Category: Fiction Page 28 of 352

I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for Amy Nielsen’s, Worth It! So, this book has made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

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Book Details:

Title: Worth It by Amy Nielsen
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Issue-Driven
Age Category: Young Adult
Format: Paperback/Ebook/Audiobook
Length: 350 Pages
Publication Date: May 24, 2024

About the Book:

Seventeen-year-old Angela Carter intended to pick out prom dresses with her best friend and fill out college applications during her senior year. But her father abandons the family, and her addict mother kicks her out. The now pregnant teen’s new normal is keeping her pressure cooker older boyfriend, Dale, from erupting.

When an intoxicated Dale loses control of her car one night, Angela fears she’ll never hold her unborn child. Desperate for what little stability he provides and for fear of his retaliation, Angela lies to the police when questioned about the accident. Her lie not only protects him from a DUI but also conceals a darker secret—what happens behind the closed doors of their single-wide trailer.

Set in Central Florida in the late 80s, Worth It is a story of courage, redemption, and the power of becoming your own hero.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

Amy Nielsen spent nearly twenty years on the other side of the writing aisle as a youth librarian, sharing her love of books with eager readers. Daily immersion in story took root, and she penned her YA debut, Worth It, behind her circulation desk. She is also the author of It Takes a Village: How to Build a Support System for Your Exceptional Needs Family and Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder. Amy currently works as a literary agent with The Purcell Agency. When not reading or writing, she and her family can be found boating the waters of Tampa Bay with a canine co-captain in a mermaid life vest. You can find Amy at http://www.amynielsenauthor.com and on X @AmyNielsen06.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ BlueSky

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2025 Semi-Finalist badge

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury: Beware the Autumn People

By HCNewton

On October 10, 2025

In Fiction, Science Fiction

Something Wicked This Way Comes

by Ray Bradbury

DETAILS:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: October 24, 2017 (this particular edition, anyway. 1962 originally)
Format: Paperback
Length: 335 pg.
Read Date: September 27-30, 2025

“Now, look, since when did you think being good meant being happy?”

“Since always.”

“Since now learn otherwise, Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles and smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light. The seal-barker, the laugh-shouter half the time he’s covering up. He’s had his fun and he’s guilty And men do love sin, Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors, and smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit our appetites. Hear a man too loudly praising others, and look to wonder if he didn’t just get up from the sty. On the other hand, that unhappy, pale, put-upon man walking by, who looks all guilt and sin, why, often that’s your good man with a capital G, Will. For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two. I’ve known a few. You work twice as hard to be a farmer as to be his hog. I suppose it’s thinking about trying to be good makes the crack run up the wall one night. A man with high standards, too, the least hair falls on him sometimes wilts his spine. He can’t let himself alone, won’t lift himself off the hook if he falls just a breath from grace.”

What’s Something Wicked This Way Comes About?

I have to say, I felt kind of embarrassed when this book was suggested to me for a book featuring a circus or carnival for a book challenge. I knew Bradbury had written something with the title, but that’s all I knew.

Now, faced with trying to describe it, I’m not sure how to describe it without making it sound underwhelming. So let’s just appropriate a little of the back of the book (especially because most of you will know what the book is about already):

For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin. Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. A calliope’s shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. Two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes…and the stuff of nightmares.

Bradbury’s Prose

Just wow. I can’t tell you how many times I had to stop to re-read a line or paragraph. I loved the descriptions, the scenes—the talk about the ache inside a person.

It’s lyrical, it’s poetic, it’s gorgeous–and I don’t know what else to say.

I’ll admit I was underwhelmed by the novel (see below), but the way he wrote it? Boy howdy…it was so wonderful.

So, what did I think about Something Wicked This Way Comes?

“Can they…” said Jim. “I mean… do they… buy souls?”

“Buy, when they can get them free?” said Mr. Halloway. “Why, most men jump at the chance to give up everything for nothing. There’s nothing we’re so slapstick with as our own immortal souls. Besides, you’re inferring that’s the Devil out there. I only say it’s a type of creature has learned to live off souls, not the souls themselves. That always worried me in the old myths. I asked myself, why would Mephistopheles want a soul? What does he do with it when he gets it, of what use is it? Stand back while I throw my own theory over the plate. Those creatures want the flaming gas off souls who can‘ sleep nights, that fever by day from old crimes. A dead soul is no kindling. But a live and raving soul, crisped with self-damnation, oh that’s a pretty snoutful for such as them.”

I’m not sure the characters ever reached three-dimensional—but Bradbury made a good stab at it, but those stabls felt sporadic. That said, for characters that I thought needed some filling out, I really liked them.

Mr. Halloway, the father of one of the two boys, was the only one to take them seriously. He’s the best thing about this book. His humility, his determination, his actually being able to say something to his son about his life and affection for him. He is not a brave or courageous man. But when it comes down to it—he acts like one. He seems to be a broken man early on, but there was something about him I liked as well as pitied—by the end, I admired him. It’d have been easy for Bradbury to turn him into a father who wasn’t really in the story (like both boys’ mothers)—and that’s the way stories like this usually go. But to turn him into someone who works with them? That’s a rarity.

This was creepy, for sure. I liked the take on humanity—both the good and the bad. I thought the story wasn’t bad, even if it felt over-familiar. I thought the prose was deliciously rich, and just wish the characters lived up to it. It’s not my genre, it didn’t all click with me, but it was good enough, and I’m glad I read it.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Typewriter Repair Shop by Troy Lambert: A Story That Simply Must Be Written

By HCNewton

On October 10, 2025

In Fiction, Literary Locals

Typewriter Repair Shop

by Troy Lambert

DETAILS:
Series: Ridge Falls, #1
Publication Date: October 20, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 66 pg.
Read Date: September 19, 2025

There are times when I sit down, ready to write, with no idea what words might begin the story. It’s like an itch in the mind. Words are the only cure, calamine lotion for the desire to create.

What’s Typewriter Repair Shop About?

Jake Randall is a writer who has been struck by the muse—it’s one of those times that he just has to get a story out of his mind and onto paper (or screen). He typically likes to bounce around between his laptop, a notepad, or an actual old typewriter. This time, however, he can’t quite seem to write anything without that typewriter—but that’s okay with him, he enjoys the sensations.

Well, until one of the keys stops working—the letter just won’t strike. Which is infuriating—or would be, if a typewriter repair shop hadn’t just opened across the street from a bar and grill that Jake likes to frequent.

Sure, it seems like a dumb business idea in the 2020s, but at the moment, he’s not looking a gift horse in any orifice. He takes it in, gets the letter repaired (while he enjoys some fish and chips at the grill), and goes home to write more, he really wants to tell this story.

Then a different letter stops working. And so, Jake repeats the sequence. But now he’s more driven to tell the story. And then…yeah, a different key…

The Look of the Thing

So, I don’t know how well an eBook would do with the funky typography/handwriting things that Lambert does here. Probably fine, but also…it could be a mess.

The dead-tree version, however, looks very cool. We frequently get to “see” the typewritten portions with the missing letters, and sometimes where Jake filled them in by hand.

This makes it easy to see why he’d give up—it’s easy to think to yourself, “tough it out, fill it in by hand.” But when you see it in front of you and then think about the effort? No thanks. Back to the repair shop for sure.

So, what did I think about Typewriter Repair Shop?

I’ve got to be quick about this—if I talk too much, you won’t have a reason to pick this up—and I want you to.

This is a very Twilight Zone-y kind of story. You may get to the point where you think you know everything that’ll happen (and you might be right), but that’s not the point. The point is to go on this fast, twisty, and strange ride with Lambert.

Revel in the creepiness, the atmosphere, the…whatever it is that’s going on in Jake’s mind.

This novella is absolutely worth your time and money. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next from this series.

3.5 Stars

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, Louise Heal Kawai (Translator): A True Gem of a Read

By HCNewton

On October 9, 2025

In Fantasy, Fiction

The Cat Who Saved Books

by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai

DETAILS:
Series: The Cat Who..., #1
Publisher: HarperVia
Publication Date: December 07, 2021
Format: Hardcover
Length: 198 pg.
Read Date: October 1-2, 2025

Suddenly the cat spoke.

“Books have a soul.”

Its beautiful eyes seemed to capture the light of the stars and they, too, twinkled in the darkness.

“A book that sits on a shelf is nothing but a bundle of paper. Unless it is opened, a book possessing great power or an epic story is mere scraps of paper. But a book that has been cherished and loved, filled with human thoughts, has been endowed with a soul.”

“A soul?”

“That’s right,” replied the cat emphatically.

What’s The Cat Who Saved Books About?

Rintaro Natsuki, a high school student, finds himself the proprietor of a used bookstore after the death of his grandfather/guardian. It’s a bit too much for him to handle—and he’s going to have to move, anyway—so he plans to close it.

But before he gets that far, a cat appears in the store and starts talking to him. Not just talking to him, but telling Rintaro that he needs to accompany the cat to go rescue books. On the one hand, it’s ridiculous for the teen to follow the cat into a mysterious and strange reality to do this. But also…I sort of figure that if a cat starts talking to you, you tend to follow along with whatever nonsense it’s telling you.

The pair go off on a short series of adventures to…well, save books from people who aren’t treating them the right way (another reason to go along with the cat). This is hard to explain in a satisfactory way, at least in my reckoning. It makes utter sense when you see it in action.

Translator’s Note

There are a few pages from the translator at the end of the book, describing some of the choices made. I found it fascinating—and would’ve gladly read another 15+ pages about it. But it’s probably good we didn’t get all of that—leave a little mystery to her craft, right?

But what I learned about the Japanese language—and a little bit about the culture—it just made me want to learn more.

So, what did I think about The Cat Who Saved Books?

In the local doctor’s opinion, he’d most probably suffered a heart attack and died quickly.

“He passed away peacefully.”

If you combined the kanji character for “go” with the one for “live,” you got a strange-looking word meaning “to pass away.” Somehow seeing this word was what had shaken Rintaro the most; it struck him as out of place.

Okay, so I don’t want to say much about this book because it’s really one of those that you have to find your way through and experience.

But I do want to say a little. The magic system makes no sense. I don’t understand why Rintaro gets recruited. I don’t understand his aunt’s role in anything, or how Rintaro actually accomplishes anything, what happens to the books he and the cat save, or the brevity of their campaign. The encounters with the people they’re saving books from are entirely too short and are all anticlimactic. I probably have more to say along those lines, but you get the gist. Basically, Sosuke Natsukawa needs someone like Gareth Brown, R.F. Kuang, or Peng Shepherd to come in, expand on his ideas and fill in all the stuff that would make this make sense and cohere.

Here’s the thing, though. And this is important.

I do not care about any of that. Not a lick of it. It doesn’t matter—and this is a conversation I had with myself at least a half-a-dozen times while reading the book, and I always came to the same conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I loved what it said about reading, books in general, the writing of them, the importance of them, the kinds of books to be produced and why. I enjoyed the book, it warmed my heart and made me smile. There was sweetness, there was whimsy, and it just didn’t matter that none of it made sense. It’s entirely possible that addressing my issues would’ve ruined the book—it almost certainly would ruin it.

Go, grab it, and bring a warm glow to your inner bibliophile. It’s a gem.

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire: Toby’s Up to Her Old Tricks, with Some New Complications

By HCNewton

On October 8, 2025

In Fiction, K-O, Seanan McGuire, Toby Daye, Urban Fantasy

Silver and Lead

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #19
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: September 30, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 400 pg.
Read Date: September 5-8, 2025

What’s Silver and Lead About?

Queen Arden has a task for her hero–and she’s more than happy to take it on. During the recent…whatever you want to call what Titania did, several items were removed from the royal vaults. Dangerous items, naturally. Now, Arden had wanted to wait until Toby had given birth and recovered before sending her to find them. But at least one of the items has been used, and someone is dead. She can’t put it off any longer.

Toby’s tired, fed up, and annoyed by basically being under house arrest because of her worried husband during the last few months of her pregnancy. Yes, Tybalt’s worries are understandable, but he’s maybe gone a little too far. Toby’s glad for the excuse to get to work, and promises she’ll be extra careful. (Any guesses how that goes and how cooperative the people she’s looking for are going to be?)

Quentin–whose identity seems to be the worst-kept secret in all of Faerie–sticks with her every step of the way. This adventure brings us across many old friends and allies and reminds us of one old enemy.

Oh, I forgot to mention, before any of this happens, everyone’s favorite Sea Witch has a request–both sweet and terrifying–for Toby before any of this business with Arden starts.

All in all, this is not the way most people spend the last couple of weeks of their pregnancy. But of course, Toby wouldn’t do it any other way, and her readers expect no less.

Aftershocks

While we are not looking directly at what Titania did in these pages, we’re looking at the aftermath. We’re also learning a little bit about how her plan didn’t completely work. But I’m going to gloss over that (but you’re going to want to stop and muse about it while reading).

Quentin is trying to wrap his mind around the version of himself he saw and remembers, and cannot stand it. He’s overcompensating—and you can’t blame him for that—when he’s not letting it interfere with his thinking in the present.

Some of the ramifications of Titania’s work are seen in the motivations behind this novel’s primary villain. This doesn’t justify their actions (they’d have likely found another way to justify things), but it gives us an idea of all the unintended consequences of her re-write of Faerie. (unintended, but she probably wouldn’t care).

I really appreciate this–we’re not primarily concerned with her, nor have we just gotten a “it’s been a few months, stuff happened, life goes on” kind of thing. Faerie learned a lot about itself, they found some messes that need to be cleaned up. Yes, life goes on, but it’s different and will continue to be for a while.

So, what did I think about Silver and Lead?

So after a few novels with big, world-changing events at their core, it’s nice to get back to the bread-and-butter kind of novel. Yes, the stakes are important. Yes, there are life-and-death situations all around—and if Toby fails, it will mean bad things. But it won’t be the end of the world.

One of the advantages of a long-running series like this is that you can pluck a (seemingly?) random someone from an early novel, dust them off, and have them play a major role in the current book. Which is great—it also means that every random someone has the potential of being important. McGuire used that well in Silver and Lead.

While I enjoyed Raysel’s use here, I’m a little afraid that she’s being given some short-shrift overall, and the interesting storyline that seemed to have kicked off for her in Be the Serpent will end more with more of a whimper than it should. (Hopefully, this means that McGuire has something really big cooking).

Early on in the reading, I texted a friend, “a very pregnant Toby is fun.” She really is—and just as it was good to get back to a smaller stakes plot, it’s nice to be with the characters again, adapting to/preparing for this new stage of life.

McGuire’s humor and willingness to put her characters through the wringer for the entertainment of her audience shine forth. Toby’s determination (read: near-uncompromising stubbornness), grit, and humanity are on display for all. Tybalt and May are Tybalt and May (always good), and Quentin continues to develop into quite the man. The Luidaeg was fantastically used—particularly at the beginning. It was also good to see the rest of the cast, and I’m looking forward to seeing what life is like for Sir Mommy Daye.

Fans will be pleased with this one, and it might draw in a few new ones. Silver and Lead is just what we needed after the last arc.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley—thanks to both for this. Sorry it’s up late, it’s been one of those months.

4 Stars

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett: “The air smelled of a limited life expectancy.”

By HCNewton

On October 7, 2025

In Fantasy, Fiction

I think this is coherent, there are five different attempts at writing something represented below. I finally filled out my outline, but I’ve spent so much time on the post, I’m not sure how much it makes sense.

Men at Arms

by Terry Pratchett

DETAILS:
Series: Discworld, #15; City Watch, #2
Publisher: HarperPrism
Publication Date: January 1, 1993
Format: Hardcover
Length: 341 pg.
Read Date: August 1-5, 2025

“You see,” said Colon, “thieves are organized here. I mean, it’s official They’re allowed a certain amount of thieving. Not that they do much these days, mind you. If you pay them a little premium every year they give you a card and leave you alone. Saves time and effort all around.”

“And all thieves are members?” said Angua.

“Oh, yes,” said Carrot. “Can’t go thieving in Ankh-Morpork without a Guild permit. Not unless you’ve got a special talent.”

“Why? What happens? What talent?” she said.

“Well, being able to survive being hung upside down from one of the gates with your ears nailed to your knees,” said Carrot.”

What’s Men at Arms About?

The Night Watch is in flux—Captain Vimes is on the verge of retiring, and there are questions about who his successor will be. There’s a class of recruits that need to be trained—including a (gasp) woman. Our friends from the first book are trying to navigate this, train these recruits—and get their job done.

The job is made a bit more complicated when a murder victim shows up—killed by some sort of weapon no one on Discworld has seen before. Two guilds are implicated in this, the tensions between two non-human races are stoked due to the investigation, and the Night Watch has only a little time to get to the bottom of this all.

Fantasy Races

It was a state of permanent inter-species vendetta and, like all good vendettas, didn’t really need a reason any more. It was enough that it had always existed. Dwarfs hated trolls because trolls hated dwarfs, and vice versa.

I don’t remember Guards! Guards! doing a lot with the whole fantasy race thing—there were humans and dwarves, right? Maybe some mentions of others, but I don’t recall it being that big of a deal.

Here we have more dwarves and trolls—and a lot of animosity between the two races. We also have plenty of reasons to see how ridiculous expressions of this animosity (and probably even the grounds for it) really are.

I really found this a compelling aspect of the book, particularly the way that two of the Watch’s trainees (one from each race) learned to work together—it’s not in an after-school special way, but one that felt genuine.

The Gonne

A handheld firearm has found its way into Discworld, and the results are devastating.

Several people want it destroyed—and definitely don’t want it replicated. But when they get it into their possession, they can’t seem to destroy it. In fact, many become obsessed with it, it’s like they start to take orders from it.

Back in 1993 (original date of publication), Terry Pratchett saw the attraction of the power that comes from wielding a handgun and depicted it in a way that feels incredibly of the moment. Obviously, this has been something humans have been dealing with for a long time—it’s nothing new—but I don’t remember coming across something so clear, so incisive along these lines until more recently.*

* Sure, this may say more about what I’ve read than it does about Pratchett…but even the more sensitive treatments I read that are older than this don’t seem to get it as well.

So, what did I think about Men at Arms?

Colon thought Carrot was simple. Carrot often struck people as simple. And he was. Where people went wrong was thinking that simple meant the same thing as stupid.

I didn’t find this as funny as Guards! Guards!. It was quirky, and odd, and amusing—yes. Which isn’t to say that it wasn’t riddled with great lines. It was entertaining as all get out—and I enjoyed it almost as much. But it was more focused on character development, story, and social commentary than yucks and guffaws. It’s probably a better novel over all, honestly. But not as fun.

So it really wasn’t what I expected, which is a shade disappointing. But what I got instead is a superior product—with some great avenues for future stories. I didn’t expect to have emotional reactions to what happens to characters in a fantasy novel that I expected to laugh my way through! (the reactions might have been small since I didn’t know them that well, but still, it was outsized for how many pages I’d known them for)

As much as I enjoyed Captain Samuel Vimes and what happened with him—I really didn’t appreciate Sybil Ramkin. I thought she was great in Guards! Guards!, but she was a giant let-down here. I expect that to change in the future. I’m really excited about the possibilities for Vimes going forward.

Carrot…good ol’ Carrot. As great a character as I thought he was coming into this—he was far, far better throughout. Especially what we got to see of him through the eyes of other characters—particularly Lance-constable Angua von Überwald (who’s just a great addition regardless). It’s one thing to give us things from his perspective, or from the omniscient narrator’s point of view—but for us to see what others see in him, particularly the intangible stuff, and how they’re confused by his success—utterly fantastic.

Whatever my issues with Pratchett were before Guards! Guards!, they are well and truly dead and buried. I’m going to work on devoting more time to him in 2026 (if not before). This was a great read with depth I didn’t expect (but maybe should’ve) in one of the strangest fantasy worlds I’ve encountered. Funny, thoughtful, deep (in the right ways), absolutely silly (in the right ways).

4 1/2 Stars

REPOSTING JUST ‘CUZ: Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka: Second Verse, Same as the First (in a good way)

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2025

In Authors, Benedict Jacka, F-J, Fiction, Stephen Oakwood, Urban Fantasy

An Instruction in Shadow

by Benedict Jacka

DETAILS:
Series: Stephen Oakwood, #2
Publisher: Ace Books
Publication Date: October 15, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 310 pg. 
Read Date: December 9-11, 2024

What’s An Instruction in Shadow About?

This picks up mere hours after An Inheritance of Magic, and Stephen is feeling pretty good about himself. His job is going okay, he’s continuing to improve in his magic, he’s got a good lead when it comes to his father’s location—sure, things with his mother weren’t quite what he’d hoped for. But she left the door open to further communication.

And it doesn’t take long for things to start going wrong—but nothing disastrous.

The best way to summarize this book is to say that: everything from the last book continues along the same trajectory, but gets harder. This means nothing if you haven’t read that book, but you really should (at the very least, go check out my post about it). Among the ways that happens—a cult (or cult-like group) tries to recruit him, an assassin makes an (almost successful) attempt on his life, he gets suspended from work, and he runs afoul of a group of Russian criminals.

Worst of all, Stephen gets in deeper with his mother’s family.

The World and Its Magic System

We don’t learn much more about sigl work or Wells—we see more examples of what we’ve already seen at work, but that’s about it. Alright, we get to see what medical sigls can do, so that’s new.

What we get more of-—and it’s just the tip of the iceberg, I’m sure–is insight into the families and companies that run the sigl economy and Well markets. If there are ethics governing them in any way, shape, or form, Stephen hasn’t shown them to us. It’s all about power, manipulation, and things that happen under the table and behind the scenes. It’s both unthinkable that things operate in this fashion in the 21st century—and somehow the part of the book that seems the least fictional or fantastic.

Much of this comes from an info drop or two—but they’re worked into the narrative perfectly. They’re neither disruptive to the overall story nor are they clunky exposition.

So, what did I think about An Instruction in Shadow?

Let me start with this: I would happily read books 3 and 4 in this series in the next couple of months, and still be eager for more. The more we see about this world—and the more questions we have raise, the more I want to learn and see.

Am I a little worried about the arc that Jacka is suggesting for Stephen? Yes. Am I also almost certain that the arc won’t go the way it looks, and that there’s nothing to worry about? Yes.

I really just want more of it—-I am not certain that I care too much about the whole “where’s Stephen’s dad” part of the overall story, but I’m pretty sure that I don’t need to, because the series has been inevitably moving in that direction since the beginning, and when the time comes, I’ll get invested.

But Jacka has got me sitting on the edge of my seat when it comes to everything else. I want to see more of how this economy works—on the legitimate side, the illegitimate side, and then the murky overlap. I want to understand how Stephen is going to operate and keep his head above water in it. He’s not just a MacGuffin, but he kind of feels that way right now.

I’m feeling really inarticulate when it comes to this series—and this installment in particular. Everything I said about the first one is still true. We really just got more of what he’d already given, so my position and thoughts are pretty much the same, too.

I did think that despite his struggles and the aforementioned almost successful assassination, things went a little too easy for Stephen this time. I’d have liked a failure or two. Or at least another draw or two. Even when things were at their hardest for him in this book, he found a way to turn the oncoming defeat into a victory. I typically really appreciate that kind of thing (obviously), but I had very little doubt each time that Stephen was going to come out on top. I just want a little more suspense and doubt on that front. But this wasn’t a major distraction or detraction—it’d just be good for Stephen’s life to be seen as difficult as he sees it.

Also, one of the better parts of An Inheritance of Magic was watching the trial and error Stephen went through—it was very effective in terms of character development and showing us the way sigls work. Give me more of that and I’m happy.

Again—I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am eager to read more. I just wanted it to be a teeny bit better.

If you’re into inventive UF, there’s no better time than now to jump on this series—I think you’ll be as invested in getting more as I am.

4 Stars

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka: I Cannot Recall the Last Time I was This Excited about a New UF Series

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2025

In Benedict Jacka, Stephen Oakwood, Urban Fantasy

An Inheritance of Magic

by Benedict Jacka

DETAILS:
Series: Stephen Oakwood, #1
Publisher: Ace Books
Publication Date: October 10, 2023
Format: eARC
Length: 384 pg.
Read Date: September 22-26, 2023

This is Hard

I want to limit my comparisons between this new series and Jacka’s previous series to just one section—but that’s not going to happen. It makes sense, I suppose. It’s Jacka’s first non-Alex Verus book (other than the two hard-to-find children’s novels), so comparisons are inevitable, but I don’t want to turn this into an X vs. Y situation.

I will say at the outset, that if it wasn’t for the name on the cover, I don’t know that I’d have known they had the same author—so that tells you something about the comparisons. (except in quality—this is definitely up to the standards Jacka has established)

What’s An Inheritance of Magic About?

This is tricky. The Author’s Note at the beginning of the book tells us that this book is an introduction to the series. We are introduced to the world, the characters, the magic, and so on. Yes, there is a plot—a handful, actually—but the main point is for us to get oriented.

Basically, we meet Stephen—he’s roughly 20 and is fairly aimless. He doesn’t have the money (or, really, ambition) to go to University. He bounces from temp job to temp job, hangs out at his local with his friends regularly, takes care of his cat, and works on his magic in his spare time. It’s his real passion, but he doesn’t do much with it.

Then one day, some distant relatives that he’s never heard of come into his life (it’d be too complicated to list the reasons they give, and I think they’re half-truths at best, anyway). Suddenly, Stephen is thrown into a dangerous, high-stakes world of money and power—and he’s just a pawn to be used in the games of his “family” (and by family, I mean people that 23andMe would identify as relatives, but he’s never been in contact with or aware of for his entire existence). He’s a relatively unimportant pawn at that. He’s sort of grateful for that as he realizes it—but he’d have been happier if they never bothered him in the first place. Happier and with significantly fewer bruises.

However, through their machinations, he’s introduced to new levels of magic society and ways that the magic in this world works. Best of all he finds ways that he can be employed and use his magic—the best of both worlds. Sure, his friends don’t get it (not that he tells many of them, because he prefers that they think he’s sane), but he’s bringing in enough money to live and he’s getting stronger and more capable.

The World and Its Magic System

So, where the Alex Verus series was about one man and his friends/allies trying to navigate (and survive) the politics and power of the magical society in England (largely), at this point the Stephen Oakwood series appears to be about one man making his way (and hopefully surviving) the money and power of a different sort magical society—and it’s intersection with the non-magical world. We’re not just talking Econ 101 kind of stuff here—Stephen’s family appears to be some of the 1% of the 1% and there are huge multi-national corporations involved here with defense contracts to governments all over the world.

Basically, Alex had an easier place to navigate.

Most of the magic that’s used in this world comes from sigils—physical objects created from various kinds of energy wells (earth magic, life magic, light magic, and so on) to do particular tasks (shine a light, augment strength, heal minor wounds, etc.). There are likely bigger and better things along those lines (hence defense contracts), but that should give you an idea. The overwhelming number of these sigils are pumped out by some sort of industrial companies and are only good for a limited amount of time.

Stephen was taught (by his father, and by himself) to make sigils on his own—his are individualized, artisanal kinds of things. Think of a sweater you get from some hobbyist off of Etsy vs. the kind of thing you can get for much less at Walmart or on Wish—quality that lasts vs. cheap and disposable. He also reverse engineers almost all of his sigils—he sees something in a catalog (no, really, this is how people get their sigils for personal use) or in use and tries to figure out how such a thing will work and then sets out to create one.

I don’t know where Jacka is going to go with all of this, obviously. But I love this setup.

Alex and Stephen

It wasn’t until I was just about done with the book that I finally figured out what Alex and Stephen had in common—which is odd, it was staring me in the face for most of the novel. But before that, I really wouldn’t have said they had much in common at all.

Stephen is our entry point to this world, and he only knows a little bit about it so as he learns, so does the reader. Alex pretty much knew everything that was going on in his world, so he had to catch the reader up—or he could help Luna understand something (and make it easier for the reader to learn that way). Stephen has to learn almost everything by getting someone to teach him, or through trial and error—either way, the reader is along for the ride and learns with him.

Similarly, Stephen’s really just starting to get the knack of his abilities where Alex was already a pro—sure he had more to learn (and his power increased), but Stephen’s not even a rookie, really when things get going.

Stephen had a loving and supportive father growing up, a strong group of friends, and experience outside the area of magic users—something we never got a strong idea that Alex ever had. Alex had trauma and hardships behind him—Stephen doesn’t. So their personalities, outlooks, etc. are very different from the outset.

It’s not really that shocking that the protagonists of two different series wouldn’t be that similar. And yet…we’ve all read a second or third series from an author with a protagonist that’s just a variation of their initial breakout character. So it’s good to see that Jacka’s able to make that transition between his two series—it gives you hope for what he’s going to do in the future.

Oh, what did I finally realize the two characters shared? They watch and learn. Alex does it because that’s essentially what his abilities were—he could sift through the various futures and decide what to do based on that. Stephen just doesn’t know enough about anything so he has to sit and observe—and from there he can decide how to act. But where others will try to think first and act second, Stephen and Alex watch first—and for a long time—before they think and then act. It’s something not enough characters (especially in Urban Fantasy) seem to spend much time doing. So I’m glad to see it.

So, what did I think about An Inheritance of Magic?

I am just so excited about this series. I didn’t know how Jacka could successfully follow up the Verus series. I trusted he would, because he’s earned that over the last decade—but, I didn’t expect that I’d respond so positively so soon.

We need to start with Stephen’s spunky attitude—with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder due to his circumstances in life (that grows to a degree as he learns how much he and his father missed out on and starts to guess why)—is a real winner. He’s got a gritty (in an Angela Duckworth sense, not Raymond Chandler or William Gibson sense) outlook, is generally optimistic—and can even be funny—all the attributes you want in an underdog.

Then there’s the world-building that I tried to sketch out above—and did a not-wholly-inadequate job of. I want to know more about it—and figure increased familiarity is just going to make me more curious.

I have so many questions about the family members who’ve inserted themselves in Stephen’s life related to their motivations, trustworthiness (I suspect at least one will turn out to be an ally, however temporary), goals, and abilities. I have those questions about Stephen’s guides and allies—and think at least one of them is going to turn on him in a devastating way (thankfully, he doesn’t trust most of them completely). There’s also this priest who keeps assigning him theological work to study. Some good theology, too. I don’t fully know where this is going—but I’m dying to find out.

Are we going to get a Big Bad—or several—for Stephen to face off against? Or is this simply going to be about a series of obstacles Stephen has to overcome until he can carve out an okay existence for himself? Is this about Stephen becoming one of those 1% and the corruption of his character that will necessitate?

I’m not giving this a full 5 stars mostly because of the introductory nature of the book—also because I want to be able to say that book 2 or 3 is an improvement over this (which I fully expect). But that says more about me and my fussy standards than it does about this book. I loved it, and am filled with nothing but anticipation for the sequel/rest of the series. It’s entirely likely that as this series wraps up that we’re going to talk about the Alex Verus series as Jacka with his training wheels on.

I’m now in danger of over-hyping. Also, I’m going to just start repeating laudatory ideas. Urban Fantasy readers need to get on this now.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

4 1/2 Stars

Catching Up with Toby Daye

By HCNewton

On September 18, 2025

In Fiction, Seanan McGuire, Toby Daye, Urban Fantasy

I’ve been thinking about this post since September of 2022, I just knew I couldn’t write about Be the Serpent without seeing what McGuire did next—my mind wouldn’t let me decide what I thought about it until then. And then after Sleep No More, I had to tackle The Innocent Sleep, and then…well, I kept getting distracted or busy. But I have to put something down about these three so I can intelligently talk about Silver and Lead, and I really want to do that. So, I’m trying a different kind of post than I’m used to.

Oh, I’m also suspending my typical no spoilers rule here. Read at your own risk, this is the only warning I’m giving.

Be the Serpent

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #16
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: August 30, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 305 pg.
Read Date: August 31, 2022-September 5, 2022; August 25-29, 2023

It felt like I was standing outside this scene and watching it unfold, like none of this had anything to do with me. Like I should have been able to smile politely, say, “No, thank you,” and walk away, leaving everything exactly as it was before I got out of bed this morning.

I don’t know how many friends of mine have stumbled on books 2 or 3 of this series and never kept going. Or stumbled and were pushed on (and were so glad they did). I sort of get that, but I didn’t have that reaction. I did stumble here on book 16, Be the Serpent. Obviously, by this point—it doesn’t matter, I’m going to shake it off and keep going. Toby, Tybalt, May, Quentin, and the rest (the list is getting ridiculously long) mean too much to me to be put off by one novel.

But I do have to wonder what was going on in McGuire’s mind for her to give us this book—I have no proof of this, but in my head-canon, she was so focused on the last pages of this novel and what she was setting up that she didn’t pay enough attention to the execution of this novel. That doesn’t sound like McGuire to me, but it’s the best I’ve got.

The opening is fantastic—and the way that Toby and Rayseline executed their plan was so well done, and the prospect of watching Raysel heal in the midst of Toby’s chaos seemed like a fun lark. And then the horrific happened—the scene where Toby finds Stacy’s kids dead or dying is possibly the most gut-churning thing she’s written (and that’s saying something)*

* If you want to argue that she’s topped that in some recent InCryptid novels, I won’t fight you.

The problems start a chapter or two after that. Once Toby realizes why Stacy killed her kids (because she’s not really Stacy, but Titania, realizing she’s Stacy all along. I don’t know a shorter way to describe it all), she sets out to destroy Titania—but she can’t. No matter how often she tells herself it’s not her, no matter that the “Stacy consciousness” tells Toby to do it, no matter how many frelling times she has that conversation with anyone (including herself several times)—Toby can’t just do it. That’s almost understandable.

But also, McGuire has to tell us several times how this whole thing is tearing Toby apart. But I honestly don’t “see” it happening. I hear about it—I see it when she’s interacting with Stacy’s surviving kids or husband. But otherwise? I really don’t.

I could’ve been satisfied with the ending had it ended 2 pages or so into the last chapter (because that was just a great moment).

But no…we’ve got to do the whole Titania comes back, puts the hurt on Toby, and then rewrites history—wiping Toby’s mind and rewriting her history—having (pretty quickly) found a loophole in Oberon’s decree (he must be pretty rusty from all the nothing he’s been up to for the last few centuries). Sure, the first two parts of that list were certain to happen eventually.

But I just hate, hate, hate the whole “we’ll rewrite history/perception/whatever” storyline. Buffy in the asylum, Picard’s whole other life in “The Inner Light” (although he at least starts off remembering reality), um…other examples I should have at hand, but don’t. At the time, I told friends (and maybe my readers in a WWW Wednesday post or a Saturday Miscellany) that I hate the ending, but trusted McGuire would make me come around to it in the next book (and prematurely resented her for making her eat my words).

In the end, that didn’t happen—I still am going to consider Be the Serpent as the low point of this series. However…I really liked the lemonade she turned this giant pile of lemons into. Which brings us to….

Sleep No More

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #17
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 310 pg.
Read Date: October 26, 2023-October 27, 2023; January 13-16, 2025

“Romantic love is not required to live a full and happy life, my seedlings,” Father had told us, watching carefully to be sure we took his message to heart, “but if you cannot love one who loves you truly in return, find friends, find companions, find people who will tell you the truths you cannot carry and unveil the lies you cannot see. Most of all, cleave to each other, for you will be the only sure support you have in all this world.”

We spend most of our time watching this Alternate Version of Toby make her way through this version of Faerie that we all can kind of recognize, but not really. A good deal of the “fun” of all this is seeing the ways that Titania’s rewriting of things is similar—but not quite—to our version of things.

Toby, for example, has all the niceness, the kindness, the happiness that we all know she’s capable of—but she rarely gets to express (or she can only express in certain ways). August is…wow. The best older sister, really (sure, it’d be better if she didn’t believe that changelings were lesser beings, but…at least she doesn’t treat them as trash). Quentin, on the other hand, is an entitled jerk.

Thankfully, we get to come into this world just before it starts unraveling, partially because of Toby. Even as she really doesn’t know what she’s doing (or who she is, most importantly), she keeps being Toby—which means taking apart the plans and machinations of her opponents. Everything I think McGuire got wrong in the previous book, she did right here. We even get to revisit some of the bigger moments of the past.

I really liked the story; I thought McGuire executed it as close to flawlessly as is possible. I liked the conclusion—it was exciting, tense, and you honestly (especially now) had no idea how things were going to turn out. Sure, we know that bigger and worse things are on the horizon than we just dealt with—but okay. That’s pretty much par for the course.

Best yet? October and August have a relationship now. Simon and Toby are closer than they were. Yes, things are messed up ,and everyone will need to recover and reset. But…we’ve gained a lot.

Sleep No More

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #18
Publisher: DAW 
Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 314 pg.
Read Date: October 31-November 1, 2023; January 24-31, 2025

Love is a knife forever suspended an inch from your heart, and if it falls or you stumble into it, you can all too easily find yourself impaled and bleeding.

This felt like an incredibly unnecessary book. Sure, it seemed like a good idea—perhaps even entertaining just to see things from Tybalt’s perspective. But we already know this story. Why bother?

Oh, for so many reasons, it turns out. I ended up loving this book.Rather than picking up months later, like we did in Toby’s POV, we see this from the instant Titania did her thing—or pretty much. We get more than simply Tybalt’s POV—we get to see how all this nonsense is impacting the rest of Faerie—or isn’t, as the case sometimes is. We see just how far the range of the changes are. Most importantly, we see what happens to people who aren’t that close to Toby—the collateral damage.

And that damage is devastating—and is getting worse.

Then we get to see some of the specific incidents described in Sleep No More from Tybalt’s POV, or at least what others tell him. Still, it’s not Toby’s viewpoint. We come away from all of it with a greatly expanded understanding of everything that happened to the characters we know and love (or just know). Also, between the two books, we really learn so much more about Titania than we did before (naturally). And now we really want to see Maeve in action—as apocalyptic as that likely will be.

Could McGuire have done this as a larger-than-usual book from shifting POVs? Probably. But the pacing would’ve been weird, getting the different POVs on the same events would get tiresome (and hard to decide which POV would come first)…and, I think it’d have just been a mess. So much better this way.

My beef with this one—and I think it’s the only one I have in both Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep is Tybalt’s lack of emotional control. Yes, it has to be hard to see Toby like this, to see her not know you at all—but for crying out loud, man! You’ve been around for centuries, you know the whammy that magic can do to someone’s mind and body (you’ve experienced it first hand!!)—magic from one of the Three? Hold yourself together, know that you’ve got a chance to help everyone—especially Toby, and stop acting like a child when she’s around.

Do the greatness of Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep make up for Be the Serpent? No. Do they make it more forgivable? Ehhh, kind of. Mostly, I know for future re-reads to expect some rough riding, but that it’s worth it. As I said above, the lemonade she made from Be the Serpent is mighty tasty. And I’m okay with that.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Cover Reveal: Bounty Inc by Adam Holcombe

By HCNewton

On September 15, 2025

In Science Fiction

I’m very pleased today to welcome the Cover Reveals for Adam Holcombe’s upcoming Bounty Inc! Because SF about intergalactic bounty hunters is just what you expect after couple of books about a grandmotherly necromancer, right? Eh, maybe not…but I’m game for pretty much anything he puts out.

I’ll show you this cover below, but first let’s learn a little bit about the book and author, shall we? It’ll just take a moment, and then we can all take a peak at the cover.

About the Book:

A dream lives on while a will is strong, but a significant inheritance from a recently-deceased father sure helps too.

When Wyn throws away his easy life to open the galaxy’s first bounty hunter organization and become a bounty hunter himself, he soon learns that a strong support system will be needed. A support system like an unwise mentor, her giant lizard ex-girlfriend, a woman trapped within her armor, a suspicious cyborg, a possible war criminal, several thousand beetles, and a ten-year-old insectoid with a pet.

Money is never endless, however, and Wyn will need to lead his new friends down a dangerous path to prove Bounty Inc.’s worth and keep his dream alive.

Book Links:

Amazon Preorder ~ Direct Signed Bundle Preorder ~ ARC Request Form

About the Author

Adam Holcombe daylights as a programmer and moonlights as an author. After spending years toying with the idea of writing, he decided to commit and work toward releasing his first novel. Then Gam Gam got in the way, and now he’s writing too many stories to count.

When he’s not locking himself in a cold basement to type away, he can be found squishing his dog (but not too hard), squawking at his tortoise (but not too loudly), goofing off with his wife and daughter (in perfectly ordinary, non-weird ways), playing D&D with friends (I’m playing a character now!), or the usual chilling at home. He is a lover of books, board games, video games, and swords.

He is the author of the Chronicles of Gam Gam series featuring the titular necromantic grandmother Gam Gam, and the Bounty Inc. universe which will be a collective of sci-fi novels spanning a galaxy. You can find out more about both series, along with future publishing news, and additional book content at bountyink.com. Onto the next one!

Author Links:

Bluesky ~ Discord ~ Patreon ~ Instagram ~ TikTok ~ Goodreads

and now…

The Cover

The Complete Cover Wrap:

Click to embiggen either image. And why wouldn’t you want to see them in their complete glory?

Kudos to these fine folk for their work on this eye-grabber:
Cover Art by Kerstin Espinoza Rosero
Cover design by VM Design

I was in from the words “by Adam Holcombe.” I’d pre-ordered the book as soon as I could, actually. The blurb sealed the deal (but I’m pretty sure I read it after I ordered). That cover is just icing on the cake for me–very attractive icing, I should add.

Go and do the right thing–place your orders now.

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