A Heart of Blood and Ashes (A Gathering of Dragons) by Milla Vane

My Rating: Four out of Five Stars

My Review on Goodreads

I started this one on audiobook a long time ago and it had to go back to the library before I was very far into it. But I was intrigued enough to buy a copy on Audible. I have been listening to this at night, which is not something that I'd advise. I would fall asleep and have to rewind it multiple times. I think I fell asleep on the same scene at least twice and had to rewind it. However, sometimes I do this when it takes a while for my brain to unwind. This alone is is why it took so long to finish. I was very torn about the rating and I'll discuss why.

Do you ever read a book where you instantly fall for one of the characters, but are rather 'meh' about the other? That was me with this book, I loved Yvenne. I love me a tormented heroine. I love when the heroine is vulnerable and unsure, but has a core of strength and has to gain confidence in herself. I was fully onboard for Yvenne and watching her evolution. I honestly didn't think that Maddek deserved her. By the end of the book I was a little more okay with him, and I loved how he proved himself at the end. But he put Yvenne through a lot of crap along the way.

While some aspects of the worldbuilding were not super clear, I did appreciate the uniqueness of the setting and the overall backstory. Honestly, I would have loved more of the dark fantasy aspects, but I get this was a romance book, so that had to take a back seat to the romance story. At times, that was what kept me reading. I was not always feeling the romance, so the fantasy aspect captured me. I loved how Yvenne was goddess touched and the goddess saw through her eyes. Her eyes were a very unique moonstone/silver blue color. Loved that. It seems like reptiles fill a lot of the ecological niches and that was weird in a good way. Would I want to eat some of the meat they ate? Nope! I liked the concept of the way Marrek's society/tribe worked. They felt kind of a like a semi-nomadic kind of group. I did get some Khal Drogo Dothraki vibes, and I'm okay with that. I liked their warrior culture. What I didn't like was how crappy he treated Yvenne. I realize that he was grieving and was angry and was looking for someone to blame, but I think it was pretty clear early on that Yvenne was a good person wasn't responsible for his parents' betrayal. But he just wanted revenge and that's all he saw.

I like a sexy bargain, I won't lie. I liked how Yvenne used what she had available to make a deal with Marrek. She knew he hated her, but he hated their mutual enemy more. I can see why he fell for her, but I don't see why she fell in love with him. Sorry, but I just didn't buy it. He was too mean and the safety he offered was negligible, only slightly better than what she faced with her father and brothers. However, she was in between a rock and a hard place. Having said that, it had kind of a Harlequin Presents (mean hero, sweet heroine) vibe in a fantasy setting that I was intrigued by.

I know it's a me thing but it was too focused on the eroticism for me. I know a lot of it is because I haven't been in such a romance novel kind of mood lately. I found myself getting pulled out of the story when the love scenes happened. Maybe because it seemed more like hate sex on Marrek's part. I liked how Yvenne told Marrek exactly what he needed to hear. He needed that "come to Jesus moment," although he still needed to pull his head out of somewhere. I loved the other members of his Dragon (which is his band of warriors). I grew to appreciate each and every one of them. I loved that they saw Yvenne more clearly than dumbo Marrek did.

The audiobook narrator was very good. They got me very engrossed into the storyline and I feel like they nailed the voices. She captured the fantastical moments and the action really well.

This is one of those books where the conclusion saves the book. I was thinking this would be a three star, but the ending bumped up the rating for me. I can do without a lot of the sex scenes, which were high on the erotica scale but it felt kind of excessive to me (ymmv), but I was intrigued by the story and I want to read future books in the series.

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 Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

For a fan of all things winter, this book was tailor made for me. Also, it's such a clever retelling of "Rumpelstiltskin", but so much more. It's a story about the difficult situations and the impactful decisions that women face for survival of themselves and those they love. The points of view of three different young women are explored: Miryem, the daughter of a Jewish moneylender, Irina, a duke's daughter, and Wanda, a local (the term peasant would be used) girl who becomes the servant for Miryem's family. Each character is a woman who has to make tough decisions due as a result of how her status in a man's world is viewed. They are placed into situations that are restrictive, if not outright harrowing because of their parents and how society deems them incapable of having autonomy or authority. This is the heart of the narrative, but it's intertwined into a familiar fairy tale mixed with folklore.

Everyone knows "Rumplestiltskin", but this novel takes this story to another level by weaving in Faerie and Slavic folklore into a historical fiction narrative, making for a spellbinding read.

The imagery is so gorgeous as a fan of winter. I felt like I was there in the deep cold of winter, and the artist in me was spellbound by the visuals of sparkling ice and shining silver. I see so many shades of blue here, from ice, almost white to deepest blue in my mind as I remember the imagery from this book. Novik develops the atmosphere so flawlessly, and makes winter its own character. Along with the distinctive character of winter, there are other creatures of myth and folklore, such as a dark creature who lives in the skin of a powerful man, and a Faerie king. The three women have to use their intellect and determination to navigate through nearly impossible situations, facing patriarchal societies and traditions, but discovering their own strengths and saving themselves and their people.

Well-plotted and engrossing, I absolutely fell deep into this world and didn't want to emerge. While this is fantasy, it feels as much like historical fiction (Russian setting when the Tsars still ruled, although not explicitly stated), but also has some lovely gothic fairy tale aesthetics. There are also moments that are quite scary. Yes, there is some romance here, and I ate it up. I loved how all the pieces come together for a very satisfying ending.

If you want to read a book with some very luxurious (is that the right word?) winter vibes, pick this one up.

*Writing this review now where we are having a very dry winter in Minnesota, I feel very jealous. I want my snow!

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Great Classic Haunting: Six Unabridged Stories

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

I decided to listen to this in October because I love classic ghost stories, and I wanted to re(read) The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales before I watch the Netflix show, and that story is included. This is free with the Audible membership, FYI. All but two are rereads for me, although I didn't realize it until I listened to a couple of the stories. I'll list my thoughts on each story:

"A Watcher by the Dead" by Ambrose Bierce

Another reread that I am ambivalent about. I do like some of Bierce's work. However, this is more about dark human nature and that fundamental evil. Not so much about supernatural evil, but couched in a story about a "haunting." 3 stars.

"The Body-Snatchers" by Robert Louis Stevenson

I think this is my third time reading this story. I am impressed at how easy RL Stevenson's prose is to digest for a modern reader. I think he's kind of an underrated author. This story seethes with dread and unease. It's as much about guilt as it is a supernatural tale. Sadly, some people are incapable of guilt and empathy, whereas others are often irrevocably damaged by their abundance of both. Although bodysnatching isn't really a concept nowadays, the atrocities that are still being committed on humans by other humans (and how we blithely go on with our lives despite this) is always going to be timely. 4 stars

"Adventure of the German Student" by Washington Irving

I really enjoy this story. This was probably my third time reading it as well. It's short but very effective. The descriptions are great, and Irving builds atmosphere beautifully. I feel like you know where this is going, but you still enjoy the journey. It reminds me of the story with the lady who wears a ribbon around her neck, for gruesome reasons. If you know, you know. I feel like the moody, sensitive hero always on the edge of a mental breakdown was its own genre in classic horror. 4 stars

"Dickon the Devil" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

I thought this one was just okay. It didn't do much for me, honestly. I can't recall if I've read thsi before or not. Maybe it just didn't make that much of an impression on me, this time or the other time I read it. 2.5 stars

"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe

I am definitely a big fan of EA Poe, but maybe I wasn't in the mood for this one at this particular time. It seemed really melodramatic and over-the-top. Yes, I know EA Poe predated Lovecraft and I much prefer Poe, but I was getting Lovecraft vibes when I was listening to this. I have to say, I love what T. Kingfisher did with this story in What Moves the Dead, and not that's my preferred version. This was has some good tension and it's certainly suspenseful and creepy, but too overdramatic for me (in my present mood anyway). 3 stars

"The Open Window" by Saki

This was so fun. Instead of being a serious story, this is humor. It's very short and quite cheeky. I do love the buildup and the conclusion was the perfect way to end this collection of stories. 3.5 stars


The narrator was Geraint Wyn Davies, who played Nick Night on the "Forever Knight" show. He has a great voice and a facility for accents. Overall this was a pretty good listen.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars

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 Tales to Keep You Up at Night by Dan Poblocki

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

Let me tell you, Dan Poblocki has written quite a creepy, unnerving, and at times genuinely scary book of stories. While targeted for middle-grade readers, it definitely has appeal to older readers. This is quite dark.

The first story was so so good. It set such an excellent tone for the collection. It's still my favorite. I didn't love all the stories, but they were all effective, and I appreciated how they all tied into the frame story. Despite them all tying in, there was a little of every kind of horror. I don't enjoy seeing kids in danger or being harmed, so that was a little tough to take in, but there's nothing too gory with this book. I think it's more about the concept and the implications of each story that makes it so unnerving. I wish I had taken notes on the story titles, but unfortunately I didn't. I will say overall that this collection is worth checking out. I have already gotten the next book, More Tales to Keep You Up at Night from my library to listen to soon.

I definitely recommend this book to fans of kids' horror, even as an adult.

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The September House by Carissa Orlando

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars

My Review on Goodreads

When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued. I love haunted house stories. I was a little worried it might be too edgy, but some early reviews on Booktube suggested it was a cozy horror, so I was on board. Excitingly, my library had it available, and I was able to read the audiobook.

This book is written in a conversational style where the main character is telling her story. I loved this device as it involved me emotionally with the novel as I am being told the story by the participant. Margaret established herself as a sympathetic character early on. There is also an element of unreliable narrator as the story progresses. It throws a reader for a loop as they are prone to asking what kind of book they are reading. Is this a haunted house novel or a novel about familial dysfunction? You are seeing the haunting unfold through Margaret's eyes and she has done research and a couple of other people are aware of it. But there's also a question about whether this is all psychosis. Personally, one of my pet peeves is when stuff is happening and nobody believes the main character. I also admit that I don't want to read stories where the lead character is becoming psychotic. I was worried that this was going to be that kind of book. Without spoiling things, I am glad this wasn't that kind of book, because I would have been majorly disappointed. Instead, this book manages to address the haunting aspect while also affirming that mental illness is a real thing and should not be stigmatized, but instead, it's important for a person who's suffering in that way to get help.

This book is also about lifelong trauma and its effects on a person. That truly resonated with me because it reminded me of someone very close to me who experienced some really awful things in their life and always felt alone and that they had no one they could rely on and who understood what they were going through and supported them. Margaret is that person. What she has dealt with and continues to experience in this house that represents a lifelong dream, but instead in many ways has become a prison and a source of trauma.

I have to say I am not fully onboard with describing this book as a cozy horror. It has some humor and it doesn't end in a way that's depressing or soul-destroying, but this is not a situation that can be dismissed as light reading. Some truly messed up, awful stuff has happened in Margaret's house, and that can be very hard to read. This is not extreme horror, definitely not. Yet, there are some descriptions and depictions that are hard to read. I did have to turn it off a couple of times to get a breather. For me, it was about empathy. I felt things very deeply for Margaret and the past victims in the house. I also felt that it was relatable that Margaret's family had some toxicity and dysfunction that added to the whole picture of Margaret and her relationship to the house. While at times, I had some issues with her daughter Catherine (I listened to the audiobook, so I might be misspelling her name), it totally make sense why she's such an angry person. I appreciated the resolution of Margaret's relationship with her.

This book is quite scary in some moments, and quite disturbing. I was able to listen to it at night while I was cooking, but I wouldn't risk listening to it in bed. Even though 1st person POV can at times be limited, Orlando's imagery is so vivid and well-conveyed. The menacing aspect of the house is enough to send chills down your spine, especially the former owner of the house. It's also deeply sad as well.

Going back to the concept of being imprisoned by one's past. The house is a metaphor for this. Along with the cycle of assaults/attacks visited on Margaret every September. "Everything is survivable," is something that Margaret expresses regularly in relation to her situation with the hauntings that flare up in September. It also applies to the trauma she suffered in her marriage. The author shows instead of telling us how strong Margaret was. It's like she doesn't quite know it. I mean, she did know she was a survivor, but I don't think she realized how tough she was. And I kept thinking, how is this woman going through all of this? It's hard to judge her for wanting to keep her house. I can understand how important the house was to her. If you never had the stability of owning your own house, that means so much to finally be a homeowner. It's not something you'd easily give up or walk away from. Even though I understood this, I couldn't wrap my mind around how she could sustain the constant manifestations in that house that were constant, unrelenting physical, emotional and mental attacks.

I can't find much to complain about with this book. It's not quite a five star, but it's pretty close. I would love to read more from Carissa Orlando. I don't think I could watch this movie. It would be terrifying.

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars

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The Agony House by Cherie Priest

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

Coming home to New Orleans has not been the grand welcome that Denise, her mother Sally and stepfather Mike would hope for. They have purchased a broken down house with the goal of refurbishing it and turning it into a bed and breakfast with the meager funds they are getting through a small business loan. Denise is less than happy to be leaving her friends behind, starting at a new school, and living in a funky, dirty, falling down house. Add on to the fact that it's haunted by two presences: a small woman and a big man. While the woman seems benevolent, the man is far from it. She finds a comic book in the attic from an artist and author who was quite popular in the 1950s, one that may unlock the mysteries of the house, which seems to fall apart quicker than they can fix it.

This was such an entertaining read. I listened to the audiobook, and I loved how there was actually a dramatic reenactment of the comic book with different actors. That was my favorite part of the book. I enjoyed the twist of the ongoing series in which its lead is the intrepid young woman who constantly has to save her boyfriend, who constantly is the one in danger. A nice turnaround from the typical scenario. Careful attention to this plot device will reveal much of the underlying themes and mystery in the book.

Along with the ghost story and mystery of the house, there's a good story about a young teen finding her feet in a new place and making friends. There is also some great commentary about Hurricane Katrina and the upheaval that the city has not fully recovered from. Additionally, the story explores themes of gentrification and racial profiling, but in a very organic manner. I do think some of that was simplified, but that's understandable as this is appealing to a younger audience.

I loved the characters, from Denise to her parents (both kind and caring with good sense of humor), to the friends she makes, her nosy neighbor Terry (an aspiring ghost hunter), Norman (a hunky young man who had about eight thousand jobs and is a potential love interest, and Dominique (who starts out as an abrasive potential enemy but becomes a friend in the end). I thought the ghostly presences were well down, and how things seem to escalate as the story unfolds.

Despite this being a ghost story with some dark themes, there's a lot of light here as the focus on family, connection and community prevails over the very present evil that the characters face. It wasn't exactly scary, but it was nicely spooky and a very good read for October spooky season.

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The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

This is an engaging, engrossing read. I listened to the audiobook, and I loved the narrator. I love paranormal/supernatural stories, and it is so awesome to read books about African American culture and stories. Set in 1919, Penelope sets the scene very well with real black history as the background. She doesn't shy away from discussing the travails of black people in that time period. The dangers faced by black people due to racism, racial violence, white supremacy and Jim Crow segregation. Neither does she downplay issues in the community such as colorism and elitism, and the extremes of the haves versus the have nots (often justified by Social Darwinism). Stuff that I know about due to my heritage is a part of this story. But I also learned something new. The lead character is based on a real life woman who was put on trial for shooting and killing a rioting white policeman who broke into her house and shot her and her father. In this case, Penelope gives it a paranormal element. However, it's a hair-raising story that is familiar even to this day as parallels to black people killed by the police in their own homes, such as Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jackson, among others, and how justice is often elusive in those cases. Fortunately, Clara (and her true life counterpart)'s charges were dropped. With this history, it's not surprising that Clara is hardened to the world and others, and you find out as the story unfolds why she comes off as so misanthropic. It's more from a shell of self-protection as opposed to genuine antipathy towards others. She also has the burden of seeing ghosts her whole life, and is often petitioned by others in the community in need to contact the spirits, called Enigmas. Clara knows they will come to regret any bargains they make with the Enigmas.

The characterization in this story was flawless. I appreciate how each pivotal character gets a POV and a bio of their life. Why they have unique abilities and the trauma they have faced in their lives.
I like how they come together in a way that compliments each other as they face a terrible threat to everyone. Each character found their way into my heart and I wanted them to have a happy ending. I feel like Zelda is such a mysterious character, and I want to know more about her.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I feel like some of the plotting got a little muddled towards the end. There was a lot going on in the climactic scene and I had to rewind the audiobook at some points because I was confused about what was happening. That being said, the storyline has a distinct feel, and some moments were genuinely spooky. I wasn't mad about the fact that I ended up finishing this book in October, even though I can't count it towards my October Scare Fest challenge. Lots of haunting imagery, and something about Southern folklore of haints, root magic, and bargains made at crossroads (figuratively and literally) always appeals to me. As I wrote earlier, the mix of authentic history and allusions to legends and folk wisdom the author used added so much to the texture of this story. Penelope even includes well known figures from Black history such as Carter G. Woodson and Langston Hughes (his cameo is quite amusing). Even WEB Dubois indirectly. Despite the nods to history and folklore, the story that Penelope added feels very unique, successfully building the author's own particular world in which people are gifted but those gifts are often due to powers given by spirits who demand much in return. There are some romantic subplots that I loved. It reminded me that I am still a romance lover (even though I haven't read much romance lately because I've been burned out and I'm not in the best mental space for it right now).

I definitely recommend this book to readers who love historical fantasy/paranormal rooted in American folklore and legends, especially those looking for stories featuring the Black experience in the early 20th century. I hope to read more books by this author, and I honestly would love it if this was an ongoing series.