Here you’ll find reviews of newly released titles, and books that will hit shelves soon in a space-time continuum near you. Some will be from authors you love. Others books may be from debut authors, or authors you’ve never heard of. Either way, stick around for reviews on the newest speculative fiction and YA.
Under Pressure (Lucas Page #2)Normally when I apply for ARC copies I try to avoid books that are not the first book in a series because I don’t want to miss anything in regards to context in a series. However, when I read the synopsis of Under Pressure I couldn’t resist putting in for the ARC.
Peace Talks (The Dresden Files #16)It has been a long time coming for book number sixteen in the Dresden Files. Book fifteen, Skin Game, came out in 2014. Yes, 2014 so six years ago now. I will say I am luckier than most fans in that I came into my Dresden files obsession in the last few years so I read Skin Game in 2017. Still, it’s been three years and I admit I had to go back and re-read the last couple books to remember where we’d left off.
Thank you to Penguin Random House and Berkley for the ARC. It was the highlight of my quarantine.
As we are sixteen books in this series if you haven’t read the others stop reading the review now, go back and start with book one Storm Front. This is not a series to read out of order. If you’ve read all the other books and want to know what I think about Peace Talks please read on.
The PatientWhen I saw this book on the NetGalley website I was intrigued. Normally I reserve my horror reads for the fall time, when the theme seems to fit the weather. Still, a chance at an advanced reader copy for such an interesting story was something I couldn’t resist so I put the request in and was approved. I waited for a day that I felt ready to jump into the horror genre and here we are, talking about a book that took me on a wild ride and that surprised me.
The Heirs of Locksley (The Robin Hood Stories #2)Book two in this wonderful series made me so happy. I read it in a matter of hours, directly after finishing book one The Ghosts of Sherwood, and I was so pleased by the ending. I wonder (hope, pray) that there will be a book three in this series as we seem to be delving deeper into each of the Locksley children as they grow up.
The Ghosts of Sherwood (The Robin Hood Stories #1)Sometimes I love classic stories being re-imagined and sometimes I am let down by them. In Carrie Vaughn’s The Ghosts of Sherwood we see her interpretation of the life of Robin Hood but instead of focusing on the man, myth and legend himself she tells us a tale of his life years later, no longer an outlaw but still brave, but also a family man that is trying to protect his family and lands. Also, we learn more about his kids than the man and Marian which I really enjoyed.
Thicker than Blood (Zoe Bentley Mystery #3)Funny story, I received the ARC from NetGalley and I read it before the book released. In my head I thought about how to phrase my review and was ready to write it. Then, I just never wrote said review. So here we are, reading a long overdue review for a great book!
The Insider (Charlie McCabe #2)This might sound a tiny bit dramatic but I don’t care. Craig Schaefer, will you be my Yoda? You, sir, consistently allow me to escape into the worlds you create and have so many amazing plot twists, characters that grow and in general fantastic writing and it makes me stare at my own writing and wonder how I can be more like you.
A Body in the Village Hall (Kate Palmer #1)This is a slight departure from my normal mystery reads because, while this is a mystery (surrounding murders) this book falls into the genre of Cozy Mystery. Let me quickly define this for anyone who doesn’t know what this means.
The Angel of the CrowsIf you are a fan of historical fiction and alternative history writing this story is definitely for you. Also, if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes then this story is 100% even more for you.
Now, before moving into the story itself there are a few things I wanted to clear up as I found them out for myself as I finished this novel. First, the author Katherine Addison is the same person as the author Sarah Monette. It appears that for different genres and topics Monette has applied her pen name Addison, so keep that fun fact for yourself if you want to read more of her writing. Second, and this is direct from the author herself in the Author’s Note – The Angel of the Crows began as a Sherlock wingfic fanfiction.
Now, to talk about this wonderful book itself. I am, admittedly, a fan of all things Sherlock Holmes so to see a reimagining of the story with different characters (Crow being Sherlock and Doyle being Watson) was fun for me. The explanation for why the characters are the way they are fits so well that I found myself smiling wide. Crow, being an angel whose domain is all of London, thus explaining his heightened senses and sometimes odd behavior as Sherlock, is wonderful in his odd ways. Doyle, much like Watson, is suffering from a leg injury and from having been in the war however his injury is of a spectral nature as he was attacked by what is known as a Fallen angel i.e. one that is now filled with dark, nefarious energy and power.
Throughout this book we cover the well-known Sherlock Holmes stories of “A Study in Scarlet,” “The Sign of the Four,” and “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” but Addison didn’t stop there and also had our heroes join the hunt for Jack the Ripper.
Honestly while I wish some lesser-known Sherlock tales had been picked or that things had been reworked a bit more to make them feel new or extremely different I did enjoy the way that Addison connected the dots between these classic stories and our newly reimagined characters.
If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, alternative history or the idea of these characters being redone in a way that breathes new life back into these classics I would definitely suggest you pick up this book. While it wasn’t life altering it was a quite enjoyable read and I was impressed with Addison’s style. I may be picking up her other works soon.
Wave, Listen to Me! Vol. 1If you have been enjoying anime’s Spring 2020 season, you might be interested in the first volume of manga series Wave Listen to Me! by Hiroaki Samura, whose previous series include Blade of the Immortal and Die Wegelder.
Welcome to Looking Glass Reads! We review speculative fiction novels as well as manga, light novels, and graphic novels.
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