The Sphinx stares at me from her plinth.

A trend: my book reviews have been getting shorter, lately. This does not reflect on the books’ fine qualities, since I only post about novels I’ve enjoyed. It occurs to me that this blog feature is really meant to remind myself what truly excellent and fun books are out there. 

So, The Unnaturalists: mythical creatures, steampunk esthetic, plucky characters, lots of action and adventure. And another book on the way. Yay!

At the center of the cathedral stood a model of Heaven called the Golden House.

This is a terrific fantasy novel about dragons and humans and secrets and music. Original, funny, poignant. What more do you need to know? Go read it.

It was freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrived.

A couple of great reads in a row. Unlike Vessel, this one’s set squarely in a contemporary scene, but with equally otherworldly goings-on. Blue Sargent , the only non-psychic in her family, gets mixed up with four angst-y students from the posh nearby boarding school Aglionby. One of these “Raven Boys” is looking for a legendary Welsh king’s final resting place. Or stasis-place. He’s ancient, but reputedly waiting to be awoken to grant a favor.

I really enjoyed how expertly the novel’s scenes are crafted so that the reader consistently has more information than the characters. There are no “hey, wait a minute!” surprises. Information is layered deftly, priming us for each new revelation. Crisply delineated characters, lovely writing, a contemptible villain, and plenty of emotion. Glad to hear there’ll be four books in the series: there are lots of loose threads and interesting paths still to explore.

On the day she was to die, Liyana walked out of her family’s tent to see the dawn.

I love when fantasy authors make a metaphor literally true, then play with the results. In this case, desert dweller Liyana has been training for years to be “possessed” by her clan’s patron goddess. But what if the ritual takes place and the goddess doesn’t come? Or does come, when the “vessel” is not so ready to surrender herself?

This novel sets up tough choices for the heroine, and she grows beautifully to deal with the results. An interesting desert culture, romance, humor, lots of twisty plot turns—another definite keeper from Sarah Beth Durst.

Festivities kick off at 11 am with a performance by Gigi and the Merriment Band, and continue with storytellers and puppeteers from Roosevelt High School. Fun for all ages! Proceeds to benefit the Yonkers Public Library branches.

I bear a deep red stain that runs from my left shoulder down to my right hip, a trail left by the herbwitch’s poison that my mother used to try to expel me from her womb. 

Teenaged assassin nuns find danger and romance in 15^th century Brittany. The first in a series (seems to be a trend with my reading lately).  Great execution (so to speak) of a terrific hook. I raced right through this book, even though I should probably be taking care of a thousand and one moving details during Cabin Boy’s precious naptime. Would highly recommend for fans of historical fiction as well as fantasy.