Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May

Wild and Wicked Things takes place in the 1920s, when people partied hard to forget the traumas of the War, but it is set in an alternative reality, where magic is real and dangerous. Witches controlled the soldiers and the fighting, so now magic is banned. Even being caught with magic paraphernalia is likely to result in being executed. One exception is Crow Island, where real magic is sold to the tourists as the fake, harmless kind.

The story is told in the main part from Annie's point of view, as she arrives on Crow Island to close up her late father's house and finds herself completely out-of-her-depth amongst the fashionable Bright Young Things. Even though Annie is wary of her glamorous neighbours and their out-of-control parties, she is drawn to them in equal measure, particularly the owner of Cross House, Emmeline Delacroix. 

Emmeline was my favourite character; outwardly tough and hard, with an uncompromising attitude that wins her few friends on Crow Island, but who would do anything to help someone she loves, even put her own life at risk. The characters are a particular strength of this story. Along with Emmeline, there is Isobel, whose magic can affect the weather, and Nathan, a gentle soul whose power is to see into the darkness of others. And it was lovely to see Annie grow in confidence to become more than a match for Emmeline!

The story was a little bit slow to start and I would have loved more world-building - particularly backstory about Crow Island and the mysterious Council - but the characters were brilliant, the tension built up to a terrific finish, and there was even a sweet romance. A kind of mash-up between Gentleman Jack, The Great Gatsby and Practical Magic! Fabulous!

Thank you to Francesca May and Orbit for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily. 

  

The Tangleroot Palace and Other Stories by Marjorie M. Liu

I was attracted to this book by the beautiful cover and I love reading fantasy, particularly the re-imagining of fairy tales. The Tangleroot Palace is a compilation of six short stories and one novella written by bestselling, award-winning comic book author Marjorie M. Liu over the past twelve years. They have been previously published in other anthologies.

Marjorie M Liu is an extremely talented and clever author. She doesn't tie herself to one sub-genre of fantasy, so these stories are a mix of re-imagined fairy tales, fantasy romance, dark fantasy and horror. There are stories about vampires, witches, super-heroes, reluctant princesses and female warriors. My favourite was the novella-length titular story, about a princess rebelling against being a princess, particularly the arranged marriage she is expected to put herself through to save her country from a vicious warlord. I enjoyed it so much, I wish it had been full-length!  I also loved The Briar and the Rose (a re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty with a dark twist), and Sympathy for the Bones, a macabre story of power and revenge between witches.

Some of the stories went over my head because they were not written in a genre I usually enjoy, but The Tangleroot Palace is one of those 'Quality Street' collections: there will be something here for everyone to enjoy! 

I particularly enjoyed the author's notes at the end of each story, citing her inspiration!

Stories included:

Sympathy for the Bones

The Briar and the Rose

The Light and the Fury

The Last Dignity of Man

Where the Heart Lives

After the Blood

Tangleroot Palace (novella)

Thank you to Marjorie M. Liu and Titan Books for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

The Match (Wilde #2) by Harlan Coben

I've been a fan of Harlan Coben's for a long time. When I got my hands this book, the second in his Wilde series, I think I may have screamed. Wilde is one of my favourite characters, second only to Win. The series has a lot about using ancestry websites, and I love researching my family tree, so that was an additional element I loved.

In the first book, The Boy from the Woods, we were introduced to  Wilde, who was found at the age of 6 (or thereabouts) living feral in the woods of the Ramapo Mountains. Now an adult, he knows nothing of his original family, or even if he had one. He's content to live in the woods, often alone. His only relationships are with the family of the first friend he made as a child.

In The Match, Wilde tries to locate his real family via a family history website - one of those that uses DNA samples to match relatives. When one of his contacts disappears under mysterious circumstances, Wilde feels obliged to investigate. The trail leads to a secret online group who expose online trolls. When people connected with this group begin to die, one by one, it becomes clear a killer is out for revenge - and the next person on their list could be Wilde.

I've read every one of Harlan's books and he just keeps getting better and better. The Match is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller that doesn't sacrifice character development for plot. You will care about these people! He's also a master of misdirection. While you're looking one way, smugly thinking you've solved the mystery, he hits you with the twist that was there all along if only you'd been smart enough to spot it! There is an Easter egg for fans, with the reappearance of a character from an earlier book (no spoilers!), as well as fan-favourite, Hester Crimstein (Myron Bolitar), who is a main character here and almost steals the show. Reoccurring themes are the morals of revenge and vigilantism, and how your real family is the one you choose. I do hope there are more books to come! 

The Match is one of my favourite reads this year. I absolutely loved it. Thoroughly recommended to anyone who loves Harlan's books, clever twisty thrillers, and to fans of authors such as Lee Child (Jack Reacher) and Linwood Barclay.

Thank you to Harlan Coben and Cornerstone/Random House for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola

I downloaded this story because I love historical fiction and the cover is beautiful!

Paris 1750. Madeleine is the daughter of a brothel owner, working as a maid after a client scarred her face. She is hired by the police to spy on the mysterious but talented Swiss clockmaker, Dr Reinhart, who has come to the notice of the King due to his intricate mechanical creations - birds and animals made of silver and jewels, that behave just like the real thing. Is Dr Reinhart a genius, ahead of his time, or is there something more sinister behind his work? Meanwhile, the children of Paris are going missing...

The Clockwork Girl is a beautifully written historical novel with a delicious touch of gothic. Told from three points of view. Madeleine, the maid, who is forced to spy to win her freedom; Veronique, Dr Reinhart's daughter, who wants to prove she could be a worthy apprentice to him; and Jeanne, the King's mistress, already aware she is losing her power. Three clever, intelligent women, craving independence and respect, held back by men and each teetering on the edge of disaster.

I've always found the history of automata (the precursor to robots) fascinating so it was fabulous to read a story with that as a background. Paris, in all its squalid 18th century detail, particularly the contrast between rich and poor, is brilliantly realised. The story is a little bit dark in places. To achieve his realistic results, Dr Reinhart buys and dissects the animals he is trying to recreate, which some readers might find upsetting. No spoilers, but the big twist didn't really work for me as I could see where the story was going, but The Clockwork Girl is refreshingly original and I enjoyed it very much. I can't wait to read Anna Mazzola's next book!

Recommended to anyone who loves their gothic historical mysteries a touch on the creepy side!

Thank you to Anna Mazzola and Orion for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.