Panacea by Alex Robins
SPFBO Status: Cut
Blurb:
At the heart of every legend lies a truth.
Twisted and reshaped by the currents of time.
For twenty years, strategos Dexios has led the phalanx of Thena against its enemies, pulled from one battleground to another in a relentless cycle of war and bloodshed. Now, finally, he has found the courage to leave that life behind. To relinquish his officer’s sword and return to the verdant slopes of his vineyard with his wife and son.
Peace, however, is fragile and capricious. When Thena’s northern allies bring word of an enormous tauran horde gathering on their borders, Dexios has no choice but to answer the call to arms one last time.
As humans and tauros collide, another evil wakes. Whispered rumours of a clawed creature that stalks the shadowy streets. Of violent murders committed in the name of deities long thought vanquished. To speak their names is heresy.
They are the Exiled. The Banished.
The Ruined Gods.
General Thoughts:
Panacea was an interesting mix of the enthusiasm and optimism of youth pitted against the jagged and weary veteran. Robins brings vivid characters to life with intriguing backstories that keep you invested in their futures. There is an interesting mix of mythological creatures and a twist on Greek mythology that piques the curiosity, especially as evidence of the gods meddling takes shape.
Robins orchestrates a brutal battle scene that tears at the heartstrings as the legendary warriors of Thena, both young and old, respond to an unprecedented threat. This battle shapes the rest of the book, both with biased decision-making by the main characters and the desperate response of a city fighting for its survival. I thoroughly enjoyed Panacea, though I found the tunnel vision, pipe dream arc for one of the main characters tiresome by the end, despite the outcome yielding some of the most surprising revelations. I especially enjoyed how Elena evolved throughout this read, growing into a character that was easy to root for, especially as she worked to unravel the mysteries in the face of looming disaster. The ending plot twists make Panacea feel more like a prequel to a larger playing field.
A Song of Sorrow by C. E. Page
SPFBO Status: Cut
Blurb:
Keep your head down, stay silent, and never use your magic.
These are the rules that Deana has lived by ever since she and her brother lost their parents in a tragic accident. Now Kai is gone as well. He was the only thing keeping her anchored to a world that will never truly accept her. A world that sees her connection to Grandmother Ocean as a curse and her magic as an anomaly that will eventually spin out of her control and destroy everything.
When Bran arrived in the Faridean Isles to study the magical affliction plaguing its young prince, he didn’t expect to be thrown into a race to stop a tyrant from unleashing chaos. But when Prince Samir is kidnapped and Deana-the only person who knows the truth about the mysterious shrouded ones-goes missing, he finds himself swept up by the machinations of a centuries-old curse. A curse that when triggered will drag the Isles and all in them into the fathomless deep.
General Thoughts:
A Song of Sorrow has a very interesting magical system, though I had more questions than answers by the end of this novel. A trilogy precedes A Song of Sorrow that you in no way needed to read, though key elements in backstories are alluded to that leave the reader feeling like they were missing out on some of the depth to the story. The mystery of the forces pursuing Deana and her budding powers kept my curiosity piqued throughout this read. That said, there are a few rough transitions or leaps in journeys that pull the reader out of the story. Additionally, situations were developed in a way that forced main characters to rush into decisions that didn’t quite seem to align with established personalities or values. The end was also abrupt, feeling like the conclusion of part one instead of the end of a novel. In general, A Song of Sorrow is an intriguing magical world with vivid characters whose depths have only just been tapped.
The Deep Space Between by Cassandra Stirling
SPFBO Status: Cut
Blurb:
A deep slash crossed out the total population of the “Welcome to Merricott” sign. Underneath it, a new number appeared in white, drips of paint streaking the sign like tears.
Forty-two flames extinguished, her mother, father, uncle, and grandfather among them. Seraphina clenched her jaw, wiping away her tears.
It was just a town.
Her hands clenched into fists on her lap. She forced them to relax.
It was just a town.
Maybe if she repeated it enough, it’d be true.
Seraphina Lastra Covington had never planned to set foot in the Magical Community of Merricott, New Hampshire again. When she reluctantly returns after a twelve-year absence, she finds that the town has changed: the bustling square she once knew is quiet, and a Magic Wielding child has gone missing. It is not until she starts heeding advice from the voice inside of her head that she realizes everything in her childhood home is not as it seems.
The Deep Space Between is a character-driven urban fantasy that explores friendship, grief, and identity while unearthing Merricott’s — and the Lastra family’s — deepest secrets.
General Thoughts:
Seraphina had been through a terrible tragedy as a child that resulted in her being banished from her family and her home. Following the completion of her schooling, she returns home to find much has changed, with mysteries around every corner threatening the lives of so many she cares about. Arguably more concerning is the strange voice that has awakened in her own mind, be it friend or foe.
Initially when reading The Deep Space Between, I felt like this plot would follow a relatively predictable mold. That is until the second point-of-view utterly captured my attention. While the conflict between the two main characters grew rather frustrating, I mostly enjoyed their bantering, intrigued by how this unique dynamic would finally resolve itself and what secrets would be revealed along the way. Prejudice is a theme that is heavy throughout The Deep Space Between, though very little foundation is built to establish this bias. And while I found I really enjoyed the premise and characters in this novel, I found myself wishing for more details and depth regarding both worldbuilding and depth to pull me more firmly into this intriguing literary world. Overall, The Deep Space Between is a fascinating magical world based in modern day that is rife with prejudice and old grudges that young Seraphina must navigate in order to uncover the mystery that threatens them all.
Warlock of Muscovy by Brien Feathers
SPFBO Status: Cut
Blurb:
When words fail, bring out the guns, swords, and death spells.
Marina is the daughter of Tsar Alexander the Cruel, the most powerful warlock. She’s also a princess of the Court of White Rose. The only problem is that she’s mundane—she has no magic.
On her sixteenth birthday Marina fled from her father’s tsardom to the revolutionist side of Muscovy, and five years later she’s doing all right, working as a seamstress in the United Workers’ Factory. Despite the political police, the never-ending witch hunt, and her best friend living as an orange cat, she’s happy. She gets along with her cottage mates and is even seeing a guy… until the city blows up, she’s implied in the sabotage, her guy turns out to be an enemy, her friends are murdered, and an alchemist maniac hunts her down for a blood vendetta.
With the Red Army and the Alchemist Federation on her heels, Marina runs back to the Court of White Rose, but when death follows her home she must uncover a prophecy, reconcile with the warlock, and stop an oncoming war. It’s a tall order for a seamstress.
The first book in the Sun War Trilogy, this intensely dark tale of magic and mayhem is full of grey characters that blur the line between good and evil.
General Thoughts:
Warlock of Muscovy by Brien Feathers is a historical, dark fantasy that draws inspiration from Slavic folklore, examining political and societal upheaval against a magical backdrop. Although this novel is on the shorter side, the characters feel complex and complete, the story is engaging, and the world is expansive. Interestingly enough, we begin this adventure at the end, so the reader has an idea of what the outcome is but doesn’t know how we got there or when disaster strikes, allowing Feathers to capitalize on mounting dread as she walks you through what transpired. After uncovering family secrets and a prophecy that has yet to play out, it’ll be interesting to see how Marina finds her footing as this fight expands to new locales and Courts as the series continues.
Vanishing Ink by B. N. Reele
SPFBO Status: Cut
Blurb:
Twenty-year-old Maylee finds herself transported into a world by a book she finds in her grandmother’s library, only to be kidnapped by a prince in hiding and his loyal chef upon arrival.
The ultimate betrayal.
Unexpected lust.
A magical book that shows the future.
A tiny creature with a big attitude.
But that’s not all she experiences while in the land of Kanore. An evil tyrant has murdered the prince’s family in order to gain control over the country. Her new friends take her on some unfortunate adventures as she assists them on their journey to reclaim the throne. With the help of the book, she finds herself able to escape the most dire of situations. Even when the ink disappears, the story continues.
General Thoughts:
While visiting her grandmother’s new house, Maylee discovers a hidden library. One book stands out to her because it’s blank… until suddenly it’s not. Mesmerized by the picture that forms before her, Maylee finds herself transported to the land of Kanore and is immediately taken hostage. What she doesn’t realize is that she’s been dropped in the middle of a dispute between royal family members that’s left a prince disgraced and on the run.
Although it’s mostly said in jest, Maylee is subjected to multiple instances of sexual harassment over the course of this story, along with a few threats of sexual assault. While Maylee’s reactions to these events paint her as strong and unfazed, she also comes across as naïve to how her retorts could escalate each situation. Her character is also quick to trust others who seem to be on her side, prompting her to reveal secrets to individuals she’s just met. Luckily for Maylee, the majority of the secondary characters are exactly as they first appear, something I kept expecting to backfire. Overall, Maylee finds herself surrounded by folks looking out for her wellbeing, whether she wants them to or not (she’d put the emphasis on not). As Vanishing Ink reaches its natural conclusion, Reele upends expectations in an interesting way that leaves the reader pondering what comes next.
The Critiquing Chemist 