Fantasy – Carol's Notebook

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan

May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I enjoyed the first in this trilogy, The Justice of Kings. There we met Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an itinerant Justice, his taskman and friend, former soldier Dubine Bressinger, and his clerk and protégé, Helena Sedanka. The Tyranny of Faith starts with our party, including Sir Radomir, former sherriff, going to Sova, the Empire's capital. The Magistratum is in disarray, losing influence and harboring traitors. The Emperor is worried about issues closer to home than Claver, the big bad guy from book 1. The writing is good. The plot moves along at good pace. The world is medieval-esque, with religion wrapped up in politics. And i will probably read the third just to see how it all plays out. The investigation this time around centers on finding the Emperor's grandson, which Vonvalt allows to become more complicated than it is. However- The characters in this just make such bad decisions. Let's trust this lady we've never met before. Granted, so does half the Senate,...

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I read The Tainted Cup, the first in the series, last year, but apparently didn't review it. I loved it. The world building is amazing and Ana and Din make a fantastic team. I would read it before starting A Drop of Corruption though. This second kind of drops you into the world and Dinios Kol's life. The world revolves around the leviathans, giant sea creatures who "attack" the Empire every wet season. The Empire protects the people from these monsters, but the leviathans' blood has infused the soil, the plants, the creatures. The blood also fuels the Empire's power and technology. Ana Dolabra is an brilliant, but eccentric investigator. Din is her assistant, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, but he is becoming more adept at putting what he learns together. This time, the two are investigating the disappearance and murder of a Treasury officer, but as soon as Ana...

Killing in C Sharp by Alexia Gordon

April 11, 2025May 9, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I read the first Gethsemane Brown mystery back in 2016 when it came out, but never got back to the series. Last year I watched the show on Hallmark mysteries, which was fun. Killing in C Sharp has been sitting on my to-read list for probably years now, but the audio was available from the library and I was in the mood for something light. (I'm always in the mood for something light.) There is a lot going on in this one. Ghost hunters have come to Gethsemane's cottage to prove her friend and resident ghost, Eamon, exists. A true crime writer is in town working on an updated version of the book she wrote on Eamon and his wife. Aed, a once-famous composer, is premiering his new opera at the opera house and giving a couple guest lectures at the school. He is followed by the reviewer who nearly killed his career with a bad review. And the opera manages...

The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch

April 2, 2025April 2, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I've read a couple of the Rivers of London books, which gave me enough background to enjoy The Masquerades of Spring, but since it's a novella that falls outside of the regular series, I also didn't feel like I was missing anything plot- or relationship-wise. We are in the 1920s in Harlem. Augustus Berrycloth-Young is a very British wizard, who has taken refuge in America. His life is pretty decent - he spends his time listening to jazz, enjoying the city, and being in love with his boyfriend, Lucien. It can be difficult, gay men are hassled by the cops and Lucy, being black, is not allowed into some of the nicest restaurants, even in Gussie's company. And then Thomas Nightingale arrives asking for Gussie's help in finding the original owner of a cursed saxophone. What follows is a decent little mystery, with plenty of action and magic. I loved the characters in this one. Nightingale is his usual self, if...

My Fatal Valentine by Leighann Dobbs

February 12, 2025February 12, 2025 by Carol2 Comments

It's Valentine's Day and, of course, Juniper Holiday is throwing another of her over the top holiday parties. This time there's a raffle and the grand prize is an all-expense paid date with one of the hottest guys in town. But of course, there's a murder - the grand prize winner is found dead in the bathroom. It's a fun little mystery. Juni is determined to solve the case, but she also needs to step carefully because Detective Mallard's job might be on the line. As much as the two bicker, she doesn't want to ruin his career, especially because her goddaughter and he have a bit of an attraction going. The story moves along quickly. At first we have a couple of suspects, but little else to go on. Juni tries a bit of magic and talks to the ghosts, but it takes some old-fashioned detective work to get to the solution. I listened to the audio and I must have gotten...

Who Slayed The Santas? by Leighann Dobbs

December 13, 2024December 13, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

Who Slayed the Santas? is fun, short, quirky and a little silly, just like the rest of the Juniper holiday series. This time around Juniper is getting ready for her over-the-top Christmas party and hires a Santa and his troupe for entertainment. The next day, one of the resident ghosts finds Santa dead under the Christmas tree. And that's just the first dead Santa. Detective Mallard and Juniper are both intent on solving the case. I like Juni. She's exuberant and caring, but she can be a little too mean to people sometimes. This is a totally Christmas mystery - decorations, food, music, it's all there. The mystery itself was fine if rushed. I did listen to the audio version. At least this time I knew in advance that the narrator wouldn't be my favorite....