After reading a couple of teen and tween fantasies it was fun to get back to my most frequently visited genre, clean historical romance. This is a new author I haven't read before, and I ended up liking it pretty well. The pacing is a little slow, and there are not the trilling instances of peril we found in Brentwood's Ward , but it suited the mood I was in. Frances is clever and doesn't make the stupid mistakes some women characters in historical romances make. The love interest, George Hazelton, is supportive and protective, but doesn't really play the role of "knight in shining armor." They are more like a team and he allows Frances to take reasonable risks. This is the first of a series, so they are just starting their relationship. I also thought Freeman did a decent job with portraying the complex social structure of the Ton. I will certainly be reading the second in the series at some point in the future. (2018, 272 p.)
Deelibrarian Reading Log Blog
This is a record of all the books I read or listen to.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman
Monday, March 11, 2024
Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston
I enjoyed the first book in this series, but was a little disappointed that this one was so much like that one. The plot was almost the same. She is still trying to save her brother. She is still fighting against prejudice from above and below, and she still has to try to pass a series of magical tests in order to get what she wants. It is an interesting magic system and the characters are drawn well enough that I finished the book. Now I am trying to decide if I will read the next in the series when it comes out. I am in the same place with this series as with the Spoken Mage series by Melanie Cellier. Actually, they are very similar books, both about a girl with unusual powers overcoming prejudice to save the world. I don't feel super compelled to finish either series, but I probably will. (432 p. 2022)
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is hugely popular and successful as an author, and I am a little embarrassed to admit that up until this week I had only read his Alcatraz series. When this book came out with his four secret books that he wrote during the pandemic, I decided it would be a good first to try of his books written for teens-adults. It was a lot of fun, and had a little of the same flavor as the Alcatraz series. There was a big dose of silliness, and quite a bit of philosophizing, but that just made it more entertaining. The characters were diverse and interesting and the world and magic system were totally original. There were some characters in the book that were clearly from other books he had written in the same literary universe, and I felt a little adrift because I didn't know their backstory. He did include enough information that it didn't ruin the story not to know where they came from. My daughter assures me that some of his books from the Cosmere are more serious and gritty than this one. Maybe some day I will read them. As for now I am well pleased with this first taste of the Sanderson legacy. (384 p. 2023)
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Chalice by Robin McKinley
After reading What the River Knows, this book was a breath of fresh air. The characters are interesting and sympathetic, and they grow and develop over the course of the story. The magic system is also interesting, original, and stays (mostly) consistent through the story. The characters succeed because they are trying their hardest to do what is right, even when their tasks seem hopeless. There is nobility, friendship, and sacrifice for the greater good. My only complaint is that I think she tied the end up a little too fast. She maybe needed one more chapter to show that the happy ending we were all hoping for made sense in the world she had built. Still, I really enjoyed this book and affirm my belief that Robin McKinley is one of the great clean fantasy writers. (2009, 272 p.)
Saturday, March 2, 2024
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
I can't remember why I put this book on hold. I think a patron recommended it to me because she knew I read historical romances. On Good Reads people either hate this book or love this book. I must admit I am on the "hate" side of the scale. I didn't hate it, but I thought it was a bit of a slog. For one thing, it is ridiculously long. It would have been a better book if it had about 1/3 edited out. Secondly, there was absolutely no character development. The author was clearly caught up in the setting and plot, and forgot to make the characters interesting. Third, the magic system was a bit shaky. Ibanez seems to be making it up as she goes along, and it isn't internally consistent. Lastly, the ending, after 17 hours of meandering narrative, was a totally unsatisfying cliffhanger. I considered giving up on the book 4 hours in, but I didn't have anything else in my cue that was available. I kind of wish I had. (416 p. 2023)
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Brentwood's Ward by Michelle Griep
Here is a new clean romance writer one of my patrons recommended. Actually this is the second book I have read by Griep, but the other was a Christmas one so it will show up on my blog next November. Griep takes a slightly different approach to the genre of Victorian romance. Instead of focusing on the ladies and gentlemen of the ton, her protagonists are from the middle class. There is much more in her books about the underbelly of Victorian England, a kind of Dickensian view. I liked the book, but it is a little more gritty than some I have read. For example, at one point Emily is accosted by a villain and the description of the attack, though not "R" rated, is PG-13. Also, I didn't think the writing in this book was a good as the Christmas one I read earlier. This is a Christian romance, and the religious element is a little heavy handed. Still, I enjoyed it and will be willing to try Ms Griep again. (320 p, 2015)
Sunday, February 25, 2024
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
I waited in hold for a long time for this book but it was worth it. Although Osman is pretty good at his mystery plots, it is the interactions between the characters that are so engaging. Even the villains are three dimensional. He does an amazing job balancing funny and touching. I don't know for sure if the over 70 crowd really think like he portrays, but I bet a lot of them wish they could be like Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Ron and Joyce. I was excited to hear that they are making a movie of the first book. I hope they do a good job. (368 p. 2023)