Book Reviews

The Dark Lord’s Daughter

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The Dark Lord’s Daughter by Patricia Wrede

This book is perfect for readers who enjoy cozy or lighthearted fantasy. Marketed for middle school readers, yet appealing for all ages. Kayla Jones, 14, visits the Minnesota State Fair, an annual tradition, with her adoptive mom Riki and her younger brother, Del. Suddenly they are transported to a stone circle in Zaradwin, where Kayla is called Xavrielina, the new Dark Lady.

Kayla’s tablet computer becomes her talking familiar, the castle has dragon skulls that speak, and Kayla’s aunts may not have her best interests at heart. On the positive side, her cousin and potential rival wants to be a musician while another relative loves to cook.

Kayla, aided by her familiar, her practical and protective mother, her lively younger brother, and the castle librarian, learns what her options are as a Provisional Dark Lady. Exploring the castle, learning a little magic, trying to get back home to Minnesota, and discovering if a Dark Lady really must curse or exile her rivals make for very enjoyable reading. Patricia Wrede co-authored Sorcery & Cecelia: Or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot and other teen fantasy novels as well as the very popular Dealing with Dragons and other Enchanted Forest books. I’m happy to hear that a sequel to The Dark Lord’s Daughter is planned.

Brenda

Murder Most Royal

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Murder Most Royal: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates by SJ Bennett

This is the third mystery by Bennett featuring Queen Elizabeth II, age 90, and her assistant private secretary, Rozie Oshodie. The Queen has solved quite a few mysteries over the years with the assistance of her assistant private secretaries, and has managed to keep her detecting a royal secret. Not even the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Simon, has a clue. Quite a fun premise for a series; I enjoyed The Windsor Knot, set at Windsor Castle and All the Queen’s Men set at Buckingham Palace. In this book, the Queen and her husband Prince Phillip are headed to Norfolk for the winter holidays in 2016, for several weeks at Sandringham House. Both the Queen and her husband are dealing with flu or colds at the beginning of her visit, leaving her more time to sit and think when a hand is found on a nearby beach. Rozie shows the Queen a photo, and she identifies the ring as belonging to the St. Cyr family.

Life at Sandringham House is described with just the right amount of detail, and the Queen and Rozie both narrate chapters. Rozie meets her immediate predecessor, and is introduced, reluctantly, to wild swimming. Some of the St. Cyr family are interested in wilding, returning their estate to a more natural state, but there have been problems with wild boars and beavers. Rozie and the Queen uncover several secrets about the St. Cyr family, both recent and decades old. As the Queen would like, there are lots of dogs and horses in this mystery, even providing a clue or two. A rather twisty plot has all the loose ends solved in the end. Book Four, A Death in Diamonds, will be a prequel set in 1957, much of it on the royal yacht Britannia. Another book set at Balmoral Castle in 2017 is planned. The Queen and Rozie are likeable characters in these mysteries, and the dialogue is nicely written, making for engaging reads. Enjoy!

The Underworld

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The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean by Susan Casey

Journalist Susan Casey has long been fascinated by the ocean. She’s written books on sharks, rogue waves, and dolphins. Here she shares the joy and wonder she experiences while learning about and visiting the ocean depths. She travels around the globe interviewing scientists and explorers, including Don Walsh and Victor Vescovo. The book is full of photos of the weird, wonderful, and numerous creatures of the deep ocean.

It’s fun to read about her experiences at sea. Her first chance to dive in a submersible to the deep ocean comes in the Bahamas, where the 3-person Neptune goes to the bottom of the twilight zone, 1000 meters deep.

Another intriguing chapter involves the search for a Spanish galleon off the coast of Columbia, that was sunk in 1708, with a cargo full of treasure. The challenges of locating the ship, keeping that location secret, and obtaining funding and permission to raise the ship are detailed.

More sobering sections discuss the risks of plastic debris on the ocean floor and recent proposals for deep sea mining.

The most exciting chapters describe Case’s final chance to dive to the abyssal zone, over 5000 meters below the surface in a 2-person submersible, to the base of one of Hawaii’s underground volcanoes.

Armchair travel, popular science and real-life adventure combine in a compelling and informative read.

Brenda

The Neighbor Favor

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The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

This enjoyable contemporary romance is set in New York City. The first part of the book is all emails from Lily, an editorial assistant, to her favorite Black British fantasy author. Lily has a very demanding boss and two sisters who keep setting her up on dates, a cute young niece, and a cat. Author Strick now works as a travel journalist and writes emails from his assignments in several different countries.

Several months later, Lily is staying with her sister Violet, saving up money to rent a studio apartment, when she meets a handsome book-loving neighbor names Nick, who has a sparsely furnished apartment on the same floor. Lily and Nick become friends, and there are definitely sparks between them. It’s hard not to root for them to get together. The world of a writer and a woman who longs to edit children’s books make for very appealing reading.

Brenda

Bookshops & Bonedust

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Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Have you read Legends & Lattes yet? Then you’re in for a treat, and you don’t need to be a coffee drinker to enjoy it. This new novel, due out November 7, is a prequel.

Viv, an orc, is at the beginner of her career as a mercenary here. Recovering from a severe injury, Viv is stuck in the seaside village of Murk until Rackham’s Ravens return. While occasionally following the doctor’s orders, Viv is bored. So very bored. Constant questions from Gallina, a young gnome who wants to join the Ravens, doesn’t help. But Fern and her shabby bookshop do. One book, suggested by savvy readers advisor Fern, leads to others. Viv, with the help of Pitts, a poetry loving orc who hauls things, help make the bookshop more welcoming. Then there’s Maylee, a dwarf who runs the local bakery. Baldree writes so lovingly of scones and pastries in both books that you’ll want to make a quick trip to a local bakery or bake some scones, cookies, or muffins yourself.

Many cozy mysteries are set in bookstores or bakeries. I start quite a few, finish some, and am delighted by only a few. Baldree’s cozy fantasy books featuring Viv, though, are awesome. Besides an injured orc and a bookshop that needs spiffing up, there’s also a gryphet, a reclusive romance author, some sweet kisses, and a greatsword belonging to an evil necromancer. Also, a gray man, smelling of ice and death, has Viv and the local guard on high alert. What could possibly go wrong before the Ravens return? This is a charming read, well worth savoring. These books can be read in either order. More, please!

Brenda

Saturn Run

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Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein

This near future science fiction thriller, published in 2015, is set in 2060. I read it for my science fiction/fantasy book group, and found it to be a long but fast and fun read. The Chinese are prepping a human mission to Mars, while the United States has a large space station. Almost by accident, privileged Sandy Darlington helps discover that a spaceship is headed to one of Saturn’s small moons. Then the ship moves away, but the moonlet may be artificial. The Americans, with a very determined President Amanda Santeros in charge, set a mission in motion, ostensibly to Mars, with the goal of beating the Chinese to Saturn. Soon enough, the Chinese discover where the American ship is headed, and why, and the race to Saturn is on. Their spaceships, methods of propulsion and routes to Saturn are very different, and there is probably a spy and perhaps a saboteur on board the American ship. I won’t describe what they discover near Saturn; no spoilers here.

Then one of the spaceships needs assistance to get back to Earth, and there is absolutely no trust between the two countries. But the laws of space are different; you must provide needed aid if you can. This was an entertaining novel of early space exploration and discovery. While a few aspects of the plot are predictable, such as whether everyone or anyone will make it back to Earth safely, the book was still hard to put down.

The Holley Sisters of Thornthwaite

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A Vicarage Christmas, A Vicarage Reunion, A Vicarage Wedding and A Vicarage Homecoming by Kate Hewitt

In this charming series of four contemporary novels set in the Lake District of northwest England, four sisters all deal with turning points in their lives, including jobs, romances, housing, and personal growth. The Holley sisters grew up in the Thornthwaite vicarage and have returned home in A Vicarage Christmas. They are all dismayed to learn that their parents, Roger and Ruth, plan to leave soon for missionary work in China.

Esther, Anna, Rachel, and the much younger Miriam cope with a number of serious issues, including an unexpected pregnancy, a possible divorce, stuttering, and unresolved grief. Local teacher Rachel is looking forward to a big wedding, a very large house, a puppy, and a family of her own. Sharp-tongued Esther is suddenly discontented with everything in her life. Quiet Anna realizes she must finally deal with her stuttering and some grief issues, while Miriam has been traveling the world, ending up in Australia before heading back to England to start over without a university degree or good job prospects.

I enjoyed listening to this series on audio, available from my public library on Hoopla, narrated by Hannah Curtis. I plan to look for more books by Kate Hewitt, especially if they’re narrated by Hannah Curtis.

Brenda

The Last Ride of the Pony Express

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The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-Mile Horseback Journey into the Old West by Will Grant

Readers who enjoy real life adventure, American history, armchair travel, or horses will likely enjoy Will Grant’s new memoir. The Pony Express, in which a letter could be delivered by horseback from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento in a blistering 10 days, only lasted about 19 months from 1860 to 1861. In 2019, horse trainer and journalist Will Grant set out to ride the same 2,000-mile path. He planned to take 100 days, with two horses, riding one and leading the other with packs, riding four days, and resting one. Of course, the journey doesn’t go quite according to his plan, partly due to weather. The selection of the horses begins the tale, then Will sets out in early May, with an escort over the Missouri River bridge from St. Joseph, Missouri, into Kansas. Sensibly trailering his horses around a few cities on the route, Grant details life on horseback, the history and present state of the Pony Express stations, and the people he meets along the way. In a few arid locations, he has water and hay caches located for the horses. Grant rides his horses at a walk, not the gallop of the Pony Express, and he ponders how challenging it would have been for the Pony Express to keep enough horses ready at the stations, and supplied with enough feed and water for the horses and their handlers. Grant clearly loves horses and the American West, and is very good company for the journey. Rinker Buck’s The Oregon Trail and Life on the Mississippi are very good readalikes.

Brenda

Birder, She Wrote and other Cozy Mysteries

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One of my very favorite cozy mystery writers is Donna Andrews. Birder, She Wrote is #33 in the delightful Meg Langslow series. Meg is a blacksmith in Virginia with a large extended family. It’s not a spoiler to share that she marries actor and drama professor Michael and they have twin boys. Almost every year, Donna publishes a winter holiday mystery and another mystery. The audiobooks are narrated by Bernadette Dunne, and I can’t decide whether I enjoy reading the print books or listening to the audiobooks more. There is good character development, lots of humor, and a good mystery. Also, pets, mostly dogs and sometimes a whole litter of Pomeranian puppies. Living outside Caerphilly, the extended family also has a number of other animals, from sheep to occasional peacocks and more. All of the books have a bird in their titles, beginning with Murder with Peacocks. They always entertain and amuse me, and are even good to reread or to listen to again. Most of the audiobooks can be downloaded from Hoopla or Libby/Overdrive library collections. I think readers can jump into the series pretty much anywhere, especially any of the first five or six books.

I recently reread the third book, Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos, set near Yorktown, during a Revolutionary War enactment. Meg is selling her wrought iron wares, hiding a case of flamingos made for her mother’s friend, admiring Michael in his French officer’s uniform, and making peace after Michael’s mother hands out another fine as she seeks complete authenticity among the crafters and reenactors.

Book 17, Good Emus, Bad Emus has the Langslow family searching for Meg’s grandmother Cordelia, who gave her son up for adoption. Meg looks just like a young Cordelia, and they’ve found her cousin. A murder must be solved, and the whole clan are trying to rescue a group, or mob, of feral emus.

In Meg’s latest mystery, Birder, She Wrote, she is hoping for a lazy summer day, lounging in a hammock sipping a cold drink and watching hummingbirds sip nectar from feeders. This sounds like a perfect day to me as well. Alas, Meg soon has several tasks to add to her to-do list. Edgar, a wildlife photographer and beekeeper, is missing, Meg’s father wants help moving beehives, and Edgar’s new neighbors keep complaining about his beehives. Meg goes along on a search for a lost graveyard and finds a body, but it isn’t Edgar. And then there’s a persistent young reporter who wants to interview Meg’s grandmother for a magazine profile. More mysteries then in many of the earlier books, but as full of family, humor, and animals as the others. More, please!

Brenda

Good Night, Irene

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Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea

This is stunning, emotional read. Inspired by the experiences of his mother Phyllis in World War II, the author did a lot of research with his wife and daughter in the United States and western Europe to tell the fictional story of Irene, Dorothy, and an assortment of Third Girls. Irene and Dorothy joined the American Red Cross in 1943 and traveled to England, France, Belgium, and Germany. Driving a truck called Rapid City, they provided comfort and cheer to the American troops, serving up coffee and donuts, playing records, and handing out gum candy and cigarettes. Sometimes they got too close to the front lines and had as much emotional trauma to deal with as the soldiers and aviators they supported. But there was camaraderie, romance, and occasional rest breaks in places like Cannes on the French Riviera.

While this is very different from Naperville author Urrea’s amazing book The House of Broken Angels, they are both compelling reads and unforgettable stories. Good Night, Irene is heartwarming, hard to put down, very grim in parts, and is vividly written. It was especially interesting to read after The First Lady of World War II, in which Eleanor Roosevelt visited Red Cross sites in the South Pacific. If your book group reads some historical fiction and is looking for their yearly World War II novel, this would be a good selection, along with Mrs. Porter Calling by A.J. Pearce. A fascinating epilogue and the author’s notes are a must read.