Katherine Harbour's Blog, page 13

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

The Star-Touched Queen
Maya is the cloistered and cherished daughter of a raja. She longs to live on her own terms. But a shocking chance to save her kingdom means ending her life.

She's rescued by Amar, a beautiful and mysterious young man, and taken to the night bazaar, a weird and fantastical marketplace of spirits and monsters. Amar brings her to his kingdom, which is majestic, empty, and filled with whispers.

When Maya learns the truth about her husband, and a friend from the past betrays her, Maya's world falls apart. There are echoes of the Greek tale Psyche and Eros as Maya sets out to find Amar again.

Told in the first person by the clever, fierce heroine, this tale is lush and lyrical, inhabited by mythological creatures and made unputdownable by a love story like a legend.

Roses and Rot by Kat Howard

Roses and Rot
The turmoil of an artist's life is perfectly portrayed in this story about two sisters and their memories of a monster of a mother. Imogen writes fairy tales and her younger sister Marin is a ballet dancer. They're both victims of an abusive childhood, but artists who gain entry into the exclusive art colony of Melete, which, they both learn, is secretly run by the faerie folk. Imogen is soon fighting her past, not only hoping to succeed at Melete and become one of the rare chosen, but to save her sister. The chosen spend seven years with the faerie folk, and not all survive, but those who do find success in the true world. Imogen's choice is agonizing, her narrative sprinkled throughout with bits of her own fairy tales. The faeries are portrayed as sinister, bizarre, and parasitic. But the true monster is confronted at the end. A beautiful, dark fairy tale that asks: How far would you go for your art? Naturally, I loved the faerie folk and the art school atmosphere and the story of two sisters.

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

Blood Magic

A contemporary fantasy set in a small town, where teenage Silla has lost her parents to a murder/suicide. The town is also home to an ancient evil. Then Nicholas, a privileged but independent boy, arrives. Both Silla and Nicholas are suffering from losses and both have discovered a secret ability to work magic by shedding their own blood. Inserted between their povs are diary entries from the 1900s, from a scary young woman who wanted to be immortal.

The friendship/romance between Silla and Nicholas develops because they're kindred spirits and strong individuals. Silla's best friend and her rock is her older brother, Reese. Eventually, Silla must confront the evil thing that has destroyed her family, a showdown that has tragic consequences. Touches of horror and mystery make this something of a Gothic fairy tale, and there's more to Silla's family than first appears.

Goodreads Giveaway

Congrats to the winners of the Goodreads Giveaway! I'll be sending out your books this week.

In other news. I've finished the Gothic fantasy with steampunk elements, The Night Kingdom, and my agent will be sending it out into the world.

If you want more of The Children of Night & Nothing. I have short stories at my blog Dark Faery/Black Rabbit. http://darkfaeryblackrabbit.blogspot....

Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

Dream a Little Dream
Fifteen-year-old Liv has a complicated life. She and her family have move to England because their mom's a professor and has fallen in love. Liv's London School, Frognal Academy, seems ordinary, with a classic atmosphere, and there's an intriguing school blog, The Tittle-Tattle Blog, that occasionally shows up in the story with pics. A subplot involves Liv's sister Mia attempting to discover who the blog's secret author is.

Liv has been having strange dreams of four boys conducting magic rituals. When she meets them at school, her dreams grow more vivid and she learns they can each enter one another's dreams through specific doors their minds conjure up. Liv learns that Henry, Arthur, Jasper, and Grayson (soon to be her stepbrother) have made a deal with a demon, the Lord of Shadows and Darkness. Practical Liv must solve the mystery of her dreams and the cabal of young men who believe they've made a deal with the devil.

With it's very British atmosphere and precocious characters, the story reminded me a little of Nesbitt's tales (Three Children and It, The Enchanted Castle). It's charming and dark, modern and old-fashioned.

Halloween Contests/Giveaways

The Goodreads giveaway for a signed copy of Thorn Jack has begun:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

I'm also running a contest on my blog for a grand prize. There'll be 3 runners up. If you like to write, try for it! You can find the details on my blog It's All About Story.

http://katherineharbour.blogspot.com/...

I'm also beginning a Halloween short about Finn and Lily as kids on my story blog:

http://darkfaeryblackrabbit.blogspot....

Happy Halloween!

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Boy, Snow, Bird
This is a somewhat realistic (maybe magic realism?) telling of Snow White, from the stepmother's pov. It begins in the 1950s with Boy Novak, a young woman with a horrible father. (He makes a living as a rat catcher.) She escapes and marries a kind, bewildered widower, and meets his beautiful child Snow. Boy is a tough, fascinating character, reminiscent of the heroines in 50s movies. Her bad side appears when her daughter Bird is born and she learns her husband's family are African Americans passing as white. But she loves Bird. It's selfish Snow, perfect and loved by everyone, whom she begins to mistrust. It's left to the reader to decide who's wicked. There's also a portion of the book dedicated to young Bird's pov, and she's a lovable, flawed young girl who reaches out to her exiled sister Snow.
And, of course, the mirror is a theme that reflects the way Boy, Snow, Bird--and even the rat catcher--are seen by the world. A gorgeous story.

The Ark by Laura Liddell Nolen

The Ark

A meteor has been heading for earth and monolithic ships have been built to move a select number of human beings off-planet. The rest of the world is left behind.

Char is a young woman sentenced to a facility for juvenile delinquents. She knows she's one of the doomed ones. Her mother and father, as citizens of good standing, have been selected to leave. On a last family visit, her mother slips Char a ticket for one of the ships.

With the help of a boy a year older than she is--Isaiah, who is also blind and has a dark secret--Char escapes into the world, where betrayals and unexpected allies await. Char is a resourceful, intelligent heroine, and Isaiah soon became my favorite character. Eren, the son of the ship's captain is a noble ally, and, when his life is placed in danger by someone she trusts, Char must make a sacrifice.

The Ark is a suspenseful sci-fi novel with intriguing characters. For anyone who enjoyed Divergent or The 100.

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

Unhooked

An elegant and dark spin on Peter Pan, with a terrifying Neverland, where the faeries are reptilian and beautiful and alien. The story begins in contemporary England, where Gwen and her fragile mother have moved into a run-down, once-elegant house. Gwen's best friend Olivia is visiting.

Then Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by winged creatures and Gwen wakes up on a ship of boys captained by a dangerous young man with a mechanical hand. Gwen learns about the alluring Pan who has captured her friend Olivia. But things aren't what they seem. The Captain is a desperate young man with a secret. Pan is a sinister and too-perfect Elf king.

I loved the relationship between Gwen and the Captain. Pan is as dark as Peter Pan is hinted at in the original story, and Neverland is a place of monsters. The characters of the Captain, Pan, and the enigmatic Tinkerbell made the book for me.

The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato

The Clockwork Dagger

A healer with amazing powers, Octavia is on an airship to her next destination when someone brutally stabs her female roommate, who turns out to be much more than she seems. The mysterious and handsome steward, Alonzo, might also be an enemy, and Octavia is soon fighting for life and limb in a foreign place. She's a resourceful and fascinating heroine. The alliance between her and the steward Alonzo is romantic, and the two are a dashing pair. The worldbuilding is detailed and imaginative, and all of the characters, even the extras, play an important role. It's steampunk with a touch of Agatha Christie mystery and the Western. I also loved the way Octavia heals people, the fashion in which her particular magic system has been created. If you're looking for an original and quick-paced steampunk novel with a clever heroine, this is it.