Song of the Hell Witch by Taylor Hartley

 

My local wine bar has a book club.

Yep.  Perfection.

This month, the book is by a local author who teaches English at the High School down the street. This is a debut novel.

I couldn't put it down.  Call it romantasy or fantasy or witchy or seriously GIRL POWER-Y, I don't care, it was fantastic.  Like, this might go on my Brandson Sanderson and VE Schwaab shelf.  Yes, that good.

An unasked for power, a society that doesn't understand, the firm oppression of female strengths and fear of the unknown.  Prudence is our heroine, who would be viewed as a monster if everyone in high society knew what she really was and how she got to where she is now - Duchess of Talonsbury.  Her husband knows what she really is, and her brother in law wants her dead.  When disaster strikes, she can only flee to the one person who always accepted her as she was - and hope he will forgive her past actions and once again save her life.  But he has another family now - who will he choose?? You'll meet many interesting characters in Leora - this is an inclusive cast where everyone has a past, fights for their present, and fears for their futures.  Kinda like real life, right?

Fantastic writing here.  I have always said dialogue must be the hardest thing to write, but here conversations, both aloud and understood with a wink or a glance, just flow.  A little bit Wicked, a little bit Wonder Woman.  I can't wait until December, when the sequel comes out!  Hey Taylor, if you need a Beta Reader, give me a holler.  Cuz I don't WANT to wait until December!!!  

The Everlasting by Alix Harrow

 

Fantasy lovers, this one has it all.  Time Travel, a brave Knight, a nerdy academic, a villain, political and court intrigue, and an ornery horse. Owen is a teacher who for some reason is focused on a female knight who sacrificed herself for her queen and realm, becoming a legend in her own right.  But why does Owen know so much about her and why is he such a good shot when he is sent off to war?  He begins to figure out the unbelievable answers when he is thrust back in time to make sure History goes off as it should.

But, should it?

Of course, Owen falls in love and begins to try to change things.  But the butterfly effect is real here - how can he and should he go to save his love from her fate?  Was it really her fate to begin with?  A few holes in the plot here but after all, it is fantasy.  An easy read that won't hurt your brain too much in the time travel loop thing.  I have enjoyed all the Alix Harrow books I have read.  This one was a quick, fun read.

Playground by Richard Powers

 

This book definitely needs a book club.  And maybe a shot of tequila.

Wow.  I listened to this one, and any time Eduardo Ballerini is involved in the performance, I am in.  His role is of Todd Kent, telling his life story including his best friend Raffi, two boys from two different worlds, but who meet in academia, who both love a challenge - and gaming.  Todd becomes an uber rich coder; Raffi turns to literature.  What happens between the two of them and their friendship might seem inevitable, except...

Add Evelyn.  We hear about her life story too.  A woman in a man's field of deep sea diving and research, Evie is brilliant and curious and forthright and amazing.  

And, add Ina, a girl from a small Polynesian island that during the story becomes World Center for a corporation with a plan to enhance and better colonize this paradise.  But do the islanders want that? What will their island become?  What will become of the sea life if people begin to live in the ocean?

And what does ANY of that have to do with Todd and Raffi??

Yeah, Wow.

I spent a lot of this novel confused but riveted.  Where was all this going?  Whose story did I like best? How in the world would Powers bring it all together?  Well, he does in a spectacular ending that leads me back to my first sentence of this review.

VERY discussable!!!!!!

Whoever recommended this book to me, call me immediately!!!

The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King

 

I spent the first half of this book not sure if I liked it.  It seemed a bit whiny.  But it turned out to be absolutely brilliant.  Modern day Monica, who was raised by her Chinese grandparents in Boston, drops out of her college coding course to come back and care for them when her grandmother, Yun, begins to lose her memory. Monica is determined to help her find her long lost cousin, presumably still in China, and with whom she worked at the family pencil company back in Shanghai in 1937.  Their pencils, turns out, were very special, as were the girls' ability to detect the words the pencils had written.

In a long letter to her cousin, Yun describes their history, their parting, and the intervening years.  Monica makes a connection with another young woman who has actually met her grandmother's cousin in Shanghai through a computer program Monica has written, and blossoming feelings get in the way (or do they bring them together?).  At once historical fiction, fictional memoir, queer romance (very chaste, don't worry) and magical realism, don't miss this engrossing story of four women who feel love very strongly, but feel the healing of forgiveness even more.

The Secret Book Society by Madeleine Martin

 

This one is a pretty quick read about a singular woman who sets out to help her peers in Victorian London.  There is really nothing new here - women were owned by their husbands, not allowed to have an opinion, and constantly threatened with the asylum.  Martin dedicates alternating chapters to each of these women to tell the story of their own secrets, of how they came together in their book club, how they learned from and helped each other, and how they ended up exactly where they needed to be.  A nice uplifting read of subversive girl power!

Boudicca's Daughter by Elodie Harper

 

My husband picked this book out for me for Christmas.  He has NEVER picked out a book for me, and he picked a GREAT one!  Points!!!

Perfect historical fiction during the Roman invasion of Britain.   We are talking Iceni tribes and warriors and emperors and battles.  The year is 60 CE, and the King of the Brits, who claimed loyalty to Rome to hold peace in his land, has died.  His wife, daughter of the Chief of the Iceni warriors, goes on a campaign to free her people from Rome and loses, but earns respect along the way.  This book is the story of her daughter Solina.  Part Druid, part warrior, Solina takes a risky path to survival. Harper brings humanity to a very rough time, especially for women, who are mostly considered toys when not overlooked.  Solina is different, speaks her mind, and must learn how to hide her true self from all but her most sworn enemy.  For the fans of Circe, The Lost Queen, or anything about Merlin and King Arthur!  I didn't want it to end.

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

 

This book blew my mind.  In a good way!

Do not try to read this one quickly.  Save it for when you have large chunks of time to really sit with it, read it more slowly, and think about it.  You'll be glad you did.  Especially because Brown tells us at the outset that all the experiments and science and organizations in this book are REAL.  

Yes, this book is "science-y."  Have you MET Robert Langdon??  This is the sixth Professor Langdon novel from Brown.  Here, though, he is the one learning, which is a great change up for the world renowned Symbologist who teaches at Harvard. Don't worry, his skills of course come in handy too, but it is the manuscript of the book noetic scientist Katherine Solomon has written about the brain, about consciousness, and parts of what happens after death that are the focus here.  Well, that, plus her publisher, the American Ambassador in Prague and a Golem.

It was interesting to realize that this book was set over about 24 hours. I loved that it was set in Prague - great descriptions of the city now make me want to go there.   A LOT happens - a few kidnappings, a brutal murder or two, a computer hack and a jump in the river.  Robert and Katherine have to figure out why they are being sought for her book, who is after them, and who is on their side.  Throw in a young Russian girl with a past and you have a fantastic adventure thriller mystery like only Dan Brown can write.  I heard Tom Hanks' voice throughout!!  Which we can soon see on the small screen, as Netflix is already in development for a series.    

Don't miss the acknowledgements!  You will find several clever references to real people have been peppered throughout the novel.  I loved that!