C. Rae D’Arc’s Dreaming Beauty has all the elements of a fairy tale retelling as well as several surprises. The first in a series, Dreaming Beauty combines the fantasy and romance of a fairy tale with the snark and modern sensibility of a contemporary. This combination worked with great success […]
On a recommendation from a family member, I read the mystery novel The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Many people have forgotten this woman, but in her time, her novels rivaled Christie’s in popularity. At one point, she was called the American Agatha Christie. The Door was published in 1930 […]
Havok’s latest anthology, entitled Casting Call, examines many common archetypes of fiction in several genres (fantasy, mystery, comedy, etc.). The magician, the wizened elder, and the sneaky rebel are but a few character types offered in a flash fiction—one thousand words or less—story. As usual, Havok’s high quality is on […]
An anthology that celebrates stories of darkness overcome by the light is a tricky endeavor, to be sure. The best thrillers put their audience into the depths of the pit, and readers won’t be satisfied with a cheat or treacly ending. This premise makes a promise—expect darkness, then watch it […]
Odriel’s Heirs, the first in a high fantasy series by Hayley Reese Chow, is an exciting YA adventure with a rich world and history. In the distant past, a demon named Nifras invaded the southern portion of the country with his hordes of the undead. The god Odriel gifted three […]
Andrew Horowitz’s Moonflower Murders is a sequel to the acclaimed Magpie Murders, which in turn was Horowitz’s take on an Agatha Christie novel. One of the best writers to adapt other author’s styles (he’s done Conan Doyle and Fleming), Horowitz once again takes up the mantle to produce not one […]
Gordon Greenhill’s second MG novel in his The Relics of Errus novels, Plight of the Rokan Boy, starts off quite differently from the first in the series. The initial offering of Relics mirrored the spirit of the beginning of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. This second entry starts […]
Flight of the Skycricket by Gordon Greenhill has Narnian DNA but stands on its own as a middle-grade fantasy adventure. The story of three young girls who travel to another world where science and myth are the same—yet still debated—brings Lewis’ themes into the twenty-first century. And while the novel […]
At first, this novel doesn’t appear to be a retelling of Snow White. Its main character, Arabella, is already a princess, and readers might believe this is a fairy tale continuation. Arabella is savvy and mischievous at the start of the story, a characteristic Snow White might have acquired during […]
“A few bad investments—well gambles—had cost him his horse, his good sword, and most of his travel fund.” In the first chapter of To Court a Queen, we are introduced to our hero, Sir Devin Carlton. Because he is anxious to get home after losing so much, he strays from […]