Ahoy there me mateys! Today I bring ye a muster of mini-reviews. What be a muster?
Well the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as:
- assemble (troops) especially for inspection or for battle;
- collect or assemble (a number or amount); or
- a group of peacocks.
There are too many books read and not enough days left in the year so here be some mini-reviews of cozier adult fantasies . . .
Side note: Click on the book titles to add the books to yer Goodreads' Ports for Plunder List.
snowspelled (Stephanie Burgis)
I have enjoyed this author's work in the past so I picked this up when it was on sale. Cassandra Harwood was the first woman magician in 19th century Angland. Everything was going right. Lovely fiancé. Fulfilling work. Future full of promise. But all goes wrong when she loses her magic and subsequently her fiancé. Then an evil-elf lord starts making life difficult. This book is fluffy and has a tad more romance than me usual read. I loved that in Angland the men are the magicians and the women are the politicians. I enjoyed the romance and magic. I rather loved the hopeful ending. The novella feels light overall but was enjoyable. I would read the four other books in the series if the prices for the novellas dropped some.
"Grim determination was one thing. Outright heroism before I'd drunk my morning tea was quite another..."
― Stephanie Burgis, Snowspelled
scales and sensibility (Stephanie Burgis)
Yup same author. This has dragons, is a reference to Jane Austen, and is novel length. This was super silly and fun. This follows poor cousin Elinor who lives with her relations including spoiled cousin Penelope. Elinor is a drudge who gets fed up one day and decides to run away. A ruckus ensues. I loved the dragons. I loved the romance. I loved when spells go wrong (like with the aunt) and shenanigans ensue. I will be reading the next in the series when it comes out. I will likely also reread this too.
"It was a truth universally acknowledged that any young lady without a dragon was doomed to social failure."
― Stephanie Burgis, Scales and Sensibility
tea cup magic: the first collection (Tansy Rayner Roberts)
This series was recommend to me by Matey Nicole. This collects three short novellas in an omnibus. I loved these! They are "fantasy-of-manners." The main character, Miss Mnemosyne Seabourne, is the only young lady who doesn't want to marry the Duke, no matter what her mother thinks. She wants quiet, libraries, and tea. And to avoid suitors. She is a fantastic character. I loved the humor, the fun magic, the excellent female characters, and even the romance! I need the lighthearted fun and how much they made me smile. I will reread these and I need to get the next two at some point.
It is true that a single hedgehog can do little in the face of awful and overwhelming power, but a hedgehog thrown in the right moment can be a call to arms—a declaration of chaos, like a cream bun hurled across a cafeteria, or a bridal bouquet tossed into a mob of hungry maidens.
― Tansy Rayner Roberts, Tea & Sympathetic Magic
legends and lattes (Travis Baldree)
This book is all over the blogosphere. Rightly so. This cozy story of an orc named Viv hanging up her sword for a new venture opening a coffee shop is lovely. I don't even like coffee but would totally go to the shop for the pastries. This has found family, friendship, a wild cat, and such hopefulness even if some bad things happen in the book. I couldn't sleep one night and was irritated. I read this book in one sitting and was finally able to get some sleep and was smiling as I drifted off. It felt like I got a nice internal hug. I hope the author writes some more in this vein.
"The combined aromas of hot cinnamon, ground coffee, and sweet cardamom intoxicated her, and as she brewed and smiled and served and chatted, a deep contentment welled up. It was a glowing warmth she'd never experienced before, and she liked it. She liked it a great deal."
― Travis Baldree, Legends & Lattes
the cybernetic tea shop (Meredith Katz)
This is a very short story recommended by Matey Nicole. (Aye, again! Good taste). This deals with a robot who owns a tea shop that she has been running for hundreds of years. Okay not fantasy but it is cozy so I am including it here. Why and how the robot runs the shop it bittersweet but I loved how the robot and the human, Clara, become friends. And the ending is super hopeful. It is sweet. I just wish it would have been longer.
"It wasn't an endless future, and it wasn't one with a clearly defined goal, but maybe that was what living actually felt like."
― Meredith Katz, The Cybernetic Tea Shop
Thanks for reading. Arrrr!!
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