Lucy Score's The Dead Guy Next Door

 

Image Copied from Amazon

Now that we are well into July, I thought it would be a good time to review some fun summer reads for that family vacation or time at the beach. What better way to start off than with an entertaining romantic suspense packed with plenty of quirky characters and humor. Lucy Score's Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door is the first mystery in a series about reluctant clairvoyant Riley Thorn. However, while the story does focus on Riley and her elderly neighbors, the novel is told from dual points of view, Riley's and hot private investigator and love interest, Nice Santiago's. 

Riley is recently divorced and broke after her cheating spouse took her to the cleaners in their divorce settlement. Worse, she's now stuck in a dead-end job she hates. But Riley's life soon gets turned upside down when she gets a vision that her neighbor across the hall is going to be murdered. At first, she tries to write it off as a bad bout of food poisoning. But when the vision becomes a recurring one, Riley decides to warn her neighbor and warn the police that said neighbor is in grave danger. Unfortunately, nobody takes Riley seriously until the guy next door winds up dead. 

Enter hot private eye Nick Santiago who has been given the task of serving papers to the same neighbor from Riley's visions. Nick doesn't believe Riley is the killer even after her warnings to the police put her near the top of the suspect list. From there the hijinks begin. Though he can't stop himself from wanting to help her, Nick is determined to keep Riley at arm's length. He isn't about to give up his life as a freewheeling bachelor no matter how sexy, sweet, and utterly original he finds her to be. However, as the danger mounts for both of them, his commitment to staying single and unfettered is sorely tested. 

Add into the mix an octogenarian neighbor who ventures out at night for mysterious reasons, Gabe the handsome spiritual guide Riley's grandmother has sent her to help her learn to control her stronger-than-normal clairvoyant talents, and a host of other quirky characters and you have the makings of a hilarious mystery with a spicy dash of romance. I laughed out loud at times reading this book. The banter between Riley and Nick is witty and fun. The mystery was one I didn't puzzle together right away and the final showdown at the end was both scary and humorous, not an easy feat to pull off. I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan mysteries or enjoy Emily Henry's rom-coms. I've already got the next two Riley Thorn books in the series lined up in my to-be-read pile and the fourth book is set to come out mid-July. 

If you're interested in purchasing your own copy of Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score just click on the title. It will take you to Union Avenue Books, an independent bookseller in downtown Knoxville, TN. Or I encourage you to look for a copy at one of your own community independent booksellers. 

My next summer reads book review will be of...

Image copied from Goodreads

A heartfelt, summer romance by Rebekah Crane set in Ireland. I was fortunate to receive a NetGalley copy from publisher Skyscape and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Copied below is the blurb posted on the NetGalley site. The book is set to come out in early August 2024. 

For an American woman on an impromptu summertime trip to an Irish island, life changes in a heartbeat in a refreshing romance by the author of June, Reimagined.

The last thing Chicagoan Maeve Kaminski expects to inherit from her estranged biological father is a pub. Now thousands of miles from home, Maeve is on a remote Irish island and is the new owner of the Moorings. Charming? Yes. Practical? No. The bright side: Maeve is in debt, and off-loading a famous pub for a pretty penny could be the gift she’s been waiting for.

Briggs Murphy is suffering from a broken heart. Literally. Recently diagnosed with the same condition that killed his father, he’s not looking for love. But when Maeve shows up with her color-coordinated datebook and striking blue eyes, he falls hard. Too bad she’s off-limits. According to familial legend, they’re enemies. And for the sake of the island, they better stay that way.

Love was never the plan. But for Briggs and Maeve, it might just save them both. To make it work, they’ll have to rewrite history…before it’s too late.

Kidlit Mashup for Summer Reads

 Since there are four Sundays in June and July, I will have three days to post book reviews for any of you who like to follow along with my yearly reads. For the end of June, I thought I'd do a fun mash-up of some books for kids and young adults that I've read recently that might be of interest as summer reads for a younger audience or younger-at-heart audience. So, here goes...

Images for all books copied from Goodreads

First, I'd like to discuss Accountable a non-fiction young adult book by Dashka Slater that is about a racist social media account that was created by a group of teen boys in secret, and the consequences of that account when it was discovered by some of the girls who were posted about on it. Accountable calls into question who should be held accountable for this type of cyberbullying and how they should be held accountable for it. 

What I appreciated most about this book was the fact that Slater gives us a very unbiased look at both sides of this situation. This event fractured not only the high school where it took place, it also fractured this community in the small town in California where it happened. On the surface, it seems to be a straightforward situation. The perpetrators did something inexcusable and should be held accountable for their actions. But as the story unfolds it becomes clear that how that punishment should be carried out, who should be included in it, and how long it should be meted out is much more complex than expected. While the boys who created the account were punished, what about the other students who followed the account? How culpable should they be for liking its posts, and should the ones who commented be held more accountable than those who did not? All of these things are called into question as the school administrators grapple with how to handle this different type of bullying in the age of social media. Administrators who in many ways were not savvy enough about social media to fully grasp its cultural and social impact on the students under their academic care. The book also delves into the long history of racial injustices and the emotional scars carried through from generation to generation that surface in the families of the students posted about on the account in some very awful ways. It brings up the issue of white privilege and the lack of education, knowledge or understanding this type of privilege still engenders in much of American society as well. Other things the book explores are issues with post-traumatic stress that can often result from bullying, mental health issues surrounding both victims and abusers is discussed, and the ways our own personal tragedies and traumas can affect how we react to situations like this one as an adult are also covered. All in all it is a very important book for both young people and adults to read. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars only because I thought the book was a little longer than it needed to be. But I still would highly recommend it to anyone who has a young person in their life or works with young people to get an inside look at what they deal with in the age of social media and instant communication in general. 

My next pick, The Ogress and the Orphans, is a fantasy for middle grade readers, or those aged 8-12 years old by the award-winning author Kelly Barnhill. It centers around a small village, a group of orphans, an untrustworthy town mayor and a ogress who just wants to find a place in the world to belong. We are told by an omniscient narrator that the village of Stone-in-the-Glen, where the story takes place, used to be a lovely town. Then through a series of supposed mishaps and misfortunes, starting with the loss of the town's library, Stone-in-the-Glen evolves into a community of isolated and mistrustful people. 

I love how Barnhill weaves in elements of what can happen to a society of people when the sharing of knowledge and open discussion is lost as it is in The Ogress and the Orphans. She also includes a look at how negative changes to the environment of an area can also erode. Both these threads are cleverly used as metaphors for the real world. Other themes carried through in the book are ones about found family, friendship and what it means to be a community and a good neighbor. I loved the characters but especially Harold the Crow. The orphans in the story ultimately become the heroes on a quest to save their town and the orgress who has been unfairly blamed for all of its problems by the smarmy mayor. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it deserved winning the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2022, I did feel that it was a bit longer than it needed to be. For me that impacted the pacing some. However, in the paperback edition of The Ogress and the Orphans I have, there is a great discussion guide and some wonderful philosophical discussion questions for young readers to enjoy if they wanted to read and discuss this book with other kids or with the adults who might enjoy reading it with them. 

Another book for middle grade readers that I've enjoyed recently is The Galaxy According to CeCe by Sherry Roberts. Though, for this audience, I would say this one would most likely appeal to younger readers in the 8-12 age bracket as the main character is younger at age eleven. The story follows the "badventure" of CeCe Laurence as she grapples with moving to a new town right before starting middle school for the first time. Roberts is an author friend and has shared with me that this series of books has been a very personal one for her to write as aspects of the story were taken from real events in her own life. 

CeCe finds out, right before the school year begins, that she and her family are moving. Not only are they moving to a new town, one CeCe has never even heard of, but they're moving to a whole new state. Her reaction to this bomb her parents drop on her, barely giving her time to adjust to this news, is instantly relatable. From there, CeCe discovers that not only will she be the "new girl" in this small town, but she will be living in the observatory where her astronomer dad will be working. Both things make CeCe feel she is starting middle school for the first time with two strikes against her. Luckily her love of soccer and band become her saving graces as they help her meet and make friends with some kids in her neighborhood who will also be starting middle school for the first time at her new school. However, what starts out as a blessing also becomes a trial as CeCe's skills as both a musician and athlete make her a target for the middle school's "mean girl," Mercedes. What follows is an adventure in navigating the perils and triumphs of starting over in a new place, transitioning from elementary to middle school, and learning to be true to yourself even in the face of bullying. Plus, the supposed haunting of the house attached to the observatory where CeCe lives adds a fun touch of mystery to the story.

I highly recommend this fun middle grade read! I look forward to the sequel set to come out later this year.

                    

My last selection is the picture book Like Father, Like Son by the wonderful award-winning author, and a former writing mentor of mine, Lesléa Newman. This beautifully written book for young readers explores the nurturing aspect of parenting a father can hold toward their child. Newman is a pioneer at tackling topics that expand the ways young children can see their world and this book is no exception. Illustrator A. G. Ford has also provided a very diverse look at fathers and sons as well with his beautiful artwork throughout.

The simple message the book conveys is that fathers can be just as tender and loving as mothers. They can also be important role models in terms of showing their children a "gentler way to be" or a kinder way to handle sadness, adversity, or negative emotions. Additionally, the story shows us that fathers can love baking, sewing, or other professions and activities that may not be seen as traditionally masculine in the same way that mothers can embrace careers and passions that are not traditionally feminine in our society. The messages in the text and in the illustrations are conveyed in a fun way as well that make it a joy to look at and read. I highly recommend it!

If you would like to purchase any one of these books simply click on the title. Each book title will take you to a site that is a independent or local bookstore in my midsouth region of Kentucky and Tennessee, all of which actively support literacy in their communities. Or you may want to shop for them on bookshop.org a webstore that supports independent booksellers across the US. I also encourage you to check with your local public libraries to see if they have copies of any of these books in their collections. If they do not, requesting that they add them to their catalogs is another great way to support these and other authors. It also makes these and other important stories more widely accessible to younger readers and their families.

The Goose Girl Reimagined in T. Kingfisher's Upcoming Fantasy

 

Image copied from Goodreads

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a reimagining of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale The Goose Girl as only T. Kingfisher can write it! It is a story told from dual points of view, one being the daughter of the sorceress of the title, and the other being a middle-aged spinster desperately trying to save her brother from doom.

The story opens with teenage Cordelia frozen in church unable to do something as simple as itch the end of her nose. Afterwards, we realize that she is under the thumb of an overly controlling, abusive mother, Evangeline, who is also a sorceress. Cordelia’s only comfort and source of escape are her rides on her mother’s magnificent horse Falada. However, things go horribly wrong when her mother’s current benefactor casts her aside and she is forced to search for another rich man to help support them. Evangeline soon sets her sights on the wealthy Squire a few towns over. From there we meet Hester, a middle-aged spinster with the gift of presentiment. Hester is awoken in the middle of the night by a sense of impending doom. This doom soon arrives on her and her wealthy brother’s doorstep in the form of Evangeline and her daughter Cordelia. From there the story unfolds with Hester and Cordelia desperately trying to stop Evangeline from ensnaring Hester’s brother and harming the friends and people of the Squire’s household, including the Squire himself.

I have long been a fan of T. Kingfisher’s fantasies and her latest one did not disappoint. I was immediately sympathetic to Cordelia’s plight when I realized her mother could use her magic to make Cordelia “obedient.” In other words, she can take over Cordelia, literally making Cordelia her puppet. Not only that but we learn that Evangeline can do the same to others without magic, allowing her make them do whatever she wants. It is a terrifying prospect for everyone good in the story as well as being a horrifying form of abuse for Cordelia. Then later, after Hester is introduced, I realized she is the goose girl in this story. Hester used to breed and raise geese, making her a middle-aged goose girl, in fact. I loved that interesting character twist from the original fairy tale! 

Kingfisher does not pull any punches with this dark fantasy, either. Along the way we meet characters who are wonderfully developed, lovely people, but who are not able to be kept safe from Evangeline if she feels they are standing in the way of what she wants. I also liked the interesting way Kingfisher changes the narrative for the horse Falada. Anyone who is familiar with the story knows that the goose girl from the fairy tale has a horse that is her saving grace throughout the story, even after said horse is killed by the girl’s evil rival. However, I have always found that part of the fairy tale to be simultaneously heartbreaking and creepy. Heartbreaking because in the original tale Falada is a good character and a loyal and loving friend. Creepy, because after he is killed, the horse in the original tale goes on to help the girl by speaking to her, offering her advice. In A Sorceress Comes to Call Falada is not the loving, loyal creature he is in the original fairy tale. Instead, he is something much, much darker. So, I wasn’t sad to see him cut down. But the way Kingfisher still has Falada help his mistress is no less creepy or gross.

I give this novel 5 out of 5 stars. It was well-paced, a wonderfully inventive take on the original Goose Girl by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and keeps you guessing how the heroines will not only win but survive at the end. If you love works such as Uprooted and Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik or The Bear and the Nightingale series by Katherine Arden, and you enjoy strong female character leads where the men are sidekicks and helpers, then you will love this book. However, I will say that if you are looking for a fantasy with a strong romance thread, this may not be that book. There is some element of romance for Hester in the novel, but it is not the focus of the story. It is an action-packed fantasy adventure, though, and I am very grateful to both NetGalley and Tor books for giving me an eARC of it to read in exchange for this honest review.

Stay tuned next month for my summer fun reading theme! My first review for July will be a mystery rom-com, The Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score about a reluctant clairvoyant and a hot private eye. My other review will be for the upcoming romance Last Call for Love by Rebekah Crane that's about rivals, summer love, and second chances.

A Conversation with Rom-Com Author Katelyn Doyle

 

I'm excited to host a Q&A from rom-com author Katelyn Doyle on my blog today that discusses her book Just Some Stupid Love Story, along with a little about her writing process, and what we can look forward to from her in future. The novel is Doyle's debut into contemporary romance. Here is a short synopsis for the book shared by MacMillan Publishers.

For fans of Emily Henry, a debut about a rom-com screenwriter who doesn't believe in love and a divorce attorney who does, forced together at their high school reunion fifteen years after their breakup

Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth—who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years.

Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought “the one” in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart.

When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a bet: whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is the two of them.

Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.

Wickedly funny, sexy, and brimming with laughs and heart like the best romantic comedies, Just Some Stupid Love Story is for everyone who believes in soulmates—even if they would never admit it.

Photo credit Shannon M. West

A Conversation with Katelyn Doyle

 

Author of Just Some Stupid Love Story

 

Q: Just Some Stupid Love Story is a second chance romance that sees former flames Molly and Seth cross paths at their 15-year high school reunion. What makes high school reunions such great backdrops for interpersonal drama, and did you always know you wanted the book to open with a reunion?

A: The beauty of a high school reunion is that you are surrounded by people who knew you right at the time you are defining yourself and beginning to become who you are going to grow up to be. So much of who we are is coming into focus when we’re in high school, and while we (hopefully) evolve past that, going through the adolescent trenches with your classmates gives you very useful context into their personalities. Especially if one of those classmates happens to be your first love.

 

A high school reunion is therefore a very heightened setting, because you want to see all your old pals and learn how they’re doing…and you also very likely want to show everyone you’ve conquered the world and met your potential. Part of the fun of going is to reconnect with people who know who you were, while also introducing them to who you’ve become. And that is such a delicious dynamic to kick things off with in a second-chance romance.

 

This is so important for Seth and Molly because he’s not just seeing her as the hotshot too-cool-for-love woman she presents herself as when they meet as adults. He still knows the funny, brilliant, vulnerable, girl she was when they first fell in love at fifteen. He already knows she’s capable of great ardor—he’s experienced it—and that gives him the ability to see through her adult emotional defenses and believe in the possibility of their romance even when her instinct is to push him away.

 

And for Molly, she fell for Seth when she was younger and softer and not yet so terrified to let herself love someone. She can’t fully safeguard her heart against the truth of all those big unresolved feelings they had for each other, no matter how badly she wants to.

 

High school reunions are also legendary vehicles for drunken hookups—cough cough, Seth and Molly—and a great place to party and bond with old buds. That was also fun to write, because it gives us an opportunity to meet Seth and Molly’s friend group, who we get to know and love over the course of the story.

 

Q: This is a dual POV contemporary romance! Which feels increasingly hard to find these days—what made you want to write this story from both Molly’s and Seth’s perspectives, and was that always the plan when you started writing?

A: I adore dual POV stories because I love seeing a relationship evolve from both sides of the story. I think it gives you a very intimate lens into the two protagonists’ personalities. (I like to think that romance novels are thrillers of intimacy.) So yes, that was definitely the plan!

 

Q: You’ve previously written bestselling historical romance novels under the name Scarlett Peckham. When did you decide to try writing a contemporary romance, and what are the biggest differences between writing historical and contemporary?

A: I was feeling creatively frustrated after the pandemic and had some trouble with a historical book I was working on. So, while waiting for edits back from that book, I decided to try something new to see if it would kickstart my creativity. I adore rom-coms and had been kicking around the idea to pair a romance-averse rom-com writer with a hopelessly romantic divorce attorney for a long time, so that was the idea I wanted to pursue. And the book just poured out of me. It worked for reinvigorating my brain too—my subsequent historical book was a dream to write.

 

My historical books are very different in mood from this book—they are written in third person, they are very steamy, they’re all set in 18^th-century England, and while they have a lot of humor and swoonery, they’re more politically pointed. (The vibe shift is why I decided to publish under a different name.)

 

From a writing perspective, historicals require a lot more research and I find that in writing them, I’m more focused on subverting tropes and being in conversation with the long history of the sub-genre, which is evolving very quickly and in an exciting way. I’m also very focused on reflecting the political moment of the time in those books—spotlighting people who were challenging cultural mores, fighting for expanded rights and pushing forward progressive values.

 

In contrast, I like my rom-coms to be more bubbly and hilarious with big fun set pieces and splashy locales, and to write them in first-person so we feel very close to the characters’ brains and emotions as they are falling in love.

 

Q: Can you tell us a little about your writing routine? Where and when do you most like to write?

A: I usually write from about noon to five or six, always on my tattered living room couch, and always with my cat and a selection of about five beverages nearby. But I’m not a “MUST WRITE EVERY DAY” type of writer…I tend to follow my creative impulses. If there’s a day I don’t feel like writing I don’t stress about it (unless I’m on deadline) because I feel like my brain probably needs a break to do background work. (Rebecca Solnit once wrote “writing is not typing” and I firmly believe this to be gospel.) And if I feel like holing up for an entire weekend and downloading my whole brain into my laptop, I jump on the opportunity to follow the muse.

 

Q: Lastly, we have to ask – what are you working on next?

A: I’m working on my next rom-com! Without saying too much, it’s about two people who absolutely despise cruises who are dragged aboard a luxury Caribbean cruise catering to a “mature” clientele for two weeks. I went on a similar cruise to research it, so it’s filled with true-to-life set pieces—swimming with pigs, Sinatra impersonators, “cruise ambassadors” paid to ballroom dance with the single ladies, copious buffets—not to mention lots of steamy forced proximity from our two characters and a big plot twist. It’s been a blast to write.

A Brief Review of Just Some Stupid Love Story

 

Image provided by Flatiron Books

I'm excited to share a Q & A session with author Katelyn Doyle to promote her debut romantic comedy Just Some Stupid Love Story later this week. But before that goes live I wanted to share a brief review of the book with you to give you a feel for this novel and its homage to classic rom-com films. I found it to be a clever and modern take on many of the rom-coms I grew up with in the 80s and 90s from filmmakers like Nora Ephron or Penny Marshall.

Just Some Stupid Love Story is a very fun and at times, touching rom-com about second chances and first love. This novel's premise was most reminiscent for me of the movie When Harry Met Sally; a Nora Ephron classic. However, in this story, the cynical writer, or screenwriter in this case, is Molly the female lead, and Seth her love interest is the happy, extroverted and sometimes over-the-top optimist, making for a nice twist. Also, we get a much deeper look in the book of why Molly is so cynical about love and so afraid of being hurt by it. But the timeline scenario of them meeting up after a fifteen-year absence and sometimes reconnecting, sometimes not for the remainder of the book, which spans five years, is very much like the movie in its structure. Unlike Harry and Sally though, Molly and Seth were once high school sweethearts and Molly broke Seth’s heart near their high school graduation.

After meeting up again at their fifteen-year high school reunion, they make a fun bet about who is right about whether or not soul mates exist. I felt like that was similar to Harry and Sally's debate about whether men and women could be platonic friends in the film, though they don't make a bet about it. In the novel, what ensues is a five-year span of Seth and Molly staying connected as friends even though both long for more. I will admit at the start of this book Molly is so snarky, cynical and really just sad, that I wasn’t sure I would really be able to connect with her as a character. I often have a hard time reading dark comedy style books or watching them as films. However, Seth was so likeable and so unbelievably optimistic, that Molly balances his Pollyanna persona nicely. The fact that Seth is a divorce lawyer with a conscience also makes for a nice change of pace from the typical stereotypes about attorneys.

As someone who loves the Nora Ephron movies and really rom-coms in general, I enjoyed picking out the Easter eggs to this movie genre as I read this book. All in all, I give this one 5 out 5 stars and would happily read this novel again. It would almost be a relief reading it a second time knowing how it ends. The realism of the emotional scars both characters bear made it hard to be sure there would be a happily-ever-after or even a happy-for-now end. However, it is a romance so… 

I was privileged to receive a free eARC of this novel from NetGalley, Flatiron Books and Katelynn Doyle in exchange for this honest review.

Tune in again on June 6 to read the fun Q&A I got to host with Katelynn Doyle about Just Some Stupid Love Story. Hope you enjoy it, and if you love romantic comedies then definitely pick up a copy of this book!

My next book review will be of an advanced reader copy of T. Kingfisher's latest fantasy A Sorceress Comes to Call. As Kingfisher is currently one of my favorite fantasy novelists, I am super excited to get the opportunity to read the eARC of her latest work.

The Last Unicorn a Review

 

Image copied from Goodreads

Today I'm excited to share my thoughts in review of a fantasy classic, The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. It is the story of a unicorn who realizes, after overhearing a conversation between two hunters in her enchanted wood, that she may be the last existing unicorn in the world. To confirm this, she leaves her forest home and embarks on a journey to find out what happened to her fellow unicorns. Along the way, she encounters an inept wizard named Schmendrick and Molly Grue, a woman who has long given up on finding unicorns or on magic existing in the world.

 This novel is one that I've been meaning to read for a long time. As someone who loves writing fantasy myself, especially fantasies that involve fairy tale and folklore elements, I feel like this is one book I couldn't overlook as a possible mentor text. For those not familiar with what a mentor text is, it is a published work that writers read to gain insight into how to effectively employ crucial techniques in their own writing. These can range from things like characterization, to world building, to developing settings, or themes, employing figurative language, developing dialogue, and myriad other aspects of story creation. I can confidently say that I was not disappointed by this book even if it was originally published in 1968. However, there were some aspects of it that I felt could have been improved. As with even the most well-written books, no work is ever perfect. This one is beautiful enough though for the weaker aspects to be overlooked and those did not prevent me from fully enjoying the story. 

Let's get into it. First, let's talk about the numerous positives. First, the premise of this story is so unique and original. I do not recall ever reading a novel quite like this one before. The tone of the writing and the fairy tale aspects of it come closest to The Princess Bride in quality. However, The Last Unicorn is much more serious in tone and much less tongue in cheek in nature than William Goldman's work. The other thing I immediately noticed was the prose writing in this novel. Beagle is such a master of figurative language, description and weaving together beautiful prose to incorporate a deeper meaning into his writing. Take this description of Molly Grue for instance when she first sees the unicorn:

"Molly Grue laughed with her lips flat. 'And what good is it to me that you're here now? Where were you twenty years ago, ten years ago? How dare you, how dare you come to me now, when I am this?' With a flap of her hand she summed herself up: barren face, desert eyes, yellowing heart" (Beagle 97).

How beautiful and yet spare is that description of Molly in that moment, "barren face, desert eyes, yellowing heart." An earlier quote from Schmendrick sums up his condition as a wizard who cannot summon or control his power at will. It also is a beautiful commentary on the human condition as well where he says:

"'There is much misjudgment in the world. Now, I knew you were a unicorn when I first saw you... Yet you take me for a clown, or a clod or a betrayer, and so I must be if you see me so... We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream'" (Beagle 40). 

Again, so spare and yet so touching and heartbreaking as Schmendrick explains what being human often means to the immortal unicorn who wants for nothing and cannot feel regret. His explanation is so spot on when he tells her, "We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream." It's just gorgeous writing! Other aspects of the story that are lovely in their inception are the main characters in the novel, the unicorn, Schmendrick and Molly and how each changes during their quest. Schmendrick saves the unicorn but also changes her very nature at one point in the story by making her mortal. Molly softens and finds joy and purpose in her life again as she accompanies the wizard and the mystical beast in their journey. The unicorn herself changes, as in experiencing what it is to be mortal, she learns the immediacy of life by inhabiting a body that is dying as all mortal bodies begin to do from birth. She experiences regret as well, something no other unicorn can understand, and which continues to set her apart even when she saves her own kind, finding and setting the other unicorns free.

With all of those positives, you may wonder what could possibly be a weakness of this work? Well, I felt while the storytelling was wonderful overall, there were places where the plot lacked some development for some of its threads. The hero the main characters encounter is a little two dimensional for me. He does grow and change as a secondary character. But we are told he does this more than we are shown it. Also, the main villains in the story, King Haggard and his Red Bull, are meant to be mysterious and to an extent they are, but they were too mysterious for me. Too many questions were left unanswered in the story about their connection, how they first came to be a pair, who King Haggard really was and where he came from, what sort of creature the Red Bull really was, even the story behind the building of Haggard's castle could have been developed more. Of course, doing so would have made the book longer and maybe some of Beagle's shorter works set in this realm go back and answer some of these questions. However, it would have been nice to have more character and story development for both of these antagonists in terms of the plot. 

That being said, this is a phenomenal story. I do think even though it is marketed as being for an upper middle grade or young adult audience, that it might be harder for a contemporary young reader to get into. But I really hope that it will continue to be in print for many years to come, even if its appeal remains more for an adult audience. It is a lovely work and deserves its place in the fantasy canon.  If you would like to find a copy of your own to read, click on the title in this post and you will be taken to Better World Books, a wonderful used online bookstore that helps support literacy around the world with each purchase on their website. Even if you don't want to buy a copy of this book, check them out. 

Next month, I have a special treat for all of you! I will be sharing a Q&A session with author Katelyn Doyle about her debut rom-com Just Some Stupid Love Story which comes out June 6, 2024. My post of her Q&A will go live that same day, June 6th. I will also post a brief book review of the novel the Sunday before the Q&A goes live. Also in June, I'll be posting a review of an advanced reader copy (ARC) of T. Kingfisher's latest novel, A Sorceress Comes to Call that is set to come out August 6, 2024 and is "a dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale The Goose Girl..." I'm thrilled to have a chance to read an ARC of T. Kingfisher's book as she is one of my favorite fantasy novelists. Below are some short blurbs about both these books.

For fans of Emily Henry, a debut about a rom-com screenwriter who doesn't believe in love and a divorce attorney who does, forced together at their high school reunion fifteen years after their breakup

Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth—who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years.

Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought “the one” in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart.

When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a bet: whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is the two of them.

Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.

Wickedly funny, sexy, and brimming with laughs and heart like the best romantic comedies, Just Some Stupid Love Story is for everyone who believes in soulmates—even if they would never admit it.

 From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes A Sorceress Comes to Call—a dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's "The Goose Girl," rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic.

*The hardcover edition features a foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.*

Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him.

But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers.

When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother's plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.

"Kingfisher never fails to dazzle."—Peter S. Beagle, Hugo-, Nebula-, and Locus-Award winning author of The Last Unicorn

Exciting News!!!

 I have exciting news to share! I have been invited to participate in a blog tour for the upcoming release of Katelyn Doyle's rom-com, Just Some Stupid Love Story. I cannot share all of the details about what that will fully entail yet, or when she will guest appear on my blog. But it means a bonus post for my readers and a possible Q&A with the author as well as a review of her latest book. I was honored to read an ARC of it on NetGalley earlier this year and it has been one of my favorite NetGalley reads to date. Below is the cover and a blurb about the book copied from NetGalley. Enjoy and I look forward to sharing more news about Katelyn's blog tour soon!

   

For fans of Emily Henry, a debut about a rom-com screenwriter who doesn't believe in love and a divorce attorney who does, forced together at their high school reunion fifteen years after their breakup

Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth—who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years.

Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought “the one” in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart.

When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a bet: whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is the two of them.

Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.

Wickedly funny, sexy, and brimming with laughs and heart like the best romantic comedies, Just Some Stupid Love Story is for everyone who believes in soulmates—even if they would never admit it.