Katherine Harbour's Blog, page 11

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette De Bodard

The House of Shattered Wings
Set in a future Paris where angels fall like biological bombs and humanity has been scattered but for a few warring Houses, this fantasy is mostly about Phillipe, an immortal who was once human and who is captured by House Silverspires and its fallen angel leader. As he tries to solve the mystery of what horror is killing the residents of the House, he is befriended by Isabelle, the young fallen angel he tried to scavenge, and Madeline, a human woman, and an addict, who escaped the takeover of another house by the devious and deadly fallen angel Asmodeus, a delicious villain.
With its dragons and spirits, angels and other mythical beings, this words is one I definitely want to visit again. It's an imaginative dark fantasy, complex and rich, with fascinating characters.

Romantic Songs for Finn and Jack

I was asked what are some of my favorite songs for Finn and Jack's romance.

I'm a Man you Don't Meet Every Day- The Pogues

Terrible Love-Birdy

I Follow Rivers-Lykke Li

Nothing Has Been Broken-BassNectar (Tina Malia)

Whispering-Alex Clare

Young and Beautiful-Lana Del Rey

Dust Hymn-Purity Ring

Dust to Dust-the Civil Wars

Kin by Lili St.Crow

This trilogy is one of my favorites. Its highlight is the friendship between the three girls inspired by Snow White, Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella. Set in an alternative future America, long after a magical apocalypse, the world is portrayed in intriguing sketches and lyrical language.
Ruby is the wild daughter of the de Varre clan and lives with her grandmother, the clan's matriarch. It's hinted that they are more than human. When Ruby is told she must marry someone of the clan's choosing, she rebels. Then she meets her intended, who is brooding and dangerous.
When savage murders begin taking place, Ruby has to clear the name of a boy who has been her best friend since childhood.
I hope there'll be more books set in this wonderfully inventive world with its modern fairy tale characters.

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan Mcguire

Rosemary and Rue
October (Toby) Daye is a half human/half faery living in San Francisco. She is a knight serving the faery king of that region. After a case nearly destroys her life, she is lying low. Then an old frenemy is murdered, but not before cursing Toby to find her killer.
Toby has connections with each court in the city, some of which are perilous and tricky. There is a water faery in the Japanese gardens, the feral and sexy king of cats, and a criminal overlord who has a shady past with Toby. It's a murder mystery with a fierce heroine and a fun and fascinating cast of characters perfect for the setting. Best of all, it's only the first in a series.

Compulsion by Martina Boone

Compulsion
Barrie is a girl who has lost everything. She's sent to South Carolina and her aunt and ancestral home wearing a diamond necklace and a gold watch. Her Aunt Pru is the sister of Barrie's recently deceased mother Lula. And Lula's transgender friend, Mark, is dying, so Pru is all Barrie has.
Barrie is fascinated by the old plantation house and the family history of tragedy and magic. She meets Eight, a handsome rich boy, and her wild, contrary cousin Cassie. She also encounters sinister, fairy-like creatures living in the garden, and a haunting that might be connected to a long-ago tragedy.
Compulsion is a Southern Gothic mystery with fantasy elements, perfect for the summer. Barrie is a resourceful and determined heroine and it's her determined voice that rules this mystery that reminded me of Nancy Drew.

NeverNight by Jay Kristoff

Nevernight
This is a story of revenge and I always like those. Mia loses her parents to murder and treachery in a city reminiscent of 18th century Venice. She travels with another boy seeking revenge, Tric, to the Red Church to became an assassin.
And so begins Mia's brutal, lyrical journey. Accompanied by a shadowy entity disguised as a cat called Mr. Kindly, Mia becomes one of many students in a murderous assassin version of a magical college. Mia leans that death can come from teachers or students, but there are still rules and camaraderie. The teachers are diverse individuals, sociopathic versions of college professors.Mia makes friends, begins an unwise relationship with Tric, and negotiates her way through lessons that are bloody, adventurous, and nightmarish. A great fantasy, especially for anyone who loves Aria Stark's arc in the Game of Thrones series.

Darkhaven by A.F.E Smith

Darkhaven
Ayla is the daughter of the recently murdered, shapechanging overlord of the city of Darkhaven, a complex labyrinth of tiers. Her half brother Myrren, a kind and honorable young man, didn't inherit the ability to shapechange into a splendid creature (phoenix, griffin, etc;), but Ayla did. When she's accused of murdering her father in creature form, she must rely on a disgraced swordsman named Tomas Caraway to keep her safe.
A subplot involving a female assassin named Sorrow and a mistress of the overlord is also woven into the narrative, as is noble Myrren's relationship with a priestess who was attacked by the mysterious monster who murdered Myrren's father.
It's a murder mystery set in a high fantasy world and the shapechanging mythology adds an element of the strange. I'm looking forward to the sequels that continue the story of these intriguing characters.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Three Dark Crowns
Arsinoe, Katharine, and Mirabella are triplets who live on an island, raised separately and virtually imprisoned, until they come of age to ascend the throne. Only one of them can do so. Each sister is supposed to have a magical talent. Katharine is a poisoner. Arsinoe is a naturalist. Mirabella is an elemental. The victor must kill her two sisters.

The separate tribes are fascinating. The poisoners are cruel and dark-hearted. The naturalists have familiars/animals they bond with. Elementals control the weather. Mirabella lives with priestesses who are far crueler than the poisoners and who plan to cheat to get Mirabella the crown.

The three sisters were raised together as children, which makes the narrative all the more tense and poignant. The other characters--a brave naturalist girl who is like Arsinoe's sister, Mirabella's priestesses, Katharine's wicked clan, and three interesting young men, (one of whom has a dangerous agenda,)-- make this an extremely enjoyable, if dark, epic fantasy.

Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

Vassa in the Night
Living with her two sisters in a magic realism version of Brooklyn, Vassa has lost both parents; one to illness, the other having turned himself into a dog. When Vassa is sent on an errand one night to the dreaded convenience store BYS, she becomes trapped by its witchy owner, Babs. (The store is surrounded by the heads of shoplifters on spikes.)
Vassa, who has a small, living doll as a companion, is soon trapped into working for Babs. During the course of her employment, she meets a motorcyclist who might be Night itself, a brace of swans, two bizarrely sentient disembodied hands, and a charming and reckless boy. Very Bad Things happen.
This is a lovely, lyrical tale of magic realism, based on the Russian folklore of Baba Yaga. Vassa is a resourceful and wryly charismatic heroine, and who would think my two favorite characters would be a wooden doll named Erg and a murderous hand called Dexter?

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

The Serpent King
Dill, Lydia, and Travis are best friends living in rural Tennessee. Dill's father, a snakehandling minister, is now in prison, and Dill is left with his bitter mother. He dreams of getting out of the small town, just as Lydia, his ambitious friend, makes plans to do so. Travis is content where he is, but has an abusive father. The friendship between the three is genuinely written, Dill and each of his friends traversing the final year of school before their lives change forever. Lydia's ambition is sometimes hurtful and selfish. Dill's strained relationship with his religious parents seems to stunt the amazing potential he has. Travis is beginning to find happiness in a series of fantasy books and a girl who shares his interests. There's tension and tragedy in wondering what this year will bring each of the charismatic characters, whose friendship is the best part of this book. For anyone who seeks books about friendship and the south.