The Leaning Pile of Books
Jan
31
2016

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.

Last week brought some books that sound pretty interesting, including two of my most anticipated books of 2016! First, here are last week’s posts in case you missed them:

  • A not-as-mini-as-I’d-planned mini review of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I found the first quarter of the book difficult to get through, and although it got a lot more readable later, it still wasn’t a book I found particularly memorable.
  • The January Patreon review of a fantasy book at least fifteen years old: The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip. I loved everything about it, and it’s my first 10/10 book of 2016 (and the first since Robin Hobb’s last release!).

On to last week’s books!

Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip

Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip

Patricia McKillip’s latest novel will be available on February 2 (hardcover, ebook).

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2016, and after recently reading The Changeling Sea, I’m even more excited about starting it!

 

The eagerly awaited new fantasy from the multiple award-winning “storytelling sorceress” (Peter S. Beagle).

Hidden away from the world by his mother, the powerful sorceress Heloise Oliver, Pierce has grown up working in her restaurant in Desolation Point. One day, Heloise tells her son the truth: about his father, a knight in King Arden’s court, about an older brother he never knew existed, about his father’s destructive love for King Arden’s queen, and Heloise’s decision to raise her younger son alone.

As Pierce journeys to Severluna, he learns that things are changing in that kingdom. Ancient magic is on the rise. The immensely powerful artifact of an ancient god has come to light, and the king is gathering his knights to quest for this profound mystery, which may restore the kingdom to legendary glory—or destroy it.

The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells

The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells

The Edge of Worlds, the first book in a new duology set in the same world as The Books of the Raksura, will be released on April 5 (hardcover, ebook).

This is another of my most anticipated books of the year since I love the fascinating, unique world of The Books of the Raksura and wanted more novels in this setting after reading those three (The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, and The Siren Depths).

 

An expedition of groundlings from the Empire of Kish have traveled through the Three Worlds to the Indigo Cloud court of the Raksura, shape-shifting creatures of flight that live in large family groups. The groundlings have found a sealed ancient city at the edge of the shallow seas, near the deeps of the impassable Ocean. They believe it to be the last home of their ancestors and ask for help getting inside. But the Raksura fear it was built by their own distant ancestors, the Forerunners, and the last sealed Forerunner city they encountered was a prison for an unstoppable evil.

Prior to the groundlings’ arrival, the Indigo Cloud court had been plagued by visions of a disaster that could destroy all the courts in the Reaches. Now, the court’s mentors believe the ancient city is connected to the foretold danger. A small group of warriors, including consort Moon, an orphan new to the colony and the Raksura’s idea of family, and sister queen Jade, agree to go with the groundling expedition to investigate. But the predatory Fell have found the city too, and in the race to keep the danger contained, the Raksura may be the ones who inadvertently release it.

The Edge of Worlds, from celebrated fantasy author Martha Wells, returns to the fascinating world of The Cloud Roads for the first book in a new series of strange lands, uncanny beings, dead cities, and ancient danger.

Daughter of Blood by Helen Lowe

Daughter of Blood (The Wall of Night #3) by Helen Lowe

Daughter of Blood was released last week (mass market paperback, ebook). The first book in the series, The Heir of Night, won the 2012 Gemmell Morningstar Award, and the second book, The Gathering of the Lost, was on the 2013 Gemmell Legend Award shortlist.

SF Signal has an excerpt from Daughter of Blood.

 

A Gemmell Award-Winning Series

Malian of Night and Kalan, her trusted ally, are returning to the Wall of Night—but already it may be too late. The Wall is dangerously weakened, the Nine Houses of the Derai fractured by rivalry and hate. And now, the Darkswarm is rising . . .

Among Grayharbor backstreets, an orphan boy falls foul of dark forces. On the Wall, a Daughter of Blood must be married off to the Earl of Night, a pawn in the web of her family’s ambition. On the Field of Blood, Kalan fights for a place in the bride’s honor guard, while Malian dodges deadly pursuers in a hunt against time for the fabled Shield of Heaven. But the Darkswarm is gaining strength, and time is running out—for Malian, for Kalan, and for all of Haarth . . .

Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning

Feverborn (Fever #8) by Karen Marie Moning

The latest book in the New York Times bestselling Fever series was released on January 19 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). The previous seven books in the series are as follows:

  1. Darkfever
  2. Bloodfever
  3. Faefever
  4. Dreamfever
  5. Shadowfever
  6. Iced
  7. Burned
 

In Karen Marie Moning’s latest installment of the epic #1 New York Times bestselling Fever series, the stakes have never been higher and the chemistry has never been hotter. Hurtling us into a realm of labyrinthine intrigue and consummate seduction, FEVERBORN is a riveting tale of ancient evil, lust, betrayal, forgiveness and the redemptive power of love.

When the immortal race of the Fae destroyed the ancient wall dividing the worlds of Man and Faery, the very fabric of the universe was damaged and now Earth is vanishing bit by bit. Only the long-lost Song of Making—a haunting, dangerous melody that is the source of all life itself—can save the planet.

But those who seek the mythic Song—Mac, Barrons, Ryodan and Jada—must contend with old wounds and new enemies, passions that burn hot and hunger for vengeance that runs deep. The challenges are many: The Keltar at war with nine immortals who’ve secretly ruled Dublin for eons, Mac and Jada hunted by the masses, the Seelie queen nowhere to be found, and the most powerful Unseelie prince in all creation determined to rule both Fae and Man. Now the task of solving the ancient riddle of the Song of Making falls to a band of deadly warriors divided among—and within—themselves.

Once a normal city possessing a touch of ancient magic, Dublin is now a treacherously magical city with only a touch of normal. And in those war-torn streets, Mac will come face to face with her most savage enemy yet: herself.

Review of The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip
Jan
29
2016
The Changeling Sea
by Patricia A. McKillip
144pp (Mass Market Paperback)
My Rating: 10/10
Amazon Rating: 4.7/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.13/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.06/5
 

I only discovered Patricia McKillip about three years ago. Of course, I’d heard of her long before then—she has won the World Fantasy Award and been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards, after all!—but I hadn’t actually read anything by her even though she’d been on my mental list of “authors to read someday” for quite awhile at that point. She might still be on that list had I not leafed through an ARC of Wonders of the Invisible World that showed up in my mailbox one day. I just meant to sample the writing since I often have a tough time reading short stories, but I was so enchanted by her spare but lovely prose, characters, and insight that I read it cover to cover—and then decided I simply must read all her books!

The Changeling Sea, a Mythopoeic Award nominee first published in 1988, is a perfect example of why I wanted to read all of Patricia McKillip’s books in the first place. This slim stand alone fantasy (less than 150 pages!) is lovely and just the right length for the story it tells: the tale of Peri, an islander who despises, curses, and then falls in love with the sea.

Ever since Peri’s father’s boat returned to shore without him, Peri’s mother has been lost to her as well, largely neglectful of the world around her as she gazes at the sea. Though Peri occasionally visits when she’s not working at the inn, she’s been residing by herself in an abandoned home. The old woman who used to live there vanished one day, but before she left she taught Peri some enchantments. These spells never seemed particularly effective, but Peri plans to hex the sea anyway—and when the prince, Kir, comes searching for the old woman, Peri tells him she intends to do so. Kir requests that she send the sea a message from him and gives her some items belonging to the king. One afternoon, she ties them into her hexes, casts them into the sea, and screams at the sea.

 

“I hex you,” she shouted, searching for words as bitter as brine to cast back at the sea. “I hate you, I curse you, I lay a hex on you, Sea, so that all your spellbindings will unravel, and all your magic is confused, and so that you never again take anything or anyone that belongs to us, and you let go of whatever you have—” [pp. 19]

At first, nothing happens, but then a sea dragon with a giant gold chain around its neck rises out of the sea. Soon Peri’s village is thrown into chaos as fishers plot to acquire this gold for themselves, visitors arrive dreaming of these riches, and the sea sends some messages of its own. Peri’s quiet life is also upended when she promises to help Kir find a path into the sea where he knows he belongs. In the process, she learns the truth about the king’s past and the identity of the sea dragon—and falls in love with Kir, though she’s vowed to help him become lost to her forever.

The Changeling Sea is every bit as enchanting as the sea that mesmerized some of its characters. I was captivated from the very first page, and I found myself rereading sections often and absorbing every word before moving on—and after I reached the end, I knew this was a keeper that I was likely to reread again someday. It’s beautifully written, achieving just the right balance between too much description and too little. Though not a fast-paced book, it’s never dull and it’s so vividly drawn that each scene is easy to envision. The end is more sweet than bitter, but there is some sadness that makes it seem as though happiness is earned rather than too easily and tidily accomplished.

Peri is a wonderful heroine who unknowingly has a huge affect on her world. At the beginning of the book she has a rather simple, quiet life aside from her anger at the sea. She’s a fisher’s daughter who cleans at the village inn, and the other villagers do not suspect that this unkempt girl whose hair looks as though “she had stood on her head and used it for a mop” (pp. 2) is right in the middle of the strange events happening in their midst. Yet she knows more about their prince, king, and the mysterious sea dragon that appeared one day than any of them, and it’s Peri who teaches two trapped between the earth and sea about being human. She discovers she has a greater gift than she or anyone around her ever realized, and I especially loved the scene in which she finally saw the influence she had.

At its heart, this is a tale of legendary proportions, and it’s also largely about love and loss. I especially enjoyed that it incorporated so much of ordinary life into such a mythic story. Though Peri spends her nights speaking with royalty, she spends her days working at the inn. Early in the book, much of the conversation she hears there is focused on gossip about the prince, but later it turns to the sea dragon and how to profit from its gigantic chain of gold. Even then, it still seems like such down-to-earth ordinary chatter with arguments abounding: how to get this chain, who created this chain, and whether or not its actually worth the risk of taking it from whoever created such a large chain for such a large creature.

The Changeling Sea is a rare gem: a book that I loved from beginning to end. It’s deceptively simple on the surface but has depth, and that’s part of what makes it so memorable—along with the lovely writing, Peri herself, and its themes of love, loss, and humanity wrapped in a legendary tale. I don’t feel that anything I say can do this magical book justice, but it’s a new favorite book and yet another reason to read more written by Patricia McKillip.

My Rating: 10/10

Where I got my reading copy: I purchased it.

This book is January’s selection from a poll on Patreon.

Mini Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Jan
26
2016
Truthwitch
by Susan Dennard
416pp (Hardcover)
My Rating: 5/10
Amazon Rating: 4.6/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.65/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.09/5
 

Book Description from Goodreads:

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Truthwitch, the first book in the Witchlands series by Susan Dennard, was released in both the US and the UK earlier this month. I started hearing that this book was amazing months before it was published and was incredibly excited about reading it. Despite having a fun plotline once it finally got going, I didn’t find the novel particularly memorable since the writing, world, and main characters did not work for me.

I almost didn’t even finish Truthwitch because I thought the first quarter of the book was badly done. It was both action packed and full of exposition as it introduced the world and characters, but neither of these were fleshed out enough to draw me in. I also found some of the dialogue and situations overdone and outright cheesy, like Safi putting on an act to get out of being searched by the guards. She gets away with it because gull droppings always end up landing on her and do at that precise moment—and the guards are too busy laughing at her to be concerned with doing their jobs. Although Safi and Iseult’s close friendship and status as total badasses who fight well together was compelling, it wasn’t enough to carry earlier parts of the book.

Despite their relationship being the only appealing factor for quite awhile, I started to find it more readable after Safi and Iseult separated for a little while. As a noblewoman, Safi is required to go to the emperor’s ball, and it soon becomes clear that something major is going to happen at this event. Though Iseult cannot go with her, she visits her people, which leads to learning more about her family, her magic, and her feelings about both. Their separation ends after both Safi and Iseult end up fleeing danger and then meeting up again, and by this point, I was more interested in finding out what happened to them—but even though I was driven to turn the pages, I found it rather unsatisfying after I finished the book and reflected more on what I’d read.

One reason I didn’t find it satisfying is that there’s a lack of subtlety, and this is especially apparent in the characterization of the four main protagonists. (Although the biggest focus is on Safi and Iseult, there are also parts from the point of view of two others: the Windwitch Prince Merik and the Bloodwitch Aeduan.) All their personalities are rather one dimensional without any nuance and their thoughts tend to come back to the same subjects repeatedly. The situations surrounding these characters are more interesting than the people themselves, and because of this, I actually found I’d be more likely to read the next book to learn more about some secondary characters whose motivations remain unclear than the main characters themselves.

Another issue I had is that the information supplied about the world is both too much and too little: there is a lot of exposition, but it’s light on the details of the world history. I didn’t find the world to be very original or well developed and thought there was an “everything and the kitchen sink” approach to the magic. It seemed as though every type of common ability imaginable was present: fire, air, water, earth, blood, lie detection, illusions, and more. Though this has potential to be a fun setting, I didn’t think anything particularly creative was done with it and these powers seemed to exist for plot convenience and cool fight scenes. Additionally, there is a fantasy trope that is very obviously set up and predictable. Of course, not every book needs to have a unique setting or be free from tropes to be excellent, but I felt this was a large issue with this book since it did have other problems as well.

Despite those issues, the last three quarters of Truthwitch did keep me turning the pages to find out what happened next and I’ve had a hard time figuring out whether to rate it a 5 or 6 because of that. Immediately after finishing it, I thought I might like it enough to read the next book even though I wasn’t very impressed by it. However, I’ve changed my mind after thinking about it some more, rereading much of it, and realizing there wasn’t much to keep me invested in it other than finding out more about some of the secondary characters. The first quarter didn’t appeal to me at all, and even after it picked up more, the writing, main characters, and world didn’t do much for me in the end so the final verdict is: it’s okay.

My Rating: 5/10

Where I got my reading copy: Read an ARC from the UK publisher; rereading for this review was from a finished copy provided by the US publisher.

The Leaning Pile of Books
Jan
24
2016

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.

Last week brought one book I’m very excited about, but first, here are last week’s posts in case you missed them:

I’m currently working on a review of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, and after that’s done I’ll be starting on my review of The Changeling Sea.

Now, the book that I’m really looking forward to reading!

The Lyre Thief by Jennifer Fallon

The Lyre Thief (War of the Gods Trilogy #1) by Jennifer Fallon

The Lyre Thief, set in the same world as the other two trilogies in the Hythrun Chronicles, will be released in the US on March 8 (hardcover, ebook). It takes place ten years after the Demon Child Trilogy (Medalon, Treason Keep, and Harshini).

I’ve been meaning to read a book by Jennifer Fallon for awhile and this sounds really good! The description on the back of the ARC makes it sound even better since it mentions a couple of things I really like: “switched identities” and “meddlesome gods” (including a God of Liars).

 

Her Serene Highness, Rakaia, Princess of Fardohnya, is off to Hythria, where her eldest sister is now the High Princess, to find herself a husband, and escape the inevitable bloodbath in the harem when her brother takes the throne.

Rakaia is not interested in marrying anyone, least of all some brute of a Hythrun Warlord she’s never met, but she has a plan to save herself from that, too. If she can just convince her baseborn sister, Charisee, to play along, she might actually get away with it.

But there is trouble brewing across the continent. High Prince of Hythria, Damin Wolfblade, must head north to save the peace negotiated a decade ago between the Harshini, Hythria, Fardohnya, Medalon and Karien. He must leave behind an even more dangerous conflict brewing between his wife and his powerful mother, Princess Marla.

…And in far off Medalon, someone has stolen the music.

Their quest for the tiny stolen lyre containing the essence of the God of Music will eventually touch all their lives, threaten everything they hold dear and prove to be far more personal than any of them can imagine.

Additional Books:

Mini Reviews: Serpentine, Burn for Me, and The Very Best of Kate Elliott
Jan
20
2016
Serpentine
by Cindy Pon
300pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 6/10
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.7/5
Goodreads Rating: 3.58/5
 

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 darkness that not even daybreak can quell.

When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self – even as she falls in love for the first time.

Serpentine is about a handmaid, Skybright, who wakes up one night to find she no longer has legs but a serpent coil. In the morning, she appears fully human again, but she continues to occasionally shift into this other form against her will. As she tries to learn about her connection to the serpent demon and master control over her two different forms, she also begins to fall in love with Kai Sen, a young man raised by monks.

Though I felt that Serpentine was longer than necessary for the amount of story contained within it, it is a lovely story. I very much enjoyed the mythology, Skybright’s encounters with the mysterious Stone, the focus on Skybright’s complicated friendship with her mistress Zhen Ni, and the ending. Skybright’s fears and struggles with accepting this other side of herself are realistically examined and sympathetic, and she’s determined, practical, and loyal to the ones she cares about.

While there was much I appreciated about Serpentine, I also thought it dragged at times, the characters other than Skybright did not come alive, and the love story was rushed since Skybright and Kai Sen barely knew each other. I probably would have loved Serpentine had it been tighter with some more compelling characterization, but though it had some interesting elements, I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequel (although the description of the next book on Goodreads does sound really good!).

My Rating: 6/10

Where I got my reading copy: I purchased it.

Burn for Me
by Ilona Andrews
400pp (Mass Market Paperback)
My Rating: 7/10
Amazon Rating: 4.8/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.26/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.4/5
 

Book Description from Goodreads:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire…

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

Despite what the book spine claims and cover image indicates, this novel is not technically a paranormal romance even though there is a lot of romantic tension in the second half of the book. The first quarter of the book is primarily focused on introducing the world and Nevada’s latest job assignment: capturing Adam Pierce, a dangerously strong pyrokinetic who really enjoys setting things on fire. Immediately after her first encounter with Adam about a quarter of the way through the book, she’s kidnapped by Mad Rogan, a dangerously strong telekinetic with some telepathic ability whose cousin requested that he find her teenage son, recently seen committing arson with Adam. He chains Nevada in his basement and uses his telepathy to try to extract what she knows about Adam, but this is much harder than he expected since Nevada secretly has will-based magic of her own. He lets her go and later the two decide it’s best that they work together to find Adam. Nevada can’t stop thinking about how amazingly good-looking Mad Rogan is but tries to fight her attraction to him because he’s a psychopath.

This is a fun book with some of the classic Ilona Andrews style of amusing dialogue and narrative. The world isn’t terribly original since it’s basically people with different superhuman abilities, but that’s not an issue since it does certainly allow for some interesting situations. Nevada herself is wonderful: determined, smart, practical, forthright, and compassionate.

However, although I enjoyed reading some of her snappy dialogue with Mad Rogan, I also find it difficult to envision an eventual romance between the two (which I assume there will be due to the paranormal romance label). I suspect some of the awful things Nevada believes about him will turn out to be false, but even so, he drugged and abducted her, can kill without remorse, and used his power to choke a woman with her own dress. Nevada is completely right to think being in a relationship with him is a terrible idea!

Burn for Me is entertaining, and I do want to read the second book in the Hidden Legacy series once it’s released even if I did have some problems with it.

My Rating: 7/10

Where I got my reading copy: I received it as a Christmas gift since it was a book on my wish list.

The Very Best of Kate Elliott
by Kate Elliott
384pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 5/10
Amazon Rating: 4.4/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.01/5
 

Book Description from Goodreads:

Strong heroines and riveting storytelling are the hallmark of groundbreaking fantasy author Kate Elliott (“Crown of Stars,” “Crossroads”). Elliott is a highly-compelling voice in genre fiction, an innovative author of historically-based narratives set in imaginary worlds. This first, retrospective collection of her short fiction is the essential guide to Elliott’s shorter works. Here her bold adventuresses, complex quests, noble sacrifices, and hard-won victories shine in classic, compact legends.

In “The Memory of Peace,” a girl’s powerful emotions rouse the magic of a city devastated by war. Meeting in “The Queen’s Garden,” two princesses unite to protect their kingdom from the blind ambition of their corrupted father. While “Riding the Shore of the River of Death” a chieftain’s daughter finds an unlikely ally on her path to self-determination.

Elliott’s many readers, as well as fantasy fans in search of powerful stories featuring well-drawn female characters, will revel in this unique gathering of truly memorable tales.

Short fiction is not my favorite format since I tend to prefer longer stories with more time to explore characters and worlds, but I really wanted to read this because I’ve wanted to read more by Kate Elliott since I loved her Spiritwalker trilogy (Cold Magic, Cold Fire, Cold Steel). The Very Best of Kate Elliott contains an introduction by the author, twelve short stories, and four essays previously published online. Two short stories are set in the same world as the Crown of Stars series, one is set in the same world as Crossroads trilogy, two are set in the same world as the Jaran series, and one is set in the same world as the Spiritwalker trilogy.

Although I appreciated some of the themes and elements that went into the short stories, I didn’t find any of them to be particularly compelling. The only one I found at all memorable was the Jaran story “My Voice Is in My Sword” and that was only because of the darkly humorous ending; until that point, I thought that story was okay but not great. However, I did very much enjoy reading the four essays, especially the two on the portrayal of women in fiction (“The Omniscient Breasts” and “The Narrative of Women in Fear and Pain”) and the one on immigration (“And Pharaoh’s Heart Hardened”), a topic close to the author’s own heart as the child of immigrants.

My Rating: 5/10

Where I got my reading copy: ARC from the publisher.

January Patreon Book
Jan
18
2016

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

The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip

Since the day her father’s fishing boat returned without him, Peri and her mother have mourned his loss. Her mother sinks into a deep depression and spends her days gazing out at the sea. Unable to control her anger and sadness any longer, Peri uses the small magic she knows to hex the sea. And suddenly into her drab life come the King’s sons—changelings with strange ties to the underwater kingdom—a young magician, and, finally, love.

I’ll be reading it next since I just finished reading Ilana C. Myer’s Last Song Before Night. In February, I’ll be announcing the book selected in this month’s poll, which is a book not published by one of the large publishers. If you’d like to vote on the February poll determining a book to be read and reviewed in March, there’s still time to sign up before the end of January!