Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher

Healer Anja is a 'poison doctor' -- she works to find antidotes to poisons and hopefully save the victims. It's a fairly quiet life, until her King shows up in her workroom with a request. His daughter Snow is ill and he fears that someone is poisoning her. Will Anja travel to the isolated estate where he has sequestered Snow and work to save her? Of course she will (he is the King) but when she arrives, things are....off.

This reframing of Snow White is an utter delight. T. Kingfisher has absolutely mastered the art of retelling fairy tales, giving them a twist and usually casting a mature (middle-aged? Not an ingenue, anyways) heroine who is down to earth and usually perplexed by what's going on around her but willing to get things done. There's a slow-burn romance in the background (and Kingfisher does the thing that I particularly like in romances, whereby the characters actually TALK to each other and figure things out), a talking cat who is just as one might fear a talking cat to be and many fun facts about venomous animals.

Absolutely recommended! (I'd say for everyone, but high teen readers might be put off a bit by the ages of the protagonists. Still, I'd say it would be worth a shot there.)

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

Terlu Perna wakes up in a cold, snowy forest clearing. She's absolutely thrilled to do so, as she was turned into a statue for using sorcery to create Caz, a sentient plant we met in “The Spellshop”.

But now she has no idea where she is, what her life may be now and why the handsome, grumpy gardener who turned her back into a person is so grumpy and insistent that he needs a sorcerer to fix the greenhouses on Belde.

I loved this so much! A companion novel to “The Spellshop”, it opens up more of the world that Durst has created. Hopeful, romantic and quietly resistant to abuse of power, this is going on my “read when things are bad” list.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce

Being an only child, sibling relationships will always and forever be an undiscovered country for me. (not my favourite Star Trek movie, but I'll go with it.) Even watching my kids' relationship as they grow into their adult roles doesn't have the same affect.

Rachel Joyce has written a big, sprawling (yet intimate at the same time) novel about sibling relationships. How they develop from birth, how parents affect them, how they grow and how they can fracture. Joyce also touches on “do 'great' (or at least commercially successful) artists get a pass on being jerks because Artist”. (I do not think so, for the record.)

I was sort of expecting a Big Twist and was somewhat surprised when it never came. I do think that the novel is stronger for that.

Recommended!

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Never the Roses by Jennifer K. Lambert

Oniera is perhaps the most powerful sorcerer in her world and after decades of being used to wage war for whatever ruler has purchased her services, she manages to buy out her contract and 'retire' to a home she builds herself. The peace and quiet, and the companionship of avatar-esque animals slowly starts to heal her until on a whim, she dreamwalks into a rival sorceror's library and finds a book on growing extremely rare roses. He does not exactly approve of this and the flirtation grows from there.

There are so many tropes that could apply to this novel, but I think I'm going to stick with 'fairy tale for adults'. Lambert touches on many topics here but this lush romance takes centre stage. Gorgeously written and absolutely heartbreaking, this will stay with you for a long time.

Highly recommended.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein

Okay, I am not a sports person. (Except for gold medal hockey games, then I have to cheer Canada on.) Beck Dorey-Stein made me care deeply about soccer.

This novel is absolutely engrossing and I could not put it down. My heart broke for Mia, parentified and yet supportive of Cricket. It asks the questions “how far should we go for those we love” and “how much do we owe the ones who raised us”. There are no easy answers to those questions and Dorey-Stein writes a realistic scenario around them.

Definitely recommended!

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace by Emily Skrutskie

I absolutely love “what happens after the quest is over” books, and Legionnaire's is getting a top spot on that list.

Katrien and Emory are legionnaires on the eve of a climactic battle that will decide the future of their world. Throwing caution to the winds, they decide to have what may be their first and last night together. This is the story of what happens after the world is saved and I loved it.

Skrutskie has an intriguing magical system that absolutely works for the story. I would love to see more in this universe.

Highly recommended! It's a bit spicy, so keep that in mind.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Ripple Effect by Maggie North

Maggie North's second novel is compulsively readable! This is a novel that you set aside a lazy afternoon to finish because you won't want to put it down.

Set in the same area, with many of the same people as Rules for Second Chances, this follows Stellar Byrd, a burnt out and struggling ER physician on her journey. One of the things I really appreciate about North's writing is the emphasis on communication so you don't wind up hissing “if you'd just TALK to each other” at the book – unless that's just me.

Recommended for adults, there's a little spice to it.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher

Third in the Sworn Soldier series, Alex Easton is a delight. Alex does not particularly want to go to America, but when Dr. Denton (Alex's brother in arms from the first in the series) cables him asking for assistance, bags are packed and boat tickets are bought.

I love this series so much, it's much more creepy than scary and Alex reacts to things with a dry humour that works very well. You don't need to have read the first two to enjoy this one, but do go check out the rest of the series.

Recommended for mid teens and up, like I said, more creepy than scary.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Far Better Thing by H. G. Parry

I've never read A Tale of Two Cities, but I really feel that adding faeries into it would only have improved it.

Sidney Carton was taken as a child to the Realm and a changeling was left in his place. Spit out into the human world at thirteen, he becomes a human servant for the Fae – stealing children for them and other errands. When he meets his changeling Charles Darnay, he thinks he wants revenge on Charles, but he is drawn into faery plans for his world.

This is the Fae of the old tales, child stealers, beyond mortal ken and amoral. The French Revolution is the backdrop to this story and Parry conveys much of what it must have been like masterfully. A thoughtful read, I'd recommend this for older teens and up.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.