Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: A Flame in the North Author: Lilith Saintcrow ISBN: 978-0-316-44033-2 Publisher: Orbit Part of a Series: Black Land's Bane  Type of book: Elemental magic, hostage, secrets, legends, myths  Year it was published: 2024  Summary: An elemental witch and her shieldmaiden journey into a world of ancient myth and unexpected destiny in this sweeping Norse-inspired epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow. The Black Land is spent myth. Centuries have passed since the Great Enemy was slain. Yet old fears linger, and on the longest night of the year, every village still lights a ritual fire to banish the dark. That is Solveig’s duty. Favored by the gods with powerful magic, Sol calls forth flame to keep her home safe. But when her brother accidentally kills a northern lord’s son, she is sent away as weregild—part hostage, part guest—for a year and a day. The further north Sol travels, the clearer it becomes the Black Land is no myth. T

Name of Book: The Unbroken Author: C.L. Clark ISBN: 978-0-316-54275-3 Publisher: Orbit  Part of a Series: Magic of the Lost Type of book: military fantasy, complex colonialism, LGBtQI+ relationship, disability, politics, coming home, belonging  Year it was published: 2021 Summary: Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought. Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet's edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne. Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren't for sale. Characters: Main characters are Touraine and

Name of Book: Help Wanted Author: Adelle Waldman ISBN: 978-1-324-02044-8 Publisher: W.W Norton  Type of book: New York, lowest rung, dying town, 2010s, relationships, microcosm, world of its own, competition, breaking out things, tact, politics  Year it was published: 2024  Summary: In Help Wanted, Adelle Waldman brings her unparalleled wit and knack for social observation to the world of work. At a big-box store in a small town in upstate New York, the members of Team Movement clock in every morning at 3:55. Under the eye of a self-absorbed and barely competent boss, they empty the day’s truck of merchandise, stock the shelves, and scatter before customers arrive. When a golden opportunity for a promotion presents itself, the diverse members of Movement―among them a comedy-obsessed oddball who acts half his age, a young woman clinging to her “cool kid” status from high school, a college football hopeful trying to find a new path―band together and set a just-so-crazy-it-m

Name of Book: The Ivory Tomb Author: Melissa Caruso ISBN: 978-0-316-45439-1 Publisher: Orbit Part of a Series: Rooks and Ruin (THE OBSIDIAN TOWER and THE QUICKSILVER COURT are prequels; SWORDS AND FIRE trilogy are prequel trilogy)  Type of book: Friendship, ties, relationships, immortality, safeguards, heart guard, magic, demons, lore, secrets, diplomacy, determination, saving the world  Year it was published: 2022  Summary: The Ivory Tomb concludes the wildly original epic fantasy series bursting with intrigue and ambition, questioned loyalties, and broken magic that began with The Obsidian Tower. The Dark Days have returned. The Demon of Carnage mercilessly cuts through villagers and armies. The Demon of Corruption poisons/rots the land. The Serene Empire and the Witch Lords race towards war. And in the middle of it all stands Rxyander, the Warden of Gloamingard. Burdened by conflicting loyalties and guilt, Ryx searches desperately for a way to defeat the demons befor

Name of Book: Cursebreakers Author: Madeleine Nakamura  ISBN: 9781939096128 Publisher: Canis Major Books Type of book: Fantasy, mental health, magic, secrets, hidden means, crushes, relationships,  Year it was published: 2023  Summary: Adrien Desfourneaux, professor of magic, must survive his own failing mental health and a tenuous partnership with a dangerous ally in order to save the city of Astrum from a spreading curse. Adrien Desfourneaux, professor of magic and disgraced ex-physician, has discovered a conspiracy. Someone is inflicting magical comas on the inhabitants of the massive city of Astrum, and no one knows how or why. Caught between a faction of scheming magical academics and an explosive schism in the ranks of Astrum’s power-hungry military, Adrien is swallowed by the growing chaos. Alongside Gennady, an unruly, damaged young soldier, and Malise, a brilliant healer and Adrien’s best friend, Adrien searches for a way to stop the spreading curse before the ci

Title of the book: The Britannias; An Archipelagos Tale  Author: Alice Albinia  Publisher: W.W. Norton Publishing Date: 2024  ISBN: 978-0-393-60855-7 Summary: A revelatory portrait of Britain through its islands, The Britannias weaves history, myth, and travelogue to rewrite the story of this “island nation.” From Neolithic Orkney, Viking Shetland, and Druidical Anglesey to the joys and strangeness of modern Thanet, The Britannias explores the farthest reaches of Britain’s island topography, once known by the collective term “Britanniae” (the Britains). This expansive journey demonstrates how the smaller islands have wielded disproportionate influence on the mainland, becoming the fertile ground of political, cultural, and technological innovations that shaped history throughout the archipelago. In an act of feminist inquiry, personal adventure, and literary quest, Alice Albinia takes us over borders and through disparate island cultures, past and present. She uncovers the enduring and