Well me mateys, here be another Curiosity of the Deep for your perusal. For those new to me crew, this be a category for those novels whose stories of acquisition be strange and unusual – like the time someone commandeered me 12 pages! This be the start of another adventure.

Ye see mateys, this Captain is always hankering for new places and stories and booty to haul. Now, one day while plotting me next adventure, I came across a tale of splendor by Inge @ the belgian reviewer. She shared the secrets of the Little Free Libraries hidden around the world and even provided a map that marked the treasure!

Now, I had heard rumors of these chests of delight and had occasionally glimpsed some from afar. But here I was with time on me hands and trapped in port. So what better time to go on a treasure hunt? But beware and follow the Code . . .

So with me first mate and me trusty spyglass, we set off into the interior for a look-see. The goal was to visit two likely spots. Now one of the main rules of the Code is that ye can take whatever booty ye like from the chest but have to replace it with an similar offering. Or later return the spoils ye took from that spot. If ye do somethin’ different ye might find yerself visitin’ ole Davy Jones. Finding the X that marks the spot twice can be difficult especially if ye be away sailin’ the high seas. So I tend to bring an offering. I only had two with me that day.

The first found treasure chest was small, tucked away, and rather difficult to find. The journey involved lots of wanderin’ in circles and peerin’ through the brush. But I be determined to check it out. The haul was tiny but fun. Just enough to whet the appetite for more adventure! So from the first chest, I took a super tiny tome about the history women of the air and exchanged me first offering. But I was off to look for more booty!

After two duels with locals, more circle wandering, a stop at a local tavern for some grog, and such, we found our way to the second treasure chest. And oh what glorious baubles awaited! The first mate stood watch while me eyes roamed for the perfect fit and that is when I saw this novel.

The picture does not do it justice. The cover was literally gleaming in the light and oh so shiny. I picked it up and just knew it was the one for me! I left me second offering with glee and made me way back to me ship. The haul was a success. But oh to explore the new acquisition . . .

It was wonderful. This is a young adult novel that tells a Victorian style ghost story. Two siblings, Molly and Kip, go to work in a sinister mansion and barely get out with their lives. I loved the siblings, the storytelling, the monster, and the morals. I loved the growth of all of the characters in the novel, especially Kip. I loved the horse, Galileo. I thought the ending was particularly fantastic because of how the people worked together. It was mesmerizing. I don’t want to give much more away than that because frankly the beauty is in the writing and the details both of which I cannot explain adequately and want the reader to experience for themselves.

To sum up . . . read this book! I am absolutely thrilled that me adventures brought me to this previously unknown and beautiful gem.

To read me other reviews, check out https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

I had heard about this author from me crew and they seemed to love her work. I am not usually into urban fantasy and werewolves so I had never read her Kitty Norville series. When I heard she had written a sci-fi young adult, I snagged a copy.

The premise is that twins, Polly and Charles, from Mars are sent to Earth with no warning to get a good education at one of the top academies in the galaxy. Though the academy may be prestigious, accidents keep happening and the twins must figure out why. The story is told from Polly’s perspective.

Having Martians go to Earth for education was an awesome premise. In fact most of the fun in the novel stemmed from Polly’s observations and complaints about Earth. Her observations and discussions about Mars in particular made the settlement there seem so real and almost made me almost envious of living there. Though Polly could be somewhat clueless, I nevertheless found her to be an enjoyable character. I particularly liked her strong ideas concerning friendship and her ability to help others in a crisis.

Her brother Charles was kind of an enigma in his interactions and viewpoints and yet somehow likeable in spite of it. I thought it was odd that the twins didn’t really interact all that much and that the brother/sister/twin relationship seemed strained at times. The blurb made it sound like the two worked together but it didn’t pan out in the novel.

There were some flaws in the novel. There was very little plot. The main “villain” was rather predictable and I guessed who was behind it all rather early on. Though the novel takes place in an academic setting, the academics were really not explored in depth. I didn’t mind that because I like Polly so much but it may bother another reader. The secondary characters are fun and having distinct personalities but do not seem to do a whole lot.

While the novel did feel fluffy and had seemingly little real depth, I did find it to have some truly fun ideas, be an enjoyable read and it was a good introduction to this author’s work. I was actually disappointed to find that it was a standalone. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Polly’s adventures when she is a pilot. In any case, I am certainly going to read more of the author’s work.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge!

See me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys! While drawin’ up me lists of 2016 for me log, I realized a curious thing – out of 134 books read, not a single one was a re-read. In me enthusiasm of discovery and taking suggestions from me crew, I did not revisit a single old port for plunder! And part of what I love about readin’ is re-visitin’ old friends. So I decided to remedy that in this here new year and thus created me new category where I take a second look at a previously enjoyed novel and give me crew me second reflections, as it were, upon visitin’ it again . . .

hunter – Mercedes Lackey

Now I had touched upon this novel and the author in me previous log post, Broadside No. 8. It was in reviewing Lackey’s novels that I was reminded of this particular read and how much I loved it. I was mistaken in thinking that I read it in 2016 and so I thought what better book to re-read. It was just as much fun the second time.

The world is a post-apocalyptic US where after said disaster, a seam to the Otherworld opened allowing magic and monsters through. Several centuries later, the world has slowly rebuilt behind walls and there are armies and other groups trying to keep regular citizens safe. One of those groups is the Hunters whose purpose it to hunt monsters of course!

The main character is a Hunter named Joy who goes from the mountain home where she grew up to the main city. I absolutely love her. Other particular favorite hunters include Knight, Dazzle, and Karly. Now while the hunters are bad-ass in and of themselves what makes them truly wicked is that to be a hunter you need have Hounds. Not just normal dogs but massive magical beasts from the Otherworld. I would normally say I am a cat person but even I would want one of these! And no one’s Hounds are specifically alike.

Joy’s Hounds for example are Zapotec with Tibetan names. It was the Hounds the artist Pedro Linares apparently saw when he had his dream and created alebrijes. I had no idea what Joy was talking about so did a bit of research and discovered the possibilities.

They can also have spines, stingers, and shoot fire. Awesome right? In fact part of what I loved about Lackey’s monsters and Otherworld creatures was the blending of our myth and her imagination. Vampires, Magogs, Drakken, Knockers and all other sorts of fun monsters are there. I loved it all.

The plot is quick, Joy’s story is wonderful, and I cannot wait to find out where the second book will go!

Side note: Each time I read this, I borrowed it from a local library. I will likely read it again in the future and so finally bought meself a paperback copy for me cabin shelf and also to try and convince the first mate to read it!

Update: Since I posted this, the first mate and his sister read it. They loved it too!

See me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy me mateys! My First Mate and I usually have different reading tastes. However we both read this book. I enjoyed his viewpoint when we were discussing this novel and ordered him to write a review too. So ye get one from me and one from him. Enjoy!

The Captain says:

This Captain can say one of the true pleasures in life is standing at the helm, wind in your hair, and the next port on the horizon. But what if you could sail not only across the world but across centuries and into myth? Then you would find yourself in a situation like Nix. And oh how truly beautiful this story was.

I adored this novel. Nix is right up my alley. Intelligent, hard working, clever, loyal, and fabulous. The crew on the ship Temptation (Arrr! Awesome name) is equally fun. I am particularly fond of Bee due to her relationship with her old tribe. Kash and Nix have a lovely friendship that was enjoyable to witness. I wouldn’t mind any of those salty dogs on me crew.
But the biggest joy for me overall was how varied the author’s research was. The novel had maps, culture, myths, treasure, history, fun creatures, and more. Some of the myths and discussions of items, like Qin’s tomb and golems, I knew about. Other items drawn from Swedish, Welsh, and Hawaiian tradition I knew little about. And, of course, I always love reading about the superstitions of the sea . . .

The plot and myths and characters were pretty much seamlessly put together. Some of the language was just so stirring. It can be read as a “simple” adventure or you can add in other themes. There were larger themes of the dangers of time travel, familial loyalty, fate, choice, etc. The book is the author’s debut and is supposedly part of a duology. I cannot wait! I want more of Nix’s adventures through time and space.

The First Mate says:

Time travel and causality predicaments. Perhaps my favorite of all sci-fi/fantasy tropes. Something about the utility of time travel smashing directly into the possible consequence of undoing everything (perhaps even your very existence) has fascinated me ever since I watched with terror as Marty McFly slowly faded away at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance a score of years ago. And so, of course, when I read the description of this book, I had to ask the Captain if it was worth reading. It ‘twas. Oh, my, was it.

The Girl From Everywhere is a delightful temporal romp that fairly deftly explores the differences between personal and familial responsibility while still managing to fit in some sweet romance, mystical creatures, and one of the more delightful causality loops I’ve read in quite some time. Our protagonist, Nix, is a sharp and quirky sixteen-year-old whose loyalties are both stuck and shifting at any given moment. The potential existential threat that her father’s plans put her in lead to much of the drama in the tale, and I found it quite easy in most cases to empathize with Nix’s position. Slate and Kash lacking well rounded characters seemed acceptable when considering that the story was told in the first person by Nix, so it made sense that she be the most well developed of the characters. It is sad, though, that the rest of the crew (both of them) were little more then mentioned in passing.

The only quibbles I had with the book were quite minor. It seemed highly unlikely that such a small crew could handle the ship as described. One of the central rules of the time travel that Nix learns halfway through seems like the type of thing that Slate would’ve learned fairly early on in his travels. And, like in most time travel stories, the book spends far too much time in one location than I would’ve preferred. Again, very minor quibbles that barely detract from an otherwise highly enjoyable tale. Highly recommended.

If ye liked this review see me others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

Upon reading the synopsis and the author blurbs, I thought this novel would float me boat. But I just could not finish it and had to abandon ship at 31%. Why ye ask? Well for a myriad of reasons:

- I kept comparing it to the bear and the nightingale which I loved. This book kept coming up short. While this is not the author’s fault, I just found this one similar but lacking.

- I could not connect to the main character, Liesl. She continued to make bad choices throughout the part I read, even when forewarned. I like me heroines to be intelligent and to learn from their mistakes. Liesl seemed to jump feet first into everything without thinking about any consequences. She also seemed to be a rather selfish character who whined about how woeful her life was.

- The contest between Liesl and the Goblin King was so odd. Part one was over before it really began and part two was predictable and rather annoying. I didn’t stick around for part three.

- This book deals with music. A lot. I have no musical ability whatsoever and so these parts went over me head or were just kinda boring. Liesl spend pretty much the whole portion of what I read lamenting that girls cannot be composers in the turn of the 19th century. This may be a selling point for someone else but not me.

- I didn’t like the Goblin King or the goblin world at all. For some reason, I thought that the Goblin King and goblins would prove to be different then the usual versions in this retelling. I was wrong.
I really didn’t understand why Liesel had anything to do with the Goblin King as a child and why she ever found him fascinating or called him a friend.

- The pacing was slow. I was not engaged in the story and just wanted something interesting to happen.

With so many books on the horizon, I just gave up. I want me reading to make time seem to disappear, not to accentuate every second passing. I am sad, but I couldn’t fight the tide.

So lastly . . .

Thank you St. Martin’s Press / Thomas Dunne Books!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

Okay so it may be no secret to me crew that I am kinda in love with John Scalzi’s novels. He has been featured on a Broadside, had the dispatcher reviewed by both me and the First Mate, and writes a blog called Whatever, that I follow regularly. So when the man himself blogged about the release of this short story collection I knew I wanted to read it. When I was on Netgalley, I happened to see it. Then the publisher happened to grant it to me for readin’. Yay!

Since I am very familiar with the Scalzi writing style, I waited for a day that was rather blah and where I needed a pick-me-up. Cause Scalzi is funny. So the day came and I settled in me bunk for a treat. And I got exactly what I wanted.

Out of the 18 pieces, me top 3 standouts . . .

“Alien Animal Encounters” – Perhaps ye have heard of the those segments where people like Jay Leno do segments like “Jay Walking” where random people on the street are asked the Question of the Week. Well in this story, the question is “What is the most interesting encounter you’ve had with an alien animal species?” This is the first story of the collection and set the tone nicely. Favorite animals included the cat (duh!) and the courou.

“Denise Jones, Superbooker” – Set in the form of a transcript, this story is about a booking agent for super heroes. She answers important questions about super hero secret identities, contracts, and other secrets of the biz. The bit about Bryan Garcia made me happy. There is a related story later in the collection called “The State of Super Villainy” that was fun too.

“Your Smart Appliances Talk About You Behind Your Back” – Security systems, fridges, waffle irons . . . if they could speak what would they report about their owners. ‘Nuff said.

There were a couple of stories that didn’t really float me boat – one about Pluto, one about extortionists, and one about Penelope. And some that were just plain weird Scalzi – like sentient yogurt. But overall Scalzi delivers as usual. Quick and fun.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Subterranean Press!

Ahoy there me mateys! I had heard of this author before but had never read any of her work. However when I heard the premise for this alternative history/fantasy set in World World I, it was immediately added to me ports for plunder list.

So basically the idea of the book is that if mediums could talk to ghosts, then how would the military have used this ability in times of warfare? Why setting up a “Spirit Corps” of course. The soldiers are trained so that when they die, their ghosts report to the mediums to give current information of troop movements and other intelligence.

The main character, Ginger, is a medium in the Spirit Corp who speaks with the soldiers in their final debriefing before these ghosts are dismissed from duty. I thought Ginger was a fantastic main character – feisty, compassionate, stubborn, intelligent, etc. I loved her fiancee, Ben. Their relationship was the highlight of the book for me. I adored the tenderness of their relationship and yet the realistic ideas that couples get annoyed with each other and have to deal with reality. The setting of the war was poignant for their relationship.

I also found many of the secondary characters in the novel to be wonderful. I loved the other members of Ginger’s circle. Helen and Mrs. Richardson were two particular favorites from the circle. Oh and I adored Cpl. Patel.

The major conflict in the novel is trying to keep the mediums safe from the Germans. But when it appears a traitor might be in their midst, it is up to Ginger to determine who it is and stop them. The mystery of the traitor was super predictable to me but apparently no one else. That was a small flaw in the novel for me. But it did not ruin the book for me at all.

Overall I found the ending of how Ginger deals with the traitor to be wonderful. I was sad to read about the stories of the dead soldiers and the waste of life but how the author handled the ghosts was a particularly nice touch, one I won’t spoil. I highly recommend this book as long as ye are okay with death and war in stories. I think Mary is a great author and created a wonderful story. I loved the historical notes at the end of the novel too.

Side note: The author is a professional puppeteer!

I will certainly be reading more of her books in the future.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

This novel sounded awesome. It is a young adult dystopian with a magical twist. I thought this novel would float me boat. But I just could not finish it and had to abandon ship at 70%. Even though I did skip to the end and read the last chapters. Why ye ask? Well for a myriad of reasons (in no particular order):

- The revolution – it just got boring. This is what killed the book for me. I thought how the revolution began was rather uninspiring and the “dangerous” actions of the rebels felt lackluster. Spray painting walls. Hanging banners. I mean I know it was only the beginning of the rebellion but I didn’t care about it at all and didn’t even want to read about it anymore.

- Secondary characters – while I actually liked the main characters of Luke, Abi, and was even okay with Silyen, I had problems with many of the secondary characters being rather blah. Silyen’s brother Gavar and Jenner were very flat with seemingly little psychology into why they did what they did. Gavar was boorish and angry. Jenner was ineffectual and a hand-wringer. Add in sadistic guards, the hot love interest for Luke called Angel (Ugh!), and the rebels who happen to have super skills and I just felt underwhelmed.

- That being said, I did love the sibling relationships between Luke, Abi and Daisy. Also loved the street urchin Renie. She hit all me soft spots.

- The parents – well the good news is that parents are present in a young adult novel. Luke and Abi had loving wonderful parents. Okay there. But the bad thing is that after seemingly being involved even tangentially in the beginning, they just disappear from the plot. Silyen’s parents are present but seemingly to only have the father and mother be two-dimensional power hungry bad guys.

- Insta-love – Sigh. Jenner and Abi. Blech.

- Politics – the political maneuvering, which normally I love, was just not appealing. Somehow the problem seemed to be the set-up for how the world functioned. It just didn’t quite make sense.

- The magic – cool concepts but again didn’t seem to have a premise that made complete sense. I will will chalk it up to being a first in a trilogy. However I did want more of the magic that added to the usual dystopian flavor.

- I don’t normally read the endings of books I abandon but I guess the good news about the writing is while I didn’t want to have to “live” through it, I did want to know how this one tied up. That was just more proof that I am done with this series.

With so many books on the horizon, I just gave up. I want me reading to make time seem to disappear, not to accentuate every second passing. I am sad, but I couldn’t fight the tide.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine / Del Ray!

See me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys! Older members of me crew may remember that before I gave me heart to the sea, I had an obsession with horses. I read a myriad of pony books and so every now and again me soft spot for these types of stories leads me back to the equine world. When I discovered this young adult novel involving a strong female rider I gave it a shot. Plus the cover is pretty no?

Unfortunately while there be enjoyment in reading this novel, there be some many flaws as well. Let’s look on the bright side first . . .

- Horses. The main horse in this novel was Fallion. He is a special breed called an Amalanee. Loyal, loving, speedy, strong, and special. What’s not to like? And he may or may not have special powers.

- Strong female protagonist. K’Irsa is a member of a nomadic tribe of horse loving people. She can ride and shoot with the best of them. She is loyal to her family and has morals. I always like that.

- Wonderful parent. K’Irsa’s father is an encouraging, loving parent. He loves his daughter even though she doesn’t not fit in the traditional tribal roles. He facilitates her independence and pushes her to succeed.

- Lodie. This woman was a fun side character. I enjoyed her very much and wish the book would have been her story instead. Snarky, intelligent, and determined. Yup.

- Revenge. I rather enjoyed the ramifications of getting revenge in this story. Not the plot of the revenge itself but some of the ideas about what the consequences of fighting for revenge can be and what it can do to the person out to get it.

- Moon and Sun stones. I enjoyed the magic of these items. But sadly they didn’t really play a huge enough part in the novel.

The not so good . . .

- Horses. Yes I know I picked the book for the ponies. There were just not enough of them in the book. Basically the horses only matter in the beginning of the story and the very end. I wished that Fallion was central to the entire story. Also I did not buy the story of how K’Irsa got him.

- The female protagonist. She may be strong and intelligent but she doesn’t always use her brain. She can be impulsive. K’Irsa likes to whine about how hard her life is despite her special treatment. She is also rather naive about the world and the darker side of human nature. Her internal monologue became rather wearisome. She is a bit too much of a special snowflake.

- The love story. Ugh. I rather hated it. The two lovers first meet in a dream and are instant soul mates. Sigh. Of course when they meet, the cliches abound. I did like the idea that the perfect dream lovers have major issues in real life but the plot twists concerning their relationship were just annoying and rather disheartening. Obviously K’Irsa’s lover cannot be perfect if he can treat her like he does. And she just sighs, justifies, and forgives him. Because he can change! No thanks.

- The setting. Basically there be the desert horse tribe and the city folk. The city folk are evil and ignorant and commerce driven. Okay fine. But what was not fine in me world was that the city and politics seemed to be based on every cliche of Muslim society but worse. The women are veiled, are property, and have no rights. The Daliph’s harem, I mean Doranas, literally have their fingers encased in finger traps, wear metal corsets so they can’t really move, and have servants that have to feed, bathe, do everything for them. They cannot eat or even shit without a man helping them. And it’s considered a privilege.

- The plot. Ugh I am sorry but writing the last paragraph just made me more grumpy about the book as I wrote those thoughts out. And if the setting bothered me, the plot was horrendous. The strong female protagonist pretty much makes no major choices of her own. Even the Gods give her directions at the beginning. She actually tries to do the training to be a regular Dorana. The justification is revenge. The actuality is that most of the book finds her trapped in a room letting everyone dictate her life and thinking that it can be justified or okay in any circumstance. I have to admit that I don’t like reliving the details of this.

So basically even though I got the next book in the series, I am not sure if I am going to read it . . . despite the cool ponies. It is a novel that I seem to dislike more and more with reflection. Some cool concepts. Just not me type of execution.

To see me other reviews, check out https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/