The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett

Title: The Lady Rogue

Author: Jenn Bennett
Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA
Series: N/A
Hardcover, 372 pages
Publication: September 3, 2019 by Simon Pulse
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

Bennett returns to fantasy after a long hiatus and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I am a big fan of her Arcadia Bell series (if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out!) and was excited to see her take within the Young Adult genre. In The Lady Rouge, Bennett tackles Romanian history and the infamous Vlad Țepeș, the inspiration for Dracula.

The Lady Rouge had a lot to love from the history, myths, the occult, to treasure hunting and adventure abroad. The novel is narrated by sixteen-year-old Theodora a.k.a ‘Little Empress', and I must say the nickname is befitting. The story started immediately, dropping readers in a bazaar in the middle of Istanbul with Theo being apprehended for stealing. From there the story kept an ascending trajectory with nonstop action as Theo and Huck, a childhood friend turned lover is chased across Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania in search of her father.

I loved how Bennett combined history with a subtle supernatural element. I thought the plot of a magical artifact and lineage was very clever and well-suited to the story. While the story was mainly about finding her father, it was also equally heavy on the romance aspect. I felt like Theo was pining over Huck every chance she got or begrudging him for leaving without notice a year prior in between being chase and at death’s door. But I understand young adolescent, they can be quite fickle.

In between the chapters, readers can also find Fox’s (Theo’s dad) journal entries which was a nice touch to Theo piecing the clues together. The ending wrapped up nicely and am not sure if this was intended for a series but either way, I found it satisfying. All in all, a good novel, if you’re looking for a book with a lot of action and romance with a touch of supernatural, then this book might be of interest!



River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Title: River Marked
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Mercy Thompson # 

Mass Market Paperback, 291 Pages
Publication: January 31, 2012 by Ace

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Coyote shifter Mercy Thompson knows that life with her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will never be boring, but even their wedding doesn't go as planned. Nevertheless, a ten-day honeymoon camping on the banks of the Columbia River, alone, just the two of them, should make up for it. But the trip - and the pimped-out trailer they're using - is courtesy of the fae. And nothing from the fae comes without strings attached...

Being a different breed of shapeshifter - a walker - Mercy can see ghosts, but the spirit of her long-gone father has never visited her. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River - and innocent people are dying. As other walkers make their presence know to Mercy, she must reconnect with her heritage to exorcise the world of the legend known as the river devil...

Mercy has come a long way since the beginning from a regular mechanic to a revered member of the supernatural community. If anything happens, you can count on Mercy to save the day. In the opening of River Marked, Mercy and Adam finally get hitched and like all newly wed couples are about to jet off on their honeymoon. Except the honeymoon doesn’t go as planned with Mercy getting pulled in to investigate a murder and find herself attacked and marked by a river demon hellbent on killing her.

I very much enjoyed River Marked and loved that Briggs explored and incorporated Native American lore into the storyline. I haven’t encounter many novels with Native American Lore/Mythology, so it was a nice and welcomed change. With that said, I however, didn’t think the river demon was all that scary…Mercy has faced scarier, life threatening opponents before in my opinion. In addition to learning more about shapeshifters, we finally learn more about Mercy’s background and who her parents are…Especially her father.

All in all River Marked was a solid read, but not the best in the series. But I am still excited to see how the dynamics will change, now that Mercy is officially part of the pack now. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, I highly recommend it. The Mercy Thompson series is one of Urban Fantasy’s staple series. 

The Mermaid Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon

Title: The Mermaid Handbook
Author: Carolyn Turgeon
Genre: Fiction
Series: N/A 
Hardcover, 240 Pages
Publication: May 15, 2018 by Harper Design

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. 

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Beautiful, seductive, mysterious, and potentially dangerous, the mermaid is a global literary and pop culture icon whose roots date back to ancient sea goddesses and Greek mythology. From Homer’s Odyssey and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Little Mermaid to T.S. Eliot’s "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid, this sea vixen has long seduced popular imagination. Cosmetic companies have drawn inspiration for their makeup lines from mermaids, as have designers throughout fashion history, from Jean Patou to Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen. The fishtail dress is a perennial long red-carpet staple, favored by the likes of Marion Cotillard, Sofia Vergara, and Blake Lively.

Divided into four sections—Fashion and Beauty; Arts and Culture; Real Mermaids and Where to Find Them; and Food, Entertaining and Stories of the Sea—The Mermaid Handbook is a unique and sumptuous compilation filled with creative ideas for decorating and living inspired by these beauties from the deep. Learn to make a sailor’s valentine; a mermaid comb and crown; and a pearl and sequin paillette necklace. There are recipes for mermaid-themed poke bowls, aquatic-themed honey gingerbread cookies, and the official cocktail of the 1960s-era mermaid attraction Aquarama.

HarperDesign, Turgeon and the designers hit it out of the park once again with The Mermaid Handbook, a stunning compendium of all things Mermaid. Following up with last’s years gorgeous novel, The Faerie Handbook, The Mermaid Handbook is filled with endless literature, full colored artwork and photographs, recipes and crafts will keep you occupied and enchanted for hours and hours.

The Mermaid Handbook is presented in a sturdy turquoise hardcover compendium with a high quality image of a mermaid resting atop a jagged rock. To tie everything together the cover and spine is embossed with rose-gold foiling, the pages is gilded in rose-gold and is finished off with a baby blue satin ribbon. I loved the color scheme chosen, it definitely conjures up images of mermaids and the sea.

This compendium is a wealth of mermaid knowledge. The book is divided into four sections: Fashion & Beauty, Arts & Culture, Real Mermaids &Where to Find Them and Food, Entertaining & Stories of the Sea. Readers will learn how the mermaid mythology has inspired all aspect of our lives from clothing, to makeup, the vast stories from all around the world to yearly camp and parade dedicated for our love of mermaids; where you can learn to become one yourself and embrace your inner siren…because let’s face it, every one of us has dreamed or wished we were a mermaid at one point in our lives; I sure did!

The Mermaid Handbook is a must have for all mermaid lovers, the believers, the water babies, and anyone who dreamed of swimming in the underwater kingdom and living in the deep depth of the ocean. This is the perfect companion novel to Turgeon’s The Faerie Handbook and the perfect book to get you ready for the summer which is sure to filled with days full of sun, sand and the ocean!