Tag: witches

Monica’s Musings: Spells For Forgetting

Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young

“There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting.”
― Adrienne Young, Spells for Forgetting

Summary: 

Emery’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead, and the love of her life, August, was accused of murdering her. When the island, rooted in folklore and magic, shows signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming.

August returns for the first time in fourteen years to bury his mother’s ashes, and by doing so, he unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget. The island has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threatens to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all.

My Thoughts: 

This book was so interesting. It was the perfect atmospheric read. It was easy to immerse myself in the world Young was describing. I listened to this as an audiobook and even sped up two times it was not fast enough! Each chapter bounces around to different points of view. I think the multiple narrators and timelines added to the story.

The island is eerie and ominous, and the mystery of it was so fun to read as it unraveled. This is the type of book that you will not be able to put down, and it is worth the time! I recommend this story to anyone who likes magic, unsolved murder mysteries, and love stories all wrapped into one.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

We recently added a new service called Hoopla!  It is a website/app that patrons can use to check out ebooks, audiobooks, TV shows, movies and music on their devices.  Each patron is allowed eight items a month.  The items range from new and popular to the classics.

I have started to play around with it a little bit.  I like that there are a wide variety of books, old Disney movies, British TV shows and soundtracks available.  I recently realized that I can even add the app to my Fire Stick and stream the movies on my TV!  How cool is that?!

One of the features I found most intriguing even though I do not read a lot in the genre is graphic novels.  The site has a very good selection.  While enjoying the story the reader can hover their mouse over the images to enlarge them (because sometimes that print is very small). This also helps when looking at the artwork and seeing more of the details.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa

Summary: Sabrina Spellman, a teenage witch is the daughter of a mortal and a warlock. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday she has to make the decision to join the Church of Night. She is currently living with her two maiden aunties in a funeral home.

Highlights: I picked this as one of my first items to check out from Hoopla. I had recently watched the new Netflix series based on the graphic novel and I watched the original TV show as a teenager. I enjoyed the stories in the first volume. They are very dark! The art work is very interesting.  I never read the Archie comics (which these are a spinoff of) but several characters from their universe appear in the Sabrina stories.

So if you are expecting the nice and bright Melissa Joan Hart version this is not it. Salem, the cat, is still here as well as her aunts, Hilda and Zelda, but after that everything is different.

Lowlights: Since graphic novels are more centered around the art work the stories are much shorter. I wanted a little more story but I guess I will just have to check out volume 2 for that.

FYI: There is very dark themes and imagery.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Over the six years I have been working here at the library I have found so many things to love.  One of those is audio books.  I listen to them on my phone and in my car.  I have such a long list of books to read that listening has helped knock a few off.

My favorite series to listen and relisten to is Harry Potter.  The narrator, Jim Dale, is wonderful.  He has different voices for each character.  He brings the story to life and makes for a very enjoyable road trip.  I recently picked up book three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, for the umpteenth time.  Each time I read/listen to it I find little things I missed before and I love it even more after each read.

*Beware of spoilers if you have not read Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets.*

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

First line: Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways.

Summary: Harry Potter is in this third year at Hogwarts.  He is the boy who lived.  He defeated the Dark Lord.  However, when Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban he finds himself once more in danger.  As the Dementors surround the school, Harry’s school year proceeds as normal with Quidditch and classes until he learns that Black is coming to kill him.

Highlights: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite of the series!  I have loved it since the first time reading it.  I have reread it numerous times.  I think one of the main reasons is that it is a little different from the rest of the books.  Voldemort does not play a strong role in the story and we learn more about what happened on that fateful Halloween night.  What happened to Harry’s parents?  Who were they?  They became more fleshed out.  They had friends.  They went to Hogwarts. 

Rowling builds so much of the world in this book.  The Knight Bus alone is pure genius.  I love Ernie and Stan.  I was so excited that Universal Studios even has a replica of the Knight Bus outside Diagon Alley.  In addition, we get to spend more time in the wizarding world.  Harry explores more of Diagon Alley and visits the town of Hogsmeade.  While reading I wanted a nice hot cup of Butterbeer.  I’ve had the iced version at Universal but warm sounds rather tasty as well.

There are many new characters and each of them adds to the story in their own ways.  Even the animals like Buckbeak and Crookshanks.  I love the character of Sirius Black.  He is very complex.  I do not know what it is that draws me to his character but he is always my answer for my favorite character.  Plus, Remus Lupin is hands down the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  The lesson with the boggarts is lots of fun to read.

 Lowlights: Nothing.  This book is FANTASTIC!

 FYI: Check out the audio book voiced by Jim Dale.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Time’s Convert

The last several months have been filled with the project of weeding and shelf reading the juvenile non-fiction books.  This is quite a daunting task since there are TONS of books!  I was ready to take on the challenge though.  As I have been working my way through the Dewey decimal system I have found some very interesting books.  Even though they are titles geared towards children there is so much good information to be found here.  And the fact that kids LOVE to check these out is wonderful!  If you have not browsed our children’s non-fiction titles you definitely should.

I am someone who likes to learn a little bit while I read.  Before I started working at the library I read mainly historical fiction.  I love learning about the history of people and places.  Deborah Harkness’s newest book, Time’s Convert, is my latest historical fiction but with a fantasy twist.

*May contain spoilers if you have not read the All Souls Trilogy!*

Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness

First line: On her last night as a warmblood, Phoebe Taylor had been a good daughter.

 Summary: In continuation of her best-selling series, Deborah Harkness takes us on an adventure spanning from the American Revolution to modern day as we follow the early days of vampires, Phoebe Taylor and Marcus MacNeil.  Marcus grew up in time of great change.  He saw the birth of a new country but when he meets Matthew de Claremont on the fields of battle his life was changed forever.  Phoebe, an art dealer and Marcus’s fiancé, has made the decision to become a vampire.  In the early days after her rebirth, she learns that her journey to immortality is not any easier than it was for Marcus.

 Highlights: I love Harkness and her writing.  It is immediately engaging.  I read the All Souls Trilogy several years ago which made the details of the story a little fuzzy.  However, as I started this newest installment she gave tidbits that helped me remember more of the previous novels storyline.  I was worried that in this new book I would not get to revisit characters like Matthew and Diana because the story focused on Marcus and Phoebe but Harkness must have known I would always want more of them.  She alternates her chapters between the characters and plot lines.  We jump from eighteenth century to the twenty-first and back again.

I have been fascinated with the American Revolution since middle school.  I was pleased that Marcus’s story took us back to the American colonies and the fight for liberty.  I enjoyed reading as Marcus met famous people of the time including the Marquis de Lafayette.  After seeing Harkness at a Watermark event a few years back, I learned that her focus of study is on the history of science.  It really comes through during this time when Marcus, as well as the nation, is dealing with a small pox epidemic.  The history of inoculations for the disease was fascinating and fit perfectly into the story.  I am so glad that small pox is not something that we have to worry about now because it looks truly frightening!

Phoebe is a character that I vaguely remember from the trilogy but I cannot say that I felt too strongly about her.  In this book, she has a fascinating story.  I loved seeing her progress as she fought her urges and dealt with the new strengths.  Her first night out in the world interesting.  In addition, her preference for the blood of middle-aged white women definitely made me laugh aloud!

Matthew and Diana’s twins were probably my favorite part of the story.  Each of them have their own traits from both their mother and father.  Watching their parents try to figure out how to deal with a daughter who drinks blood and son who can weave spells was entertaining.  I do not want to give too much away but I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

 Lowlights: I wish I could get more Gallowglass!  He makes a few appearances but not enough for me.  Maybe the next book?!  Please Deborah!!

 FYI: Lots of blood, violence, magic and some sexual situations.

*I do not think it is a must but I would recommend reading her All Souls Trilogy, starting with A Discovery of Witches before picking this one up.*

Book Review: Sea Witch

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

First line: Two small pairs of boots echoed on the afternoon cobblestones—one pair in a sprint, the other in a stumble and slide.

Summary: We all know the story of the little mermaid who falls in love with a prince but what we do not know is what happened before. After the disappearance of her friend, Evie continues to blame herself. However, when a young girl suddenly appears in their city who has a striking resemblance to Anna, Evie believes that miracles do come true. This stranger though has a few secrets. She must gain the love of the prince within four days or disappear into the ocean forever.

Highlights: The cover art is stunning with its mysterious purple eyed witch. I did not even have to read the synopsis before I knew that I wanted to read this. I loved watching The Little Mermaid growing up! My cousins and I would pretend to be mermaids while swimming at the pool. The sea witch was always very creepy and now we get her back-story! The history of the country and its culture was very interesting. The reliance on fishing and the sea is something I am not familiar with (being from Kansas). My favorite part was the flashbacks to when Anna went missing in the sea. It gave us a look at who our characters are and what drives them.

“The sea is a fickle witch.”

Lowlights: There are some dark elements to the story but they do not appear until the end of the story. I expected a little bit more since we were getting the back-story of a villain. And the narrative was very much young adult. They are teenagers who are worried about falling in love. Ok, great. But I want more sea witch!

FYI: This is a debut novel for Kansas author, Sarah Henning!