I don’t remember when I put this on my holds list, but it has been on there for ages. Completely forgot about it when it finally showed up as available and I was anxious to find out what this story with the title that sounded like all the YA fantasy romance stories was about and why I would have put a hold on it.

The story is set in the early 1900s and follows Cassiopeia, a young woman who is living out a Cinderella-like life in servitude to a family that doesn’t like her much. One day in defiance, she reaches into a forbidden chest in her grandfather’s room and awakens a god who takes her with him to retake his place as ruler of the Xibalba and overthrow the brother who imprisoned him in the first place. But his brother takes his own unwilling champion in Cassiopeia’s abusive cousin, Martin.

This felt very much like a book I might be asked to read for class: One where I liked the read through of it on my own but I had this sense that there were deeper and very intentional themes littered throughout it that were meant to make me learn something. I couldn’t help but feel that my attempts to read it for fun were me reading it somehow incorrectly, but it’s not something that I think anyone else would experience when they read it.

But I did like the world quite a bit. It was a fun look at what the Americas looked like early in the century, and how the mythology of the story could more easily mingle into the culture of the time and the place. The way the worlds were intertwined, despite them existing separately, creating a more ethereal feel to the story as a whole that I appreciated.

Overall it was fun! I enjoyed the experience of reading it and I did think that it was an interesting look at other mythologies that I am not familiar with. I do like the stories about pantheons that mingle with humanity, however that happens, and this was a different take than what I’ve read before. If it sounds interesting, do check it out yourself!

Fiction, how I have missed you! And something about murder and magic, which is right up my alley in terms of stories that I am in the mood for of late! Like so many others, I do not remember adding this to my holds, but I was happy to have it to read as the weather took a very snowy turn.

The book follows Frances, a young seamstress whose magic is awoken when she was assaulted by her boss late one night. She is quickly brought to Haxhaven, a school for witches disguised as an asylum for tuberculosis patients, where she is to learn to control her magic and use her powers only very quietly for housework because sexism. Frances grows frustrated by this and as soon as she has the opportunity, she starts to venture outside of the strict bounds of the school to start investigating the murder of her brother and gets wrapped up in a war between Haxhaven and the Sons, who want to use their power more brazenly for control.

It’s a book that essentially is about finding yourself and being true to yourself, and that is generally the kind of thing I like. The pacing is pretty quick, and I do like that it winds and is not terribly straightforward with what the story is. New discoveries brought changes in what characters did next. I did think the romance elements ended up undermining Frances as a character to a degree, but I also just generally think most books would be better without the romantic subplot so I am aware I am alone in this.

As for the social issues, I’m split on whether or not I like the handling of them. While the sexism felt appropriately woven in, some of the other issues like the racism felt more like it was nodded at without ever really being addressed. There were some characters that felt that their issues were added in as supplementary that didn’t feel like they added to the character or their story because those elements were never really explored and they continued to feel like characters that only really existed for the purposes of enabling Frances’ story.

But overall, I did enjoy the read! It’s a fun look at a not too distant past and what the world had once been like through the fictional lens of how magic might have been treated and dealt with at the time. There’s a lot of loose ends, but I believe this is the first book and it may be explored more in the future.

Another YA fiction book for me! Because that’s what I could handle at the time, and it was still taking a bit longer than I’d like to read. It had an interesting concept, and it was for a younger audience so I figured it was about at the range where I could check it out.

The book follows Michael, a kid who has just moved into a new house that needs a lot of work, and where the whole family is very stressed about his baby sister who is suffering from several health problems. Michael discovers a strange being in the shed that likes Chinese food and doesn’t seem quite human, but does appear to also be dying.

There’s a very passive and dream-like quality to the book, where things just happen more than Michael taking any actions to drive it onward. There’s a girl named Mina who takes a more active role in the story and actually takes more action in the book while Michael seems to just sit back and stress and wonder and observe the events around him as they happen. He does some mild things, like figuring out and ordering the right food or adding a few vitamins to Skellig’s recovery, but it doesn’t ever really feel like anything would have changed if he didn’t do anything.

Although some of this might be more about the fact that I didn’t really know how old I was supposed to interpret the characters as. I have since found out that he was intended to be 10, which does make a lot more sense, but I just wasn’t sure while I was reading. Which made the book feel more okay than really good. Also, it might be because it was really intended for much younger readers than me who probably wouldn’t have been as bothered by that.

But overall, it was an interesting read. Not something I’d pick up a second time, but definitely something that was enjoyable at the time and worth at least checking out.

This is the first book fiction I was able to get through with all the brain issues I’ve been having! It took me a lot longer than it usually does (A couple weeks instead of a couple nights) but I was happy to be able to read like I used to in some capacity again. That being said, let’s talk a little about it.

When he wakes up in the small town of his childhood, Seth doesn’t know why he’s there. He was drowning, surely dead, but somehow he’s alone in the town that his family left ages ago after an incident that left his brother scarred and never quite the same. Throughout the book you learn about what happened as the memories of Seth’s life come back to him and he starts to unravel the mystery of where he is and why he’s there—as well as the others who remain.

I really liked the first half of this book. The slow reveal of what’s going on and context about Seth is engaging, and the introduction of Regine and Tomaz are a welcome addition so that Seth has another personality to bounce off of. They are very welcome additions to the cast and come with a more positive outlook when Seth’s depression threatens to overwhelm the whole story.

On the other hand, there’s a twist about half way through where we uncover what’s going on and I found I didn’t like it nearly as much as the prediction that I had in my head. It takes a turn for the sci-fi and tries to have something come in to act as an antagonist when an antagonist feels like a distraction. It also creates a lot more questions that are not answered by the end, and it makes the ending feel more like a stopping point, with very little feeling wrapped up. I don’t mind a stopping point as an ending, but I wish that the story had been a bit less complex in terms of plot and kept more inline with the character study.

At least, that’s what I wanted at the moment. It might just be a wrong book at the wrong time thing. It’s still pretty entertaining and if you’re up for a book with a sci-fi speculative twist, then you might really enjoy it!

I’ve been needing some fiction after all those books that are supposed to be bettering myself and my life, so I managed to find something that sounded like something I would write. Hitman who is not a good person spared from death so that he could take over for the Grim Reaper while he takes a holiday? Well, maybe not a book I would write, but still very much in my area.

This book follows Buck, a down on his luck average guy who also works as a hitman. He is set up on a job and ends up being spared from death by an overworked Grim Reaper and takes over trying to kill off the ones who refuse to die. In the process, he discovers the supernatural underbelly of Chicago and a civil war happening, as well as an adorable child who is definitely going to turn out to be dangerous.

I think I needed this book right now. It was a fun, light, and generally entertaining read that I didn’t feel the need to take too seriously. No heavy subject matter, nothing too intricate, but definitely with a few fun twists here and there. The pacing was quick and I did enjoy how Buck was portrayed as not a dark and serious hitman, but a guy who did it as a job and spent the rest of his time playing D&D and generally getting into other geeky hobbies.

Overall, it was a lot of fun! There’s not really a lot else to say. If it sounds interesting, it’s pretty quick of a read so check it out.

Once more, I don’t look properly into the books I take out! I am getting pretty used to being very surprised by the books that I end up with. Means I’m reading a lot of things I probably wouldn’t have considered in the first place.

This book is actually a short story. A very long short story. We follow Stella who is back in town to help after a childhood friend’s brother died. She is reminded of something she’d long ago forgotten — a strange children’s show that she had forgotten she was part of. One where the creepy old man told stories that seemed to foretell the ends of the children he watched.

It is a delightful concept! It combines a bunch of ideas that I love to see, from something innocuous turning out to actually be sinister if you look at it longer than five seconds, to prophecies that are surprisingly direct even at the time actually but you weren’t paying attention.

I sort of wish it was a little bit longer to see more things wrapped up, but ultimately, I think it ended at just the right place. It’s creepier and leaves a better impression where it ends here.

And if you want to read it, it’s actually available in full on Tor! Go read it now!

Is this another book picked up because it’s been on my saved shelf at the library for ages and I’m currently waiting on a bunch of holds that look like they are about to come in? Yes. Did any of the holds come in before I finished? Absolutely not.

The book follows Jess, a young woman living in the 90s and having what seems like a very typical life until one day something strange happens. One of her best friends drops a strange device that she’s never seen before and she starts to realize that her little town is not what it appears. She learns that she is the star of a reality show and has been since the day she was born, a secret kept from her all her life. Nothing in her world is real and Jess finds herself desperate to get to a reality she has never known.

Is this like a modern Truman show? Absolutely yes. I don’t think this shies away from the comparison at all, and I really did enjoy the execution of this. Jess feels very normal in contrast to the people slowly revealing themselves to be actors around her and it was interesting to see that there was an end date in place for Jess to learn the truth and leave potentially as a factor in this.

There are parts that feel less grounded than others. For the sake of the plot, she accepts what’s happening around her a lot easier than I would expect and is fully capable of getting around what are apparently trained military at one point in the book.

Even with all of this, it is a pretty fun read. I enjoyed it and the pace is pretty quick, so none of the strangeness overstays its welcome. And, well, I’m a 90s kid. I liked the references. You might enjoy it too!

I will admit, I was very hesitant to pick up this one. It was giving me the feeling that it was a mis-categorized paranormal romance, or just that the library system didn’t have a paranormal romance section to file it under. But also it features cupcakes and was set in Vancouver, so I figured I might as well give it a shot.

The story follows Jade, a witch from Vancouver who owns a cupcake shop thanks to some never delved into nepotism. One day a vampire visits her shop as part of an investigation because there are paranormal beings in town being killed and it looks very much like vampires might be doing it. He is looking to clear vampires, but Jade’s very minimal and not well developed magic remains on the site of the murders, making her the prime suspect despite her being not only oblivious to these events, but also very provably not the person responsible.

This book is the most Vancouver book I have ever read. There are references to landmarks, to lifestyle habits, to shoes that permeate throughout the book. I have read other books set here, but this was the most set here book that I have ever read1 and I was fascinated. But also, I really loved it and it was a ton of fun.

It was also not incorrectly categorized! While it is written very much like those light paranormal romance novels with the same voice and levity and lack of stakes, there is no romance at the center of this story and it ends up being more about a mystery being used as a way to introduce you to the world of a magical Vancouver. There’s some interesting concepts and it does leave on a cliffhanger that I’m sure is there to set up the next book, but the universe is a very soft fantasy.

Overall, I thought it was cute! It’s a quick read, low drama even though it does center around a bunch of murders and threat of death in a few spots, and I had a lot of fun with it. Check it out if you’re looking for something quick!

1. Except for a very strange lack of Asians [↩]