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under_the_silk_treeHi! I hope your week is starting off well. Mine is middling. Not awful but not awesome either. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the week will improve. I learned that my local bookstores are doing a book hop on Independent Bookstore Day which is always the last Saturday of April. A book hop is where a group of bookstores get together and offer special discounts, activities and prizes. Plus. the more bookstores you visit the more tickets you can put towards a few different raffles that have some pretty awesome stuff. I did one a couple of years ago and really enjoyed myself but for the last two years I've had something that kept me from being able to go. So, I am very excited to be able to participate again. Do I need more books? No. But I do have a few birthdays coming up that I could shop for plus it is just a lot of fun. They will have author signings, music, and food. Basically, just an all-around good time. Because the last few weeks have been not good, I really needed to something to look forward to.
This week I read: 1 horror, 1 historical mystery, 1 YA fantasy, and 1 urban fantasy.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. ~Goodreads Description
After seeing Mexican Gothic recced everywhere I decided to finally pick it up. It was so good. Noemi was such a great protagonist, she is clever, confident, and sophisticated. The author does such a great job of invoking the creepy gothic vibe not only in the setting but also in the people that Noemi meets when she visits her cousin. The story is so eerie that like Noemi you start to wonder what is real and what is not. I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves horror with a gothic twist. There are a lot of warnings attached to this story, so if you are worried, I would definitely look them up because this book deals with some really horrific situations.
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
I have seen the show advertised on Netflix and thought it looked good. I found out the first season is based on the first two books and so I decided to read them first before I watched. I really enjoyed this book. I loved Lucy, Lockwood, and George. The author drops you right into the action and keeps it up until the end. It is a very interesting premise to have England overrun with ghosts and have children and teens being the only ones who are sensitive enough to be able to see and take care of them. As they grow older, they lose the ability to. (Although if the haunting is bad enough even adults can sense them, they just can't see them well enough to actually get rid of the apparitions.) It was such a fast-paced interesting book that I wanted to pick up the next one right away.
Drink Down the Moon by Charles de Lint
In Jack the Giant-Killer, where magical creatures carry on a secret existence in the streets and parks of modern Ottawa, Jacky Rowan once slew giants. In this thrilling sequel, she is tricked and then enslaved by a master of vicious, Unseelie creatures.
This cruel thief is bent on stealing his very sustenance--not only from Jacky--but from all of the Seelie faerie court. Only the Moon herself and a handsome young fiddler, unaware of Faerie and the power of his music, have the magic to set Jacky free. ~Goodreads Description
This was an enjoyable sequel to Jack, the Giant Killer. I love that we got to catch up with Jack and Kate and see how they were doing with their new roles in the Seelie Court. We are also introduced to a few new characters, I especially liked Johnny and Jemi, they had an interesting relationship. The plot was fast-moving and so intriguing with the author's use of so many different Fae people. I love de Lint's take on urban fantasy and the way he weaves the Faerie world seamlessly with our own. He says in the author's note at the end that he may revisit this world and I really hope one day he will. All in all, I highly recommend this series.
The Dagger Dance by Elizabeth Bailey
This was another good addition to the Lady Fan series. I am still enamored with Otillia and her husband Francis. I love their dynamic and how he trusts her enough to go along with her on some pretty out-there mysteries. There is a lot of love and respect between them, which is great to see. The mystery was a good one. It had enough twists and turns to keep me interested and wanting to see what happened next. I still love Hemp and I am glad that his lost love Doro was introduced into the series and can't wait to read more about their burgeoning relationship further on in the series. My one quibble would be that I could have done without the familial drama at the beginning, other than that it was very good. Currently, there are two more books in the series, and I can't wait to get to them.
Reading Challenges 2023:
Mount TBR: Drink Down the Moon, The Dagger Dance
Cloak & Dagger Challenge: Mexican Gothic, The Dagger Dance
50 State Challenge: N/A
Read the Quote 2021: The Screaming Staircase, Mexican Gothic, Drink Down the Moon, The Dagger Dance
How's your week going so far?
This week I read: 1 horror, 1 historical mystery, 1 YA fantasy, and 1 urban fantasy.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. ~Goodreads Description
After seeing Mexican Gothic recced everywhere I decided to finally pick it up. It was so good. Noemi was such a great protagonist, she is clever, confident, and sophisticated. The author does such a great job of invoking the creepy gothic vibe not only in the setting but also in the people that Noemi meets when she visits her cousin. The story is so eerie that like Noemi you start to wonder what is real and what is not. I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves horror with a gothic twist. There are a lot of warnings attached to this story, so if you are worried, I would definitely look them up because this book deals with some really horrific situations.
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
I have seen the show advertised on Netflix and thought it looked good. I found out the first season is based on the first two books and so I decided to read them first before I watched. I really enjoyed this book. I loved Lucy, Lockwood, and George. The author drops you right into the action and keeps it up until the end. It is a very interesting premise to have England overrun with ghosts and have children and teens being the only ones who are sensitive enough to be able to see and take care of them. As they grow older, they lose the ability to. (Although if the haunting is bad enough even adults can sense them, they just can't see them well enough to actually get rid of the apparitions.) It was such a fast-paced interesting book that I wanted to pick up the next one right away.
Drink Down the Moon by Charles de Lint
In Jack the Giant-Killer, where magical creatures carry on a secret existence in the streets and parks of modern Ottawa, Jacky Rowan once slew giants. In this thrilling sequel, she is tricked and then enslaved by a master of vicious, Unseelie creatures.
This cruel thief is bent on stealing his very sustenance--not only from Jacky--but from all of the Seelie faerie court. Only the Moon herself and a handsome young fiddler, unaware of Faerie and the power of his music, have the magic to set Jacky free. ~Goodreads Description
This was an enjoyable sequel to Jack, the Giant Killer. I love that we got to catch up with Jack and Kate and see how they were doing with their new roles in the Seelie Court. We are also introduced to a few new characters, I especially liked Johnny and Jemi, they had an interesting relationship. The plot was fast-moving and so intriguing with the author's use of so many different Fae people. I love de Lint's take on urban fantasy and the way he weaves the Faerie world seamlessly with our own. He says in the author's note at the end that he may revisit this world and I really hope one day he will. All in all, I highly recommend this series.
The Dagger Dance by Elizabeth Bailey
This was another good addition to the Lady Fan series. I am still enamored with Otillia and her husband Francis. I love their dynamic and how he trusts her enough to go along with her on some pretty out-there mysteries. There is a lot of love and respect between them, which is great to see. The mystery was a good one. It had enough twists and turns to keep me interested and wanting to see what happened next. I still love Hemp and I am glad that his lost love Doro was introduced into the series and can't wait to read more about their burgeoning relationship further on in the series. My one quibble would be that I could have done without the familial drama at the beginning, other than that it was very good. Currently, there are two more books in the series, and I can't wait to get to them.
Reading Challenges 2023:
Mount TBR: Drink Down the Moon, The Dagger Dance
Cloak & Dagger Challenge: Mexican Gothic, The Dagger Dance
50 State Challenge: N/A
Read the Quote 2021: The Screaming Staircase, Mexican Gothic, Drink Down the Moon, The Dagger Dance
How's your week going so far?
no subject
Date: 2023-04-05 03:32 am (UTC)OOOo I didn't know that series was being made into a show. I need to get back to Stroud's series. I really enjoyed it but I forgot about it
no subject
Date: 2023-04-07 03:11 am (UTC)I saw a trailer for it online I think it is already on Netflix. It does look good.
no subject
Date: 2023-04-07 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-05 01:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-07 03:10 am (UTC)