I don’t think Lois McMaster Bujold has released a full-length novel since 2016’s Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, which I sort of read as a capstone to the Vorkosigan series. Since then, she seems to have been spending her time experimenting with self-publishing novellas. While I’ve found those to be mostly very good, they’ve all been set in the World of the Five Gods. So I’m really pleasantly surprised to see that she’s decided to duck back into the Vorkosigan universe after all! The […]
Like an appetizer that just makes you want the actual meal even more
I love Sarah J. Maas novels, and especially her series A Court of Thorns and Roses. I knew going in that this novella was supposed to help serve as a bridge between the last book and the upcoming novels in the series, but despite that, I was a bit disappointed with this one as a whole (I may have had too much wine to drink to really appreciate this one). The story is set before and during Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, […]
Drunk vikings make everything better.
A novella from the world of Kate Daniels, it seems that Magic Gifts should have been read prior to Gunmetal Magic as it takes place at the same time as certain events from the beginning of the latter book, letting us see what Kate was up to whilst Andrea was stomping around the city in beastkin form. However, reading it a little out of order didn’t diminish the experience at all. Starting with a rare dinner date for Kate and Curran, they’re soon up to […]
Misleading title and cover, good novella
Lady Charlotte Beaumont has been overlooked and ignored by her family for her entire life. Generally isolated at a remote country estate, she’s had the opportunity to hone her artistic skills, way past the bland watercolours ladies of her station are normally allowed to paint. She’s also become quite a talented forger, and tries to use her skills to negotiate a deal with the infamous King of the London Underworld. He acknowledges her skill, but also calls her bluff. Nevertheless impressed, he agrees to help […]