Elizabeth Fitzgerald's Blog: Earl Grey Editing, page 44

A Crucible of Souls by Mitchell Hogan

Published: September 2015 by Harper Voyager

Format reviewed: Trade paperback, 518 pages

Series: Sorcery Ascendant Sequence #1

Genres: Fantasy

Source: Publisher

Available: Abbey’s ~ Amazon ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Caldan’s parents are brutally slain, he is raised by monks and taught the arcane mysteries of sorcery.

Vowing to discover for himself who his parents really were, and what led to their violent end, he is thrust into the unfamiliar chaos of city life. With nothing to his name but a pair of mysterious heirlooms and a handful of coins, he must prove his talent to earn an apprenticeship with a guild of sorcerers.

But he soon learns the world outside the monastery is a darker place than he ever imagined, and his treasured sorcery has disturbing depths.

As a shadowed evil manipulates the unwary and forbidden powers are unleashed, Caldan is plunged into an age-old conflict that brings the world to the edge of destruction…

A Crucible of Souls sits squarely in the high fantasy genre, despite not being quite your typical quest novel. Caldan isn’t a farm boy but a monastic hopeful, having been brought up by the monks and trained in swords and sorcery. When he is expelled from this comfortable life, he hasn’t got a driving quest–though he is interested in discovering more about his family’s mysterious heirlooms. Mostly, he’s just looking to put a roof over his head and food on the table.

Having had a relatively sheltered upbringing, Caldan is a bit naive and slow to catch onto the way things work in the city. It’s the one flaw in what is otherwise a Gary Stu character. Caldan has a talent for crafting–a form of magic–plays a masterful game of Dominion and is a freakishly talented swordsman. However, “freakish” is the key here; something more is going on that Caldan hasn’t quite figured out, leading to his transformation from someone with a shallow but broad education to a cross-disciplinary master. Exactly what is causing this remains a mystery and provides an extra tension underlying the chaos of other events.

Caldan’s preoccupation with surviving and then furthering his education makes him easy to relate to. His naivety also opens the way for Miranda, a young, street-savvy former sailor who is also more than what she appears to be and who takes Caldan under her wing. The relationship between these two is adorably awkward. However, the lack of detail regarding Miranda’s background makes for a relatively shallow character.

In fact, I was a bit disappointed with the women as a whole in the novel. While the number of female characters is decent, a disproportionate number of them met with ugly fates.

The book’s strengths lay less in its characters than in its magic system. When the story starts, destructive magic is believed to be a myth. While this turns out not to be the case, the creative magic was one of the most interesting aspects for me. Not everyone has magical ability, but those that do are able to channel it into different materials, such as paper, stone and metal. The more durable the material, the longer the magic will last. The magic is given a purpose not only by the nature of the materials it is channelled into but also through the use of runes drawn or etched into the material. I felt this system not only made for some creative uses of magic but also some reasonable limitations. I also found the theory behind magical shielding particularly interesting.

Overall, I found A Crucible of Souls an enjoyable read. While it isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it does give enough of a twist on the genre to make it worthwhile.

Loose-leaf Links for September

Loose-leaf Links is a feature where I gather together the interesting bits and pieces I’ve come across in the last month and share them with you over tea. This little tin of Afternoon Tea from Wittard comes all the way from England as a souvenir, a companion to the Earl Grey from July.

Follow Up

Building community takes time and effort, as has sometimes been pointed out in by guests contributing to my Brewing Community series. In contrast, destroying community is almost easy. Thanks to Alis Franklin for pointing me in the direction of this article.

A while back, I wrote a post regarding bias and reviewing. KJ Charles comments on a very unethical email from an author soliciting reviews. She firmly believes that reviewers should declare their interests, something I will continue to do here at Earl Grey Editing.

In more upbeat news, Dewey’s readathon starts on 18 October (or 17 October if you live in time zones west of Australia). Readathon organiser and recent Brewing Community guest Andi Miller has started a new series about just what it takes to run the readathon. She also has a call out for volunteers.

On Diversity

Controversy surrounds the Best American Poetry 2015 anthology after it was revealed one of the contributors was a white poet using a Chinese pseudonym. Jim C. Hines discusses the situation with reference to the speculative fiction scene. Jenny Zhang also discusses her experiences as a Chinese poet in the article They Pretend To Be Us While Pretending We Don’t Exist.

The Mary Sue discusses the sexism faced by female sci-fi writers after the all-female sci-fi anthology Dark Beyond the Stars received some extremely biased reviews on Amazon. Amazon should be ashamed of their weak response, especially since the “reviews” contradict their guidelines.

The Booksmugglers host Aliette de Bodard, Zen Cho, Kate Elliott, Cindy Pon, and Tade Thompson for a fascinating discussion of culture, history and novels.

Cindy Pon has also appeared on John Scalzi’s blog to discuss the difficulty she had getting her book Silver Phoenix published, partly due to its predominantly Asian cast.

For Writers

Momentum, the imprint of Pan Macmillan Australia who have been responsible for a good chunk of my reviewing material, are opening their Twitter account for pitches TODAY! Guidelines here.

The Booksmugglers apparently like to keep busy. They have got open calls for superhero-themed short stories (up to 17, 500 words) and for unthemed novellas (between 17, 500 and 40, 000 words). The deadlines for both are some way off yet, but it doesn’t hurt to get an early start!

Justine Larbalestier discusses first sentences.

Alis Franklin shares some of the query rejections she received for Liesmith.

Jim C. Hines talks about how his first day as a full-time writer went. I think it is fantastic that he is sharing his transition so openly, highlighting some of the challenges.

For Readers

I mentioned above that Dewey’s readathon has a call out for volunteers. Sign-ups are also open for readers.

The Huffington Post has a very interesting interview with Ursula Le Guin.

More from Jim C. Hines, this time dissecting the backlash against Chuck Wendig’s recent addition to the Star Wars franchise, Aftermath.

Ticonderoga Publications are now taking pre-orders for their forthcoming anthology of dark, non-traditional urban fantasy Bloodlines. The book will be launched on 3 October at Conflux. Cover artist and contributor Kathleen Jennings has also shared a little about creating the cover image.

Lastly, FableCroft Publishing have just announced they are putting together a new anthology called In Your Face. It will focus on Australian speculative fiction stories with provocative themes and will include both original and reprinted works.

Conflux 11 announcements

In her guest post for Brewing Community last week, Leife Shallcross mentioned Conflux: Canberra’s annual convention for speculative fiction writers and fans. This year it is taking place from Friday 2 October until Monday 5 October, so it is just around the corner! The theme this year is Light, in line with the UN’s International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies. Special guests are Isobelle Carmody, author of the The Obernewtyn Chronicles, and Tehani Wessely of FableCroft Publishing.

I will be attending this year and am very much looking forward to making some new friends as well as catching up with some old ones.

Where to find me

I will be sitting on three panels. Exact details are subject to change.

Writing short reviews

When: Saturday, 3 October, 11 AM

Where: Clarke Room

Novotel Canberra

65 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra

I was in the audience for last year’s panel and found it really useful for my work here at the Earl Grey Editing blog. Hopefully this year I can return the favour!

 

Editing your own s**t

When: Sunday, 4 October, 11 AM

Where: Clarke Room

So you’ve got a first draft. Now you’ve gotta make it pretty. Where do you start? I’ll be moderating this panel. The exact line-up has yet to be confirmed, but looks like it will involve some highly talented writers and a couple of very experienced editors.

 

Creating virtual writing communities

When: Monday, 5 October, 1:30 PM

Where: Reid Room

Writing can be a lonely business, and we all know the value of being part of a community. How do you make a community work in situations where there are barriers to actually meeting up and hanging out in a physical location? This fits in nicely with my Brewing Community series.

 

If you have an interest in speculative fiction and can make it along, please stop by and say hi! I love getting to know new people. However, if Canberra is a little too far away for you or attending conventions is not your sort of thing, there’s no need for you to miss out entirely. I shall be posting a convention report once the excitement is over (and I’ve had the chance for a few restorative cups of tea).

Aurora: Eden by Amanda Bridgeman

Published: September 2015 by Momentum

Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)

Series: Aurora #5

Genres: Science fiction, space opera

Source: NetGalley

Reading Challenges: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2015

Available: Amazon ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review contains spoilers for previous books.

In the wake of the tragic events in Centralis, Captain Saul Harris stands with the weight of the world on his shoulders. With the truth of UNFASP revealed, he realizes that he must embrace his ancestry if he is to survive the coming onslaught. But how far will Harris go to protect the future? Will he sacrifice life as he knows it and become a Jumbo? Or can he face the future as a common man?

Meanwhile Sergeant Carrie Welles has been left devastated by what has happened. Uncertain of the future ahead, and with her nemesis, Sharley, on the brink of control, she struggles to pick herself up. But she is left surprised when help comes from the unlikeliest of places.

As her life veers off in a direction she never expected, Carrie soon understands that she is running a course with a destiny that lies far beyond her control. A destiny that is strangely aligned with her Captain’s.

In my review of Aurora: Centralis, I mentioned that it was a transitional book and suffered a little from middle-book sag. Eden occupies a similar space but is a more tightly-written book than its predecessor.

Centralis left off just after the funeral of a significant character: Carrie’s love interest, Dan Walker. The first part of the story involves Carrie coming to terms with her grief. A nice balance was struck between showing how Dan’s death was a devastating, life-changing event for Carrie while avoiding sinking into maudlin cliche. She pulls out of it, but only with difficulty and with help from the people around her. Then, once she has recovered, she still feels some pangs of guilt and grief but doesn’t allow them to prevent her from moving on with her life.

Again, like Centralis, the focus is very much on relationships. A couple of significant relationships undergo transformations, not least being that between Carrie and Captain Harris as they come to terms with the psychic connection between them. It was nice to see this kept strictly platonic, even as their bond deepened.

Threads set up by previous books begin to pay off in Eden. For example, it was nice to see Lieutenant Gold–a minor character from Meridian and Centralis–become a point-of-view character. This gave him more depth and allowed his motivations to come forward, changing him from a smarmy irritation into a sympathetic character.

In keeping with the pattern of the last few books, there isn’t a lot of action until the last quarter of the book. However, the climactic battle was well worth the wait. The setting was rather different to previous battles and this added a layer of tension to what was already an intense sequence. I appreciated the different styles of fighting; Yughio’s creative use of agility and tactics was especially satisfying and nicely foreshadowed throughout the book.

The Aurora series continues to be an enjoyable read and I remain interested in following the story. In fact, I’m a little bit sad to have caught up with it because for the first time it means I’ll have to wait a while for the next book. The cliffhanger ending is going to make that wait especially hard.

 

Brewing Community with Leife Shallcross

Photo by Chris Fitzgerald. Used with permission.

Brewing Community is a series of guest posts in which readers, writers, artists and fans are invited to share their experiences of community. Whether online or in person, these groups bring a great deal of support and sometimes stress to their members. The aim of this series is to share the joy and find ways to brew stronger communities. If you have some experiences you’d like to share, please let me know.

Leife Shallcross joins me today. I’ll let her tell you the tale of how we met. Being the sucker for punishment community-minded person she is, Leife is currently both the president of the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild and the co-chair of Conflux, Canberra’s speculative fiction convention. Being the Secretary of the former and a keen participant in the latter, I’ve been able to witness first-hand just how hard Leife works to support the local spec-fic community.

 

The Best Advice Ever

You know those articles that appear now and then with advice about writing from famous authors to, well, the rest of us? (Like this one, which is a little more fun than most.) Well, if anyone ever asked me, “find your writing community” would be the first thing I’d tell them.

Back in about 2010 I decided to “take myself seriously” as a writer. I wasn’t really sure what that meant, except that I was going to stop just writing for an audience of me, and start trying to see if what I was producing was good enough to get published.

I joined my local writers centre and did a bunch of workshops, including a Year of the Novel course. This was my first experience of something approximating a writers group. We were all working on very different stuff: I was working on two fairy-tale based novels (couldn’t decide on which), others were working on romance novels, thrillers, memoirs, children’s stories, historical non-fiction. All sorts of stuff. This group offered me my very first opportunity to share the experience of writing with other aspiring authors, and to have my work critiqued by other writers. It was immensely valuable, but it also taught me another key lesson.

It’s really important to find the right writing community for you. After the workshop, a few of us did make some initial efforts to critique each other’s work outside the workshop, and I even went to a few sessions of a much smaller writer’s circle with another colleague. But I think we were all probably heading in such different directions with our work, we weren’t able to offer each other what we really needed. What did we need? Well, critiquing and encouragement is one thing. But what I needed, and what I subsequently found, was a community.

There are two communities I want to talk about.

The Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild

Somewhere in that heady first year of Taking Myself Seriously, I submitted a short story to a call out for an anthology called Winds of Change being published by the strange and arcane-sounding Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild. The editor was discerning enough to instantly spot the brilliance of my work (Hi, Elizabeth!!), and Voila! I had my first publication credit.

More importantly, though, this was my segue into my writing community.

When I joined CSFG, I discovered a group of people who got the stuff I wanted to write. They were actually interested in my stories, and I found their stories interesting. They were writing for the same audiences and the same markets, they were trying to hit the same beats. They were drawing on the same collective consciousness of the genre.

Critically, because of the size and makeup of the CSFG, I was also mixing with writers who were heaps more experienced than me. They knew about markets, and who was who, and plot arcs, and character archetypes and Mcguffins and all sorts of stuff I had no clue about. They taught me things like Finish What You Start, and Pick ONE Story To Focus On. I’m not sure if they see it this way, but I’ve got several good friends who I also regard as my writing mentors. They’ve provided invaluable guidance over the years. My writing has improved and I have a better understanding of how the industry works because of them.

I have writing buddies, too. These are the peeps I know I can rely on for an emergency critique to meet a deadline, and who I crit for on a regular basis. I trust their judgement because they’re all awesome writers in their own right. And they’re great friends. (And you know what? That’s the difference between a writers group and a community.)

CSFG is a great community that draws strength from both its diversity, and its commonalities. I’m so grateful that at some point in the dim dark past (maybe around the year 2000, I think) a bunch of people decided to put a bit of structure around their community at the time and build something that was going last. The CSFG now offers a raft of activities to support its members, including short story and novel critiquing, as well as a novel writing group, workshops and even the odd writers retreat.

I’ve been on the CSFG committee for a few years now (I’m currently the president), because it’s important to me to see something like the CSFG work. We’re all volunteers, so you can only take what people are willing and able to give. But the trick is to harness that, and draw on everyone’s strengths, and make it fun. The CSFG community has been so valuable to me, I want it to keep offering the same great support and opportunities to anyone who wants to write in the spec fic genre. Plus, I get to hang out and eat chocolate biscuits and drink wine with some of my favourite people.

Conflux

One of the things I’ve learned from the more experienced, more savvy members of my writing community, is that it’s not good enough to be a good writer. It’s a good start, but if you are going to be a successful artist in any art form, you need to understand the business of the industry you’re in. That means local circles aren’t enough.

This year I’ve been involved in organising Canberra’s main spec fic writing convention, Conflux. Conflux is a bit of an unusual genre convention, as it’s aimed mainly at writers, rather than fans. For this reason it attracts a large number of spec fic writers from all over Australia. It’s been great fun so far, and I’m really pleased and proud to be helping such a fantastic thing continue.

I’ve got a youngish family, so it’s not that easy for me to travel to interstate cons at the moment. So Conflux has been my main opportunity to network with writers and others in the industry from outside Canberra. I think we’re incredibly lucky in Australia. Given our relative size, we really punch above our weight when it comes to the top-shelf spec fic writers we’ve produced. And, lucky for us, that small size means that our spec fic community is also pretty small and tightknit. Even for relative novices like me, due to the two-or-three degrees of separation it comes down to, it’s possible to meet some amazing people with truly international careers if you go along to some of our genre conventions.

It’s not just that, though. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely thrilling to sit next to someone like Trudi Canavan in a pub, or be on Kate Forsythe’s team at a spec-fic romance gauntlet, or to be chauffeuring someone like Alisa Krasnostein between the airport and the hotel. But I have made some great friends with writers in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and even further afield through Conflux. Which is one of the reasons why I put my hand up to help out this year. I love that somewhere as small as Canberra is able to offer up something as wonderful and jam-packed with opportunity as Conflux.

Plus, going back to the theme of community, as Conflux is entirely run by volunteers, everyone who’s involved is there for the love of it. Which makes the Conflux committee its own little community of awesomeness. Which is why I’ll be putting my hand up to help out again next year.

Leife Shallcross lives in Canberra, Australia, with her family and a small, scruffy creature that snores. She reads fairy tales to her children at night, and then lies awake listening to trolls (or maybe possums) galloping over her tin roof. Her work has appeared in Aurealis and several Australian and international anthologies, including the forthcoming CSFG anthology The Never Never Land. She is actively involved in the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild and is the current president. When writing is not consuming her spare time and energy, she plays the fiddle (badly). She can be found online at leifeshallcross.com and on Twitter @leioss.

Equilibrium by C.S. Sealey

Published: July 2015 by Momentum

Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)

Genres: Epic Fantasy

Source: NetGalley

Reading Challenges: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2015

Available: Momentum (electronic) ~ Amazon ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Generations after the Spirits abandoned the world, two mortal empires stand on the brink of a final battle to end a centuries-old conflict. Ayons in the north, Ronnesians in the south.

Washed up on the shore of a foreign land, Angora is thrust into a war not her own. Proclaimed one of twelve legendary mages – representatives of the Spirits – she is charged with protecting the innocent with magic beyond her imagination. However, when her allies mercilessly misuse their own powers, she begins to wonder which side of the conflict is the more righteous.

After the abduction of their ruler, the Ayons launch an invasion capable of destroying the Ronnesians once and for all. As the war rages on, Angora’s friends fight bravely as strongholds fall before the mighty crimson wave of the Ayon army.

But when all seems lost for the Ronnesians, a spark of hope is found in an infamous assassin and a fragile rebellion rising from the dust.

Equilibrium is an epic fantasy through and through. It tells the tale of two nations at war from multiple points of view, and the bigger picture is really the focus of the story.

It took me a while to settle into this book. Partly that was my fault, as I had to set aside the book early on to tackle something more urgent. However, it was also partly due to the many points of view. The book features a fairly large cast and I was four or five chapters in before the POV repeated. Nevertheless, it rewards patience and by Chapter Ten I was settling in.

Despite the size of the book, the chapters themselves are fairly short. This is due to the fact the story was serialised in six parts before being collected together in this volume. The size of the chapters made it easy to gulp down a few, even when I only had a little time for reading.

Points of view came from both sides of the conflict. This gave an interesting perspective on the war, with the flaws of both sides readily apparent. It also made it difficult to determine where my sympathies were supposed to lie. I changed my mind regarding some of the characters a number of times, coming to like some more and some less.

I felt the focus on the bigger picture came somewhat at the expense of the smaller picture. Some of the characters lacked depth; Queen Sorcha in particular seemed somewhat flimsy, blowing with the prevailing wind of the plot. There seemed little justification for the war, other than the generally-held belief that the two sides must fight. The description was fairly spare, though the action sequences–and the spell battles in particular–were nicely handled.

The e-format was a mixed blessing. On one hand, it made it difficult to flip back to the map, which ended up separated into four pieces and was rendered rather useless. On the other hand, it meant I didn’t have to handle a hefty trade paperback.

Overall, it wasn’t my cup of tea. However, neither was George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. I suspect that if you’re a fan of A Game of Thrones, this is the book for you.

Brewing Community with Andi Miller

Photo by Chris Fitzgerald. Used with permission.

Brewing Community is a series of guest posts in which readers, writers, artists and fans are invited to share their experiences of community. Whether online or in person, these groups bring a great deal of support and sometimes stress to their members. The aim of this series is to share the joy and find ways to brew stronger communities. If you have some experiences you’d like to share, please let me know.

I’ve noted many times that I’m a sucker for a reading challenge. The very first one I participated in was Dewey’s 24-hour Readathon back in April 2010 (wow, has it been that long already?). That was how I met Andi Miller. Andi is an amazing facilitator of community, particularly amongst fellow book bloggers. Today I’ve asked her to share a bit about Dewey’s Readathon and the community that surrounds it.

 

I am an introvert. I am perfectly happy, when I’m not forced to be out relating to people, to sit around my house and read. Having found the online community of readers 14 years ago, I do know for certain that I am eternally thankful for being part of something bigger. I relish the feeling of a community of readers thriving around me, even if I can’t always see or experience the gathering in a tangible way. I can read the Tweets, see the photos on Instagram, or visit friends on their blogs. I can wiggle my way through streams of hashtag posts. I can experience the interaction even if it isn’t a festival or a conference. The community is so real and so electrifying even though it’s scattered.

Three years ago my best friend Heather and I were asked to take the reins of Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon which was founded by an amazing community-builder, Dewey of The Hidden Side of a Leaf,  in 2007. Sadly, Dewey passed away in 2008, but the Readathon has endured, a testament to Dewey’s forethought and community-boosting skills as well as the need for interactive events for our very large, and ever-expanding community here in the online book world.

Not only is the Readathon still going strong, it’s growing exponentially. Whereas the event used to be located across a series of blogs, we now see greater numbers of participants on Twitter, Instagram, and a thriving Goodreads group with over 1,000 members. While the ways we communicate may have shifted and changed, the lively spirit of it all has only expanded. If you ever thought about participating in something on Twitter, the Readathon is a must! By simply searching for the #dewey #readathon hashtags on Twitter, you’re catapulted into a teeming swirl of readers in the act of celebrating their favorite pastime. It’s nothing short of breathtaking…and sometimes a bit overwhelming. All you have to do is jump in to be a part of it. A comment to a friend, or even a stranger, is enough to spark a conversation and fuel the celebration.

With another Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon coming up on October 17, 2015, it’s time that the wheels behind the scenes begin to turn. Another testament to the online reading community is the amazing amount of volunteers who make this event happen. It’s truly humbling to see thousands of readers sign up to participate, but it tugs at our heartstrings even more that hundreds of you mobilize twice a year to make this circus of reading happen at all:

Goodreads group moderators
Cheerleaders who send their good words and best wishes out to the participants
Mini-challenge hosts who put on games in their favorite online spaces
Hourly co-hosts who keep the main website updated with good cheer
Prize donors who give of their own pockets and book stashes

Heather and I are facilitators more than anything. We’re blessed that the reading community answers this call and keeps this event fresh. We are thankful to you, readers, and you, volunteers, for bringing this whole thing to life.

We are thankful every day for this community.

Andi Miller is a proponent of fauxhawks, gaudy jewelry, country music, and writing. When she’s not publicly relating at her day job or teaching university English courses online, she’s a hardcore reader, social media addict, and a 10-year book blogging veteran at Estella’s Revenge. 

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Published: May 2015 by Del Ray

Format reviewed: Hardback, 438 pages

Genres: Fantasy

Source: Library

Available: Del Ray (print and electronic) ~ Abbey’s ~ Amazon ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Kobo

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

I adore Beauty and the Beast retellings, so when I heard about Uprooted I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. Now that I’ve read it, I can say it’s not so much a retelling as it is influenced by that particular fairytale. And I loved it all the more for that.

This is a book that is difficult to review without spoilers because the plot twists and turns so much. It might not be a direct retelling of Beauty and the Beast but it does an excellent job of keeping a fairytale feel. Anything can and does happen. Which is not to say that things happen randomly; there’s a definite logic and actions have consequences. Often, they are dark consequences. This is, after all, a fairytale. While there is a naivety and sweetness to the story, it is by no means light.

It is an epic tale where kingdoms are threatened, armies battle and wizards duel. But while the stakes grow progressively higher, it always manages to maintain an intimate feeling. This is largely due to Agnieszka. I found her very easy to relate to. She’s not the most beautiful girl around. She’s not even the most intelligent–her smarts don’t come from books but from a connection to the present, to people and place. She cares about people and she loves her home wholeheartedly.

In fact, she reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Bennett, and Uprooted owes just as much to Pride and Prejudice as it does to Beauty and the Beast. This struck me as a very conscious influence and fans of P&P are sure to catch a few references along the way.

As with P&P, there’s romance, but sisterhood also plays an important part. Kasia is not Agnieszka’s sister by blood, but is definitely a sister by choice, and their relationship is a crucial motivator.

There was so much I loved about this book and I had terrible trouble putting it down. I’m a little bit sad I have to return it to the library and will be acquiring my own copy. It is definitely a contender for my favourite book of 2015. Thank you to Renay of Ladybusiness for recommending it.

Mt TBR report: August 2015

Um. So I might have got a bit carried away with Mt TBR this month (or is it that Mt TBR carried me away this month…?). I think the only thing that saved me was the Bout of Books reading challenge.

Mt TBR status

Mt TBR @ 1 January 2015: 202

Mt TBR @ 31 July 2015: 214

Mt TBR @ 31 August 2015: 218

Books read

40. The Rebel Returns by Becca Lusher. Reviewed here.

41. Night Witches by Jason Morningstar. An RPG about the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, an all-female regiment in the Soviet army in WW2. By day, players struggle to keep their planes maintained while fending off the rampant sexism of the rest of their army and the watchful gaze of Internal Affairs. By night, they fly bombing missions over German targets in flimsy planes twenty years out of date and without parachutes. Players complete missions at six duty stations, reflecting the course of the war. Character turnover in this game is high, reflecting the high casualty rate this regiment faced. A clever and enjoyable RPG.

42. The Foretelling of Georgie Spider by Ambelin Kwaymullina. Reviewed here.

43. Risk by Fleur Ferris. A contemporary YA about a young girl who goes missing after meeting her online date in person. Not my usual sort of thing but I thought I’d give it a try for the Aussie Bloggers Book Club. It packed quite an emotional punch

44. A Case of Spirits by KJ Charles. Not quite as engaging as the last few, but still a lot of fun.

45. Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark. Review forthcoming.

46. Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Review forthcoming

47. The Shab-al-Hiri Roach by Jason Morningstar. Another RPG. Set in 1919, an Elder God in the shape of a cockroach escapes onto a university campus. The aim of the game is to be the academic with the highest reputation who has escaped the mind-controlling influence of the cockroach. I haven’t played this one yet, but I can’t wait.

48. Facing the Mirror by Jaye McKenna. An undercover cop has to decide whether to blow his cover in order to save a sexual slave. The m/m erotica definitely plays second fiddle to strong sci-fi elements. A prequel to McKenna’s Guardians of the Pattern series, it did a reasonable job of standing on its own but still had a little work to do. Nevertheless, an excellent intro to the series.

49. Liesmith by Alis Franklin. A young IT geek has to come to terms with the fact his first boyfriend also happens to be a Norse God. Urban fantasy with plenty of horror elements, an Australian setting and a strong narrative voice. Highly recommended.

Books acquired

Night Witches by Jason Morningstar

Equilibrium C.S. Sealey

The Foretelling of Georgie Spider by Ambelin Kwaymullina

Facing the Mirror by Jaye McKenna

Ten Simple Tips for Surviving the Apocalypse by Cari Z

Checkers’ Abyss by Jarrod Elvin

Risk by Fleur Ferris

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

A Talent for Trickery Alissa Johnson

Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark

A Crucible of Souls by Mitchell Hogan

The Shab-al-Hiri Roach by Jason Morningstar

Aurora: Eden by Amanda Bridgeman

Online reading

The Court of Five Thrones Ch 54- 55 by Pia Foxhall. I got rather teary through these chapters. There were some beautiful conversations and some difficult material was handled deftly. I’ve been waiting for the last chapter to go up (which should happen today!) to binge on the last four chapters.

What have you read this month?

Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark

Published: August 2015 by Elewyn Publishing

Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)

Series: Immortal Vegas #1

Genres: Urban fantasy

Source: From the publisher via NetGalley

Available:  Amazon ~  Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Using her well-worn Tarot deck, magical-artifacts hunter Sara Wilde can find anything—for a price. And the price had better be right, since she needs to finance her own personal mission to rescue several young psychics recently sold on the paranormal black market.

Enter Sara’s most mysterious client and occasional lover, the wickedly sexy Magician, with a job that could yield the ultimate payday. All she’ll have to do is get behind Vatican walls… and steal the Devil himself.

But play with the Devil and you’re bound to get burned.

Pressure mounts for Sara to join the Magician’s ancient and mysterious Arcana Council, as militant forces unleashed by even darker powers seek to destroy all magic—including the young psychics Sara is desperate to keep safe. The Council may be their only hope. . . but it could also expose Sara’s own dark past.

From the twisting catacombs of Rome to the neon streets of Vegas, Sara confronts ancient enemies, powerful demigods, a roiling magical underworld about to explode… and immortal passions that might require the ultimate sacrifice. But oh, what a way to go.

No matter how the cards play out, things are about to get Wilde.

Getting Wilde sits squarely with the urban fantasy genre. Sara Wilde is a typical wise-cracking Strong Female Character and it doesn’t take long before she starts ass-kicking as well. She has some magical ability, chiefly expressed through tarot cards, which she uses to negotiate through the dangers of her profession. I didn’t like Sara at first. There’s a fine line between wise-cracking and just plain rude that she didn’t quite manage in the beginning.

On the other hand, I can’t blame her in some respects. For someone so concerned with manners, Armaeus Bertrand seems to have remarkably few of them himself. He’s happy to use his telepathy to pry into Sara’s mind whenever he can and consent doesn’t seem to be something he’s overly concerned with. There are times he seems to genuinely care for Sara and other times when he treats her like a particularly fascinating puzzle rather than a person. If you like Alphas in your romance, this is a book for you.

That’s not really my thing, but I did come to enjoy the book quite a bit. Once Sara stopped sniping at Armaeus and started concentrating on staying alive, I started to like her a whole lot more. The tarot angle was rather novel and it was nice to encounter an urban fantasy that didn’t deal with werewolves, vampires or angels. It also had a bit of diversity in the setting; rather than being wholly set in the US, a substantial chunk of the book takes place in Paris and Rome.

Speaking of diversity, the book also features Nikki, a transgender woman who turns out to be one of Sara’s most reliable allies. Nikki does tend a bit towards the camp–she does love her spangles–but this is Vegas, after all. She also shows some depth as her past comes to the fore and her friendship with Sara deepens. By the end, I think she was my favourite character.

There were some dark elements. Quite aside from the matter of dubious consent, the book also touched on human trafficking and dismemberment. I didn’t find it disturbing, but it may not be for everyone.

Another element that also may not be for everyone is the love triangle (with the distant possibility of a quadrangle) that the story seems to be heading towards. As the series is just getting started, there’s much still unresolved. The conclusion was satisfying but left off on a killer cliffhanger.

Overall, while it had some dark elements, I found Getting Wilde a fun read that doesn’t take itself too seriously.