Category: Female Relationships - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Novel Most Fair

10/2/2024

Stranger at the Wedding by Barbara Hambly

Kyra is about to undergo exams for the next level in the Citadel of Wizards when she receives word that her sister, Alix, is to wed. With the news comes a premonition: Alix's nuptials will be the death of her! Kyra races back to the home she was cast out from, determined to save Alix, no matter the consequences. But the wedding can only be postponed so many times. Disaster will surely strike.

I saw some people on Reddit discussing this book and was hooked by the premise (and that amazing retro cover - I had to purchase it as a secondhand copy online). What a great find! I absolutely loved it. A magical murder mystery...except the murder hasn't occurred yet. Then there's the added bonus of a secondary mystery for the reader: what exactly happened in Kyra's past? Both mysteries unravel with perfect pacing, aided by Hambly's exceptional writing style.

I had to re-check the year this book came out, because it has dated so well. Hambly addresses certain issues in a way that many of her peers of the day couldn't. And her female characters - so amazingly well written! Every single one of them has subtle touches that helped breathe life into them.

I cannot gush about this book enough. It is a masterclass in writing.

Content warnings: sexual assault involving a minor, paedophilia

A Worthy Swordmistress

31/8/2023

The Swordmaster's Daughter (Sisters of the Sword #1)
by Terri Green

TW for the book: mentions & non-graphic descriptions of sexual assault

Lucinda Evans is a fine swordswoman, but she has been relegated to mere helper at her father's fencing academy in Whitefriars. Her skills are soon required by the women of London; a predator is attacking them in their homes. They need to be able to protect themselves. They need justice. Lucinda intends to help them - if only Robert McCrae, an infuriating and handsome Scotsman, would let her.

Give me a heroine with a sword in her hand and I'm happy. Give me several female characters using swords and I'm in heaven. This book has easily become one of my new favourites and I am so glad I picked it up. The historical research is well done, the heroine is both believable and kick-arse, and I was desperate for more as soon as it ended. Isn't it lucky that I also bought the sequel...

Train Wreck Central

5/6/2023

Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

June Hayward has spent years watching Athena Liu become publishing's brightest star. Now it's finally June's turn to shine. Never mind that she stole the manuscript from Athena's apartment after her so-called friend choked to death on pancakes. Never mind that June has to use a racially ambiguous name for marketing purposes. She's definitely earned all of this success, hasn't she?

I ripped through this book at a breakneck pace, thanks to the fascinating subject matter (i.e. the publishing world) and Kuang's masterful writing. June is the most amazing train wreck of a character and I couldn't - didn't want to! - look away. Never have I met such an unreliable and fantastically awful narrator. June is like a much darker version of myself, if I'd taken a hundred wrong turns lol. Unfortunately, Yellowface suffers from recurring heavy-handedness and a lacklustre finale... but gosh it was fun while it lasted.

All Poured Out

10/9/2022

Royal Tea Service (The Tea Princess Chronicles #3)
by Casey Blair

The Cataclysm is at risk of expanding, if certain players cannot be stopped - and so Miyara must call together representatives from the nearest lands, even those who cannot be trusted or convinced to help. Istalam is on the brink of disaster and Miyara cannot save it alone. So it's a good thing she has a team of loyal friends, royal sisters...and a cat-like dragon tea spirit.

Such a fitting end to Miyara's arc and the series - though I am intrigued by the open plot threads for other characters. I really like how these books show that problems can be solved through unity...and of course I love that tea is the main instrument of bringing people to together. Some things could have been covered in greater detail and I don't think this book having three epilogues did the conclusion any favours, but all in all I enjoyed Royal Tea Service.

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.

Sequel and Sensibility

6/1/2022

A Wedding at the Jane Austen Dating Agency (Jane Austen Dating Agency #2)
by Fiona Woodifield

Sophie Johnson lived to tell the tale and got her happy ending with Darcy - or did she? Now running the Jane Austen Dating Agency with then help of Emma Woodtree (ha!), she has a wedding to plan for a successful agency couple and she's still trying to get that exclusive editorial position at the magazine. But all these competing priorities still don't stack up against the threat of Darcy's mother.

This sequel had more of the same Austen-esque shenanigans, so if you liked the first book you'll enjoy this one. I never thought that Darcy actually suited Sophie. Seeing him get booted in favour of an other suitor - well, that suited me just fine, though I'm sure I know what will happen in the next book. And of course I'll still read it! I enjoy this sort of light-hearted fun.

Once Upon a Regency Time

2/1/2022

The Jane Austen Dating Agency (The Jane Austen Dating Agency #1)
by Fiona Woodifield

Sophie Johnson has landed her dream job - well, a job at her dream magazine anyway. Now if only she could find a man who looks at her the way that Darcy looks at Elizabeth Bennet. The Jane Austen Dating Agency sounds like the perfect solution, until Sophie finds herself tangled up in multiple situations that seem strangely familiar. But this isn't a Jane Austen book - it's real life! Isn't it?

This was a very fun book, even though it did get chaotic at times when yet another Jane Austen-esque character appeared. And while Sophie seemed mildly aware of how much things were mirroring the books she loves, I do wish that had been taken just a little bit further - made her seem a bit dense at times. All in all, a cute romcom that kept me entertained and left me smiling.

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.

Soapie of Serenity

4/9/2021

Summer of Serenity by Nicola Marsh

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

Jy Atherton is sent to Acacia Haven to shut down its only school, under the guise of evaluating its students' poor performance. Summer O'Reilly knows what he's about and she has no intention of making it easy for him - but he's got a way of sneaking in past her defences. This is just a fling, far from the lights of Melbourne. Acacia Haven isn't the town for complications...or secrets.

Well, I should say this book had a way of sneaking in past my defences. I wasn't expecting to love it so much. Jy and Summer had intense chemistry and I was all in for their relationship from their very first scene together. I liked Acacia Haven and its people, especially Summer's mother and her journey to take back control of her life. I can also appreciate a book that has a self-aware dig at itself lol. I would happily revisit Acacia Haven in the future (and I hope I can!).

Princess Switch: Geek Edition

19/3/2021

The Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon A Con #2)
by Ashley Poston

Jessica Stone wants to leave the Starfield franchise and its toxic fans behind her. The role has been the bane of her existence - and now she's lost the script to the sequel. She needs someone to pretend to be her while she finds it... so enter Imogen Lovelace, a huge Starfield fan who looks uncannily like her. But Imogen isn't filling in Jessica's shoes just to be nice - she wants to ensure that Jessica's character makes it to the sequel and that is the last thing Jessica wants.

I loved Geekerella so this was an insta!buy for me. Once again, I threw myself into the cutesy geekiness with wild abandon and enjoyed every second of it. I am such a sucker for stories, be they books or movies, set over a short period of time. So much fun knowing there's only a weekend for everything to be resolved! This all said, I didn't fall as much in love with this one as I did the previous book - probably more to do with my not loving the tale that inspired it. But I will still inhale the next one.