Here are mini reviews for some of the books I read from January to February 2023. Give them a shot if they sound interesting.

The links lead to the book page on goodreads, from where I've also copied a portion of the blurbs for this post.

Curse the Day by Annabel Chase

Blurb

The only magic Emma Hart believes in is caffeine and the power of the dryer to lose one sock per load. A public interest lawyer buried under a mound of student debt, Emma’s whole life has been one turn of bad luck after another. Her streak seems to continue when she gets lost on the way to see a client in the remote Pocono Mountains. A chance encounter with a suicidal angel lands her in Spellbound, a town where supernaturals have been cursed to remain for centuries--probably not the best time for Emma to discover that she's actually a witch.

Review

I liked the premise of the story — Emma accidentally entering a magical community, discovering she's a witch and can't escape the centuries long curse placed on magical beings in the town.

Emma being forced to become the public attorney as well as having to learn witchcraft didn't sit well with me. What kind of incompetent council comes to such a conclusion, that too for someone who's already overwhelmed being disconnected from the normal world?

Anyway, the writing was easy to follow and the pacing keeps you turning pages. The mystery had a good conclusion and the chapters at the end will probably make me come back to the series.

Restaurant to Another World by Junpei Inuzuka, Katsumi Enami

Blurb

In Tokyo lies a small restaurant called “Western Cuisine Nekoya,” ordinary in every way—save one. Every Saturday, its door connects to another world! Follow along as a cavalcade of curious guests from half-elves to samurai, dragons, halflings and vampires enter its premises, all with the same goal in mind: to fill their stomachs with the most mouth-watering of foods.

Review

This had all the right ingredients that I should have enjoyed, but sadly didn't turn out that way. The premise was great — folks from a fantasy world visiting this restaurant to enjoy good food. Nice variety of people visiting and having different backgrounds and situations. But the repetitive nature and not much connecting these different characters lost my appetite within a few chapters. I still skimmed my way to the end, so there's some charm to the tale.

The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson, Boris Vallejo

Blurb

Jim Eckert was a dragon. He hadn't planned it that way, but that's what happened when he set out to rescue his betrothed. Following her through an erratic astral-projection machine, Jim suddenly found himself in a cockeyed world - locked in the body of a talking dragon named Gorbash. That wouldn't have been so bad if his beloved Angie were also a dragon. But in this magical land, that was not the case. Angie had somehow remained a very female human - or a george, as the dragons called any human. And Jim, no matter what anyone called him, was a dragon.

Review

The writing felt refreshing as it has been a while since I read classic fantasy books. The premise and initial chapters to get there was good too. Liked the characters too, but would have preferred if Angie had lot more screen presence.

The humor and wildly imaginative magic kept me interested until the plot went the route of typical good vs evil fight. I skipped and skimmed until I reached the climax which had some nice moments and twists.

The Afterlife of Alice Watkins by Matilda Scotney

Blurb

You don't always go to heaven when you die. Alice didn't. She ended up on a space station five hundred years into the future! Then the real mystery began... A tale of second chances, mistaken identity, cool spaceships, aliens, and of course, romance!

Review

The book started with a good premise and the mystery keeps you hooked. I enjoy low stakes, slice-of-life stories and it was almost comforting to read during the first half. Then, it meandered into being a constant debate about the differences between 21st century and the future timeline that Alice ended in. The romance didn't work for me at all and there was just too little detail about the aliens. I suppose all of this is addressed in the second book, but I doubt I'll read it.

At Amberleaf Fair by Phyllis Ann Karr

Blurb

At the last fair of the season, the toymaker Torin proposes to the beautiful sorceress Sharys, and watches his world shatter. Sharys refuses his marriage token because she has just accepted the proposal of his best friend, the adventurer Valdart. Torin's brother falls suddenly and mysteriously ill, and hovers at the brink of death. Valdart's valuable marriage token is turned into a citron fruit, and he accuses Torin, an ex-magician, of enchanting the necklace to stop his marriage to Torin's beloved. And Torin, who may have created magic in his dreams, doesn't know whether or not he changed Valdart's gift in his sleep.

Review

The first para was a bit confusing for me, since that kind of information is usually a blurb (and now that I check, the blurb does have it), prologue or a long chapter title/subtitle. It didn't help that two of the named characters started with the same letter.

After a few chapters and getting used the different POVs, I found the plot and worldbuilding very engaging. Especially since I enjoy low stakes and slice-of-life stories these days.

The multiple subplots resolved neatly at the end. I enjoyed the whodunnit part the most, especially the almost relaxed way in which it was handled by everybody involved. The culture and the magic system with builtin limitations were done well too.

Overall, I'd recommend this well written book to anybody looking for a low stakes and character focused fantasy.

A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake

Blurb

As the owner of Little Shop of Potions, a magic potion shop specializing in love potions, Carly Bell Hartwell finds her product more in demand than ever. A local soothsayer has predicted that a couple in town will soon divorce—and now it seems every married person in Hitching Post, Alabama, wants a little extra matrimonial magic to make sure they stay hitched.

Review

I only finished the book since the mystery kept me interested until the end. Too many suspects with too many subplots got tiring. The starting chapter was wonderfully whimsical, but the rest of the book felt quite different. I should've probably taken a closer look at the blurb.

Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater

Blurb

Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. There's only one problem; Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke's heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket.

Review

Similar to "Half a Soul", this was an engaging read with plenty of quips. Despite loving the author's debut, I was hesitant to read this one for a long time, mostly because yet another Cinderella type story wasn't appealing to me. Well, turns out this was quite different and all the better for it. I wish Lord Blackthorn had some POV chapters/scenes too, at least at the end.

Greenglass House by Kate Milford, Jaime Zollars

Blurb

It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves.

Review

The opening sequence was awesome and I was looking forward to finish this book asap. But when it turned into multiple subplots with different kinds of narration, it wasn't engaging enough for me more than a few chapters at a time. It felt more like a connected short story collection and for some reason that doesn't work for me.

Overall, I'd say I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the mystery.