Waifs and Strays by Helen Harper

Title: Waifs and Strays

Author: Helen Harper

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: The Cat Lady Chronicles # 1

298 pages, Paperback

Publication: February 10, 2025

Source: Personal Library

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Nobody is just a cat lady.

Kit McCafferty's life is quiet, unremarkable and filled with cat hair. In the magical city of Coldstream, located on the border between Scotland and England, Kit is viewed as little more than mildly eccentric and mostly harmless. She passes her days caring for her family of five cats, feeding the local feral moggies, and maintaining relatively good relations with her neighbours.

All that changes, however, when a teenage werewolf shows up at her door in the desperate hope of renting out a nearby vacant flat. Kit knows that the smart move is to tell him to leave. The last thing she needs is to become embroiled in complicated shapeshifter politics. But something about the secretive young werewolf tugs at her heartstrings.

It's not long before Kit ends up caught in a maelstrom of mysterious crime and magical wrong-doing. Fortunately, there's far more to Kit McCafferty than meets the eye and she has a few dark secrets of her own.

Of course, anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that you underestimate a cat lady at your own peril.

MY THOUGHTS

I stumbled upon Waifs and Strays during one of those free eBook days. I loved the cover, it felt playful and the synopsis was interesting enough. Plus, I’m always looking for a good Urban Fantasy. It’s not every day that I find an Urban Fantasy set in the UK or one featuring a heroine in her forties, which piqued my interest even more.

The beginning of the book took a little getting used to. As the title and series name suggest, there are a lot of cats in the story. However, their names are pretty unconventional. They play a significant role, and as the book progressed, I did get used to their unique naming style. The worldbuilding is straightforward: it’s an open world where supernaturals are known to the public. Coldstream, where Kit lives, is mostly inhabited by magical folk like fae, vampires, werewolves, and all sorts of other creatures.

At first glance, Kit is known around the neighborhood as the innocuous, middle-aged cat lady. She’s anything but simple, as we eventually discover. Kit was a likable heroine. I enjoyed learning about her past profession and magical abilities and seeing them come into play when a young werewolf is abducted. She’s essentially the local superhero or maybe vigilante, despite trying to live a quiet, normal life. I also liked what I assume will become the supporting cast, though it’s still too early to tell. Is it weird that I’m hoping for a love triangle between Thane and the Alpha? Lol.

I thought Waifs and Strays was a great introduction to The Cat Lady Chronicles. The pacing was solid, and the book was well written. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it. I’m about to start the second book, the series feels promising.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses # 1

Hardcover, 419 pages
Publication: May 5, 2015 by Bloomsbury
Source: Personal Library
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Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

My Thoughts

The two camps of SJM is real; half the people worship her writing while the other half won’t have anything to do with her. This polarity has made me extremely hesitant to pick up any of her novels. I received an arc of Throne of Glass from ALA 2012  and still it remains on my shelf unread. Over the years whenever Maas releases a novel there’s an uproar in the blogosphere. But instead of grabbing my attention it makes me reluctant to read anything of Maas. And finally after many suggestions to read A Court of Thorns and Roses, I took the plunge. After all, I do adore faeries and a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

The similarities between A Court of Thorns and Roses and Beauty and the Beast were minimal to say the least. Which in my opinion is a good thing. I don’t like it when an authors does a play by play and swap certain things out. I look for familiar originality. The only similarities between the two story is that Feyre is taken as an non-consented prisoner and of course, Stockholm Syndrome, falls for her captor. The book is centered around Feyre’s life in the Spring Court  and her interactions with the fair folks.

I thought the world building was interesting but not well developed. The hatred between the faeries and the human was barely explained. It left more questions than answers. The big bad, whose name every faerie lord was afraid to utter was ridiculous. I still don’t understand why everyone was afraid of her. She was just a lackey who went on a power trip. How is it possible that 7 lords couldn’t take her on and why didn’t her ‘master’ do anything about it? It didn’t make sense. In my opinion a very weak villain.

I thought Feyre was an annoying character. Outwardly she made it seem like she was in the worst predicament and that she despised the fair folk with every ounce of her being. While of course, daydreaming and lusting after Tamlin. If she was trying to convince herself and the readers…she sure did a poor job. I also thought the 3 task trial at the end was silly…it was neither interesting or challenging. I’m sure readers figured out the riddle before Feyre did. Beside Feyre, I didn’t find myself liking or connecting with any of the side characters. As the story progressed I started to lose interest in the characters and the plot. Sadly, everyone was two-dimensional.

I had high hopes for A Court of Thorns and Roses but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. I honestly don’t understand the hype with this series. The world, characters and plot were all mediocre and the writing basic at best. If you’re looking for depth, a compelling plot, and multifaceted characters/character driven novel; look elsewhere because you won’t find it in A Court of Thorns and Roses. 

 

 

 

Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis

 

Title: Snowspelled

Author: Stephanie Burgis
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Harwood Spellbook #1
E-book, 168 pages
Publication: September 4, 2017 by Five Fathoms Press
Source: Personal Library
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Four months ago, Cassandra Harwood was the first woman magician in Angland, and she was betrothed to the brilliant, intense love of her life.

Now Cassandra is trapped in a snowbound house party deep in the elven dales, surrounded by bickering gentleman magicians, manipulative lady politicians, her own interfering family members, and, worst of all, her infuriatingly stubborn ex-fiancé, who refuses to understand that she’s given him up for his own good.

But the greatest danger of all lies outside the manor in the falling snow, where a powerful and malevolent elf-lord lurks...and Cassandra lost all of her own magic four months ago.

To save herself, Cassandra will have to discover exactly what inner powers she still possesses – and risk everything to win a new kind of happiness.

A witty and sparkling romantic fantasy novella that opens a brand-new series for adults from the author of Kat, Incorrigible, Masks and Shadows and Congress of Secrets.

I love books that combine Victorian Regency setting and magic and Snowspelled had it all. It’s hard to find a book that does it well, having only read a handful in my lifetime. Especially in the vein of Austen which Snowspelled succeeded at. Burgis’s world was an imaginative alternate England, Angland, where magicians were men and they catered to all things magic while the women dealt with the politics and governing society. Our heroine, Cassandra Harwood disrupted these traditions when she became the first woman accepted to The Great Library, a university for magicians. But when a spell gone wrong took away her power, Cassandra withdrew into herself.

When the story begins, we see Cassandra months after the magic accident that took away her powers, withdrawn with a 10-foot wall built around her. At the behest of her sister-in-law, Cassandra reluctantly attends a party. Within minutes of arriving to her destination things turn from bad to worse when she disturbs the trolls and enters a bargain with an Elven Lord. The Elven Lord gave Cassandra a week to find the weather wizard that has been wreaking havoc on the land. If Cassandra fails, then she has to become a part of their court and his prisoner.

Snowspelled gave me all Austen feels. Some similarities to Austen I noted were the sexism and gender difficulties woman had to endure during the regency period, the hate/love chemistry between the leads, Cassandra and Wrexham, to the effortless light British humor and smart dialogue-banter. While I’m not a big novella fan, I’m really glad I read Snowspelled. Despite it being so short, Burgis built a unique world with fully fleshed out characters from the main characters to the tertiary characters such as Miss Banks and Miss Fennel. The plot also was well written and executed from beginning to end. Unlike most novellas I read, Snowspelled’s overall story didn’t feel rush; once the mystery was solved, I felt satisfied with the ending and appreciated there being no loose ends. But the ending did leave an opening for more opportunities and I can’t wait to see more of Cassandra, Wrexham and the future lady-magicians. Overall, Snowspelled was a solid and enjoyable beginning to a series.

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire

Title: The Unkindest Tide

Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: October Daye #13

Hardcover, 368 pages
Publication: September 9, 2019 by DAW

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

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Hundreds of years ago, the Selkies made a deal with the sea witch: they would have the sea for as long as she allowed it, and when the time came, she would call in all their debts at once. Many people assumed that day would never come. Those people were wrong.

When the Luidaeg—October "Toby" Daye's oldest and most dangerous ally—tells her the time has come for the Selkies to fulfill their side of the bargain, and that Toby must be a part of the process, Toby can't refuse. Literally. The Selkies aren't the only ones in debt to the Luidaeg, and Toby has to pay what she owes like anyone else. They will travel to the fabled Duchy of Ships and call a convocation of the Selkies, telling them to come and meet the Luidaeg's price...or face the consequences.

Of course, nothing is that simple. When Dianda Lorden's brother appears to arrest Dianda for treason against the Undersea, when a Selkie woman is stripped of her skin and then murdered, when everything is falling apart, that's when Toby will have to answer the real question of the hour.

Is she going to sink? Or is she going to swim?

Bringing back the Roane has been a long time coming. After hundreds of years The Luidaeg is finally fulfilling her promise and cashing in on Toby’s debts. With The Luidaeg, Toby, the gang and some tagalongs; the group travels to the Duchy of Ships for the Selkie Convocation as The Luidaeg determines the clans’ fate. But of course, this is Toby we’re talking about, nothing can ever be just as is. As the convocation begins, Toby finds herself in the middle of searching for a clan member’s murderer and rescuing Peter Lorden from Saltmist.

We’re thirteen books into the October Daye series and it is still going strong. The last couple of books were a hit and miss for me but the tides (pun intended) has changed with The Unkindest Tides. In the latest installment of the series, I begun to feel the same spark and enjoyment as I had when I first started the series ten years ago. In The Unkindest Tides, we find both The Luidaeg and Toby in a tough predicament. They are on the verge of righting a past wrong that will change all of Faerie.  By bring back the Roane, they’re bringing back not only an extinct race but also the power of seers/oracles and taking away the option for the Selkies to pass down their skins to their children. Which means those without skin will die as humans.

The Luidaeg has always been an enigmatic character; she’s a Firstborn, The Sea Witch, a legend and a monster to some. But we finally see the women beneath the mask; Antigone of Albany, a daughter, a mother, Cousin Annie and friend. I’ve always felt that The Luidaeg was wearing a mask and putting up walls, afraid of getting close to anyone. Thinking that she needed to uphold the image and expectations that people had of her. I could imagine how exhausting it was. I loved seeing this new unburdening and lighter version of The Luidaeg and learning more about her past and the Selkie/Roane.

I get pretty excited each and every time I see a new part of Faerie. In The Unkindest Tides, McGuire takes readers into an alternate dimension to the Duchy of Ships which is exactly like what you’d imagine. An island comprised out of shipwrecks and accumulated oddities from wine barrels, net, metal, barnacles and so much more. The duchy’s inhabitants are from all over the realms, most so unique even Toby can’t figure out their scent signature. And one of the last unexpected surprises was the island captain, which I won’t say much about except that Captain Jack Sparrow got nothin’ on Pete.

All in all, I thought The Unkindest Tides was a great addition to the series. Despite being thirteen books into the series, I still find myself excited to see all the mayhem and adventures the characters find themselves in. Crossing my fingers for a wedding in the next book!

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

Title: The Rook

Author: Daniel O'Malley
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy
Series: The Checquy Files #1

Hardcover, 496 pages
Publication: January 11, 2012 by Ace

Source: Personal Library.

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"The body you are wearing used to be mine." So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.

She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own.

In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined.

The Rook has been on my TBR pile since 2012! The shame. I found out STARZ network was developing a series adaptation of the novel, which was released late last month. The trailer looked promising and rekindled my interest in starting the novel. The Rook takes place in modern-day London and follows a Rook agent named Myfanwy Thomas…except Myfanwy doesn’t know who she really is. When the book opens, readers finds Myfanwy sprawled out on the concreate covered in blood with the rain pouring down on her and dead bodies riddled around her. Turns out Myfanwy is part of the last paranormal agency in London, an agency sworn to protect citizens against things that go bump in the night. I love books that are centered around secret organization!

While trying to figure out who she is and who she needs to become, Myfanwy is caught between ghost-alien cases, political board meetings, Shady German shape-shifters and hitmen at every corner. She’s trying to fake her way through every obstacle while concealing the fact that she has amnesia and has zero recollection of her past life. The Rook cover looks quite official and the tone of the beginning of book was grim with a no-nonsense vibe to it. Which was why Myfanwy's light-hearted humorous attitude and approach to everything was a welcome surprised. It was the perfect balance to all the unlucky, disgusting and downright horrible things she had to endure. I really like Myfanwy, her comical nature made her oblivious sometimes but other than that she’s quite brilliant, like a modern-day supernatural Nancy Drew.

I enjoyed The Rook much more than I thought I would and am looking forward to seeing more of the chequy.

Has anyone checked out Starz’s The Rook? If so, please do let me know what you think! I’m interested in seeing Gestalt!

 

 

 

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan

Title: Blood Song
Author: Anthony Ryan
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Raven's Shadow # 1

Audiobook
Publication: January 2, 2012 by Ace

Source: Borrowed from the library.

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Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order—a caste devoted to battle. Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate and dangerous life of a warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order.

Vaelin’s father was Battle Lord to King Janus, ruler of the Unified Realm—and Vaelin’s rage at being deprived of his birthright knows no bounds. Even his cherished memories of his mother are soon challenged by what he learns within the Order. But one truth overpowers all the rest: Vaelin Al Sorna is destined for a future he has yet to comprehend. A future that will alter not only the Realm but the world.

The Raven’s Shadow series has many high praises and is known as one of the best fantasy series around. So, of course I wanted to know what the fuss was all about. I listened to the audiobook of Blood Song and it took me a couple of runs before I got into the story. The novel follows the journey of Vaelin Al Sorna, who was abandoned to The Sixth Order (monastery-like) at a young age to adulthood, where he began to acquire a notorious reputation throughout the entire realm as a skilled warrior.

The narrator of Vaelin Al Sorna did a wonderful job in bringing the character to life. I thought his voice was very pleasant and it suited the setting. A good portion of the novel took place in The Sixth Order, where Sorna and the other young men were trained and tested to become warriors of the realm. This by far was the most interesting part of the novel, seeing what the young men went through and how their relationship formed over the duration of their stay within the order. Then halfway through the novel, Sorna and a few of his brother departed the order, Sorna became the King’s hand…and that’s where things got messy, confusing, and slightly boring.

The story in my opinion morphed into another story that left me uninterested and withdrawn. Even as I write this review, I cannot recall much of what happened after Sorna left the order. I remember he was trying to find out who’s was trying to kill him and him trying to save Sister Clara (was that her name?). That’s pretty much it.

Blood Song was a hit and miss for me. I enjoyed the first portion of the novel, but the second half, not so much. The world building and characters could have been better developed in my opinion because as the story progressed, I felt as if the author spent more time on creating plot twists than anything else. I thought the writing was well-done, and everything flowed nicely but sadly everything else fell short in comparison. With that said, while I enjoyed some of it, I won’t be continuing with the series.