Nothing spells spooky fall more than fantasy and I’ve got some recommendations for you from some new and old favorites. Today I’m featuring one of de Castell’s latest releases – you know I love his books – as well as another gem from Olivie Blake and a new author, Isabel Cañas. Keep reading this post to see my book reviews.
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Masters of Death by Olivie Blake
Viola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the house has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on.
Fox D’Mora is a medium, and though is also most-definitely a shameless fraud, he isn’t entirely without his uses—seeing as he’s actually the godson of Death.
When Viola seeks out Fox to help her with her ghost-infested mansion, he becomes inextricably involved in a quest that neither he nor Vi expects (or wants). But with the help of an unruly poltergeist, a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel, a love-stricken reaper, and a few high-functioning creatures, Vi and Fox soon discover the difference between a mysterious lost love and an annoying dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as they thought.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Part of Olivie Blake’s re-released books, Masters of Death is perfect for readers who want almost eternal fantasy figures who also just might be an unlikely father figure. What I love about eternal figures is that they often have a different approach to life. When you have all of the time, how do you make sense of love, heartbreak, and family. From the very beginning, there’s a rich sense of supernatural characters – some with day jobs – who all have separate lives and ambitions.
With simmering betrayals and backstabbing, secrets dissolving alliances and re-making relationships, Masters of Death is a world of games, deals, and stakes. It has a slowly building cast which takes a bit for the action to avalanche, but when it does it screams downhill. Disasters babies on the page, Blake explores these past relationships and moments, secrets and glimpses of pain we hide behind until we forget or pretend. This is one of those books which slowly reels you in until you are enfolded in their drama and retribution.
I was also able to listen to some of the audiobook while I was driving and I loved how Steve West is able to infuse just the right amount of snarkiness in these petty immortals. Find Masters of Death on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon (US) (UK), Bookshop.org, Blackwells, Libro.fm, and Google Play.
The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell
Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he’s wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn’t protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat’s a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn’t want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).
Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be you’re probably not going to like it, because we’re violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.
At least, until such irritating concepts as friendship and the end of the world get in the way.
My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title – until I discovered the people I worked for weren’t quite as noble as I’d believed. Now I’m on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.
Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
If you have loved any of de Castell’s previous books, The Malevolent Seven has that signature humor. The signature character who is reckless, good intention-ed – maybe too much for their own good – and with a crew dynamic. The Malevolent Seven was an adventure of a good time. With a disaster group crew and some very questionable quests ahead, de Castell delivers a book that looks at not always being ‘good’ but doing good.
Another element I love about de Castell’s books are the ways that every side character, even if we see them for a moment, has so much character. We see one moment of their lives, but it’s like a road untraveled. The Malevolent Seven wouldn’t be a de Castell book without trouble and a special brand of chaos which is infectious. One of my favorite elements was the magic and I’d love to find out more about all the magical types and world building. If you’re a long time fan like I am, this is another winner. Find The Malevolent Seven on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon (US)(UK), Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.
Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.
Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.
When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.
And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Vampires of El Norte balances a romance storyline with vampires. Now you might wonder how that combination works, but it’s a book that begins with childhood friends and crush with a very unfortunate accident that has rippling consequences. It has almost a gothic feel to the romance to the, “the pain of losing you was killing me so I had to flee” atmosphere. Have I said enough? If you love those loves full of angst, pining, and anger this is for you.
It’s a book with tension and yearning from every page. But I think what resonated with me is the way we are haunted by our past. A past that wants out. Those people who whose love feel like being pulled into a black hole, all consuming, and electrifying. But now that their paths are coming into orbit again, can they survive another collision? Can they afford not to? Dual POV, Vampires of El Norte merges an almost Gothic love story with a supernatural vampire setting and historical fiction. It’s a story that examines privilege, power, and our ability to change the ending. Find Vampires of El Norte on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.