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Rasputin's Daughter
by Robert Alexander (Goodreads Author)

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Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Ten Reasons To Stay (School For Heiresses, #2.5)
by Sabrina Jeffries (Goodreads Author)

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Originally appeared on Tales to Tide You Over

This delightful novella makes it clear why I've heard Sabrina Jeffries's name often enough to recognize it. I chose Ten Reasons to Stay from a Net Galley list since I enjoy historical romance as a break fr...more Originally appeared on Tales to Tide You Over

This delightful novella makes it clear why I've heard Sabrina Jeffries's name often enough to recognize it. I chose Ten Reasons to Stay from a Net Galley list since I enjoy historical romance as a break from the other romances I read, perhaps because the obstacles are more straightforward than in contemporary romance. It's not about being all tied up in your headspace, but rather focuses on the societal barriers of class, bloodline, and reputation, things we like to pretend have little influence over us now despite clear evidence of the truth.

Ten Reasons to Stay delves into those questions even more than most because of the character Colin, whose parentage is repugnant to most of his class. Though his parents were officially married when he was born, nothing could change his mother's dark East Indian skin, or the prejudice that comes with being considered a half-breed.

The above might make you suspect a lot of backstory, especially for a shorter work, but that wouldn't be at all accurate. Jeffries shows herself to be a master at seeding the key issues without wasting too much time on them. You learn both his history and the consequences as they directly relate to the situation he finds himself in. The story never stops to bring them up, but rather winds the reasons into the reactions he expects, and usually receives.

Which brings us to Eliza. A headstrong, brave, determined, and curious young woman, she is thrown into intolerable circumstances that she refuses to accept. After the tragic death of her father, she's put in the hands of a gin-soaked, abusive uncle who never recovered from the death of beloved wife, something Eliza's father was unaware of. I cut a sentence out of my review here because I realized it would be a spoiler, but trust that there's more to the story than it seems.

Now that's a lot of story to pack into a short piece, but it's masterfully done. I'll leave the rest of the story for you to discover on your own as I think I've showed enough for you to know this novella has teeth, but with one small, or not so small, exception: This is not a sweet romance. The sexual aspects are pervasive and border on the erotic, something I'm still getting used to in historicals. What impresses me about the sex, though, is how even that aspect is true to the characters and seeped in the same complex mix of discovery, fears, and emotions that make this a compelling read.

And for the writers out there, this is a learn from work in my option, in handling the complex backstory, including meat in a non-novel-length work, and making the sex integral to the story rather than just there to titillate.(less)

Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2)
by Julie Kagawa (Goodreads Author)

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Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I read The Eternity Cure pretty quickly after The Immortal Rules, the first in the series, but you can tell from the start that this isn’t just an aftermath book. She does a good job of providing a very diff...more Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I read The Eternity Cure pretty quickly after The Immortal Rules, the first in the series, but you can tell from the start that this isn’t just an aftermath book. She does a good job of providing a very different story, and an ambivalent one at that. If the first book was about clinging to humanity only after the humanity is lost, this one is about acceptance and purpose. The Immortal Rules ends with Allie kicked out of the human haven called Eden because she’s what they’re protecting against, a vampire. This means permanent separation from the only human who truly accepts her for what she is, and more importantly, who she is. Where’s a girl supposed go after that?

Another person might collapse under the burden of being abandoned, first by her sire Kanin and then by her love Zeke, and the need to survive as one of the monsters she’s hated her whole human life. It would have been understandable, but not very enjoyable to read.

But no, that’s not where The Eternity Cure takes us at all.

Kanin’s been talking to her in her dreams, or rather she’s sharing his experiences as blood calls to blood, and what’s happening to him is anything but pleasant. Allie might not like the consequences of her choice, but she can’t deny Kanin gave her one before changing her, and for that, plus all the teachings she had to ignore to learn why he gave them.

The Eternity Cure is about her tracking down Kanin to rescue him from the mad vampire with a grudge dating from Kanin’s misguided decision to help human scientists find a cure from the Red Lung virus that was wiping out humanity. It was the right thing to do, but misguided for two reasons: one because he trusted humans not to misuse his gift, and two because he gave them the vampire blood they needed for their experimentations…in the form of another vampire rather than himself. So yes, his enemy is unbalanced, but even Kanin recognizes some cause to his hatred, which is not enough to bow under the torture Kanin suffers, but enough to give him more to suffer under. He has created his nightmare, and knows he deserves this.

Allie doesn’t feel quite the same way about it.

Once again, Kagawa gives us a journey novel, one where Allie crosses a scorched Earth in the hopes of ending Kanin’s torment only to discover the plan is much more deadly than anyone would have guessed. As with The Immortal Rules, she ends up making unusual alliances and getting help from unexpected quarters, but those two similarities are slim in terms of this being a repeat of the first novel. Allie has matured into an acceptance of who she is and that the choice to be a monster might be behind her now, irrevocable, but as Kanin always told her, she has the choice of what kind of monster she will be. Allie chooses a focused, driven monster who remembers her human roots in the choice of how to feed, but who doesn’t make bonds with humans…or doesn’t intend to.

This is another complex, compelling story with wonderful characters. As a sequel, it succeeds in providing a new story for them to pursue while not ignoring the events and ties that were built into the story world in the first book. Kagawa takes advantage of the world she’s created to explore the complex issues of choice and consequences while providing a tense plot with a lot of action to keep us turning the pages.

On a side note, I read this as Net Galley ARC so there may be some changes before the final, but I know now why the Iron King novella I read of hers didn’t work for me. She has many strengths in character creation and in weaving in the big questions. She has one major weakness though: backstory. This is a common weakness, and so can be pushed past in a novel. However in a shorter work, there isn’t enough time beyond the backstory to recover the book. It ends up as a summary of events stripped to their basic elements, which often comes off as derivative because what makes them unique is gone. That is not true with The Eternity Cure. After I got past the infodump approach to what happened before, and no I don’t think the style would offer much more to a new reader than a returning reader, the story picked up and once again captivated me.(less)

Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 4 of 5 stars

My Ex From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #1)
by Tellulah Darling (Goodreads Author)

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First published on Tales to Tide You Over

I wasn’t sure how the myth and modern day would blend in this book, but the title is a good indication. My Ex from Hell is a snarky, funny, true to life (at least the human parts) story about a teenager, Sophi...more First published on Tales to Tide You Over

I wasn’t sure how the myth and modern day would blend in this book, but the title is a good indication. My Ex from Hell is a snarky, funny, true to life (at least the human parts) story about a teenager, Sophie Bloom, who discovers she’s not an actual human but rather a goddess, Persephone, contained in human form. Only trick is a teenage kiss with a hot boy who isn’t what he seems awakens her early…without her memories.

I’ll admit I found her a little abrasive in the very beginning because she was in the middle of a revenge kick, but at the same time she was creative about it at least and her best friends are fun from the start.

I loved the introduction of other characters from Greek myth, all of whom were given a brief introduction for those who didn’t grow up seeped in it, and who embody some aspect of their mythological selves even when pretending to be strictly human.

This is a story of finding oneself for Sophie both in learning who she was as Persephone and who she is now. While it seems as though she would gladly shed her weaker human form, Sophie gives consideration to whom she has become in her 16 years as human. This is helped by her spotty memory, but even when it’s clear she was indeed Persephone, she has bonds and connections that aren’t so easy to dismiss, and change the grand plans her former goddess self cooked up, a wee bit dangerous since those plans involved saving the Earth and humanity itself.

One of the neat elements is the way the god versus human perspective is tackled. The reader is given enough to see both sides and recognize it’s a choice not a no brainer. This isn’t about a teenager discovering mystical powers and thrilling to it. It’s about Sophie, a confused girl even before she discovers the truth, who struggles with rivals in school, always getting in trouble. She cares for her friends, and even the occasional oddball teacher or student outside her circle, something that sends her off on crazy, self-destructive paths on a regular basis, all in the name of being true to herself.

This is the beginning of a series, something that I didn’t realize from the start even though it’s right there on the cover, so I was expecting the whole thing to wrap up somehow, and starting to get worried it would be rushed at the end. However, while this book manages to set up the circumstances for the larger series story, including giving us some serious enemies and unlikely friends, My Ex from Hell offers a linked tale that comes to fruition in this specific book so I didn’t feel like everything had been left hanging despite my worries.

In case I haven’t made it clear by now, let me state up front that I enjoyed the varied cast, the blend of myth and modern, and the humorous tone. It’s a fun read, with a little more depth to tease the reader into contemplating the big questions. Nicely done.

Note: I picked this title up on NetGalley. As usual, the opinions are my own.(less)

Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark, #1)
by Shana Abe (Goodreads Author)

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This is a lyrical novel about difference, discovery, and destiny. Eleanor has struggled through her young life, knowing nothing of her family or where she came from and looking paler than the other children in the orphanage where she grew up since be...more This is a lyrical novel about difference, discovery, and destiny. Eleanor has struggled through her young life, knowing nothing of her family or where she came from and looking paler than the other children in the orphanage where she grew up since being found wandering the streets mute. Her differences and the way the walls themselves sang out to her in cacophonous music were believed to be insanity, a weakness not tolerated when you are an abandoned child with no family to protect you.

She suffers incarceration in a mental hospital with rough electric shock treatments that permanently scar her wrists and ankles where the leather restraints cut in until finally she learns not how to become like others but to ignore the music of the world around her well enough to be released. It’s wartime now, and this changes things. Instead of being sent to a workhouse, she’s offered an unexpected opening to a private school as a charity case. Here, her strangeness finds purpose. She learns an unlikely, but amazing truth.

I want to say more but the path of discovery through the novel is very well done, and I don’t want to spoil it. I will say that if you read the prologue, it’s already somewhat spoiled at least in the big picture, but so many skip that I’ll say only there’s a lot more to Eleanor than her unwilling caregivers expect.

The novel begins a little slowly, first with the obscure, but still revealing, prologue, and then a first chapter that smoothly brings us to the moment in her life where things change while still giving the background of her experiences. Here’s where the lyrical voice wins out, because the first chapter if not for the voice is really a summary or data dump. However, the voice makes the chapter a good read while the teasing glimpses into what Eleanor experiences are much better served than a deep, showing approach to her traumatic younger years. They form both a foundation and raise questions she herself cannot answer. It’s a technique that could easily not have worked. For me, it did.

Ultimately, this is a strange book not for those seeking a simple straightforward narrative. It uses unusual techniques and styles at times, but if you’re willing to put yourself into the author’s hands, you’ll win transportation into an England struggling under German bombs. You’ll see the lives of the nobility and those beneath them all wrapped around a tale of magic more ancient than humankind. I definitely enjoyed the journey, and wouldn’t be surprised to learn you do too.

This is another NetGalley title. The opinions are mine, but the opportunity to read outside of my chosen author list is wonderful.(less)

Margaret Mcgaffey wants to read

Alienated (Alienated, #1)
by Melissa Landers (Goodreads Author)

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Margaret Mcgaffey entered a giveaway

Alienated (Alienated, #1)
by Melissa Landers (Goodreads Author)

1 copy available, ends on June 28, 2013 Enter to win »

Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 4 of 5 stars

A Corner of White (The Colours of Madeleine #1)
by Jaclyn Moriarty

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This is a very odd book. Not odd bad at all just odd. This is a book filled with a strong narrative voice, a quirky cast, and no one but two rather unusual environments. Don’t get the sense that this is a disjointed literary ramble, though, because e...more This is a very odd book. Not odd bad at all just odd. This is a book filled with a strong narrative voice, a quirky cast, and no one but two rather unusual environments. Don’t get the sense that this is a disjointed literary ramble, though, because even unconnected things end up fitting better than you could have imagined.

The story opens with an excerpt from a travel guide, only it’s about the Kingdom of Cello, a fantastical place that clearly exists only in imagination. When the story begins with Madeleine transplanted from her life of glamour and riches to a small flat in Cambridge, England, with her rather strange mother, the connection to the travel guide is unclear. It’s the voice that keeps you reading. But Madeleine is only one of a large cast of point of view characters who move in and out of the center stage smoothly. Some of these characters are confined to our world while others live in Cello itself, a place not so imaginary after all though it retains its fantastical character with a vengeance, a place where people have odd talents and colors attack out of nowhere.

Connections between the two dimensions had existed in the past and are occasionally discovered (and destroyed) even now, after the plague crossed through with devastating effect. Elliot, of Cello, risks banishment and death when he discovers a note from the other world and begins a conversation with Madeleine that is instrumental in both of their growth, these two playing the main characters around whom the story revolves.

The conversation is odd because Madeleine doesn’t believe in Cello, but at the same time she’s studying Isaac Newton (she is part of a home school group and their assignment was to “become” an important person who went to Cambridge). She uses what she’s learning from Newton to respond to Elliot, blending interesting information into the narrative as well as showing how different their two worlds are.

I feel it’s hard to describe this book in any way that captures its essence. It plays with reality, science, relationships, and a sense of self. The playful, often random-seeming, voice tricks you into thinking it is fluff and easy to dismiss, but you find yourself returning for another glimpse and thinking about the characters and what they are going through at odd moments even when not reading.

Elliot and Madeleine are tied together by the loss of their fathers, Madeleine because she ran away and stayed away, and Elliot because a purple (one of those vicious colors) killed his uncle the same night his father disappeared. Seeking their fathers is a key part of the story, but not all of it by any means.

This is a complex story that works on many levels. It made me laugh at points, made me cry, and delighted me more than I could have imagined when I picked it up on NetGalley on a whim. I’m glad I spent this time with Madeleine, Elliot, Jack, Belle, and all the other characters in the book. I think you would be too.(less)

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	Curve of Her Claw by Margaret McGaffey Fisk (Goodreads Author), Star Olson (Illustrator) 0.0 of 5 stars 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mother Goose is Dead by Kirk Dougal (editor), Michele Acker (Editor), Shelle Klein 4.4 of 5 stars 4.40 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2011	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cloaked in Shadow: Dark Tales of Elves by W.H. Horner (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Star E. Sutezzo (Illustrator), Margaret McGaffey Fisk (Goodreads Author) 3.42 of 5 stars 3.42 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2004	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Margaret McGaffey Fisk wrote a new blog post 5 Interesting Links for 05-24-2013 Attitude (Art) In what was considered an insane move, a principal decided to treat the students in a high violence, low ranking school as people wit... Read more of this blog post »
May 24, 2013 10:33am · like
Margaret Mcgaffey wants to read Rasputin's Daughter by Robert Alexander (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 20, 2013 10:45am
Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 5 of 5 stars Ten Reasons To Stay (School For Heiresses, #2.5) by Sabrina Jeffries (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally appeared on Tales to Tide You Over This delightful novella makes it clear why I've heard Sabrina Jeffries's name often enough to recognize it. I chose Ten Reasons to Stay from a Net Galley list since I enjoy historical romance as a break fr...more
May 15, 2013 10:23am · see review
Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2) by Julie Kagawa (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over I read The Eternity Cure pretty quickly after The Immortal Rules, the first in the series, but you can tell from the start that this isn’t just an aftermath book. She does a good job of providing a very diff...more
May 08, 2013 10:05am · see review
Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 4 of 5 stars My Ex From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #1) by Tellulah Darling (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
First published on Tales to Tide You Over I wasn’t sure how the myth and modern day would blend in this book, but the title is a good indication. My Ex from Hell is a snarky, funny, true to life (at least the human parts) story about a teenager, Sophi...more
May 01, 2013 03:09pm · see review
Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark, #1) by Shana Abe (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is a lyrical novel about difference, discovery, and destiny. Eleanor has struggled through her young life, knowing nothing of her family or where she came from and looking paler than the other children in the orphanage where she grew up since be...more
Apr 24, 2013 10:12pm · see review
Margaret Mcgaffey wants to read Alienated (Alienated, #1) by Melissa Landers (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 11, 2013 12:14am
Margaret Mcgaffey entered a giveaway Alienated (Alienated, #1) by Melissa Landers (Goodreads Author) 1 copy available, ends on June 28, 2013 Enter to win »
Apr 11, 2013 12:14am · like · see giveaway
Margaret Mcgaffey rated a book 4 of 5 stars A Corner of White (The Colours of Madeleine #1) by Jaclyn Moriarty	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is a very odd book. Not odd bad at all just odd. This is a book filled with a strong narrative voice, a quirky cast, and no one but two rather unusual environments. Don’t get the sense that this is a disjointed literary ramble, though, because e...more
Apr 10, 2013 10:43am · see review

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