Fantasy Books

Today I have four amazing fantasy books for you, plus a lovely cocktail I created to drink while reading them all.

Her Dark Wings by Melinda Salisbury

Well, what does it say about me that I was glad the betraying best friend was already gone from the start of the book??? I think it was kind of a relief as I usually just get frustrated with the mean, annoying 'friends'.

I loved how the Greek customs and rituals are embedded in life in this town. I couldn't tell if it was actually supposed to be in Greece, or maybe a non-descript fictional land. Corey doesn't particularly want to get involved with the gods, but try as she might, she gets more and more entangled. But there seems to be a reason that she has caught their attention and now it is very difficult to go back to normal life.

A lot of the characters were really interesting. I particularly liked the furies, and the changing aspects of Hades and Hermes. This book was not exactly an action packed adventure, but the writing flows so easily that I read most of it in a day. Once I got into it I was fully engrossed and just didn't want to stop reading. This is definitely not just a standard Persephone retelling.

A Midnight Dark & Golden by Holly Race

It was wonderful to see how the relationship between Fern and Ollie has changed and grown over the three books, as well as how they individually have grown. And I was really interested in the revelations into their mother's past, finding out how things came to be the way they were.

This was such a thrilling end to the trilogy. After being almost completely destroyed by book 2 I was pretty nervous about how this would end (and I was right to be!) but it was definitely very satisfying. This trilogy is an investment well worth making.

Waking the Witch by Rachel Burge

'The caterpillar becomes a butterfly not through struggle, but surrender.'

There's lots of soul searching and learning to become what you're born to be, without having to let go of your own self. I really liked Tom, I felt so bad for him as he really made an effort with Ivy but she kept brushing him off and refusing to believe he might want to be friends!

The story was wonderfully chilling and atmospheric, but still had some unexpectedly funny moments. Almost nothing was what I expected, with so many twists, it's been a long time since a book surprised me so much!

This book felt completely different to The Twisted Tree by the same author, and I enjoyed this one much more. I am really hoping for a sequel though this book has a pretty satisfactory ending, it does seem open to more and I would love to find out what happens next for Ivy.

Small Angels by Lauren Owen

Reading this book was like listening to someone telling ghost stories around a camp fire, it was so creepy and atmospheric. Mockbeggar Wood felt like a main character itself, seemingly with feelings and opinions of its own.

There are a series of stories, all interconnected. The book goes back and forth in time between the past and the present, with various characters narrating. It was interesting how points of view changed the events, and how the memories were altered over time. Even the characters seemed changed through the story.

For these books I've created the Summer Fantasy cocktail. In a shaker with lots of ice, add 50ml Strawberry & Pink Peppercorn gin, 50ml lemon juice, 15ml blue curacao and 15ml grenadine. Shake and pour into a short glass filled with ice, top with a splash of soda.