Two Minute Review: The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee

Title: The Secret of a Heart Note
Author: Stacey Lee
Genre: contemporary, magical realsim
Series: N/A
Pages: 384
Published: expected December 27 2016
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 3.5/5

An evocative novel about a teen aroma expert who uses her extrasensitive sense of smell to mix perfumes that help others fall in love while protecting her own heart at all costs

Sometimes love is right under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet, sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking—all while remaining incurably alone. For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa doesn’t want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend. But when she accidentally gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick woman’s son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn’t always a choice you can make.

At once hopeful, funny, and romantic, Stacey Lee’s The Secret of a Heart Note is a richly evocative coming-of-age story that gives a fresh perspective on falling in love and finding one’s place in the world.

So this was... a pretty cute story! I hate to damn this magical realism contemporary with faint praise because I actually did like The Secrets of a Heart Note. I just didn't really emotionally connect to the main character of Mim or get strong enough feelings about anything involving her romantic life enough to love it. There's far more to enjoy than otherwise in Stacey Lee's newest YA novel (creativity! strong writing! PoC main characters!), but it lacked the emotional core needed for me to truly invest and engage with the story.

 I think the heart of the issue was that I found the lore and idea of the aromateurs far more interesting and original than the teenage romance that the book focuses on instead. I was far more interested in Mim's growing pains with her mom and her complicated friendship but found less time exploring that than devoted to more generic YA staples. Stacey Lee has a creative angle for the contemporary novel but it feels like more of a crutch to be overcome than a viable element in Mim's world. I was very interested in the bits of information let slip in the narrative but it's far from a complete picture. 

 

Two Minute Review: Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson

Title: Like a River Glorious
Author: Rae Carson
Genre: western, magical realism, historical fiction
Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy #2
Pages: 416
Published: September 2016
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 3/5

After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

The second epic historical fantasy in the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson, the acclaimed author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns.

This is unfortunately another case of the faint praise award or even second-book-syndrome kicking in. This was... mehh, not bad. It was just okay; I didn't hate it and I didn't love it... but I did keep reading and finish all 400+ pages. Second in a trilogy that blends magical realism with westernish historical fiction, Like a River Glorious mainly suffers from being the bridge book and feels just kind of unnecessary filler before the ending to come. 

The book's plot (Lee vs Evil Uncle Hiram yet again makes up the bulk of the story) moves in fits and spurts. The pacing is all over the place and the story suffers for it -- like Lee's time in Glory vs the extended stay at her uncle's. Some sections are drawn out for chapters and others take place in pages; it's an uneven read. It is a novel that tries to do too much and with too little result. It's obvious the author is trying to be sensitive and aware in her portrayal of both Native Americans and of Chinese immigrants. Like a River Glorious makes pains to try to show other sides of history besides the dominant white influence and narrative but that doesn't mean there aren't problematic elements to how she chooses to show other cultures and people.

Overall, this was not too bad and still compelling enough to keep me interested in the final outcome tbd in the last of the trilogy. I do hope Lee's new adventure in the next book is more evenly paced and with less misrepresentation for Jefferson and others. 

Review: The Regulars by Georgia Clark

Title: The Regulars
Author: Georgia Clark
Genre: contemporary, magical realism
Series: N/A
Pages: 400
Published: expected August 2 2016
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 2.5/5

Best friends Evie, Krista, and Willow are just trying to make it through their mid-twenties in New York. They’re regular girls, with average looks and typical quarter-life crises: making it up the corporate ladder, making sense of online dating, and making rent.

Until they come across Pretty, a magic tincture that makes them, well...gorgeous. Like, supermodel gorgeous. And it’s certainly not their fault if the sudden gift of beauty causes unexpected doors to open for them.

But there’s a dark side to Pretty, too, and as the gloss fades for these modern-day Cinderellas, there’s just one question left:

What would you sacrifice to be Pretty?

Wildly irreverent, blatantly sexy, and observed with pitch-perfect wit, The Regulars is fresh “compulsive reading from a bright new voice” (Brenda Bowen, author of Enchanted August) in fiction, perfect for fans of Jennifer Close and Kevin Kwan.

This one is a hard one for me to review. I wanted to like it more than I actually did by story's end. There was a lot about The Regulars that appealed to me, but there were also several issues that hindered my overall enjoyment of Evie, Krista, and Willow's stories. A mix of magic and realism, real life and realism, Clark makes several valid points about vanity, self-worth, and relationships min today's culture. The messages the author is trying to impart do get somewhat muddled occasionally in its 400-page length, but it makes for a diverting and creative read. Short chapters and distinct voices speed this novel along, but it's also a popcorn novel -- not enough substance for a real meal.

The strong but tested relationships between the three main characters was definitely the highpoint of The Regulars. These girls are well-rounded, interesting, and flawed people who change (literally) and grow. They make for entertaining plotlines and complications. Some of their interactions verge on stereotypical, but for the most part, each is well-drawn and memorable in their own right. The character of Evie, for me, was the most compelling in a moderately diverse group. She, and her friends, try to figure out who they are, what they want, and what is even possible when their worlds are changed by a magic potion. 

The premise isn't what is important; it's the fallout from the taking of the Pretty potion that forms the bulk of the narrative for each of the three girls' storylines. It's an often observant and self-aware novel, but the shallow depictions of every other character outside of the three main characters lessens the impact. The ending is supposed to be meaningful, but feels more meandering. Themes of feminism and sisterhood are important to the story and plot, but are often sidelined for drama or romance. I was a tentative fan for most of the novel and would try another from this author.

 

Review: The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

Title: The Year We Turned Forty
Authors: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Genre: general fiction, magical realism
Series: N/A
Pages: 336
Published: expected April 26 2016
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 3.75/5

If you could repeat one year of your life, what would you do differently? This heartwarming and hilarious novel from the authors of The Status of All Things and Your Perfect Life features three best friends who get the chance to return to the year they turned forty—the year that altered all of their lives, in ways big and small—and also get the opportunity to change their future.

Jessie loves her son Lucas more than anything, but it tears her up inside that he was conceived in an affair that ended her marriage to a man she still loves, a man who just told her he's getting remarried. This time around, she’s determined to bury the secret of Lucas’ paternity, and to repair the fissures that sent her wandering the first time.

Gabriela regrets that she wasted her most fertile years in hot pursuit of a publishing career. Yes, she’s one of the biggest authors in the world, but maybe what she really wanted to create was a family. With a chance to do it again, she’s focused on convincing her husband, Colin, to give her the baby she desires.

Claire is the only one who has made peace with her past: her twenty-two year old daughter, Emily, is finally on track after the turmoil of adolescence, and she's recently gotten engaged, with the two carat diamond on her finger to prove it. But if she’s being honest, Claire still fantasizes about her own missed opportunities: a chance to bond with her mother before it was too late, and the possibility of preventing her daughter from years of anguish. Plus, there’s the man who got away—the man who may have been her one true love.

But it doesn’t take long for all three women to learn that re-living a life and making different decisions only leads to new problems and consequences—and that the mistakes they made may, in fact, have been the best choices of all…

I am beginning to think that writing duo Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke may be magical beings themselves. As a reader, I am three novels in and each successive read has been engaging and fresh, clever and original, heartfelt and humorous. These are a pair of authors that know how to tug on nearly every emotion and manage to do so many times over the course of this year-long story. Their vein of magical realism lends well to crafting three-dimensional characters and intriguing plotlines.  Here, in their third novel, The Year We Turned Forty, they take a premise that nearly everyone has imagined once or twice --- " What if I could fix my life?" -- and explores that possibility through three different women, with three unanticipated journeys and final results. 

Lisa and Liz know female friendship; they really get it because they share it. Happily for readers who like realistic and meaningful relationships, they take care to show the nuances and history that crop up when women know each other, for good or ill, for decades. Their main characters - Jessie, Gabi, Claire -- are very different from one another but their love and bond feels and reads authentically. Each is tested in varying ways over the course of The Year We Turned Forty, but all are different women from where they started when the story has concluded. I really liked how the authors developed the storylines for each woman; without veering into spoilers, I can safely say that they don't take the expected or easy path for any of their characters.

Though The Year We Turned Forty is a mix of contemporary fiction and magical realism/time travel, the authors don't delve too deeply into whatever supernatural element makes their story function. There's no real reason these three women were chosen or allowed, or any explanation for how, exactly, they go back 10 years in time -- it just happens and then the story follows the differences that pop up in the re-done timeline. The contrast between what has happened before and what will happen in the new timeline makes for interesting plot points; issues and secrets that had been taken for granted now come into play in major ways for more than just the three main characters. 

Love and friendship are the heart of this novel. It explores many themes - family, regret, redemption, marriage - but it succeeds because of how much you grow to care about Gabi's struggles with her dreams, or Claire's reluctance to put herself first, or Jessie's fear of honesty and loneliness. Lisa Steinke and Liz Fenton have created a story with wit and poignancy; one that doesn't offer up easy answers but makes its characters work for personal resolution and grow as individuals. The Year We Turned Forty feels a tad short at under 350 pages total, but it's an engaging and entertaining magical realism read.

Review: Masks and Shadows by Stephanie Burgis

Title: Masks and Shadows
Author: Stephanie Burgis
Genre: historical fiction, supernatural fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 300
Published: expected April 12
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 3/5

The year is 1779, and Carlo Morelli, the most renowned castrato singer in Europe, has been invited as an honored guest to Eszterháza Palace. With Carlo in Prince Nikolaus Esterházy's carriage, ride a Prussian spy and one of the most notorious alchemists in the Habsburg Empire. Already at Eszterháza is Charlotte von Steinbeck, the very proper sister of Prince Nikolaus's mistress. Charlotte has retreated to the countryside to mourn her husband's death. Now, she must overcome the ingrained rules of her society in order to uncover the dangerous secrets lurking within the palace's golden walls. 

Music, magic, and blackmail mingle in a plot to assassinate the Habsburg Emperor and Empress--a plot that can only be stopped if Carlo and Charlotte can see through the masks worn by everyone they meet.

There were some excellent moments and ideas to be found in here but in the most part, Masks and Shadows is hampered by a distant and rotating third-person narration, and a lack of length and time to develop the characters into more than names. I liked certain of the elements of this historical and supernatural story - the conspiracy, the music angle, the mysterious and unknowable forces -- but others were unfulfilled and shallow in their execution -- like the romantic plotline, which held no chemistry, and the motivation of more than one or two of the characters.

In this author's interesting alternate version of history in Europe, alchemy actually works and can be used for many things, including in political plots. The supernatural element of Masks and Shadows is rather minimal for the larger part of the novel, but was still important to the overall plot that connects the characters. I thought the author combined the two elements with restraint and without infodumping reasons for why it was possible. That smart restraint kept it from overwhelming the plot or becoming too farfetched and also added another layer of tension and magic to the ongoing storyline. In comparison, the more political of the plotlines set at Eszterháza felt both less intense and less focused; because of the way it tied in with the less mundane, it never felt adequately set up beforehand or explained afterwards.

The characters here are rather bland, and flat. They are not helped by the distant nature of the way 3rd person is used, or the way that the POV jumps around frequently in each chapter. There are just a few characters in the myriad group that do have enough presence and individuality to stand out -- that group being comprised of only Morelli and Charlotte. However they too are more predictable than new, and their minor plotline together is unsatisfactory due to the haste in which it comes together and because of the distinct lack of chemistry between them. Anna could maybe join the list of comparatively better-defined characters but her arc felt somewhat convenient more than once over the course of the book. 

There's more good than bad to be found in reading Masks and Shadows but it's another unique one that had potential for more invention and more involvement; the premise was excellent and the execution was somewhat faltered. The plot stutters around in the beginning and the end is too jumbled for the finality needed, and the characters are unevenly drawn. The author's love for music is the highlight and comes through in the character of Anna, unlikely as her plot arc is. Overall, this was a mixed bag of historical and supernatural elements and an average read.

Series Review: Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker

Titles: 
Beware the Wild (#1)
Behold the Bones (#2)
Author: Natalie C. Parker
Genre: gothic, magical realism 
Series: Beware the Wild #1 - #2
Pages: 
BtW: 327
BtB: 368
Published:
BtW: October 2014
BtB: February 2016
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating:
BtW: 4/5
BtB: 4.25/5

It's an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp—the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn't return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.

Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp's done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance—and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her.

This debut novel is full of atmosphere, twists and turns, and a swoon-worthy romance.

I had never wanted to visit a swamp until I read Chime by Franny Billingsley. Even then, I was pretty sure that was a one-time urge, because swamps sound like the opposite of where I want to be... until Natalie C. Parker's stories about a magical swamp in Louisiana were filled with such atmosphere that it felt real, like the kind of place that magic would appear. This author's talent for atmosphere and setting are showcased extraordinarily well between the two books she's written in the series. Book one, Beware the Wild was good -- engaging, fresh, filled with defined characters, and excellent writing. Book two, Behold the Bones, has all that its predecessor does, but builds on that lore and incorporates new characters and plots for an even better read.

There's a lot to love about both books, but besides the evocative atmosphere in the writing, the characterization and interaction of the teens and adults in the stories are also top-notch and deftly handled. First with Sterling and later with Candace as the main characters, Parker builds very authentic and real-seeming kids with problems that may be uniquely supernatural, yet still manage to feel sympathetic and relateable with a more mundane existence. The romance in Beware the Wild was a bigger focus and thus carried my feels more than the ship(s) that were introduced for Candace over the course of book #2. I did like the author's inclusion when it came to the characters -- not everyone is straight, or white, or interested in being a parent.

I greatly enjoyed Beware the Wild, but found Behold the Bones to be an even better followup to Parker's impressive debut. I rated it around 4.25ish but the new novel was pretty much all that I wanted and was scared to hope for in a sequel to Beware the Wild. It was gothic, eerie, atmospheric, the supernatural elements tied in naturally, the characters were diverse and inclusive, and the plot was tied to the first novel's but was not dependent upon it for understanding or advancement of this second story. Parker's writing is also even stronger here; the introspective nature of Candace's thoughts are mature and interesting ("the things I lack don't define me; I define them.") and show a slow, careful, very authetnic evolution of the character.

Southern gothic magical realism novels may be a niche genre, but gems like Natalie C. Parker's duology might make a fan of me yet. Her plots are detailed, rich and memorable and her characters are the same. The pacing in both novels felt a bit off for me, especially in the beginning for each, but these are two novels that build into something rather special once the main plots are engaged and moving forward. Evocative, original, and detailed, these are definitely two books that I will remember long after I have finished. Everything in Sticks seems like it's fairly wrapped up and the stories ended by the final page, so I appreciate the resolution offered. I would, however, be open to more stories with new POVs, set in this place.

Book Tour Review: In the Land of Armadillos by Helen Maryles Shankman

Title: In the Land of Armadillos
Author: Helen Maryles Shankman
Genre: historical fiction, magical realism
Series: N/A
Pages: 304
Published: February 2 2016
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for review
Rating: 4/5

A radiant debut collection of linked stories from a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, set in a German-occupied town in Poland, where tales of myth and folklore meet the real-life monsters of the Nazi invasion.

1942. With the Nazi Party at the height of its power, the occupying army empties Poland’s towns and cities of their Jewish populations. As neighbor turns on neighbor and survival often demands unthinkable choices, Poland has become a moral quagmire—a place of shifting truths and blinding ambiguities.

Blending folklore and fact, Helen Maryles Shankman shows us the people of Wlodawa, a remote Polish town: we meet a cold-blooded SS officer dedicated to rescuing the creator of his son’s favorite picture book, even as he helps exterminate the artist’s friends and family; a Messiah who appears in a little boy’s bedroom to announce that he is quitting; a young Jewish girl who is hidden by the town’s most outspoken anti-Semite—and his talking dog. And walking among these tales are two unforgettable figures: the enigmatic and silver-tongued Willy Reinhart, Commandant of the forced labor camp who has grand schemes to protect “his” Jews, and Soroka, the Jewish saddlemaker and his family, struggling to survive.

Channeling the mythic magic of classic storytellers like Sholem Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer and the psychological acuity of modern-day masters like Nicole Krauss and Nathan Englander, In the Land of Armadillos is a testament to the persistence of humanity in the most inhuman conditions. 

 "Sometimes a monster looks just like another other man." - p.117

Set in the small town of Wlodawa, Poland in 1942 In the Land of Armadillos is a collection of themed stories that are both historical fiction and magical realism. Using tradition folklore and mysticism, Shankman weaves the story of Wlodawa's Jewish population and that of two Nazis into a poetic, harrowing, humbling story of survival amongst the endless death and destruction that was the Nazi war machine. The stories are connected by tragedy and by the characters that pop up in a few (Haas, Pavel), or in all of them (Soroka, Reinhardt) but each is starkly unique and developed.

Some of these stories top more than fifty pages (the eponymous first story, A Decent Man), some are less than twenty. But no matter the length, each packs an emotional punch that resonates.  No matter the viewpoint -- be it third person or first -- Shankman's prose reads easily and lyrically. It's a stark contrast between her writing and the content; a juxtaposition that is surely intended. Using the magical realism angle was unexpected but it well with the themes and stories that the author created. Golems, werewolves, Messiahs -- all come to brief life under the author's talented pen. Though the book is filled with sadness and the fact that the atrocities in Wlodawa are based in fact, the truly harrowing part of reading In the Land of the Armadillos are the ways it reflects modern life, 74 years after these horrific events occurred. 

This is a book that will stick with me and one I will continue to think about long after I have finished it and moved onto something different. It was a multi-faceted look at one of history's darkest times. Shankman didn't shy away from the atrocities committed but she didn't neglect the unexpected heroism, the small acts of revolts, the tiny attempts to slow the tide of blood. The spots of brightness in In the Land of Armadillos are hard-won and authentic. The modern epilogue is fitting and open-ended, leaving readers a chance to imagine how Lukas and Julia will take their histories into their futures. With this thoughtful, honest novel, Shankman again impresses.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, February 2
Review at Worth Getting in Bed For

Wednesday, February 3
Spotlight at Library Educated
Spotlight & Giveaway at It’s a Mad Mad World

Thursday, February 4
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Friday, February 5
Guest Post & Giveaway at A Literary Vacation

Monday, February 8
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Tuesday, February 9
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, February 10
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Thursday, February 11
Review at I’m Shelfish

Monday, February 15
Review at Back Porchervations

Tuesday, February 16
Guest Post at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, February 17
Review at Cynthia Robertson’s Blog

Friday, February 19
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Two Minute Review: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Title: Bone Gap
Author: Laura Ruby
Genre: magical realism
Series: N/A
Pages: 373
Published: March 2015
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 2/5

Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?

Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.

As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

Bone Gap is a weird book. Magical realism is always going to be a hit or miss genre - what works for one reader might make no sense at all to another. That is the case here with Bone Gap -- it's been lauded as fantastic and feminist and original. And while I see the third as accurate,  I don't get the same reading as the fans of the novel and don't see it as fantastic. I wanted to love it but it's just not my brand of magical realism.

For me, the elements of supernatural or magic, have to make some kind of sense in the novel. For example in my experience, Nova Ren Suma is great at incorporating magical elements seamlessly; Laura Ruby's attempts are blunt and unexplained. It's a short book, but it makes little to no sense. I could see the richness of Ruby's prose but the plot and execution were too muddled.

Review: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Title: Walk on Earth a Stranger
Author: Rae Carson
Genre: young adult, historical fiction, magical realism
Series: The Gold Seer #1
Pages: 432 
Published: expected September 22, 2105
Source: ARC from publishers for review 
Rating: 3.75/5

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety?

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

So, I quite liked this historicalish series-opener from seasoned fantasy author Rae Carson . It was fun and different and highly, compulsively readable. It features some fun tropes and unexpected diversity and was an action-filled story; it was memorable. Yet I didn't fall in love with Walk on Earth a Stranger.. but then, I didn't love the first book in this author's last trilogy, either. Sometimes a series needs a book to gain footing, and this was a solid foundation for Carson's planned trilogy.

 Walk on Earth has some of my favorite tropes to read -- in YA or not. I love genderbending, girls defying rules and conventions, and I also love themes of revenge or retribution set in untamed lands. I played Oregon Trail as a child and to see that journey recreated (besides Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie) Across with a spirited character like Leah Westfall was both nostalgic and a whole new joy. Leah's growth as a character is notable and authentic. The magical realism angel is stressed lightly but, honestly, it  feels like an afterthought to the more realistic historical fiction story being told. 

 Leah sets out on her journey and the secondary cast is filled out by the companions she meets and journeys with on the long and dangerous road from Georgia to California. The exception to the pattern is with  Jefferson, her best friend from childhood and  eventual love interest. And when I say love interest, know that it is a minimal part of the story and the complex relationship that exists between the two characters. This book isn't a romance and it doesn't really have those kinds of feels or ships, if that's the kind of story you're looking for. That's not to say Walk on Earth a Stranger doesn't have emotion (the boooot) or heart (Leah is one helluva heroine), but it's more driven by darker emotions (fear, anger, revenge, ambition) and focuses on a wider scope. 

I might have really fallen in love with this if the ending had melt more complete instead of a holdover until the next book. I get that it's a series with an overarching villain and theme and struggle to be developed over three books, but it felt unsatisfying and too easy (running into each other that quickly??)  after the hundreds of pages and thousands of miles invested. The lack of resolution was disappointing.  know I will return for the next book in the series with Lee/Leah and Co. (I mean, I did read 2/3 of The Girl of Fire and Thorns series) but I hope it will pack a more emotional punch.

Review: Reluctantly Charmed by Ellie O'Neill

Title: Reluctantly Charmed
Author: Ellie O'Neill
Genre: magical realism
Series: N/A
Pages: 416 pages
Published: March 17, 2015
Source: publishers for review
Rating: 3.5/5

Kate McDaid is listing her new-year’s resolutions hoping to kick-start her rather stagnant love life and career when she gets some very strange news. To her surprise, she is the sole benefactor of a great great-great-great aunt and self-proclaimed witch also called Kate McDaid, who died over 130 years ago. As if that isn’t strange enough, the will instructs that, in order to receive the inheritance, Kate must publish seven letters, one by one, week by week.

Burning with curiosity, Kate agrees and opens the first letter – and finds that it’s a passionate plea to reconnect with the long-forgotten fairies of Irish folklore. Almost instantaneously, Kate’s life is turned upside down. Her romantic life takes a surprising turn and she is catapulted into the public eye.

As events become stranger and stranger – and she discovers things about herself she’s never known before – Kate must decide whether she can fulfil her great-aunt’s final, devastating request ... and whether she can face the consequences if she doesn’t.

Witty, enchanting and utterly addictive, Reluctantly Charmed is about what happens when life in the fast lane collides with the legacy of family, love and its possibilities … and a little bit of magic. 

Ellie O'Neill's debut is...well,  it's just so charming. Sorry to go for the obvious introduction, but it really is. Set in a modern Ireland, it's full of the whimsy and magic you would expect from a magical realism novel with fairies, but all is not as it seems with this author's version of the Fair Folk. With a good central romance, excellent female friends, aaand eccentric but loving family members surrounding the main characters -- it can feel bit Marian Keyes-ish, if a tad more fantastical and slightly less on the humorous side. Reluctantly Charmed has heart and boasts some engaging characters to make the read fun throughout.

Though it's over 400 pages, O'Neill's debut moves along at a good clip. The first section of the novel sets up the characters and plot rather well and transitions into the more supernatural aspects quite naturally. It can be a pretty atmospheric read at times, especially when main character Kate talks about Dublin or leaves the city for the small Western town of Knocknamee. The magical realism angle is a great fit for this story, these characters and especially this location. The fae have always had strong roots in Ireland and O'Neill makes a lot of good use from that association.

Kate McDaid, the main character, is well-rounded and characterized. She leads a perfectly normal life- friends, work, unrequited crush, bad decisions -- until one day she is invited to the reading of the will for... Kate McDaid. From there, her world slowly changes from the norm (working as a copywriter) to the fantastical (possible witch/unwilling cult leader?). Kate is a good character; she's likeable, funny, self-deprecating, and engaging. She doesn't have the flash you might expect, but her relate-ableness is key and well-done. Even when her life spirals out of control, Kate keeps it real.

The characters that surround Kate are also well-drawn and realistic. From Matthew to to Jim to Fiona to Lily, there's a revolving cast to keep the reader engaged. The romantic storyline might be slightly predictable (as well as who Kate will end up with), but it was a pleasure watching Kate realize what -- and who -- she wants from life. I also really enjoyed that Kate was surrounded by such strong friendships (both male and femasle) and that her family was a good force in her life -- if a bit silly and eccentric. It was a nice touch.

Reluctantly Charmed is due to be published on St. Patrick's Day. It's a great for reading on just that holiday. There's just enough whimsy and magic mixed with the familiar to create a magical realism story well within the bounds of suspension of disbelief.