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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A Mystery filled with 90’s Nostalgia: Home is Where the Bodies Are

14 Aug

Death can bring out many things. It is something we all know is coming but something that affects us once a loved one is gone. Sometimes it’s over what’s been left behind to loved ones, other times it’s the memories of them, but in some cases, the things brought out are much darker than anyone could anticipate.

Jeneva Rose’s Home Is Where the Bodies Are tells us the story of Beth, Nicole, and Michael, three estranged siblings who reunite after the death of their mother. Beth, who was with her mother when she passed, is left a strange and cryptic message she doesn’t know how to make sense of. The three siblings are left with a handful of items, including a set of VHS tapes that reveals a horrifying connection between their family and an unsolved murder that will have a ripple effect on them all. 

There’s lots of nostalgia for the ‘90s kids out there, references to cd players and slang that might make some people cringe to remember, but also adds to the time period of the book as well. One flaw that the novel does suffer from is the slow pacing, the urgency of the mystery almost not as important as their own individual personal dramas clashing together. While these personal dramas are important to character development and can often lend themselves to the plot, in this case, it doesn’t work out so well. You’ll get one or two paragraphs of a character looking through old journals or watching old tapes to see if they can find anything more regarding the mystery, but then the rest of the chapter will go on about something more mundane and not relating to the plot at all. 

Nicole and Michael are two of the more interesting characters in the book, their struggles and points of view the most compelling to read about through the book and the two characters who actually seem like they want to solve the mystery connected to their family. Beth, while seeming determined to solve the mystery, spends most of her chapters trying to impress an old highschool sweetheart who is connected to the murder. While she debates on telling him what she learned, she more often than not, spends more time lamenting on what could have been with him and hoping to win him back rather than what she can do to possibly solve the mystery and potentially bring him closure. When she’s not doing that, she spends much of her other chapters being judgemental, which may or may not be part of her character flaw. 

The final twist is one that some may find refreshing and doesn’t fall into the now popular trope of “the love interest is the killer”. There are clues that hint at who the killer is, but they are subtle enough not to be too obvious and even if you’re just following the story along, it still comes as quite a surprise. Overall, this is a good read for anyone new to mystery novels and for anyone seeking a nostalgia trip back to the ‘90s.

Written by:
Lauren Lapinski
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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