Author: Kristen
The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen The Leaning Pile of Books

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week–old or new, bought or received for review consideration (usually unsolicited). Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included. There are no new reviews […]

Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis The Leaning Pile of Books

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week–old or new, bought or received for review consideration (usually unsolicited). Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included. It’s been a couple of […]

In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip July 2017 Patreon Book

Since the beginning of 2016, I have been reading and reviewing one book a month based on the results of a poll on Patreon. All of these monthly reviews can be viewed here. July’s theme is standalone novels. As much as I love a good series, I was finding the idea of potentially starting yet another one a bit daunting so I gathered some books without sequels for this poll. This month’s book selections were as follows: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia In the […]

The Waking Land by Callie Bates Review of The Waking Land by Callie Bates

The Waking Land, Callie Bates’ debut novel, is the first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy featuring a heroine with conflicting loyalties and the power to wake the land like her ancestors of old, an ability last possessed two hundred years ago. Though I can understand why this new release is often compared to Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale due to its wild magic and the heroine’s connection with nature, it’s not a comparison […]

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett Review of The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett is the first book in the Mrs. Quent trilogy, a Regency-esque fantasy set in a secondary world. The book itself is also split into three disparate but connected sections spanning subgenres: the first is primarily fantasy of manners, the second is mainly Gothic fantasy, and the last has more in common with traditional high fantasy with its focus on magic and higher stakes. While I feel that it’s a flawed novel in […]