A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik

 

I needed a dose of science fiction/fantasy, so happily picked up another book by Naomi Novik. Although a bit verbose, she's an excellent storyteller and creator of worlds. I might not always like how she wraps things up, but I appreciate the work that goes into her narratives.

In A Deadly Education, we're put into a high school situation on the fringes of the void. All the students have magic, and if they can survive through graduation, they can go out into the world and use it. The problem is the whole pantheon of Mals who want to eat them. We're talking serious monsters of every shape and size. There are pinchers, tentacles, webs, and blobby goo. Breaking into what should be a protected space, the Mals are doing their best to create a student feast. Students expect something bad at every turn, never go anywhere alone, and use enchantments and shields just to get from their dorm room to the cafeteria.

There's also the graduation hall. It's full of hungry creatures just waiting for the end of the year.

The school has no teachers, just a self-motivated, magically-guided curriculum, where books find you. They appear on the library shelves when they want to, or come flying out of the void if you ask right. Students focus on a specialty, spending time in language classes to learn spells and the workshop to construct magical objects.

It's the junior class that stands out the most in this book, thanks to two specific students. Orion is a real hero. He can't help but attack, and successfully bring down, any Mal who threatens a student. What's more, the monsters seem to avoid him. El, short for Galadriel, is an outcast harboring a prophecy and a strong magical ability. She's never had friends, has a bad attitude, and is someone people usually avoid. Orion has the opposite problem. He can never get a moment alone, away from adoring fans.

Suddenly, these two are seen together. In fact, Orion begins picking El over his established group of friends. El isn't thrilled by this change, but it forces her into the realization that she needs friends. She'll need them to survive the school and graduation itself. Then something unexpected happens, and she must learn to trust others more than she ever thought.

This book is full of magic and the threat of death, but it's more complex than that. You're stuck in the middle of fragile teenage relationships while exploring human nature and the tendency we have to judge books by their cover (ha, ha). The book also explores intelligence -- academic vs ability vs natural intuition. 

The best parts of the book flow through the action, which increases in intensity as you read on. It's a fun and exciting read and an interesting new world to explore. Just prepare yourself to hit small roadblocks of over explanation -- it's the author's style.

Other reviewed books by Naomi Novik

• Spinning Silver

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

 

I loved this book. It was one of the most dynamic and well-written stories I've read in a long time. I love how Choo trickles out her details and connects her characters.

This is a book that's both a coming-of-age story, and one about the importance of truth. While there are multiple characters who are vital to the narrative, this is really only about two of them.

Taking place in 1930's Malaysia, Ji Lin is dealing with the restrictive society of the day. Her stepfather halted her education, even though she's quite smart, so she can't fulfill her professional dreams of being a nurse. Her mom has a secret mahjong debt, and Ji Lin feels a responsibility to help pay it off.  This means working two jobs, as both a dressmaker's apprentice and a dance hall girl.

Ren is only 11, but has lived quite a life. He's just lost his master, a doctor, to illness. A loyal houseboy, Ren promises the dying man he'll undertake a crazy mission of finding the doctor's lost finger and returning it to the grave. Without this missing piece, the doctor fears his soul won't move on. Ren ventures out to track down the finger, offering his services up to the surgeon who removed the finger in the first place (for medical reasons.)

You'd now think this is a story about a finger. Ren hunts for it. Ji Lin ends up in possession of it (that's not a spoiler.) However, the story is something so different.

For Ji Lin, the finger puts her on the right path, but her story is about finding her voice and her independence. She must realize it's okay to take control of one's life and share her thoughts out loud.

For Ren, the finger is what propels him forward to opportunity, but his journey is all about becoming more than a child. He's establishing his character through kindnesses and his decisions. If this book had a hero, Ren would be it for me.

Amidst all this, there's a lot of other stuff going on that adds up to an action-packed book. Most of the activity centers around a local hospital full of European doctors and local support staff. It's here where we find the night tiger prowling around. It's also here where accidents keep happening, random deaths occur, past transgressions are seriously felt, and love is discovered. This is where people are sneaking around, committing crimes, manipulating, and harming each other. This is the underbelly of the story.

The cast of characters partaking in all this action come together to create such a rich story. There's even a little magic tossed in, but its portrayal makes so much sense that it doesn't detract from the realism felt in every corner of this book.

With some great surprises and a lot of powerful emotions, Choo creates a story with depth that imparts a culture and an era in a tangible way. She explores emotion and devotion as ties that bind in both life and death. You finish the book content, and curious for what's next. Even though this is a story, I found myself wondering about the fate of the characters as I finished the last page. What went on to happen?

Go read this if you're looking for something different, and wonderful. It's worth it.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

 

This book is so particularly nuanced that to write about it at all would require a spoiler alert. I don't want to spoil it, so I'm going to be careful.

I believe the point of this story is to take the journey alongside Piranesi, the main character. You need to go on the ride too as an unexpected mystery pops up and finds resolution. For that reason, being careful means I won't talk about plot. I will say that this book is perfectly written and I enjoyed the flow of the story in the same way I liked Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. 

Piranesi explores the darkness of human nature and our innate need to find answers and make discoveries. It's also a book about survival, instinctive kindness, and the impact our environment plays in shaping us as people. It looks at faith from a purely spiritual perspective. There's no mention of G-d, but something deeper is out there. It's smart, thought-provoking, and just good.

I really enjoyed the complexity of this story and how it unfolded. There was a great juxtaposition of good and corrupt, selfish and selfless. It also postulated some interesting questions about identity.

I will mention though, speaking directly about the book, that Piranesi  is written as a journal. This is particularly important because you end up really only getting the story from a singular point of view. However, this telling of the story, in a more uncommon way, is one of the primary reasons it's such a worthwhile read.

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

 

This book began in such a different place than others like it. This is a story about good and evil. There's magic. There's an "epic" battle and a lot of carnage. But, that's not where we start.

The story begins ten years after the Chosen Ones have completed their mission. The bad guy is gone, the world is repairing, and our heroes are left dealing with the emotional and mental fallout of what they've experienced while essentially at war.

The five Chosen Ones began preparing for their fight as children, so the impact of their situation has been particularly hard to process. This is especially true for two of the five -- Albie and Sloane -- who both had a particularly rough time of it.

It was captivating to approach this topic from this angle. I liked beginning my interaction with these characters by thinking about what happens after such a significant life event. To see the struggle of living with the heroics and the tough decisions of war. I was so into where the book was going...

Until I wasn't.

That happened the second Sloane and two other Chosen Ones got sucked into a parallel universe, and the book becomes all about the battle after all.

Don't get me wrong, I like the genre, but it wasn't what I wanted out of this book. That, and the moment we shifted to the "action," the writing got worse. It was a fine read, but I felt like it moved through some great material only to hit me with disappointment.

Ten years after defeating The Dark One on Earth, using relics imbued with magic, the Chosen Ones are all in different states of repair. Not everyone is living a mentally healthy life. Albie, who continues to be physically and emotionally plagued by his capture and torture by The Dark One, commits suicide. This brings back the remaining four Chosen to mourn. It's in that instance that three of them get pulled into a parallel universe where magic is regularly used with the help of siphons, and The Resurrectionist and his undead army are the enemy. Our Earth's Chosen have been forcibly called upon to defeat them. It's the only way they'll get to go home.

Magic, though, is unique here. You have to know how to use it, but there also has to be intent behind each act. If you don't really want it to happen, even if it's as simple as unlocking a door, it won't work. Sloane struggles with this. Her mind is muddled with a mess of past guilt and trauma. Her disdain for the magic turns her into an easy target for The Resurrectionist. Once their paths cross, things get complicated (too complicated if you ask me.)

I'm very much on the fence about this book. I know I didn't really like it, but the story did take hold just a bit. The verdict is still out on my end.

The Book of Dust Volume II: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

I'm at a loss for how I want to write about this book. It sadly was just a means to an end, slowly building suspense only to leave you dangling on a cliff at the end. Minor revelations keep you reading, but you're constantly asking, "Why do I need to know this?" 

Even if it's going to all make sense in the end, the payout lies in a book not yet published. It's not like a movie where the suspense climaxes to a resolution all in one swoop. I've no idea how long the wait will be for the third book. I don't know what I'll remember by that time either. If I forget something, is the third book going to disappoint too? It's a tough call on how I feel here, since I love the characters and love this world Pullman has created.

The book begins further into the future of Lyra's life than we've ever gone before. She's an adult, a young one, going to college and preparing for the world. The lustre from her adventures in the His Dark Materials trilogy has worn off a bit, and she's settled into a regular life more or less. She's still odd, especially because she can separate from her daemon, Pantalaimon. It's so uncommon that they keep it a secret even as it continues to cause a rift in their relationship. Pan eventually abandons Lyra and everything changes overnight. The story goes into ultra-complicated mode as all the characters -- Malcolm, Alice, and Hannah -- from the first volume of The Book of Dust reemerge in Lyra's life.

We now have to keep up with five primary good characters who all move in a totally different direction. There are also two bad guys who aren't always together, that the story tracks. It gets complicated so fast, but they're all on the move because of this mysterious building, in a desert, where a special rose grows. The characters either want to understand it or destroy it. Along the way, everyone interacts with about a million other people in so much detail that I was quickly overwhelmed by names and confusing who knew whom. It's all relevant to driving the story onward, but it's a lot. 

If I were able to look deeper into the text, which is hard to do, I'd say this book is really about love, truth, and faith. But, the complexities of the story itself detract from the deeper thoughts and the emotional connections. My brain is too muddled to keep up.

I just can't say I liked this book, having read the rest of Lyra's story, but I know I had to read this so everything going forward makes sense. I feel like I was trapped, and that gave Pullman a hall pass to put everything he could possibly think of into a single book. It's so busy, that it's frustrating to read. On top of that, you don't really get anywhere by the end, but I guess, for the sake of the story, it must be read.

Before you read this book, make sure to read The Book of Dust Volume I: La Belle Sauvage.

The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

I know there are so many book about WWII out there. Even those that cover a triumph during this time period are sad because hate is sad. Unnecessary death is sad. You can't avoid these themes and talk about WWII. Taking all of this into account though, with a Hoffman spin, transforms a WWII story, like this one, into something with a little bit of magic. It's more about love, survival, sadness, and pain; pushing the other themes to the background. It's a complete story that culminates in hope.

The World That We Knew focuses on a set of children, just old enough to enter adulthood during the war. Their lives intersect as they navigate the war as Jews, in France. They suffer and see death, but also emit this amazing sense of survival and bravery. The four main characters, Lea, Ettie, Julien, and Victor all have completely different experiences during the war, but all impact each others' path.  

The first interaction leads to the creation of a golem, a mystical being in Jewish folklore, a protector. Ava, the golem is responsible for Lea's safety, but her creation liberates Ettie, the rabbi's daughter. Ettie goes against her orthodox upbringing and creates the golem, which changes her forever. Julien and Victor are brothers, born in Paris, but eventually seen as Jews to be feared rather than natives of the country. They flee separately and enter into an underground world that includes a passion for resistance.

Clever and complete, this story captures so many moments that evoke the terrors of war, but also puts forth so many moments of hope. Placing the main characters at such a delicate time in their lives also allows Hoffman to grapple with the question of whether someone can become who they're truly supposed to be even during a war. She shows how you can love when surrounded by hate, and how good never totally disappears. It's a tough and intriguing story, where you feel a real connection to the characters and the "fate" that intertwines them all.

I really do like Hoffman as an author, so would recommend this book, but I'd also suggest you start with another one of her titles first. WWII is a heavy setting to meet an author, so something a little lighter might make for a better introduction. Here are reviews of some of her other books I've read:

• The Probable Future
• The Dovekeepers (also on the heavy side)
• The Ice Queen
• The Red Garden

She's also the author of Practical Magic and The River King which are both excellent.

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

So I apparently have book club fever and am now a member of two book clubs. This one, I'm running, so it's a bit of a different experience.

Second Book Club, Book #1

Powerful. This is the most powerful book I've read in a long time. To call this book good isn't doing it proper justice, but I'd put it on my 'Must Read' list without question. 

The tragic and disturbing stories of four siblings, given a terrible gift that ultimately leads to serious consequences for each, are so well-told, so intense, you don't even pause to search for a nugget of positivity to pull you out of some dark places. You live their lives beside them, and they feel real and severe in all the ways you want fictional characters to be.

We meet the four Gold siblings on the cusp of the 1970's, while still in their youth. A typical, lower-middle class, northeastern, Jewish family until word of the arrival of a mystical woman who can tell you the day you'll die draws the children in, forever changing their lives. The knowledge they're each given individually clearly affects life choices, often to their detriment, but they all go on and live as long as they can. 

Among the nagging finality of knowing your death day, the author frames out other important elements. Somehow drawn out by the crux of the novel, gaining this information nobody should ever have, each sibling experiences some form of mental illness. With these character developments comes a subtle commentary on the topic, branching out into the necessity of human connection, the importance of experiencing love, and the horror of obsession.

Again, powerful comes to mind in how all these elements made me feel, how they combined to drive the story forward.

Prepare yourself for an intense read, but don't ignore this book. It has the goods.

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman is an amazing writer with a special talent of adding a little magic to the everyday. It's what makes you identify with her stories and care about her characters, even when things take a slightly fantastic turn.

In The Probable Future, we're introduced to the Sparrow Family, a line of women who receive a unique gift upon their 13th birthday. This gift, a special ability, seems to suit the recipient well, yet often leads to trouble when integrated into the outside world.

This is especially true for Stella, the youngest Sparrow, who's able to see how some people will die. Her desire to save people, coupled with this gift gets her into trouble, puts her dad in jail, and sets in motion the entire book.

Forced to leave her home in Boston, Stella is taken back to her mom's home town and a grandmother she's never met. The matriarch, Elinor, knows when you're lying. Jenny, Stella's mom, experiences other people's dreams alongside them. All three women end up at Cake House, in Unity, Mass., a town built upon the horrible death of a Sparrow ancestor, who couldn't feel pain.

It's a broken town, symbolized by the ancient, dying tree in the center square. Full of people who don't have what they need most, the rejoining of the Sparrow women helps transform the town. Inhabitants learn that destiny isn't something set in stone, that you have to take control of your own future to change it, and that sometimes, a very clear prediction is wrong.

If I could have read this whole book through in a single sitting, I would have. I loved everything about it: the New England backdrop, the depth of history, the complexity of emotions. Each character learns something so valuable by the end of the story - you feel proud to have seen into a little bit of their lives. In true Hoffman fashion, those who feel lost find their way, even if the path curved in some unexpected directions.

Read this. Read lots of Hoffman.

Other Alice Hoffman books reviewed on this site:

• The Dovekeepers
• The Ice Queen
• The Red Garden

Lasher by Anne Rice

Continuing my quest to reread The Mayfair Witches Trilogy, I'm realizing most of what I remembered about the books was all in The Witching Hour. It's nice to be surprised during a reread, but it's also disappointing. Most of the excitement I felt reading The Witching Hour fizzed out during my reread of Lasher.

Picking up where we ended in the previous book, Lasher is no longer a supernatural ghost-like being, he's human, having hijacked the unborn fetus of Rowan Mayfair, the strongest witch in the long Mayfair line. Lasher has essentially been inbreeding witches within the family for generations to finally have a witch who could help him become mortal. After his "birth" he quickly grows to adulthood, forces Rowan to run off with him, and begins working toward his ultimate goal - propagation.  He's not totally human, and has grand plans to repopulate the earth with his own breed. The catch, creatures like him can only be born from witches, from certain witches. All other women that conceive, die.

All the while, back in New Orleans, the Mayfair family is trying to find Rowan. Michael, Rowan's husband is trying to heal from a brutal battle with Lasher and subsequent heart attack, stifling the desire to tear out into the world and track his wife down. We also get personal with Mona Mayfair, a child in the family, whose powers rival Rowan's. Mona seems to be an unexpected side-effect to so much inbreeding in the family, a witch that popped up under Lasher's nose while he was cultivating Rowan. I like Mona because she's smart and because she takes the time to learn. She's a child who doesn't rely on any adult to take care of her. She's in charge of her own destiny.

So, all of this is going on and it feels like enough, but then comes backstory. True, we needed to have some holes filled in about Lasher's history and origins, but all of this comes out during two very long flashbacks, full of unnecessary detail. I assume Rice was trying to fill out the character of Lasher from his beginning, but it's almost too much. It dilutes the action going on in the present. It's great to eventually understand the origins of Lasher and the mythology around what type of being he actually is, a Taltos, but the overwhelming volume of detail detracts from the urgency we're faced with as Lasher tries to breed.

Eventually, Lasher tells his own story, going way back to his beginning, what turns out to be his first time as a human. It's a long and pious story that really does nothing to change your mind about what you think of the character. You still hate him. You still realize he's unemotionally evolved and dangerous, and you still want him to die. He could have just explained the history of the Taltos in one paragraph rather than going on for page after page.

I also found the ending a bit abrupt and not totally in line with the tone of the rest of the book. It made me not so excited to move on to the third book (but I will eventually.)

This was the first, adult, supernatural series I read, so I have my loyalties to it, but it's definitely not blowing me away like I remember it doing over 15 years ago.

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

I'm pretty sure I first read this trilogy in college, before everyone was writing about witches and magic and demons. Rick already had her iconic vampires, but those books weren't for me. I wanted a little magic. What Rice delivers is more about abilities than magic with spells and potions - practical magic. Rice makes it all feel real. It's what has kept these books on my favorite list for so long, and why I'm excited to finally have time to reread them.

The Witching Hour chronicles the history of The Mayfair Witches, a family who begins manipulating magic early in their genealogy to bring forth Lasher, an immortal being that's almost like a ghost demon. In each generation, one witch is chosen (the legacy,) and Lasher aligns himself to them bringing them riches, love, and protection. Unfortunately, the majority of these "chosen" witches die young and tragically (and so do most of the men they fall in love with.)

Before being called to the family, Lasher is unaware of humanity, unconnected to the physical world and not a threat. Once linked to people, he changes. Emotions and desires corrupt his spirit in a way that motivates him toward a single goal regardless of consequences. Through the generations of the Mayfair Family, he pushes his own agenda as he seemingly loves and supports his human companions. Throughout the generations, Lasher leaves behind a manipulated trail of inbreeding, rape, and murder all to create the "perfect" witch to aid in his own plan. He's such a seductive character that his true intentions aren't quickly figured out.

When Rowan Mayfair is born, Lasher's work is essentially complete. She's the "perfect" witch. She's powerful, passionate, and intense. You're not sure if she'll actually help Lasher or defeat him. She ultimately stands as a very tragic figure beside the seductive Lasher through her roller-coaster journey in the story.

Rice is an intense writer, there's no doubt about that. It's that element that initially drew me to her writing way back in college, but every read of a book is different. This time around, I felt more. I got into the heart of the book rather than getting tripped up on the action itself. The story definitely withstands the time test and still feels relevant and even a little more cerebral than a lot of what's coming out today in the same genre. You'll have to settle in for a long read if you're ready to pick this one up. At over 1,000 pages of very dense narrative, it does take a while to get through the book, but it's an enjoyable ride that doesn't lag.

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

Another trilogy complete. I was very excited to see where this one would end up and am only slightly disappointed with the conclusion. Overall, this book lacked the intensity of the other two, a trait of the books, I'd come to expect.

Looking back, I've been working through this trilogy since 2011 which explains why some details were a little hazy to me this time around. Grossman teases certain facts out enough to jog your memory a bit on any events he references from the previous books, but it might have been beneficial for me to have done some rereading before starting this book just to be current on everything. Regardless, I made it through just fine; only slightly disappointed as I've said.

In this book, the magical world of Fillory, which our hero, Quentin Coldwater, has been kicked out of, is dying. Quentin is back in our world as sort of a wandering soul, grasping at whatever he can to root himself back in magic. He temporarily returns to Brakebills, the college he learned magic from, but when that goes sour, he becomes a magical hand for hire. Unknowingly, his first hired job draws him back into the plight of Fillory.

Everything comes together with the casting of a very powerful spell, an old journal, and the reuniting of friends. You want it to be a complex and intense story, but mostly it falls short. Yes, there is one awesome battle scene, complete with a flying pool table, and one encounter with a supernaturally magical being that gave me the chills, but overall, the plot felt thin. The ending comes on very quickly and without much fanfare with Grossman using a pretty pivotal character, in my opinion, as a means to explain everything at the last minute. A little weak if you ask me. But, overall, I liked this trilogy a lot. It's the darker version of a Narnian world - where magic exists beside the world we know, but here most beings aren't too nice. There's no sense of utopia here, no supreme, infallible being and I really like this take on the environment. I just wish there was some additional, compelling element to this final book, a grand send-off instead of just a quiet departure.

Check out my reviews of the first two books in this trilogy:

• The Magicians
• The Magician King

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

I love that in Discworld anything goes. Pratchett has created so many stories in this world because it has infinite possibilities. It's the only series I can think of that lets you read it out of order and even skip books without missing out on anything. I tend to gravitate toward the books featuring witchcraft or, in the case of Equal Rites, wizardry. 

Magic in an unequal profession in Discworld - men are wizards, women are witches, and magicians are somewhere at the bottom of the barrel - for those possessed with magical acumen. Things get complicated when a dying wizard accidentally passes his magic down to a baby girl instead of a baby boy. Granny Weatherwax, an accomplished witch, attempts to train the young girl in the magic more associated with her gender, but quickly realizes Esk (the girl) has wizarding magic whether she likes  it or not. So, they have to figure out how to debunk the stereotypes, which of course is extremely complicated, in order for Esk to learn how to properly use her magic before she hurts someone. This mission of creating equality in the wizarding world drives the rest of the action in the book and leads to some intense action and near-death experiences (and a lot of rain.)

Overall this book was entertaining and aligned with what I enjoy most about Pratchett but it definitely wasn't my favorite. I found certain spots hard to follow; some plot points felt very abrupt and I never really connected to any of the characters. Granny Weatherwax wasn't even that entertaining this time and she's a character I've liked a lot in the past. I would definitely recommend the Discworld series to anyone looking for something a little off kilter and comic, but maybe not this specific book.

Here are reviews I've written in the past for other Discworld books:
Witches Abroad
Wyrd Sisters

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde expertly delves into the Y.A. genre with the first book in his Chronicles of Kazam. Not only does Fforde put magic into this world (a popular Y.A. theme these days) but he also covers relevant issues for readers - preserving the environment, making ethical decisions, etc.

Like all Fforde series the world we find ourselves in here is an alternate version of today with enough similarity to our present to feel familiar even with significant differences. In this world, the ununited nations are at a time of relative peace having lost many during the Troll Wars. Magic is dwindling and once-great magicians have been relegated to rewiring homes without pulling the wires out of the walls. Jennifer Strange, at just 15-years-old, runs Kazam Mystical Arts Management, a cross between a retirement community and a talent agency for magicians. Running Kazam complete occupies Strange's life until the premonition of the last dragon being slayed by a dragonslayer starts popping up everywhere.

From there, things pick up pretty quickly for Strange and life as she knows it gets even more complicated than it was before. When not fending off death threats, marriage proposals, and sponsorship deals Strange becomes the last dragonslayer faced with doing a job she doesn't feel right about. She simply doesn't want to have to kill anything let alone the very last dragon.

Then, there's the mysterious spike in magic and whispers among the magicians of Big Magic returning - a total game-changer.

As always with Fforde, the characters are all unique and interesting from their very names (Tiger Prawns is my favorite) down to their personalities. Nothing boring around here, but then how could things be boring with magic in the world and a dragon to battle? The best thing about all the characters is how human they feel. They're imperfect, confused, good-hearted, conniving; simply human. Magic hasn't transformed them into characters who rely solely on their power to achieve their goals. Decisions have to made and outcomes have to be worked for. Even the dragon feels human-like by the end.

I know I've been reading a lot of Y.A. fiction lately and a lot of Fforde as well, but I still must recommend this book. It was a great adventure and I look forward to the next installment as it slowly paddles its way across the 'Pond.'

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

This book is intense. Beyond the characters and plot points it's just an intense read.

Yes, it's another vampire book (technically) with witches and daemons to boot, and yes there's a love story that leads to all sorts of complications, but this book is so much more than these popular plot devices. We're not wrapped up in a bubble of love (see Twilight). We're travelling through our real world with two characters who value family and love, have passions for real things like science and history, but they just happen to be a witch and a vampire.

Diana, the witch, a descendant of two notorious Salem families, has chosen to set her powers aside to become a historian of alchemy. Matthew, an ancient vampire, is trying to identify the Mitochondrial RNA markers the make one a vampire (apparently your body chemistry changes after you're bitten), witch, or daemon. There are rules of association between these creatures and just like racial segregation - they're supposed to stay away from each other. In fact, all of these creatures exist undetected by humans until they start gathering together.

Thrown into all this is a book - a very old book - covered in layers of magic. It might contain the secret of the Sorcerer's Stone or it might hold the origin stories of these three creatures. We're not sure, but Diana accesses the book quite innocently only to have all hell break loose.

Not safe for many reasons, Diana and Matthew being a journey to find a safe place to hide. Along the way we meet their families, learn a lot of their secrets, and gain a better understanding of the secret and violent society that governs this group of "special" people. Uncertainty is ever-present and magic is uncovered. It's an intense, suspenseful ride and I loved every second of it.

It's so easy to get sucked into this story because the world is familiar. The history discussed, the places they go - each detail is tangible and fully realized. You feel how old Matthew is through his book collection and the people he talks about knowing first-hand. You feel how hard Diana struggled against her magic by going to the house she grew up in (a house very much armed with a mind of its own) and meeting her Aunts. This is really what the growing vampire "genre" should be; a story that has more volume that a forbidden love.

This was a fantastic read and as part of a trilogy, I can't wait for the next book to publish.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

A little magic, some Salem history, and a missing book being traced through multiple generations of uniquely gifted women; The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is a fictionalized account of a book containing recipes to heal just about anything. For me, the setting was the lure. Our main character, Connie, studies at Harvard and spends the one particular summer where we meet her in Marblehead, Mass. She's also in-and-out of Salem and Boston - my old stomping ground. So, the setting drew me in, but the story itself kept me speeding through the story.

The narrative shifts between the generations of women who have owned the Physick Book and Connie's search to find the book which has been lost for a few centuries. I'd say present-day when referring to Connie's part of the story, but her portion actually takes place in the early 90's, a more fitting setting since the lack of technology in everyday life at this time plays perfectly within in the story. Cell phones and laptop computers are replaced with pay phones and card catalogues.

Connie is in search of the Physick Book in order to uncover a new, original source from the Salem witch trials that will help launch her academic career. We see Connie's path to locate the book at the same as flashbacks to how the book was used centuries ago.

The great thing about this mystery story is it's not just about the mystery. Howe puts as much energy into her characters as she does the book and its historical context. We meet Connie's roommate, mom, academic advisor, grad student she's mentoring, and more as fully-formed characters (not just tiny side pieces). We get flashbacks into Connie's own memories as she begins to put the book's mystery together so we learn more about her beyond her search. Even Connie's Grandmother's house, Connie's home base in the novel, feels like a character. Howe doesn't assume that solving the mystery will be enough for the reader - she gives you so much more to be interested in.

Then, there's the element of magic. It's so subtle and yet important. No wands or any big fanfare, it just feels real. Unlike other books, the magic here is just an additive to our world, not some secret layer existing alongside the reality we know. It's something organic and feels like it belongs.

This book combines so many genres - historical fiction, mystery, fantasy - that is really does have something for everyone.