Review: Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi

Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This was delightfully cozy.  The letters back and forth between Ms. Davis and Mr. Clarke definitely reminded me of Divine Rivals.  Our main characters begin writing letters to each other under pen names when Josephine Pinova can't find a book at the magical library as she studies for entrance into the Institute of Magic.  Aufidius Reid happens to have the book Josie is looking for as he too is studying for entrance into the Institute, and they begin exchanging letters about their studies and experiments with magic.  They fall for each other through their letters, but when they meet it is not the meet cute you would expect.  Reid works at one of the last magical apothecaries where Josie happens to be shopping.  Her knowledge is exceptional as is her customer service, and he finds her infuriating.  Little does he know she is the sweet, kind, helpful Ms. Davis whom he has been writing to for months.  Josie and Reid must work together to save the shop from closing both financially and from the external dangers that threaten the shop.  If only they could work together like Ms. Davis and Mr. Clarke do on paper.

I can't wait for more books in this series!  I loved Josie and Reid.  You go in knowing who their pen names are and that they don't know each other's real identities.  You also know that it is only a matter of time before they figure it out.  I didn't expect the murder mystery aspect of the book to play such a prominent part, but it worked well as a plotline as Josie and Reid were figuring out their relationship.  I look forward to seeing what happens next in this world whether it be with Josie and Reid or different characters.  I love a good cozy fantasy, and this had a nice blend of other genres to keep the reader interested and the pacing was good as well!

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Review: The Gilded City of Dreams: A Novel by Luanne G. Smith

The Gilded City of Dreams: A Novel by Luanne G. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This is the second book in the Golden Age of Magic series, and while I do think you could get away with reading this as a standalone, I do think readers would benefit from reading book 1 first.  The first book sets up things in this book and the Fée Gardienne aka Fairy Godmothers that main characters Celeste and Anaïs are members is explained.  I think parts of this would be confusing if you haven't read the first book.

Celesete and Anaïs have found themselves in NYC on their way to Paris to return the elder staff to the new head of their order.  The staff is stolen shortly after their arrival in the busy city and the pair is split up when their ideas on how to get it back differ.  Celeste finds herself in the center of yet another magical mystery using her magical abilities and new acquaintances to help not only find the staff but Anaïs  as well.  Anaïs on the other hand has her own ideas as to how to get the staff back from the darker side of the city's magic users.  

I really enjoyed this audiobook.  I loved the first book, and while Celeste does maintain a level of innocence and naivety in this she shows a level of confidence and capability that was missing in the previous installment.  Now that she has proven herself she has really come into her magic and abilities.  She is much more sure of herself.  Anaïs being the much older mentor, is very confident almost to a fault, and always has a plan for every situation.  I enjoyed watching these two women work together and separately to find the staff and figure out what was going on.  I also liked that while there was a romance element to the book, it wasn't the main focus.  

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Review: The Children by Melissa Albert

The Children by Melissa Albert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book.  This follows Guinevere aka Guin for short in the present as an adult as she releases her memior about growing up with a famous author for a mother and being the muse for one of the main characters in her mother's beloved books.  Guin paints a picture that everything was great and living off of her mother's estate she is the picture perfect face of her mother's beloved legacy.  She hasn't spoken to her brother Ennis since they were orphaned as children, and as he announces a secretive art show, her facade begins to crumble.  Guin's carfully crafted persona begins to crumble as people begin to ask questions about their childhood that are off limits and she desperately seeks out her brother ahead of his show.  

As Guin spirals in the present we are alternately taken back to the past where we find Guin and Ennis running barefoot through the forest playing make believe and fending for themselves most of the time.  Their mother is holed up in her writing room or throwing lavish parties, while their father is trying to make a comeback in acting or the arts.  Those who spend too long in their farmhouse experience strange dreams and recognize that there is something strange about the house.  As adult Guin faces these strange events in her childhood she realizes that they were the key to her mother's success as and author, and perhaps the key to her brother's eerie success as an artist.  

Overall I liked the concept of this book, but there were parts that dragged on for me where nothing happened.  The narration was very good, but every time I put this down, I found myself not wanting to pick it up again, but then something would happen to pull me back in.  The reveal at the end, while creative and interesting, I do feel could have been don't earlier and flushed out a bit more.  The author always does a great job building a great atmosphere in her books and did a great job building up to the reveal, letting the reader know that while the children were being neglected by their parents, something just wasn't right.   I wanted more time with the house and the gothic aspects of the past versus present Guin trying to find Ennis to figure out what he was going to reveal in his art.  Overall this was good, but didn't check all the boxes for me.

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Review: The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I loved this historical fantasy centered around the Duchess Anne of Britany.  Anne is such an interesting character both in the book and in history.  The author went to great lengths to make clear Anne's love of her country and people.  The afterword gives some historical context about the real Anne, and the historical influences used in the book.  This is not the first book I've read about the Duchess, and they all paint Anne as a strong willed, intelligent, and courageous woman and as Arden mentions there is always an air of romance about any tale I've read where she is involved.

I loved the lore that the author wove in to the historical aspects of the story surrounding Anne and her impending and unwanted marriage to the King of France.  Anne and her most trusted inner circle plot to out maneuver the French at every turn to delay the marriage as long as possible and find a better solution and keep the Duchy out of France's hands.  She tempts the king's lackey with a unicorn hunt in the Lost Lands, only to find that the mythical creatures are in fact real and might just be the aid she is looking for to evade the French.  Blessed by the unicorn, Anne and her entourage are determined to utilize the Lost Lands to their advantage only to find themselves not only in a political game but one of sorcery as well.  Anne finds herself questioning who she can trust at every turn as well as questioning if magic is real and if she can save her lands from going to war.

This story was so well written and the characters were so well crafted.  The myth and lore was woven throughout while taking place in lands inspired by actual people, places, and events that once occurred.  I  love historical fantasy when it is based a bit in reality and a bit in fantasy.  I loved Anne from the very beginning and while it took me a while to warm up to Orleans, he eventually won me over.  Their romance was slow to develop, but worth it in the end, and I really appreciated the ending.  There was also a great supporting cast, Elsebed and her cat Butter were my favorites!

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