Review of The Mysteries of Thorn Manor, by Margaret Rogerson, read by Emily Ellet

Fantasy, Romance, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

The Mysteries of Thorn Manor

by Margaret Rogerson
read by Emily Ellet

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2023. 3 hours, 52 minutes.
Review written June 15, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

The Mysteries of Thorn Manor is a light-hearted novella sequel to Sorcery of Thorns. After Elisabeth and Nathaniel battled evil forces to save the world in the first book and discovered they had allies in each other, Elisabeth nursed Nathaniel back to health — and is still spending the nights in his room and now in his bed. (Though they’ve only been kissing so far.)

When the wards on the house set up by Nathaniel’s ancestors set a storm all around the house so they can’t even leave, they need to investigate what’s going on. They discover that the house wants Nathaniel to court Elisabeth properly as a sorcerer should — including three impossible tasks.

This story is sweet romantic fun. You should read the first book before tackling this one so you can properly appreciate it.

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Review of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction Review 0

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

by Sue Lynn Tan
read by Natalie Naudus

HarperAudio, 2022. 15 hours, 1 minute
Review written September 5, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
2023 Alex Award Winner (Outstanding books for adults that will have appeal to teen readers.)

I’m not completely sure why Daughter of the Moon Goddess is advertised for adults and not for teen readers. It’s a coming-of-age tale about the daughter of the moon goddess. The notes do say it’s the first part of a duology, so perhaps the second part has more mature themes. This part shows her growing up years, with the person she’s going to fall in love with still in question. There’s some kissing but no sex. (Just so you know what you’re in for.)

The story is lovely, and narrator Natalie Naudus does a good job immersing you in the tale. Xingyin has grown up with her mother on the moon. As a teen, she learns that her mother was exiled there for drinking the elixir of immortality that had been awarded to her husband, a great archer, who had saved the world by shooting down some extra suns that were burning the world. What the moon goddess kept hidden, though, was the reason she drank the elixir — it was because she was having trouble in childbirth and the doctors said that she and her baby were going to die. But she kept Xingyin (who is also immortal) hidden from the celestial emperor and empress so they wouldn’t punish her as well.

But when Xingyin accidentally accesses her magic, it brings the attention of the empress to the moon. Xingyin must leave her home and go out into the world, never revealing who she is.

Xingyin ends up in the celestial kingdom as a servant. She is determined to somehow, some way work to save her mother and set her free from the eternal imprisonment.

Then she meets a young man who turns out to be the crown prince. He is holding a competition to find a study companion. But what can there be in common between two people whose families are in enmity?

That’s only the beginning. Xingyin ends up having many adventures, no damsel in distress, but one who has inherited the amazing abilities of her archer father.

The whole tale is told with a mythical feel. Although I had a strong feeling where the plot was going, there were some surprises along the way. And though this book had a satisfying resolution, there were enough threads left hanging to make me glad to read it’s the start of a duology.

This is a gentle romantic fantasy tale with a heroine you’ll be happy to cheer for.

suelynntan.com

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Review of Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Romance, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Sorcery of Thorns

by Margaret Rogerson
read by Emily Ellet

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2019. 14 hours, 21 minutes.
Review written February 10, 2023, from a library eaudiobook
Starred Review

Last year, my Cybils panel chose Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson as our 2021 winner for the Cybils Award in Young Adult Speculative Fiction. And after reading for the 2022 Cybils awards, I finally made time to listen to an earlier book by Margaret Rogerson.

Sorcery of Thorns is fun because it features an apprentice librarian. But she doesn’t work in any ordinary library. Elisabeth Scrivener was a foundling who grew up in one of the Great Libraries of Austermeer — a library packed with grimoires, full of ancient magic.

But one terrible night, Elisabeth is the only one awake and she finds the director of the library dead, killed by a grimoire that got loose and turned into a malefict — a giant sentient monster. But with the director’s sword, Demonslayer, Elisabeth is able to defeat the malefict.

That gets Elisabeth the attention of all the wrong people. A young sorcerer, Magister Nathaniel Thorn, comes to escort Elisabeth to the chancellor for questioning at the magisterium, along with his demonic servant. Elisabeth knows not to trust sorcerers, but he’s surprisingly kind, and helps Elisabeth when they’re attacked by a horde of fiends. He’s compelled to take her into the protection of his own home.

But when the chancellor takes Elisabeth into custody, she begins to realize something is wrong. Little by little, Elisabeth — and eventually Nathaniel as well — start to unravel clues about a monstrous plot that could destroy the world.

I thoroughly enjoy Margaret Rogerson’s writing, and the romance in this book was delightful. Elisabeth is a wonderfully resourceful heroine who’s more likely to rescue the guy than be rescued, though some of both happens.

I do have a lot of quibbles with the magic. I never have patience for sentient objects feeling emotion. In this case, it was books, but if you look at those details too hard, it just doesn’t work. And the relationship between sorcerers and their demons has some problems as well, if you look too closely. But I enjoy Margaret Rogerson’s writing so much, I was able to set aside all those quibbles and thoroughly enjoy the story.

In fact, I finally got this audiobook listened to because I heard about a new volume coming out, Mysteries of Thorn Manor. I’m now disappointed that it’s only a novella, but happy to get to read a little more about Elisabeth and Nathaniel.

MargaretRogerson.com
simonandschuster.com/teen

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Review of Bloodmarked, by Tracy Deonn

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Teen Fiction Review 2

Bloodmarked

Book Two of the Legendborn Cycle

by Tracy Deonn
read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2022. 22 hours, 20 minutes.
Review written March 10, 2023, from a library book

First, let me say that I love the premise of this fantasy series: A bunch of white guys have passed down ancestral magic from Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. But that magic has been completely disrupted because generations ago one of those white guys raped a woman he’d enslaved. And now the Scion of Arthur is a Black girl.

At the start of the book, I thought she was going to go through the rite, completely as expected, to officially become the ruling King. But I should have known that the regents currently in power would not let a Black girl reign over them. So things take a distinct turn from that point.

But while Bree is trying to figure out the power she inherited from Arthur, she’s also trying to learn to use her Root Magic, which she inherited from her mother and her mother’s mothers. And she learns about others who work with ether magic and demons who make bargains. All while staying away from those who want to capture her and negate her power.

Meanwhile, Nick, the Scion of Lancelot, is still kidnapped. But Bree learns she can visit him when she’s in Arthur’s memories. Also meanwhile, what’s going on between her and the King’s mage? I almost rolled my eyes when another powerful person they encounter seems to be attracted to Bree, too. But I did figure out that Bree cares deeply for her friends, and her friends will do much to save her.

I do have a complaint about how long the book is, but I’ve gotten spoiled by reading lots of children’s books. I’m not even sure I could summarize what happened. (And I wouldn’t anyway, because I don’t want to give anything away.) But it’s not like the action ever lagged. Some of it was hard to understand, especially what took place in dreamscapes or figuring out how bargains actually worked.

Another peeve was that the narrator consistently pronounced “Arthur” as “Author,” and it made me a little crazy. I could chalk it up to the accent, but every single character pronounced it that way regardless of their background. I suppose it’s possible that pronunciation is closer to the original old Welsh, but every time I heard it, I’d say “Arthur!” out loud, just to get it out of my system. (It didn’t help that the audiobook I’d listened to before this one had a British character named Arthur, pronounced with the ‘r’ as I think it should be pronounced.) But I was too engaged in the story to stop listening.

I’m honestly not quite sure where things stand at the end of the book. But I’m quite sure that Bree will learn more about using her power, and that Tracy Deonn will take the reader along for the ride. And that I will want to be in on the action.

tracydeonn.com

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Review of Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction Review, Starred Review 0

Fourth Wing

by Rebecca Yarros
read by Rebecca Soler
with Teddy Hamilton

Recorded Books, 2023. 20 hours, 43 minutes.
Review written August 13, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

Wow. Fourth Wing is a grittier, tougher, sexier adult version of a young person attending a school for wizards — or in this case, dragonriders. With all the danger (students constantly dying) and action, the book pulls you in and doesn’t stop. I found myself thinking about the book when I wasn’t listening to it.

It begins with Violet’s older sister Mira protesting to their mother that Violet’s going to die. Violet always planned to go into the scribe quadrant like their father when she got to be twenty and it was her turn to make a choice.

But her father has recently died and her mother, the general in charge of the war college, says that their family were always dragon riders, and she’ll drag Violet out of the scribe quadrant if she tries to go there. But everybody, including Violet, seems convinced that she’ll die. After all, she’s got Ehler-Danlos syndrome, which naturally doesn’t have that name, but she’s got weak joints and brittle bones that often go out of joint. And never mind that the very first day, she has to cross a parapet in the rain — recruits typically fall to their deaths before they even get a chance at the dragons.

Mira warns Violet to look to her lifelong friend Dane Atos for help, a second-year squad leader. And to watch out for Xaden Rierson, the son of the man who led a rebellion six years ago. Their mother oversaw the execution of his father, but that father was responsible for the death of their beloved brother Brennan. So of course they can be expected to hate each other. At a place where students are known to kill one another. With that warning, there’s no surprise the conflict that’s going to be in Violet’s heart, but I like how the author gets us there, showing rather than telling us why attraction happens or doesn’t happen.

Once Violet crosses the parapet, there are still many ways to die. Challenges with other cadets. Difficult training maneuvers. And it all builds toward the Threshing, when candidates may or may not bond with a dragon and then learn to wield their dragon’s magic in their own particular signet.

The world-building all develops naturally along with the action, and the author gets us completely wrapped up in it. There’s a warning at the front about violence and about sexual activity portrayed on the page. And, yes, it’s awfully messed up to have an academy to train dragon riders where a large percentage of the candidates die. Also, the sexy scenes don’t happen until two-thirds of the way through the book, but when they do, well, furniture breaks. Yes, that part is long, vivid, and over-the-top. You won’t necessarily want to listen to this with anyone else in the room.

And — I won’t say what happens, but I love it when books have an ending that makes me shout out loud with a surprising and perfect twist. The only bad part about it is that I have to wait until the next book is published to find out what happens next. (But good news! I see that Book Two is coming out in November.)

This is an amazing book. I love it that a short girl with physical limitations uses her cleverness to become a dragonrider. (Hey, I’m not giving anything away. It would be a short book if she didn’t make it.) The characters are complex (even if you can see where the romance is going), the world-building is intricate, and the dragons are just plain cool.

rebeccayarros.com

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Review of An Enchantment of Ravens, by Margaret Rogerson

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

An Enchantment of Ravens

by Margaret Rogerson
read by Julia Whelan

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2017. 8 hours, 45 minutes.
Review written April 20, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

I listened to this book because I have so enjoyed Margaret Rogerson’s other books. We chose Vespertine as our Cybils YA Speculative Fiction winner in 2022. This one had me riveted. It was one of those audiobooks where I had to remind myself they wouldn’t have published the book if everyone you care about dies — or would they have? Yet I couldn’t quite see how they’d get out of the situation.

Isobel is 17 years old and already a talented portrait painter. She paints portraits for the fair folk. They pay with enchantments, and she is very careful in wording her requests, because she knows the fairies will twist her words if she lets them.

The Fae are fascinated with the crafts that mortals make, including painting, because they are incapable of crafting anything and will crumble to dust if they try. The Fae also do not know human emotion. So when Isobel is painting the Autumn Prince and notices something off about him — she then realizes there’s human sorrow showing on his face.

But when he discovers that she’s painted this for all to see, he is furious and convinced she’s sabotaged him. He drags her off to the autumnlands to stand trial — and her adventures begin. No mortal has ever returned from the realm of the fair folk — at least not as a mortal. And the Wild Hunt comes after her, and she clears up some misunderstandings with the prince — and they find themselves in danger of breaking the Good Law, which decrees that mortals and fair folk may not fall in love with one another, or they must die.

This tale is beautifully told. I always like slow-burn romances. By the time they learn to trust each other and are in danger of falling in love, the reader can understand how it happened, despite the dreadful consequences.

margaretrogerson.com

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Review of Seasparrow, by Kristin Cashore

Fantasy, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Seasparrow

by Kristin Cashore

Dutton Books, 2022. 602 pages.
Review written February 6, 2023, from a library book
Starred Review

Seasparrow is the fifth book in the fantasy series that began with Graceling. And yes, you’ll want to read the other books in the series before you tackle this one, because many themes and plot points and characters from the previous books show up in this one. There’s even a cast of characters at the back of the book to keep them straight.

The name Seasparrow itself refers to the main character of the book, Hava, who acquires the nickname Hapbva, which means “Seasparrow” in the native language of the captain of the Monsea. The book starts out on the ship. The Monsean delegation is heading home from Winterkeep after their adventures in the book Winterkeep. Hava has healed, and now she is secretly translating formulas for a bomb that she smuggled out of Winterkeep.

The book includes the voyage, shipwreck, difficult survival, and homecoming, all from Hava’s perspective. Hava is Queen Bitterblue’s spy, and she has a grace where she can change what people see when they look at her. On the ship her main task is to translate the journals with the formulas. Or so she thinks until she discovers someone hiding something on the ship.

The plot of this book is very slow-moving, but I still found myself compelled to read on. Kristin Cashore’s writing is immersive and pulls me into her worlds.

Yes, there’s romance in this book, but in this case, it’s refreshingly slow-moving. I won’t say slow burn, because there’s not even a lot of spark. But there is slow-growing love, and it fits Hava’s personality and what she’s been through.

Fans of Kristin Cashore’s books will be delighted to have another chance to plunge into her intricately crafted world. There are more mind-reading blue foxes in this book, more gracelings, more monsters, more political intrigue, and more realistic depictions of people coping and healing after trauma. Oh, and there’s a nice plot twist toward the end that I didn’t see coming at all, but that fit perfectly.

kristincashore.com
penguinteen.com

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Review of Painted Devils, by Margaret Owen

Fantasy, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Painted Devils

by Margaret Owen
read by Saskia Maarleveld

Macmillan Young Listeners, 2023. 14 hours, 42 minutes.
Review written June 6, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

Wow, these books by Margaret Owen are so incredibly good. And fair warning: There’s going to be a third book. Though this trilogy is done the way I like a series to be, with each book telling a satisfying story.

As the book begins, Vanya has chickened out on her plans with Emeric, and she didn’t go to meet him. She wants to make something of herself first. And she wants to find her family. But then, she accidentally starts a cult.

In this empire where low gods get power from the faith of people, Vanya borrows a character from a ballad to trick the townspeople into helping her pick the rubies she dropped out of the river. No one’s more surprised than she is when that character manifests as a low god. But when the Scarlet Maiden claims Emeric as her servant, and they learn the servant is going to be a human sacrifice, that’s a problem.

There seems to be a way around the problem – if Vanya can collect a drop of blood from seven brothers. But at the same time, Emeric is the Prefect Aspirant assigned to investigate the emergence of a new god. Was Vanya guilty of Profane Fraud? Emeric’s proctor seems convinced that it’s all Vanya’s doing. Though first they need to figure out how to save Emeric’s life. And go on that quest to find the seven brothers. And it just so happens that Vanya figures out how to right some wrongs and take down someone powerful along the way.

There are many plot threads in this book, expertly interwoven. (And I just have to say that because like Vanya I’m from a family of 13 children, I spotted something about her family before she did.) The relationship between Vanya and Emeric is beautifully drawn. She’s someone with every reason to be distrustful and to think herself worthless. Watching Emeric begin to change that is beautiful.

Fair warning: She’s also someone who never had someone to teach her about sex, so she gets some teaching along the way. And the two of them don’t rush directly into intimacy. This seems far more realistic than many books, but my warning is that teens who read this book will probably learn a thing or two about sex in a respectful and loving relationship as well. And as Vanya and Emeric waited until they were ready, some teens may want to wait until they’re ready.

But oh my goodness what a magnificent book this is! The romance is one part of that, but also finding her wonderful family, running a heist to help the powerless, even riding with the Wild Hunt – there’s so much to delight in here. And Saskia Maarleveld again does a perfect job with Vanya’s somewhat snarky voice and Emeric’s patient steadiness. I plan to reread both books in print form after I finish with the Morris committee — wish I could do that right away, but it’s something to look forward to for now. And to help tide me over before Book Three comes out!

margaret-owen.com

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Review of The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink, by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Starred Review 0

The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink

by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale
illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Candlewick Press, 2023. 90 pages.
Review written May 4, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

I love the Princess in Black series! This is the tenth book in the series. By now, Princess Magnolia, a frilly princess who wears lots of pink, has gathered many other princess friends who also have secret identities. Magnolia’s secret identity is the Princess in Black, who fights monsters.

In this book, the princesses run into a problem at the Flower Festival Fair where a knight in shining armor named Prince Valerian helps banish a giant grumpy emu. But when the emu smashes Princess Magnolia’s decoration for the fancy ball at the end of the day — it turns out that Prince Valerian’s secret identity is exactly what they need.

The reader learns that Prince Valerian is secretly the Prince in Pink.

“Champion of celebrations! Paladin of parties! Darling of discos! Wherever there is a festival in distress, there I will be with a helping hand.” He shook a tasseled glove.

It’s great fun. Mind you, Prince Valerian is not a girl. But he’s a prince who enjoys a nontypical prince activity, decorating with glitter and sparkles, just as the Princess in Black enjoys a nontypical princess activity, fighting monsters.

And it’s all done with so much fun. I love the way the characters wink at each other’s secret identities:

The Princess in Black looked around. To her surprise — and delight — she saw the ballroom was now full of her hero friends. Her princess friends had mysteriously disappeared. And there! The Prince in Pink had returned!

So yes, this book is delightful fun. But I got even more enthusiastic about it after reading a twitter thread from Shannon Hale. A mom had given a 1-star review to this book. Shannon beautifully explains how not allowing boys to ever express “feminine” traits is a result of devaluing women. Okay, she says it much more beautifully than that quick summary. But, yes, both the Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink are going against gender stereotypes. If you think the first is okay, but not the second, step back and question why that would be so. (And read Shannon’s thoughts on it in the Twitter thread.

This is a delightful story that shakes up gender stereotypes in beautiful ways.

shannonhale.com
candlewick.com

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Review of Garlic and the Witch, by Bree Paulsen

Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Graphic Novel 0

Garlic and the Witch

by Bree Paulsen

Quill Tree Books, 2022. 152 pages.
Review written March 3, 2023, from a library book.

Garlic and the Witch is a follow-up to the delightful Garlic and the Vampire. In both, we see sentient vegetables created by Witch Agnes to be her helpers.

In the first book, sweet, small, and timid Garlic confronts a vampire who has moved into the nearby castle. In this book, Garlic turns to her friend and neighbor Count as she is startled by changes happening to her. They go on an adventure together to the Magic Market to get ingredients for Count’s blood substitute.

It’s another sweet story about a timid and small young person confronting her fears. In this case, I got to thinking a little too much about sentient vegetables becoming human — but if you don’t do that, it’s another lovely story. (And I’m pretty confident most kids won’t be freaked out by that.)

It remains a wonderful graphic novel for early elementary. There’s no talking down to the reader and visually the panels present much of the story in a sophisticated graphic novel set-up. But it also doesn’t have a high word count and does have an emotionally comforting story.

harperalley.com

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