​Ever since he can remember, Thomas has had a magical relationship with music.  When he plays, magical creatures appear and keep him company.  At eighteen, Thomas is suffering the loss of his parents; his music and the magical creatures his only friends. Thomas enjoys playing his guitar in the square of  São Paulo, Brazil.  One fateful day, his music captivates several people around him, some friends and some foe.  Maruli, an Indigenous  Guarani, is attending school in the city and can also see  Thomas' magical beings around him.  Young brothers,  André and Miguel can also see the magical creatures and recreate them out of toys to bring to Thomas.  Dr. Alonso, a college professor and his daughter, Dora, an influencer, want Thomas for his talents and lure him to their compound. Thankfully, Thomas' new friends realize he is in danger and come up with a plan to help him out of Dr. Alonso's grip. 


The Musician is a unique story of magical realism, music and friendship that is craftily blended together. I really liked the idea of this story, a group of people bound together by a higher connection of music, fully using our senses and connecting to nature.  All of the characters were very interesting and had different backgrounds.   Told mostly through Thomas, we get to know him the best.  I was very intrigued by Maruli, a Guarani native and her ways of life.  One of the other themes within the story was Indigenous, natural living in alignment with the world and how to combine those principles with the modern world.  The writing dives right into the action with Thomas' talents, a chance meeting with others in the town square and then him being taken by Dr. Alonso and Dora.  I felt like I just needed to know more about each of the characters, their backstories and motivations before they jumped in to help or harm a man they had just met.  Thomas' time at Dr. Alonso's was disorienting, as I'm sure it was for his character.  I was very interested in the Orphics and their origins.  Every part of the story was meaningful and well written, I just kept feeling like it was a little rushed and needed more context.  I would have loved to be immersed in the fantastic world of music, magical creatures, the Brazilian forest and even the Orphics. 


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Vori is a world renowned supermodel and a goblin princess. She has been stuck in the human realm ever since the Wicked Crown took its toll on her father and he went on a murderous rampage killing every other goblin royal. Vori's mother, a fae, sacrificed herself by pushing Vori into the human realm before her father reached her.  Now, Vori is in a time crunch to fulfill a blow vow to Baba Yaga if she ever wants to return to the goblin realm.  Vori needs all of the amethysts once part of the crown along with a consort. She is working on the amethysts, but her planned consort, Perry, a male witch is currently in jail. Once she busts Perry out and returns to her realm, Vori finds a world in trouble and is faced with a decision of taking the crown that she never wanted in order to save her home. 

Wicked Crown is a fun, adventurous and unexpected paranormal romance.  I was wondering how goblins were supposed to be sexy, and these goblins definitely were!  The writing dives right into the action as Vori tracks down an amethyst and attempts to retrieve it.  Vori's second challenge was breaking Perry out of jail. I did feel momentarily lost with Perry's past involvement with the  Witch Senate and why he had been captured, tortured and given powers.  I was captivated by the goblin realm and the origin of the crown.  I loved the descriptions of the realm, the castle, the other goblins and their royalty.  The suspense only heightened as Vori and Perry entered the Goblin world and were faced with problem after problem that they relied on one another to solve.  The gradual build of the romance between Perry and Vori was also exciting; from Perry being repulsed by Vori's goblin form, to accepting, to seeing that as her true self.  I was glad to see that through Vori's time within the Goblin realm, she realizes and embraces her fate on her own terms.

​Starr Weatherby's dream is to be an actress.  Instead, she is waitressing while waiting for her big break.  Unbeknownst to her, Starr is being watched from beyond the Veil to star in a series especially for mythic beings. Jason, the director for a mythic show, Tune in Tomorrow finally approaches Starr to offer her a gig.  However, Starr must be brought through the Veil and accepted by the show's star and resident diva, Fiona.  Starr is amazed by everything on the other side of the Veil and after the shock passes, the hard part begins.  Fiona is not open to another female star on the show.  Fiona accepts Starr only to scheme to have her quit or get thrown out of the show.  Starr wizens up to Fiona's antics, but has made an enemy out of the diva.  Other than Fiona's stunts, Starr quickly falls in love with magic and beings on the other side.  Starr needs to figure out how to work with Fiona and the mystery of her predecessor, Amelia, before its too late.

Tune in Tomorrow is a zany, entertaining mythical soap opera.  Starr's passion and drive for performing is evident from the beginning, I was taken in by her willingness to sacrifice for her dream.  A television show about humans in another realm was definitely an interesting twist and I was as amazed as Starr when she went beyond the Veil for the first time to witness a dragon security guard, camera dryads, brownie personal assistants and werepanter writers.  As Starr enters the mythical world beyond the Veil for the first time, there is a lot of information to be processed and the pacing slows a bit as Starr gets to know everyone and begin filming the show.  Suspense builds as Fiona attempts to boot Starr from the show intensify and Starr continues to play into her strategies.  I did love exploring some of the mythical areas beyond the Tune In Tomorrow set including the alternate Central Park, the Brownie doors and their strike and the Mythic award show.  

About the Book:
Rachel comes from a dimension that exists adjacent to ours. The people there have structured their society around daemon collecting: they locate, catch, and repair malfunctioning daemons (creatures out of phase with our world that tempt people to do good or evil). 


While introducing Leda Morley, last of an ancient line of gatekeepers, to the ins and outs of her daemon-collecting work, Rachel Wilde encounters something far more dangerous than any daemon: a young boy who stands alone against an unseen yet terrifying enemy that has invaded his home—an inhuman creature who, hellbent on revenge for a minor slight, intends to harm the boy’s oblivious family. Meanwhile, Leda’s brother, Simon, is feeling left out of his maternal family legacy but is coping partly by helping Rachel’s friend Bach—a previously homeless man with unusual mental abilities—get his life back on track.

In the midst of all of this, Bach unintentionally but serendipitously makes contact with a capable otherworldly being who, with great reluctance, agrees to help Bach and his friends take on the dangerous creature that’s just become their problem to solve. Together, this group of unlikely allies must put aside their differences to save an innocent child, and his family, from a monster—before it’s too late.

​
Review: 
Rachel Wilde is a daemon hunter from the Arcana dimension.  On her last mission, she found the last gatekeeper, Leda and tried to stop a person from breaking down interdimensional barriers.  Along the way Rachel also acquired Bach, a human oracle whose insights had driven him to the brink of madness and a defective daemon who now roams her home.  Rachel's new assignments should be easy, she is showing Leda the ropes of what being a gatekeeper means and taking her on some fact finding missions.  However, one of Rachel's fact finding missions turns out to be something more than the typical daemon where a maligned being is torturing a local family for a mistake that a young boy made while discovering his new powers.  Meanwhile, Bach and Leda's brother, Simon are trying to get Bach's life together when they figure out that Bach may be able to help with Rachel's situation.  

Blue Flame is another wonderful installment in the Daemon Collecting series.  I would highly recommend reading book one, Gatekeeper first to understand the dimensions and the characters.  I was so glad to continue with many of the characters' stories from the first book and go deeper into their backstories.  Rachel continues to be strong and fierce, with Leda's help she begins to break down her unyielding personality.  Through Leda's human eyes, a better understanding of the Arcana and it's social structure is shown.  Leda's thirst for knowledge and gentle nature unravels some of the mysteries of the Arcana and smooths some of Rachel's edges. I was elated to learn more about Bach's history, see him move forward with his life, get a grip on his gift as well as learn of its origins. The being that Rachel and Leda discover in Blue Flame is surprising and interesting to learn about.  I loved that the point of view switched to these special beings and they were very interesting to read, written in a prose style.  The solution to help the being and the family that is being tortured by it was creative and lends itself towards better relationships in the future.  Blue Flame is an action packed, fast paced urban fantasy adventure that I can't wait to read more of. 

Alongside our world is another dimension, the Arcana, whose people live and work with ours in order to keep our dimension working properly.  Rachel Wilde is one of those Arcanans who works as a demon collector.  Rachel catches malfunctioning daemons and brings them back for repair.  Rachel's latest caseload involves a bunch of unusual assignments:  first, a riot daemon who no longer wants to affect humans negatively and is assigned to live with Rachel since it is unable to be repaired at this time; second, a human man who is trying to break down the inter-dimensional barrier to bring back the daemon Apep and lastly, the woman who is the last gatekeeper for Apep, keeping the daemon locked in the wasteland.  Rachel's assignments turn sour as the two human marks cross paths, but she may finish her assignment with the help of some new friends. 


Gatekeeper is a fun daemonic adventure through alternative dimensions and a diversity of daemons.  The prologue sucked me in as a mysterious murderer brutally kills off what he believes is the last of the gatekeeper line.  Rachel's character is strong, edgy and impulsive.  I was very interested in the other dimensions and Rachel's dimension of Arcana.  Arcana seems similar to ours, but with a better social structure.  I would love to explore more of Arcana and how the people there came to be in charge of the daemons in the different dimensions.  I also really enjoyed the human Oracle, Bach.  I know that he probably has a great backstory, but it hasn't been explored yet.  The riot daemon is a wonderful addition and I hope it doesn't get sent away just yet.  I have a lot of questions about Apep and why a human would kill to have the daemon back on Earth.  The ending was suspenseful and kept my interest up right until the end.  There is definitely a lot more to explore in the series and I want to know what happens next!

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

The Goddess danced the world into existence and with it, she made three tribes: the Minca, Carroo and Dute.  Each tribe has a special talent and connection to the Goddess.  Each tribe has a Mother that feels the connection with the Goddess and fosters that connection with their tribe.  For years there was peace, until one Mincan, Vestor, murders his sister the Mother Minca and sets the tribes against one another, seeking power for himself.  Cora, the current Mother Minca, has a vision of peace between the tribes.  However, all three tribes must reunite at the Heart Stone at the Winter Solstice for a chance at peace and Vestor is watching their every move.  

Journey to the Heart Stone is a fantasy set in a matrilineal world.  The beginning scene as the Goddess danced the world into existence was beautiful and grabbed my attention.  I wish there were a few more scenes of the Goddess or of the world during peace.  For a fantasy, the book is on the shorter side and everything moves quickly.  The writing goes directly into Cora's dilemma with Vestor and her vision for peace.  From there, the point of view splits between the points of view from each tribe's representative on their journey to the Heart Stone.  Each journey focused on building trust, having an open mind and finding friendship.  I actually would have liked more of Vestor and his agent's point of view to understand his motives better.  The ending brought tension and suspense, but wrapped up rather quickly.  I would have loved an extended battle scene and more in depth struggle.  Overall, a fast paced fantasy with great messaging and interesting characters.  

​Vika Hale has grown up on the struggling planet of Philomenus.  Dirty air from pollution fills the air, there is no reliable energy resource, and most of the residents live paycheck to paycheck and are uneducated, serving as the working class for the nearby planet, Ploutos.  Vika, however, was given an exceptional education by an unknown benefactor. Now, the unknown benefactor has passed and he has named Vika as the wife for his son in his will.  In order for Leo Cashin to inherit his father's legacy, he must marry the girl his father wants.  Vika's life is turned upside down as she imagines a life of luxury on Plutonius, but she must decide if she wants to give up her life for a stranger.  Although, just before Vika and Leo meet a tragedy strikes that will change Vika's path once again. 

The Stars Between Us is a sci-fi romance that hits on economic disparity.  I was really interested in Philomenus and Ploutus, how they were colonized and how they became so disparate.  The information about the planets is dispersed throughout the story, but I could have used a little more background. Vika's character is very interesting, she is not exactly the most likable person, but her strong-willed, stubborn nature and tendency to go after what she wanted were the traits that her benefactor admired.  Vika's feelings about potentially being rich and having the life she has always dreamed of were understandable; however, it seemed that she was ungrateful when the opportunity was handed to her. Vika's relationship with Sky also seemed unbalanced, I was rooting for them, but wasn't sure why Sky was so entranced.  Overall, an interesting science fiction romance with a lot of drama and some twists that shows the impact of money, greed and choosing your own destiny.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Cassie Walker is dreading her approaching 25th birthday as it brings back memories of the accident that caused her family's  death.  Now, at the insistence of a therapist, Cassie returns to her home town of Elliot, Indiana and her family's home.  She hopes that confronting the past will help with her ability to sleep and the shadows that have been creeping in.  What Cassie finds, however, is a book left by her mother telling her that she is a demon and will begin growing horns and feeling a hunger for things.  On the upside, Cassie reconnects with her friend Josh and he encourages her to enter the annual Demon Run in Woodland Creek.  While dealing with all of her changes, Cassie realizes that things are amiss in Woodland Creek, especially with her friend, Jenn.  As Cassie finds out more about her demon lineage and the benefits, she must fight the other powers in Woodland Creek. 

The Good Girl's Guide to Being a Demon is a fun novella with wonderful characters in a fun setting.  I felt an immediate connection with Cassie as a totally normal woman with everyday problems and trying to fight off her demons, only her demons are real.  For a novella, the writing pulled me into the story quickly.  I had a good sense of who Cassie was, where she came from and the setting.  The story took off quickly as Cassie entered Woodland Creek.  I enjoyed her journey to becoming a demon and uncovering her mother's letters and her supernatural history.  The drama between Cassie and her friends Josh and Jenn was compelling and suspenseful and Cassie attempted to figure out what was happening in Woodland Creek along with what was happening in her own body.  The ending wrapped up a little suddenly for me with a time jump, but was still satisfying.  The Good Girl's Guide to Being a Demon is part of a series all taking place in Woodland Creek, so I might have to check some of those out!

​Within The Network, sixteen year-old Bianca is cursed.  In order to save herself, her mother and grandmother from the curse, Bianca must find a way to work with Miss Mabel, the only one who can remove the curse.  As a first-year student at Miss Mabel's School for girls, Bianca is not expected to enter The Competition, a deadly test of skills usually reserved for third year witches.  Winning The Competition is the only way to work directly with Miss Mabel. Bianca must use all of her skills in hexes, curses, cunning and potions in order to show her worth and outwit Miss Mabel.  Miss Mabel is more cruel then she seems and Bianca soon finds herself bound to Miss Mabel and her sinister intentions for the whole Network. 

Miss Mabel's School for Girls is a fast-paced Young Adult fantasy.  Miss Mabel's jumps right into the action as Bianca finds her way into the school and immediately volunteers for The Competition.  I felt a little lost within the world of The Network and Miss Mabel's at first, but I was absorbed by the action.  It was apparent that Bianca is determined to reverse her curse and tenacious, but I wanted to know more about the curse and its dangers.  One of the best parts of the story for me were the characters.  There are many well written female characters with distinct personalities; in fact, there are barely male characters in the book.   Some of my favorites are the friends Bianca made, Leda and Camille.  These young women formed a wonderful friendship that helped Bianca through her trials with Miss Mable.  Miss Mable was deliciously vicious in her teachings, coming up with vile and malicious ways to test Bianca and what she needed from her.  The book ends on a large cliffhanger with nothing resolved and a whole host of new issues, so it looks like I'll need to dive into the next book in the series.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Every century an Anima arises in the world of Aligaea.  The Anima is given animal-like strength, speed, senses and language in order to fulfill the Task.  The Anima is born to restore ecological order to the world; however, in Aligaea, the Imperium is on a mission to spread Disorder, destroying towns, people, habitats and spreading death and disease as they span Aligaea.  The last seven Anima along with the Mages, Shapeshifters and Keepers have fought valiantly and lost to the Imperium.  Now, Freda believes that she is destined to be the last Anima after finding an ancient scroll at her archaeological dig site.  She only has to find the special mushroom that will grant her the capability of turning into the final Anima. 

Birth of the Anima is an epic fantasy that tells the stories of the last seven Animas of Aligaea. The idea of the Anima, a woman destined to fight to restore order between humans and nature intrigued me.  The world of Aligaea is very different from our own, but plagued with the same issues of power, greed and destruction of the natural world.  The story spans a large period of time and new Anima's are introduced every chapter which was a lot to keep track of and remember.  It almost seems like each Anima could have her own full book.   At times the story did drag for me and I wondered where each of these stories would culminate.  Each Anima's story is unique and they each approached their task of being the Anima differently.  Through each of their stories I was able to explore and experience the different parts and cultures of Aligaea.  We are introduced to Flora early on in the story, but then don't pick up with her again until near the end.  I do wish that the Animas were chosen because of a passion rather than luck or the Keepers pulling the strings.  With the twelfth Anima's story incomplete, hopefully there will be more to come for the world of Aligaea. 
​
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ​

​After the death of his mother, Corbin becomes depressed.  He has never known his father and he knows that child services will send him to live with his Aunt Graciella in Connecticut.  As Corbin is wishing for a way out of the situation, he locks eyes with a crow outside his window.  Soon, Corbin realizes that he has transformed into a crow himself and follows the crow by his window to his nest.  Corbin lives as a crow for years, transforming back to a boy to explore the nearby farm.  He is discovered by Maxim Moritz Grobian who knows Corbin's secret and wants to teach him more about being a mage.  Maxim rescues Corbin and helps him to regain his life as a boy and a mage, enrolling Corbin in Maxim's school for magical beings.  Corbin feels a heavy weight of gratitude towards Maxim; so when Maxim asks Corbin to go on a dangerous mission to Hexenheim, Corbin readily agrees.  The quest involves finding Maxim's estranged daughter, Lorelei while being tracked by a ruthless Inquisitor.


Smoke and Mirrors: The Trueheart is a young adult fantasy with magic, romance and intrigue.  I was pulled into the story from the prologue where Corbin makes a daring escape by turning into a crow and flying away.  After that Corbin's story delves into the world of mages. Corbin's character was intriguing.  He was easily moldable by those around him since the loss of his mother and finding his new magical abilities without any support; however, Corbin is able to see the truth behind the intentions of those around him, magical or not.  I was impressed by the many types of magical beings and their origins as well.  Most of all, I liked seeing how Corbin and his classmates came together to subdue the Inquisitor who was against magical beings while realizing that the magic within them can be used for good to enhance the world and themselves. While some of the plot may have been expected, Smoke and Mirrors: The Trueheart is a fun, fantasy adventure with wonderful characters and a cliffhanger ending that makes me want to dive right into the next book.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  

​Corbin Lobo is a sixteen year-old shapeshifting mage who has just completed a year at a special school for mages in Hexenheim.  Now, he is setting off to Corfu with his half-selkie girlfriend, Lorelei to meet her family and learn more about the mages that created Hexenheim.  While in Corfu, Corbin and Lorelei face off against a dangerous Inquisitor who wants to harm the selkies living there.  After that, Corbin returns to his home where his mentor and Lorelei's father, Max manipulates Corbin into making a vow to bring Lorelei to him.  Max has plans to use Lorelei's Heartstone for his own nefarious purposes.  Corbin and Lorelei must figure out how to outwit Max at his own game for the protection of mages and nonmages alike. 

Smoke and Mirrors: The Heartstone is the second book in the Smoke and Mirrors series; picking up shortly after the first book ends, I would highly recommend reading The Trueheart first in order to get to know the world that has been created, the characters and their motivations. The Heartstone jumps right in with Corbin and Lorelei facing new adventures and threats. I enjoyed adventuring along with Corbin and Lorelei as they helped a new magical person find their way, protect the selkies and outwit an Inquisitor as well as retrieve Lorelei's Heartstone. The story included a lot of history of the Mages and their experiences with the magic hunters dating back to the Tudor reign that gave background into the challenges they have been facing.  Lorelei's grandfather, Darius was a wonderful character whose story gave insight into the selkie curse and his family history.  It was wonderful to see Corbin and Lorelei work as a team to outsmart Max and get the Heartstone back.   I loved the whirlwind conclusion that turned out a lot differently than I would have expected.  I can't wait to see what is next for all of the characters. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.