Nocturnal Book Reviews

A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy of betrayal, vengeance, and self-discovery set in turn-of-the-century France.

For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.

Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.

Sinister Magic by Lindsay Buroker

So much fun! Really perky storytelling, reminiscent of Ilona Andrews and Darynda Jones plus one grumpy, reticent, magnificent dragon.

Synopsis

I’m Val Thorvald, and I’m an assassin. 

When magical bad guys hurt people, I take care of them. Permanently. 

This doesn’t make me popular with the rest of the magical community—as you can tell from the numerous break-ins and assassination attempts I’ve endured over the years. But thanks to my half-elven blood, a powerful sword named Chopper, and a telepathic tiger with an attitude, I’ve always been able to handle my problems with aplomb. Maybe some cursing and swearing, too, but definitely aplomb. 

That changes when my boss is afflicted with a mysterious disease, a government agent starts investigating me, and a godforsaken dragon shows up in the middle of my latest job. 

I’ve taken down vampires, zombies, and ogres, but dragons are way, way more powerful. And it doesn’t look like this one is going to like me. 

Worse than that, he wants to use his magic to compel me to do his bidding, as if I’m some weak-minded minion. 

That’s not going to happen. I’d die before being some dragon’s slave. 

But if I can’t figure out a way to avoid him, save my boss, and get rid of the government spook, I’m screwed. Or dead. Or screwed and dead. And that’s never comfortable.

 All three books of Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden. 

I know I am late to this party, but they were magical, just like Naomi Novik books are. You know I am usually very critical of historical fantasy set in Russia, but this was crazily authentic, impeccable accents on audio. It was just like the fairy tales of my childhood, it made me so very nostalgic.

Synopsis

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Another absolutely amazing listen on audio. Not only the background story is rich and distinctly Middle Eastern, but the actual plot twists also had me guessing till the very end. There are two male protagonists, and the reader is forced to swing like a pendulum between liking and disliking them from time to time, which was very refreshing.

Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a decorated military general from the Goryeo Dynasty, is framed as a traitor and killed by the young king. Years after his death, he is cursed by the almighty to stay immortal forever and endure the pain of seeing his loved ones die as punishment for the kills he committed in the wars to protect his country. He becomes an immortal goblin, helping people with his powers and being a kind man in spite of his grieving past. The only way to put an end to his immortality is the Goblin's bride, whose aid in pulling out the sword will end his painful immortality.

Ji Eun-Tak (Kim Go-eun) is a bubbly high school student who remains cheerful and hopeful despite her tragic life. She summons the goblin by chance and their fates begin to entwine. The Goblin's nephew Yoo Deok-Hwa (Yook Sung-jae) leases the Goblin's house to a Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook) and the two end up living under the same roof. Sunny (Yoo In-na) is a charismatic young lady who runs a chicken shop where Ji Eun-Tak works as a part timer.

As the lives of Kim Shin, Grim Reaper, Ji Eun-Tak and Sunny interweave, a deeper story unfolds, as they are not just strangers who met by chance but people with deep-rooted relations.

***

Guys, gals, if this one doesn't convert you into a fervently passionate fan of k-drama, I don't know what will! As urban fantasy genre goes, this is it. It's Buffy's goofiness and sass with Ilona Andrews' depth of worldbuilding and snappy dialogues.

It's funny, it's sad, poignant and so freaking beautiful... Of course, I cried in the end, and I just know this drama and its heroes will stay with me for a long time.

All four characters have a fantastic chemistry. Kim Shin, the immortal general is what Christopher Lambert wished he could have been as Highlander! There is no doom and gloom here, he is goofy, snarky, awkward with trying to catch up with all the technological advances, but underneath it all is this incredible weariness and sadness. He is tired of caring for people and watching them die while he carries on. The possibility of this cute little cheeky girl as his bride who can end his immortality is met with huge cinicism and disbelief. He's been there, got the t-shirt and had enough of hope.

The beauty of his curse is that the more he meets Eun-Tak, the more he gets to know her, the more he wants to live. She brings back all the forgotten feelings: seeing joy in small things, feeling warmth of someone's touch through hugs, experiencing wonder of new places and people. She is hungry for life, she has been barely surviving for years, and this opportunity she grabs with both hands.

Grim Reaper who is forced to share a house with Goblin is just as amazing character. He starts the series as an unmoving bureaucrat, who loves his paperwork and strictly adheres to the rules, but the more he interacts with Goblin and the people in his orbit, the more his character unravels. You see, fate brought them all together to resolve things which were left unfinished many centuries ago, and no matter how much they want to fight against it, it will prevail.

Be ready to laugh and cry, folks. I was definitely gulping back tears in some episodes,and the ending left me wrung out, empty and at the same time very satisfied. It's available on Viki app, so give it a go and let me know what you think in the comments.

Semi-Psychic Life by Elizabeth Hunter (Glimmer Lake #2)

8.5/10

Extraordinary You (2019)

8.5/10