Alyce Caswell - Author
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Book Reviews

A Glittering Dilemma

5/4/2025

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The King's Jewels (Sisters of the Sword #3)
by Terri Green

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The Mirror of Great Britain, a set of jewels that symbolises the new and tenuous union of England and Scotland, has been stolen. Should this come to light, it will be a great embarrassment for King James. Lucinda McCrae must find the jewels. Not only for her country, but so she can avoid paying the loser's price: becoming the mistress of the visiting Danish king.

I love this series so much - historical romance starring a sword-wielding heroine? yes, please! - and each book completely engrosses me. Obviously, The King's Jewels is no exception. Green sends Lucinda - and us readers! - on an emotional rollercoaster. I couldn't read through the pages fast enough because I swear Lucinda's anxiety was my own. Another strong instalment. Eagerly awaiting the next one.

Content warning: sexual assault, infant death, miscarriage/pregnancy loss, references of physical abuse of children

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Convenience & Healing

2/3/2025

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The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida
Translated by Bruno Navasky

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"Talent is being able to keep going."

The Golden Villa Tenderness branch in Mojiko is a place where people can shop, gather, and meet an array of peculiar people. There's Shiba, the store manager, whose beauty stirs up a frenzy among his fans. There's Tsugi, the Whatever Guy, who fixes any kind of problem. There's Mitsuri, who moonlights as a manga artist. Whoever you are, Tenderness will offer you surprising comfort.

If you love healing fiction, then The Convenience Store by the Sea will completely absorb you into its gentle rhythm, until you feel like you are inhabiting its laidback seaside setting - and you'll have no intention of leaving voluntarily. Not only that, this book touches on themes that are relevant to so many. Occasionally, you will need to pause to take in a profound moment or message. I'll be waiting impatiently for the next translated instalment.

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Ghibli Moon

12/2/2025

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Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

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Hana Ishikawa is now the owner of an unusual pawnshop with a door that opens into Tokyo. Her first day begins with the discovery that the shop has been ransacked and her father, newly retired, is missing. There will be consequences if Hana tries to find him. But she is not alone in her quest - enter Minatozaki Keishin, who doesn't understand Hana's strange world. And yet nothing will dissuade him from following her.

Whenever someone describes a book as having lush prose, I immediately assume that it's overwritten to the point of boredom. This is the first time I've encountered a book that really is lush (from its poetic descriptions to its delightfully winding plot) and it was far from boring. It's gorgeous and heartbreaking and wonderful - and just like Keishin, I don't believe I am the same person I was before I went on this adventure. This is one library book that I'll regret returning.

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Splinter of an IP Legacy

7/2/2025

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​Splinter of the Mind's Eye (Star Wars Legends)
​by Alan Dean Foster

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Princess Leia is on her way to a conference vital to the Rebellion's efforts, accompanied by Luke Skywalker (and, of course, two particular droids). But then a technical malfunction strands them on Mimban - a supposedly uninhabited world on which the Empire has set up an energy mine. Luke and Leia are soon on the hunt for the Kaiburr crystal. Too bad Darth Vader might also want it!

The first ever Legends novel! Published long before Legends was even known as the Expanded Universe. Obviously, there are some inconsistencies with canon (particularly with characterisations and oh God the inkling of incest) but this is a serviceable 1970s sci-fi novel. Foster wrote a story that was typical of the day and doesn't stand out among its peers - that's not to say that it's not entertaining because it is. Unintentionally entertaining, at times; Darth Vader disappears like a Saturday cartoon villain and that was kind of funny.

There are some issues directly due to the book's age. Sexism, of course, though it's the standard stuff from that era. But then there's the racism. I cringed when the indigenous inhabitants of Mimban were depicted as alcoholics. There's a loaded history in that stereotype. And a word that's a slur in my country also made an appearance. I suppose if one was generous, they could argue it's a clumsy attempt to depict the Empire as villainous colonialists.

But I digress... this is an average tale. It's dated. It's limited by the fact that Foster was told to write a sequel that would be cheap to film, in case things went terribly wrong at the box office (spoiler alert: things went very right). But it does the job - and it contains a pulpy spirit that would've made the Flannelled One happy.

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Single Player Run-Through

5/2/2025

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Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine (Star Wars Legends)
by Voronica Whitney-Robinson (with Haden Blackman)

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Dusque is an Imperial bioengineer but her loyalty to the Empire will soon be tested - not that she had much of it to begin with. After she crosses paths with Finn, a Rebel, her life switches from collecting samples to dodging both creatures and Imperials. Her new task: find a holocron containing a list of people sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance. It must NOT fall into the hands of any Imperial.

This book has a reputation in some circles as being the worst Legends book. Nope, not by a long shot. But it's not good. The writing is clunky, the characters feel two dimensional, the prologue spoils a plot development early on and video game elements are shoehorned in on practically every page. There's also some weird decisions that don't make sense (why didn't Han and Chewie fly our heroes to the base??). That said, the pacing is surprisingly good, even with a literal side quest in the middle. I actually enjoyed that part. Less enjoyable was the romance, which would usually be my jam. All in all, a forgettable Legends entry but I'd still read it again.

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A Ghost of a Chance

2/2/2025

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Girl Haunts Boy by Cesar Vitale

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Shortly after she steals a ring from a museum, Bea meets her timely end when a streetcar strikes her down. She regains consciousness as a ghost a century later and finds herself haunting her old house - which Cole has just moved into. Cole doesn't believe in ghosts and he's definitely not in the mood to share a bedroom with one. But maybe he and Bea aren't as different as they seem.

This is your typical YA ghost romance fare. The way it was written reminded me of the kinds of stories I inhaled back in the late 1990s and early 2000s - but I have to admit that some of them, just like this book, badly needed more depth. Bea also didn't seem authentically 1920s. Her dialogue felt forced whenever Vitale peppered it with older phrases. This all said, it was a sweet, short read.

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Choices of Zahn

1/2/2025

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Choices of One (Star Wars Legends)
by Timothy Zahn

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An Imperial governor has reached out to the Rebel Alliance and his offer is too good to refuse. A new base is exactly what they need. Our usual faves - Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie - are sent to check things out. Meanwhile, Mara Jade's orders are to deal with the treasonous governor. She needs Stormtroopers and the Hand of Judgement will do nicely. But of course, nothing is at it seems.

This is a fun follow-up to Allegiance and is just as well written, but the plot is less engaging. Personally, I'm tired of the usual we-need-a-new-base premise. It was incredibly overdone in the Legends canon (so many comics and so many books...) and even the newer Disney canon has had a crack at it. So I wasn't really into that side of the story. Zahn also stretches the suspension of belief here; Mara and Luke get too close not for this to come up later in the timeline. On the other hand, how long can you keep them apart without it becoming too forced?

I found it harder to overlook the flaws this time around. Choices of One is a decent read and I like it more than I should, but it's really just ordinary.

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A Bumpless Ride

25/1/2025

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Allegiance (Star Wars Legends)
by Timothy Zahn

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The Empire has lost its Death Star but the people who serve within it are as loyal as ever - or they should be, anyway. Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand, is chasing a lead that reeks of treason. The Rebels are attempting to strengthen their position by appeasing the factions that represent the "Alliance" part of their name. And a group of Stormtroopers are about to make a momentous decision. All three parties are destined to meet.

I thoroughly enjoyed Allegiance and devoted every spare minute to devouring its pages, though I couldn't quite ignore the niggling feeling that perhaps it wasn't as good as it seemed. But when you're reading a book, enjoyment outweighs quality. Always.

If I hadn't read his more recent work (ahem - the Disney Thrawn trilogy), I'd say Zahn was at the top of his game here, because in another's hands, this might have felt like filler or completely unnecessary (especially given the timeline restrictions on Allegiance's plot and character interactions). The Stormtrooper plot thread was undoubtedly the strongest of the three presented here and my favourite part of the book. Not that I don't enjoy spending time with Mara Jade, Leia, Han, Luke and Chewie, of course. Even when the stakes are so low. But admittedly I needed to read something with low stakes in this stressful stage of my life (backed up by fluid writing, of course).

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We All Start Somewhere

22/1/2025

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How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back by Sophie Barnes

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Emily Rutherford's dreams are shattered in an instant - the man she thought she was destined to wed is now betrothed to her best friend. Now her position is precarious. She has very little to her name. Perhaps what she needs is the help of Francis Riley, a man who has forgotten how to smile and would surely be the last choice if she ever were to wed. Surely...

Barnes is one of my favourite Regency romance authors, so of course I decided to check out her earlier works... and I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that this novel is a bit rough by comparison. We have sexual assault on the page, a hero who breaks objects when he's angry (yikes), and a superficial attempt to mix Emma and Sense and Sensibility. But you can definitely see the potential here.

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Lost and Found

27/12/2024

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The Highlander's Kilted Bride (Clan Kendrick #6)
​by Vanessa Kelly

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Charlie Stewart has no interest in doing as her parents bid. But with some help, she might be able to behave at her sister's wedding...except that she crosses paths with Kade Kendrick, a Highlander she has quietly admired since childhood. Kade is supposed to be writing a concerto, not being distracted by mad quests to find lost trinkets or lovely lasses. Some distractions are more pleasant than others!

Another enjoyable read from Vanessa Kelly. I have grown very fond of the Kendrick boys, even their grandfather, so this was a treat. I do feel that some of the moving parts didn't align perfectly plot-wise, but I managed to overlook that most of the time. The Highlander's Kilted Bride cheered me up during a rather trying week and I'm glad it's what I chose when I opened my Kobo.

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    About

    ​Alyce Caswell, when she isn't drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, can be found dabbling in multiple genres and writing forms. She has self-published several titles in her space opera family saga, which is divided into two series: The Galactic Pantheon and The Pantheon War. Her most recent book is The Shadow of the Gods.

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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
    • The Shadow of the Gods
    • Dealing with the Demon
    • Love and Lockdown
    • The Eyes of Charon
    • Sweet Delights
  • Other Works
  • Book Reviews
  • Get in Touch