ARC Review: Griffin Speaker by Jan M. Flynn

Griffin Speaker
Author: Jan M. Flynn
Publication: Disney Hyperion (May 5, 2026)

Description: Impossible Creatures meets The Giver in this unforgettable fantasy series starter perfect for kids 8-12!

When twelve-year-old Rain bonds with the last wild griffin, she has the chance to change her fortune—and possibly her world.

As an orphan on the lowest rung of society, twelve-year-old Rain is destined for a future of hard labor—until she meets a wild griffin and bonds with him.

An old law says that bond entitles Rain to an education at the elite Griffin Riders Academy instead of a life in the mines. But Rain’s Rise threatens to topple Griffin Land’s fragile hierarchy, and those at the top are determined to see her fail. So they task Rain with proving herself: Armed with just her wit and accompanied by her best friend and an unlikely ally, Rain must scale the highest peak in Griffin Land and defeat the monster at its summit.

Rain’s success could change the world. But with an impossible quest ahead, will she and her griffin even survive?

Filled with awe-inspiring black-and-white illustrations, Griffin Speaker is both a delightful friendship-adventure story and a hopeful tale of resistance in an unequal world.

My Thoughts: This middle grade fantasy tells the story of a 12-year-old girl named Rain who is an orphan at the lowest rank in society. Her future will consist of underground mining of root. She fears her future because she is afraid of the dark, closed-in tunnels. 

Rain's future changes when she meets a griffin that her aunt, who has a farm raising exotic winged creatures for sale to the rich, is hiding in her barn and training to sell to a man from the highest rank of society. His daughter Orla wants to join the exclusive griffin riders, but she's been denied because of politics. 

Rain names the creature Griff. She able to talk to him and understand him in her mind. Griff is a wild griffin. Wild griffins are hunted by the griffin riders who are the society's enforcers. Rain decides that she and Griff will present themselves to the griffin training academy which must admit them both according to an ancient law. 

Rain's plan runs into politics. Those in the highest ranks of society see Rain as a demonstration of societal change that they do not want to happen. To keep her out, they design a quest that they intend to see that she doesn't survive.  With Griff taken from her and drugged, Rain and Orla who has declared herself Rain's Champion have to travel to a distant mountain to get the tail of the queen of the Nightflyers. They are joined on their quest by Rain's only friend Twig who has come to the city with Rain's belongings. 

This was an engaging introduction to epic fantasy for young readers. A young heroine of pure heart goes on a quest which changes society before it is all finished. It is also a friendship story about friends working together for a goal. 

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

ARC Review: The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell

The Secret of the Mansion
Author: Julie Campbell
Series: Trixie Belden (Book 1)
Publication: Random House Books for Young Readers (June 24, 2003)

Description: Trixie’s summer is going to be sooo boring with her two older brothers away at camp. But then a millionaire’s daughter moves into the next-door mansion, an old miser hides a fortune in his decrepit house, and a runaway kid starts hiding out in Sleepyside!

My Thoughts: Trixie Belden is back again. Originally written in 1948, this story returns the reader to an earlier time. 

Thirteen-year-old Trixie is looking forward to a boring summer with her two older brothers away at camp. But things turn around quickly when poor little rich girl Honey Wheeler moves into the mansion next door to the Belden's modest home. 

The two girls become fast friends as Trixie teaches Honey how to ride a bike and Honey's stable man teaches Trixie how to ride a horse. The girls have a couple of accidents as each falls from her new form of transportation, but they also enjoy exploring and swimming and boating and hanging out together. 

The two girls also explore the decrepit mansion next door when old Mr. Frayne is taken to the hospital with pneumonia. They discover that fifteen-year-old Jim Frayne has taken refuge in the home after running away from a stepfather who is constantly beating him. Rumor has it that old Mr. Frayne has hidden a fortune in the mansion. The kids explore but don't find money. They do find an old bible with a will inside confirming that Jim is Mr. Frayne's heir but that doesn't solve the problem of the stepfather determined to control Jim and Jim's money. 

I enjoyed this sweet story complete with the original illustrations. I enjoyed the growing friendships among the kids and the age-appropriate mystery. 

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

Audiobook Review: One in Vermillion by Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer

One in Vermillion
Author: Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer
Narrator: Cris Dukehart & Eric G. Dove
Series: Liz Danger (Book 3)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (February 6, 2024)
Length: 9 hours and 49 minutes

Description: One in Vermillion: That red in the ledger isn’t just the ink.

Liz Danger is stuck in her hometown of Burney, Ohio, because her insane employer has rented a house there for the summer, which means she has three more months of trying to get a copy edit done, babysitting a seven-year-old, and figuring out what to do with three hundred and ninety-two teddy bears. And then there’s her mother. Even the good news that she’s living with a hot cop is tempered by the knowledge that sooner or later, she’s going to have to figure out her future, and she's still not sure what she wants that to be.

Vince Cooper is stuck in a town that keeps asking him when he’s going to make an honest woman of Liz Danger and in a job that’s just sunk into anarchy because of local and state politics that are kneecapping the police department, not to mention a biker gang and Liz’s ex-boyfriend who still hasn’t figured out that the ex part is permanent. Good thing he has Liz to come home to . . . until he doesn’t.

As Liz and Vince try to navigate their increasingly complicated relationship, they’re finding out startling new things about themselves and the town they’re trying to protect, and that means dealing with greedy politicians, arson, broken hearts (not theirs), vandalism, questionable real estate, murder, and a lot of soggy bears.

My Thoughts: This is the finale of the Liz Danger trilogy. It has romance, politics, family secrets and family interference. It also has a really cute seven-year-old and lots and lots of stuffed bears. 

The arsonist trying to burn down Burney is in prison, but the criminals aren't all caught. The motorcycle gang is still causing problems and Liz's ex is right in the middle of it all. Cash can't accept that Liz has moved on. He's sure that his charm will win her back no matter what he does to alienate her. 

With the senator's interference, George is no longer chief of police and the incompetent toady put in the department by the spouse-abusing mayor is the new chief. Vince is almost to the point of resigning and would if he didn't care so much for Burney. 

His relationship with Liz is also a point of contention between them. They are in love but are both used to being independent. When Liz buys an old house in the country, she is making a decision. She loves Vince but doesn't want to marry him or live with him. 

There are still secrets to be revealed about Liz's family that will make changes in her life. And Anemone looks like she's in Burney to stay which should make making the final copy edits on her biography possible. She also wants Liz to ghostwrite more books which will be handy now that they are both planning to stay in Burney.

This was an excellent story which comes to a very satisfying conclusion after a lot of perilous bumps in the road. I enjoyed what each narrator brought to the story. 

I bought this one October, 26, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales
Author: Heather Fawcett
Series: Emily Wilde (Book 3)
Publication: Del Rey (February 11, 2025)

Description: The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world: How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

My Thoughts: The third Emily Wilde fantasy has Emily and Wendell returning to his fairie kingdom. He is happy to be home and she is intrigued by all the research she could do now that she lived in his kingdom.

However, the deposed queen has left a curse behind her. 

Now, Emily and Wendell have to find the deposed queen and Emily has to decide which story is being played out in the here and now. Emily being a dryadologist has a vast knowledge of fairie stories. But the story that seems to be playing out could lead to Wendell's death. 

This was another engaging historical fantasy complete with footnotes. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the wide variety of fae creatures involved. 

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

ARC Review: Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne

Candle & Crow
Author: Kevin Hearne
Series: Ink & Sigil (Book 3)
Publication: Del Rey (October 1, 2024)

Description: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes the final book in the “action-packed, enchantingly fun” (Booklist) Ink & Sigil series, as an ink-slinging wizard pursues the answer to a very personal mystery: Who cast a pair of curses on his head?

Al MacBharrais has a most unusual job: He’s a practitioner of ink-and-sigil magic, tasked with keeping order among the gods and monsters that dwell hidden in the human world. But there’s one supernatural mystery he’s never been able to solve: Years ago, someone cast twin curses on him that killed off his apprentices and drove away loved ones who heard him speak, leaving him bereft and isolated.

But he’s not quite alone: As Al works to solve this mystery, his friends draw him into their own eccentric dramas. Buck Foi the hobgoblin has been pondering his own legacy—and has a plan for a daring shenanigan that will make him the most celebrated hobgoblin of all. Nadia, goth queen and battle seer, is creating her own cult around a god who loves whisky and cheese. 

And the Morrigan, a former Irish death goddess, has decided she wants not only to live as an ordinary woman but also to face the most perilous challenge of the mortal world: online dating.

Meanwhile, Al crosses paths with old friends and new—including some beloved Druids and their very good dogs—in his globe-trotting quest to solve the mystery of his curses. But he’s pulled in so many different directions by his colleagues, a suspicious detective, and the whims of destructive gods that Al begins to wonder: Will he ever find time to write his own happy ending?

My Thoughts: The final book in the Ink & Sigil trilogy wraps things up nicely. Al MacBharrais has been cursed with two different curses. One kills his apprentices and the other makes anyone who hears his voice too often hate him. He is determined to find out who cursed him and to break the curses.

Before Al can deal with his personal problems though, he has to deal with the Blue Men of the Minch who are sinking luxury yachts. According to their contract, they aren't in violation of any of the terms. Al learns that the yachts they sink are being used by traffickers among whom is a man who is a power behind the government and who also happens to be a warlock. 

Al also has to deal with his hobgoblin Buck Foi who wants to start his own family and become the most celebrated hobgoblin of all time. And Al's accountant is starting her own cult around a god who loves whiskey and cheese and who eats violent men. 

I really enjoyed this conclusion to the trilogy. I like the way it mixes all sorts of mythologies into an entertaining adventure. I liked that Al finally gets his happy ending. 

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

Book Review: Storm Furies by Wen Spencer

Storm Furies
Author: Wen Spencer
Series: Tinker (Book 6)
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (August 6, 2024)

Description: THE GODDESS OF WAR RIDES, HERALDED BY STORM FURIES

The oni have invaded Pittsburgh on Elfhome. And, so far, it looks like they are winning. All this is according to prophecy. But the prophecy is big on symbols and light on specifics. Tinker and her allies are doing the best they can to defend the city and the civilians caught in the crossfire of a war between elves that’s been brewing for centuries. But the enemy has no hesitation whatsoever in involving innocents. All the pieces in this deadly game are in place—and everyone trusts Tinker will save them. All she needs is a plan. And then the lights go out, and the storm begins to rage . . .

My Thoughts: STORM FURIES is the direct sequel to HARBINGER. In fact, it begins moments after HARBINGER ends. 

The oni have invaded Pittsburgh and a great many different groups are fighting them. This story is told from numerous viewpoints with each chapter following one person or group or another. Among the viewpoints are Tinker, Windwolf, Oilcan, Jillian and Louise Mayer, Tommy Chang, Law, Jane Kryskill, and Olivia or Olive Branch over Stone. Each character has their own role to play in the larger conflict and their own personal problems and interests too. 

The story is filled with battles and skirmishes and life-changing decisions. Tinker comes to learn that Pittsburgh is the place where long-standing rivalries and viewpoints have to come together if they want to win against the oni and change the world. 

This is an epic story filled with wonderful characters and an intriguing society. While the story ends with a victory that is more like a breathing space, there are still a number of plot threads dangling. After all, Emperor Heaven's Blessing is still out there scheming. 

The story proceeds at breakneck speed. I found it very hard to put down. In fact, rereading HARBINGER and then STOEM FURIES has made me very much sleep deprived. I don't regret a minute though. 

Favorite Quote:

Tinker was really letting things slip through the cracks. To be fair, there were currently a lot of cracks. 

I bought this one on release day. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Arrow's Flight by Mercedes Lackey

Arrow's Flight
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Narrator: Christa Lewis
Series: Heralds of Valdemar (Book 2)
Publication: Tantor Audio (May 8, 2018)
Length: 9 hours and 52 minutes

Description: Talia could scarcely believe that she had finally earned the rank of full Herald. Though this seemed like the fulfillment of all her dreams, it also meant she would face trials far greater than those she had previously survived.

For now, Talia must ride forth to patrol the kingdom of Valdemar, dispensing Herald's justice throughout the land.

But in this realm beset by dangerous unrest, enforcing her rulings will require all the courage and skill Talia could command - for if she misuses her own special powers, both she and Valdemar will pay the price.

My Thoughts: Talia has one more step to conquer on her way to being a full Herald. She has to complete her internship while riding a circuit. Her mentor for this journey is Kris. Talia has an unusual psychic gift: she's a mind healer and a very powerful one. Because this is an unusual gift which appears most often in healers, her mentors among the Heralds don't know how to help her get control of her gift. And it doesn't help that rumors are circulating through Court that she is prone to misuse her gift.

Kris has been briefed by his uncle Lord Orthalan about the rumors which make it difficult for him to trust her. Talia senses his distrust which makes her own doubts even more powerful. When her shields fail, she becomes a danger to herself and to Kris too. 

It is while the pair are snowed in at a Herald's shelter that Kris realizes that Talia lacks the basics of controlling any gift and determines to bring her back to the beginning and teach her the correct way to use her gift. During their period of isolation, Kris and Talia become lovers which makes Talia fear that she's used her gift to influence his behavior and Kris to feat that his noted attraction to women has caused Talia's reaction to him. Both know that Talia really is falling in love with Kris's partner Dirk.

There are a number of opportunities for Talia to practice the skills needed by Haralds from border disputes, to deranged servant girls, to murders, and to plague. Kris tells her that her practice on the circuit will stand her in good stead as she deals with the politics of the Court in her role as Queen's Own. 

This was an excellent middle book in the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy.

I bought this one from Chirp April 23, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Shards of Glass by Michelle Sagara

Shards of Glass
Author: Michelle Sagara
Publication: MIRA; Original edition (November 28, 2023)

Description: The Academia, once an elite proving ground for the rulers of the world, has been frozen for centuries. Now its strange slumber has ended, and a new Chancellor, an orange-eyed dragon, has reopened its lecture halls and readied its dorms. In order to thrive once more, however, the Academia needs fresh blood—new students with a passion and talent for learning.

One such student, Robin, has the perfect recruit in mind: his friend Raven, an orphan who lives in the dangerous Warrens. Robin grew up in the Warrens, and he wouldn't have made it if not for Raven. He knows she’ll be safe at the Academia, where her unusual gifts can be appreciated.

But when students start turning up dead, the campus threatens to collapse completely. Raven and Robin will not let that happen to their new home…if they can survive long enough to figure out who—or what—is trying to kill them.

My Thoughts: SHARDS OF GLASS is set in the same world as the Chronicles of Elantra series and has some of the same characters. This story takes place at the recently rediscovered Academia which was once a center of learning for the world but was shifted out of its timeline in the battle to defeat Shadow which was set to consume the world. 

Young Robin was kidnapped from the Warrens when it was discovered that Academia needed students to complete its recovery. After the defeat of the people who wanted to use Academia to build their own powers and a new Chancellor was chosen, the quest for new students began. 

Robin proposed the friend who kept him alive in the Warrens when he was a child. Raven was a strange person who knew how to survive and chose to help Robin survive too. Robin is the one who named this child Raven and who acted as her interpreter to the world since she was almost completely nonverbal when they first paired up. 

Robin hoped that bringing Raven to Academia would provide the safety, food, and shelter that were so scarce in the Warrens. He wasn't expecting to drop her in the middle of a campus where random students were being murdered. 

Robin has been making new friends among the students including three of the Cohort of Barrani who were rescued from captivity in an earlier book of the Chronicles of Elantra. Serralyn loved the Academia especially its endless library staffed by Arbiters from three ancient, immortal races. And Terrano was another friend who was most changed by their captivity and now has very non-Barrani abilities. Robin is even friends with Starrante who is one of the librarians and a Wevaran who looks like a giant spider. 

As Robin and Raven work together to solve the murders and preserve this new home they learn more about each other and more about the pasts that are impacting their presents. 

This was an excellent, complex fantasy filled with magic and magical beings. Robin seems to be an ordinary human but one with a potential magical ability. Raven is anything but human which comes as a surprise to Robin. The Chancellor of the Academia is a dragon. The Arbiters are a Wevaran, an Ancient, and a Barrani. There are sentient buildings and human mages.

But beyond the fantastical elements, this is a story of friendship and love and finding a home. I really enjoyed it and would be eager for more stories in this world. 

Favorite Quote:

It was the discovery of the world's why that made the Academia so compelling to Robin -- and Serralyn, and probably to at least a third of the other students.

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

Book Review: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Series: The Empyrean (Book 1)
Publication: Entangled: Red Tower Books (May 2, 2023)

Description: Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

My Thoughts: Violet Sorrengail's life is changed when her mother who is a general in the army demands that she enter the Riders Quadrant instead of the Scribe Quadrant. Fragile since birth, Violet has been educated to be a scribe. Now, out of depth and with very little of the right training, Violet has to survive the brutal training to become a dragon rider. 

Luckily, Violet is very smart and has the written advice of her older brother Brennan who, along with his dragon, perished in the Tyrrish rebellion some five years earlier. Her older sister Mira who is also a dragon rider passed the book along to her to help her survive. 

Survival will be an issue. Not only are there not enough dragons willing to partner with all the candidates who are willing to kill to better their odds of securing a dragon, but the quadrant is also the home of the children of losers of the last rebellion who will do anything to kill the daughter of the general they blame for their parents' deaths. 

She should have a friend in the place. Her childhood friend Dain Aetos is a year ahead of her. But he is so busy trying to protect her and encourage her to flee to the Scribes Quadrant that he is stifling her growth. Then there is the wingleader, third year Xaden Riorson whose father led the revolt and who would really like her dead. Or would he?

I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this one. I thought it was a great adventure filled with romance and political intrigue. I liked the way Violet found a way to survive in a brutal environment. I also liked the way the mostly unlikely of romances between Xaden and Violet grew. I loved the dragons including the unprecedented two who lay claim to Violet.

I can't wait to read the sequel.

Favorite Quote:

"In war, people die. It's not glorious like the bards sing about, either. It's snapped necks and two-hundred-foot falls. There's nothing romantic about scorched earth or the scent of sulfur. This" -- he gestures back to the citadel -- "isn't some fable where everyone makes it out alive. It's hard, cold, uncaring reality. Not everyone here is going to make it home...to whatever is left of our homes. And make no mistake, we are at war every time we step foot in the quadrant."

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

ARC Review: The Dark Lord's Daughter by Patricia C. Wrede

The Dark Lord's Daughter
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
Publication: Random House Books for Young Readers (September 5, 2023)

Description: From the New York Times bestselling author of Dealing with Dragons comes this timeless fantasy, about an ordinary girl who discovers she's the heir to a dark throne, and must find her place between her life on Earth and her magical inheritance.

Kayla is just an ordinary girl . . . or so she thinks. When a day at the state fair is interrupted by the news that she’s the daughter of a “Dark Lord,” she and her family are quickly whisked to another world—one that’s chock-full of magic but lacking in technology!

As her family encounters fantastical creatures in place of their Earthly gadgets, Kayla must prepare for the unpreparable: meeting her father, the Dark Lord himself, for the very first time. All Kayla wants is to go home, but she must learn magic to do so. The catch? For the Dark Lord’s daughter, the road to mastering magic is filled with evil traditions.

As she ventures closer to her father, Kayla must decide whether to accept her birthright. Is she destined for darkness? Or can she become a new kind of Dark Lady?

My Thoughts: Fourteen-year-old Kayla Jones has always known she was adopted. But she is surprised to learn that she is the daughter of the Dark Lord of Zaradwin. She learns this when a man who has been searching for her for more than ten years finds her at the Minnesota State Fair with her mother and younger brother and takes them to the alternate universe so that she can become the newest Dark Lady.

Kayla has dealt with a lot in her young life including watching her adoptive father die of cancer when she was ten. But dealing with a new world and unwanted expectations might be too much for her without the support of her mother and younger brother. 

This story had excellent worldbuilding. I especially liked how her computer turned into her familiar when she switched worlds. I also liked Kayla who was a mature and responsible young woman who wasn't going to let anyone push her around no matter how often she was told that something was Tradition. 

Kayla is determined to be a new kind of Dark Lady and to make her new world better than it is when she arrives in it. This was an engaging story with well-rounded and interesting characters including a ten-year=old brother who wants to do magic so that he can make things explode. 

Favorite Quote:

"You mean the rulers of Zaradwin keep a secret vault where the Light can't get it?" Archie sounded outraged. "That's cheating."

"Of course it is," Destini said with a sniff. "We're Dark Lords."

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

Audiobook Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: J. K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Series: Harry Potter (Book 1)
Publication: Pottermore Publishing (November 20, 2015)
Length: 8 hours and 18 minutes

Description: Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

Having become classics of our time, the Harry Potter stories never fail to bring comfort and escapism. With their message of hope, belonging and the enduring power of truth and love, the story of the Boy Who Lived continues to delight generations of new listeners.

My Thoughts: I think almost anyone knows the story of Harry Potter. The movies are ubiquitous. The audiobook was an excellent version of the story. 

I read this one first in 1998 and fell in love with the world Rowling created. I thought then and still think now that the worldbuilding was excellent. The characters were well-developed and well-rounded within their world. 

I was again swept into the author's world as I listened to Jim Dale's masterful reading of the story. It was filled with friendship, action, danger, adventure and all sorts of interesting characters and creatures.

I got this one from Audible Plus during the short window it was available. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

The Templar Legacy
Author: Steve Berry
Series: Cotton Malone (Book 1)
Publication: Ballantine Books (February 21, 2006)

Description: The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes . . . until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost.

But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was–and its true nature could change the modern world.

Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts–and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he’d left behind.

It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton’s former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who’ s far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune-hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she’s not alone. Competing for the historic prize– and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses–is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command.

Welcome or not, Cotton seeks to even the odds in the perilous race. But the more he learns about the ancient conspiracy surrounding the Knights Templar, the more he realizes that even more than lives are at stake. At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world–and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees.

My Thoughts: This excellent thriller introduces Cotton Malone who stars in eighteen thrillers. The plot of this one revolves around lost Templar treasure and information about Jesus Christ that could rock the Roman Catholic church. 

Cotton is approached by Stephanie Nelle his former boss at the Magellan Billet where he used his skills as a lawyer to deal with international crime. He left the Magellan Billet, moved to Denmark, and opened a bookstore. Stephanie has received a journal from her deceased husband. Her husband was obsessed with investigating rumors regarding the Templars. He wrote a number of bestselling books before he took his own life. 

Stephanie feels that she owes it to her husband to see if there was anything to the rumors he was investigating. Since someone is trying to kill her, it looks like there is something to his research. Despite trying to not get Cotton involved, he becomes involved because of his curiosity and loyalty to Stephanie. Then the action happens as they travel from Denmark to France in search of the Templars lost treasure.

We also get the viewpoint of a man who wants to be the new Master of the Templars and get revenge for actions done in the 13th Century. 

This was a fun thriller that reminded me of The Davinci Code. I enjoyed the characters and plan to read more in the series. 

Favorite Quote:

"Dreamers have many times changed the world."

"This is a wild goose chase for a goose that doesn't exist."

I bought this one October 7, 2009. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Paris, France

January 1308

Jacques de Molay sought death, but knew salvation would never be offered. He was the twenty-second master of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, a religious order that had existed under God's charge for two hundred years.

Friday 56:

Beauseant. Be glorious.

Precisely the word Red Jacket had uttered as he'd leaped from the Round Tower.

What was happening?

Old motivations stirred inside him. Feelings he'd thought a year of retirement had quelled.

This week I am spotlighting The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry. It is the first in the 17-book Cotton Malone series. This is also a book that has been sitting on my Kindle since October 2, 2009.

Here is the description from Amazon:

The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes . . . until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost.

But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was–and its true nature could change the modern world.

Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts–and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he’d left behind.

It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton’s former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who’ s far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune-hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she’s not alone. Competing for the historic prize– and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses–is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command.

Welcome or not, Cotton seeks to even the odds in the perilous race. But the more he learns about the ancient conspiracy surrounding the Knights Templar, the more he realizes that even more than lives are at stake. At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world–and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees.

Book Review: Into the West by Mercedes Lackey

Into the West
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: The Founding of Valdemar (Book 2)
Publication: DAW (December 13, 2022)

Description: The long-awaited founding of Valdemar comes to life in this second book in the new series from a New York Times-bestselling author and beloved fantasist.

Baron Valdemar and his people have found a temporary haven, but it cannot hold all of them, or for long. Trouble could follow on their heels at any moment, and there are too many people for Crescent Lake to support. Those who are willing to make a further trek by barge on into the West will follow him into a wilderness depopulated by war and scarred by the terrible magics of a thousand years ago and the Mage Wars. But the wilderness is not as "empty" as it seems. There are potential friends and rapacious foes....

....and someone is watching them.

My Thoughts: Baron Valdemar has gotten his people through the gate and away from the Empire. But there is still a lot to do before they can stop moving. This second in the Founding of Valdemar series is about their journey. 

Delia has been sent ahead with the scouts both because her gift of Fetching is very useful to the scounts and because it gets her away from the object of her crush Kordas. The worldbuilding is great in this story and we get to see all sorts of magical creatures and magical landscapes in the land that was the battleground in the Mage Wars 500 years earlier. 

But besides the magical creatures, they are not alone in this new land. The Tayledras, the Hawkbrothers, and the Hertasi and learn about their purpose in this blighted land. 

This story had a lot of action as they all travel to search for a new home. I enjoyed watching Delia grow up and enjoyed thinking along with Kordas as he tries to do the best for his people. 

Favorite Quote:

Our Path, for the future of our expedition, for the well-being of those we befriend, for the land and the spirits, is this.

"There is no one, true way."

I bought this one December 13, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Beyond by Mercedes Lackey

Beyond
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Narrator: Paul Woodson
Series: The Founding of Valdemar (Book 1)
Publication: Tantor Audio (September 14, 2021)
Length: 12 hours and 13 minutes

Description: Within the Eastern Empire, Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a tiny, bucolic Duchy that focuses mostly on horse breeding. Anticipating the day when the Empire's exploitative and militant leaders would not be content to leave them alone, Korda's father set out to gather magicians in the hopes of one day finding a way to escape and protect the people of the Duchy from tyranny.

The signs in the Empire are increasingly dire. Under the direction of the Emperor, mages have begun to harness the power of dark magics, including blood magic, the powers of the Abyssal Planes, and the binding and "milking" of Elemental creatures.

But then one of the Duchy's mages has a breakthrough. There is a way to place a Gate at a distance so far from the Empire that it is unlikely the Emperor can find or follow them as they evacuate everyone that is willing to leave.

But time is running out, and Kordas has been summoned to the Emperor's Court.

Can his reputation as a country bumpkin and his acting skills buy him and his people the time they need to flee? Or will the Emperor lose patience, invade to strip Valdemar of everything of worth, and send its conscripted people into the front lines of the Imperial wars?

My Thoughts: This story tells about the beginnings of Valdemar. It begins in the corrupt Eastern Empire and Duke Valdemar rules a rural and hopefully overlooked dukedom. Its two major products are barges and very finely bred horses. 

Duke Kordas Valdemar is at least the third generation that has been working to remove his goods and people from the Empire and start a new life somewhere else. Now that the mages who have stayed under the emperor's view have discovered a spell to make gates into new lands far away, the plans can begin to be realized.

But Kordas is called to the capitol with the latest tribute shipment of horses. He sees that even more has changed for the worse from the time some years earlier when he had been kept as a noble hostage in the palace. Human servants have been replaced by dolls powered by captive Vrondi and the city is almost empty since anyone not immediately needed to support the palace has been sent to the Southern border to fight in the emperor's long-running war. 

Kordas, being the kind of man he is, becomes determined to also free the Vrondi, rescue that latest group of noble hostages, and rescue anyone else in danger. And danger is imminent because the emperor has captured a child earth elemental to provide magical power for his mages to use and its very angry parents are getting closer.

Meanwhile back at home, Kordas's wife and sister-in-law are mobilizing the transfer of people, goods and supplies to their new home.

I really enjoyed all of the magic and intrigue. This was an engaging audiobook presentation.

I bought this one during and Audible Sale November 20, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Cast in Eternity by Michelle Sagara

Cast in Eternity
Author: Michelle Sagara
Series: Chronicles of Elantra (Book 17)
Publication: MIRA (November 29, 2022)

Description: Dead men tell no tales

When Corporal Kaylin Neya is assigned front desk duty—a task hated by every Hawk—the only thing she can look forward to besides an endless stream of complaints is visits from a dotty old woman. She always brings baked goods along with information passed on by her friends…who happen to be ghosts no one else can see. But then the old woman’s invisible friends have news about Severn Handred: his unusual weapon has caught their attention. Concerned, Kaylin accompanies the woman home because she has a few questions to ask these so-called ghosts.

Sadly, Kaylin can also see them. And she can see other spirits in the woman’s house as well—four children who’ve been trapped there for decades. When Kaylin looks into the deaths in the records at the Halls of Law, something doesn’t add up. Factor in a building that isn’t supposed to exist, and nothing makes sense. But Kaylin is a Hawk, and she’s determined to free the trapped ghosts of the children, even if she’s suddenly landed in the middle of the bad kind of Barrani history. Someone doesn’t want the past to be uncovered, and they’re perfectly willing to destroy Kaylin if it preserves the secrets of the dead…

My Thoughts: While her partner Severn Handred is on assignment elsewhere, Corporal Kaylin Neya is assigned to the front desk. Most Hawks avoid this duty at all costs since it requires listening to all sorts of minor citizen complaints. One bright spot is the daily visit by Mrs. Erickson who has been coming for years telling stories of ghosts and bringing baked treats. 

When Mrs. Erickson tells Kaylin something one of her ghosts has told her about Severn and his unusual weapon, Kaylin decides to look into Mrs. Erickson's reports more carefully. She escorts her home one day after work and learns that ghosts or not she too can see what Mrs. Erickson sees. It takes looking though her familiar Hope's wing to see the "outside ghosts," but the four ghostly children who aren't able to leave Mrs. Erickson's house are visible without his intervention. 

Kaylin decides to investigate through records at the Halls of Law and learns something surprising. The children were never missing persons but each of them were convicted and executed for murder when they were 25. Why are they at Mrs. Erickson's house? And even more baffling, why can Kaylin sometimes see another ghostly house at the same site as Mrs. Erickson's house. Property records indicate that the property, and the larger house, was once owned by Azoria An'Berranin, a Barrani no one talks about. 

Her friend Teela encourages her to give up her investigation. Looking into something the Barrani want hidden would be very dangerous for Kaylin. But Kaylin can't give up. Children, even though they are ghosts, are in danger and that is one of Kaylin's triggers. 

The more she and her friends look into this case, the more they learn that an evil long thought destroyed is still working toward its goals. And Mrs. Erickson is not the dotty old lady that she appears to be, but rather a woman with a very unusual and dangerous magical talent. 

I love the complex world building in this story which is filled with a wide variety of characters from a very large spider-like Wevarin to Ancients to Dragons to very real mythical creatures. I love the idea that there are parts of Elantra that are only loosely connected like the Academia, a university that was once out of phase with reality. 

I wouldn't necessarily jump into the series here. After all, this is the seventeenth book, but fans of the series will certainly enjoy it. And new readers will have lots of questions that can be answered by reading older episodes.

Favorite Quote:

"Then you must decide whether your responsibility to the pathos of the dead outweighs your responsibility not to add to their number."

I bought this one for my Kindle. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Cast in Eternity by Michelle Sagara

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Corporal Kaylin Neya was thinking about committing murder.

Friday 56:

Kaylin's marks were glowing brightly - a brilliant blue-white that would have caused Kaylin to squint had they not been so much a part of her skin by now. Kaylin had never fully understood what made them light up; she only knew that when they did something was significant.

This week I am spotlighting a new release in a series I've been reading for years. Cast in Eternity by Michelle Sagara is the 17th book in the Chronicles of Elantra fantasy series. Here is the description from Amazon:

Dead men tell no tales

When Corporal Kaylin Neya is assigned front desk duty—a task hated by every Hawk—the only thing she can look forward to besides an endless stream of complaints is visits from a dotty old woman. She always brings baked goods along with information passed on by her friends…who happen to be ghosts no one else can see. But then the old woman’s invisible friends have news about Severn Handred: his unusual weapon has caught their attention. Concerned, Kaylin accompanies the woman home because she has a few questions to ask these so-called ghosts.

Sadly, Kaylin can also see them. And she can see other spirits in the woman’s house as well—four children who’ve been trapped there for decades. When Kaylin looks into the deaths in the records at the Halls of Law, something doesn’t add up. Factor in a building that isn’t supposed to exist, and nothing makes sense. But Kaylin is a Hawk, and she’s determined to free the trapped ghosts of the children, even if she’s suddenly landed in the middle of the bad kind of Barrani history. Someone doesn’t want the past to be uncovered, and they’re perfectly willing to destroy Kaylin if it preserves the secrets of the dead…

Book Review: The Last Mile by Kat Martin

The Last Mile
Author: Kat Martin
Series: Blood Ties, The Logans (Book 2)
Publication: Kensington (May 31, 2022)

Description: The New York Times bestselling author pairs a woman in search of her family's truth with a hard-hitting professional treasure hunter in this taut and thrilling new book. As an unknown assailant stalks them across the treacherous Superstition Mountains in Arizona, they race to follow their treasure map’s directions to a hidden trove of gold, but will they survive the danger long enough to reach their prize?

When Abigail Holland awakes to the sound of a nighttime intruder in her rambling Denver Victorian, she knows exactly what the black shrouded figure is after—the map she recently inherited from her grandfather. Whoever he is, the man who grapples with her, then escapes, is willing to kill for the location of a treasure King Farrell hunted for more than ten years. The Devil’s Gold has claimed hundreds of lives, and it was her grandfather’s obsession.

With a killer pursuing her and her own family not to be trusted, Abby decides to take up the search herself. But she’ll need help to do it, and there’s no one better than renowned explorer and treasure hunter Gage Logan. Despite the instant chemistry between them, Gage is reluctant. Innocent people have been hurt on his watch before. But when Abby shows him a genuine gold ingot she found with the map, his curiosity is piqued. Before long they’re heading into the flash floods and brutal winds of the Superstition Mountains, straight into a passionate entanglement—and the dark heart of danger.

My Thoughts: Abigail Holland comes to treasure hunter Gage Logan when she inherits a treasure map from her grandfather who was also a treasure hunter. While many people have searched for the Devil's gold, no one has found it. Someone is pretty sure that Abby's map is good as witnessed by the fact that someone broke into her house to look for it.

Gage isn't at all convinced that this map is real. And he knows that he doesn't want to go hunting for it with Abby. He traveled with a woman he loved once before only to lose her to an accident. One that he hasn't managed to forgive himself for. But Abby is a different sort of woman. She's brave, smart and as filled with the need for adventure as Gage is himself. 

From their first trip to the Superstition mountains in Arizona to the jungles of the Yucatan peninsula, Gage and Abby search for treasure and fall in love though Gage isn't willing to admit it. Along the way they have to deal with poachers who want their gold to drug cartels and crooked officials. 

The story was filled with action and was also a nicely spicy romance. 

Favorite Quote:

"So talk," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I have a feeling I already know what you're going to say, and you can forget it. I'm going after the Devil's Gold. If you want to back out of our deal, that's fine. But I'm going. With or without you."

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

Book & Audio Review: Fledgling by Molly Harper

Fledgling
Author: Molly Harper
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi
Series: Sorcery and Society Book 2
Publication: NYLA (July 23, 2019); Audible Studios (July 23, 2019)
Length: 256 p.; 7 hours and 42 minutes

Description: Days away from completing her first year at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies, Changeling-born Sarah Smith might just get away with posing as an upper-class Guardian girl named Cassandra Reed.

But strange visions of a Lightbourne destroyed by Miss Morton’s revenant army keep Sarah from enjoying her achievement. Plus, the Mother Book, Sarah’s one secret advantage and the ultimate entrée in Guardian society, suddenly stops revealing itself to her…putting her in a precarious position with the Guild. On top of all that, her former lady’s maid left Miss Castwell’s, and the new hire is, well, taking some getting used to.

If it weren’t for her two best friends, Alicia McCray and Ivy Cowel, who will do anything to protect her secret, Sarah doesn’t know if she’ll make it another year. When the three girls take summer holiday with Alicia’s family (chaperoned by an exacting and very disapproving Mrs. McCray), a relaxing vacation in Scotland is the last thing they’ll find.

Mrs. Winter is thrilled that Sarah is spending time with the influential McCray family, but Sarah can’t help but feel that her real purpose is to find other Changeling children like her, and free them to realize their own magic. Can she find genuine satisfaction in her accomplishments when she knows there are others like her out there who need her help? Will the three girls uncover the deeply-held secrets they’re looking for in the mysterious mountains of Scotland? Will the Mother Book finally start talking to her again? And will Sarah come to understand the importance of her connection with Ivy and Alicia, and the true nature of her own power…before it’s too late?

My Thoughts: This second book in the series continues with Sarah Smith/Cassandra Reed's adventures as she continues her education at a school for magic and tries to find her role in life. She wants to find and help other changelings like herself. She has heard that there might be an enclave in the Scottish mountains where some changelings can be found.

When she is invited to spend the summer with her friend Alicia in Scotland, they all think it would be a great time to search for changelings. However, Mrs. McCray isn't very welcoming to the girl her son Gavin has taken a fancy to. She wants to keep Gavin all to herself. 

The girls do manage to elude their very persistent chaperon and discover where the changelings are being held, but that doesn't mean they have a plan to rescue them or any idea what to do with them once they have freed them.

Also, Mr. Crenshaw is still determined to wrest the Mother Book from Sarah's hands and place it with a more worthy candidate. So the girls aren't surprised to discover that Mr. Crenshaw is behind this school for changelings. He has plans for them. But someone has their own plans for Mr. Crenshaw and an old enemy makes a reappearance.

This was an engaging story filled with magical devices and magical spells. It is also a coming of age story and a great story of friendship.

Favorite Quote:

"Remember, ladies do not perspire. We glow with the dew of our exertions."

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

Book & Audio Review: Changeling by Molly Harper

Changeling
Author: Molly Harper
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi
Series: Sorcery and Society (Book 1)
Publication: NYLA; 1st edition (August 22, 2018); Audible Studios (August 22, 2018)
Length: 278 p.; 8 hours and 21 minutes

Description: Sorcery and Society Book 1 “Witty and classic, Changeling had everything I wanted from a coming of age story: friendship, scandal, and a heroine learning to flex her magical muscles. If you liked Harry Potter, you will love CHANGELING!” — Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series

If 14-year-old Cassandra Reed makes it through her first day at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies without anyone discovering her secret, maybe, just maybe, she’ll let herself believe that she really does belong at Miss Castwell’s.

Except Cassandra Reed’s real name is Sarah Smith and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical “Snipes” are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter’s favorite vase in the parlor... But Snipes aren’t supposed to have magical powers…and the existence of a magical Snipe threatens the world order dictated during the Guardians’ Restoration years ago. If she wants to keep her family safe and protect her own skin, Sarah must figure out how to fit into posh Guardian society, master her newfound magical powers and discover the truth about how an ordinary girl can become magical.

My Thoughts: Sarah Smith has lived all of her fourteen years as a servant to the magical Winter family along with her parents and sister. She's been the sickly one, taking a daily pill, which leaves her weak. But she starts skipping the pills and learns that she has magic when she levitates a vase her employer particularly treasures.

With her secret out, her mistress Mrs. Winters decides to make use of Saran, now renamed Cassandra Reed, by sending her to the exclusive Miss Castwell's School for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies. 

Cassandra has a lot of trouble there. She's behind on her magical education; she attracts the attention of a group of mean girls. Then she opens a previously sealed magical book and becomes the focus of a lot of attention she'd rather avoid. She's also afraid that her real background will be discovered. 

But Cassandra makes some friends and even attracts a boy or two and life gets good. Until the revenants start arriving.

This was a fun coming of age story with both magic and adventure. It is also the first book of a trilogy. I listened to the audiobook of this one and enjoyed the narration. 

Favorite Quote:

"For future reference, my dear, whenever you can't find a proper of polite response to something, you simply say, 'How lovely' until you can determine the best course of conversation."

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