"The Night Parade" by Kathryn Tanquary

Received this as an ARC from the publisher but the review is my own.

This is a really lovely tale based on Japanese folk lore and tradition. The whole time I was reading this book I could not help but wish that Hayao Miyazaki would direct a film adaptation; it fairly screams to be on the big screen.

It surrounds a young girl named Saki who along with her younger brother, father, and mother have traveled to her grandmother's mountain village to attend a traditional celebration where reference for ancestors is shared among the living. Such preparations and rituals are of little interest to Saki who is focused on being able to communicate via cellphone with her friends in Tokyo. Being part of their group is all she can focus on so when she meets a similar group in the village she tries to fit in with them but this leads to actions which desecrate an ancestral shrine that the family has taken care of for as far back as the village has existed. Saki, in trying to prove herself cool has unwittingly called down upon herself a death curse and the only way she can possibly alter her future now is to attend the night parade where the spirits of the land journey to attend festivals of their own. 

In her quest for redemption Saki will meet creatures she never dreamed existed and come face to face with the importance of her family's past and the knowledge that in her struggle to fit in with her friends in Tokyo she has missed the importance of her family's experiences and uniqueness. She must find the strength in herself to be genuine and stand tall on her own no matter what fears or enemies she needs to face in order to lift the curse.

"The Killing Jar" by Jennifer Bosworth

This was provided as an ARC to me from the publisher but the review is my own.

This is not for the reader who's looking for a quiet read. This is an original, creepy look at what can happen when a person fools themselves into making choices that not only hurt others but themselves. It's a new way of looking at stories about addiction and self loathing, pain and loss, the misunderstandings that happens between family, and the secrets that can cause repercussions further down the line. It is a woven web of ethereal potential dripping with a deadly resin. In other words, totally worth the late nights.

Once upon a time there was a little girl who did something so heinous that it has haunted her all her life. The act itself was horrible enough, the reason why is what marks Kenna as an abomination. Her decision has cost her the most important things in the world, her mother and her twin sister but what she does in order to rectify the consequences of that day in the woods will be what lead her to the secrets of who and what she truly is. In order to exist she must kill and there are others like who are willing to teach her about her powers but in the midst of this safe enclave lies the greatest danger of all to Kenna. Even among these kindred souls she is one of a kind and what must be done to capture the feeling of belonging and unity may cost her more than she ever realized.

Definitely worth the read, just make sure you're willing to turn off the lights after.

"The Deathsniffer's Assistant" by Kate McIntyre

I received this as an arc from the publisher but the review is my own.

This is a debut novel from the author and it is a beauty. Set in a world that revolves around captured elementals fueling ever day needs, Tarland is a city with lavish glimpses of steampunkesque construction. As in every society there are rumblings in the politics of both state and church but in Tarland where you are designated as to what you're capabilities are, there are some people who are more important than others. Christopher Buckley's family used to be in a position of power but years after a horrible incident the Buckley's are no longer important enough to warrant attention. They are on their last legs and that is how he winds up working for a Deathsniffer, a woman who is seemingly incapable of anything but tracking down murderers. Although his new employer immediately causes Buckley to regret his acceptance of a job. Buckley rinds himself embroiled into a murder investigation of the sort that will not only unwind the story of a powerful family's secrets but the underlying currents that are running through the ongoing battle for control of his world's present. 

As Faraday and Buckley struggle to stop the body count from rising, they are individually being unmasked themselves. Each in their own way has secrets that need to be kept hidden from prying eyes. One is too close to that which she hunts and the other is hiding a secret that is in plain sight and time is running out.

A great read, first book in a series which shows great promise. Laced with magic, fantasy, steam punk, and other chunks of goodies, this is a recipe for success. Personally, I'm looking forward to the next installment.

"Witch: A New Beginning (The Witch Series, #1)" by L.S. Gagon

This was provided as an ARC by the publisher but the review is my own.

I love stories about witches so I was definitely looking forward to this one. I started feeling as though I was reading a supernatural chick lit piece but quickly came to realize that this is more along the lines of a supernatural Bourne Identity. 

Thea lives in modern Salem working at a local bakery and dealing with the fact that she is an overweight girl with her only consolation being her books and Salem itself. Her best friend Delia calls herself a witch and mixes potions for the tourists. Life is not that bad. Then one day the man of her dreams walks into her bakery and life will never be the same.

OK. Stop right there. This is where the story really begins.

Turns out Delia is a witch and so is Thea. A witch so powerful that the warlocks have been trying to hunt her down for hundreds of years in order to steal her power and finally destroy her. Salem has been witness to this power struggle since the beginning and it is finally culminating in a showdown where treachery and betrayal are revealed, not in black and white but in the flames of fire that sear the souls of those involved. There is a reason Thea locked half her power away in a crystal that left her and her friends vulnerable and now that the time has come to reveal the truth, her inner witch may not be able to handle it. 

Out of this dark brew blooms a story of a witch who is only to human and a man who will destroy everything to get the one thing that he has clung to for centuries. At stake are the lives and loves of all those caught in between and time is running out for all.

First book in the series and well worth the read late into the night. But be warned, the final chapter will leave you on at a cliffhanger that you may not be able to wait until the next book for. Go grab this read!

"The King's Sister (The Cross and the Crown, #3)" by Sarah Kennedy

This is a review of an ARC provided by the publisher but the review is my own.

This was an interesting read but I have to say right off the bat that since this is the third book in a series I felt as though not having read the previous ones did interfere with my understanding of the characters better. Things that in a single title I would have seen as flaws may be due to this fact so I'm just gonna say that what I really liked about this book was the look at the way the women in the story are experiencing the restricted freedom of being a woman in King Henry VIII's late reign. There is definitely an overwhelming sense of oppression for these characters though they themselves are strong. We catch glimpses of the political intrigue of the times and get behind the scenes closeup looks at Lady Anne of Cleaves as she waits to see if Henry will once again claim her as his wife after Catherine Howard's execution and we come to understand how each little decision carried so much heft and weight on the lives of those who served the royal households and how allegiances could be made or broken in such short time. 

There is much more to this story but I feel that all in all I have to go and start from the beginning to get a better grasp on this story.

"The Brontë Plot" by Katherine Reay

I was fortunate to receive this as an ebook from the publisher for a fair review.

I have to admit I started this book with the awful suspicion that I had allowed myself to fall for a chick lit title but as I continued to read I realized I had found a story written with warmth and understanding of the foibles of the human condition. Just like the classics mentioned in the story this is one of those books that you will come to regard fondly as part of your books read list. 

It is about the influence great books have in shaping our lives, and how far is destiny really in control of us and our decisions. Are we predestined to follow in the footsteps of our fathers or can we break away from what seems the only path to take. Is that path the one we walk because there is no other or are we simply afraid to tread on the unknown moors of life. 

This is a love story in more ways than one. Both of a man and woman who find and lose themselves and the lies that can make a bond so much more fragile because of the destructive power in them. But just as importantly this is a love story of the stories behind the great tales we read and hold so close to our heart. After all, Jane Eyre is not a classic just because it is well written but because it is a story that echoes our hearts and reminds us of the possibilities that lie outside of ourselves. 

This is a great introduction to some of English literature's finest tomes and perfect for a book club selection. I definitely recommend reading this.

"The High King's Golden Tongue" by Megan Derr

I received an ebook version of this from the publisher for a fair review.

I was definitely interested in reading this as I gauged from it's description that it was a gay fantasy and I had not read any of that particular genre. I found however that I had pigeon holed this inaccurately. This book takes the idea of gender roles and throws them out the window. It is a love story taking place in a world that does not limit it's inhabitants to male or female roles but talks of them as individuals based on themselves. Although I found this at first disorienting I came to appreciate the diversity that it allowed the characters to display in what in a traditional story would be guided usually by the character's sex. It was a refreshing look at the relationship between two people learning to become the people they are meant to be and finding that love can blossom anywhere.

The best part of this story is that it was a bloody good read as well. The author has taken a previous short story and evolved it into a deftly written fantasy narrative with characters that will draw you into a court full of political intrigue and betrayal that will lead one young man into a decision which may very well cost him his life and a King who must come to realize his self punishment may cost him the one thing he never hoped to find again. A story of affronts meant and those unconsciously made and the reactions that cascade into moments that could cost people their very lives. I would recommend this to anyone who has the mind to read well written fiction that is not afraid to ask you to see past the lines drawn on the wall to the greater picture.

"The Masquerading Magician" by Gigi Pandian

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me a digital arc of this title. The opinion however is my own. 

I originally read the first book as an arc as well and really liked the characters and the story. So when I saw this up for grabs, I was ecstatic. This is a continuation of Zoe's search to help Dorian from being turned into living stone. Her continued search through the book of backward alchemy is starting to cost her her health though and they are no closer to answers than when we last left them. A new mystery has surfaced in the form of two stage magicians and a hidden robbery stash that has shown up in part of a landslide at the local cemetery. As Zoe believes that one of the magicians may actually be an alchemist who discovered the elixir of life, she sets out to try and see if they can be persuaded to help in her search for a cure for Dorian. 

If that were not enough to take her mind off her fledgling relationship with Max, an old friend winds up reentering her life and she finds herself thinking about Ambrose again and the reader is left feeling like there is something that is not quite as it should be about his death. Also by the end of the book we have made progress and are able to say that in book three we will be heading to Paris as the next step for both Zoe and Dorian.

This is a great series, not because of the alchemy but because the characters are so relatable and engaging. What's happening in the story is a bonus when you feel like you could just sit down with Zoe and Dorian and enjoy a nice petit dejeuner. 

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to read a good series with solid characters and well written, imaginative stories.