The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
Length: 464 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

A special thanks to NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Trigger Warnings in this book for Rape, Slavery, Violence and Gore, Prostitution, and Suicide

"'What do you we ask for?' Dido whispers.

Amara looks up at Venus. It's the closet she has been to the statue. Those painted eyes, so black and wide apart, don't just look watchful, but angry. She is not only the goddess of love, Amara thinks, this is a deity who drives men to madness, a destroyer of warriors, author of the fall of Troy.

'We ask for power over men.'"

One of my first loves as a child (aside from Egyptology) was Greek mythology, which eventually transformed into a love of Roman mythology as well, seeing as so much of it is borrowed from the Greeks. Now, I'm fascinated with anything to do with Ancient Rome/Greece, and have recently been interested specifically in Pompeii and Pliny the Elder, who tragically died during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. So I was absolutely thrilled to be allowed to review an ARC for Elodie Harper's novel about a brothel in Pompeii!

The Wolf Den's main character is Amara, a Grecian woman who was the daughter of a doctor and forced by poverty to be sold as a slave by her mother, but all of the women shine in this novel. From strong Victoria, to caring Cressa, to the Egyptian Beronice, and the Punic slave Dido, Amara's best friend, each and every one of them have strong personalities and hopes beyond the bare stone walls of the brothel. And each of them live in fear of their pimp, a brutal man by the name of Felix. Amara knows her only chance of ever escaping is to become a mistress to a powerful man, and hopes that, if she plays her cards right, he might free her.

But it is a dream that seems impossible. It is a life of pleasuring men, not just at night but at every hour, always fishing for the next customer, of starvation and stone cells and the constant loom of death and growing old, unattractive, and thus, useless. Felix even tells them "a whore grows old twice as fast"; an omen of all their futures, should they not change their fortunes.

Amara, using her skill on the lyre, wins herself and Dido a place performing at parties. And perhaps, an opportunity for more. But can she leave her friends behind, if it means never having to go back to The Wolf Den? Can she abandon a quickly growing love for another Grecian slave, Menander, for a rich patron?

Equal parts brutal and moving, The Wolf Den is a story of the women forgotten by time and reviled during their own, women who had nothing but each other, and the one constant of their lives -- servitude. A must read for lovers of the period, who want to move past the poetry and the pomp, and experience the lives of those who made the Roman world turn.

Book Review: The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley
Length: 346 Pages
Genres: Historical Romance, LGBTQ, Sapphic Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

My sister, who got an early copy of this when it first released, has been begging me to read this, and I finally acquiesced! She knew I love historical romance, and recently one of my favorite shows has been Gentleman Jack, which centers on the real-life love story between Anne Lister and Ann Walker during the 1830s, and I felt this would be similar to that. I'm so glad to have finally gotten to read this book, which comes with the rush and delight of tucking into a particularly sugary confection!

Thomasina "Tommy" Wynchester is a master of disguise who can play anywhere from a convincing foreign baron to a crotchety old woman to a footman, but her biggest dream is to be loved for the person beneath the makeup and wigs. For over a year, she has admired the bluestocking, Philippa York, and has secretly been attending her private reading circle. As a challenge set forth by her many adopted siblings, Tommy must talk to the object of her affection for a full twenty minutes. Luckily, she has the perfect disguise in the form of the fictitious heir to their adopted father, the new Baron Vanderbean.

Philippa is afraid there is something very, very wrong with her. Her parents have decreed that she most find a husband within the next season in the fear she will be forced from lifetime wallflower to lifetime spinster. But Philippa feels nothing for the men that suit her, not a racing heart, nor a fluttering in her stomach. She is no stranger to kissing, but it's always been more a chore than a pleasure. Yet somehow, this new Baron Vanderbean has piqued her interest, and even though it's not exactly love she feels, she feels...something.

When her mother decides the Baron will be a perfect stepping stone to an even better match, Philippa balks at the idea of having to string along a perfectly nice man. In a moment of privacy, however, she comes to find out that Baron Vanderbean is actually just Tommy Wynchester, a child from the streets brought up in a large and scandalous adopted family, and even more importantly, a woman. It seems perfect, especially now that Tommy is in on the ruse, and now Philippa won't have to feel guilty. But what happens when Philippa decides that she more than likes brash, brave but sensitive Tommy -- she loves her.

What I loved most about this book was that it wasn't just about the beautiful love story between Tommy and Philippa, but about the love and support of the Wynchester family, who welcomes Philippa into the fold, and goes out of their way to make sure Tommy gets some alone time with her. They are each unique in their own way, from Elizabeth who requires a cane to walk, with the secret her cane conceals a rapier which she is excellent with, to Jacob who is obsessed with animals, and has trained the calico Tiglet to be a "homing kitten". Another wonderful aspect was Philippa and Tommy's understanding of one another. Even if they have an argument, they resolved it quite quickly, and always talked it out, which is more than can be said for most romance protagonists!

If you're looking for something joyous, a little bit like Gentleman Jack but without all the heartrending, then this is the book you've after!

Book Review: The Ikessar Falcon by K.S. Villoso

The Ikessar Falcon
Length: 640 Pages
Genres: High Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Gore, Death and Threats of Rape (That of a Child)

"I knew I was doomed to pay for them for the rest of time. For if Yeshin's sons had not been killed and he had not been  made to march to civil war, I wouldn't have been raised the way I was -- the bearer of everything, his in every way, both sword arm and womb. I would never have been betrothed to Rayyel, never been born. I could deny my shackles, but they would always be a part of who I am. If I had known from the beginning, I would've let them smother me."

The first book in this trilogy by K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-yaro, was one of my favorite fantasy books of 2021, and so I was really excited to sink my teeth into the sequel!

Queen Talyien of Jin-Sayeng can't catch a break. Trapped across the sea in the empire of Ziri-nar-Orxiaro, where enemies lurk around every corner and are only just too happy to see her suffer, she longs to return home to her son, Thanh. Not even her own people seem to want her back -- not one guard has been sent to retrieve their missing queen, and now, there is an embargo on any ships trying to head back home. Luckily (sometimes), she has her disgraced ex-captain (and one-night stand years ago), Agos, and her current captain, Nor, on her side, along with the conman with a heart of gold, Khine Lamang. Together, they get into unimaginable trouble trying to get back to Jin-Sayeng. It is a journey filled with loss and blood, the sting of love, and...dragons, lots and lots of dragons.

The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series has one of the most in-depth and amazing fantasy worlds out there. Based heavily on the author's Filipino culture, it is a breath of fresh air, far away from the standard white European and medieval stand-in we're so used to. The first book in the series was more of an adventure tale, full of fighting and near-escapes, and while this one has that too, it is also a story of politics, of royals who don't know much beyond the breath of their castle, and of two Dragonlords, once lovers and now just man and wife in name, who are only too human. It is also very dark, and I can imagine it would be a series that those waiting on the next Game of Thrones installment would enjoy! Queen Talyien ranks, for me, as one of the best and most complex characters in fantasy today, if not all of current literature.

Long may the Bitch Queen reign!

Book Review: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
Length: 384 Pages
Genres: YA Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

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

Trigger Warnings for Violence, Racism, Blood, Gore, Animal Death (Not Her Dog), Neglect and Emotional Abuse by a Parent, Antisemitism and Xenophobia

I was so excited when I got an ARC of this book, as I've heard nothing but excellent things about it! And now it's my turn to sing its praises.

Margaret Welty has seen the legendary hala in the flesh. It appeared to her, a snow-white fox the size of her dog, Trouble, before anyone else. Now, the Halfmoon Hunt is after it, flooding her small backwater town, Wickdon, with the richest and rowdiest New Albians, all thirsting for the blood of the world's last demiurge. Depending on the religion, demiurges are either demons, gifts from God, or pieces of God himself, but one thing is for sure: they are dangerous, and wherever they show up destruction is left in their wake. Margaret knows firsthand there is only one thing more dangerous -- seeking the philospher's stone, which can only be made out of demiurge's boiled down body. She almost lost her mother, Evelyn, to it. Left alone in a crumbling mansion filled with ghosts of her past, Margaret wants nothing more than for her mother to return home from her obsessive search. And if that means she has to risk her life in the Halfmoon Hunt to win the demiurge for her, she will.

Weston Winters is desperate. He is an alchemist -- or almost one -- who has lost every one of his apprenticeships due to his own folly. He's exhausted every option in his sprawling city of Dunway and being taken on by the mercurial Evelyn Welty is his last option. And it's not just his hopes of changing the world for the better that rest on his shoulders, but the happiness of his mother and four wild sisters. After an accident that cost them their father's life, they struggle to make ends meet. Weston will do anything to make it, even if it means living with Evelyn's daughter, who does little more than seethe at his sunny presence. When she suggests they enter the Halfmoon Hunt -- every team has to consist of one hunter and one alchemist -- he balks at the thought. He's a good Sumic boy and his mother would kill him if he so much as laid a finger on a demiurge. But the victors don't just win the demiurge's body. They win money.

I loved both of the main characters -- Margaret for her practicality and heart, which is soft as clay underneath her armor, and Weston for his positivity and mischievousness! The mythology was fascinating, and I loved especially learning about Weston's Sumic religion. He's Banvish, and this combination is this world's Irish Catholic. His mother, Aoife, has little figures of the demiurges, and sometimes prays to them. He explains they don't worship them, but use them as sort of messengers between them and God, sort of like saints. Margaret herself is half Yu'adir, which is heavily influenced by Judaism. Both of them are the subject of ridicule and hate by the New Albians, and I could totally understand both of their reactions to it. Margaret wants to be forgotten, to blend in with the population, to be safe. Weston is a fighter and can't help but pick at the prejudices in the town, much to Margaret's chagrin.

A big part of this book is the exploration of family dynamics. On one hand, we have the Winters family, who is full of love, despite their differences, and will always protect each other and be there for one another. And on the other we have Margaret's family. Evelyn is gone most of the time, in search of something to make her family real again. Margaret has lost a little brother, and her father left them, so she clings desperately to the memory of her mother before alchemy and grief overtook her life. But the thing she has to learn, no matter how heartbreaking it is, is that she doesn't deserved to be treated this way. She is such a strong character, but is made weak by her controlling and neglectful mother, and I found that so realistic. Because oftentimes it those we love the most that hurt us the most.

My one little qualm about this book is that I sort of wish it had just been Adult instead of Young Adult. The romance is at the forefront of A Far Wilder Magic, and we have some rather explicit and steamy scenes, even a sex scene towards the end. Even though Saft was coy with her words, it's obvious to anyone with an inkling of knowledge about sex what is going on. If it had been adult, maybe we could have explored those themes and scenes even better.

All in all I really loved it. It's full of magic and heartache, love and hope, and will surely bring a smile to your face. Highly recommend!

Book Review: The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull

The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull
Length: 400 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Gore, War, and Illness (Specifically that of a family member)

"In 1896, Prince Charles of Denmark took it upon himself to read the horoscope of the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, Tsar Nicholas II's infant daughter. Based on the relative positions of Jupiter and Neptune at the moment of Olga's birth, Prince Charles felt confident that the child would grow to be a woman of medium height, with a round face and chestnut hair. He predicted several 'critical periods' in Olga's childhood, noting that if she reached the age of eight, she would enjoy 'twelve years of peace.' This period of happiness was to be cherished, Prince Charles concluded...'for it is certain that she will never live to be thirty.'"

I think ever since I first saw the 1997 animated film Anastasia, I have had a fascination, and sort of love for the Romanov family, particularly the children. The majority of their lives were spent sequestered within the safety of their family, sometimes even to their detriment. The result of this is a family that is very close, one that knows everyone's faults, moods and opinions as well as their own. Olga and Tatiana were the two eldest girls, called "the big pair" by their family, and were each other's greatest confidantes, and sometimes their staunchest critics (though always with good intentions). It reminded me so much of my sister and I (we are also only two years apart, just like Olga and Tatiana), and so that is another reason why I find this story not only touching, but heartbreaking.

Olga Nikolaevna is the oldest child of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the first in a succession of four girls, punctuated with the birth of their final child, the long-awaited heir to the Russian empire, Alexei. She is like many older daughters; a sort-of second mother to her many siblings, a child expected to act as a good influence on them, all the while missing out on her own youth.

The opening scene of the book makes us privy to a secret many didn't know during their lifetime: that the Tsarevich is incurably ill with a blood disorder that makes even the slightest bruise a threat to his life, a genetic curse passed down through his mother, called hemophilia. Enter Rasputin -- heretic, priest, philander and prophet -- this man who will come to be a catalyst for the Russian empire, seemingly heals Alexei and brings him back from the brink of death, forever solidifying his place at the Empress' side.

Through Olga's eyes we will see naivete of the Romanovs, the great love that brings them all together -- for each other and their country -- and the mistakes that will crumble a dynasty. Told in passages that flip back and forth throughout the years, we learn of Olga's loves, passionate but all too brief, her work as a Sister of Mercy during WWI, and enjoy a brief glimpse into a life that was snuffed out much too early. 

Bryn Turnbull, I feel, perfectly captures Olga's powerful personality, which was described by her Swiss tutor, Pierre Gilliard, as thus: "The eldest, Olga Nicolaevna, possessed a remarkably quick brain. She had good reasoning powers as well as initiative, a very independent manner, and a gift for swift and entertaining repartee." She was even nicknamed the "Unmounted Cossack" by her family!

The writing was powerful, beautifully descriptive and without the sort of "textbook" style that can oftentimes be found in books about real events. It is obvious Turnbull is not only a great lover of history, but a great storyteller, as well.

Highly recommending, for those who love historical fiction and those who don't! If you're interested in wetting your toes in this genre, this a great starting place, showing some of the best historical fiction can offer.

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, c. 1914
Just four short years later, she, along with the rest of her family, would be murdered

I feel I would be especially remiss to not mention the devastating crimes being committed in the Ukraine by Russia. Since this book is about the Russian monarchy, I thought I would post several links to ways we Americans can help those in the Ukraine.

Crisis in Ukraine

Keep Ukraine's Media Going

World Central Kitchen

Sunflower of Peace

Save the Children

Book Review: Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw

Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw
Length: 400 Pages
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Some Violence and Gore

I'm back with the second book (here's the review for the first one) in the delightful Greta Helsing series by Vivian Shaw! These books, for me, are like the most delightful sort of well-made candy -- with a heart made of sweet marshmallow fluff and an outside coated with something sinfully dark and rich. And in this book, we're heading not just Paris, but the famed Catacombs of Paris! And I have to say, Shaw's description of them is one of the best I've ever read:

"The catacombs of Paris were a well-known tourists attraction: a curated series of passageways neatly lined with row upon row of skulls interspersed with femurs, the V-stacked shapes of their medial condyles forming a pattern reminiscent of rough knitting. There were some very big names down there -- Danton, Robespierre, Camille and Lucile Desmoulins, among others -- although it was now impossible to know which cranium was whose; liberté, égalité, et fraternité, demonstrated in death if not in life."

Greta Helsing and one of her favored companions, the always-fashionable and solicitous vampire, Lord Ruthven, are headed to Paris, rather unexpectedly. Greta has been called to present at a medical conference for monster doctors, and Lord Ruthven is simply there to show her around before heading onwards to his ancestral pile in Scotland -- and of course, like any self-respecting vampire, he insists on taking Greta to the Opera. There, they are surprised to find another vampire lurking about, but one that seems otherwise harmless, another patron there to enjoy show. Little do they know, this vampire is the second-in-command to the dangerous, dramatic, red silk and body-glitter clad leader of a local coven, Corvin. And he has quite the bone to pick with Ruthven.

So when Ruthven departs, he sees the perfect opportunity to bring him crawling back: kidnap Greta and keep her hostage in a cell deep in the catacombs his coven calls home.

And that's not the only thing brewing in Paris. Someone has been summoning little monsters: tricherpetons, also known as "hairmonsters", and the frog-like "wellmonsters", and it's done a number on the fabric of the universe. Ghosts, missing heads and legs and other parts, have shown up, most likely disturbed when the previous cemetery ran out of room and their bodies had to be moved elsewhere, passing easily through the "thin place" made by all this magic. It's up to psychopomps Crepusculus Dammerung and Gervase Brightside to put this all to rest, along with the help of the lovable demon Fastitocalon.

Just like the previous installment, this book is a magically fun-romp featuring classic gothic characters, like Varney the Vampyre, the aforementioned Lord Ruthven, a little mention of Dracula and co., plus a take on the fabled St. Germain. The only thing I disliked about this one was that Greta was imprisoned for more than half of the novel, and I found myself wishing she could have escaped sooner to do more investigating with the others. Otherwise, I loved catching up with Greta's wonderful found family of monsters and I was of course thrilled at the development in the relationship between Greta and the melancholy Varney!

Perfect for an urban fantasy and classic literature lover, this book has it all: pin-stripe suit wearing demons, werewolves, vampires and vampyres (there is a difference!), famous ghosts (featuring Oscar Wilde and Chopin) and even the Phantom of the Opera! Due yourself a favor and escape to the fantastical world of Greta Helsing for awhile -- you won't regret it.

Book Review: Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Length: 334 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Slavery, Racism, Torture, Abuse, Violence, Gore

“How could he have treated me so, he who congratulated himself on his belief that I was his equal? I had never been his equal. To him, perhaps, any deep acceptance of equality was impossible. He saw only those who were there to be saved, and those who did the saving.”

After absolutely adoring Edugyan's Half-Blood Blues last year, I was excited to dive into more of her work, but with a bit of trepidation, too. So many times I'll click with an author's work, only to discover it was, for me, one of kind, and to be disappointed by the rest. Happily, I can say Washington Black was just as excellent as the other, and I've gone on to tell people I'd read a shopping list if Edugyan wrote it! Now, I can't wait to see what she tackles next, in her beautiful and oftentimes heart-wrenching prose.

George Washington Black is only eleven-years-old, but has known the darkest parts of mankind since birth. For he is a field slave on the Barbados plantation, Faith, and is expected to work, and continue to work, until he is of no longer use. He has no family that he can recall, but is looked after by Big Kit, another slave from Dahomey, who has become his surrogate mother. Life is violence and bloodshed and back-breaking toil. Big Kit dreams of killing the both of them in the hopes that their souls will return to Dahomey, but even their deaths are stolen from them -- when slaves start to kill themselves, the sadistic master of Faith, Erasmus Wilde, beheads the corpses. To them, this signifies that their souls won't be allowed to move on, but to stay in a horrific limbo, perhaps destined to haunt the sugar-fields of Faith.

Everything changes when Erasmus' younger brother, the inquisitive Christopher Wilde, called "Titch", arrives. He is an inventor who is hard at work on his "cloud-cutter", a sort of flying machine which he hopes to cross the Atlantic in. One night, Big Kit and Washington are called to the house to serve at dinner, and it is then that Titch decides to take on Washington, who will make the perfect size ballast for his invention. But Washington becomes much more to the erratic Titch: an apprentice, a confidante, a companion, an artist, a like-mind, but never, truly, his equal.

When the Wildes' cousin Philip kills himself, with the only witness being Washington, Titch knows that Erasmus will use the opportunity to take him from him, and possibly, to kill him. Desperate, they escape on the cloud-cutter, and into a fugitive life, running from a slave-catcher. Their adventures will take them from the brutal shores of America to the vast nothingness of Antarctica, and eventually, Washington, on his own and lost without his master, to Canada and England, Amsterdam and Morocco.

Washington was such a fascinating and complex and devastatingly real protagonist, just like Sid from Half Blood Blues. And just like him, you want to Titch to see him as more, to be what Washington so desperately needs him to be. This novel is one that will stick with you for a long-time afterwards, a masterpiece of history and humanity and science and belonging. After finishing it, it was no surprise to me that it was Booker Prize nominee in 2018! If you're not reading Edugyan, you're truly missing out on an incredibly timely and important talent, one I see going very, very far.

Book Review: Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala
Length: 304 Pages
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

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

Trigger Warnings in this book for Death, Violence, Guns and Other Murderous Goings-On

Last year I got the first book in this series, Arsenic and Adobo, for one of my Book of the Month choices, and absolutely loved it! So of course, I simply had to request the sequel from NetGalley.

Set just a few months after the events of Arsenic and Adobo, Lila Macapagal is back on another case, though she is still reeling from the  previous events that took place in the little city of Shady Palms. This time it's not Lila's freedom and reputation on the line, but one of her Ninang's (Godmother in Tagalog) daughters, the snappy and competitive Bernadette.

You see, Lila has been roped into judging Shady Palms' Miss Teen Pageant, after hasty exit from one of the other judges. She won the title herself back in the day, and though she is loathe to relive it, as it brings up complicated memories of her now-dead mother as a bit of a momzilla, she agrees on the condition that her new cafe, which she runs with her BFF Adeena, and Adeena's girlfriend, Elena, gets some promotion. There are some strong personalities judging the pageant, like Rob Thompson, head of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in town, who is known as a creep, especially when it comes to the young contestants, his sister, Valerie, and the wise and beautiful Sana, who coaches entrepreneurial women and yoga classes. Everything seems be to going fine, until Rob Thompson is found floating in the water under the bridge in Shady Palms. He got into a very public fight right before his death, with none other than Bernadette, who threatened him when the girl she's coaching revealed he made her uncomfortable.

With a new business, PTSD, and memories of her mother that she would sooner forget than reexamine, can Lila get to the bottom of this tangled case before someone else falls victim?

Once again, I really love this series. It has such a wonderfully fun feel (though this book is a bit on the darker side, but still perfectly cozy), and I love the focus on Lila's family and her food. As someone who has always loved to cook, I'm always excited to see what new recipes will be featured in the book (I can't recommend the ube cookies from Arsenic and Adobo enough). In the swamp that is the cozy mystery genre, you can be sure to find something different and charming in Manansala's work!

Book Review: Temple of No God by H.M. Long

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!