Alyce Caswell - Author
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Book Reviews

The Troublesome Middle Child

2/7/2022

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​Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2)
by Rebecca Roanhorse

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Convergence has come and gone - and so has the Crow God, leaving behind Serapio, an empty vessel. Serapio is surrounded by new worshippers and new enemies, including the Sun God's vessel who survived via betrayal. He is divided from Xiala, who has found herself caught up in what might be the beginnings of a war. Meanwhile, Tova remains darkened by a black sun.

The fascinating characters and world building from Black Sun are still present here, but as happens with all fantasy trilogies, book 2 was always destined for Middle Book Syndrome. Characters are moved about and separated for the sake of being separated - not unusual when MBS has struck - which bogged things down a bit for me. Looking forward to the conclusion, which I hope will deliver.

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Worth the Wait

29/6/2022

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Black Sun (Between Earth & Sky #1)
​by Rebecca Roanhorse

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The Convergence is coming to Tova, a city ruled over by its priests - and a city due for upheaval. The Sun Priest, Naranpa, is too busy to do anything about it, as she must outmanoeuvre her political enemies of risk losing her title. Elsewhere, Xiala is given a ship, a crew, and cargo due in Tova before the Convergence. But that cargo includes Serapio, a blind man whose destiny is steeped in blood.

I really enjoyed this, for the most part. Roanhorse has created some fascinating, flawed characters that I didn't know what to make of - which usually would bother me, but didn't on this occasion. Roanhorse's writing is impeccable and perfectly fits the epic fantasy genre here, showing just how much range she has underneath the sci-fi/fantasy umbrella. Overall, an excellent book, but it stumbled at the last hurdle. Novels like this one obviously need to set up the sequel - however, it was done at the cost of this book's climax.

Note: I first preordered this on Kobo back in 2021, only for the preorder to fail when the publisher (presumably) yanked it and then went radio silence for months, before throwing it onto Kindle only. I was very annoyed by this, which delayed my reading of this book. But it was worth the wait.

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Fun in the Time of Disaster

5/3/2022

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Star Wars: Midnight Horizon (The High Republic)
by 
Daniel José Older

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A group of Jedi head to Coronet City to investigate a Nihil sighting and find themselves following very different paths on their mission. Meanwhile, Corellian local Crash (who runs a protection company) needs to find the real murderer of one of her employees or she'll face the consequences. It's incredibly lucky that she stumbles across two Padawans, isn't it?

I am not a fan of Older's books in this universe. That said, I appreciated the - dare I say it - balance he used here, adding much-needed levity around the main devastating event in the adult novel. But my usual gripes remain. This read too young to be a YA novel at most times (just like Race to Crashpoint Tower felt more Junior Reader than MG) and the scenes were too disjointed for my liking. Reath was also unrecognisable from his previous appearances. However, a little bit of fun is required at this point in the series, so my overall impression is more favourable than it ought to be.

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Sapphic Villains FTW

2/3/2022

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The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska

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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.

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Unmasking of a Chevalier

20/2/2022

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The Christmas Chevalier (Christmas Masquerade #1)
by Meg Mardell

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Alvy finally has a space where he can truly be himself, but he can hardly refuse to let Laura in - especially since she needs employment and he's just acquired a printing press. Laura has known Alvy for years and still sees him as the girl from her childhood. What will she do when she discovers that the handsome chevalier from the Christmas masquerade is Alvy?

Ahh these novellas are just so cute and fluffy. I would be happy to inhale more of them in an instant (yes, that's a hint, please write more). A dash of tension makes this an excellent quick read and it left me wanting more - I really wanted to see how certain things progressed (i.e. with the printing press). All in all, an adorable trans Regency romance.

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A Sapphic Highland Hogmanay

18/2/2022

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A Highland Hogmanay (Christmas Masquerade #2)
by Meg Mardell

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Sharda has had enough of her relations and their plans for her, so she needs little convincing to run off to the Highlands with a lovely lass. Finella manages Balintore Castle as much as she can, but it's becoming harder and harder when its owner does so little. A new owner is exactly what the castle needs. But Sharda has something - ahem, someone - else on her mind.

Gosh, this was cute. I had so much fun reading it, especially during the "there was only one bed!" scene. Sharda and Finella are so delightfully perfect for each other. I'd definitely opt to spend a Hogmanay at Balintore Castle, if they were in attendance. I do wish that some scenes were longer - it would have really ramped up my enjoyment of the tale - but ah, that's what you get with novellas.

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Pride and Prejudice and EJ

15/2/2022

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The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi

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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.

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A Killer Ending

31/12/2021

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

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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.

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Tense in Texas

21/10/2021

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Bound (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #3)
by Kat Kinney

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West writes happy endings in his fanfics, but he knows he can never have one for himself - because his powers can get out of control and bind people to him. He's already made that mistake once. He accidentally bound Topher to him while trying to save his life and no matter how much his wolf wants Topher, West knows he can't go there. But what if Topher wants him to?

Loved this one! So much tension. So much intrigue. I'm enjoying how the story is developing over the books. As for West and Topher...oof, that was some delicious denial they had going on. I would rate this higher, except I've noticed that Kinney's characters can sometimes "sound" too similar too each other. For example, the text messages sent by each character all read as if written by the same person. It's becoming more noticeable the more I read of the series.

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Strained Bonds

7/10/2021

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

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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.

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    About

    Alyce Caswell, when she isn't buried in a book or drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, is a keen writer of science fiction and romance. She has published two novels and four novellas in her space opera family saga, The Galactic Pantheon Series.

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  • Home
  • Books
    • The Galactic Pantheon >
      • The Tortured Wind
      • The Twisted Vine
      • The Flickering Flame
      • The Shifting Ice
      • The Whispering Grass
      • The Creeping Moss
      • The Galactic Pantheon Novellas
      • The Adventures of Grace Pendergast, Galactic Reporter
    • Dealing with the Demon >
      • Giveaway
    • Love and Lockdown
    • The Eyes of Charon
    • Sweet Delights
  • Other Works
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