February 5, 2020

REVIEW: A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane

JanineDNF Reviewsbarbarian / diversity / Fantasy Romance / gods / LGBTQ / magical powers / POC / revenge / road-romance16 Comments

Disclaimer: A Heart of Blood and Ashes is dedicated in part to DA contributor and site owner, Jane, who read the manuscript and provided feedback on it. I have no personal relationship to the author myself. – Janine Dear Milla Vane, In the past I’ve had mixed luck with the ... more >

December 27, 2019

Janine’s Best of 2019

JanineA Reviews / A- Reviews / B+ Reviews / Reading Lists / Recommended Reads / Top Ten Lists#metoo / #ownvoices / 1870s / 1920s / 1970s / accountant / Agent/Spies/Undercover / arranged-marriage / Asian heroine / Asperger's / audiobook / book editor / California / class differences / Contemporary / custody battle / dragons / enemies to lovers / epistolary / f/f / Fairyland / fake relationship / family / Fantasy / farming / friends-to-lovers / gods / heroine in disguise / high-school / historical romance / Hong Kong based world / illegitimate-child / LGBTQ / Literary fiction / London / look alikes / mafia / magical powers / Malaysia / martial arts / Mexico / nobleman / Northern Ireland / nurse / POC / POC author / political intrigue / quest / Reading lists / reformed hero / Regency-based world / romantic-elements / roommates / saga / single dad / streetwise heroine / Time-Travel / Vietnam / waitress / war19 Comments

I was tempted to make a list of my favorites among the 2019-published books I read this year. In the end I decided to focus on my favorite 2019 reads (first time reads; I didn’t include books I had read / reviewed in prior years) without regard to their year ... more >

July 23, 2019

REVIEW: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno Garcia

JanineA- Reviews / Recommended Reads#ownvoices / 1920s / Fantasy / gods / love story / Mexico / POC / POC author / quest / strong heroine17 Comments

Please note: The following review contains some spoilers. Dear Ms. Moreno-Garcia, It was the setting of your new fantasy novel, Gods of Jade and Shadow, that first caught my attention. I had never read a book set in 1920s Mexico before. This one also promised to feature a young woman ... more >

JanineBook Reviewsgods / king / Mediterranean setting / Megan-Whalen-Turner / myth / queen / slavery / Soldier / spoilers / thief28 Comments

A thread for discussing Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen’s Thief series with spoilers included. All your thoughts are welcome. For those readers who prefer spoiler-free reviews and discussions, reviews of the earlier books can be found below: The Thief The Queen of Attolia The King of Attolia A Conspiracy of Kings ... more >

JanineA- Reviews / B+ Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Readsgods / Mediterranean setting / Megan-Whalen-Turner / myth / slavery / YA fantasy / Young-Adult17 Comments

Jennie and I are both fans of Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen’s Thief series (my recent an interview with the author is here), so when we heard a new book was coming out, we wanted to review it together. Readers who haven’t read the series and wish to avoid spoilers for ... more >

JanineInterviewsgods / Mediterranean setting / Megan-Whalen-Turner / myth / romantic-elements / YA fantasy / Young-Adult20 Comments

Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen’s Thief series is one of my favorite YA series, novels filled with high-stakes intrigue and deception, loyal friendships, dangerous missions, and a couple of touching romantic relationships, too. Their author has won several accolades, including an LA Times Book Award, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor, a ... more >