelia Peabody in queue. 

Read Last Week

• The Expectant Detective by Kat Ailes (Review; January 9) -- Alice and Joe move to the country to live because they think it will be a better place to raise a family given that Alice is 8 months pregnant only to discover a body after their first childbirth class. Alice and some of the other pregnant ladies investigate the death. My review will be posted on January 4.
• A Body on the Doorstep by Marty Wingate (Review; January 11) -- One of Mabel Canning's first assignment for the Useful Woman Agency is to help with a wake for a man who died seven years earlier. She wasn't expecting to find the body of another man on the doorstep and investigates who he was and how he came to be there. My review will be posted on January 3.
• Northwoods by Amy Pease (Review; January 9) -- Set in rural Wisconsin and starring a man suffering from PTSD who is now working for his mother at the Sheriff's Department, this mystery concerns murdered and missing teenagers, the opioid crisis, and scheming drug companies. My review will be posted on January 6.

• Dream Town by Lee Goldberg (Review; January 16) -- Fifth in the Eve Ronin series. Eve investigates the case of the death of a reality TV show even while the series based on Eve's life is beginning shooting. My review will be posted on January 9.
• The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews (Review; January 16) -- Historical romance set in the 1860s in England. Both characters are dealing with secret stuff which gets in the way of their romance until they confide in each other. My review will be posted on January 9.
• A Body at the Seance by Marty Wingate (Review; January 11) -- The second in the London Ladies' Murder Club series. Set in 1921 and starring Mabel Canning who is newcome to London to become an independent lady, the story deals with the death of a man at the seance who had supposedly died six months earlier. My review will be posted on January 10.

• The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook Reread) -- This 14th (or 17th) in the Amelia Peabody series takes place during World War I. It deals with discovery of a new tomb and Ramses' secret mission to Gaze to determine if his Uncle Sethos is a traitor to British Intelligence. My review will be posted on January 11.
• The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths (Audiobook; Audible Plus) -- This is the first in a new historical mystery series set in Brighton in 1950. Edgar Stephens was once a member of the Magic Men, a military unit designed to confuse the enemy, but is now a police inspector. When he discovers the body of a woman cut in three pieces, he calls on his old magician friends from the unit to solve the case. My review will be posted on January 16.

Currently

• Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (Review; January 16)
• Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook Reread)

Next Week

• Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel (Review; January 16)
• Random in Death by J. D. Robb (Review; January 23)
• The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks (Review; January 23)

• The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka (Review; January 23)
• Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas (Mine since May 19, 2021)
• Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings (Review; January 30)

Reviews Posted

• The Painted Queen by Elizabeth Peters
• Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas

• One Dog Night by David Rosenfelt
• Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz
• Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• A Body at the Seance by Marty Wingate (Review; January 11)
• A Body on the Doorstep by Marty Wingate (Review; January 11)
• The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett (Review; March 19)

• The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George (Review; April 23)
• Lights, Camera, Bones by Carolyn Haines (Review; May 21)
• Liar's Point by Laura Griffin (Review, May 21)

• Original Twin by Paula Gleeson (Review; May 28)
• A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry (Review; June 18)
• Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus (Review; July 30)

Bought:

• Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook, Chirp, $4.99)
• Birthright by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Chirp, $4.99)

• Angels Fall by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Chirp, $4.99)
• Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Chirp, $4.99)

• Deep Six by D. P. Lyle (Kindle, $1.99)
• The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas (BookBub, $1.99)

What was your week like?