A Pirate's Life for Tea, by Rebecca Thorne
Second in the series. What a crazy, lovely, cozy read. Kianthe and Reina’s search for the dragons’ eggs take them to the Nacean River where Diarn Arlon rules with an iron fist. He is being pestered by a pirate and demands Kianthe, in her role as mage of ages, apprehend the pirate. But they kind of feel like the pirate is in the right. Hijinx ensues. A lot of fun!
Frieren, vols 3 & 4, by Kanehito Yamada
I’m really enjoying this tale of an elf mage as she travels back along the roads she took 100 years before as part of the party that defeated the Demon King. In these books, she defeats Aura the Guillotine—one of the King’s servants. They meet another elf and encourage a village priest to join them for part of their journey. These are easy reads that are more about character development than action. Perfect for me.
The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older
Queer, gender-flipped Holmes and Watson on Jupiter. Loved it before I even began. In the future, the earth is uninhabitable so people colonize a large ring that has been built in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Pleiti is an academic at the most prestigious school on the planet, Valdegard. Mossa is a special investigator. They are old lovers from their time as students, but the spark of attraction remains. Mossa comes to Valdegard in search of answers about a missing person. Working with Plieti, they travel the length of Jupiter to stop a plot that could set humankind back by years.
Nine Liars, by Maureen Johnson
The fifth Truly Devious book. Stevie Bell is one of the best characters in fiction. She is so utterly herself, that she feels very real. In this standalone, Stevie and her friends get an opportunity to go to London for a week. And almost immediately, she is given a mystery to solve. This one is twenty years old. Nine friends were celebrating their college graduation when two were mysteriously murdered. Stevie solves it, of course, but at the expense of her relationships. Loved it.
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquill Blackgoose
In an alternate history of the world where Vikings conquered and settled North America, the indigenous people are still treated badly. In fact, the domineering Scandinavian settlers have killed off all of the indigenous dragons on the east coast of the continent. When Anequs discovers a dragon egg and the hatchling chooses her, she is lucky that she and the dragon aren’t killed outright. Instead, she goes to a school that teaches students and their dragons. Having never lived outside her own culture, she has trouble adjusting, but she always stays true to herself. I liked this book. There wasn’t a ton of action, but the world-building and narrative were enough to really catch my interest.
We Do Not Welcome Our 10-year-old Overlord, by Garth Nix
While I love Garth Nix’s writing, I find his middle grade to be hit-or-miss. This is a fantastic HIT. When a mind-reading orb lands in their quiet town, and begins to change Elia, Kim and his friends have to resist the urge to join with the orb as it tries to take over the world. Wonderful adventure with high-stakes that are never too distressing.
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, by Malka Older
The second in this series. I didn’t mean to read both of them in a month, but what can you do when they are so good? In this mystery, in searching for one missing student, Mossa finds that there are dozens of people missing from Valdegard. Plieti uses her university contacts to dig for more information, even as her life is put into danger.
Black Sheep, by Georgette Heyer
A reread, of course. I love this one as the heroine is older and has a wicked sense of humor. Plus it’s a grand old farce.
Beneath the Sugar Sky, by Seanan McGuire
This is the third in the Wayward Children series of novellas. This book felt almost like a conclusion to a loosely tied trilogy. Maybe that was its original intention, but there are 7 or 8 books in the series now. Each that I’ve read so far have been a solid story. Rini falls from the sky at the Home for Wayward Children looking for her mother Sumi who died before Rini could be born. Cade, Cora, Christopher and Nadya—inhabitants of the school—travel to different worlds with Rini trying to find the pieces of Sumi’s soul so they can bring her back to life. I love me a good portal story and this one was a delight.
Second in the series. What a crazy, lovely, cozy read. Kianthe and Reina’s search for the dragons’ eggs take them to the Nacean River where Diarn Arlon rules with an iron fist. He is being pestered by a pirate and demands Kianthe, in her role as mage of ages, apprehend the pirate. But they kind of feel like the pirate is in the right. Hijinx ensues. A lot of fun!
Frieren, vols 3 & 4, by Kanehito Yamada
I’m really enjoying this tale of an elf mage as she travels back along the roads she took 100 years before as part of the party that defeated the Demon King. In these books, she defeats Aura the Guillotine—one of the King’s servants. They meet another elf and encourage a village priest to join them for part of their journey. These are easy reads that are more about character development than action. Perfect for me.
The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older
Queer, gender-flipped Holmes and Watson on Jupiter. Loved it before I even began. In the future, the earth is uninhabitable so people colonize a large ring that has been built in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Pleiti is an academic at the most prestigious school on the planet, Valdegard. Mossa is a special investigator. They are old lovers from their time as students, but the spark of attraction remains. Mossa comes to Valdegard in search of answers about a missing person. Working with Plieti, they travel the length of Jupiter to stop a plot that could set humankind back by years.
Nine Liars, by Maureen Johnson
The fifth Truly Devious book. Stevie Bell is one of the best characters in fiction. She is so utterly herself, that she feels very real. In this standalone, Stevie and her friends get an opportunity to go to London for a week. And almost immediately, she is given a mystery to solve. This one is twenty years old. Nine friends were celebrating their college graduation when two were mysteriously murdered. Stevie solves it, of course, but at the expense of her relationships. Loved it.
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquill Blackgoose
In an alternate history of the world where Vikings conquered and settled North America, the indigenous people are still treated badly. In fact, the domineering Scandinavian settlers have killed off all of the indigenous dragons on the east coast of the continent. When Anequs discovers a dragon egg and the hatchling chooses her, she is lucky that she and the dragon aren’t killed outright. Instead, she goes to a school that teaches students and their dragons. Having never lived outside her own culture, she has trouble adjusting, but she always stays true to herself. I liked this book. There wasn’t a ton of action, but the world-building and narrative were enough to really catch my interest.
We Do Not Welcome Our 10-year-old Overlord, by Garth Nix
While I love Garth Nix’s writing, I find his middle grade to be hit-or-miss. This is a fantastic HIT. When a mind-reading orb lands in their quiet town, and begins to change Elia, Kim and his friends have to resist the urge to join with the orb as it tries to take over the world. Wonderful adventure with high-stakes that are never too distressing.
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, by Malka Older
The second in this series. I didn’t mean to read both of them in a month, but what can you do when they are so good? In this mystery, in searching for one missing student, Mossa finds that there are dozens of people missing from Valdegard. Plieti uses her university contacts to dig for more information, even as her life is put into danger.
Black Sheep, by Georgette Heyer
A reread, of course. I love this one as the heroine is older and has a wicked sense of humor. Plus it’s a grand old farce.
Beneath the Sugar Sky, by Seanan McGuire
This is the third in the Wayward Children series of novellas. This book felt almost like a conclusion to a loosely tied trilogy. Maybe that was its original intention, but there are 7 or 8 books in the series now. Each that I’ve read so far have been a solid story. Rini falls from the sky at the Home for Wayward Children looking for her mother Sumi who died before Rini could be born. Cade, Cora, Christopher and Nadya—inhabitants of the school—travel to different worlds with Rini trying to find the pieces of Sumi’s soul so they can bring her back to life. I love me a good portal story and this one was a delight.
