I’ve accidently happened upon a theme here –starting in the midst of series. In this case, it’s a series of fairy tale retellings, which are loose enough there is a note saying you can start anywhere, though you’re probably better off reading them in order if you can. Cordelia is one of the youngest in […]

I managed to start a series midway through, but it’s fortunately a good place to start in this case. Catalina has just become the head of her household of magic users (alternate present day real world with magic – this is set in Houston). A friend’s mother and sister are killed, and she vows to

This story picks up right at the end of Mira’s Last Dance. Penric is still hanging around Orbas, even though he’s been summoned back to Adria. But Nikys is still in Orbas, and she hasn’t actually jilted him yet. Word comes that Nikys’ mother has been taken prisoner, and she instantly comes to Pen for

Anna and Charles, still only married a month, are off to Seattle on a mission for Charles’ father, the Marrok. I’m running behind where these books parallel the Mercy Thompson books, so this is just before the werewolves have decided to come out to mortals, and the Marrok wants to meet with the European werewolves

Kaylin is a Hawk, trying to keep the streets of the city of Elantra safe. After fleeing a terrible childhood in the fief of Nightshade, she’s drawn back there, when children are murdered. The twist is that they have been marked the same way that she was, when many other children died, and no one

It took me a little while to get into this book, because it’s not a happy story (and I’m having a hard time dealing with not happy lately), but Jemisin’s never steered me wrong, so I kept at it, and I’m glad I did. There are three interweaving stories in a far future Earth, where

This book is in two parts – Evelyn’s story, and Brendan’s story. (I have the Kindle edition. I’d love to see how this works in the actual book edition.) The two meet in college in the Cornish village of Clews, and their story is a twist on Arthurian legend. It’s really interesting reading reviews of

Hetta Valstar is the black sheep of the family – her father banished her from their home when she wanted to practice magic, and she’s now made a pretty good living for herself in the capital city, practicing illusion magic. But her father has passed away, and she has to go home. Her family rules

Brendan Vetch journeys from his home in the mountains to the city – he’s been invited to be the new gardener at the wizard’s school there. It was a mysterious invitation, by a woman who wandered through town. When he gets there, he finds that he was invited by the wizard Od herself, the founder