Category: Diversity - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

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.

Enjoyable MG Adventure

26/2/2022

Star Wars: A Test of Courage (The High Republic)
by Justina Ireland

Vernestra is fifteen and one of the youngest to become a Jedi Knight. When the ship she's on is attacked by saboteurs, she must look after those even younger than herself - including a genius, a warrior-to-be and a Padawan. Their escape pod lands on a moon that is anything but safe.

I really enjoyed this middle grade adventure. It reminded me a little of Jude Watson's Jedi Apprentice series in the old canon (which I loved, btw). Vernestra is a great character - she's very relatable despite being a one-of-a-kind prodigy. A solid MG novel in its own right and a good addition in the High Republic. I would have liked a slightly more exciting adventure though!

Pride and Prejudice and EJ

15/2/2022

The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi

EJ is trying to look after her fellow Bennet Women at Longbourn University, all while stressing as she tries to be the best engineering student - because she has to be. Enter Will Pak, a celebrity who on their first meeting has a bad attitude and insults her to boot. EJ has no time for rude men and first impressions are hard to dismiss. At least, to start with...

I will read every Pride and Prejudice retelling I can get my hands on and, make no mistake, I enjoyed seeing how Appiah-Kubi used the modern context to alter plot points. And more diversity in NA romance is always welcome! But the strength of the original is how Austen used all of her characters, not just Elizabeth. EJ is used well and so is Will, but other characters fall by the wayside. There were also too many things that happened "off screen". That worked in Austen's time. Not so much now.

A Killer Ending

31/12/2021

Girls of Fate and Fury (Girls of Paper & Fire #3)
by Natasha Ngan

Wren has lost the woman she loves to the enemy and retrieving her is no small task - especially with a war brewing between Wren and the palace. The war brewing closer to home may be even more dangerous. Lei is once more imprisoned by the Demon King, but she is no longer under his power. She will do whatever it takes. No matter what. Even if it means making the greatest sacrifice.

So that was emotionally draining - but in a good way. After a somewhat disappointing entry last time (Middle Book Syndrome is real, y'all), the series regains the momentum it has lacked since the end of the first book. And just in time too. Honestly, I would burn down the world for Wren and Lei. They've carried these books on their shoulders. I also like that Ngan has shown how complex the trauma caused by abuse can be. Allowing multiple characters to deal with it on their terms really helps with that. Some better pacing would have elevated this book to a tier of excellence (and some things felt unnecessary), but it's still a good read.

More Miss Than Hit

29/10/2021

The Witch Collector (Witch Walker #1)
by Charissa Weaks

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Raina Bloodgood has lost her sister to the Witch Collector, but now she has a plan to finally end him with the God Knife her father once carried. But Collecting Day does not goes as planned - for anyone. Forced to travel with the Witch Collector after her village is attacked, Raina knows she must wait to get her revenge, but the longer she waits the longer she has to develop feelings for him.

This was a pleasant enough read, especially once things finally got interesting (after the 50% mark - I don't DNF if I can help it!). The weak worldbuilding resulted in confusion and a lack of investment on my part - and just when I was beginning to enjoy myself, I hit that rather lacklustre ending. I think the trilogy format really hurt this first book in terms of pacing. Which is too bad, since it had a lot of potential.

It's so FLUFFAY

23/10/2021

Dance to a Wylder Beat by Marilyn Barr

Nartan Sagebrush advertises for a quiet wife, but the mail order bride that arrives is Olive Muegge. She doesn't know how to cook the food he prefers, she certainly isn't quiet, and she carries a secret - she's a bear shifter and cannot refuse to shift for too long. Olive craves a family and home of her own, but she might be too much for Nartan.

This was a very sweet story that allowed the leads to slowly, naturally develop feelings for each other. Nartan and Olive really fit together quite well. Sometimes even I found Olive a bit much, but I did enjoy seeing her and Nartan get their happy ending. Quite a fluffy story, despite the rough setting - and Nartan and Olive's rough start!

Strained Bonds

7/10/2021

Bonds of Brass (The Bloodright Trilogy #1)
by Emily Skrutskie

Ettian Nassun's world and life have been consumed by the Umber empire, but he's made the most of it, done well in a military academy. Tried not to think too much about Gal Veres, his hot roommate. But after an assassination attempt reveals that Gal is the Umber heir, Ettian wants to protect Gal - even if it means saving (and falling for) the prince whose family destroyed him.

This was a pretty harmless, cute sci-fi adventure that had a great start...only to leave me utterly bored for most of the book. I just didn't feel any traction. And I know that characters are interesting when they do morally grey stuff, but Gal and Ettian annoyed me A LOT. The whole mess was saved by A) Gal/Ettian being cute and B) that killer ending (predictable, but still a dayum moment). I'm hoping the sequel is more engrossing.

Summer Ba - er, Summer Cove

30/9/2021

His Christmas Pearl (Rainbow Cove Christmas #4)
by Renée Dahlia

Kiet is shucking oysters when Zoe comes across him and they both get bad first impressions. But after Zoe drives him home, she finds herself caught up in the mystery of the money disappearing from Kiet's business. That's why she's choosing to stay at his place during her holidays - and there's definitely no other reason...

Much like Zoe, I also found myself caught up in the mystery. It helped that Kiet and Zoe were very likeable leads (although I was often distracted by thoughts of "yay, Sam!", having read Sam's book first). The ending seemed a bit OTT and I wondered if Zoe completely lacked any sense of self-preservation (come on, woman!), but all in all this was a pleasant read.

Supernatural Seoul

22/9/2021

Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1)
by Kat Cho

Gu Miyoung is a gumiho and needs to feed on gi in order to survive, but taking lives doesn't agree with her - nor does remaining under her mother's thumb. Jihoon encounters her on a night when things go wrong. Despite her warnings, despite the icy shield she erects, Miyoung cannot push Jihoon away. And she may not even want to.

Wicked Fox has the soul of a K-drama and if you're not into those, you're going to have trouble reading this book. Those aspects were fun (especially the slightly meta comment about what happens halfway through a K-drama), though admittedly the pacing of the book was a bit off because it was better suited to a show. I found this is be a fairly average YA fantasy/romance. But I did like it enough to buy the sequel/companion.

Unmasked

23/7/2021

Spinster Sister (Lawless Ladies #1)
by Elise Marion

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Helena Montgomery has been orphaned, left penniless, and now has to somehow give her younger sister a Season. Only a good marriage will save them now. Lord Sebastian Radcliffe seems like an excellent suitor for her sister - if only Helena didn't feel sparks in his presence! And how will he respond once he knows Helena has become a highwayman in order to support her family?

I loved the premise. I loved Helena. I LOVED this book. It made going to bed at a decent time completely impossible and I have no regrets! A plus-sized heroine...diverse characters who aren't just servants...steamy scenes...a deadly secret. This ticked every box for me. It's also on the shorter side for historical romance, which I appreciated (otherwise I'd have been awake past midnight lol) but you don't feel like you're missing anything. An excellent first book of what looks to be an excellent series.