Audio ARC provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Narrator was great and kept my attention when the plot itself made it wander. I would definitAudio ARC provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Narrator was great and kept my attention when the plot itself made it wander. I would definitely listen to her narrate something else.
This was ok. I didn't completely gel with either the story or the characters but I'm not damning with faint praise; I think others would probably really enjoy this, especially if they want a queer lead who's a bit of a female rake and plenty of fey. The premise is that the MC is out courting and gets tricked into working for the Low Parliament which is where the fairies vote on various issues. I think the overall themes were that language is important and not all languages are directly translatable but that doesn't mean that what is being said is unimportant with the addition of 'some sort of political structure is better than no political structure no matter how frustrating it is.' However, this just didn't really capture me. I liked it enough to get to the end, but it didn't rock my world or anything. ...more
1) Yes this is Meghan's novella and is told completely from her POV. 2) Yes there will be a limited numberOk, answers to a few questions - no spoilers:
1) Yes this is Meghan's novella and is told completely from her POV. 2) Yes there will be a limited number of ARCs, they're just taking a little longer to put together than H&B book 7, which you may already have noticed on Book Sirens. Hopefully Summer's Lease will be up in a couple of weeks time. If you follow me on Book Sirens, you'll be notified as soon as they are available or if you're a Grimoire subscriber, you'll also hear from me. 3) No, you do not have to read this before you dive into For the Dead Travel Fast. This is a separate story set in the same universe and series, but it doesn't contain spoilers for book 7 and book 7 doesn't contain spoilers for Summer's Lease. 4) BUT avoiding spoilers and really giving space to Meghan and Eddie's storyline means that book 7 does not answer the questions about their situation that were left unanswered at the end of The Sea in Darkness. So please be warned - I would hate for readers who are M & E first readers, to dive into book 7 and be disappointed that they don't get much page time. 5) The plus side, however, is that Meghan and Eddie get an entire novella that focuses on them, so their story is definitely in the limelight and gets all the space it needs. (Although tell me if I'm wrong!) 6) Will there be cryptids or spooky shit? Ha! It's me - what do you think? ;)
Looking forward to your thoughts as always and this one was fun (and a bit challenging - I am not a romance writers!) to write. :)...more
I'm a long term Marillier fan and I'm really enjoying the direction this new series has taken. Liobhan is an engaging character who manages t4.5 stars
I'm a long term Marillier fan and I'm really enjoying the direction this new series has taken. Liobhan is an engaging character who manages to avoid the tired warrior woman tropes and instead have a richly imagined character and back story. It's interesting to see the warrior community of Inis Eala (Swan Island) several generations after the Sevenwaters series. This does raise a few questions however since we're now looking at 10th C Ireland and a few historical events don't quite fit. That said, this is historical fantasy and Marillier's sharp social commentary and warm storytelling meant that I was willing to overlook some of the things which didn't fit. This is a quest to find a sacred object but its disappearance is at the heart of a mystery and the answers can only be found in places humans cannot go. Standard Marillier fare but still immersive, enjoyable and engaging....more
Ever read a book that on paper is everything you should absolutely love and yet in practice is very difficult to make a connection with? That was me wEver read a book that on paper is everything you should absolutely love and yet in practice is very difficult to make a connection with? That was me with Under the Pendulum Sun. The book is beautifully written, has an original angle and is meticulously researched. The characters read very true to those you might find in 19th C classics - another point which should be in its favour since I love 19th C novels. And yet it just didn't grab me. Maybe it's a failing in the reader?
The story follows Catherine Helstone as she pursues her beloved brother, Laon, into Arcadia - the realm of Faerie which abuts the human world. Laon departed some time before on an evangelical mission to convert the Fae to Christianity. If you've read anything about the 18th and 19th Cs, you'll probably be familiar with the extraordinary presumption of missionaries embarking on dangerous journeys to convert the conquered natives. Ng has created a mindset and circumstances that arec pitch perfect to this enterprise, though the inhabitants of Arcadia are proving obdurate in refusing to be converted. From a missionary's pov it's even worse in that the Fae negligently laugh at Christianity. Laon's journey, however, is not made in entirely good faith. He's also running from something and he is not pleased when his sister - his childhood companion, best friend and only family - finds him. From there the brother and sister wade through a gothic nightmare as they try to unravel what are the fae? do they have souls? what are souls really? Meanwhile, Queen Mab, supreme player of games, is clear about her intentions: she delights in tempting men to their most private and worst sin...
I'll admit, I saw the big reveal coming, far earlier in the book than the foreshadowing even. This is due to my nasty suspicious mind, my knowledge of the historical period and folklore, and just generally being able to spot where a fae plot is going to go. I don't think Ng telegraphed it - sometimes I just get there in chapter two. Perhaps the other thing that was against me here is that I am an amateur Bronte scholar. The circumstances of Cathy and Laon's childhood were immediately familiar, the use of names and phases, the same way good and evil are meditated and questioned, and even in many instances the way the prose was formed - all of these things were clearly Bronte references. I know all the Bronte's work is now out of copyright and I'm sure Ng was doing it for effect rather than out of laziness, but I found the lines lifted almost directly from Bronte works and juvenilia jarring. A constant sense of 'this is out of place'. Perhaps strange familiarity was the point? (honestly the semi photographic memory of lexical synesthesia is as much a curse as a boon.)
Anyway, this is a good book. I would have liked to love it. The resolution was indeed satisfying and the gothic, almost Alice in Wonderland strangeness of the world was pleasing. But I just didn't really connect with this on as deep a level as I wanted, so for me this was just an ok read....more
This was a strange and wistful short novel. Part M/M romance, part historical faerie tale, part folk horror. Loxley wakes inside a faerie ring with noThis was a strange and wistful short novel. Part M/M romance, part historical faerie tale, part folk horror. Loxley wakes inside a faerie ring with no memory of how he came to be there or even when he left London. The taciturn and dark Mr Thorncress releases him and so begins the struggle to wrest Loxley's soul from the claws of Faerie. Thrown together by events and by a tortuous journey across the North Yorkshire Moors, Loxley finds his feelings for Thorncress changing as it becomes harder and harder to keep a personal secret.
I really enjoyed this, despite it being small in scope - barely half a dozen characters. Thorncress is Bronte-esque but with a heart of gold. Loxley is naive and honest and sweet. I half wonder if the author read Wuthering Heights and wondered what would happen if a better version of Linton and Heathcliff fell for each other, cutting Cathy out entirely. It's certainly one with the landscape - the craggy, unforgiving and open moors. I had a few tiny niggles. There were Americanisms (Canadianisms?) which would never be used in an English setting - yard instead of garden for instance. A minor irritation. I also flinched a bit at how much time the MCs spent on the moor in bad weather - heavy rain can be a death sentence even now! Getting caught in heavy rain is especially dangerous since a lot of rain falls on the moors. The top soil is loose and huge flash floods and mudslides are not uncommon. In the past they've been big enough to sweep away villages. Which is why every Yorkshire set 19th C novel goes on about not being out in the rain! Now magnify that for heavy snow. However overall this was a poignant and sweet faerie story in the model of the unsanitised version of the Good Folk which came long before the Victorians cleaned up cautionary tales for use as children's stories. I'm a bit ambivalent about the end because it seems that the final message is that two gay men cannot be happy in this reality. On the other hand, this is echoes of Wuthering Heights again where Heathcliff and Cathy find each other on the moors after death (and I would be a hypocrite if I objected to that echoing!) ...more
Another great Tufa short story. This one us in Craig's pov and I enjoyed watching the confirmed but still humble and open minded man of god try to do Another great Tufa short story. This one us in Craig's pov and I enjoyed watching the confirmed but still humble and open minded man of god try to do his job without stepping ob any Tufa toes....more
Really enjoyed this short story from the Tufa universe. It was great to be back in Bronwyn's pov as she flouts custom but still remains deeply loyal tReally enjoyed this short story from the Tufa universe. It was great to be back in Bronwyn's pov as she flouts custom but still remains deeply loyal to her people. Craig is absolutely the man for her - what a sweetheart. A half hour read maximum but very enjoyable....more
I'm surprised by how little Bledsoe gets talked about - especially the Tufa series; it's basically Holly Black faeries for adults. This second book isI'm surprised by how little Bledsoe gets talked about - especially the Tufa series; it's basically Holly Black faeries for adults. This second book is told from the perspective of Bliss - the stand in first daughter who appeared in The Hum and the Shiver - and Rob, a bereaved young man with a flare for music who is search of a particular song. As usual the real world brushes up against the eerie folk horror of real faeries. Folk songs tell histories and myths, and are used in faerie magic and glamour. Come in, if you can play or sing you can stay for a while. But unless you have the blood of a tufa, beware. Really enjoying this series and highly recommend it for fans of the real faeries of myth and folklore. CW for use of racial slurs (always in a negative connotation but I did do a double take). My only real bug bear is the misunderstanding of how you pronounce tuatha de dannan from which you get 'tufa'. I mean it's not impossible but as an Irish woman I winced. Otherwise a compulsibely readable series....more
I loved every minute of this beautifully illustrated novella. I imagine it will mean less to those who have not read the Folk of the Air series, sinceI loved every minute of this beautifully illustrated novella. I imagine it will mean less to those who have not read the Folk of the Air series, since this is from the spoiled and indolent Prince Cardan's perspective, however it does manages to pull of telling a classic folktale as well as twisting it not once but thrice. Nor is it a straight retelling from Cardan's perspective but is bracketed by a new adventure. I don't want to spoil this for anyone but it truly was excellent. Highly recommend....more
I'm coming from the position of 3 stars still being a good rating just fyi!
I did really enjoy this book. It's a fun, light YA romance with fairies. ItI'm coming from the position of 3 stars still being a good rating just fyi!
I did really enjoy this book. It's a fun, light YA romance with fairies. It pretty much does what it says on the tin and since I was looking for a light read, it was perfect. If I'd read this ten years ago, I probably would have rated it higher since some of the more jarring issues would have troubled me less.
Robyn is destined to marry into a fey clan in order to help keep their bloodline strong. Claimed by a fairy woman at birth for just this purpose, she's always known what her duty is. A little before her 18th birthday, she and her family - including her wild, romantic younger sister, Cassidy - go to Ireland to meet her intended for the first time. Robyn is a kind, honest and likeable protagonist with a strong sense of duty. There is no way out of the betrothal without bring the wrath of the far more powerful fairies down on her family so she's making the best of it. McKale, the boy she's supposed to marry, surpasses all her hopes but there's something strange going on between him and the faery princess. Could her intended possibly be under a fairy's spell?
It's a cute story. Part teen drama, part Tam Lynn reimagining. It's a lot of fun. But I couldn't help seeing the inherent sexism in a lot of it. The divide between female tasks and male tasks amongst the clan is sexist. I don't care how much you say everyone is treated equally and everyone is valued for the work they do, if one gender does work with a financial value attached and the other acknowledged gender (no non-binary or gender queer folks here!) does work which merely involves mending clothes and making meals, and neither are allowed to choose which work they do, then there is a huge imbalance and it won't even take a generation before the society is skewed in favour of the gender bringing revenue. I'm not sure when this book was written, but dividing any task or magical power along gender lines is a bad idea and we should be past it.
The marriage of convenience that turns into the real thing is one of my guilty pleasure tropes but I have to say I winced at this one a bit. If the MC is going to live for 300yrs approx, why is she getting hitched at 18?! Wouldn't 50 be a more suitable age? And while I respect Robyn's sense of duty and responsibility, are you seriously telling me she would never have questioned or tried to get out of a betrothal? This isn't the fantasy world - it's our world; she's gone to a high school. I found it hard to swallow, especially since she had loving, supportive parents. And the issue of virginity came up. Points given for not doing a first time sex hymen ripping blood bath. Points lost for talking about 'giving your virginity' and 'took your virginity' like it's a huge mystical force that fundamentally changes you, rather than being a damaging, sexist social construct that is no one's business but the person in question. (Which makes me wonder if there was a bit of Christian sub-text going on here *bluergh*) And ah yes. We are in Ireland amongst the oh so magical and quaint Irish people. As an Irish person, I found the slight lean towards stereotyping a bit cringeworthy.
So final verdict, this was a fun undemanding read which unfortunately contained a few tropes I never want to see in YA ever again. (But we all know I'm gonna because of internalised sexism.) If you like fairies and you're less bothered by the things that irritated me, then give this a go. It's pretty sweet, sexism aside....more
Considering that this was published over thirty years ago, it's aged extremely well - especially for fantasy of that era. Fieist has drawn on elementsConsidering that this was published over thirty years ago, it's aged extremely well - especially for fantasy of that era. Fieist has drawn on elements of folk horror, classic gothic and ghost stories, Celtic myth and folklore/ folksongs. It's part re-imagining of Tam Lyn, part horror, part fantasy. The faeries are suitably nasty and incomprehensible to humans. There's a secret society going about its nefarious business. And in the midst of this, an ordinary family moving house into the worst area possible for anyone wanting to avoid being cursed by the sidhe. Overall I really enjoyed this. I shouldn't give an 80's sff book props just for actually dealing with sexual assault in a sensitive way and having fully formed female characters, but considering its contemporaries, this handled such things amazingly well. The story unfolds slowly but is sufficiently gripping to keep you reading. If you like a snifter of folk horror mixed with your fantasy, I highly recommend this....more
Straggling in a day late to finish this for #faerieathon
4.5 stars rounded up? Something just brought it short of 5 stars for me, though it may well beStraggling in a day late to finish this for #faerieathon
4.5 stars rounded up? Something just brought it short of 5 stars for me, though it may well be that I end up coming back and adjusting it upwards!
I've had this book since its release in 2015 but somehow had never got around to reading it! What a missed opportunity! Chronologically it sits after The Modern Faerie Tales (or concurrent with Ironside perhaps) but a little before the start of The Folk of the Air. You don't need to read either of those series to really get it, mind. It functions fine as a standalone.
The story follows Hazel and her brother, Ben, who live in an unusual little town called Fairfold. In other towns the tourist industry takes the form of beaches or culture or landmarks; in Fairfold they have the Folk. In a glass coffin, in the louring forest on the edge of down, a boy with ram's horns has slept for a hundred years. No one has ever been able to break the coffin and no one has been able to wake him. As children both Hazel and Ben fell a little in love with the boy and started to think of him as theirs. Now sixteen and seventeen respectively, their close sibling relationship is undergoing a natural shift in dynamic and neither of them quite knows how to deal with it. Meanwhile its not just clueless tourists who are being lured away by the fey now. Something is stirring in the darkest part of the forest. A monster which Hazel once swore to destroy, but Hazel realises she's been losing time. Only a fool bargains with the Folk but that's just what Hazel might have done...
In some ways this was a lighter read than Black's other faerie books. In other ways it dug into certain themes she regularly revisits even more strongly. I always love her found-family dynamics and in this instance the fact that Hazel and Ben are already siblings doesn't negate the fact that they also hit this trope. They are forced together, to take care of each other due to absent and neglectful parents. Black is good at reminding us that abuse isn't always calculated in bruises and trauma, sometimes it's simply someone not being there when a child has every right to expect an adult to care for them. Black is also good at showing that while these sort of social selection pressures can make you grow in strange shapes, they don't have to define you for the rest of your life. Her fey are always the exaggerated best and worst of humanity, both alien and compelling.
The overall plot was a little simplistic but the point was to show how the characters both broke and mended each other, and ultimately triumphed over monsters both real and circumstantial. Hazel was a great MC. I love Black's female knights - they're always utterly believable without bearing the 'not like other girls' placard. In fact I loved all the characters - Ben, Jack, Severin. We could have just done with more dynamic female characters but that's personal preference I guess. Really enjoyed this and highly recommend it for those who like their fey a bit on the dark side....more
Enjoyed this episode of the Tufa but Chapel of Ease is still in the number one slot. This was like getting a glimpse of a living folktale within the wEnjoyed this episode of the Tufa but Chapel of Ease is still in the number one slot. This was like getting a glimpse of a living folktale within the world Bledsoe has already built. The story is simple enough - a girl torn between two boys and carrying on with both; one boy knows, the other thinks she has made a promise just to him; and then the girl dies horribly and the truth comes out... If you like folk music you'll recognise the themes explored here. What really makes it is the characterisation and there is a nice eerie folk horror note added by the monster hog, the king of the forest and the coyote girls. I can already see that I'll revisit this series. ...more
This is my favourite in the series so far. Some of that may be that it's travelling on a good following wind - this series is exactly my thing. And inThis is my favourite in the series so far. Some of that may be that it's travelling on a good following wind - this series is exactly my thing. And in some ways, this being my favourite is a personal experience because this particular episode resonated strongly with me. It contains less of the folk horror and lore of previous books and is a quieter story. It feels to me, as if Bledsoe wrote this book to illustrate the difference (as is explained in the series) between love songs and songs about love. It was a little shorter than the previous books too but all in all, this was a perfect gem.
The pov MC is Matt, an actor, singer and dancer who has had some small successes off-Broadway in New York. When he auditions for a part in a strange new musical - The Chapel of Ease - he forms a friendship with the writer-composer and the musical casts a strange spell over the entire cast. Driven by tragedy and mystery, Matt travels to West Tennessee to seek out the Tufa and finds a lot more than he bargained for.
At times this is a story about love, friendship and hope, at others it's a ghost story, a homily about family and secrets, and even in places an Uncle Remus style Brere Rabbit fable about cunning and morality. Everything worked for me here with this poignant, eerie and brilliantly queer faerie tale....more
The third book in Bledsoe's Tufa series is a tale of love and revenge. The two families of the Tufa have long had a blood feud that forbade interminglThe third book in Bledsoe's Tufa series is a tale of love and revenge. The two families of the Tufa have long had a blood feud that forbade intermingling, but when Bo Kate and Jeffreys fell in love, they broke that compact. What followed was a trail of destruction and blood, finally leading to both families exiling the pair. Years later, Bo Kate has found a way back and the only thing on her mind is to wipe out the Tufa for good.
Just as gritty and emotionally complex as the previous books, Long Black Curl delves even further into the reaches of folklore and folk song to give the reader an eerie tale of poisonous star-crossed lovers. Mandelay Harris - the twelve year old repository of Tufa wisdom - has a secondary coming of age plot here as she faces her biggest challenge yet. And most poignant of all, is the interweaving of musician, Byron, a man out of time.
Really enjoyed this episode. These books are so underrated. Highly recommend - and they can be read in whatever order you like as each is a standalone within the broader scope of the series.
CW: racial and misogynistic pejoratives (though never gratuitous, always via dialogue and always challenged on page)...more
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