Book Description from Goodreads: SERPENTINE is a sweeping fantasy set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology. Lush with details from Chinese folklore, SERPENTINE tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns sixteen, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a […]

In November, I launched the Fantasy Café Patreon account. One of the reward tiers allows voting on blog content for the following month. The first of these polls took place in December, determining one book to be read and reviewed in January. The theme of the month was fantasy books at least 15 years old and the January book is… The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip Since the day her father’s fishing boat returned without him, Peri and her mother […]

Book Description from Goodreads: Toby thought she understood her own past; she thought she knew the score. She was wrong. It’s time to learn the truth. Seanan McGuire’s debut Rosemary and Rue was an intriguing start to the October Daye series, and it became one of my favorite urban fantasies after reading the first few installments: there’s darkness and difficult choices, but endearing characters and amusing narrative and dialogue keep it from becoming overwhelmingly gloomy. Although I do find it […]

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week – old or new, bought or received for review consideration (usually unsolicited). Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included. A book I […]

2015 was not the best year for me due to several factors, including but not limited to moving with very little notice (after having just moved to a new state 6 months before) and fun health issues that made it difficult for me to eat anything for most of the month of December (just in time for the holidays!). These types of things definitely impacted the amount of reading and reviewing I did last year. I read fewer books than usual during the […]