Temple of No God by H.M. Long
Length: 432 Pages
Genres: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

A special thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Trigger Warnings for Violence, Blood and Gore

Hall of Smoke, the first book in this series by H.M. Long, was one of my favorites of 2021, so I was thrilled when I got the chance to receive an ARC of the second book via Netgalley! While I did love catching up with Hessa, Nisien, and Estavius, I wasn't as enthralled by this sequel as I was hoping.

Hessa is now thirty, a High Priestess of the resurrected God Thyvinder, and married to a High Priest of an enemy tribe in the hopes of bringing their people together. She is older, wiser, and even more deadly than before. After the Upheaval, Rome-inspired Arpa is in turmoil; not only do they have no Emperor, their Gods are dead, leaving their souls with no one to shepherd them to the afterlife. Castor, a nefarious legionary from the first book, has made a reappearance and been tasked by pretender to the Arpa throne, Bresius, to find Hessa and ask her to join their cause. Being a High Priestess, she is one of the only people who can enter the Penumbra, this world's Mount Olympus for the Arpa Gods, and touch the Blood of Eiohe, which gives the Emperor his power and extraordinarily long life.

She agrees, and is once again thrown into the center of dangerous divine machinations, some that may change the very course of the world she fought so hard to make better.

I expected to love this one as much as the last, and while much of the ride was enjoyable, there were also parts that seemed monotonous -- the majority of the book involves travelling across Arpa and getting into several fights with the mysterious Laru, priests of a new and dangerous God working against Hessa and company. The worldbuilding is dense and so well done and is probably one of the most original and fun fantasy worlds I've encountered, and definitely stands out amongst all the legions of fantasies inspired by Medieval Europe. Honestly, I was expecting more of the previous characters, like Sixnit and her two children, Vistic and Thray, who I felt had the most potential for new stories, to be involved, and was a little disappointed they only had a scene or two. I'm excited to see where Hessa goes next, but Hall of Smoke still stands as the best so far in this series. Pick up Temple of No God if you're like me and want more of this breathtaking world and mythology.

Book Review: The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

The Library of Legends by Janie Chang
Length: 400 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Death, Torture, and a Suicide Attempt

"That night Lian dreamed there was a procession on the street below. She stood on the balcony watching it go by. The Shanghai City God was leaving and the entire city had turned out to mourn his departure. Dressed in the court robes of a high-ranking Ming Dynasty official, his long black beard hung down to his belt and beaded strings of jade and coral hung from his hat. He sat in a magnificent sedan chair carried by giants. There was music, flutes and drums, cymbals and horns.
And in the entourage walking behind the City God, she recognized Sparrow."

I chose this as my Book of the Month for January, though it was originally published in May of last year. It was an add-on choice, and it sounded so interesting, and boasted a beautiful cover, too.

Set in China in 1937, during the Second-Sino Japanese War, which is considered to be the start of WWII for China, we follow the students of Minghua college, who are fleeing Nanking from the impending threat of Japanese occupation. Walking 1,000 miles to the relative safety of the western provinces, it is a journey filled with hardship, with hunger and disease, exhaustion, and sometimes, death. Each student has been tasked by the wise Professor Kang with transporting one book from the invaluable "Library of Legends", a collection of 500-year-old folklore, legends and myths put together by the scholar Yao Guangshu, on their person.

Among them is Hu Lian, a scholarship student who is reserved and intelligent, but also incredibly cautious of letting anyone in. All her life she has been hiding, moving constantly with her mother in the hopes of outrunning a tragedy from their past, one that Lian fears would have horrible consequences if found out. But when a teacher, Mr. Lee, threatens to expose her if she doesn't spy on the vocal communists of their group, she feels she has no option but to obey.

Shao is from an affluent Shanghai family, and is handsome, charismatic, and loved by two different women, one of them being Hu Lian, the other, his loyal servant, Sparrow. Life has been easy for him, but still he feels unmoored, left to drown in an ocean that is made up of purposelessness.

And, perhaps most important of all, is Sparrow. Little does anyone know, she is a celestial being, an immortal who has chosen to live her life on Earth. She is the Willow Star, from a myth in the Library of Legends, who fell in love with a mortal, her Prince, and begged to be beside him in each reincarnation, cursed to never be recognized as his one true love. But now she has another purpose, too. She has been tasked by the Queen Mother of Heaven with sending the Gods and other beings, like the qilin, a Chinese unicorn who brings spring, home, before the gates of the Palace shut, forever.

On their journey they will face suspicion and accusations by their own people, their own fellow students, sickness and the horrors of war; a girl left orphaned by her single father, a soldier who had no choice but to take her to the front; countless bodies, given a water burial because it is cheap and the crematoriums are already overburdened; and of course the ever-constant threat of being gunned down in the street by Japanese aircraft. But threaded throughout are stories of love, too, of sacrifice and friendship, of a people who are forced to flee their country but never give up.

Janie Chang's father was made a refugee in his own country, and fled from Nanking with his own school, like so many others. You can truly feel the heart and the history behind this amazing book, and for those that are interested in learning more about this story, I highly recommend checking out her website, where she has extras she wasn't able to fit in the book! 

If you're looking for a WWII story that shines a light on places and atrocities outside of Europe and the US, you can stop your search here -- The Library of Legends is as informative as it is moving, a true tour de force of heartache -- and hope.

Book Review: Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal

Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
Length: 384 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

A special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Trigger warnings for Ableism, Racist Exploitation, Body Horror, Near Sexual Assault, Death, Gore, and Animal Death

*Whew* where to start with this book? I was personally reached out to to do a review of this book, and I really thought it sounded like something I would like -- I adore anything Neo-Victorian, and I've always found circuses fascinating and horrifying. Unfortunately, this one was just so-so for me.

Nell was born with birthmarks, some big and some little, all over her body. In the village, she is ridiculed and shunned, as if her deformity could brush off, her only friend being her brother, Charlie, who defends her as best he can. When Jasper Jupiter's Circus of Wonders comes to town, her father, drunk and poor and in his own way, frightened of his daughter, will make a decision that will have ramifications for years to come.

Jasper Jupiter is the consummate showman, with top hat and red cape and a perfectly waxed mustache. He is also a hero of the Crimea, and unlike many of the men who fought, misses the barbarity of war. His greatest dream is to perform for the Queen, and with the help of his "Queen of the Moon and Stars", Nell, it quickly becomes tangible. But what happens when all she wants is to meet Nell, and he's brushed aside, bested by his own creation?

Toby is Jasper's brother, his shadow. He has always followed his brother, even to Crimea, where he was tasked with photographing happier moments to send to a newspaper and convince the world that the war was something good. He is haunted by what he's done, not only the fabrications he concocted, with help from Jasper and Jasper's friend, Dash, but by something he did, something that ended in death. Toby can't remember if it was an accident, or purposeful, and feels he is destined to suffer for it. His life is changed, though, when he sees Nell, diving off a cliff into the ocean. When she joins the circus, they can't help but be drawn to each other.

My biggest issues with Circus of Wonders was the prose, which is mostly made up of sentence fragments that are more distracting than evocative, and while the writing did have strong points (I'm particularly fond of Macneal's similes), it all felt jarring and took me out of the flow of reading. It felt like I was reading, instead of being lost in the words and descriptions and transported to this book's world. I was also let down by the ending, which was anticlimactic at best, and left me feeling like there was little point to the book's journey. It also has a fascinating look into the nefarious world of circuses, and brings in real-life "freaks", like Chang and Eng Bunker and General Tom Thumb, and even mentions the incredibly sad and horrifying life of Sarah Baartman, the "Hottentot Venus", a woman who was a victim of horrifying colonial exploitation. Circus of Wonders was a bit of a slog for me, but that doesn't mean it will be for you, especially if you were a fan of Del Toro's Nightmare Alley, and are looking for similar dark circus stories!

Book Review: The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
Length: 368 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

A special thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for sending me an ARC of this book!

My favorite two genres have always been fantasy and historical fiction, and though I'm branching out more now (there's simply too many good books out there to be reigned in by one genre!), I'll always love them the best. And because I do love them so, I'm much harder on them. I read this book in about two-and-a-half days, which is rare for me as I'm (sometimes unfortunately) a pretty leisurely reader. But I simply couldn't put it down! I think I've found a new favorite, and I've happily added Ms. Davis' other works to my TBR.

1919, New York City. The world is teetering on the cusp of change; hemlines are getting shorter, along with hair, cut sleekly into bobs, and young people are ready to live life to the fullest, to party and drink the night away with the dawning of the Jazz Age, and to perhaps forget all that's been lost, to war and to the recent and deadly outbreak of Spanish Flu. 

Lillian Carter is a modern woman -- unfortunately the rest of the world is just now playing catch-up. Since the age of fifteen she has posed, in various states of undress, for countless artists, who have molded her form into dozens of sculptures all over New York. With her mother's help she became Angelica, the perfect model. Unfortunately, the art world is fickle, and, after her mother's death from the Spanish Flu, Lillian is low on both cash and friends. When her groping landlord kills his wife, and she is falsely implicated in a love-triangle between them, she runs, desperate to flee the accusations and to make a better life for herself. By luck -- whether it be bad or good -- she happens upon the illustrious Frick house, and into the position of personal secretary to the mercurial Helen Clay Frick. Now all she needs to do is last long enough to get some money to hightail it to California, where a movie producer promises her a life on the screen. Only Lillian is unexpectedly caught up in the controlling, tragic, volatile -- and eventually, murderous -- web that is the Frick family.

1966, New York City. If they thought the ankle-brushing dresses of the '20s were scandalous, they had another thing coming with miniskirts. Veronica Weber is a model of a new age, originally from London and sporting a mushroom-style haircut courtesy of her mother's shears. She's desperate to make enough money to free her disabled twin, Polly, from the home she's been put in after the tragic death of their father. When she gets the chance to model for Vogue, things finally seem to be going her way. The first part of the shoot takes place in the Frick house, now a museum and ode to the past, but after a quarrel with the tyrannical photographer, she is left locked inside during a blackout due to a snowstorm. Luckily, she isn't alone: intern Joshua is there, too. When Veronica stumbles across a series of letters, a part of a scavenger hunt long forgotten, they decide to follow them. What they don't expect is to find a clue that will unravel a decades old mystery, and possibly, make Veronica's fortune.

I've heard of the other illustrious New York families dozens of times: the Astors, the Vanderbilts, the Rothschilds and Rockefellers, but I've never heard of the Fricks, whose wealth seemed to come at a terrible price. The family was plagued by misfortune, childhood deaths and assassination attempts, a fraught relationship between the surviving children, which was only exacerbated by the reading of their father's will. But this oftentimes ugly family dynamic was surrounded by incomparable beauty -- sculptures and Fragonard's, gold and Gainsborough's. It was amazing to learn that this house-cum-museum is a real place, one that you can even tour! I loved Lillian's personality, and while I didn't click with Veronica as much, I could understand her undying devotion to her sister, being a sister myself.

This book is a beautiful confection of historical fiction and fact, mystery, a study on family dynamics, and ultimately, a tale of forgiveness. It's a must read for any history lover, and I have no doubts that it's going to be one of the best of 2022.

Book Review: The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
Length: 336 Pages
Genres: Historical Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

A special thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Trigger Warnings in this book for Racism (Not Graphic)

"Evelyn's smile faltered. She felt all at once very young and very uncertain. Not because she didn't want him, but because she wanted him too much. It was dangerous to want something this badly. A challenge to the universe to take it away. And she'd already lost too much in her life.
But wonderful things didn't happen because one was cautious. They happened because one dared."

I've been interested in reading a Mimi Matthews book for a while now, but I was always held back by the fact that they are "closed door romances", which means, of course, that they don't feature any sex scenes on the page. When I saw that her newest novel, the first in the Belles of London series, featuring four different equestriennes, was available on Netgalley, I decided to take the plunge -- and I'm so glad I did! This was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while, and left me feeling so happy on the inside, and also scratched that itch for something not only set in the past, but vividly so.

Evelyn Maltravers is the second eldest daughter, and after a scandal involving her older sister, Fenny, the family's fortunes rely solely on her making a smart match. So, being a pragmatic young woman (though she loathes to call herself a bluestocking), she has, naturally, hatched a plan. The Pretty Horsebreakers are a group of courtesans known as much for their beautiful riding habits as they are for their riding skills, which they often show off on Rotten Row. They are the celebrities of their day, with columns devoted solely to their fashion and their scandalous lives. If there is a husband to be found, he would surely be there. Evelyn is an expert equestrienne, with a beautiful Blood Bay Andalusian named Hephaestus -- all she needs now are the clothes.

Ahmad Malik is poised to take over Doyle and Heppenstall's, a tailoring shop on Conduit Street. But he is interested in the more feminine side of the business and is the brains behind the Pretty Horsebreakers' marvelous riding habits. When Evelyn steps into the shop he is intrigued by her and agrees to take her on. Little does he know that their relationship will develop into something much deeper than simply artist and muse. Unfortunately, Ahmad is loathe to let it go any further, not only because he fears for Miss Maltravers' reputation -- he is, after all, part-Indian, and she as English as a rose -- but because he has no idea of what his tenuous future holds. He could make it big, if he has the right clients, or it could all crumbling down around his ears.

Despite it all, they can't deny the friendship that is begging to become more. Can they find both happiness and security? Can Evelyn support her sisters? Can Ahmad let himself love, and be loved in return?

This was an astounding romance and one I couldn't put down! I adored both of the main characters, and loved how sensible they both were about their feelings and the truth of their predicaments. They knew the facts but still didn't give up hope, and were proactive about securing it for themselves and each other. It was so refreshing to see a POC hero in a historical romance, and I thought that Matthews handled his feelings of belonging and being different so well and so convincingly (I do believe she is part-Indian herself)! Another big plus for me was there was no "big misunderstanding", or fight which could have been solved if the leads had simply talked things out. Their qualms about entering a relationship were real and very dangerous for both, so it never felt cheap or flimsy. Also, there is no denying the passion and the chemistry between them, and their kiss scenes are scorching, so don't worry on that front!

I cannot wait for the next one to come out, which features the sweet but socially anxious Julia Wychwood and the scarred Captain Blunt, who purportedly has a haunted Yorkshire estate! Do yourself a favor and buy this heartwarming book -- you deserve it (and so does Ms. Matthews!).

Photo Credit: Berkely Jove (TR)

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, and two Siamese cats. Learn more online at mimimatthews.com.

Book Review: The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska

The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska
Length: 338 Pages
Genres: YA Fantasy, YA Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence and Blood

"The first is my Bright Morning,

the second my Red Sun.

Lastly rides my dearest,

my darkest, my Black Midnight."

I was recommended this amazing Sapphic monster romance by my sister, Abby, who got an early copy of this and loved it! I have said previously that YA books and I don't seem to mix (unless it's the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black!), however I'm beginning to think I just haven't found the right ones! Happily, I can report that I absolutely loved this one.

In Poland-inspired Lechija, three witches are at war over a prince's heart. The eldest is Black Jaga, who lives in the Midnight forest where it is forever night, the middle, Red Jaga, who resides in the Midday Forest, and finally, White Jaga, whose forest is called the Morning forest. Each is most powerful at their designated time, and so are the servants they take. Marynka and Beata are known as Midday and Morning respectively, and have been raised together, trained from the moment they were taken to be the perfect monsters, complete with sharpened iron teeth and long claws (well, for Beata). Their only task is to get hearts for their "Grandmothers". Unfortunately, Zosia, called Midnight, is much better at it. Quick, efficient, and otherwise perfect, they have never seen her, but she's all Marynka can think about.

When Marynka and Beata decide to team up to take the pure heart of Prince Józef, they unknowingly travel with their nemesis. Marynka is drawn to the coldly beautiful Zosia, with her silver hair and midnight-blue eyes and Zosia feels the same -- until she discovers who Marynka really is. Marynka is determined to win this time, even when she discovers that Zosia has been taking the hearts for herself in the hopes of escaping Black Jaga. 

What ensues is a mad-cap adventure to see who can get to the Prince first, full of gorgeous descriptions of Lechija during Karnawał, a time where people don colorful disguises and attend breathtaking balls, magic, and a wonderfully slow-burn romance between enemies.

The Best Books of 2021!

I read fifty-nine books in 2021, so it is incredibly hard for me to narrow it down this year! These are my (tentative) top five of 2021, and I'd love to know yours -- just leave a comment below.

In no particular order...

1. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

I was so excited when I was able to get an ARC of this on Netgalley last year, and I can tell you that my hopes had never been higher for a book! It was a retelling of Dracula but from the POV of one of his "brides", and the writing was as luscious and dripping with menace as I could have hoped. A must-read for any vampire lover! Full review here.

2. Sistersong by Lucy Holland

One of my favorite fantasies I've read in years, Sistersong is an amazing retelling of a myth I wasn't familiar with, that of "The Twa Sisters". I highly recommend you don't research it before you read the book, because the twist at the end is as shocking as it is heart-rending. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the way Holland was able to weave together myth history so seamlessly. Full review here.

3. The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Even though I have a huge physical pile of books I need to read I couldn't help but snatch this one up when I spotted it in the bookstore. I mean look at that amazing cover (definitely my favorite of 2021)! An ode to Gothic literature by way of fantasy, I adored this complicated and beautiful book! Full review here.

4. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

Walton's debut novel blew me away and kept me thinking about it months afterwards. Opal is probably one of my favorite characters ever -- she just jumps right off the page. Daisy Jones and the Six but punchier and punkier. Full review here. 

5. Fierce Dreamer by Linda Lafferty

This novel traces the very true and very shocking story of 17th-century painter Artemisia Gentileschi, who not only broke down boundaries by becoming the first woman admitted to the Accademia di Arte del Disegno, but by prosecuting her rapist in a court of law -- and winning. Her passion, her strength and her heart make this unputdownable. A word of warning: the rape scenes in the novel are of a quite graphic nature, so please be prepared for that. Full review here.