Threadneedle

 

Title: Threadneedle

Author: Cari Thomas

Publisher: 2nd June 2021 by HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 576 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: young adult, urban fantasy, witches, contemporary

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic. ‘Magic and love. Love and magic. They destroy everything in the end …’

Anna’s Aunt has always warned her of the dangers of magic. Its twists. Its knots. Its deadly consequences.

Now Anna counts down the days to the ceremony that will bind her magic forever.

Until she meets Effie and Attis.

They open her eyes to a London she never knew existed. A shop that sells memories. A secret library where the librarian feeds off words. A club where revellers lose themselves in a haze of spells.

But as she is swept deeper into this world, Anna begins to wonder if her Aunt was right all along.

Is her magic a gift … or a curse?

My Thoughts

Threadneedle is the first instalment of a new YA fantasy series. The idea of creating a fantasy in contemporary London was very clever. It is great for young readers to relate to as we follow teenager Anna who is being raised by her Aunt after the death of her parents. Her Aunt believes magic is a sin and should be denied or controlled, thus she is insisting Anna be ‘bound’ and become a trained Binder through magic stitchery (her magic is bound and no longer usable). 

‘Rules. They were the grid lines of her life. They gave things a framework for measurement, for meaning. In her head the grid lines began to rise up, criss-crossing, entangling, floating off into space - but what was left? A rootless, drifting world.’

It is a long book and can at times become slow but the ending is truly worth the journey. Although the first in a new series, there is an ending that is conclusive but with obvious room to grow. This is also most definitely a young adult book with teen dramas and behaviours. Yet a worthy coming of age tale through the exploration of magic -  how clever! 

The themes of this book can be best summarised by the author herself: ‘What drove me to write Threadneedle is just how relevant these questions still feel today (witches: powerful women who must be put back in their place) … tensions running throughout the book (include) - repression, rumour, gossip, fear - but at its heart: feminine power and sisterhood.’

‘All of us. Witches. Women. Souls who question the way things are - free-thinkers, deep-thinkers, the cows who hoped to jump over the moon. All are at risk. Especially the cursed.'  

I believe this is to be a great YA read - beyond the whole teenager angst and schoolyard pranks - there is room through Cari’s good writing to sympathise with Anna who does not agree with her Aunt and wishes for a different future. There are a range of strong characters and some, like Effie and Attis, play pivotal roles.

I enjoyed this book with an ending I found most compelling. Young people will gain much from Anna’s journey to discovery - about her family, her magic and ultimately, herself. 

‘Why would you want to be like other people? I hate other people. We belong to legend, to fairy tale and storybook … Witches, sorceresses and enchantresses … fairy godmothers or wizened hags in the dark of the woods. Sacred. Sinners. Wonders. Wicked. Virgins. Whores. Call us what you will. It's our duty to bring magic into this world.'

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Last Smile in Sunder City

Title: The Last Smile in Sunder City

Author: Luke Arnold

Publisher: 6th February 2020 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 352 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: urban fantasy, paranormal, mystery

My Rating: 3 cups

Synopsis:

A former soldier turned PI tries to help the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in a world that's lost its magic in a compelling debut fantasy by Black Sails actor Luke Arnold. Welcome to Sunder City. The magic is gone but the monsters remain.I'm Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are a few things you should know before you hire me:1. Sobriety costs extra.2. My services are confidential.3. I don't work for humans. It's nothing personal--I'm human myself. But after what happened, to the magic, it's not the humans who need my help. Walk the streets of Sunder City and meet Fetch, his magical clients, and a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

My Thoughts

The Last Smile in Sunder City is Luke Arnold’s debut novel and the first in an urban fantasy series titled Fetch Phillips Archives. This is a dystopian work featuring ‘Sunder City’, a dark place holding a noir tale concerning the loss of magic post war.

The story features two timelines in its narrative - the present where Fetch is investigating a missing vampire and his flashbacks during the war and an event that still haunts him. For a debut novel, the world building here is pretty impressive, Luke’s writing quite good (if somewhat generic in places) and the characters held potential (although a little cliched at times).  

There is much to work with here given the concept of magic having disappeared and previously supernatural beings are struggling to survive. It’s dark and down with many a seedy person and place described. Whilst the plot has potential it is just a bit too slow and repetitive in places for me. All up, however, this was an interesting urban fantasy that had some interesting moments.

"I stepped back out into the main room to catch my breath. I couldn’t yet tell what it was that was bubbling up inside me, but something had snapped. I didn’t actually believe it yet. The hope was too dangerous. But just the idea ... What if we could fix it? What if, somehow, I could undo all those terrible things I’d done?  Emotion swelled in my chest. It was something unfamiliar. Hope. Just a bit of hope. That’s all. I’d forgotten what it felt like.”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Haven

Title: Haven

Author: Lindsay J. Pryor

Publisher: 31st  October 2017 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 288 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: fantasy, paranormal, dystopian, science fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

A spin-off from the bestselling Blackthorn series by Lindsay J. Pryor, set in Lowtown, the neighbouring district to Blackthorn. The product of a brutal class system, the dark, gritty world of Lowtown will grip you and never let you go.

Every few days the handsome stranger comes into the café in Lowtown for an hour a time. Most of the time he keeps himself to himself - one drink and he leaves. Sometimes people meet with him but about what remains elusive, the edge of mystery and danger adding to his allure.

Not that Ember is allowed to think about him. She's finally on the cusp of gaining her citizenship and escaping Lowtown for good, so she can't be seen to be involved with a vampire - evidence of one single bite would be the end of her prospects. But when those prospects are rocked by her links to the district's dark underbelly, the stranger she must avoid could be her absolution - and she could be his . . .

My Thoughts

‘Haven’, Lindsay J. Pryor’s first standalone Lowtown novel is a worthwhile read. The best way I can sum it up is to say it is a mix of ‘Insurgent’ meets ‘Discovery of Witches’. This is best described as an urban fantasy novel with a bit of paranormal and romantic elements thrown into the mix - and the end result is interesting.

‘But she had no initiated powers anyway. She wouldn’t know what to do with them even if she did have. She didn’t even know what kind of witch she was’.

The author takes you to another world she has created (I have read no other Pryor books and this was never an issue) and most certainly she drops you slap bang right into the middle of all the action. The writing is engaging as you feel for the residents of Lowtown, their fear and desperation are palpable. At a deeper level, ‘Haven’ is about the dark and cruel side of humanity, rather than the focus being purely on the paranormal and the likes of witches or vampires etc. I liked that -  corruption and control is at the heart of this novel.

‘Does the morality behind killing someone vary according to the reason?’

The plot,the characters and the engaging writing make ‘Haven’ a worthwhile read. The new angle concerning the political and whole social injustice theme was interesting. Forgotten races, extortion and crime and the golden ticket chance to escape it. Yet amongst all this permeates integrity and hope, loyalty and love - a good balance of evil versus good. You will find yourself drawn into this world of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ - a simple oft repeated theme but one that is well executed.

‘And without doing what you do, what do you have left? Because you don’t have anything else, do you? Even this haven that you claim gives you freedom stops you from being a part of things.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

Review: The Heart of Malice

Title: The Heart of Malice

Author: Lisa Edmonds

Publisher: June 13th 2017 by City Owl Press

Pages: 381 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre:  Urban Fantasy

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

The first time Moses Murphy’s granddaughter killed on his orders, she was six years old.

For twenty years, she was a prisoner of an organized crime syndicate, forced to use her magic to make Moses the most powerful and feared man on the East Coast. To escape his cruelty, she faked her own death and started a new life as Alice Worth. As a private investigator specializing in cases involving the supernatural, Alice walks a precarious line between atoning for the sins of her grandfather’s cabal and keeping her true identity hidden. Hired to investigate the disappearance of a mysterious object of power, Alice enlists the help of Malcolm, a ghost running from a past as nightmarish as her own. It soon becomes clear the missing object was taken by someone with a dangerous secret and an unknown agenda. When her client is kidnapped, Alice must find her and the object of power before a vengeful killer destroys the city and slaughters thousands—starting with Alice.

My Thoughts:

Heart of Malice is the first book in the 'Alice Worth' series by the debuting author Lisa Edmonds and she really kicks this series off in great style! It is Urban Fantasy at its best; with fast paced action, humour and magic bursting off the page from the very first chapter.

“Nice car,” I remarked as we approached it.

“Thanks,” he said, and punched me.

I felt him tense up and managed to turn a fraction of a second before he swung, so his massive fist connected with my side instead of my stomach.

Pain exploded in my ribs. I gasped and hit Scott’s chest with both hands. Magic flared, and he flew backward into the side of the restaurant, leaving a man-sized crater in the brick wall. He landed in a crouch with a snarl, his eyes blazing bright red.

For 5 years, Alice Worth has been in hiding from her grandfather Moses Murphy, a powerful and vicious Cabal leader. After fleeing her horrifying imprisonment, Alice fakes her own death, changes her identity and tries her best to keep under the radar of the Cabals and the Supernatural and Paranormal Entity Management Agency while working as an MPI (Mage Private Investigator). Alice is a mage of great power; however, remains scarred physically and emotionally by the horrors she experienced at the hands of the East Coast Cabal, and her aura is tainted by the blood magic she was forced to perform. Alice is a kick ass MPI with a sassy mouth and a tough, take-no-prisoners attitude but her trust issues confine her to a lonely, isolated existence. That is, until Malcolm, a ghost with unusual gifts and a terrible past of his own, becomes mysteriously bound to her. When Alice takes on a case to find an magical object her client believes to be missing from their library, she and her new side-kick, Malcolm, embark on a terrifying series of twists and turns. Their torturous journey leads them to a crazed killer who plans to destroy everything in their path. Added to the craziness is an alpha werewolf, Sean, who lets Alice be the person she needs to be while reigning in his inherently protective nature; as well as a crafty, manipulative vampire with a hidden agenda, and a SPEMA agent who follows the hints and blood trails to her door. I am a big fan of the Urban Fantasy genre with its imaginative world building and exciting story-lines and I feel that Heart of Malice fits the mould beautifully. There is a lot to love about this book as it really has something for everyone! Lots of action, some very cool magic, some fun romance (and a little bit of sexy-time), laughs, and great secondary characters. I feel that Lisa Edmonds is going to be someone to watch closely in the future, and I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve! Overall, Heart of Malice is a well written, entertaining story and I am very much looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.