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The day Celia came into her magical powers she cursed her oldest brother to live without love. Her father now ignores her and her middle brother causing the tow siblings to forge a relationship that was previously prevented to happen due to middle brother’s mother being of low status.  When the king decides that Celia must go to court to marry the prince she finds out that not is all as it seems with the reasons of the marriage and now she is nothing more that someone to be ignored by her new husband as she finds out the true meaning behind the war that has gone on between her people and the elves.  A good novella that reminds the reader of the power of words.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

Slowly Garrick starts showing Riela how to use her magic as he finds out why it seems she is blocked from most of it.  Feylan also wants to know about this new mage and take her for her magic. As the story unfolds Garrick and Riela develop feelings for one another even if they aren’t sure about one another.  As the story unfolds Riela finds out more about her mother who died during her birth.  This adds complications to Riela and Garrick’s relationship and throws a wrench into Garrick’s plans to get even with Feylan.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

Murderbot is on a mission to save some people and then it gets complicated.  Murderbot is running some new code that Art helped write to monitor their organic parts for emotional regulation. And when they find who they are looking to rescue a new complication arises and they have to rescue more people. Lots of internal dialogue as usual and seeing Three’s personality develop was great as well.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

After the events of the previous book Mickey is now doing civil work and is representing a grieving mother, whose teen daughter was killed by a former boyfriend that the case says did this at the motivation of his AI girlfriend.  The story also crosses paths with Jack McEvoy who approaches Mickey because he wants to write a book about the case and the risks of AI. Mickey uses all his tricks from working criminal defense cases to try and bring some accountability of the AI’s company on their actions. A timely story about the dangers of AI and its effects on people.

The story goes over the year after the battle of Chicago.  Harry is in a funk from all the death and losses of both friends and allies.  This is a story about grief and depression and how Harry works through it. Of course, there is stuff he is trying to fix from the aftermath of the war and also do his duties as the Winter Knight.  This is definitely the beginning of a new story arc in the Dresden series and can be a good place for a few reader to start if they don’t mind spoilers for past events. I liked how Harry just didn’t bounce back and neither did Chicago and yet by the end of the book there is hope.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

Amara has been avoiding her family because she isn’t interested in taking up the family business of being Death.  Granted she always knows when someone is going to die and it has made it difficult for her to have friends and know when and how they will die. When she gets a call saying that her father is ill she goes home thinking that it is a ruse but her dad is really sick and she needs to take up the slack of the region he is responsible for.

Amara’s friend Gray comes home with her since he knows all her secrets and helps with the situation. The story is good and the ending complete you know there is more room in this setting for more books but the reader isn’t left hanging.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

This is a retelling of the tale of the seven boys turned into geese and saved by their sister who has to make them shirts while never speaking until the task is complete.  The setting is the usual Regency England with the Elemental Masters but it is set in the countryside and only at the end do we even see the White Lodge get involved.  The father is a minor lord who managed to get a swanmaid to marry him and then he hid her cloak of feathers so she couldn’t leave. When she gets it back she leaves and never returns abandoning her 8 children.  The four sets of twins, 7 brothers and one sister are mostly ignored by their father and are surprised when years later he shows up with a new bride. The story follows the tale’s framework and the usual ending happens. This story does show what happens with courtesans and how some made a living. Granted they didn’t use dark magic like the one in the story did. But the story also shows how small acts of kindness can pay back to the person when they need it the most. 

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

The story was cute as long as I didn’t spend too much time looking behind the curtain at the overall worldbuilding. Evie finds an injured man in the woods being hunted and it turns out he is the famous Villian. After helping him, he offers her a job as his assistant. She needs work and takes him up on the offer and works at his castle and walks home every night. Of course, there is a spy in the Villian’s crew and trying to figure out who it is makes for a good way to get backstories on the supporting characters.  The story has a cliffhanger ending to pull you right into the next book.

This is set a few years after Legends and Lattes. Fern the bookstore rattkin friend of Viv’s from her early days as a merc has sold her store and moved next door to Viv to open a bookstore next to the coffee shop.  But soon after she opens the store with doubts in her head and a belly full of alcohol she wakes up the next day in a wagon far from town. Fern is in the company of a legendary Elf warrior and her bounty moving far away from where Fern should be.  So the only way back seems to be the way forward and Fern has adventures and constantly writes letters back to Viv.   

For extra enjoyment of this story find and read Goblins & Greatcoats, a short story set in the same universe. You don’t have to but you will enjoy it as well since that character is found in the pages of this book.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley