Author: fantasticfictionsblog

Behind the Attic Wall

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Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy
Genres: Ghosts, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Avon/ Camelot/ Hearst Co.
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 0-380-69843-9
Rating: 2/5
Amazon ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

At twelve, Maggie had been thrown out of more boarding schools than she cared to remember. “Impossible to handle,” they said—nasty, mean, disobedient, rebellious, thieving—anything they could say to explain why she must be removed from the school.

Maggie was thin and pale, with shabby clothes and stringy hair, when she arrived at her new home. “It was a mistake to bring her here,” said Maggie’s great-aunts, whose huge stone house looked like another boarding school—or a prison. But they took her in anyway. After all, aside from Uncle Morris, they were Maggie’s only living relatives.

But from behind the closet door in the great and gloomy house, Maggie hears the faint whisperings, the beckoning voices. And in the forbidding house of her ancestors, Maggie finds magic…the kind that lets her, for the first time, love and be loved.

Personal & Info

This is a children’s book from 1983. I can’t remember if I got it from a pre-owned book sale or as a random grab from Goodwill. Either way, I got it as something a little different to try.

The cover is misleading. Yes, there are dolls in the story. No, Maggie is not a ghost. I have no idea why the artwork makes her look like that. Yes, there is a dog in the story, but it’s supposed to be ceramic. I have no idea why the cover portrays an actual normal looking dog.

The description is also misleading. The magic it refers to is metaphorical.

Content Warnings

-Self Harm (mild)

-Self Hate

-Anorexia

-Death

-Animated Dolls

Characters

There are a few characters I will not list here, because knowing them ahead of time would take away from the story.

Margaret Ann Turner, who goes by Maggie, is the main character. When the story begins, she is twelve, but by the end, she’s approximately fourteen. Both of her parents died in an accident, so she’s an orphan who has been passed from one living situation to another.

Great-Aunts Lillian and Harriet are Maggie’s aunts who take her in for the duration of the story. Maggie can only tell them apart by Lillian’s freckles and Harriet’s wrinkles.

Uncle Morris is Maggie’s eccentric uncle. He always says strange things and makes odd jokes that Maggie doesn’t understand. Most of his dialogue takes what anybody says extremely literal.

Edith and Clara are Maggie’s new younger sisters to whom she is telling the story.

Story & Thoughts

Behind the Attic Wall tells the story in the form of both a memory, and retelling of events to Maggie’s new little sisters. Maggie looks back on her time living in Adelphi Hills with her great-aunts. Overall, it’s pretty sad.

Maggie is a frustrated and troubled orphan who has been treated poorly, insulted, and bullied by pretty much everyone, since she lost her family. She doesn’t want any friends, or even any things from anybody. She won’t even accept the clothes her aunts provide upon her moving in.

The torment she’s endured has taken a toll on her self-confidence to the point she is starting to believe the nasty words people use to describe her. Maggie even emulates the way people treat her when playing with her imaginary friends. She imagines them as poorer than herself and dumb as rocks with the memories of goldfish, and she lords this over them to be in a position to be able to say mean things to somebody else. It’s possible she just thinks that’s how people normally interact, because of her personal experience, but she’s only been on the receiving end and clearly wants to be on the end that dishes it out.

Maggie is supposed to grow and heal throughout the story, but the whole thing is bittersweet. Her life gets better just for it to fall apart. It’s one of those simple stories about a child who has a supernatural experience and then has to move on with their life as if it never happened. It’s an unsatisfying ending that leaves a lot of questions.

The story is cute and a little silly, because the friends Maggie encounters are eccentric, but I don’t think it holds up to modern day books. I think kids of today would find it dull. Some with similar mental health struggles might relate, but I don’t think that’s enough to save it.

What I think would make the story better, would be to latch onto the mysterious aspects. Explore the lore more deeply. I certainly have questions I would like answers to after reading it, so it would be nice if the story would go more deeply into some hows and whys. However, doing so would likely change the feel of the story enough that it probably would no longer be what the author was aiming for.

When all is said and done, it was okay. I have no interest in ever reading it again, and I’m probably not going to keep it. I can’t say I would recommend it to anyone, either. It’s a product of its time and it really shows with how Maggie acts more like a six-year-old than a modern day twelve-year-old.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 3, Vol. 3 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke, Vol. 3 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai, Magic
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356092
Rating: 3.75/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll Thriftbooks

Description from the Book

Rozemyne the High Bishop has her hands full: she’s participating in noble society, the baptism ceremony, and the Dedication Ritual, as well as tutoring young children and guard knights with bad grades! Her influence in noble society and the temple increases steadily, and her squad of Gutenbergs work on improving the printing press. As her love for books grows, her mana grows stronger as well. The Saint of Ehrenfest’s work doesn’t stop there, as she must also hunt the Lord of Winter with the Knight’s Order, and then gather a new ingredient for her jureve potion during spring prayer. This is another action-packed volume of this biblio-fantasy, including two lengthy short stories and a four-panel manga drawn by You Shiina!

Personal & Info

It’s unfortunate that the title box for this volume covers the pandabus. The bus can be seen inside the book on the mini-poster version of the cover image. We need more pictures of the pandabus.

Characters

The Archduke’s Family

Rozemyne, is the main character. Now that her Devouring is under control, she mostly just suffers from poor health and low stamina. Her memories of her past life, and her upbringing as a commoner with merchant experience, give her unique ideas and perspectives unlike anyone else in Ehrenfest.

High Priest Ferdinand is Rozemyne’s guardian at the temple, and the illegitimate younger brother of the archduke. He handles the majority of the work that keeps the temple running, and must also occasionally assist the Knight’s Order.

Sylvester is the eccentric archduke of Ehrenfest and Rozemyne’s adoptive father.

Florencia is Sylvester’s wife, Rozemyne’s adoptive mother, and mother to Sylvester’s three children.

Wilfried is Sylvester’s oldest son and Rozemyne’s older brother. He is supposed to become the next archduke of Ehrenfest.

Charlotte is Sylvester’s daughter and Rozemyne’s younger sister.

Melchior is Sylvester’s youngest child and Rozemyne’s younger brother.

The Knight Commander’s Family

Karstedt is the captain of Ehrenfest’s Knight’s Order. He’s also Ferdinand and Sylvester’s cousin, as well as Rozemyne’s noble father.

Elvira is Karstedt’s first wife and Rozemyne’s noble mother.

Eckart is Karstedt’s oldest son. He is around eighteen-years-old and works in the Knight’s Order. Eckart is a big fan of Ferdinand.

Lamprecht is Karstedt’s second son. He is around sixteen-years-old and works as a knight serving as Wilfried’s guard.

Cornelius is Karstedt’s third son. He is around eleven-years-old and works as an apprentice knight serving as Rozemyne’s guard while she is in the Noble’s Quarter.

Rozemyne’s Retainers

Damuel is a knight and laynoble from Part 2, Volume 2, currently assigned as Rozemyne’s guard. He is Henrik’s younger brother. Henrik is the laynoble to whom Freida has a contract.

Rihyarda is Rozemyne’s head attendant in the castle. She is an archnoble who previously took care of Ferdinand, Karstedt, and Sylvester when they were children.

Brigitte is a knight and mednoble serving as Rozemyne’s guard alongside Damuel. She is the younger sister of Giebe Illgner.

Angelica is an apprentice knight and mednoble serving as Rozemyne’s guard alongside Cornelius.

Ottilie is an attendant at the castle. She is an archnoble and friends with Elvira.

Lower City Family

Gunther is Myne’s father. He works as a soldier who currently guards the city’s East gate.

Effa is Myne’s mother. She dyes clothes for a career.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. Her current occupation is apprentice seamstress and she strives to move up in the industry.

Kamil is Myne and Tuuli’s baby brother.

Temple Attendants

Fran is Rozemyne’s head attendant in the temple. He is in charge of managing the High Bishop’s chambers and making sure Rozemyne learns everything she needs to know for her job by the time she needs to know it.

Gil is one of Rozemyne’s attendants in the temple. He is in charge of running the workshop inside the orphanage.

Wilma is one of Rozemyne’s attendants in the temple. She is in charge of running the orphanage and therefore does not reside in Rozemyne’s own chambers. Wilma also provides the art for anything the workshop makes.

Monika is a cook who also helps in the High Bishop’s chambers. She admires Wilma and does her best to emulate her to learn from her example.

Nicola is a cook who also helps in the High Bishop’s chambers.

Fritz is Rozemyne’s new attendant. He helps Gil run the workshop to lessen his workload and cover for him when he needs to travel for business.

Zahm is the High Priest’s attendant who handles all matters between him and Rozemyne.

Personnel

Ella is Rozemyne’s personal chef.

Rosina is Rozemyne’s personal musician.

The Gilberta Company

Benno is the merchant in charge of the Gilberta Company and the Italian restaurant. He assists and advises Rozemyne in her merchant endeavors.

Mark is Benno’s right hand man. He helps manage the store and train the apprentices, as well as cover anything Benno himself might miss.

Lutz is a leherl apprentice. He helps make sure the Rozemyne workshop is in order and acts as a go-between for scheduling merchant relevant visitors. Lutz also helps the workers at the orphanage understand how to use and make the things Rozemyne thinks up.

Corinna is Benno’s younger sister. She is the head seamstress of the Gilberta Company.

The Othmar Company

Gustav is the Guildmaster of the Merchant’s Guild.

Freida is Gustav’s granddaughter with a nose for money. She has a contract with a laynoble to manage her Devouring.

Leise is Freida’s personal chef. She also assists with any projects the company has involving cooking.

Other Nobles

Oswald is an archnoble serving as Wilfried’s head attendant.

Moritz is Wilfried and Rozemyne’s instructor.

Justus is Rihyarda’s son, and one of Ferdinand’s estate attendants. He serves the role as scholar and tax official when necessary. Justus gathers both magical materials and information as a hobby.

Philine is a laynoble in the same class year as Rozemyne. She has a love of books and reminds Rozemyne a little of herself when she was starting out on her book journey in Ehrenfest.

Gutenbergs

Ingo is the foreman of a carpentry workshop. He has Rozemyne’s exclusive business for her carpentry needs.

Johann is a smith talented with fine detail work. He can make otherwise impossible ideas a reality.

Zack is a smith good at coming up with ideas in the form of schematics. He can come up with several usable schematics of varying difficulty using abstract descriptions.

Other

Kampfer and Frietack are blue priests receiving training from Ferdinand to help lighten his workload.

Hasse’s Mayor is in charge of the town where Rozemyne’s new temple workshop is progressing. He has connections relevant to the previous High Bishop, and owns all of the orphans of Hasse.

Richt is both a relative and assistant to the Hasse Mayor.

Story & Thoughts

There is a lot going on in this volume. It covers the end of autumn all the way through Spring Prayer. There are time skips, but still, it’s a lot. Rozemyne’s schedule is packed the whole time.

I’m surprised they cover two seasonal gathering attempts in one book. The winter one is kind of boring. The feybeast is cool, but the actual encounter is rather dull from Rozemyne’s perspective. All she can do is wait, while she can hardly see anything, until Ferdinand comes to get her for the final step.

The spring gathering attempt, however, I love that one. It’s less combat oriented than autumn and winter. They clear out some weaker feybeasts, but the overall gathering is more of a fantastical magical experience. It’s kind of funny, too, because of the guys’ perspective afterward.

Knowing Rozemyne, I won’t be surprised if she keeps most of her current guards as her official retainers when the time comes. She likes to keep people around once she builds trust with them. I can see Brigitte probably leaving her after marriage.

I hope Rozemyne and Philine become good friends. She needs a kindred spirit around. As of right now, I have no idea who she might choose from the playroom to make retainers, but I can’t wait to get to know the new characters better.

Angelica has basically no dialogue or anything until now, so it’s nice to finally get to know her a little. I’m looking forward to seeing how things play out for Brigitte with the new dress, too. I just love all the characters so much.

Winter Debut and the Playroom

These are the events of the Winter Debut and the playroom from Lamprecht’s perspective. What I gather from the story is that all of the people around Wilfried are concerned about Rozemyne swiping the title of the next Aub from him, even though everybody makes it clear Rozemyne has no intention of becoming Archduke. If they aren’t worrying about Rozemyne, they are worrying about Wilfried’s sister, Charlotte, who comes of age the following year. It’s kind of sad, because this just shows most of the people around Wilfried don’t have confidence in him.

The High Bishop’s Exclusive Business

This short story is Ingo’s perspective regarding the carpentry work in Hasse, as well as his stress and uncertainty about whether or not he has Rozemyne’s exclusive business. In the volume, he makes it clear his reputation is on the line if he can’t get clarity, but here we actually get to see the doubt from those around him. It’s clear Rozemyne has more to learn about how to properly work with craftsmen without causing problems.

Ascendance of a Bookworm: Fanbook 1

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Official Fanbook by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina, Suzuka
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian!
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai, Magic
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718350540
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Here is the first official Ascendance of a Bookworm fanbook, intended to be read after finishing Part 3 volume 2. This book contains a slew of additional content, including all the color and cover artwork up to Part 3 Volume 1, a short story on Monika and Nicola’s first tour of the temple, a manga chapter by Suzuka, and three four-panel manga by You Shiina. Also inside are design sheets showing how Bookworm’s characters were visually brought to life, and a Q&A with author Miya Kazuki containing lesser-known details about the plot as well as information on how she planned out and developed the series.

Personal & Info

If you’re not familiar with fanbooks, they usually compile a bunch of bonus material. This one has cover art, inner color art, concept art for character designs, bonus comics, a Q&A with the creator, and a short story. The size of the book itself is larger than the manga or light novel, but the page count is small.

Characters

Instead of doing a full character list for every character in the entire series, I will just list the characters that appear in the short story and comics.

Rozemyne, previously Myne, is the main character. Now that her Devouring is under control, she mostly just suffers from poor health and low stamina. Her memories of her past life, and her upbringing as a commoner with merchant experience, give her unique ideas and perspectives unlike anyone else in Ehrenfest.

Lutz is a leherl apprentice at the Gilberta Company. He helps make sure the Rozemyne workshop is in order and acts as a go-between for scheduling merchant relevant visitors. Lutz also helps the workers at the orphanage understand how to use and make the things Rozemyne thinks up.

Gunther is Myne’s father. He works as a soldier who currently guards the city’s East gate. Earlier in the series, he guarded the South gate.

Effa is Myne’s mother. She dyes clothes for a career.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. Her current occupation is apprentice seamstress and she strives to move up in the industry. She currently works for the Gilberta Company as a leherl. Early in the series, she would go to the forest with the other kids in the neighborhood.

Fran is Rozemyne’s head attendant in the temple. He is in charge of managing the High Bishop’s chambers and making sure Rozemyne learns everything she needs to know for her job by the time she needs to know it.

Rosina, previously one of Rozemyne’s temple attendants, is now her personal musician.

Monika is an attendant who cooks and also helps in the High Bishop’s chambers. She admires Wilma and does her best to emulate her to learn from her example.

Nicola is an attendant who loves cooking and also helps in the High Bishop’s chambers.

High Priest Ferdinand is Rozemyne’s guardian at the temple, and the illegitimate younger brother of the archduke. He handles the majority of the work that keeps the temple running, and must also occasionally assist the Knight’s Order.

Otto is one of Gunther’s co-workers who handles the clerical work at the gate. He is married to Corinna, Benno’s younger sister, and will start to play a bigger part at the Gilberta company.

Story & Thoughts

Overall, this fanbook is a great source of bonus content to read, flip through, or stare at whenever you need a little a little more Ascendance of a Bookworm. It has a little bit of everything. I look forward to getting the rest of the fanbooks for the series.

Color and Cover Art Gallery

This section is so beautiful. It’s nice to see all the art from each volume blown up. I never get tired of looking it. The only negative is the binding crease. It really takes away from the larger images that require two pages. I’m not sure if the book should have been bigger or if the larger pictures should have been fold out, but the binding crease is definitely worse than the fold out creases the individual volumes had. That is the main reason I didn’t give the book a five.

Color and Cover Art Sketch Gallery

The sketch section is cool. When one hears the word sketch, they typically don’t expect something with as much detail as we see here. The pictures are beautiful and complex with an almost ethereal quality.

Temple Tour

My biggest excitement about this part is there is a temple diagram. I’ve been wanting this for a long time. I thought it should have been included in many volumes, since there were diagrams of the city and the country. So if you’re like me, and have been waiting and hoping for a map of the temple, they put it here. You can follow the entirety of this short story using the temple diagram.

It takes place during the time when Rozemyne is resting while her chambers are being prepared for her role as High Bishop. Monika and Nicola have just been hired as her newest retainers, and Fran is giving them a tour of the temple, since they’ve never left the orphanage before. It’s in Nicola’s perspective, and the tour is turn by turn, so it’s easy to follow where they are in the building. After reading this, it’s pretty clear I was imagining the majority of the building wrong.

The story is cute, because Monika and Nicola are both so nervous to be taking on such an important job in the noble section of the building. However, I find it a little concerning that Rozemyne’s promotion causes so many people to have to relocate their chambers. I can see how that might contribute to resentment, but some of those people are likely glad to move if they don’t like her. It’s always interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes outside of Rozemyne’s view.

Character Design Sheets

It seems like You Shiina got immediate approval for a majority of the character designs, and only minor adjustments for the others. That’s crazy good. I love seeing the before and after designs for the ones that show both.

Bonus Manga Chapter by Suzuka

This is a “side episode” that takes place while Myne is at home, sick, after her clay tablets have been destroyed. The story is amusing enough. Gunther stresses over Myne’s health while she plots revenge using terms nobody can understand, because they are all things from her Urano days.

My only problem with it is I’m not fond of the art style the manga uses. I’m not saying this to be mean, but it seems like a step down in quality when compared with the light novel and anime. I think the art for the light novel is the best, followed by the anime, and lastly the manga. I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just saying it doesn’t hit the same if the manga was not the first exposure to the series.

A prime example to make my point would be Gunther’s hair. The light novel and anime both use relatively similar hairstyles for him. The manga, in Suzuka’s style, makes him look like a completely different person. His hair, and even his face, are so different from the others. I don’t know why his design is so different, but it bugs me. I’ll have to get used to it eventually, though, because I do plan on reading the manga version of the series at some point.

Q&A with Miya Kazuki

The Q&A has so much interesting information. It made me aware I have missed some details or forgotten some things along the way. I’m now looking forward to a reread of the whole series at some point in the future.

Miya Kazuki’s writing process and personal story are so inspirational. It just goes to show, you never know if your hobby or art might take off or become someone’s favorite thing someday. It’s clear a lot of love went into the making of the series.

Bonus Manga Shorts by You Shiina

This section is four panel comics by You Shiina, like what we usually see at the end of the light novel volumes. They are cute and funny shorts discussing what fanbooks are and of whom they would want fanbook content made. For example, Otto would want a Corinna fanbook.

Light Novel Haul November-December 2024

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About

Holiday burnout has me running behind schedule, so bare with me while I get back on track. This haul covers all my light novels from November and December. I didn’t buy any regular novels or manga during those months.

This is probably the largest batch of light novels I’ve had so far. Everything is either a gift, or a purchase from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Most of the Amazon purchases came in paper bags, which is why you might see some corner damage in the picture.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 3

At the moment, I’m just stocking up on this version of the series as they release in physical print. I’ll read them at my leisure eventually, but right now, I’m more focused on the manga version of the series. If you want to see the reviews for those, they can be found in the index. I am looking forward to reading these light novels, but it’ll likely be a while.

What is it?

A Chinese inspired historical mystery romance, mostly taking place inside the Inner Palace of the emperor’s consorts.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Vol. 10-21

These are Part 3 Volumes 3 through 5, and the entirety of Part 4, which is nine volumes. I’ve been hyper-addicted to this series, so I’ve been getting as many volumes as I feasibly can. Reviews for the rest of Part 3 are done and ready to go, so those will likely be up soon.

I’m starting to reach the point where there will be side story novels to collect. As far as I’m aware, there is a side story series that has at least two volumes, and at least one book specifically involving Rozemyne’s classmates from Part 4, so that gives me at least three extra books to read. The Fanbooks and side novels all start to be applicable in parts 3-5. It’s not as expansive as say, My Hero Academia’s universe, but I love that it has bonus side stuff.

What is it?

An isekai about a bookworm who wakes up as a five-year-old girl in a world where books are unobtainable by the general public, so she decides to make her own and strive to make them more accessible.

Miscellaneous

Ascendance of a Bookworm: Official Fanbook 1

I’ve never really been interested in getting fanbooks before. My guess is because nothing resonated with me enough to warrant bothering with them. I love Ascendance of a Bookworm so much that I knew I had to have them when I found out they existed. This one was a Christmas gift, and I’ve already read it, so if the review is not up, it will be soon.

As of right now, there are five known fanbooks for the series. Only three of them are currently published in physical print in English. I plan on getting all of them eventually, but the second one is currently out of stock everywhere, so it’ll likely be a while until I can get a copy.

What is it?

A complication of art, bonus stories, and Q&A’s relevant to Ascendance of a Bookworm.

Uprising

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Uprising by Sean McCabe
Series Name: Vampire Federation
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Thriller, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Signet/ Penguin
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-451-41306-2
Rating: 2/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

A gruesome ritual murder has stained the Oxfordshire countryside. It’s the first incident in a chain of events awaking Detective Inspector Joel Solomon to his worst nightmare—and it’s a dreadful omen of things to come. Because Joel has a secret: He believes in vampires.

Alex Bishop is an agent of the Vampire Intelligence Agency. She’s been tasked with enforcing the laws of the global Vampire Federation and hunting rogue members of her race. A tough job made tougher when the Federation comes under attack by Traditionalist vampires. They have a stake in old-school terror—and in an uprising as violent as it is widespread.

Now Alex and Joel find themselves in a deadly war between the living and the Undead—and against a horrifying tradition given new life by the blood of the innocent.

Personal & Info

Vampire Federation is a duology. For those interested in the second volume, it’s The Cross. As of right now, I have no plans to read or review the second volume.

Content Warnings

-Violence

-kidnapping and consumption of a baby

Characters

Alex Bishop is the female main character. She is a Vampire Intelligence Agency enforcer. Her job is to travel the world and threaten or execute vampires breaking Federation rules or risking exposure. Alex is approximately one hundred and thirteen years-old as a vampire, and doesn’t completely agree with how the Federation runs things.

Joel Solomon is the male main character. He is a Detective Inspector with a tragic childhood vampire experience. Joel is the spitting image of Alex’s lover from her human life, possibly even a reincarnation.

Kate Hawthorne is the seventeen-year-old daughter of Gillian Hawthorn and her solicitor husband. She lives next door to Dec Maddon, and she has a crush on him.

Dec Maddon is Kate Hawthorne’s neighbor and close friend. Gillian Hawthorne does not think much of him or his family. Dec has a crush on Kate and sometimes doesn’t see clearly because of his feelings.

Harry Rumble is the chief of the London branch of the Vampire Intelligence Agency. He is Alex’s boss, and he reports to the Ruling Council of the Federation.

Xavier Garrett is Harry Rumble’s assistant. He hates Alex Bishop and doesn’t even try to hide it.

Gabriel Stone is the main villain of the novel, and leading General of the anti-Federation group, also referred to as “Trads” or Traditionalists. He reports to a group of ancient vampires to give reports and receive orders.

Lilith is Gabriel’s sister. She’s the one vampire in his group he seems to care about most, even though she can be a bit of a loose cannon. Her combat specialty is swordsmanship.

Seymour Finch is Gabriel Stone’s butler or personal assistant. He is not human nor a vampire.

Jeremy Lonsdale is a multimillionaire politician serving office as a cabinet minister. He is tangled up in the wrong crowd and in over his head with no way out.

Story & Thoughts

I like the setting. It’s relatively modern, so cell phones and most technologies we’re familiar with in current day exist. Vampires have adapted to the modern world by inventing medications that serve their needs, which makes sense. They have three drugs they use regularly: Nosferol, Solazal, and Vambloc.

Nosferol is a poison the Federation uses to execute rogue vampires and those who break the rules. It’s not pleasant. It basically makes all the blood vessels explode and turns the vampire inside out, resulting in a very painful and bloody death.

Solazal, the most necessary drug to blend with society, allows vampires to walk in the sun. They have to take it every twelve hours to keep it in their systems. It seems like Federation registered vampires normally operate during typical human business hours thanks to Solazal.

Vambloc, probably equally important, if not more so, is a short term memory eraser. It allows vampires to feed from humans without risk of exposure. It also prevents humans from changing after a feed.

All this, along with the premise of the story, seems promising. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it. I struggled the whole way through.

The chapters are very short, sometimes only two pages. They change by time of day and perspective to tell the story. Early on, it feels like it’s jumping around way too much. I got used to it eventually, but it was jarring for a while to only get a few pages of content from a character before jumping to another.

I’ve seen the book tagged as fast-paced, but it didn’t feel like that to me. A lot of ground was being covered with a lot of characters, but I didn’t feel like the story was actually moving until about halfway through. Even then, I just couldn’t click with it.

I like the overarching story well enough, but maybe I just don’t resonate with how it’s told. If I already had the second book, I would probably read it, but I’m not interested enough to put in the effort to get it. I enjoyed the book enough not to abandon it, but I did consider doing so a few times.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 3, Vol. 2 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke, Vol. 2 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai, Magic
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356085
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

Rozemyne, now both the High Bishop and the archduke’s adopted daughter, finds herself lost in a position of power she just isn’t used to. Preparing for the Harvest Festival, taking care of new orphans, dealing with the dissatisfaction of a neighboring town—her list of problems just keeps on growing. On top of all that, Ferdinand the High Priest is being as harsh as he can be. Still, Rozemyne doesn’t give up! Encouraged by meetings with her lower city family and friends, she recharges by reading books in the temple! She’ll need as much energy as she can get as the yearly Night of Schutzaria is fast approaching, where Rozemyne will need to travel to the forest bordering Dorvan to gather materials… Being the High Bishop is hard, okay?

Personal & Info

There are some bonus comics at the end of the book. I think the comics at the end of the other volume(s), so far, are better than these ones. They’re still cute, though.

Characters

The Archduke’s Family

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, and now Rozemyne, is the main character. Now that her Devouring is under control, she mostly just suffers from poor health and low stamina.

High Priest Ferdinand is Rozemyne’s guardian at the temple, and the illegitimate younger brother of the archduke. He handles the majority of the work that keeps the temple running, and must also occasionally assist the Knight’s Order.

Sylvester is the eccentric archduke of Ehrenfest and Rozemyne’s adoptive father.

Florencia is Sylvester’s wife, Rozemyne’s adoptive mother, and mother to Sylvester’s three children.

Wilfried is Sylvester’s oldest son and Rozemyne’s older brother.

Charlotte is Sylvester’s daughter and Rozemyne’s sister.

Melchior is Sylvester’s two-year-old son and Rozemyne’s younger brother.

The Knight Commander’s Family

Karstedt is the captain of Ehrenfest Knight’s Order. He’s also Ferdinand and Sylvester’s cousin, as well as Rozemyne’s noble father.

Elvira is Karstedt’s first wife and Rozemyne’s noble mother.

Eckart is Karstedt’s oldest son. He is around eighteen-years-old and works in the Knight’s Order. Eckart is a big fan of Ferdinand.

Lamprecht is Karstedt’s second son. He is around sixteen-years-old and works as a knight serving as Wilfried’s guard.

Cornelius is Karstedt’s third son. He is around eleven-years-old and works as an apprentice knight serving as Rozemyne’s guard while she is in the Noble’s Quarter.

Rozemyne’s Retainers

Damuel is a knight and laynoble from Part 2, Volume 2, currently assigned as Rozemyne’s guard.

Rihyarda is Rozemyne’s head attendant in the castle. She is an archnoble who previously took care of Ferdinand, Karstedt, and Sylvester when they were children.

Brigitte is a knight and mednoble serving as Rozemyne’s guard alongside Damuel. She is the younger sister of Giebe Illgner.

Angelica is an apprentice knight and mednoble serving as Rozemyne’s guard alongside Cornelius.

Ottilie is an attendant at the castle. She is an archnoble and friends with Elvira.

Lower City Family

Gunther is Myne’s father. He works as a soldier who currently guards the city’s East gate.

Effa is Myne’s mother. She dyes clothes and makes hairpins for a career.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. Her current occupation is apprentice seamstress and she strives to move up in the industry.

Kamil is Myne and Tuuli’s baby brother.

Temple Attendants

Fran is Rozemyne’s head attendant in the temple. He is in charge of managing the High Bishop’s chambers and making sure Rozemyne learns everything she needs to know for her job by the time she needs to know it.

Gil is one of Rozemyne’s attendants in the temple. He is in charge of running the workshop inside the orphanage.

Wilma is one of Rozemyne’s attendants in the temple. She is in charge of running the orphanage and therefore does not reside in Rozemyne’s own chambers. Wilma also provides the art for anything the workshop makes.

Monika is a cook who also helps in the High Bishop’s chambers. She helps fill the roles of Rosina and Delia’s previous jobs. Monika admires Wilma and does her best to emulate her to learn from her example.

Nicola is a cook who also helps in the High Bishop’s chambers. She helps fill the roles of Rosina and Delia’s previous jobs.

Zahm is the High Priest’s attendant who handles all matters between him and Rozemyne.

Personnel

Ella is Rozemyne’s personal chef.

Rosina is Rozemyne’s personal musician.

The Gilberta Company

Benno is the merchant in charge of the Gilberta Company and the Italian restaurant. He assists and advises Rozemyne in her merchant endeavors.

Mark is Benno’s right hand man. He helps manage the store and train the apprentices, as well as cover anything Benno himself might miss.

Lutz is a leherl apprentice. He helps make sure the Rozemyne workshop is in order and acts as a go-between for scheduling merchant relevant visitors. Lutz also helps the workers at the orphanage understand how to use and make the things Rozemyne thinks up.

The Othmar Company

Gustav is the Guildmaster of the Merchant’s Guild.

Freida is Gustav’s granddaughter with a nose for money. She has a contract with a laynoble to manage her Devouring.

Leise is Freida’s personal chef. She also assists with any projects the company has involving cooking.

Other

Hugo is the head chef of the Italian restaurant.

Hasse’s Mayor is in charge of the town of Hasse where Rozemyne’s new temple workshop is progressing. He has connections relevant to the previous High Bishop, and owns all of the orphans of Hasse, so Rozemyne will have to go through him to recruit them.

Richt is both a relative and assistant to the Hasse Mayor.

Kantna is the scholar who inspected Hasse along with the Gilberta Company to see if it would be worth setting up a workshop there.

Oswald is an archnoble serving as Wilfried’s head attendant.

Moritz is Wilfried and Rozemyne’s instructor.

Justus is Rihyarda’s son, and will be accompanying Rozemyne as a tax official during the Harvest Festival.

Nadine is Brigitte’s apprentice attendant residing in her knight’s dorm. She is a noble, and thinks less of temple attendants.

Thore(11), his older sister Nora(14), Rick(12), and his younger sister Marthe(8) are four orphans from Hasse who want to try life in Rozemyne’s new temple.

Story & Thoughts

This volume has some pretty good highs. There are a few things I love about it, but they are few and far between. Don’t get me wrong, I love this whole series. It’s just that this volume is a smidge lackluster compared to the usual. It has that feeling of not much happening when really there’s a lot going on.

Every book makes me love the characters more. They keep doing or saying things that are touching or make me go, “aww.” The cast is so wonderful. I’m a bit sad that Damuel has less dialogue, but the plus side is we get to know Brigitte better.

The real gold of the volume is probably the swap day. Rozemyne had a wonderful time, but the same can’t be said for Wilfried. Thankfully, his side of that day is a bonus story, and it’s so glorious. It’s kind of ironic, though, because Rozemyne had been asked before to help with Wilfried’s education, and she declined. I guess he bothered her enough that she felt the need to step in.

It’s finally time for Rozemyne to gather her first ingredient to help solve her mana problem. I have to say, I was not expecting the outcome. I’m not happy about Brigitte’s thoughts regarding Damuel, either. Last we heard, he’s still in his growing period for his mana. I want him to become stronger than a regular Laynoble because of the blessing he received, but that might be wishful thinking.

The problem regarding the Mayor of Hasse will take more time to resolve, since it’s a time consuming plan. There will probably be more on that in the next volume or two. Rozemyne said she won’t be thinking about it again until spring, so we’ll see how it plays out then.

Overall, this volume is a wonderful comfort read. It’s not one of the best the series has to offer, but I find it relaxing, and it makes me smile and giggle. I genuinely cannot get enough when it comes to this series. Every volume is like a treasure.

Wilfried’s Day as the High Bishop

I can’t tell you how happy I am that this is a bonus chapter. When Rozemyne and Wilfried switched, I was hoping this would be included. This is Wilfried’s perspective for his day as the High Bishop.

Honestly, it’s a little tame compared to what I was expecting. Ferdinand made me think it was much worse. Regardless, this chapter is gold. Wilfried is spoiled and none of his attendants or retainers will be firm with him. Rozemyne’s on the other hand, they don’t take any crap. It’s amusing to see his reaction when nobody cares about his rank.

Hasse’s Orphans

After the four orphans from Hasse relocate to the city temple for the winter, they start going to the forest with the others. The Hasse kids don’t like being stuck inside, so they love the forest days more than anything. This chapter is Thore’s perspective during one of those days.

It’s clear the four of them are struggling to adapt to life in the temple, but they are grateful to have a stable living situation. There are obvious growing pains, but they never go hungry, will never be sold, and nobody beats them. They are making a real effort to adjust to the equality rules of the temple, and sometimes have to remind each other how things work when they get overly frustrated. It seems like they will manage just fine with more time.

The real question on their minds is: what will their lives be like when they come of age? The idea of being stuck in the orphanage forever doesn’t sound entirely appealing to the boys in particular. By staying in the temple, they are missing out on the opportunity to own land in Hasse. I doubt the girls are as concerned about that, since their circumstances would be much worse.

Justus’s Grand Lower City Infiltration

This bonus chapter takes place during the summer right before Myne joins the temple. In this volume, Justus makes a claim about being a great spy when it comes to gathering information, like a chameleon of culture and speech. To me, that claim makes this chapter hilarious.

Ferdinand pays Justus to go to the lower city to gather information about Myne. He blunders so badly that he sticks out like a sore thumb and makes everybody he talks to suspicious. There’s no way he’s as good at his job as he likes people to think. Granted, he did learn a tiny bit about Myne.

What I like most about this particular chapter is it circles back around to that first book at the market. We learn a little more about that book, and where it ends up. It’s feasibly possible that Rozemyne might one day get a chance to read it.

The Wolves of London

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The Wolves of London by Mark Morris
Series Name: Obsidian Heart
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Time Travel, Urban
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Titan
Edition: Mass Market paperback
ISBN: 978-1781168684
Rating: 2.75/5
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Description from the Book

Alex Locke is a reformed ex-con, forced back into London’s criminal underworld for one more job. He agrees to steal a priceless artifact — a human heart carved from blackest obsidian — but when the burglary goes horribly wrong, Alex is plunged into the nightmarish world of the Wolves of London, unearthly assassins who will stop at nothing to reclaim the heart. As he races to unlock the secrets of the mysterious object, Alex must learn to wield its dark power — or be destroyed by it.

Personal & Info

This book looked and sounded spooky, so I grabbed it during a big pre-owned book sale as something to try during spooky season. I know spooky season is already over, but I extend it all the way until Christmas. I never have any Christmas or New Years themed books to read, anyway.

Obsidian Heart is a trilogy. I have no plans at this time to read more of the series. For those interested, volumes two and three are The Society of Blood, and The Wraiths of War

Content Warnings

-Self harm

-violence

-animal violence

-body horror

-kidnapping

-mutilation of children

Characters

Alex Locke is the main character. He is an ex-con who turned his life around. Alex is in his mid thirties and works as a Psychology lecturer. He has two daughters, Candice (18) and Kate (5). Candice lives with her mother (Michelle) and step-father (Glenn), while Alex is raising Kate alone.

Benny Magee is a criminal contact from Alex’s prison days. He’s essentially like a mafia boss, and he provided protection for Alex during his stay in prison. Benny also provided Alex with a number to call if he ever needed help or got into trouble.

Clover Monroe is the owner of the night club Incognito. She has connections to Benny and provides the job involving the obsidian heart in hopes of making some quick and easy cash. Clover has a good code of morals and loyalty.

Barnaby McCallum is a rich, wheelchair bound, old man presumed to be around ninety. He is the owner of the obsidian heart before Alex gets his hands on it.

Lyn is Kate’s mother. She is currently living in Darby Hall Psychiatric Hospital due to an unusual onset of insanity that occurred while she was pregnant with Kate.

Private Frank Martin is a twenty-year-old man who served in World War I. Due to various events involving the obsidian heart, Frank is alive and well in 2012 to assist Alex.

Story & Thoughts

This book has a lot going on. It is absolutely jam packed with various fantasy themes. There are people with weird powers, possible Erdrich creatures, monstrosities, time travel, and people coming back from the dead. Normally, I wouldn’t think all these different elements would fit together for a good story, but surprisingly they mix well here. It does feel like a bit too much smushed together sometimes, though.

The story itself is interesting, but I’m not fond of the writing style. I like all the details, but some of the more complex monstrosities and body horrors are hard to picture based on the description. The book also does this thing at the start of chapters. It tells you where they are and then jumps backward to tell you how they got there before continuing onward from where they presently are. I don’t like this writing method. I can get through it, but it rubs me the wrong way.

Alex isn’t very smart in regards to his actions. The story takes place in 2012. He lacks caution in choosing babysitters. Apparently he has never done a background check on the people he trusts to watch Kate. I’m pretty sure background checks were not difficult to do in 2012, so that’s just pure carelessness on his part.

It bugs me to no end early in the book when Alex is trying to figure out how to get money to help Candice. He has a matter of days based on her estimate. He goes to a contact he knows is a criminal and then gets upset when the only means provided to make enough money is illegal. Like, come on, what was he expecting? And he has the nerve to turn it down and waste everyone’s time just because it’s illegal as if there is any other way he could possibly make thousands of dollars within a few days.

I only have one or two questions about the story I have any interest in getting answers for, so I’ll likely just google those. The book is interesting enough. It’s not like anything I’ve read before, so I enjoyed the experience, but I have no interest in continuing the series.

If I already had more of the books, I would probably read more, but I don’t, and I don’t have enough interest to want to get them. Some of the plot points are how I expect, so I won’t be surprised if the answers I find are what I’m guessing. Overall, the story isn’t bad, but it’s not great, either. Based on the content, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

Untamed

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Untamed by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Series Name: House of Night
Volume Number: 4
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: YA
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-312-37983-4
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird—she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, of the two Zoey has left, one is undead and one is unMarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey’s adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened in P.C. and Kristin Cast’s spellbinding fourth House of Night Novel.

Personal & Info

This series is definitely a result of the times. P.C. Cast consulted her daughter to help her write the speech to make it more like how teens at the time actually spoke. The series started releasing in 2007. Speech was cringe and insensitive, and political correctness was not as prevalent. If you look at the series with a modern eye, it’s easy to find it offensive. Keep in mind exactly what it is that you are reading. Some things don’t age well.

Content Warnings

-Death

-Insensitive language

-Sexual themes

-Bullying

Characters

Zoey is the main character. Her Cherokee heritage through her grandmother is integral to her powers and identity. At this point in the story, she is leader of the Dark Daughters, and a High Priestess in training. Zoey has a special relationship with the goddess Nyx to be her eyes and ears at the House of Night.

Stevie Rae is Zoey’s best friend from Henrietta, Oklahoma. She’s a true country girl with a love of country music, cowboy hats, and cowboy boots. Zoey considers her a “true Okie” because she speaks with a southern “twang.” Stevie Rae has an affinity for the element Earth.

Erin is a pretty blonde girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her best friend is her roommate Shaunee, because they are so similar in personality that they call each other twin. Erin has an affinity for the element water.

Shaunee is Erin’s roommate and best friend from Connecticut. She considers herself Erin’s spiritual twin. Shaunee has an affinity for the element fire.

Damien is the guy friend in the group. He’s from Dallas, Texas, has a sophisticated vocabulary, and is out as gay. Damien has an affinity for the element wind.

Jack is Damien’s boyfriend. He transfers into the school in Betrayed and takes up the job of DJ for the Dark Daughters rituals.

Stark is a new transfer from the Chicago House of Night. He has a special gift involving his archery skill. Instead of a cat, he has a dog by the name of Duchess, or Duch, for short.

Faculty

Shekinah is the High priestess of all vampyres. She lives in Venice and her markings are the same as the emblem the school faculty wear.

Neferet is the High Priestess of the House of Night. She has beautiful red hair and green eyes, an affinity for cats, and a gift for healing. Neferet is also Zoey’s mentor, and she teaches Vampyre sociology class.

Erik is Zoey’s now changed ex-boyfriend. He’s about six feet tall and good at acting. Zoey describes his appearance as reminiscent of Superman with the hair curl.

Lenobia is the equestrian instructor.

Dragon is the fencing instructor.

Sons of Erebus

Ate is the leader of the Sons of Erebus present on the House of Night campus.

Darius is one of the Sons of Erebus who guards the girls’ dorm. He also accompanies Aphrodite and Zoey whenever they leave campus.

Humans

Aphrodite is pretty, blonde, and gifted with disastrous visions of the future. She is the villain in Marked, but plays a much less evil part now as she is seeking redemption from Nyx.

Sylvia Redbird is Zoey’s grandmother. She is the one person in the whole world whom Zoey loves more than anything. They don’t see each other often, but whenever they talk, it’s usually immense emotional support for Zoey.

Heath is Zoey’s ex-almost boyfriend from her life before the Change. He’s the star quarterback of the football team.

Sister Mary Angela is the prioress of a Benedictine abbey and the manager of the Street Cats charity.

Story & Thoughts

This might be the best volume out of the first four. It has a lot going for it, but there are enough negatives involved that I don’t want to give it a five. I’ll go over the negative things first.

There seems to be a wider variety of instances using insensitive language. Normally I only see a few things per volume, but this one has several scattered all over. The usage in this one definitely seems more blatant than the others. I remember hearing speech and jokes like that around the time this book was published, but it definitely does not sound good in a modern lens. It was jarring how much of it I noticed specifically in this volume, like it’s worse in this one than the previous three.

Neferet is disappointing. It’s like she’s lost her capacity to be clever. I suppose she’s probably just so close to her plan coming together that she’s just kind of lost her marbles. Her accusations to try getting Zoey into trouble make no sense and there is no way anyone could possibly believe them. They are just way too far-fetched. Those are my main complaints.

However, the story itself is really good. I was so mad at Chosen for how quickly Zoey’s friends turned on her, because everything could have been resolved if they had just let her explain. They finally have that conversation in this book, and it’s such a relief.

Aphrodite continues to impress me. She’s experiencing constant character growth. Despite the events in Marked, she is capable of taking charge in a chaotic situation. It’s nice to see her good qualities.

Everything comes together. The constant mention of how recently the Tulsa House of Night was built and that it used to be a monastery all make sense. The series was dropping bread crumbs leading up to the events of this volume.

This is the first book in the series where things do not get a resolution by the end. Instead, it sets up a much bigger problem. I wanted to read the next one right away, but I don’t have it, yet, so it’ll have to wait.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 3, Vol. 1 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke, Vol. 1 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai, Magic
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356078
Rating: 5/5
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Description from the Book

Following a disastrous encounter with a noble, Myne finally resolves to say goodbye to her family and friends in the lower city, changing her name to “Rozemyne” and beginning her new life as the adopted daughter of Ehrenfest’s archduke. However, her days as an archnoble are brutal, as she is put through rigorous etiquette and magic training on top of her duties as High Bishop and forewoman. It all proves too much for a weak little seven-year-old girl…Or it would, had the High Priest not offered her the keys to the temple’s book room as a reward. If she could get her hands on those, she’d be able to read all sorts of precious books! Her name may have changed, but Rozemyne’s passion for books remains the same as she charges into a whole new world!

Personal & Info

There are some funny bonus comics and a character poll in the back of the book. The author is surprised Damuel scored so high, but I can understand why. Damuel is one of my favorites.

Characters

The Archduke’s Family

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, and now Rozemyne, is the main character. Now that her Devouring is under control, she mainly just suffers from normal poor health. Myne constantly comes up with product ideas from modern Earth that can break or revolutionize the Ehrenfest market.

High Priest Ferdinand is Rozemyne’s guardian at the temple, and the illegitimate younger brother of the archduke. He handles the majority of the work that keeps the temple running, and must also occasionally assist the Knight’s Order.

Sylvester is the eccentric archduke of Ehrenfest and Rozemyne’s adoptive father.

Florencia is Sylvester’s wife, Rozemyne’s adoptive mother, and mother to Sylvester’s three children.

Wilfried is Sylvester’s oldest son and Rozemyne’s older brother.

Charlotte is Sylvester’s daughter and Rozemyne’s sister.

Melchior is Sylvester’s two-year-old son and Rozemyne’s younger brother.

The Knight Commander’s Family

Karstedt is the captain of Ehrenfest Knight’s Order. He’s also Ferdinand and Sylvester’s cousin, as well as Rozemyne’s noble father.

Elvira is Karstedt’s first wife and Rozemyne’s noble mother.

Eckart is Karstedt’s oldest son. He is around eighteen-years-old and works in the Knight’s Order.

Lamprecht is Karstedt’s second son. He is around sixteen-years-old and works as a knight serving as Wilfried’s guard.

Cornelius is Karstedt’s third son. He is around eleven-years-old and works as an apprentice knight serving as Rozemyne’s guard while she is in the Noble’s Quarter.

Trudeliede is Kastedt’s second wife. She lives in a separate building with her child and does not appear in this volume.

Rozemary is Karstedt’s third wife who passed. Karstedt always doted on her and she was often bullied by the other two wives.

Noble Retainers

Damuel is a knight and laynoble from Part 2, Volume 2, currently assigned as Rozemyne’s guard.

Rihyarda is Rozemyne’s head attendant in the castle. She is an archnoble who previously took care of Ferdinand, Karstedt, and Sylvester when they were children.

Brigitte is a knight and mednoble serving as Rozemyne’s guard alongside Damuel. She is the younger sister of Giebe Illgner.

Angelica is an apprentice knight and mednoble serving as Rozemyne’s guard alongside Cornelius.

Ottilie is an attendant at the castle. She is an archnoble and friends with Elvira.

Norbert is the butler in charge of attendants in the castle.

Lower City Family

Gunther is Myne’s father. He works as a soldier who guards one of the city gates.

Effa is Myne’s mother. She dyes clothes and makes hairpins for a career.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than Myne. Her current occupation is apprentice seamstress and she strives to move up in the industry.

Kamil is Myne and Tuuli’s baby brother.

Temple Attenants

Fran is Rozemyne’s head attendant in the temple. He is in charge of managing the High Bishop’s chambers

Gil is one of Rozemyne’s attendants in the temple. He is in charge of running the workshop inside the orphanage.

Wilma is one of Rozemyne’s attendants in the temple. She is in charge of running the orphanage and therefore does not reside in Rozemyne’s own chambers. Wilma also provides the art for anything the workshop makes.

Monika is a cook who also helps in the High Bishop’s chambers. She helps fill the roles of Rosina and Delia’s previous jobs. Monika admires Wilma and does her best to emulate her to learn from her example.

Nicola is a cook who also helps in the High Bishop’s chambers. She helps fill the roles of Rosina and Delia’s previous jobs.

Zahm is the High Priest’s attendant who handles all matters between him and Rozemyne.

Personnel

Ella is Rozemyne’s personal chef.

Rosina is Rozemyne’s personal musician.

The Gilberta Company

Benno is the merchant in charge of the Gilberta Company. He assists and advises Rozemyne in her merchant endeavors.

Mark is Benno’s right hand man. He helps manage the store and train the apprentices, as well as cover anything Benno himself might miss.

Lutz is a leherl apprentice. He helps make sure the Rozemyne workshop is in order and acts as a go-between for scheduling merchant relevant visitors. Lutz also helps the workers at the orphanage understand how to use and make the things Rozemyne thinks up.

The Othmar Company

Gustav is the Guildmaster of the Merchant’s Guild.

Freida is Gustav’s granddaughter with a nose for money. She has a contract with a laynoble to manage her Devouring.

Leise is Freida’s personal chef. She also assists with any projects the company has involving cooking.

Other

Johann is the smith Rozemyne usually hires to do precision work. He is not fond of his Gutenberg title.

Zack is a smith who views Johann as his rival. He envies the Gutenberg title and wants to prove he is the better smith.

Hugo is the head chef of the Italian restaurant.

Todd is the second chef for the Italian restaurant.

Story & Thoughts

This is one of my favorite volumes in the whole series. It’s exceptionally funny. Between the events of Rozemyne’s magic training, her interactions involving Ferdinand, and the renown of her chefs, I couldn’t stop laughing. None of the other volumes were this funny.

Rozemyne’s life is now a whirlwind of activity due to her transition into the daughter of an archduke. As part of this, she must undergo lessons to learn proper etiquette. After those lessons, and getting to know Ferdinand better, Rozemyne can now fight back against his scheming. She’s not an expert, but she now knows how to get revenge for whenever she thinks he’s being mean. Their interactions are getting more fun to read.

The characters in this series are all so lovable. I can’t emphasize enough how much I love the cast. Several more characters appear in this volume to fill out her life in the noble quarter. I can definitely say I like the ones that get any bit of spotlight. There are several that don’t get more than an introduction, but I’m looking forward to getting to know them more as the story progresses.

Despite rating this a five, I do have some gripes. My problems aren’t with the writing or anything significant. They are small things that I might feel something like disappointment about.

For example, Rozemyne and Lutz feel so distant. Sure, they are still seeing each other fairly regularly, but she can only be herself with him in her private room. Lutz doesn’t seem as receptive to her clingy behavior, either. They’re both growing in different directions. It makes me sad. There’s a certain warmth between them missing from before. It’s upsetting, but I wouldn’t change anything. I love the story as it is.

Being My Little Sister’s Knight

This bonus chapter covers the events of Cornelius finding out he is getting a new little sister, being assigned as her guard, and learning how volatile her health is. He’s not fond of his parents plans at first. It’s interesting to see things through his perspective. It makes it clear how nervous she actually is during that time and emphasizes how smart she really is due to her learning speed. Of course, this story also includes the traumatic experience everyone who spends any extended length of time with Rozemyne gets. But that traumatic experience teaches him what it will require to be her guard.

One Stressed-Out Chef

The second bonus chapter is Hugo’s perspective of the events regarding the lunch at the restaurant. Hugo and Todd are both very nervous to be serving archnobles. Todd is an absolute mess, but Hugo hides it better. He keeps a cool face and takes pity on Todd, but he’s probably going to get an ulcer. Neither of them seem enthused about about their employment for the next month.

Wicked: Witch & Curse

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Wicked: Witch & Curse by Nancy Holder, Debbie Vigié
Series Name: Wicked
Volume Number: 1 & 2
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Urban, Witches
Intended Age Group: YA
Publisher: Simon Pulse/ Simon & Schuster
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4169-7119-1
Rating: 1.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Holly Cathers’s world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.

In her new home, Holly’s sorrow and grief soon give way to bewilderment at the strange incidents going on around her. Such as how any wish she whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the way a friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. And there’s the undeniable, magnetic attraction to a boy Holly barely knows.

Holly Amanda, and Nicole are about to be launched into a dark legacy of witches, secrets, and alliances, where ancient magics yield dangerous results. The girls will assume their roles in an intergenerational feud beyond their wildest imaginations…and in doing so, will attempt to fulfill their shared destiny.

Personal & Info

This is the first volume of the two-in-one editions for the Wicked series. In total, there are two thick two-in-one volumes, along with one single volume. Or, for anyone getting individuals, it would equate to five books.

There are tons of different perspectives in this novel. It jumps around to tell a story of past and present, as well as both sides of an ongoing feud.

Content Warnings

-animal sacrifice including house pets

-death

-suicide

Characters

Cathers/Cahors

Holly Cathers is the main character. She’s seventeen when her life undergoes tragic and drastic changes. At the start, her family history is completely unknown to her.

Isabeau Cahors is an ancestral member of the Cathers family. As the successor of the Cahors family, she was arranged to marry Jean Deveraux, even though their families were enemies. Her spirit is not at rest.

Catherine Cahors is Isabeau Cahors’ mother. In her time, she led the Cahors family as Queen Regnant of Le Circle des Cahors, which basically equates to master of her family.

Marie-Claire Cathers-Anderson is Holly’s aunt, the sister to Holly’s father, Daniel. She does not know she is a witch, and she is vain about her appearance. Despite her vanity and wealth, she is a kind person.

Amanda Anderson is one of Marie-Claire’s and Robert’s twin daughters. She is the more kind and down to Earth twin. According to Michael Deveraux, Amanda is normal, like her father.

Nicole Anderson is one of Marie-Claire’s and Robert’s twin daughters. Like her mother, she cares about how she looks. Her dream is to become an actress. Nicole is the daughter with the obvious signs of being a witch.

Many other Cahors family members appear throughout the book, but their parts are small, so I’m not going to bother listing them here.

Deveraux

Duc Laurent de Deveraux is an ancestral “noble warlord” of the Deveraux family. As the ancestral master of the family, he is Jean’s father, and played a part in arranging the marriage of Isabeau and Jean. In modern day, he appears to Micheal in the form of a spirit that looks like a grotesque corpse.

Michael Deveraux is, as far as he knows, the current master of the Deveraux family. He seeks to gain the knowledge of the black fire and destroy what remains of the Cahors family, whether they are ignorant of their heritage and powers or not.

Eli Deveraux is Michael’s oldest son. His father can easily manipulate him by appealing to his greed for money and power.

Jeraud Deveraux, who usually goes by Jer, is Michael’s youngest son. He has more humanity than his father and brother. I think he’s supposed to be Holly’s love interest.

Jean Deveraux is an ancestral member of the Deveraux family. As the successor of the Deveraux family, he was arranged to marry Isabeau, even though their families were enemies. His spirit is not at rest.

Many other Deveraux family members appear throughout the book, but their parts are small, so I’m not going to list them here.

Coven Members

Holly’s

Tommy Nagai is Amanda’s best friend. Holly suspects they should be dating, but neither will cross that line.

Cecile Beaufrere is the mother of one of Amanda’s friends.She practices the art of Voodoo.

Silvana Beaufrere is Amanda’s friend who lives in New Orleans.

Jer’s

Kialish Carter is Jer’s friend, and the son of a shaman.

Eddie Hinook has very few descriptors. His only specifications are that he is Kialish’s lover and he is friends with Jer.

Kari Hardwicke is a teacher’s assistant at the university Jer is attending. As a grad student, she is older than him. They are dating, because Kari has interest in magic for her thesis and she knows Jer’s family practices.

Mother

Anne-Louise Montrachet is a protection magic specialist.

Supreme

Sir William Moore is the Master of the Supreme Coven in London.

James Moore is Sir William’s son. He’s wants to overthrow his father to steal his position.

Madrid/White Magic

José Luís is the current leader of the coven.

Señor Alonzo is the oldest member of the coven. He is the benefactor and father figure.

Armand is the “conscience” of the coven. He is serious and quiet, and he is a former student of the priesthood.

Pablo is José Luís’s younger brother.

Philippe is José Luís’s lieutenant, and a love interest for Nicole.

Other

Robert Anderson is Marie-Claire’s husband. Holly describes him as “gray.” He is a normal, kind human, who processes his problems by overworking or drinking alcohol.

Dan Carter is Kialish’s father, the shaman.

Witch

Rating: 2/5

Story & Thoughts

I feel like this book starts slow. It jumps around to a bunch of perspectives that don’t make much sense at first, which makes it hard to get into. I’m used to reading books with multiple perspectives, but this one is rough for the first few chapters. It’s gets better once the story starts making more sense, but early on the transitions are a bit disorienting. It makes sense though, because it’s supposed to be disorienting to Holly.

The multiple perspectives tell a story of past and present. I don’t think I like the execution. The characters slowly gain more information and understanding of the events they see in their dreams or visions. This is supposed to contribute to plot building, but my problem with it is the events of the present are actually dull compared to the past. The present doesn’t get interesting until closer to the end.

The biggest reason for that is the fact none of the characters involved even know they are witches until about half way through the story. You’d think that would provide ample opportunity for the characters to have interesting experiences to grow and learn, but there are time jumps where we’re supposed to just assume they are studying and researching however they can. I don’t like the story telling method of “time passed so they can just do this now.”

I’m not even sure if I should consider this a romance. The romance for the modern day stuff is seriously lacking. It paints kind of a Romeo & Juliet type thing, but one of them is already in a relationship, and nothing amounts to anything. All the romance is basically exclusive to the past characters, Isabeau and Jean.

Overall, I’m not impressed. There is very little I like about it, but I don’t hate it. If the second novel in this two-in-one is not any better, I will probably donate the whole series instead of reading it.

Curse

Rating: 1/5

Story & Thoughts

This part starts approximately one year after the beginning of the first. Right off the bat, I’m disappointed. Nicole is missing, because she ran away. This could have been used as an interesting scene, where either the group bickers about her desire to flee, or we see her sneak away. Just telling the reader she’s gone seems like poor writing. I have many issues with the storytelling.

Multiple times, there are instances in which people just state things, instead of putting them in the story. It’s like cutting events and learning experiences, and it detracts so much from the story. Most of the things that get this treatment are the parts that should be intense and epic or interesting or constructive to character growth. How are we supposed to understand that Holly is the strongest Cahors since Catherine? We don’t get to see her learn and grow.

There are so many more perspective changes than before. Curse tries to tell the generational parts of the Deveraux and Cahors histories, and adds even more characters to the already large cast. The majority of the historical parts are not dreams or visions. They’re just scattered around and don’t seem to directly contribute any relevance to the story. The history is interesting, but it’s mostly for the reader. Most of the parts involving the history for Isabeau and Jean just rehash everything we already know from Witch.

I have almost nothing but complains to say about this section. It was frustrating to read. The romance is garbage. Holly and Jer don’t know anything about each other. I don’t think they even love each other. I honestly think they just have an illusion of feeling in love, because of Jean and Isabeau influencing them.

Overall

Story & Thoughts

This is one of the crappiest books I’ve ever read. The overarching story is fine, but it has an absolutely terrible execution. A story about three girls discovering they are witches and getting pulled into an ancient family feud should be an awesome story, but it’s not. I’m abandoning the possibility of ever reading the rest of this series, because it’s so terribly written.

You’d think the premise would provide ample opportunity for the characters to have interesting experiences to grow and learn, but there are time jumps where we’re supposed to just assume they are studying and researching however they can. We don’t get to see anything that teaches the reader how magic works while they themselves learn. I don’t like the story telling method of “time passed so they can just do this now.” Any good fantasy novel describes the mechanics of how the magic works to immerse the reader.

I’ve seen authors give advice that specifically says not to just tell what happens, but to show it. This novel struggles with that concept. It skips any interesting learning experiences that could contribute to lore and world building. Even events that are supposed to be climactic with high stakes are disappointing. I cannot express how disappointed and frustrated I am about the storytelling. It got to a point where I just wanted it to be over, but I was determined to finish.

The romance isn’t even good, if it exists at all. There’s a good chance Jer and Holly aren’t actually in love and are just feeling the emotions of Isabeau and Jean. They don’t know each other. I don’t think they’ve ever even had a conversation outside of wet dreams and warnings.

I don’t recommend this book or series to anybody, unless you enjoy bad storytelling. It’s a good premise with a terrible execution. Also, someone kills a cat, and not just any cat, a beloved house cat. That felt more like it was done for shock value than storytelling. I’m just so glad this book is done. I don’t often compare books to garbage, but this one is kind of garbage. It was an ordeal to finish.