Review: The House of Gardenias by Isabel Cañas

The House of Gardenias by Isabel Cañas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I love a good gothic horror and this delivered. This follows Minerva, a teenager from a poor, abusive family who decides to leave her home one day and find a job. She finds work as a lady's made for a widow who has ties to the loyalist political group. This is set in what resembles a colonial Mexico, but the country is never named outright. Minerva's patron is surly, but she has her convictions and she has saved her from a terrible life and given her a home. When a political change takes place putting the Viceroy back in power who happens to be cousin of Minerva's Lady Encarnación del Valle, they retreat to the family home. The home is ancient and has been inhabited by the del Valle's for many years but Minerva finds that they were not the original owners of the estate. When Lady Encarnación dies unexpectedly in front of Minerva, she learns that there may be something else living in the house other than the del Valles lurking in the shadows.

I really enjoyed following Minerva around Casa de la Gardenias. The author did a wonderful job making the estate atmospheric and creepy. The gothic elements really came through in both the descriptions of the estate, the people, and time period. She also did a great job explaining the political atmosphere and while the del Valles had their opinions and loyalties on politics and played their parts to keep their lavish lifestyle, you could feel the tension that politics played in the country and the impact it had on everyone in the book. You could also feel the caste system that was in place not only within the aristocracy but in those who worked for them between the various levels of servants. I appreciated that all of the people in the book were realistic, Minerva isn't some superhero main character, she is surviving the best she can given her circumstances and her actions aren't out of the realm of possibility. You can feel her fear coming off the page. I loved the paranormal aspect, I won't go too much into it as it would be a spoiler, but I felt it was well done. It develops slowly but all is eventually explained.

This is my first book by the author, but I will certainly be checking out more from her. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it!

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Review: The Court of Venus by Bel Banta

The Court of Venus by Bel Banta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This follows childhood rivals Bianca and Roland, both magicians blessed at birth by the alignment of the planets. They were raised and mentored in the king's court by a great magician with the king's heir, but Bianca was always left out. Hal and Roland were always leaving her out as children, but as they got older things changed. After years away Bianca has returned to court desperate for information on the inner workings at court as madness has taken over. Roland is now the King's right hand and still just as insufferable as ever, but if she wants to find out what happened to her mentor and to the heir she must team up with him. Her magic is unique and paired with his they make an unstoppable pair.

This book has alot going on. There are alot of characters to keep track of and they all have a different planet sign which determines what type of magic they have. At the heart of it there is court intrigue masked by a strange magical competition which really has no bearing on the storyline, but it does introduce you to the players and some of the terrible things they can do with their magic. Everyone is vying for the throne as the king is aging and descending into madness. With no heir, the line passes to another family. I struggled with what this book was supposed to be. At times it focuses on the politics and scheming, then it is all in on the romance, then it is all about the magic. i think it was trying to tackle too much and didn't deliver enough of any one thing. I never felt the chemistry between Roland and Bianca, for a "slow burn" romance they were just eventually in love without ever having any of those scenes that make you feel the feelings. I really liked the premise of the magic system being aligned to a planetary alignment, but we don't really get much development or explanation other than that for how the magic works. We get alot of descriptions of things and alot of dialogue which is well written, but I feel like I wanted more of some things and less of others.

This does end on a cliffhanger but there is no indication that this is the start of a series.

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Review: The Antique Hunter's Murder at the Castle by C.L. Miller

The Antique Hunter's Murder at the Castle by C.L. Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is the 3rd novel in the Antique Hunter's series, and while I feel you can probably read it as a standalone, there are parts of story that will make much more sense if you read the first two books in the series. The author does a good job giving the reader enough information to go on if they haven't read the prior books or if it has been a while since reading the previous books to jog the memory. I do highly recommend reading the series in order to have the best reading experience.

This installment follows Freya and the gang on another mystery this time in Scotland. This time Bella has disappeared and called Aunt Carole for help. When they arrive at the castle she was scoping out, they discover a murder and the castle might be holding some of the artifacts Arthur was investigating prior to his untimely death. Working against the Scottish winter and with limited information the ladies with the help of FBI agent Phil use their knowledge of antiques, artifacts, and art to find their friend and solve the murder. Their ways are unconventional and certainly not by the book according the the FBI, but they are fun and they get the job done in the end.

This is a fun cozy mystery with great characters. I'm not sure if there will be more in the series, but if there are I'm here for them.

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Review: Find Me Where It Ends by Cassandra Khaw

Find Me Where It Ends by Cassandra Khaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is a strange little novella that not only tackles death and mortality , but living life. Our main character Antigone and all of the women in her family have known when they are going to die because a black dog appears as a companion. Unlike those who came before her, she invites her dog in and treats it like a beloved pet for the months she has left.

This is dark and deals with sobering topics like mental health, death and suicide. As Antigone has an idea of when she is going to die, she has to come to terms with that and it puts her life into perspective. Her best friend Vera is aware of the curse that befalls the women in Antigone's family and is there to support her, but obviously doesn't want her bestie to die. I enjoyed their relationship and she added some levity to the story. The writing is beautiful and heavy which matches the subject matter.

I liked the choice of a male narrator. It was almost as if Antigone's friend, I don't think he was ever named, who shows up later in the novella to support her was telling her story. The narrator was excellent!

This is a bit different than Khaw's other horror books as it doesn't have violence or gore. There more of a paranormal or mythological aspect to the book. It is much more based in reality and facing your fears scary.

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Review: Victorious by V.E. Schwab

Victorious by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Negalley, all opinions are my own.

This is the conclusion to the series and follows several different characters we've met along Eli and Victor's journey and some new characters are introduced in this installment. This is told in alternating timelines, bouncing back and forth between the present and the past which at times was hard to follow along via audio, but it got easier as the book progressed and it became clear that things were leading up to something big. We spend much of our time with Sydney and Mitch and a new "villain" while Eli and Victor continue to evade each other. You know that when they finally do meet it will be explosive. I would have liked to see more of both of them on the page, as this series is so centered on the both of them

I loved Vicious and always felt it stood well on its own. I didn't love book 2 but I do love this morally grey world that Schwab has created and the concept of certain people being able to come back from death fully functional but with super human abilities. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and feel that it brings things together nicely and gives a sense of closure to the series. I do feel like the pacing was a little off, with the long build up to the "final battle" if you will, and then its over pretty quickly.

I did love the narrator and felt he did a wonderful job with the many characters he had to voice.

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Review: The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace, Vol. 1 by Minoji Kurata (Artist), Natsu Hyuuga (Original Creator)

The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace, Vol. 1 by

Minoji Kurata (Artist),

Natsu Hyuuga (Original Creator)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I'm a huge fan of season 1 of the anime, I'm waiting for season 3 to fully release so I can catch up on what is happening. I have not read the manga or the light novel yet so I can't compare them to this version.

This volume captures the humor and awkwardness of Maomao the lady-in-waiting and apothecary to one of the emperor's valued consorts and all of the things she gets up to through episode 9 or 10 of the show. Her skills with plants and their medicinal uses prove handy in all sorts of mysterious situations and she becomes a valued asset to Jinshi. If you haven't watched the anime (not a prerequisite), this is a great place to start as it gives you insight into what The Apothecary Diaries is all about. Every chapter finds Maomao solving another problem and driving Jinshi crazy.

I love Maomao's character both on the page and in the show. She is smart bringing her apothecary knowledge learned from her father as well as her street smarts learned from growing up in a brothel to the palace. She isn't a polished and poised lady like the other ladies in waiting who have trained to serve the consorts, but that allows her have difference priorities and to see things with a different lens. Jinshi is some sort of secretary to the emperor, taking care of accounts and making sure the business at palace runs smoothly. I can't quite figure him out, as he clearly has some sort of feelings for Maomao but she either ignores them or doesn't see it. Their dynamics are hilarious and I can't wait to see how things play out as the solve more mysteries and divert more catastrophes.

This also includes a bonus short story not found in the light novels set prior to Maomao's time at the Inner Palace.


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Review: A Confederacy of Dunces by Albert Monteys

A Confederacy of Dunces by Albert Monteys
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this graphic novel via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I have not read the original novel, and I wonder if something was lost in translation. I felt like I was missing something, but perhaps that is the nature of the storyline.

The art was great and depicted the story well. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the storyline at all. I didn't find this humorous at all, which is supposed to be the draw of this satirical novel. I thought a graphic adaptation would be a great way for me to finally tackle this. I didn't like any of the characters, which I think is the point and I'm not a fan of those types of books as a preference. I need someone to connect with and even if everyone is a villain, I still need someone to root for.

I give Monteys so much credit for adapting this and feel the art was very well done. Unfortunately, Toole's original story wasn't for me. If you are a fan of satire and social commentary this is a great option.

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