A Fantasy to Remember
919863
The Riyria Revelations starts with two thieves. Not common thieves, Royce and Hadrian work for nobles, occasionally double-crossing them. They take jobs that pay well, and they've worked up some notoriety as Riyria. They take a job that sounds almost too easy to steal a sword in the castle, but they find out it's a trap. Soon, they're arrested for the murder of the king. The princess hires them to kidnap her brother, thinking she'll save him from the same fate as her father. The story goes from there, following all kinds of twists and turns. The heroes of the story search out a wizard who's been in prison for a thousand years, battle a creature conjured by elves, and witness the church begin building an empire.

This book is a great read. The story is immensely interesting. The author obviously put a lot of time into world building: histories, religions, heroes of old, magic. At times, it was hard for me to keep up with everything. There were a few info dumps along the way, but once I sorted out who was what and why it was important, I just moved on. All in all, it's an adventure story with some political intrigue, but magic becomes a big part of the story halfway through The Crown Conspiracy. I think it's Lord of the Rings meets Pirates of the Caribbean.

I really enjoyed the characters. There's a big cast, and the author finds a way to connect them all. Some of them have so much personality. I loved Myron; he was so funny. Hadrian is my favorite, though, and I can't wait to learn more about his past. I'm not used to such a distant POV, but maybe that's because I don't read high fantasy too often. I felt like, aside from the occasional internal monologue, we rarely knew what the characters were thinking or feeling. We usually saw their emotions through their actions. It sort of takes from the story, but at the same time, there are so many secrets and lies, it leaves the reader guessing. You don't know who to trust!

There were a few times when I didn't want to put this book down. The day I finished it, I spent pretty much all afternoon and evening reading. I finished it around midnight! It was a good way to spend my birthday. I got online and bought the next book right away. I love how the series has overarching plot issues, but each novel deals with a certain conflict.
786056
Water, Circle, Moon is a fantasy filled book full of magic, the unknown and romance.  The story takes place in the English countryside where mysterious horses run wild, plants seem to move without wind and rivers disappear while you are walking by.  This is an engaging story about a young woman looking for her brother and finding more that she could ever imagine.

Laine Summerhill is worried about her brother Innis.  He left home several years ago when he was sixteen because he could not handle their mother anymore.  Laine receives a package from him and a note to visit; she travels to Warwickshire, England as soon as she can, leaving her troubled mother behind.

Laine arrives in England and finds the Blackhorse Inn where her brother is staying, however he is missing.  What she finds instead are some very interesting people, grasses that want to harm her if she walks near them and horses that seem dreamlike.  As she waits for her brother, Laine meets Arren, an intriguing young man who has many secrets but wants to help her, they are attracted to each other right away but since she is unsure of everything she has found at this Inn, she does not know what to think or who to trust.

What an intriguing story, I thoroughly enjoyed the premise; Water, Circle, Moon takes us to another world within our own world.  The author uses fantasy, mystical magic and evil to weave a story that is hard to put down.  The characters are interesting as we meet shapeshifters, Romany gypsies and those that are evil who want to rule others.  I really like Laine, she is an intelligent woman with an open mind and she knows what she wants.  I also like Arren, he stands by her through it all, even when she is unsure of who she is and what her future will bring.  I recommend this book for those that like fantasy, mystery and a bit of romance.

Received from author for an honest review
3215418
COMFORT & JOY is a lovely romance novel that is pure fantasy.  A woman named Joy is horribly betrayed by her younger sister and husband.  Joy runs away, boarding the first airplane flight she can get on.  The airplane crashes.  When Joy awakens she decides to flee the accident, disappearing so she can start a new life.  On her journey she meets a young boy named Bobby and his gorgeous (of course) single father, Daniel. Comfort & Joy is pure fantasy and escapism.  What woman at some point in her life hasn't fantasized about starting over and/or magically meeting the man of her dreams who will love and cherish her and only her?  Books such as this can provide temporary relief from the disappointments of reality and can even be encouraging. Like most of Kristin Hannah's novels there is some heaviness and ugliness in the novel which keeps the book from being too light and fluffy.  This was a short story and easy to read. I enjoyed it and recommend it.
4846267
The Silmarillion is one of the most wonderfully written fantasies ever. I suggest that everyone reads this incisive book because it delves deeply into the problems of greed and lust and how they can affect the future. An  example of this in the book was when the Noldor made an oath to regain the  Silmarils. It destroyed their people with lies and deception. It also tells  of Men's part in the evil plan Morgoth and his evil servants had. It shows  that through deceit,lies, and death beauty and light can still prevail  against darkness in any form. I loved this book because it is fantasy  filled yet relates to life today in many ways.
2263191
Sometimes fact and fiction can get blurred.  Is it not true that a dream is a wish the heart makes. This book makes you feel that good will always prevail and magic is as real as evil, just less obvious. A good read that leaves you with a good feeling.
1932858
A magical story, that will bring tears to your eyes at times.
4185515
Fantasy meets reality- of sorts. A world in which others live amongst and as humans but have powers.  Then again so do the humans. A fairly lighthearted look at the fantasy world set in modern times, with a main character who has a big heart. A well written enjoyable unusual  novel
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased
2667802
Sheer buzz compelled me to buy BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, even though I usually refrain from buying new hardcovers and often shy away from bestsellers, having quirky tastes. This book, however, did not disappoint. Rather, it has cemented in my mind what I now consider one of the unfailing, essential truths of its genre: good fantasy isn't about the magical, but the mundane.

What do I mean by that? Think about it. When you read fantasy, particularly that set in the modern world, you expect a balance between the normal and the paranormal. But it's more than that. Too many boring grocery-shopping and tooth-brushing scenes, and the reader chucks the book against the wall. Too many arbitrary rules of magic and weirdly random creatures, and the reader stops caring. The key, I believe, is when the fantastic abstracts and amplifies the ordinary. In a nutshell, fantasy is one big metaphor that allows us to feel our ordinary lives more vividly. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES demonstrates this brilliantly.

What I love most about this book: not the magic, curses, and creatures, but the way the authors detail the small-town life of Gatlin, South Carolina, right down to the gravy and biscuits Amma cooks, the way everyone in Gatlin talks about the Civil War as if it happened yesterday, and the yearning Ethan feels to escape this Southern tradition and small-mindedness. Amma's cooking ability is echoed by her ability to cook up voodoo; the Civil War, by ancient conflicts between the magical families of Casters; the small-mindedness, by the way people treat the clearly different, magically gifted girl Lena.

Reading this book is like eating a layer cake. You get a big bite of real Southern life, then a taste of magic that isn't overwhelmingly strong or sweet. These two flavors perfectly complement each other. Take out the magic, and you would still have a good novel, but perhaps not a great one. Take out the mundane, and the magic wouldn't have nearly the same resonance. The whole effect is of an expertly crafted metaphor about love overcoming prejudice, and whether your past determines your future. All mixed up in one batch of Southern Gothic.

I won't go into much of the plot, since it's a long book and most of the fun comes from discovering all its secrets. I will, however, highly recommend you try a taste of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. I found it delicious.
4160315
This was an intensely written story which drags you in and holds your attention.  It lets your imagination take you on a thrilling, wonderful journey to a vividly described world like no other. Joe and Kat are so good together if you are a fan of Fantasy with a capital "F" you will like this book.

I was given an ARC of this book and enjoyed it so much I bought a copy. My review is written voluntarily
4027864
In a trilogy that lies along the spectrum of two other British-born trilogies--Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and C.S.Lewis' "Space Trilogy"--this is a fantasy that will be hard to put down.  I took a few weeks to read the first volume, a week to read the next, and a few days for the third.  The inner logic pulls you forward while the events continually surprise.  There is here the beauty of Ireland (though in a more primal form), the heroism of the Celtic warriors, the subtlety of kingship derived from the people, the tenderness of friendship and romance.  Though one need not be familiar with Celtic lore to appreciate these books, those who have done some study in it will it come to life.
1734758
First Sentence:  Barney Doyle sat at his cluttered workbench, attempting to fix Olaf Andersen's ancient power mower for the fourth time in seven years.

Phil Hastings, his wife Gloria, his daughter Gabbie and their twin boys Patrick and Sean move from Sunny California to an old farmhouse in upstate New York whose land includes virgin forest.  They soon find they have more to contend with than they expected.  Unexpected, and unexplainable, encounters with strange creatures, the boy's acknowledgement of "the Bad Thing" living under a bridge and Gabbie's almost sexual encounter with a farrier who died over a hundred years ago are only some of the strange goings on which threaten the family.

I love this book and read it every year or so on Midsummer's Day (June 24th).  However, this is not your child's faerie tale even though it involves brotherly love and courage.  It is fantasy; it is horror.  It is creepy, dark, at times violent, at times sexual and always a page-turner.  Those who love Celtic myth and Shakespeare will recognize magical elements of The Fool, elf-shot, Trooping Faeires, and more.  It is one of those rare books that makes you feel as though it "could" be possible and causes even non-Catholics to wish for a vial of holy water, a silver sword and a true faerie stone..  Each time I read it, I find myself researching the legends and faerie folk involved, looking for erl-king hills and avoiding faeire rings at midnight on Midsummer's Night and All-Hallow's Eve.  Next year, I'll remember to start earlier in the day so I'm not up until midnight finishing it.  At least I wasn't in the woods.  It's the blending of fantasy in contemporary life which, to me, makes this book so compelling, frightening and memorable.
3145182
Shades of Milk and Honey is an inspired, and Jane Austen inspired, regency romance fantasy.  It's not normally the sort of thing I would go for (at least the regency romance part), but the fantasy element intrigued me and the effusive praise did the rest.  After finishing Shades of Milk and Honey I can only add to that praise.

Shades of Milk and Honey is also very much historical fantasy, in the sense that it takes place in a Regency England only slightly different than our own (rather than in the sense key points in history are important to the plot, which comes later in the sequels).  The only fantastical element is "glamour," the ability to create illusions. Given its limitations--virtually non-existent in visual effects, but serious in affecting sound or temperature and only workable at a short distance at great exertion--glamour has come to primarily be used for high-end decoration and entertainment by the aristocracy.  I loved the analogue to art--anyone can work glamour, but it takes both serious talent and hard work to do it well.

And glamour, as it turns out, manages to play an important role in the plot.  Jane, the protagonist, is a talented at glamour as she is at music, painting, and conversation.  The plot revolves around her and her younger sister, Melody, as they largely spend their days trying to find a husband, which involves a lot of social calls and dances.  Jane, accomplished and plain, and Melody, whose main accomplishment is her beauty, look on each other with equal envy.  But their relationship is close and deep and richly examined by Kowal, and the relationship between sisters is something that I have seldom seen done at all in fiction, let alone well (admittedly that is probably skewed by my reading choices).  Also involved are several other members of the minor aristocracy and a tremendously talented, but curmudgeonly, glamourist.  Jane, and her witty dialogue, carry the book.
1321486
This is one of those rare stories where a genie grants a wish that (at least so far) doesn't go horribly wrong for the wisher.

If anything, it goes very right, for him and the lovely ladies lucky enough to cross his path.

The main character's approach to his situation, and more or less ethical application of power makes this a fun blend of fantasy and real world sensibilities.
4100554
What a great story, and yes there are bits that you feel that are just fantasy, and not real to life, but isn't that why you read novels.  To take you on a fantasy ride.  Complicated issues concerning health and a person trying find someone who will care about the person they are, not the glamour life they are portrayed to live, all hold the reader in an enthralling love story.
1869737
A delightful read, a fantasy of course.  Here is a man sentenced for a political "crime" to remain confined in a fine hotel.  Here he manages to live a full life, complete with a life-long lover, a daughter who grows up in his very room, and a cadre of loyal and fascinating companions.  By this "confinement," he avoids the trials of normal life.  In a way, it is an ideal existence.  Wouldn't we all go for this at some point? That said, it is truly a delight to escape nightly (for those of us who manage just a few pages before turning in) into this cloistered adventure. The book is beautifully written. On nearly every page there is a passage worth remembering (and in many ways a great intro into Rules of Civility, Mr. Towles' first published novel, which I enjoyed even more). Worth a second read.
934165
It's a story that somehow captured my imagination so fully that it left me in a state of wonder..  I was very young when I last read Under Plum Lake, but I can't seem to forget the impact it had on me, so long ago. I too hope to someday share this book with my children, for few books manage to paint a more magical picture so vividly in the mind. When I think about it I feel deep nostalgia, and I'll keep looking until I find a copy for my own.
4720468
What a beautifully written and romantic story that could have been true. A fantasy of historical significance that the world wishes could have been real.