Tag: magicalrealism

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#BlogTour: The Library Of Fates by Margot Harrison

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a strong magical realism/ romance/ mystery combo that leaves off a discussion that could have taken this book from solid to transcendental. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Library Of Fates by Margot Harrison.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Strong Magical Realism/ Romance/ Mystery Combo. This book had a lot of things for a lot of readers, but curiously, it only had a single line or two about a real world version of itself. But more on that in a moment.

The mysteries here are solid. There’s a dual timeline going on, mostly set in the world just before the collapse in 2020, with the “current” timeline being set in late 2019 and the “then” timeline being back in the 1990s. When the two different mysteries converge… things get quite interesting indeed, setting up one hell of a climax that will take your breath away. As in, if you go into that section just before bed… just plan to stay up a bit later than normal. Once you get there in particular, you’re not going to want to put this book down.

The romance plays out across both timelines as well, with some interesting complications due to the events of the mystery sides of the tale, and is reasonably paced throughout. Nothing overly spicy here, perhaps somewhere between a warm glass of milk and a jalapeno. Maybe somewhere around a Banana or Poblano pepper? Enough that the warm glass of milk crowd may get a little antsy, but also so little that the crowd that barely thinks a habanero is anything at all may not even think there is any spice to be had here at all. I mean, these are college students brought together in an unusual and magical circumstance. Yes, things are going to happen.

But the one thing that hangs over this entire book is the one thing that Harrison only devotes a line or two to – the fact that the very thing that is supposed to be magical about this book, tech in 2025 can already damn near do – and likely will be fully capable of within the next five years or so. While it may not be an *exact* analogue to the magical bit of this book – in that it won’t be a singular book for everyone – AI is largely already to the point that for many readers, particularly those who only read a few books a year or even a few books a decade, AI can already give them a book tailored specifically to their own interests that is largely compelling enough for those exact types of readers. And yes, this is going to be a problem for authors going forward. What happens when the tech gets good enough to satisfy even those of us who read hundreds of books per year? Harrison could have used even her magical version here to perhaps explore this possibility more in a “pre-AI” magical world, but instead uses this part of the magic as more of a macguffin or even an end game set piece than really exploring this idea in any real depth. Which, to this reader, is perhaps a lost opportunity to take a solid mystery/ romance and have it get that much deeper and more timeless.

Still, for what this story actually is and what it actually does, it actually does – *ahem* – all things – *ahem* – quite well within its world, and this is absolutely a book that a lot of different types of readers will be able to enjoy quite a bit.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Library Of Fates by Margot Harrison”

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#BookReview: The Shark House by Sara Ackerman

Beautiful Anti-Jaws. In a sense, this book is the anti-Jaws intended to take everything ugly about Jaws (including its New England setting, sorry Yankees) and make it more vivid and beautiful, with a far stronger emotional component to boot.

Now, admittedly I haven’t read the Peter Benchley original book (yet), but this year *is* the 50th anniversary of the movie that effectively created the Summer Blockbuster out of thin air, and yes, I’ve seen the movie more than a few times (and ridden the former ride at Universal Orlando, may it rest in peace). Stupid Harry Potter. (No, Rowling is awesome. I just hate that Universal decided to rip out Jaws to insert a new HP land. Almost as much as I hate that they took away Dueling Dragons in Islands of Adventure to put in Hagrid’s rollercoaster.) Wait. Wait. Back to the Ackerman’s book.

Seriously though, Ackerman flipped the script from New England (boo! hiss!) to the beautiful Hawaiian waters (yay!), gave us a compelling and complicated shark scientist lead character, truly makes us see the beauty of both Hawaii (as she always does in her books) and sharks, …

Wait. She makes us see the beauty in *sharks*? Those apex predators who are nothing but man eating living torpedos that lurk silently and randomly attack humans? Yeah, well, Ackerman actually has solid in-story rebuttals to all of that, and she works it in without being preachy but instead having her characters truly be in awe of the majesty of the sharks and seeking to understand them.

Combining elements of real-world Hawaiian anti-“mainlander” racism and magical realism to great effect both comedically and in key moments in the story, Ackerman brings in elements of Hawaiian culture in this book I’d never seen her bring in before, and looking at her catalog, I’ve now read 75% of it – the last six of her nine published books. (And I’m fairly sure I have the other three on my Kindle as I type this review.)

Indeed, it is the magical realism elements here that perhaps shine the brightest in the biggest moments of the book and help elevate the book from “just a Jaws clone” to more of a “Moana-esque epic celebration of family and culture”.

Or maybe I’m just completely seeing all of this wrong and being an absolute idiot here. Once this book releases less than two weeks into 2026, make sure to read it for yourself and write your own review. Feel free to call me out on anything you feel I got wrong here. As long as you’re actually writing a review, I’ll gladly take the hit. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of The Shark House by Sara Ackerman was originally written on September 23, 2025.

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#BlogTour: Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf

For this blog tour, we’re looking at another strong Southern Gothic tale that serves as an emerging author’s sophomore effort for adult readers. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Strong Southern Gothic Tale. Perfect for those who love to start “spooky season” on July 5th (with no other major (decorative, at least) holidays in the US before Halloween), yet also has a strong small town mystery and even a touch of romance, this is one book that checks a lot of boxes – yet manages to do them all quite well.

Even as a native of the South, specifically the borderlands between southern Appalachia and exurban Atlanta, I had never heard of the concept of a “grave bird”, yet Elemndorf both (quickly) explains it well… and then uses it particularly well throughout the novel whose title notes that it is all about these creatures. 😉

But seriously, the titular grave birds give this tale a magical realism/ fantasy tone that is exactly what one would expect in a Southern Gothic tale, but really the core of this book is one woman’s dreams and the depths she will go through to achieve them – even if it means unravelling a decades old town mystery so well hidden that virtually no one even actually knows there is a mystery to solve!

Truly a strong and stirring sophomore effort (for adult audiences, at least), this really is a strong tale told particularly well, and one that is both familiar enough to be understood and even relatable, yet innovative enough so that the reader will still be caught quite breathless at times.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf”

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#BookReview: A Wish In The Wind by Kay Bratt

Reading The Last Book First? WHAT???? Ok, real confession time: I’ve bought every single book in this series – and this is the *only* one I’ve read, specifically because I also received it as an Advance Review Copy. So why did I buy the other 16 books? I’m familiar with the work, and in many cases the person, of the authors in question, and I trust them to give me solid stories.

This one is yet another such solid story, perhaps of a bit of a Hallmark Movie type vibe – but that is really the intent of this entire series, so it works. Bratt in particular is truly capable of so much more emotional depth (check out her By The Seas series or my own first encounter with her work, Dancing With The Sun) and even outright action/ drama (check out her Hart’s Ridge series), but she shows here that she can contain those other impulses and write on theme and on brand for a collaborative effort – and that too shows great strength and talent as a storyteller (or any group participant), to be able to blend just so well.

So, there it is, really – if you like the Hallmark Movie vibe (and clearly *many* do), you’re going to enjoy both this book and this entire series. If that isn’t really your think, this likely won’t be either.

Oh, and one other strength to both the book and the series: They’re all super short. I read this (120 age ish) book in about 2.5 hrs or so this afternoon. In other words, great for those busy with other things that are looking for quick breaks to enjoy something well written and quite enjoyable that won’t really offend most anyone not actively looking for something to be offended by.

Very much recommended.

This review of A Wish In The Wind by Kay Bratt was originally written on October 15, 2024.

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#BlogTour: The Body Next Door by Maia Chance

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a book with an intriguing mix of magical realism, cults, and a dual timeline mystery/ thriller. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Body Next Door by Maia Chance.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Mystery/ Thriller With Cults And Magical Realism? Yes Please. First off, if you’re turned off by any discussion of cults… this book likely isn’t your thing. If you’re turned off by any element of magical realism… this book probably isn’t your thing. If you can’t handle books dealing with domestic violence and/ or sexual assault/ rape… this book probably isn’t your thing. If you can’t handle books with multiple POVs… this book probably isn’t your thing. If you’re turned off by books with dual timelines… this book probably isn’t your thing. If you’re turned off by books with any LGBT characters at all… this book probably isn’t your thing.

With all of *that* out of the way, I thought this book was done particularly well and told a not-overly-typical (because it dealt so intrinsically with cults/ life after cults) tale in new and interesting ways (re: magical realism elements). All of the various elements work well to create a story with an admittedly slow start that absolutely heats up later in the text, particularly during a somewhat detailed account of the night everything came crashing down in the earlier timeline. The overall mystery ties both timelines together well, and while the front of the book can seem a bit disjointed at times with its POV switches, it *does* all come together quite beautifully and dramatically down the stretch.

Ultimately a fun read that is different enough to stick out in a very crowded field of similar ish (re: mystery/ thriller) books, this is definitely one to check out – even if it is a touch longer than some will be comfortable with (just over 400 pages).

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Body Next Door by Maia Chance”

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#BlogTour: In The Hour Of Crows by Dana Elmendorf

For this blog tour, we’re looking at an atmospheric Southern Gothic tale perfect for fans of Emily Carpenter or Robert Gwaltney. For this blog tour, we’re looking at In The Hour Of Crows by Dana Elmendorf.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Atmospheric Southern Gothic Perfect For Fans Of Emily Carpenter Or Robert Gwaltney. This is one of those trippy atmospheric southern gothic tales where folklore plays a central role. Set in the 1980s in Appalachia, it is perhaps *too* reliant on folklore in reality, but the story works within itself. As someone who grew up in the 1980s in the foothills of the Appalachians in the borderlands between Appalachia and Atlanta, the tale perhaps makes my people seem a bit backward and mystical than most of us really were, though there were (and are) absolutely pockets of people who were in fact very similar to the characters portrayed here.

Still, for the story being told here, it absolutely works within itself and creates a compelling story of a young woman struggling to find herself and the man of her dreams. But you’re going to get a *lot* of southern mysticism within that more general tale, and it is this very southern mysticism that gives the book its gravitas, atmosphere… and challenges for many readers, almost to the level of being more literary fiction than popular fiction. Not quite that far, but certainly not a too casual read either.

If you’re looking for an easy, casual summer read… this aint that. If you enjoy more spooky reads with a dash of horror but still more of a typical mystery/ drama, you might like this one. Ultimately, I thought it was well done and the release date separates it a bit from the more typical fall/ Halloween window many readers might be looking for this type of tale during – which actually gives those who like this story that much longer to find it, and for those who do find it near release date, something to enjoy outside of the “spooky season”.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: In The Hour Of Crows by Dana Elmendorf”

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#BookReview: Let’s Pretend This Will Work by Maddie Dawson

Messy Magical Maddie Dawson Book. One of the reasons I so love Dawson’s writing is because even her main characters are usually *far* from perfect – but manage to live their lives and largely achieve their goals anyway, even as we come to love them for their flaws. This book is no different, with the dose of magical realism at play here being a brief visit to a psychic that sets in play several of the decisions our main character ultimately makes. Obviously, if you’re looking for some pure paragon of whatever ideal you may have… Dawson’s books aren’t the place to find those kind of characters, and this being a Dawson book, well, like I said already… not the kind of characters you’re going to find here.

But I really do love that Dawson always manages to bring it around to a happy ending… even when it isn’t the ending the character thought they would get at the beginning of the book (hello, character growth! story arc! etc :D) and perhaps isn’t the ending the reader saw for that character, but still ultimately works within the story told to that point.

If you like quirky /funky / off beat / off the wall / decent amount of WTF moment kind of tales, you’re going to enjoy this book. If you’re more a tried and true straight arrow type, eh, *I* still enjoyed this book, but you may not.

Overall a fun book and another solid entry in Dawson’s catalog. Very much recommended.

This review of Let’s Pretend This Will Work by Maddie Dawson was originally written on May 8, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner

Scattered Tale Tries To Be Both RomCom And Women’s Fiction. Straight up, I’m fully aware that this is one of those reviews where many will rate this book at 5* for the exact reason I’m deducting a star here (though as you’ll see if you too peruse the reviews, at least some of my commentary will also mirror many of the existing 2* reviews as I write this review early in the morning on the US East Coast on release day for this book). Namely, the preachy hyper-focus on workplace discrimination and outright sexual harassment and even sexual assault… in what is ostensibly trying to be a romcom. If you approach this as a romcom – and perhaps that was my failing here, approaching it in such a way… these issues are far too heavy and completely drag the story down.

However, for those that approach this tale perhaps *wanting* the more Women’s Fiction side of it, where such heavy issues may be more expected, there you’ll get the heaviness the same, but also with the levity that the attempt at also being a romcom brings to the table. So the tale is still scattered, but when approached in such a manner, it likely won’t feel as off-putting. Hell, it may even feel quite a bit refreshing.

And of course my other failing here that must be mentioned is my love of The Family Man, the late 90s/ early 2000s movie with Nic Cage and Tea Leoni. It is my go-to reference for “glimpse” type tales such as this, where the main character is allowed to relive some portion of their life over. And while also a somewhat serious drama itself (with quite a bit of comedy), it was nowhere near as heavy as this book was fairly often. Also having this tale set in the end of year season – as that movie was – didn’t help me completely separate the two, but again, this is likely a failing of mine that perhaps some other readers may share.

Overall, the book actually does both of its scattered foci quite well… it simply fails in the combination, at least when one is expecting more of a “glimpse” based romcom. As mentioned previously, if approached from more of a Women’s Fiction tale, it works rather well.

For those potentially concerned that it doesn’t meet the full requirements of a “romance”… it does, actually – at least every rule I’m personally aware of. And for those concerned about spice level… this one will satisfy the “clean” crowd (while perhaps being too heavy for the “sweet” crowd, though perhaps not) in that the closest anything gets to any “action” – other than the sexual assault(s) – is heavy kissing and waking up in the same bed.

Ultimately one of those tales that will likely be at least somewhat divisive due to the dichotomies I’ve discussed here, it could also do quite well in certain circles and when approached from a certain direction. Recommended.

This review of The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner was originally written on December 5, 2023.