The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Winter is almost over and yet its cold and magic can be found in a well-written story taking place in the snow and the frost. That's always the mark of a good winter story. You can read it in the heat of summer and still get a chill. This is one such book. It's rich detail, wonderful characters, and wonderful atmosphere set the tone and make you wish for piles of snow and crisp winter quiet (where I live, all we get for winter is rain and mud...lame). Let's dive in.

Vasilisa is the youngest daughter of a lord, who rules over a village at the edge of the Russian wilderness. Vasilisa's days consist of running off into the woods, mingling with the wood spirits and other hidden creatures, then coming home to her warm hearth and listening to her nurse's tales. But when her father remarries a devout, city woman, things begin to change. Then the arrival of an artistic and charming priest turns the hearts of the villagers and weakens the spirits. With her stepmother and the priest attempting to tame Vasilisa, whether by marriage or a convent, something dark grows in power in the woods, feeding off the fear of the people. Vasilisa must venture into the woods, where the demon Frost awaits her, to fulfill a destiny that even she could never know of.

As I stated earlier, the atmosphere in the book is just spot on. The passing of the seasons, the bite and beauty of Russian winters, the warm glow of an oven and a family gathered around it...it's all just fantastically captured in this book. But not only the environment is well written but also the feeling of magic in the air. Of superstition and creatures lurking just beyond what we can see. The little man who watches over the horses. The woman in the lake who snatches at young men. The house guardians, the ancient beasts, and even the mystical frost demon, Morozko, are all written with this kind of matter-of-fact way. As in, of course these things exist, didn't you know? Also, when fear takes hold of the village and the spirits, and the people, start to weaken and become angry and bitter, you feel it as well. You don't really blame them when they stop caring for their superstitions, but it doesn't really make religion the bad guy here either. The two can co-exist in peace, but fear is not the answer and feeds the true evil. Such intricacies are just perfectly done and it was amazing.

Vasilisa, or Vasya, is just the kind of wild, rebellious, fairy tale protagonist that we love to see in these stories. She takes everything handed to her well and has a great attitude despite some of the stuff she's faced with in this story. Her stepmother's hysteria, Father Constantine shaming her (despite his own deeply inappropriate feelings), even the pressures put on her by her father and her nurse. All attempts to tame her are fruitless, but not because she bites and scratches like a cat. It's her spirit that's wild and puts men to shame. She has a great amount of courage, takes most things in stride except when she's being caged, and is just a really good character. I liked going on this little adventure with her.

The story is told like an elongated fairy tale, a simple story built up to be a great epic. But, as you may sometimes find with things like this, the pace sometimes suffers. It is a long time before things start to get serious and a ton of time is dedicated to the build up. We start before Vasya was even born and we're filled in with details that, honestly, don't go anywhere. We learn about her stepmother's backstory, her brother becoming a monk and her sister getting married, long journeys with her father...there's a lot of fluff. Now, some of it might be hidden material for future evens, seeing as this is the first in the series, but when about a third of the story doesn't even involve Vasya it can drag. It's not the slowest book ever, not at all. On the contrary, it's still interesting but not always relevant, is what I'm getting at. Still, this is nitpick corner here. I'm trying to find something wrong with this book, and if the only thing I can find is a wealth of backstory and interesting padding...you're doing something right.

Final Verdict
A beautiful, icy, epic fairy tale that anyone would enjoy. Great characters, magical detailing, and just the kind of story worth cozying up with next to a fireplace. If you get a chance to read it, you definitely should because this beauty is going straight onto the Shelf of Recommendation.

Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer

If you would like to read my book, Powerless, you can find it at:

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Powerless-Shelley-Miller/dp/1543482546/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519062043&sr=8-1&keywords=powerless+by+shelley+miller

Xlibris: https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001175242

Next Time: Be careful what you wish for...seriously...no, really, I mean it, be careful....

Brother's Ruin by Emma Newman

Magic and history make for a great combination. Posh society and industrial smoke mixed with the mysticism of the unknown...it just makes for a great atmosphere for a story to take place. That's definitely how this little gem caught my eye. I've finally gotten around to it so let's dive in and see how it goes.

In the year 1850, Britain is looked over by the Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts. Every person in the country who displays the ability to use magic, no matter how small, must report to the Society to be trained and then properly employed, but that means giving up on any chosen career or the possibility of marriage. For Charlotte Gunn, there's no option. She hides her significant magical abilities in order to secure her chosen future of a fine marriage and a career as an illustrator. But her family falls on hard times and her brother, Benjamin, has chosen to come forward with his own abilities in order to save the family financially. But Ben's abilities are nowhere near as strong as his sister's and Charlotte must help him succeed before her family falls prey to dark, nefarious plans.

So, let's start with the magic system that this story uses. It's a very neat system, come over willingly and have your family richly compensated but lose your freedom for life or not come forward at all, get found out, and suffer much worse. We're told, right off the bat, that this world is not kind to those who hide their abilities and try to allude the system. It's tough, then, that Charlotte just so happens to be really powerful. She even admits that her abilities are really strong, especially when compared to her brother. However, coming forward with false claims of power for the money is also a very punishable no-no. It's designed to be like a vice around this girl, leaving her cornered and having no means of escape and its grip only getting tighter. It certainly sets the tension and gets the reader invested when they see the consequences of disobeying this world's rules almost at once and sets the stakes high. It's definitely a well put together system and I liked that.

Charlotte, as a main character, was...okay. Yeah I was kind of annoyed at how, once again, we're dealing with a super special person dealing with how special they are. However, she has a very nice personality and an odd sense of recklessness that a person in such a precarious predicament shouldn't really have. When she senses danger, she snoops straight into danger and risks putting the people she loves directly in peril, not to mention outing herself as a person of power. Also, for all her attempts at being careful to hide her talents...she's kind of bad at it. When she tries to make her brother's power look better she can be a bit...much. Over the top, even. This is because, while she has power, she doesn't have control, which the story is quick to point out. Part of you wants to see her join the Society and use her magic, but the other half wants her to get her wish and be married. Her dilemma was actually pretty well written so I liked her okay.

Probably my biggest problem with the book was that of the character Magus Hopkins, who is clearly here to be the love interest. Now, I noticed that most people were calling him their favorite character but...I don't see it. Probably because of the affect he has on Charlotte. The instant he walks into the room she's instantly mesmerized by his undeniable beauty and can barely function at all (I did mention this chick was engaged, right?) The book tries to portray Hopkins as this dashing, Robin Hood/James Bond insider type guy who is secretly trying to save the world and...eh. I couldn't really get that because I was so sick of Charlotte's over-the-top reactions to his splendid good looks. There's even a quote in here which reads: "She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the noise of his beauty so she could think." Um...what? How does his beauty make noise? Are you truly so enthralled that you can't even think with him in the room? The love aspect of this story felt really forced and that's when the story suffered the most.

However, this is a pretty short book. It's a nice, cozy read that someone could get through in almost no time. It also keeps timing nicely. We don't have to deal with pointless detours or meandering side quests with this book. It tells its story straight. I appreciated it for what it was, the beginning arc of a great story to come. It almost reads a bit more like a prequel than a real first installment, but that's not necessarily a problem. Either way, it got me interested to see where this story goes from here.

Final Verdict
It's quick, it's clever, it's interesting, I think you're going to like this book just fine. If magic and mystery and industry and intrigue are your thing, than this one is definitely worth your money at your local bookstore.

Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer

If you would like to read my book, Powerless, you can find it at:

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Powerless-Shelley-Miller/dp/1543482546/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519062043&sr=8-1&keywords=powerless+by+shelley+miller

Xlibris: https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001175242

Next Time: When winter comes, he will come for her....

Powerless by Shelley Miller

Okay...I'm going to be honest...I can't review this book. I've tried...and I can't. There's just no way I can judge this thing properly. I either judge it too harshly or not harshly enough. There's just no happy medium that I can find where I can critique this book. So, yeah, I can't review it.

Because it's MY book!

That's right, this is my debut novel! Shelley Miller is the pen name I've chosen and the story is now complete. It's taken a lot of time and effort but it's finally ready, it's available for purchase, and I want the world to see it! That's right, the tables are turned. It's time for YOU all to review ME and my work for a change.

In my years as a reader and in the time I've been writing this blog and reviewing books, I've often come across the same things in YA literature: young girl acquires power, finds out she's the super-special-something-or-other, starts revolution, chooses one of several potential love interests, wins the day, the end. Well, in my own story, I didn't really want to do that. In this story, the girl doesn't find out she's special and any revolution she's about to start would be an absolute disaster. Here's a short blurb for you to read and get an idea of.

Promise Terrene lives in a world where one's power determines their destiny. As the daughter of some of the most powerful people in the world, she's expected nothing less then the best the world has to offer. But this isn't meant to be. Now, separated from her family and her future destroyed, Promise must learn to make her own way in a world far crueler than she could ever have known. But even as she is, there are still those who would try to use her for their own purposes. Promise must find her strength in a world that is not kind to the powerless.

So please, if you're interested, look it up! Give it a read! Tell me what you think. Tell your friends what you think. Any support you can provide would be wonderful. Thank you all very much for your continued support.

If you would like to read my book, Powerless, you can find it at:

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Powerless-Shelley-Miller/dp/1543482546/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519062043&sr=8-1&keywords=powerless+by+shelley+miller

Xlibris: https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001175242

 Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer

Next Time: Which would you give up...your family or your future?

Trials of Magic by Thomas K. Carpenter

Magic school stories are always fun. Seeing young sorcerers and magic user come into their own and deal with all the social issues and angst that you find in any education system has so much potential for a good story. In this case, however, it's more like a magic college which we don't see as often. Did this one pull it off okay? Let's find out.

Sisters Aurie and Pi have had to work hard for just about everything in life. Aurie feels responsible for her younger sister after their parents tragic deaths and works as hard as she can to make ends meet. Pi is eager to prove herself and is willing to go to any lengths to get what she wants. Soon the sisters are given the chance to enter the trials which, if you pass, you will get a chance to join one of the Hundred Halls, specialized learning facilities for magicians of all kinds. Both Aurie and Pi have their sights set on certain halls and, while both are skilled in magic, they must contend with bullies, unfair professors, devious creatures, and conspiracies if they want to pass...and survive.

First thing about this book that I really wanted to talk about was just how well the sisters were written. Pi, in particular, could have been a disaster as that attitude-filled, hormone-driven, reason-ignoring teenager who wants to do what she wants to do because she wants it. While, sure, she does make some rash decisions that a smarter person might, she's still a nice person. She's kind to others and loves her sister despite how overbearing she can be. They made a pretty good team and I was glad to see that. Aurie was also nicely written. It's made clear from the beginning that she's talented in magic but things don't go her way very often and she has a hard time in this book. In spite of this, she has a great attitude. When she's told that she has to live in a closet, she thinks nothing of it because she's happy to be where she is. Both these ladies are pretty awesome and I liked them both a lot.

The magic set up is pretty interesting, as is the world building. While it's called Trials of Magic, the trials don't even make up a third of the book. They're actually a pretty small part of the story but the real trials these girls go through includes what comes after. Again, they have to fight for every little thing. Between jobs and lessons and some particularly hate-inducing other students, these girls have their work cut out for them. I was actually pretty glad to see this. Both these girls are pretty good at magic and so it was nice to see that everything wasn't too easy for them, which it could very well have been. If the student in the magic school doesn't struggle, then it makes them seem too powerful and we don't get as invested in them as we might have been. This is why I think the Harry Potter books would have been an epic fail if Hermione had been the main character. She would have been a Mary Sue. Admit it. By having the main characters be more like the everyman rather than the superman, we get more invested in whether or not they succeed.

If I had any problem with the book it might be that the third act kinda went in its own direction. Now, it wasn't bad, exactly, but it turned out that a plot line that I thought was just a side quest turned out to be the big climax of the story and the search was on for some magical McGuffin that was supposedly a thing....it kinda got it bit crazy near the end. That being said, it wasn't completely detached from the rest of the story and did tie into the girls directly and the struggles they were going through, so I guess it wasn't too bad.

Final Verdict
The characters were really great, the plot was interesting, the world was set up well...all in all, I'd say this one was a success. If it sounds like you'd be interested in it, then it is worth your money at your local bookstore.

Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer

Next Time: And now...a shameless plug....

Everless by Sara Holland

You remember that movie In Time with Justin Timberlake (it's cool if you don't). Take that concept, add in a lot more fantasy and less heist and you have Everless. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The idea of both your life and money being one in the same is pretty clever and can have a lot of potential for addressing social issues and commentary on how we view life. Or it could just be a cool gimmick for a YA story, I don't know. Let's dive in.

Jules Ember grew up the daughter of a servant in the halls of Everless, home of the Gerlings, the richest family in the land. Capable of living for hundreds of years off the time they tax from the locals, the Gerlings are law in the land of Sempera, and their power is only getting stronger when their son is engaged to the Queen's daughter. Life turned very hard for Jules when she and her father were banished from Everless, but now she must return to save her father. Soon, though, she comes to discover that her ties to the Gerlings, the Queen, and time itself run deeper than even she could have imagined.

Now, there were certain aspects of this book that I liked...and some I didn't. Really didn't. But the good stuff first. The mythology and world building in this book is certainly very interesting. As I said, there's a lot of potential in a story were life and money are the same thing. Except, in this story, a person's blood is turned into iron coins and the coins are then melted into tea or soup for others to drink. That's...kinda gross, not gonna lie. Also it just takes one person with a HIV and you're all goners. But that's a nitpick and I know it.

I also liked the route this book took with several of the characters. In many places, several characters would have been pretty easy to throw in the "mean girl" cliche and do absolutely nothing else with them as people. But, for the first time in a long while, there aren't any mean, bullying girls in this book. While they certainly have flaws, nobody is just an outright nasty person for the sake of being an outright nasty person. Even the potential love rivals are nice people. Flawed, certainly, but you don't hold it against them. There's also a clever twist that takes place with the love interest in the book that, I have to say, I was really pleased to see. Again, the author had an easy out and could have taken the stereotypical, done-to-death route, but instead messed with our expectations. Kudos.

But then...sigh...there's the protagonist. We have no idea what she looks like so you can imagine yourself in her place, she jumps to conclusions like it was an Olympic sport (this is not helped by the fact that everyone feels the need to be incredibly cryptic while talking to her), and she's melodramatic as can be! A little personality, legitimate personality, could have gone a long way with this girl. Stuff happens to her, but most of it is out of her control. Even when she does make a decision for herself she can be really stupid about it. First off, she's been freaking banished from this place and yet she gives her real name and, before long, doesn't even hide the fact that she's lived here before. Aren't you here at the risk of your very life!? Shouldn't you even try to be subtle about it? There's also a scene when she breaks through a door that marks her hands if she touches it, so the guards could find her out. She knows this but doesn't do anything to prevent her hands getting stained. Do gloves not exist in this universe? She was by far the toughest thing about this book.

Perhaps the other big part of this story is the mysteries. There are several of them in this book such as parentage mysteries, identity issues, secret plots, and so on and so forth. While they are intriguing and I wanted to know what was going on the payoff was...confusing. Not that I didn't get it, it's just that parts feel so contrived that I was kind of dumbfounded at the answers I was getting. It was a feeling like, "Really? That's what you're going with? But...how in the crap were we supposed to figure that out?" And the ending is such a cliffhanger, you'd swear that they just ran out of time and decided "Duh, here's good!" What I would have given for this to be a standalone....

Final Verdict
The characters are good except for the protagonist, the mythology is good but the mystery isn't, this one was pretty hot and cold for me. Ultimately, my problems with it probably won't bother everyone else. If you like this book or want to read it, go right ahead but maybe save your cash and check it out at our local library.

Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer

Next Time: Two sisters, one hundred halls, so little time....

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Pirates aren't quite as mainstream as they used to be, are they? Kind of a shame, if I'm being honest. Swashbuckling knaves and cutthroats make much better reading material than sparkly vampires and hoards of flesh-eating zombies, in my opinion. So, when a pirate book came out only last year, I was curious. Was this story what the pirate genre needed to get back into the limelight? Let's find out.

Alosa, the pirate princess, is given a mission by her ruthless father, the Pirate King, Kalligan. In the hands of two pirate rivals are pieces to an ancient map which leads to the Isla de Canta, an island where sirens have hidden all the treasure they've stolen from hapless pirates that dared to cross their path. In other words, more treasure than even the Pirate King could imagine. And so Alosa, with Kalligan's trust and high expectations to motivate her, must infiltrate one of the rival ships as a prisoner and find their piece of the map without getting caught. But things turn out much more difficult when the handsome first mate seems determined to get in her way.

So, let's start with our title character, shall we? Alosa was actually a lot of fun to read about. She had great personality and, for a story written in first person, I didn't mind being in her head the whole time. Much like the Throne of Glass main character, they manage to make Alosa a delicate balance of masculine and feminine and pull it off just right. She'll kill a man without a thought but, heaven forbid, she get blood on her favorite outfit. She'll endure torture and pain to get what she wants, but heaven forbid someone try to cut her precious hair. She's got a great attitude and I appreciated that about her, even if I thought some of her decisions were a little silly (that part I mentioned about the haircut, specifically).

The big downside about this story is actually pretty simple. For this strong, capable woman who sails the sea and is captain of her own crew and all that...she spends about 98% of this book as a prisoner. Mind you, she gets captured intentionally but that's still the vast majority of this story spent stuck with her in a brig or a cage or at the mercy of other pirates. While she handles it well and manages to make things work to her advantage, the story is just not as fun as it could have been. For heaven's sake, it's pirates! I wanna see this cool character going on adventures and fighting krakens and finding treasure and...anything other than being stuck inside a brig all day! It just feels like a waste of the character's potential being stuck inside this tiny environment when she's capable of much more. Either quit getting captured, intentionally or not, or get a career change, hon.

With the whole story taking place on the same, crowded ship, there's not a lot of room for adventure and so the plot can be a bit slow. They try and make some of the enemy pirates intimidating but not a lot of them leave an impact. The only one the story really wants you to care about is Ridan, our potential love interest, and...he's pretty bland. Ridan is handsome, clean, respectful, kind, clever, charming, who doesn't like alcohol or go off with prostitutes and...all the things you really wouldn't expect from a pirate. I'm sorry but he's too perfect, and I mean that in a bad way. There's just nothing realistic about him and the relationship between the two just feels too cheesy for a pirate story. Your YA arm-candy man can have flaws, y'know. They make him more compelling.

Final Verdict
This story had some potential for fun but suffered from trying to follow too many YA tropes. Still, the lead was okay and the tone was well done. I might be willing to read the sequel...if it doesn't involve the lead getting captured again. If you like pirates and strong lead characters, then you'll probably like this book fine...but I'd wait for it on paperback.

Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer

Next Time: Time is money is life....literally.