I have absolutely no idea what happened to August—I feel like I blinked and it was gone. I know I ate a lot of birthday cake and the weather alternated between rainy and super hot, but mostly the month and the summer just flew by. I did read some good books in August, though, and it turned out to be a good reading month for me.
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland (Historical fantasy): After a friend recommended this book, I grabbed the audiobook from the library and devoured it. The book is set in a version of the 1930s with magic, and the author seamlessly manipulated history to fit the narrative. Main character Laura is a Black queer girl who dreams of opening a bakery and using her magic to make amazing confections, but after six months in New York, she is unable to find an apprenticeship. Desperate, she joins the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corp, Colored Auxiliary, which sends out mages to try to correct the magical blight afflicting regions of the country and to fight the monsters within it. Loved the magic and the adventure, including the creepy and twisty aspects. Loved misfit found family that developed and the mentor relationship between Laura and the Skylark. It's a standalone and an excellent one, but I do wish for more in this world with these characters
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older (SF mystery with FF romance): I loved the first book in this series, The Mimicking of Known Successes, and it's taken me far too long to get to the second. But I'm so happy I finally did because it was fantastic too. These are Gaslamp mysteries with a sapphic Holmes and Watson-esque pairing, but they're set on Jupiter where humanity has fled and built themselves a new home on moons and platforms after Earth became uninhabitable. The mystery was engaging again in this second book, but I really love the world building and the relationship between Plieti and Mossa, a little uncertain still but engrossing. I'm excited there is going to be more in this series—waiting for it is going to be the difficult part!
The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater (MF historical fantasy romance): The Witchwood Knot is the first book in Atwater's Victorian Faerie Tales series, which is connected to her Regency Faerie Tales series. I haven't read all of the books in that series yet (I have them all and I really need to finish!), but I didn't have a problem diving into this one. Winifred Hall comes to Witchwood Manor as a governess and protector of its young heir, though with motivations of her own, and has to untangle the dark force menacing the hall and its occupants. I loved the Gothic vibes and the beautiful but creepy atmosphere. I loved the twisty nature of the magic and the witchwood knot itself. The romance isn't the focus, but it weaves subtly through the fantasy story and is quite satisfying. I'm looking forward to more in the series (and yes, I'm finally going to go back and finish the previous series!).
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (MF cozy fantasy romance): Librarian Kiela is very bad with people and so has buried herself in the Great Library, where she only has to interact with her assistant the sentient spider plant Caz (an absolute delight) while caring for the library's spell books. But when revolution comes to the capital and the library burns, she and Caz escape with all the spell books they can carry. They flee to the remote island where Kiela grew up and try to start over. People aren't allowed to use magic, but Kiela and Caz decide a little is warranted to help themselves survive, and then to help the people they come to care about in their new home. This is a cozy, delectable book you can just sink into—the wonderful magical creatures, the delicious descriptions of food, the small-town vibes and found family trope. Just lovely.
Demon Hunter by Louisa Masters (MM paranormal romance): I've been looking forward to this second book in the Collective series (which is a spin off of the author's Ghostly Guardians series, though you have to read that series to enjoy this one—I do think reading this series in order would be best though), and I wasn't disappointed. The romance in this book is an established couple, but their family and friends don't know they're together at the beginning of the book, and the focus felt more on the paranormal storyline than on the romance. Laugh out loud funny at times, especially Marc, one of the main characters of the first book whose sarcasm and disdain for so many things is an utter delight. More books in this series please.
What have you read and loved lately?
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older (SF mystery with FF romance): I loved the first book in this series, The Mimicking of Known Successes, and it's taken me far too long to get to the second. But I'm so happy I finally did because it was fantastic too. These are Gaslamp mysteries with a sapphic Holmes and Watson-esque pairing, but they're set on Jupiter where humanity has fled and built themselves a new home on moons and platforms after Earth became uninhabitable. The mystery was engaging again in this second book, but I really love the world building and the relationship between Plieti and Mossa, a little uncertain still but engrossing. I'm excited there is going to be more in this series—waiting for it is going to be the difficult part!
The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater (MF historical fantasy romance): The Witchwood Knot is the first book in Atwater's Victorian Faerie Tales series, which is connected to her Regency Faerie Tales series. I haven't read all of the books in that series yet (I have them all and I really need to finish!), but I didn't have a problem diving into this one. Winifred Hall comes to Witchwood Manor as a governess and protector of its young heir, though with motivations of her own, and has to untangle the dark force menacing the hall and its occupants. I loved the Gothic vibes and the beautiful but creepy atmosphere. I loved the twisty nature of the magic and the witchwood knot itself. The romance isn't the focus, but it weaves subtly through the fantasy story and is quite satisfying. I'm looking forward to more in the series (and yes, I'm finally going to go back and finish the previous series!).
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (MF cozy fantasy romance): Librarian Kiela is very bad with people and so has buried herself in the Great Library, where she only has to interact with her assistant the sentient spider plant Caz (an absolute delight) while caring for the library's spell books. But when revolution comes to the capital and the library burns, she and Caz escape with all the spell books they can carry. They flee to the remote island where Kiela grew up and try to start over. People aren't allowed to use magic, but Kiela and Caz decide a little is warranted to help themselves survive, and then to help the people they come to care about in their new home. This is a cozy, delectable book you can just sink into—the wonderful magical creatures, the delicious descriptions of food, the small-town vibes and found family trope. Just lovely.
Demon Hunter by Louisa Masters (MM paranormal romance): I've been looking forward to this second book in the Collective series (which is a spin off of the author's Ghostly Guardians series, though you have to read that series to enjoy this one—I do think reading this series in order would be best though), and I wasn't disappointed. The romance in this book is an established couple, but their family and friends don't know they're together at the beginning of the book, and the focus felt more on the paranormal storyline than on the romance. Laugh out loud funny at times, especially Marc, one of the main characters of the first book whose sarcasm and disdain for so many things is an utter delight. More books in this series please.
What have you read and loved lately?
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