Archive | August, 2024

History’s Mysteries: The Naturalist’s Daughter and Witchmark

28 Aug

The Naturalist’s Daughter
by Tea Cooper
The Naturalist’s Daughter is about two Australian women who have a hundred years between them but share similar curious natures and adventurous constitutions. Rose Winton grows up in Agnes Banks, NSW in 1808 assisting her naturalist father Charles Winton on his research of the platypus, sometimes referred to as mallangongs by the native inhabitants. Tamsin Alleyn is a librarian who travels from Sydney to find out if an old sketchbook may have been Charles’s work. Both women must use all their courage to uncovers their respective mysteries. There is also a charming romance between Tamsin and a lawyer assisting with the estate sale the sketchbook is part of. At one point Rose travels to England and her story takes a bit of a gothic turn, but the story overall has a core of sweet wholesomeness and the quaint old-fashioned language and vivid descriptions of the past will intrigue those who enjoy historical fiction. Tea Cooper is also the author of a variety of other historical novels including The Butterfly Collector, The Fossil Hunter, The Girl in the Painting, and The Women in the Green Dress.

Witchmark
by C.L. Polk
We read Witchmark by C.L. Polk for the Hoboken Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion in August. I had enjoyed several of Polk’s previous works so was intrigued to check out this genre spanning work set in a world similar to Edwardian England after a World War and hear what the book discussion group thought of their work. The book mixes together mystery, fantasy, romance, and historic fiction into a delightful concoction. Wealthy families use their power to control the weather and society around them. Miles is trying to hide from his magical destiny, first as a soldier and now as a doctor at a military hospital. But someone from his past turns up and then he meets a charming gentleman straight out a fairy story and his days of hiding come to a dramatic end. Can Miles solve the mystery of a murdered patient whose life he tried to save? This is the first in the Kingston Cycle Series.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Magical Mysterious Romantasies: Voyage of the Damned & Rise and Divine

21 Aug

Voyage of the Damned
by Frances White
I enjoyed this new book from Frances White. Voyage of the Damned has a bit of everything, an interesting mystery with limited suspects (in this case a group of magically gifted “blessed” from the different parts of a magical kingdom represented by a variety of animals), a sweet romance, and of course an exciting fantasy adventure with a bit of horror mixed in. White created a diverse and interesting group of characters and I enjoyed that the main protagonist was pale, chubby and often thought of himself as cowardly and awkward despite in the end being brave. I kind of predicted what I think was meant to be a bit of a twist, but I still found it a satisfying plotline. It was a fast paced read and for those who are looking for a great stand-alone fantasy that won’t require committing to a long series before a resolution, than you will enjoy this work.

Rise and Divine
by Lana Harper
Rise and Divine is the fifth and final novel in Lana Harper’s Witches of Thistle Grove Series. I had previously read and reviewed several of them and enjoyed them all. They each feature a romance centered around a woman who is part of one of the four witch family’s that settled Thistle Grove and draw power from the magical lake that is found there. The books can be enjoyed individually, but since there are parts of the overall back story revealed over time, I would recommend reading them in order. The books feature many LGBTQ characters and in this case focuses on the relationship between two women one, Ivy, from the Thorn family whose magic comes from nature and life and the other Dasha, who is a “devil eater” from the necromancing Avramov family. The novel picks up after a previous romance between the two failed after Dasha’s depression led her to pull away into a limbo other realm. Now an ancient menace is growing in strength and Dasha may be the only one to be able to save Thistle Grove, but who will save Dasha?

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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