The Power of Roots

 

Root Magic by Eden Royce

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

I love to read spooky middle grade books, and this is definitely that. But it's also more than that. It's a coming of age story and a book about the importance of family, embracing and being strengthened by one's heritage and culture, and making good decisions that are often tough. Young Jezebel is the daughter of a family that has strong Gullah traditions, including root magic. It was never something to feel weird about until she started school and she was bullied by the other girls in her grade. Her twin brother Jay seems to fit in very well and has friends, but she has none, except Suzie, a new girl. Jezebel is mourning her grandmother whom she was very close to, and is learning root magic from her uncle Doc. Her mother is a hard working single parent as their father disappeared years ago. Her mom instills strong values in her children that have clearly taken root in Jezebel. However, she is in a period of struggle and change, and a dark force seems fixated on her. Along with a racist deputy bent on causing trouble for the black families in their area, particularly the root magic practitioners.

There is a lot of complexity to this novel. The writing is very good. I think that readers going into it, should understand that while there are some thrilling and very supernatural moments, this story is more focused on Jezebel's character arc. With that in mind, I can't imagine a reader not being sucked into this earnest and beautiful narrative. The narrator captures the young lead character very well, and adds a sense of pathos to her struggles. I was bullied when I was a kid, and it's really hard to see kids getting treated like that by others. This book also deals with racism as the family is literally being harassed and abused by a law enforcement person, and they seem to have no protection from him. Sensitive readers will definitely find themselves being impacted some some aspects of this storyline. There is a sympathetic member of the sheriff's department, but his ability to help them is practically nil. Sadly, not much has changed in that scenario.

Royce is excellent at building tension. The suspense-filled scenes totally drew me in. The uncanny aspects are both fascinating and at times deeply creepy. I absolutely loved some of those aspects of the story, which I cannot talk about because it would spoil the story.

Root Magic is a great book to read in October, or really any time of the year. I loved the descriptions of the food and culture of Jezebel's family. The setting is so well-described, I could feel the heat of the swamps and hear the sounds of the animals that lived there. This book made me so hungry. I love rice, so I definitely got into that aspect of the story. But the characterization is the star of the book. Every one of the main characters and the pivotal secondary characters are well developed and distinct. As much as I would have liked the bullying issue resolved more definitively, I realize that things happened the way they should have. I highly recommend this book.

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Heart of Darkness

 

Nightwise(Nightwise #1) by  R.S. Belcher 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

This is the darkest urban fantasy book I've read so far. And that's saying something. Nightwise is definitely well named and the lead character is as dark gray as a hero can get. Some might not even call him a hero. Think John Constantine, and you're close to getting an idea of Laytham Ballard, but throw in some Appalachian style homespun and generational magical heritage. Laytham came into his power under the tutelage of his beloved granny, but she was unable to save him from the dark path he eventually ended up traveling. Many years later, Laytham has been in places that angels would fear to tread, and has perfected the ability to be highly selfish. It's not that he doesn't do good, but there's always a bit of an ulterior motive. While he's the lead character, and not exactly a good guy, he's the guy you'd want standing between you and those creatures lurking in the dark.

The writing is very good, and that made some of the scenes that much more disturbing. I'd definitely give this one a content warning for sure. I'll never forget this book, partly because of some of the circumstance under which I listened to the audiobook. I drove home in one of the worst blizzards I've ever had to drive in. I could barely see the roads, so I was praying the whole way. It was me and Bronson Pinchot's voice reading this book. There was such an eerie feeling, but at the same time it was comforting, because that voice was a point of connection as I almost blindly navigated through a sea of white. I think that in this sense I'll remember this book fondly, although at the same time, I have in some ways tried to block out some of the most skin crawling moments that I didn't want to pull out of my memory for reflection.

I am truly in love with the urban fantasy genre. I especially love occult detectives. I like my share of anti-heroes, but I suppose I like the more romanticized versions of them. Laytham is not in any way romanticized. He doesn't pretend to be a good buy. He is just himself. But I am so glad that there was one thing in the book that I was praying he would do the right thing on, and he did it. I think down deep that boy that loved his Granny so much is still there deep inside, and it's a pale light in the darkness of his heart that is a source of hope for him.

Will I read the next book? Of course I will.

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Secret Heritage

 

Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

This was such a cool, fun book. It was a little weird at first. I can't say too much because it would be a spoiler, but something happens to the hero that I had never seen and it was kind of hilarious picturing how he looked in my head. But it was also disturbing and I felt really bad for Charlie. He was already dealing with a major loss, and now all of a sudden, some weird changes are happening to him, and his world opens to some very unnatural, downright supernatural occurrences. And it wasn't like he could open up to his friends about everything.

Despite my confusion at first, I really got sucked into this book. I was listening to the audiobook, and the narrator, Giordan Diaz kept it fun. His accent was authentic and that was crucial with this story in which Charlie's Latin heritage is integral. For Charlie is getting dropped right into the world of Latin American creatures of lore. His family has a heritage that makes what was considered legend very, very real. I love folklore, and I was thrilled at getting introduced to characters from the legends, several that I knew, and some that were very unfamiliar and really fascinatingly weird.

I appreciate so much that Latinx kids get a story that speaks to their heritage and takes them on fun adventure in the style of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, but very much unique as well. This was a bit on the short side, but it was an enjoyable introduction to Charlie's world. There are two books so far, and I hope there are more. I recommend it to Middle Grade readers and older folks like me who enjoy Middle Grade books.

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The Swamp Has Its Secrets

 

Swamp Thing, Vol.1: The Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore (writer), 

Stephen R. Bissette (Artist),

 

John Totleben (Artist),

 

Dan Day (Artist

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

I was reading this over a long period, in spurts. With the craziness of life, I just haven't had much time to read graphic novels, unfortunately. I read this on my Ipad, which is really good for looking at comic panels. I love how the Kindle (Comixology) version allows you to tap on each panel and it magnifies the panel. This is the Alan Moore classic that revamped the character. It's very, very dated in the art style, but that's okay. It's historical. The colors are really bright, almost obnoxiously so. It's an 80s comic printing thing, and as I've studied comic art history, that was kind of fun to experience the medium. I was quite pleasantly surprised at how scary this was. Each story is kind of like a monster of the week format, which I absolutely love. For such an older comic, it really was spooky, scary and disturbing. In fact, this would have made a good Halloween read. I think I finished it in the late spring, so unfortunately, I didn't get to enjoy the spookiness for October. I definitely ship Swamp Thing/Alec and Abigail. Their doomed(ish) romance appeals to my sensibilities. I had watched the short-lived but very good DC TV show Swamp Thing and it was nice to compare it with the comic story (it holds up very well, IMO).

There's something about Swamp Thing that I really dig, so I know I'll be reading more.

I would recommend reading this if you don't mind the dated look of 80s era comic books.

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The Dark of Winter

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (The Winternight Trilogy #1)

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

 I read this back in the early summer. I listened to the audiobook. I thought maybe it was a retelling of Vasilisa, but it's not that at all. It is however, a wonderful original story that delves deeply into Russian and Slavic folklore in a way that is beautiful, and also deeply unsettling.

I have always loved Winter, since I was a child. This book definitely brings home how winter can be a time of fear and hardship for people. I get that winter can be the enemy in many ways, if one doesn't have shelter, heat, and a food source. But it was a good reminder that its a privilege to have all three things in the coldest times of the year.

One of the things I really liked about this book is it continually makes the reader ask themselves who the real villain of the story is, until one comes to the conclusion that we can all be the villain in some way. In a more philosophical context, our uncontrolled emotions and beliefs (and also how we react to them) can be the enemy/villain: fear, jealousy, loneliness, grief, suspicion, ignorance, intolerance. And the villain we see in others is perhaps in some ways, a dark reflection of ourselves.

The characterization was very good. In a story like this with so many characters, that could be challenging. However, the author did know where and whom to focus on but also didn't ignore the viewpoint of pivotal, if not as prominent characters. Vasya was a great lead character. I loved how strong her sense of self was and her moral compass even in the face of the difficult circumstances it caused her to face. It was disappointing that Anna didn't have the same kind of strength. I think life could have been a lot better and different if she did.

I could read books about Russia all day. Not sure why, but it's always fascinated me. As a lifelong lover of folklore, fairy tales and mythology, I find the mythology of that country and region so enthralling to study and explore. I loved how Arden combined this fictional story filled with Russian history with the deeply held beliefs of the people, and how their faiths-old and new-are integral to who they are.

Some parts were very scary, and unsettling. The author included some elements that I didn't expect for this kind of story, but it totally makes sense for the story and is true to Slavic folklore. I didn't listen to this right before bed, as I usually listen to audiobooks either when I'm commuting to and from work or when I'm cooking. I think this could give a person some nightmares if they listened at bedtime (or maybe it's just me).

I absolutely loved how Vasya could communicate with the spirits (the old spirits/gods? of the region). I really appreciated how each one had a unique characterization and how their way of talking was unique. The narrator, Katherine Gati, was excellent. She has a really good Russian accent. I think she might have narrated Uprooted and Spinning Silver, which I also need to write reviews for.

I really enjoyed this, but it was did take a lot out of me emotionally, if that makes sense. I plan to continue the series, but I think I'll take a break.

I'd recommend this book to fans of Russian folklore in particular.

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Kate's Pack

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #3)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

 My Review on Goodreads

Don't get me wrong, I adore Kate and I am becoming a Curran stan, but oh, Derek, Derek, you own me!

This series gets even better with each book. Yes, I am way behind in reading these. If you follow me, this is a typical occurrence. I can count on one hand how many series I am caught up on. The story of my life. But it's good because I have so much goodness to look forward to.

I never know what to expect in these books. The Andrews really know how to write. I love how each book starts, and you are like Kate. You literally have no idea where things are going to lead. I felt like that. I know whatever happens, Kate is going completely kick ass and take names. She's going to hate/lust flirt with Curran, and she's going to mess her enemies up and go ride or die with her loved ones.

I always have to preface my dislike for dystopians by saying I love Kate Daniels books. Normally I avoid most dystopians, but I love the wrecked by magic dynamic in these books. The idea of a post-apocalyptic Atlanta...whew. The mix of creatures is awesome as well.

But, it's the Derek for me. I could write a song called Derek and I'd sing his name a lot. I just love the guy. And this is a story for Derek lovers. He's in huge trouble and for most of the book, Kate and her cohorts have to keep it from Curran. And you can imagine how that goes. I honestly think that Curran would have tried to obliterate Kate if he didn't respect and lust and like her so much. I think that although Curran is the Beast Lord, it would not be as easy as you'd think to take out Kate.

This book has a gladiator angle that is quite interesting, and very brutal. I'm sure that if these were movies, I'd have to look away a lot. Having said that, I would love a Kate Daniels series on HBO Max or Netflix.

It's been a while since I read this, so I can't go into great detail. However, I loved this book. The audiobook is narrated by Renee Raudman and she is fantastic. She nails all the voice, pitches, cadence, etc. I highly recommend listening to this series on audiobook.

I hope I can get to the next book soon. I'm doing a lot of audiobooks from my library, so it's keeping me busy. But I hope to get into the next book before next year.

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Telling Stories

 

Nightbooks by J.A. White

My Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Stars

My Review on Goodreads

Gosh, I realize I never wrote my review for this book!

I read this back in April (listened to the audiobook) and it was a fun read. It's pretty weird as well. The story is about a kid who goes into this apartment and cannot get back out. He is lured inside by an object of great personal value to him, but it's a trap by a witch with nefarious plans. Inside the apartment are two other kids who have resigned themselves to their fate. However, Alex isn't going to give up on escaping. The apartment owner is a bad-tempered, young in appearance witch who is seemingly pacified by stories. Good thing Alex is a writer (he's actually bullied because he likes to write creepy stories in his notebooks). Alex must tell the witch a story every night or something very bad will happen to him. He has to keep her satisfied until he can find a way out for himself and his companions.

Nightbooks is tailor-made for people who like short and child-appropriate, but nasty, scary stories. I have to admit those stories are pretty horrifying. I love short stories, particularly those in the horror, fantasy and science fiction genre, and I am a huge sucker for the "story within a story" concept. One could draw a very strong comparison to Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights as she is in a similar situation.

While I found this one enjoyable, something didn't 100% gel with me. I wasn't super thrilled with the narrator, so maybe that was part it. Perhaps I wasn't completely satisfied with the plotting. Possibly I was felt the conclusion was somewhat anti-climactic. Although I was relieved about one aspect. I did love the themes in the book about how being different as a kid is usually something that leads to bullying by others. It has something important to say about good and evil that I think would precipitate a good discussion between parent and child. I liked the diverse representation as one of the kids is a young Muslim girl. Of course, as a huge booknerd, I love the storytelling/writing themes. There's a hug library in the apartment, which is kind of like a TARDIS or let's say some waiting room that leads to different dimensions (perhaps a small allusion to the Chronicles of Narnia). It's kind of a creepy library though. Alex is a good leading character. He's a good kid at heart, and his penchant for writing horror stories is not a reflection on his character in any way. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the macabre when one understands the difference between truth and fiction and knows right from wrong. I think this would be a good book for kids who like spooky stuff, but maybe feel left out because of it. I think the content is okay for a kid who is 9-12 years old. I'd personally be cautious about letting a child younger than this age read it, because there is some scary imagery and it's about an adult who wants to inflict harm on children.

Overall, I'd give this a 3.75/5.0 rating. It just doesn't feel like a four star read to me, but it's close. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

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