Review: Rebel Magisters (Shanna Swendson)

Title: Rebel Magisters
Series: Rebel Mechanics, Book 2
Author: Shanna Swendson
Publisher: NLA Digital
US Release Date: July 12, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Alternate History Magical Realism
Content Rating: Teen (daring deeds, lawbreaking, eavesdropping, brief kissing)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: 
Indiebound | B&N | BookDepo | Azon
Summary:

Tea, Love ... and Revolution!

The Rebel Mechanics aren’t the only group plotting revolution against the magical British Empire. There are rebel magisters, as well, and Verity Newton and her magister employer, Lord Henry, know that the only way for the revolution to succeed is if both groups work together. A diplomatic mission seems like the perfect opportunity for them to meet with rebels in other colonies and gather support—right under the governor’s nose.

From drawing rooms, ballrooms, and the harbor in Boston to the streets of Charleston, Verity and Henry find themselves up against stubborn factions of both magisters and Mechanics and increasingly aware that they can only really count on each other as their relationship deepens. It may take a real crisis to unite the rebel movements and rally them to the cause—but could such a crisis also tear them apart?

*          *          *

Series: This is the second book in the Rebel Mechanics series. You can read my review of the first book here.

Rebel Magisters is the sequel to Rebel Mechanics (review here), a magical alternate history tale of revolution and romance. After quite enjoying the first book I was excited to continue protagonist Verity Newton's adventures, and happily quite enjoyed Magisters as well. Although published independently, the quality was generally the same as the first book (traditionally published by Macmillan), the writing and plot maintaining the familiar light tone and steady pace I'd previously appreciated. Verity lived an exceptionally charmed life as everyone she met became an important contact, every gathering she joined ended safely for her, and every mission she undertook was successful, which I must admit occasionally strained the realism of the story. However, her tale was still fraught with tension, action, and intrigue, and those around her weren't always quite as lucky leading to a lot of interesting conflict, complications, and close calls for everyone.

Most of the returning Mechanics played smaller roles as Verity delved deeper into the magical and political world of Magisters with Lord Henry. But they still had their moments - the Flynn siblings especially with their amusing and theatrical appearances, and the new Mechanics were an interesting look at how a change in location can alter people's priorities and creations. The new Magisters added a bit of color to the story as well, although it was the expanded roles of the returning ones that I really enjoyed as we discovered there was more to a few of them than originally met the eye. What ultimately made the book for me though was sweet yet cunning Lord Henry's continuous presence at Verity's side, their friendship happily growing into more while they schemed in the shadows. Although I hope he will play a large part in the next book as well, I anticipate the third installment in Verity Newton's tale, Rebels Rising, will be more a story of female power and ingenuity due to the pleasantly surprising elevation of two other recurring characters at the end of this book.

Conclusion: An exciting sequel of intrigue and adventure with engaging action, interesting characters, and a swoony slow-burn romance. If you enjoy alternate histories with magic, then definitely give this series a try. Especially recommend for fans of Gail Carriger's Finishing School series, and Mary Robinette Kowal's Shades of Milk and Honey.

For Fans Of: Gail Carriger, Mary Robinette Kowal

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson
Brother's Ruin by Emma Newman
Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

The #FridayReads Review (6/19/20)

Welcome to The #FridayReads Review, a regular Friday segment where I share what I've been reading the past week, and what I'm planning to read next! Want to join the Friday fun? Post your own #FridayReads Review and leave the link in the Comments below, or just Comment with what you've been reading!

>> CURRENTLY READING <<

Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach (PBK)

I am on SUCH a sci-fi kick right now I can't get enough, so I decided to re-read this SF favorite about a kick-arse female, a mysterious ship security position, and dangerous happenings in space. My review says I really enjoyed it, and so far I agree; I'm also quite enjoying that I've already reviewed it so no review required (I've been struggling a little with reviews lately). You can read my review here.

>> JUST FINISHED <<

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (HBK) - 3 Stars

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (HBK) - 5 Stars

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (HBK) - 5 Stars

I have finished the four Murderbot novellas and now desperately await my library hold for the novel. After loving Book 1, I have to admit I found Book 2 a bit of a mess, but Books 3 & 4 were even better than Book 1 - the plots, the characters, and the tension were engrossing and delightful, and Murderbot was pure perfection. I've already re-read (and re-loved) Book 1 and will be re-reading the rest soon!

>> [POSSIBLY] READING NEXT <<

(subject to change with my ever-shifting reading whims)

The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold (PBK)

Once I sate my sci-fi kick I think I'll give this new library hold a try. A PI who helps fantasy creatures in a world that's lost its magic? Intriguing.

So what are you reading this week?

Teaser Tuesday: All Systems Red (Martha Wells)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme now hosted by The Purple Booker, wherein you open your current read to a random page and share two teaser sentences from it.


This week I'm featuring the first novella in The Murderbot Diaries, ALL SYSTEMS RED, by Martha Wells. It's a quick and engrossing science fiction survival thriller of murder, escape, and corporate conspiracy on an unexplored world, and I enjoyed it so much I devoured it in half a day. For the teaser I offer the first three sentences of the book, which tell exactly what you can expect from the story and its awkward and highly relatable main character - don't let the "Murderbot" moniker fool you.

"I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don't know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure."

ADD TO GOODREADS

So what are you reading this week?

Review: Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop (Roselle Lim)

Title: Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop
Series: standalone
Author: Roselle Lim
Publisher: Berkley
US Release Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: Adult Contemporary Magic Realism Romance
Content Rating: Teen (kissing, adult situations, car accident)
Format Read: ARC
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Indiebound | B&N | BookDepo | Azon
Summary:

Become enamored with the splendor of Paris in this heartwarming and delightful story about writing one’s own destiny and finding love along the way.

Vanessa Yu never wanted to see people’s fortunes—or misfortunes—in tea leaves.

Ever since she can remember, Vanessa Yu has been able to see people’s fortunes at the bottom of their teacups. To avoid blurting out their fortunes, she converts to coffee, but somehow fortunes escape and find a way to complicate her life and the ones of those around her. To add to this plight, her romance life is so nonexistent that her parents enlist the services of a matchmaking expert from Shanghai.

The day before her matchmaking appointment, Vanessa accidentally sees her own fate: death by traffic accident. She decides that she can’t truly live until she can find a way to get rid of her uncanny abilities. When her eccentric aunt, Evelyn, shows up with a tempting offer to whisk her away, Vanessa says au revoir to America and bonjour to Paris. While working at Evelyn’s tea stall at a Parisian antique market, Vanessa performs some matchmaking of her own, attempting to help reconnect her aunt with a lost love. As she learns more about herself and the root of her gifts, she realizes one thing to be true: knowing one’s destiny isn’t a curse, but being unable to change it is.

*          *          *

Review copy provided by publisher for honest review. Thank you, Berkley!

With its promise of fortune-telling magic and romance in picturesque France, I just couldn't resist giving Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop a try, even though I'm not usually one for adult contemporary romances (due to sexual content). But while the story was light, the content clean, and the end happy, I unfortunately did not enjoy this book as I'd hoped.

My biggest problem, which tainted everything else, was the writing. And my biggest problem with the writing was the description. Vanessa was a privileged woman who reveled in the finer things in life, so much of the book was excessive description of the high-class food, fashion, art and architecture she relished. An abundance of detail can bring a story to life, but here, because all the topics were so commonplace to Vanessa, the description was loaded down with specific terms and proper names that felt like they were supposed to be obvious but to a layperson like me were typically not. I did recognize some of it, but most was lost on me and, because it made up so much of the book all the extravagant description quickly became irritating. The teen travel romances I've enjoyed in the past made me long to visit their cultured locations and eat their delectable offerings, but Vanessa's experiences left me uninterested or put off by the more complicated sights and tastes of her overseas adventure.

And then there were the characters. Partially due to the erratic writing style, all of the characters were generally flat and wildly inconsistent - especially protagonist Vanessa. Her logic made little to no sense most of the time, and I was repelled by her selfish and stubborn personality as she fought against her unwanted gift and the instruction she was generously offered, multiple times, to help her master it. And then to have the story very randomly reward her bad behavior... But more on that in a minute. Her reasons for fighting against her gift - bad predictions about others that made her feel bad, and her inability to sustain a romance without a prediction ruining it - were childish with no sense of responsibility despite her adult age and strong roots in supportive family. I would've understood if this was a Young Adult book about a teenager, but as an adult peer I had no sympathy for her.

And then there was the story itself. Contrary to the title's claim, the tea shop did not belong to Vanessa but to her aunt, and very little time was spent there. I expected a tea shop owned by Vanessa where magical things happened, but instead it was little more than an unmagical backdrop for a handful of scenes. This was disappointing and created a loss of trust that the story never earned back as it was just as inconsistent and illogical as the characters. The plot even went so far as to drop a deus ex machina into the middle of the book that twisted the situation to Vanessa's selfish favor and despite being ridiculous was immediately accepted by all as a logical occurrence embraced without question. Instead of a story about Vanessa learning responsibility and how to control her power while she traveled and fell in love, it became a pampered woman's empowerment as she finally got everything she wanted while learning very little. This made for an impractical and unrelatable story that left me feeling underwhelmed and honestly a little disgusted.

So did I enjoy anything about Vanessa Yu? Well, it was refreshingly clean for an adult contemporary romance, with little more than a few passionate kisses and little to no language, which is always appreciated. I also found the magical gifts interesting with their predictions and red threads of fate, although Vanessa's occasional unexplained "visions" were weird and flowery. And despite heavier emotions the story was generally light even at its darkest moments (this may have been due to the flat writing, though), with everyone getting their (albeit unrealistic) happily ever after at the end, my usual preference where romances are concerned.

Conclusion: Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop was a lighthearted contemporary of magic and romance that I unfortunately did not like due to the misleading title, flat writing, irritating description, inconsistent and selfish main character, and disappointing story. I did appreciate its clean content and happy ending, but otherwise there was disappointingly little I enjoyed about the book. That said, I'd still easily recommend it for female romance lovers as a summer beach read, but only if they are a serious foodie who has a working knowledge and interest in fashion, art, architecture, and France.

Scribble Rating: 

2.5 of 5 Scribbles

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman
Maybe This Time by Kasie West
Love, Lies and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings by Lydia Sherrer
Strobe Edge by Io Sakisaka

The #FridayReads Review (6/5/20)

Welcome to The #FridayReads Review, a regular Friday segment where I share what I've been reading the past week, and what I'm planning to read next! Want to join the Friday fun? Post your own #FridayReads Review and leave the link in the Comments below, or just Comment with what you've been reading!

>> CURRENTLY READING <<

Two Flowers for the Dragon by Nari Kusakawa (PBK)

After a thoroughly enjoyable 5-star novella (see below) I just couldn't get into any other novels, so it's back to re-reading my manga collection for review! Kusakawa is a favorite author I have yet to spotlight so I'm hoping to put her on your radar soon. This unfortunately incomplete fantasy series is about a girl who can turn into a dragon and the two boys vying for her heart.

>> JUST FINISHED <<

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (PBK)

4.5 Stars. Do not be fooled, as I was for way too long, by the "Murderbot" name and assume this is the story of a robot on a killing spree. It's not. All Systems Red was a quick and engrossing sci-fi survival thriller with a surprising main character: a shy and emotionally stunted but capable human/robot-esque hybrid that calls itself Murderbot but is really protective and caring in its own way. Wells pulls off the genderless MC flawlessly, and its awkward personality made it such a sympathetic and relatable character. This is exactly the story I've been looking to read for several years now, so much so I've been trying (and so far failing) to write something similar on my own. Finally I saw one too many rave Murderbot reviews go by and decided to give it a reluctant try, and after devouring this first adventure in half a day I am now scrambling to get my hands on the next one! Review to come.

>> [POSSIBLY] READING NEXT <<

(subject to change with my ever-shifting reading whims)

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (HBK)

I loved the first book (see above) so despite it being hardcover I'm eager to read this sequel! 

So what are you reading this week?

DNF Review: Museum of Thieves (Lian Tanner)

Title: Museum of Thieves
Series: The Keepers, Book 1
Author: Lian Tanner
Publisher: Delacorte Press
US Release Date: September 28, 2010
Genre: Middle Grade Dystopian Fantasy
Content Rating: Older Middle Grade (to Page 107: child abuse and murder, bombing, violence)
Format Read: ARC
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Indiebound | B&N | BookDepo | Azon
Summary:

Welcome to the tyrannical city of Jewel, where impatience is a sin and boldness is a crime.

Goldie Roth has lived in Jewel all her life. Like every child in the city, she wears a silver guardchain and is forced to obey the dreaded Blessed Guardians. She has never done anything by herself and won’t be allowed out on the streets unchained until Separation Day.

When Separation Day is canceled, Goldie, who has always been both impatient and bold, runs away, risking not only her own life but also the lives of those she has left behind. In the chaos that follows, she is lured to the mysterious Museum of Dunt, where she meets the boy Toadspit and discovers terrible secrets. Only the cunning mind of a thief can understand the museum’s strange, shifting rooms. Fortunately, Goldie has a talent for thieving.

Which is just as well, because the leader of the Blessed Guardians has his own plans for the museum—plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves. And it will take a daring thief to stop him. . .

Museum of Thieves is a thrilling tale of destiny and danger, and of a courageous girl who has never been allowed to grow up—until now.

*          *          *

**I did not finish this book.** 
I stopped at Page 107.

Series: This is the first book in The Keepers Trilogy. All books in the series are released and available.

With its imaginative cover and living museum premise, I've been looking forward to reading this story for a while now. But when I finally did, right from the start I found myself struggling to generate the interest to continue, and to my disappointment I ultimately could not bring myself to finish.

Museum of Thieves was nothing like I anticipated. It's set in some kind of alternate reality dystopian world with too many similarities to our own to be fully fantastical but too fantastical to be truly our own, making it extremely confusing and hard to accept. The structure of Jewel's civilization was especially odd - somewhat understandable given the historical circumstances, I guess, but just too weird to intrigue me personally.

And then there were the characters. Although main character Goldie showed great spirit and daring before and during her escape, afterwards she immediately became weak and hesitant and childish. She would exhibit some spunk occasionally, but generally she was timid and uncertain yet stubborn - reasonable given her upbringing, but not an engaging protagonist for me. If she had leaned more towards one side or the other (strength or timidity) I could've rallied behind her, but as she was I just couldn't like her. As for the other characters, Sinew was interesting and personable and I adored the dog Broo, but the other two adults were rather forgettable and Toadspit was horrid to Goldie and therefore horrid in general. The rest of the cast consisted of interchangeable childhood friends and parents, and villainous Guardians who not even fear should've allowed to be installed as adolescent caretakers. The antagonist wasn't so bad - adequately evil - although he was a little too mustache-twirling to feel truly diabolical.

Despite all this, I kept reading for the living museum, with its anticipated dusty treasures and hidden rooms and thrilling secrets. But when we finally reached it, I was seriously underwhelmed. Devastated, really, by how dull it all was. Perhaps I've read too many better sentient magical buildings, because I found no magic in this one. I felt no danger from it, even as the characters were in danger. I didn't get lost in it, even as the characters got lost. All I found was broken junk and uninteresting strangeness and a measure of frustration, just like the Guardians who searched it.

Still, I tried to give the museum proper time to grow on me. I let Goldie hide there, sleep there, walk its staircase and journey into its darker reaches. She was almost be killed by its perils, began to learn its mysteries, and even tasted its magic - but still I didn't feel engaged. Finally I could push myself to read no more, and at Page 107 of 312, I allowed myself to stop with disappointment but relief.

If you enjoyed books such as The Hotel Between by Sean Easley, Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George, Angel and Bavar by Amy Wilson, or Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, then you may want to consider Museum of Thieves for its similar living building and fantastical adventures. But I would highly recommend those books before I would recommend this one.

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

The Hotel Between by Sean Easley
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce