Tag Archives: Magic

Review: A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,
A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart #3)
Stephanie Garber
Flatiron Books
Published October 24, 2023

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About A Curse for True Love

Two villains, one girl, and a deadly battle for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Blood will be shed, hearts will be stolen, and true love will be put to the test in A Curse for True Love, the breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.

My Review

After reading the first two books in the series, I wanted to know how Evangeline and Jacks would navigate the obstacles standing between them and whether they could craft their own happily ever after.

I wasn’t expecting some of the directions the series takes. There was a character who seemed like a pretty decent person, perhaps a bit spoiled, but who was beginning to make better choices. Then he took a hard right into serious evil, and I had to recalibrate how I thought about him. Which is okay—it just came as a bit of a surprise.

I can’t decide if I’m starting to outgrow the Bad Boy stories where someone has a pretty long list of wrongs and callous actions to their name, but somehow, I’m still rooting for the heroine to find a way to be with this person. I like Jacks, but I sometimes cringed at the way he treated other people. Reading certain scenes definitely required some willing suspension of disbelief as Evangeline, whose lost memories left her incredibly vulnerable and who knew someone was trying to kill her, didn’t question the reckless stranger who kept appearing out of nowhere.

I did appreciate the romantic tension between them and the continued themes about curses and true love in the fairytale-esque world Garber created. I love the way that the magic works, especially with regard to curses taking a life of their own and stories continually changing with each telling or reading.

All in all, I am glad to have stuck with the series all the way to the end. It was fun reading something so swoony and romantic. I think romantasy fans will like the sweeping fairytale magic of the story world and Evangeline’s starry-eyed commitment to find her happily ever after.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene, a boy and girl begin to undress one another. They fall asleep before getting fully undressed.

Spiritual Content
A group of immortal Fates have limited special abilities. The story also contains vampires. Some humans have the ability to perform spells or curses, which require magic to be broken.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Evangeline hears about a wolf attack that leaves a boy horribly scarred. A boy dies, apparently from some kind of poison. Someone poisons a girl. A large number of vampires bite people. Someone ties up another person and threatens to torture or kill them. A person starts a fire, endangering others’ lives. Someone punches a man repeatedly, breaking his nose and bruising his face.

Drug Content
Evangeline drinks wine at a social event.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride

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We Are All So Good at Smiling
Amber McBride
Feiwel & Friends
Published January 10, 2023

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About We Are All So Good at Smiling

They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.

Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.

They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.

The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.

My Review

I don’t know if there’s anyone else in the world who writes quite like Amber McBride. We Are All So Good at Smiling came out at a time when I was bogged down with other reading projects, but it’s been high on my reading list since it was released, and my expectations were high.

They were met, if not exceeded. How often does that happen?

This is a weird book. It mixes fairytales and a magical landscape into a contemporary setting, almost like Rochelle Hassan does in “The Buried and the Bound” series. Somehow, telling the story in verse seems to make it even more ethereal. It reminded me a little bit of The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero.

Some of the references feel pretty on the nose, such as a fairy boy named Faerry. There are so many layers to the story, though, so don’t be tempted to take things too much at face value.

I loved the creepy forest and the way that Whimsy and Faerry’s journey unfolded in connection with it. The way the fairytale characters appeared and how they changed depending on what was happening was really fascinating. I also thought exploring fairytales alongside mental health made for an interesting juxtaposition. It made me think of some of the moments in the book Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc.

All that to say that I very much got swept away in this remarkable, immersive story. Amber McBride is quickly climbing my list of auto-buy authors because she always delivers such rich, thought-provoking stories. If you haven’t read any of her books, this is a great one to start with. If you like fairytales and/or novels in verse, definitely put this one on your list!

Content Notes

Depression, suicidal thoughts, loss of a close family member, bullying.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Whimsy and Faerry are Black and have depression.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Whimsy practices Hoodoo, as passed down to her by her grandmother. Her family are conjures. Faerry is a fairy with wings few people can see. The story contains magic as well as fairytale and folktale references and characters.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Bullies call Whimsy names and hold her underwater. Other characters harm Whimsy and Faerry, causing cuts to open on their bodies. References to Whimsy being suicidal at the beginning of the story and in the past.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Fortune’s Kiss by Amber Clement

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Fortune’s Kiss
Amber Clement
Union Square & Co.
Published November 12, 2024

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About Fortune’s Kiss

The legendary Fortune’s Kiss has returned to Ciudad Milagro for the first time in ten years. The magical gambling house shows up twice a year in a new city during the solstices to lure those worthy enough to wager their souls for wealth, the realization of their greatest desires, and, even, immortality.

Known by many names throughout the years, it returns to Milagro as El Beso de la Fortuna . . . and the game is Lotería. And best friends Mayté Robles and Lorena (Lo) de León are determined to change their lives, escape the dangerous men who threaten them, and gain riches.

Mayté, the sole daughter of the disgraced Robles family, wishes to leave her family and become a successful painter, while Lo suffers at the hands of her powerful and abusive father and seeks to find her mother, who escaped to Fortune’s Kiss years ago but never returned.

When Fortune’s Kiss finally returns to their city, the pair follow on their childhood blood pact to enter the gaming salon. But once inside, Mayté and Lo quickly realize that beneath the marvelous glamour, the salon is hiding dangerous secrets and the house always wins. And the game of Lotería is not the children’s game they grew up playing—it is a deadly lottery of chance.

With the help of a young, handsome croupier, the girls embark on a mission to unravel the mystery of the salon’s magic, find Lo’s mother, and try to win a nearly impossible game as their friendship is put under the greatest of tests.

My Review

This book has a lot going on in it! The relationship between Lo and Mayté sits at its center, though, and I loved that celebration of friendship and sisterhood.

In some places, I thought the narrative was a little heavy-handed, reminding readers or repeatedly dropping hints that the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. Once Lo and Mayté entered the game, I thought that smoothed out, though.

Some elements of the book reminded me of Hotel Magnifique or The Splendor. The chaos of the game reminded me a bit of The Marvelous, which also invites its players into shifting alliances and rivalries with one another.

The world in which the girls live before the game has some references to colonialism and a very patriarchal society which leaves them both no choice but to find husbands to care for them in order to secure a future– something Lo desperately wants to avoid, and Mayté isn’t sure she can achieve with her family’s fallen status.

Entering the game not only offers the girls a chance to change their destinies but also forces them to face secrets and betrayals from their pasts. I liked the way the tension built and ultimately led to the story’s resolution. This is a really ambitious debut, and I’m excited to see what Amber Clement writes next.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Most characters are Latine. A few are from a colonizer class.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild swearing used infrequently. There are a few places in which Spanish swears are used.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to God and other deities. Some characters have the ability to use magic. The game enacts curses and other consequences on its players, both negative and positive.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A girl stabs someone with a knife multiple times. A girl uses a piece of broken glass to kill an injured person. References to abuse and domestic violence. A man hints that he would kidnap a girl and traffick her because her family owes him money.

Drug Content
Some characters drink potions which cause positive or negative effects. For example, a potion puts someone to sleep. Another heals someone’s wounds.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones

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The Wild Huntress
Emily Lloyd-Jones
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published October 8, 2024

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About The Wild Huntress

Dive into a lush, standalone fantasy, set in the same world as The Drowned Woods and The Bone Houses, about a deadly competition—perfect for fans of Holly Black and Erin A. Craig.

Every five years, two kingdoms take part in a Wild Hunt. Joining is a bloody risk and even the most qualified hunters can suffer the deadliest fates. Still, hundreds gamble their lives to participate—all vying for the Hunt’s life-changing prize: a magical wish granted by the Otherking.

BRANWEN possesses a gift no other human has: the ability to see and slay monsters. She’s desperate to cure her mother’s sickness, and the Wild Hunt is her only option.

GWYDION is the least impressive of his magically-talented family, but with his ability to control plants and his sleight of hand, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his cruel older brother from becoming a tyrant.

PRYDERI is prince-born and monster-raised. Deep down, the royal crown doesn’t interest him—all he wants is to know is where he belongs.

If they band together against the monstrous creatures within the woods, they have a chance to win. But, then again, nothing is guaranteed when all is fair in love and the Hunt.

My Review

Well, this is one of those stories where my favorite character definitely got the short straw. That was hard.

However.

This is the first book by Emily Lloyd-Jones that I’ve read. I used to own at least one of her other books, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. I think it came in an OwlCrate box several years ago. Anyway. The writing and the lush, dangerous forest with its otherworldly creatures drew me into the story. There are monsters and other dangers. There’s a cat who is not a cat– my second-favorite character!

As I read, I knew I was heavily invested in the story. When I had about 100 pages left, I hoped it was a duology because I really didn’t want to be coming to the end of the story and the really imaginative world. As I got closer to the end, I dreaded learning it was going to be a duology because I didn’t want to have to wait a year or more to find out what happens to the characters who make it to the last page. (It’s a standalone, so no worries there.)

Even though my favorite character met with disaster, I wasn’t unhappy to follow the rest of the cast to the end of the book. It definitely takes you on an emotional ride. It’s one of those books that draws you close and quietly slips a knife between your ribs. It was really great, though? I feel like I’ll be thinking of those one for a long time, and may even have to go back and reread it.

If you liked The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert or Deep is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson, definitely check out The Wild Huntress.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Branwen has visible scars and an eye that can see magic and would make her a target or outcast depending on who discovers this. Pryderi survived kidnapping and abuse.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild swearing used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have magical ability. Some monsters have supernatural abilities. Characters participate in the Wild Hunt, which has magical rules and is governed by two kings, one human and one immortal/magical.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Graphic descriptions of monster attacks against people and animals. Attacks between humans.

Drug Content
Branwen spots enchanted food and drink while at a feast and avoids consuming any of it. She and her allies share a bottle of mead.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

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A Fragile Enchantment
Allison Saft
Wednesday Books
Published January 30, 2024

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About A Fragile Enchantment

In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.

My Review

I’ve been a fan of Allison Saft’s books since her debut, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT. She is so good at delivering intricate story worlds and complicated characters navigating some kind of mysterious circumstances. In A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT, a tailor who can imbue the clothes she makes with magic and a younger prince fight their growing attraction to one another as an entire kingdom seems ready to crumble around them.

It’s got a bit of a grumpy vs. sunshine vibe, which I really enjoyed. The story also explores chronic illness and addiction pretty openly. Neither of those is often explored in fantasy novels, so that was nice to see.

The romantic arc absolutely hooked me. I read this book in two sessions because I really could not stop thinking about it and needed to know how it would end. I loved the directions the story took, especially the ones I hadn’t anticipated. There were a couple of times that things took me by surprise. That was fun.

All in all, I had a fabulous time reading this book, and I’m as big an Allison Saft fan as ever. I’m already excited about whatever story she has coming up next. I think fans of Kiera Cass would like this book a lot.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Regency-England inspired. Some people groups seem to be inspired by Spanish or Irish people. The main character had a past relationship with a girl. Some characters are interested in same-sex relationships, but it’s stigmatized in their society. One character is an alcoholic in recovery. Another is chronically ill.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two girls. One scene contains explicit sexual content.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. This is passed down in families from the old days when the Fair Ones walked among people.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. One character can control plants and threatens violence through them. Another can control lightning and tries to kill someone.

Drug Content
One character is a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for a year. In several scenes, people around him drink alcohol. Sometimes, people make disparaging remarks about his drinking or assume he is drunk again.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: Seasons of Flesh and Flame by A. G. Howard

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Seasons of Flesh and Flame (Shades of Rust and Ruin #2)
A. G. Howard
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published

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About Seasons of Flesh and Flame

New York Times bestselling author A.G. Howard concludes her dark, compelling YA fantasy series about twins separated by a family curse.

Nix Loring stepped into Mystiquel to face the Goblin King and break her family’s curse. When she found her twin, Lark, held captive for three years and forced to power the magical realm with her imagination, Nix offered herself up in her sister’s place.

Now, Nix wants nothing more than to be home with the people she loves. Instead, she’s tasked to create beauty from a world fallen to desolation. She finds herself drawn to the faerie creatures under her care—and even reluctantly drawn to the Goblin King himself. But how can she rebuild the very realm that tore her family apart?

Back home, her uncle and boyfriend desperately plan a rescue. But Lark, having learned Nix was meant to be the Goblin King’s captive in the first place, resents how her twin stole everything belonging to her during her absence. Worse yet, Lark harbors an unspeakable secret that could destroy what little she has left.

As time draws closer to the rescue, Lark grapples with the darkness growing inside: should she help save her sister, or finally get her revenge?

Set in a gritty, atmospheric world filled with magical creatures, New York Times bestselling author A.G. Howard concludes her thrilling fantasy duology full of romance, twists, and betrayals.

My Review

I love that this series is a duology. When I started reading book one, I thought the series would be a trilogy. Trilogies are great, but a duology is so much more manageable for me to read.

In my review of the first book in the duology, Shades of Rust and Ruin, I noted that I’d expected more romance based on the cover copy, but the tale was more focused on the relationship between the sisters. That focus holds true in this second book, too.

What’s different about Seasons of Flesh and Flame, though, is that it follows both sisters’ perspectives. I loved that. I also liked that Lark, who we only met at the end of the first book, isn’t the benevolent sister we expected based on Nix’s memories of her. She’s got her own agenda and fresh trauma to work through.

The romance subplots (there’s one for each sister) remain very sidelined. There are a few references to how the girls feel for the boys they love, and the end brings resolution to the relationships, but even there, it’s not really the focus.

A lot of the story takes place in the Mystiquel landscape. It’s lush, strange, and capricious. I enjoyed how the events there kept me on my toes.

If you’re looking for a fall read that’s more atmospherically spooky than actually creepy, you might want to give this series a try. There is one element that might be considered body horror that I’ll detail below.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Clarey (love interest) has dark brown skin and a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA). He also has anxiety and panic attacks. Lark uses a prosthetic hand when her hand disappears.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A fire burns down a bakery. Some cartoonish creatures attack Nix and her allies. A girl relies on prosthetics when her hand disappears.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.