Book Review: Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop

Shalador's Lady
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Black Jewels (Book 8)
Publication: Roc; 1 edition (January 25, 2010)

Description: Return to New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s world of the Black Jewels—where a Queen has emerged from the shadows to bring hope to an impoverished people…

For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. And even though the refugees have found sanctuary in Dena Nehele, they have never been able to call it home.

Now that Dena Nehele has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, knows that restoring the land will require all her heart and courage as she summons the untested power within her, a power capable of consuming her if she cannot control it.

And even if Lady Cassidy survives her trial by fire, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land—and Lady Cassidy—forever...

My Thoughts: Lady Cassidy is trying to be a good Queen for Dena Nahele except Theran Greyhaven is undermining her at every step. He isn't shy about his disappointment that she isn't prettier and more powerful. Fortunately the rest of her dozen sworn Warlords and Warlord Princes are much happier with her. So are the landen and the other people she rules over in Greyhaven.

She takes a trip to the Shalador Reserve in Eyota to meet more of the Shaladoran Queens and discovers a land parched and almost barren. She knows how to transfer her power to enrich the land but she has never dealt with a land so empty. She almost drains all of her power and shatters her jewels before her Court realizes what's happening and takes her away.

After she recovers, she returns to Greyhaven to find the she has a visitor. Lady Kermilla, the Queen who took her Court away from her and ruined her confidence, has come for a visit (and to demand that Cassidy give her money to run her Court). Cassidy tells her to leave but Theran takes one look at her and realizes that Kermilla is the Queen he has been waiting for to cure Dena Nehele. Cassidy is ready to give up and leave until her loyal Court convinces her to return to Eyota and take her Court - minus Theran, there.

The story splits viewpoints. We see Cassidy and her Court in Eyota, Theran dealing with Kermilla and Dena Nehele, and Kermilla who is self-absorbed, selfish, hedonistic, and has a major sense of entitlement. It was painful watching Theran making excuses for her and dealing with her very expensive tastes. The contrast with Cassidy and her behavior couldn't have been clearer.

This story also saw Gray finally maturing after the trauma he suffered at age fifteen. He picks wonderful role models and teachers in Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar. I loved the scelties who came to Cassidy's Court to help and teach and herd their human sheep.

This was a very entertaining entry into the Black Jewels series.

Favorite Quote:

Jaenelle said some people need a hard lesson in order to learn and grow -- and some people are the hard lesson.

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

YA Book Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Geekerella
Author: Ashley Poston
Series: Once Upon a Con (Book 1)
Publication: Quirk Books (April 4, 2017)

Description: Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale romance.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the  Starfield  fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

My Thoughts: GEEKERELLA wasn't what I was expecting from the title and the cover. I wasn't expecting a story that made me cry and made me smile and made me remember good fan experiences. It is the story of two lonely people who manage to find each other.

Orphaned Elle Wittimer and actor Darien Freeman don't seem to have much in common at first glance. She's dealing with the loss of her father and the emotional abuse of her stepmother. Darien's also lost his father when his father became his agent and abandoned his role as a father.

When she was younger, Elle and her father used to watch reruns of Starfield - a short-lived science fiction television series. Elle would write fan faction; her father would cosplay the main character Federation Prince Carmindor. After her father's death, her stepmother did her best to get rid of all the things her father loved including all his fan gear. Elle turned to blogging with a focus on Starfield.

Darien also had good memories of watching Starfield with his best friend and attending science fiction conventions before he became famous and his friend betrayed him. Now Darien has been cast as Carmindor in the remake of Starfield. Neither he nor Elle have much confidence in his successful portrayal of one of their childhood heroes. Elle pans his acting on her blog and her post goes viral. Darien has all sort of self-doubts.

I liked the description of fandom from both Elle's and Darien's perspectives. I liked that they began their relationship through a series of anonymous texts. I liked that they could both be free to be themselves while texting.

Both characters were well-developed. Both grew and changed through the story. I liked all the references to the Cinderella story from the pumpkin-painted food truck to the glass slipper. I liked that the stepsisters weren't both wicked - though one certainly was and the other was more of a wimp. I liked Elle's new friend who had the role of fairy godmother and fashion designer.

Favorite Quote:

This feels different. Like something I can control. Happiness I can control. Happiness that is solely mine. I didn't realize there was such a thing anymore. I didn't think it existed in this universe. I thought that when Dad died, it move to the other universe, he one where he's still alive.

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

Friday Memes: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now 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:

The stepmonster is at it again.

Friday 56:

I fluff up my pillow again and roll over onto my back, trying to forget about him. The ceiling's absolutely spotless. That's how you can really tell how expensive a place is. I remember when Mark din't put me up in five-star hotels, back when I first auditioned for Seaside Cove. He drove me to the casting call in Santa Barbara and booked me into a shoddy Motel 6 that had roaches crawling across the ceiling.

This week I am reading Geekerella by Ashley Poston. This is a recent addition to my TBR mountain. Here is the description from Amazon:

Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale romance.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield  fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

ARC Review: Secrets Never Die by Melinda Leigh

Secrets Never Die
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: Morgan Dane (Book 5)
Publication: Montlake Romance (March 19, 2019)

Description: The #1 Amazon Charts bestselling series continues as Morgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger fight for the innocence of a young murder suspect—if only they could find him.

When a retired sheriff’s deputy is shot to death in his home, his troubled teenage stepson, Evan, becomes the prime suspect. Even more incriminating, the boy disappeared from the scene of the crime.

Desperate to find her son, Evan’s mother begs PI Lance Kruger for help. She knows her son is innocent. Kruger and defense attorney Morgan Dane want to believe that too, but the evidence against the boy is damning. Just as the trail goes cold, another deputy vanishes. His shocking connection to Evan’s stepfather throws the investigation into chaos as Lance and Morgan fear the worst…that Evan is the killer’s new target.

With so many secrets to unravel, will Lance and Morgan find him before it’s too late?

My Thoughts: This latest in the Morgan Dane series finds Morgan and Lance living together in the middle of a remodeling project and with Morgan's girls recovering from a bout of flu. When the phone call comes at 1:39 AM telling them that one of Lance's hockey players is missing and his stepfather - a retired sheriff's deputy - murdered, Morgan and Lance immediately go to try to find Evan Meade.

The Sheriff soon begins to suspect the Evan is not a victim but, rather, is the killer. Evan has had some trouble with the law and was recently seen arguing with his stepfather. But Lance is certain that Evan is a victim and is determined to find him. 

Looking for Evan means looking into his stepfather Paul's death. The more they investigate, the more questions they have. First Paul's former partner is a suspect, but then he disappears under suspicious circumstances, and they are back to the beginning of their investigation again.

Then a secret from Evan's mother's past turns the investigation in a new direction... While Lance's partner Lincoln Sharp and investigative reporter Olivia Cruz pursue the new lead. Morgan and Lance continue the hunt for Evan and deal with three-year-old Sophia's trip to the ER with flu and a raging fever.

I enjoyed the sections from Evan's point of view which gave us lots of information about him and the trouble he was going through as he ran from the man who killed his stepfather, dealt with a gunshot wound in his arm, and wondered who he could trust.

I also enjoyed the excitement and fast pace of this story. It was a great blend of pulse-pounding action and danger and chaotic family moments. Did I mention that Lance and Morgan are also supposed to be planning their wedding?

Favorite Quote:

He'd learned many things in the past three months. Teamwork was essential in parenting. With three kids and two adults, he and Morgan were down a man. If their family were a hockey team, they would be trapped in a never-ending power play in the kids' favor. 

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

ARC Review: The Deepest Blue by Sarah Beth Durst

The Deepest Blue
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Series: Tales of Renthia
Publication: Harper Voyager (March 19, 2019)

Description: The natural magic of the classic The Island of the Blue Dolphins meets the danger and courage of The Hunger Games in this dazzling, intricate stand-alone fantasy novel set in award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst’s beloved world of Renthia.

Life is precious and precarious on the islands of Belene. Besieged by a capricious ocean full of malicious spirits, the people of the islands seek joy where they can. Mayara, one of the island’s fearless oyster divers, has found happiness in love. But on the day of her wedding to the artist Kelo, a spirit-driven storm hits the island with deadly force.

To save her loved ones, Mayara reveals a dangerous secret: she has the power to control the spirits. When the storm ends, she is taken into custody by the queen’s soldiers and imprisoned with other women like her.

They vary in age and social status, but to many they are heroes who will aide the country or witches that will sacrifice themselves trying. No matter who they are, the women are sent to a terrifying place—an island filled with bloodthirsty nature spirits, and left without food, water, shelter, or any tools except their own instincts and magic. Whoever survives the Island of Testing will be declared heirs to the queen. But no matter if she wins or loses, Mayara knows that the life she dreamed of is gone.

My Thoughts: The book returns to Renthia and lets us see the islands of Belene. Mayara is the main character. We first meet her on her wedding day when she will finally be married to Kelo whom she has loved all her life. However, their marriage is interrupted by a spirit storm that should have been caught by the Queen's Heirs. To save her people, Mayara uses her power over spirits which reveals a secret she's been hiding all her life.

Women with power have two choices. They can take the test to become an Heir or become one of the Silent Ones. Neither choice is a good one. The Silent Ones give up their names and families and even their voices. They are the Queen's enforcers who see through the eyes of spirits to watch. But becoming an Heir means surviving the Island of Testing and most don't.

When the Silent Ones capture Mayara, she is told the Kelo is dead. She had promised him to become a Silent One and live. With him gone, she chooses to take the test for Heir. She is the last of the current group of twelve and, so, receives little training before being dumped on an island overflowing with vengeful, murderous spirits. She made a couple of friends on the way to the island including Roe who has her own reason for taking the test and surviving.

She and Roe do manage to find a buried cave system which keeps them out of the spirits' way but they soon find out that spirits aren't the only danger on the island. It was believed that all twelve of the previous cohort had died on the island but they encounter Lania who is the lone survivor and who is determined to kill all of the current cohort. She believes that the test will be abandoned if no one survives and no new Heirs are made.

Meanwhile, we find out that the Queen, who happens to be Roe's mother, is not in command. She is being held be the Families who rule the islands who are insuring her behavior by taking all of her family away and hiding them. Luckily, the Queen has the help of Garnah, a sociopathic poisoner, to make some changes in they way things are done. All Mayara wants is a simple life surrounded by those she loves but she needs to face great dangers from both the spirits and the ruling Families before she can have the live she wants.

Favorite Quote:

Roe hissed as more medicine hit her wound but didn't flinch away. "What ... happened?"

"You fainted."

"Impossible, I never faint."

"You briefly lost consciousness because of incredible pain," Mayara clarified. She kept squeezing the angel seaweed over the wound, washing out the grit and soaking the cut in medicine at the same time. She then pressed the hunk of seaweed directly onto the gash. "Hold that there."

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

YA ARC Review: Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

Sherwood
Author: Meagan Spooner
Publication: HarperTeen (March 19, 2019)

Description: Fans of Danielle Paige, Marissa Meyer, and Alex Flinn will devour New York Times bestselling author Meagan Spooner’s next fierce fairy tale-inspired story, which Illuminae author Amie Kaufman calls “a kick-ass, gender-flipped feminist retelling.”

Robin of Locksley is dead.

Maid Marian doesn’t know how she’ll go on, but the people of Locksley town, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, need a protector. And the dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff’s right hand, wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as Lord of Locksley and Marian’s fiancé.

Who is there to stop them?

Marian never meant to tread in Robin’s footsteps—never intended to stand as a beacon of hope to those awaiting his triumphant return. But with a sweep of his green cloak and the flash of her sword, Marian makes the choice to become her own hero: Robin Hood.

My Thoughts: SHERWOOD was a wonderful re-imagining of the legend of Robin Hood. This time the star is Lady Marian. She grew up with Robin of Locksley. Together they learned to fight, and wrestle, and shoot bow and arrow. Marian was always a little faster to learn and a better shot. She was also taller. With Robin, she could be who she wanted to be. He didn't try to imprison her in the usual role for women of her time.

Things change immensely when news returns to England that Robin has died in the Holy Land in service to his king. First comes the overwhelming grief which lingers for a long time. Then her maid Elena's brother Will Scarlet is arrested by the Sheriff's men and scheduled for hanging. Marian becomes aware of the injustices perpetrated by the Sheriff and determines to do something. She finds Robin's signature cloak, the sword and bow he had made for her, and sets out to rescue Will.

Her adversary is Guy of Gisborne who is the Sheriff's man and the man who wants to take Robin's place both at Locksley and as Marian's new husband. She never intended to impersonate Robin but she wasn't quick to deny it either. Not once she saw how much hope Robin's reappearance engendered in the people of Nottingham.

She gathers a crew - Little John, Alan-a-Dale, Will Scarlet, her maid Elena, and her stableman Midge, among them - and sets out to right some wrongs. She feels that she is being guided by Robin's memory until she does something unforgivable and Robin's voice in her head goes away.

I loved the characters in this story. Marian was so well-drawn and well-rounded. And Guy was no cardboard villain. Even Robin, who dies at the beginning of the book, is lifelife. I loved the interludes that went into the past and were from Robin's point of view about how he came to love Marian and how they grew up together.

The writing style pulled me right into the story and didn't let me go until the last page was turned.

Favorite Quote:

Grief, thought Marian, was not the melancholy mourning of a loss, not the land and dwindling ache that ballads sand of. It was forgetting, and remembering, again and again, an endless series of slashes, each as violent and sharp as the last. It was execution by a thousand different wounds, it was bleeding to death so slowly that you are certain it will never end, that you will suffer this torture for eternity, long after your natural life has ended. You are Prometheus, and instead of your liver, the eagle is tearing out your heart.

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (March 11, 2019)

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.

Other Than Reading...

We broke another weather record this week. Monday morning the temperature was 19 degrees below zero breaking the 1875 record of 18 degrees below zero. Generally it was a cold week. They have been forecasting a snowstorm for this weekend but the amount of snow keeps going down. Right now (Saturday afternoon), they are predicting one to three inches of heavy wet snow overnight tonight. Predictions started at eight to twelve inches. We are also supposed to have strong east winds.

This was a good week for exercising as I got to Curves four times. I could have gone the other two days but Tuesday I spent the day reading Wild Country and didn't want to put it down long enough to get out and Saturday my brother was making breakfast and I didn't want to miss his cooking.

Tonight it is my turn to cook. I'll be trying out a new soup recipe for Pasta e Fagioli. The recipe caught my attention both because I get daily recipes in my email and I also knew we had a half pound of bulk Italian Sausage left over from another recipe this week which was just what this recipe called for.

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.)

• Grave Destiny by Kalayna Price (Review; April 2) - This is the sixth book in the Alex Craft urban fantasy series. My review will be posted on March 23.
• Grave Ransom by Kalayna Price (Mine) - This is the 5th book in the Alex Craft urban fantasy series. My review will be posted on April 24.

• Wild Country by Anne Bishop (Mine) - This is the second book in her World of the Others series. I read this one twice this week. I gulped it down to find out what happened and then reread it more slowly to take in more of the details. My review will be posted on April 3.

• The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman (YA Review; April 2) -- This is a YA contemporary horror story. My review will be posted on March 26.
• Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn (YA Review; April 2) -- This was an entertaining middle grade contemporary story about a girl who makes some big changes for herself and her family while on summer vacation. My review will be posted on March 28.

Currently

• The Ghost Manuscript by Kris Frieswick (Review; April 2)

Next Week

• Dreaming Darkly by Caitlin Kittredge (YA Review; April 9)
• A Dream of Death by Connie Berry (Review; April 9)
• Come and Get Me by August Norman (Review; April 9)

• The Hummingbird Dagger by Ciny Anstey (YA Review; April 16)
• Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich (Review; April 16)
• The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (Mine)

Reviews Posted

• A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn
• Trouble on the Books by Essie Lang
• The True Queen by Zen Cho

• Murder in Belgravia by Lynn Brittney
• Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder 

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

• Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer (Kindle)
• Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine (Review; 

• Wild Country by Anne Bishop (Hardcover)
• Wild Country by Anne Bishop (Kindle)

What was your week like?