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Fairytales for Adults: How to Summon a Fairy Godmother and Nightmare Before Kissmas

9 Oct

How to Summon a Fairy Godmother
by Laura J. Mayo
How to Marry a Fairy Godmother is Laura J. Mayo’s debut novel and the first in her Fairies and Familiars series. The book is a clever retelling of Cinderella focusing on one of her not so wicked step sisters. I loved that the happily ever after at the end wasn’t what I expected and though I saw a bit of twist coming the book surprised me with how it all played out. Also what was great was that the story didn’t simply pivot and make the Cinderella character the “bad guy” and her sister the “good guy” but showed the complex way in which people can both act in good and bad ways depending on the pressures placed on them and both act in ways that are reprehensible and heroic in turn. The book deals with issues of breaking the chains of familial trauma and owning ones actions. The familiars in the novel refer to the fairies’ human servants who are able to take animal form and by doing so keep the helper animals from many fairy stories without being overly cutesy. I enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to the next one in the series. Hoboken residents can borrow it using their Libby app from Overdrive. Hoboken resident library card holders have access to both the elibraryNJ and eBCCLS Overdrive collections.

Nightmare Before Kissmas
by Sara Raasch
Nightmare Before Kissmass is also the first in a new series. Fantasy writer Sara Raasch takes on the rom-com genre in a unique way imagining a world where each holiday is ruled by magical royal families. Joy is a commodity and Christmas has been creating a monopoly, which it hopes to expand even more by having the heir to Christmas marry the princess of Easter. The only issue is the Christmas Prince is in love with the Prince of Halloween. As the title might suggest there is a lot of silly humor in the story and it would be a fun read for Christmas or Halloween. There are some serious moments though and all of the characters are dealing with a loss of some sort. Although there is a happily ever after at the books end, it doesn’t arrive for every character leaving room for future developments. If you enjoy this novel, then you are lucky the next one in the series promises to involve St. Patrick’s Day.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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A Japanese Thriller: Kanae Minato’s Penance

2 Oct

The death of a child is always tragic, even more so if the child is murdered and their killer remains free for fifteen years with no clue as to who the killer might be and the only witnesses to the crime all claim that they can’t remember his face. In Kanae Minato’s Penance, these are the circumstances that befall four young girls when one of their friends is brutally murdered and her mother vows vengeance against the girls unless the killer is caught before the statute of limitations is up. 

Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the characters, Sae, Maki, Akiko, and Yuko and what each of them did the day of the murder and what life for each of them was like going forward. 

The connecting threads between the four and the murder of their friend all connect to each other in unique ways, each one of them having to face an aftermath for what happened the night of their friend’s murder. 

Minato’s prose are gripping, giving each character a unique voice while still keeping the mystery going as to who the killer could possibly be, with each character providing a unique clue until the final chapter with the girl’s mother, where all the puzzle pieces fit together and we are left with an ending that is both ambiguous and satisfying at the same time. It’s easy to see why Minato’s considered to be one of Japan’s most influential thriller and mystery novelists today. 

Penance is an excellent read that many mystery readers will enjoy and a great introduction to Kanae Minato’s work. 

Written by:
Lauren Lapinski
Library Assistant

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