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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

Nancy has returned from the Halls of the Dead looking for help from her former classmates. Her friends spring to action and return with her to fight the ghosts of the unquiet dead and help save the other living statues.  You find out more about this realm and there are more surprises instore for the group as they try to figure out what caused the spirts to come out and attack everyone.  A great story in this universe and there are new students so people will be asking for more backstories.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

When a respected business man is found murdered in his home office laying in front of an opened vault with priceless stolen treasures inside Eve has to solve this and hope that nothing inside comes back onto Roarke’s misspent youth.  A good mystery with the usual Eve and Roarke romance and nothing bad happening with any of their friends make this a great read to curl up with. 

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

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

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
 

Periwinkle the cat narrates his life in the pages of this book. Starting with coming to live with Nnedi and her daughter Anyaugo, Periwinkle takes a few months to warm up to them but now loves them very much. When they are asleep, he jumps in his space ship and races an orange space cat that has extra limbs and is from Neptune just like Periwinkle’s father.  He protects the family from a hot sauce demon and also goes to Nigeria when Nnedi goes there for a year to write a book.  When he is there he still has his spaceship since he keeps it in liminal space. He gets out one day and has even more adventures.  The story and the art work hand in hand the entire book and I love the illustrations.  A fun read for all ages.  

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

Chih and their hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant are traveling to the city of Baolin to collect stories about the famine for their monastery. After eating a bowl of a pork dish the city is famous for, Chih is called to visit the local magistrate and is put under guard while there.  Chih still does their work collecting stories from people in the home even as they can see there is a secret hiding in the house that is llinked to the famine.  The 18 year old mystery is solved by the end and the story gives insight to just what people will do when there is nothing to eat and they are being hunted by a famine demon.  As with most of these stories they can be read in almost any order and no real need of backstory to enjoy it.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

Sera Swan was a magical prodigy and the star protégé of the leader of the England’s magical guild even if her background wasn’t from the old families.  But on a visit home her great aunt dies and with the help of a cursed witch staying at the inn she is able to resurrect her Aunt Jasmine.  But to cast the spell cost her almost all of her power and because she worked magic she shouldn’t have she was exiled from the guild.  The inn has been infused with some magic and has become a refuge for people that need it even if they have no magic of their own.  Fifteen years later her young cousin from her Icelandic side of the family has magic and has come to live with her.  Now she has a chance to fix what happened to her but will it all work out is the question. 

I really liked this book, with having family by choice and realizing that not all family members are good for you. 

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss