2021 book 50

 T. Kingfisher’s Paladin's Strength 

HOORAY, a new Ursula Vernon book! This is the second of her fluffy paladin romance novels, centered on a small band of paladins whose God died and they’re still dealing with the trauma. In this one, paladin Istvhan is leading a mission to deliver some whiskey barrels—and maybe find out more about those creepy dudes from the last book—when he encounters Clara, a nun determined to rescue her kidnapped sisters (and since they’re the convent of St Ursa, maybe you can guess what secret they’re keeping). Great characters, lots of action, lots of PINING, lots of trademark hilarious moments, plus the occasional reanimated corpse and unsettling rabbit. And sassy nuns. I love it. A.

2021 book 49

 Sharon Shinn's Reader and Raelynx

Solid conclusion to the Twelve Houses series (there is one more book set in this world, but it focuses on a very minor character). Satisfying romance, satisfying magic, satisfying friendships. We finally learn more about the mysterious princess, the long-threatened war finally comes, etc. There is a little bit of rapiness in this one that I could have done without, and it’s all aggressively heteronormative, but I liked pretty much everything else about this. Really a good slew of characters in this series, especially the women. A/A-.

2021 book 48

 Sharon Shinn's Dark Moon Defender

The third book in this series focuses on Justin, the young Rider from the earlier books, who's been sent to spy on the religious sect that's been building an army. There's also a new POV character, a young woman in the convent, from the mysterious clans on the edge of the kingdom (this one is more of a straightforward romance than the first two). So we get more info on them, and more info on the ancient gods and magic, which is the sort of thing I enjoy. We also get to check in with the others from the main band of friends, and as always I appreciate how much this series rests on a group of pals! Lots of cute and cheer-worthy moments mixed in with all the action and impending war. A/A-.

2021 book 47

 Sharon Shinn's Thirteenth House

The second book in the Twelve Houses series focuses more on romance, which I had some mixed feelings about, and I didn't know how Shinn would resolve things satisfactorily. Luckily there are a lot of political plots, magical shenanigans, assumed identities, and dinner parties to help move things along. I love the central band of friends here and liked this protagonist a lot (aside from her taste in men), but I felt kind of ... misdirected?... by the resolution. B.

2021 book 46

 Sharon Shinn's Mystic and Rider

Been saving this Sharon Shinn series for a rainy day, because I was sure I’d like it. And this first volume is great! A small band of people--mystics (gifted with magical abilities, like shape shifting and fire powers) accompanied by a pair of Riders (the king's elite soldiers) set out to investigate rumors of a growing rebellion in the kingdom. Magical adventures, danger, religious fanaticism, political plotting, and a slow-building romance ensue, secrets are revealed, etc. I loved all the characters and their friendships, and can't wait to see where this series goes next. A/A-.

2021 book 45

 Quan Barry's We Ride Upon Sticks

Rereading this for book club, and I liked it just as much the second time (always a relief!). Barry pulls of a story about the 1989 girls' field hockey team in Danvers Massachusetts that's also a story about friendship and teamwork and dreams and identity and witchcraft. Great sense of time and place, and all the characters come alive (especially impressive in a large cast narrated by the first person plural). Can’t wait to discuss this.

2021 book 44

 Kage Baker’s The Bird of the River

The third book in this series is set in the same world as the first two, but focuses on completely new characters. And while it’s not really humorous, it is a gentler fantasy book. It centers on a young girl who, with her mother and little brother, ends up working on a river barge. Adventures, a mystery, and a little bit of romance ensue. Very enjoyable, really liked the characters here a lot. A-.

2021 book 43

 Kage Baker’s The House of the Stag

The second book in this series is actually a prequel, primarily telling the story of the Master of the Mountain, and briefly telling the story of the Saint, and how they got together. While there is still a bit of humor here, this is a grimmer story by far, full of slavery and torture and a fair amount of implied rape. So definitely not as fun as the first one, but I'm hoping the third will be less dark. B/B+.

2021 book 42

 Kage Baker's The Anvil of the World

I liked Baker's Company series a lot, so decided to check out her fantasy trilogy, and I'm SO glad I did. This was funny as hell and super engaging. It's centered on a man on the run who takes a job leading a caravan full of mysterious characters; he's looking for a quiet(er) life but just can't seem to stay out of trouble. Especially when demons etc are hanging about—things just keep getting more complicated. I could have done with slightly less male horndoggery, but this had such good magical family squabbling AND found family camaraderie, what a fun read. A/A-.

2021 book 41

 Kate Milford's The Raconteur's Commonplace Book

I was in one of those moods where nothing I started seemed good, and nothing appealed, and then I gave this a try and the narrative voice grabbed me right away. This is set in Milford's Greenglass House universe, but I never remember the details of those (I should really reread them) and this works fine on its own. It involves a mysterious cast of characters stranded in an inn during a rainstorm, so they all start telling stories (yes, this is basically Canterbury Tales for the middle grade set). But do the stories have a point beyond entertainment? And what secrets are the guests hiding? I admit that I got a few of the minor older male characters confused, but the rest of the characters are amazing and I found this a very satisfying read. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on February 23rd.

2021 book 40

 Patricia McKillip’s The Riddle-Master of Hed 

Like a lot of the McKillip books I’ve read, this is slow but interesting. I wasn't super into the protagonist, though—he’s a young man who is reluctantly accept his mysterious destiny because it conflicts with his rule over a gentle farming land, and the whole book is just him journeying and changing his mind and journeying some more. I was intrigued by some of the secondary characters, and the end is a big cliffhanger, but I’m not sure if I’ll read the rest of this series. B.

2021 book 39

 Rachel Aaron’s Last Dragon Standing

Solid wrap-up to the Heartstriker series. Parts of it dragged a tiny bit (I swear that like a third of the book is one epic fight scene) but it was definitely satisfying. Lots of good dragon and spirit team-ups. I liked the epilogue a lot and want more stories like that! B+.

2020 book 38

 Rachel Aaron's A Dragon of a Different Color

The problem here is that I am VERY invested in all the dragon shenanigans, enjoying the politics and family relationships and wondering when certain secrets will be revealed and rooting for certain romances and certain friendships--but while I like Marci a lot, I don't really care about her magical adventures on her own. Get your powers and reunite with Julius, already! And I SUPER don't care about the villains of the piece monologuing at length. I was so eager for those sections to be done so I could find out what dragon things were happening. Anyway, eventually it all comes together in a satisfying manner, more or less. Looking forward to seeing how they save the day in the next one. B/B+.

2020 book 37

 Rachel Aaron's No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished

The third Heartstriker book drags a little bit, as new characters (a badass lady general and an arrogant male mage) are added to the mix to complicate Marci's story and provide lengthy bits of exposition. And some of the dragon politicking gets a little old too, though I do still love their complicated family relationships (and of course also love Marci and her magical spirit cat). Great ending on this one that makes me eager for the next! B+.

2020 book 36

 Rachel Aaron's One Good Dragon Deserves Another

The second book in the Heartstrikers series has more cool magic (and magical battles), more dragon family feuds, more psychic dragon plotting, and more FRIENDSHIP. I think one of the reason I like this series is there are soooo many characters who are grumpy-but-secretly-soft which is my FAVE. I mean, obviously I also like the general cleverness and the spunky girl mage and TEAMWORK, but I’m mainly here for dragon cinnamon rolls. A-.

2020 book 35

 Rachel Aaron's Nice Dragons Finish Last

I’m catching up on this series (I think two new ones have come out since I last checked in) and decid ed to start from the beginning, since I didn’t remember anything except that I liked them, and I’ve been in the mood for series anyway. Anyway, this takes place in nearish-future Detroit, after a bunch of magical things happen, and now there's a bunch of magic. Our protagonists are a young dragon from a large clan, who's being punished and threatened with death if he doesn't get his dragon act together, and a young mage whose father was murdered and now she's on the run from the Vegas mob. These characters are both cute and powerful, there's a lot of family squabbling (which I love), lots of fun plotting, the start of a lil romance, hints at big things to come, etc. Plus solid writing, for sure. This is going to be a fun series to get back into! A-.

2021 book 34

 Catherine Wilson’s A Hero's Tale

The final book in this trilogy starts off pretty slow and pretty depressing, but eventually things get more interesting and fun. Lots of cleverness and outsmarting of the enemy and good-hearted-ness. Happy endings for many lesbians. A-/B+.

2021 book 33

 Catherine Wilson's A Journey of the Heart

The second book in this trilogy has battles, political machinations, and romance, but it still somehow feels meditative? I like the protagonist’s narrative voice a lot, and am interested in her friendships and growing skills (slightly less interested in the big romance). This ends in a place where I’m eager to start the third one. A-/B+.

2021 book 32

Catherine Wilson's The Warrior's Path

Despite the title, the first book in the When Women Were Warriors series is the sort of gentle fantasy I like to read. It centers on a young girl who's sent to the house of her mother’s best friend to train as a warrior (in some sort of matriarchal society) and learns about friendship and self control and stuff. I mean, not much happens, or at least the problems are somewhat low-stakes, but I enjoyed these characters and their relationships very much. Looking forward to reading more. A-/B+.

2021 book 31

 Ilona Andrews' Sweep with Me

So the last book in this series is a novella that takes place a couple weeks after the third book, but it’s not about solving the big mystery at all, it’s just a story about some more complicated magical/alien guests! I mean it’s entertaining enough, but seriously?? It doesn’t even get mentioned! I mean presumably another book is forthcoming but it’s just weird that this is specifically set two weeks later but there's no reference to it, even when the mysterious clue-bearing cat makes an appearance (lol). Anyway, enough ranting, this book was fine but unnecessary. B.

2021 book 30

 Ilona Andrews' Sweep of the Blade

I was a little annoyed on starting this one, because it doesn't pick up with the end of the previous book, and instead switches focus to the innkeeper's sister, her daughter, and her vampire paramour, off to his home planet to try and figure out if they should get married. I mean, I did eventually get interested in the plot (alien politics etc) and I love the mother/daughter pair, but also, you can't dangle the solving of the series' overarching mystery and then totally drop the ball! B/B+.

2021 book 29

 Ilona Andrews' One Fell Sweep

I liked this one better than the first two; it starts off with a mission to recover the protagonist's sister and niece on another planet, and then the whole team has to work together to defend a guest from a band of genocidal maniacs. Also, questions about the protagonist's missing parents may be answered! Things get a little melodramatic toward the end, but I liked the family dynamics a lot and that made up for it. B+.