Category: Australian - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Far From A Frosty Reception

26/6/2022

Frost Hands (The Mutation Files #1)
by Imogen Elvis

Tensions are rising while a new law requiring mutants to register themselves is being discussed. Eric wants to protect other mutants, but maybe there's a wrong way to go about it. He'll have to choose between betraying his stepfather or doing what might be the right thing. But can he trust mutants who are being deployed against their own kind?

I would have loved the heck out of this as a teenager - okay, adult!me still loved the heck out of it. Frost Hands ticked all the boxes for me: likeable characters finding their way in the world, said characters actually acting their age, cool powers, incredibly tense scenes, a villain who isn't hokey. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Until the Soul Singer Sings

25/6/2022

The Shattering Song (Song Magic #2)
by Imogen Elvis

Briar and her friends have already sacrificed much in trying to stop Lord Sachio from taking over the kingdom, but they have not yet succeeded. A dangerous trip to Mizra, the capital, may yield the allies and resources they need - or it may result in even greater sacrifices, if they can't avoid the punishment for so-called treason. Either way, this is the end of their journey.

While this is an excellent and satisfying conclusion to the story, I do feel that it might have worked better if it had been expanded over a trilogy. That said, I very much enjoyed spending time with Briar, Kade and Lara once more. I became attached to them so quickly! Elvis masterfully creates characters that you want to root for and protect as soon as you meet them.

This is the YA Fantasy You're Looking For

20/6/2022

The Crystal Tree (Song Magic #1)
by Imogen Elvis

Briar is a soul singer, a magician who can heal. But her magic offers no protection when the Nameless Ones come to her new home and abduct her sister. Briar immediately wants to rescue her - though this will mean travelling and joining forces with strangers who have secrets that can endanger their lives, as well as the entire kingdom.

For a while now, I've felt that something is missing from trad published YA fantasy. I can't say exactly what it is, but I guess I'll be cliche and say they're missing...the magic. The Crystal Tree brought back the magic for me. It threw me right back to my childhood in the 1990s and was the comforting blanket that I very much needed. This is a brilliant indie YA fantasy - and beautifully written too.

Blossoming

13/6/2022

Paperbark Hill by Maya Linnell

One family tragedy set Ned Gardiner on his wandering path and now another has brought him home to his father's farm in Bridgefield. He doesn't usually keep his family in the same place long, but this time he might find a reason to stay. Diana McIntyre is trying to make her flower farm successful - no mean feat while grappling with loss and four boys. But help may have just arrived...

What a lovely slice of life this was. While Paperbark Hill had lower stakes than the previous books, I quite enjoyed the slow, believable build up of a relationship between two very real people - and of course it's nice to keep up with the McIntyres. Linnell has created a family (and a town) populated with characters that you always look forward to spending time with.

Second and Second to None

4/5/2022

Corpselight (Verity Fassbinder #2)
by Angela Slatter

Verity Fassbinder is back in the thick of things - and she's also heavily pregnant. Something wet and gross and deadly is lurking in Brisneyland, but it doesn't offer the same danger that a mysterious kitsune does...or the appearance of those thought lost. Verity can handle an attack from all sides...but can she also protect her family?

Easily the best book of the trilogy and definitely not bogged down by the issues that usually afflict a book 2 in a trilogy - although, it's obvious this was meant to be more than trilogy (and how I wish it was a proper series). I've always liked how David was used in the other books and this is no exception. Verity is a character who is grounded by her family and she's not the isolated hero that pervades so many other novels (side note - even I'll admit that isolating her in book #3 was a stroke of genius). Anyway, I loved Corpselight and I'll forever be salty that this "trilogy" didn't get the marketing it deserved.

Turn UP the Heat

10/4/2022

Out of Her League (Kapow! #1)
by Renée Dahlia

Joey lost his rugby league career after he became a paraplegic, but he has found success on the inspiration speech circuit. Ella was - still is! - one of Joey's biggest fans so when he invites her back to his room, there is no way she's going to refuse. One night of passion is all she's after. So it comes as a bit of a shock when she learns the next day that her company will be working with him.

This book is exceptionally steamy with some great (and I mean GREAT) scenes, so I was not at all disappointed on that front. In a romance of this length, of course I expect everything else to be secondary to the budding relationship - but Ella's job seemed to be completely forgotten about and nor did it have the impact on the plot that the initial setup suggests. Still..it's hard to be annoyed about that when the heat level is this high.

Team Bad Guy

9/4/2022

Untamed (The Fallen Guardians #4)
by Cassie Laelyn

Raine isn't complicated - she likes sharp, pointy things and she has a destiny fulfil (thanks, Fate!). Nothing is going to get in her way, certainly not a Fallen who's been on Team Bad Guy this whole time. Slater craves freedom but he needs a certain item to achieve this - a weapon forged by Raine and a weapon she wants back. But he can't let her get it...and he can't lose his heart to her either.

Whew, sparks were definitely flying in this one. Raine and Slater are quite the pair - and I'm a sucker for random cats in my romances lol. If you've read books from this series before, you'll get exactly what you're expecting. I am getting a bit of fatigue over the main story arc since it does move forward quite glacially, but this is still a fun enemies-to-lovers romp (bonus cat - did I mention the cat?).

Sapphic Villains FTW

2/3/2022

The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska

Marynka, or Midday as this witch's servant is known, is determined to beat her rival, Midnight. This time, the prize is the pure heart of a prince and Marynka will take it back to her grandmother. But Midnight's plan for the heart is different, something that will make her more powerful than Midday. There is, however, another obstacle for both of them: their mutual, unshakeable attraction.

I am weak for YA witches falling in love - the author describes her characters as "sapphic villains" - so of course I was going to enjoy this. The Polish-inspired fantasy setting was fascinating to me and it was introduced naturally, without any info-dumping. Marynka and Zosia were such a delight too. Slower pacing would have helped build more tension, but The Midnight Girls was still a lot of fun to read.

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff

12/12/2021

Aurora's End (The Aurora Cycle #3)
by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

The squad has been split up and scattered, all of them trapped by time - or a lack thereof. The Ra'haam will soon bloom and burst and there's no stopping them once that happens. What the galaxy needs is a Weapon, but that's MIA. The only thing that most of the galaxy can do is pray. But for Squad 312, they'll have todo a lot more than that or everything is lost.

The conclusion we all deserve. This was a damn heavy book to hold, but it was worth getting the paperback over the ebook - all the better for some of the cool formatting. I really enjoyed this trilogy (after the somewhat clumsy start) and usually I don't have any patience for time shenanigans, but it was well done here. So the ultimate ending was a bit...underwhelming. Everything else was great, though. And I do love me some insta!love pairings. xD

Weyrd Times in Brisbane

29/11/2021

Vigil (Verity Fassbinder #1)
by Angela Slatter

Part Normal and part Weyrd, Verity Fassbinder can access two worlds in the same city - and she needs to, in her line of work. Sirens are falling out of the sky. Human children are going missing. Verity is run off her feet helping the police and the Weyrd community. Maybe everything is all connected, but that doesn't make her job any easier. It's also probably not a good time to start seeing someone new...

I found this trilogy through the last book and I wish I'd been able to start with the first instalment. I really enjoyed this. Urban fantasy is one of my great loves and Vigil delivers. It also delivers a setting that's familiar to me (even if it's not quite the Brisbane I know!). The romance is more realistic than most books of the genre - David is the kind of guy that actually exists. Slatter created something fascinating and wonderful in these books. It's such a shame that there's only three of them. Seems to me it was a sales issue only, because the quality is definitely there.

I should have heard about these books when they first appeared. I'm an Urban Fantasy hound with a penchant for Australian content, so I'm an easy target. If I didn't hear about it, something went wrong at the marketing level. But honestly, that's been a massive problem with Urban Fantasy titles by new authors for several years.