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A universe rich in planets, cultures, and languages, the world created in Where Peace Is Lost, is a troubled one. With the Pale trying to take over the known worlds and people fighting back, news that an old Pale war machine has been reactivated and a motley, and unlikely do, land on a hidden planet where the flora and fauna have rights of their own, startle a young mechanic and an old soldier with secrets, out of their complacency.

I immediately connected with our main character, and the nonbinary secondary character was a lovely touch, as was the description of the animals and the world that seems like one in which I'd like to live. The excellent storytelling pulled me into a far away world, where I wanted to stay, and I hope to look and see if the author has written other stories in this 'universe' and also look forward to these characters' adventures being furthered, should the author choose to do so.

With all of the world building, characterization and description that this science fiction fan loves, I greatly enjoyed this story.

A book that leaves you with a sense of having visited a different world, a haunting memory, and a longing to return is certainly one in which I can say the author accomplished their goal of telling a damn good story. And this book by Premee Mohamad does that. With lyrical, flourishing prose it paints a picture, sometimes one as cloying as the perfumes I imagine which linger in the hall of the capital-h House. A woman who doesn't stay dead, and upon realizing the power she holds by being outside of the societal structures, it could be an allegory for the lives of those today who choose to operate outside of the bounds of our capitalist, patriarchal society. Especially since the world of this book, the world outside of the House, definitely could be considered our own should things be allowed to continue unchecked and the people disposed of, uncared for.

I'm not sure we cheer for any of the characters, but their journeys certainly are intriguing. Their motivations sometimes fully on display and other times elusive and chameleon-like. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but it can also taste sweet, and sometimes as heady as a rich, whiskey.

If there's one complaint I have about this title, it's that the writing with it's reliance on over-long sentences combined with the flowery prose almost becomes too much at points. And to my editor's eye, it took a couple of chapters before I quit looking at just...how...long... the sentences were and became swept up in the story. This book won a Nebula award for best novella, and I can see why, if nothing else than for the fact that it had a very literary feel to it, more atmosphere and mood, and not so much a play-by-play of the action. Which, to be fair, in this story, I'm not sure a play-by-play would be warranted.

In the end, this is a book which kept me reading and drew me into its strange and twisty world that I'm still thinking about the morning after. So while I may still be having extensional thoughts about sentence length and grammar rules, I have to say, that if the story pulls in the reader and leaves a hunting memory, do the mechanics really matter that much? The story worked.

CW: This book is not for anyone who has storm anxiety, PTSD (especially around natural disasters), issues surrounding childhood trauma, or someone with experience in and around Hurricane Katrina

Warnings for on page mention of animal and human death.

Is it literature? A fantastic journey? A hard-boiled police procedural? The story of childhood trauma? This is story, I'm afraid. of a book that tried to do too much, be too many things, and ultimately fell short. However, I do want to add that this book kept me up to read to the end because I wanted to find out what happened. Though I admit it also was out of morbid curiosity to see just everything was going to be resolved--or not--and what facts would be included--or not. My conclusion when I closed my Kindle cover? "Huh? That was....something."

With three separate mysteries, and two of them not really being mysteries at all, since the characters and the reader knew who had committed the crime, it was more of a matter of reading to see how it all ended. With one mystery solved, but still open-ended, and the other solved in fantastical fashion, the book was left feeling very disjointed and rambling. And it's not the first in a series, which means there will be no closure here. I admit I rather don't care, either. Add in supernatural facts, plus the usual ingredients when one is in New Orleans and someone wants to impart the "flavor" and all the research they did, not to mention medical causes and issues from research better left on the editing table, and I can't really recommend this story. The book really felt like it was trying to do too much, be too many things, and some judicious editing may have been in order here. I liked and was invested in the lead character, but the rest felt like cardboard cut outs playing on too big of a stage.

I've enjoyed this author's books before, so I was eager to read this one. Set in an alternate version of Europe, that's still recognizable for all the players, this story follows a young princess as she's betrothed to a younger prince and discovers that her family isn't exactly as it seems.

This book read like a lush, streaming period drama, full of characters you'll want to love (and some you'll be happy to loathe), and comeuppance aplenty. Filtered throughout the story are snippets from a book from the world talking about cooking, and talk of the food will have your mouth watering. If you enjoy cheese--and who doesn't?--the many varieties which find themselves in this story will have you wishing for your own platter.

The book ends with a good resolution--no cliffhangers here--but certainly ready to pick up next installment when it releases. I can't wait to return to this world.

With a cast of characters both old and new, Gryphon in Light finds Valdemar in a difficult situation after the Mage Storms ended, leaving chaos in their wake. Though it's been a while since we visited the world of the mage storms, and some of these characters, I found myself once more wrapped into the book as a warm hug that is Valdemar. One by one we're reintroduced to the magical creatures which inhabit the world alongside human soldiers, Heralds, Tayledras, and more. And when they're swept into adventure, you don't want to be left behind.

While this book may be a bit overwhelming to those new to Valdemar, they won't be unfamiliar with the world for long as the author does a brilliant job of explaining the characters and making each one unique. Needless to say, this is a delightful treat for longtime fans, and my only regret is now I have to wait for the next one. But that's a small price to pay to be able to visit Valdemar once again.

While the book has a good premise and well intentions behind it, as someone who is late diagnosed neurodivergent and who has been in the workforce for 30 years before the diagnosis, this book is capitalist propaganda which assumes that individuals need to have a job to have fulfilling lives, and focuses solely on those who were diagnosed in childhood, have strong family supports around them, and live in major cities where autism job clubs and groups can be found to help them get a job. It offers absolutely nothing for the late diagnosed neurodivergent (who is often AFAB) who lives in a rural setting, with no supports outside of friends, and who has done traditional employment which has left them with cPTSD, depression, and anxiety, and who really needs to transition into self-employment for mental wellness. This neurodivergent is not the only one, and I talk to too many neurodivergent individuals who need help moving into self-employment and find themselves without help or support. But back to the book…

The author of this book, and the resources he talks about, are all based in major cities (San Francisco, Atlanta) and at one point says that employers like neurodivergent people because we’re “loyal”. We don’t like change and so we tend to stick with an employer and not change jobs. Sadly this happens all too often with abusive and toxic employment situations, so what? The authors think neurodivergent people are like the dog that returns to an abusive master?

I, like the authors, believe we do need to drastically rethink employment, especially for disabled, chronically ill, and/or neurodivergent individuals, and we had the perfect opportunity with the COVID-19 pandemic. But the authors only provide capitalist solutions, emphasizing that people need jobs to live fulfilling lives, which is an ableist statement, and leaves those who weren’t diagnosed as children, don’t have family supports to help get them “in” with a company, or live in a major area with an autism job club, which the author admits still require a long term investment in the individual to find stable employment. If you find yourself in a “not disabled enough for supports from traditional disability orgs” and “disabled enough to need support” situation like too many do, then this book will let you slip through the cracks, just as our capitalist system does now.

I could write more…so much more as a review…but really, this book is a full employment act for only one small sliver of the full neurodivergent spectrum. I wish the authors had done better. As doctors they should have done better. But too many neurodivergent individuals will understand when I say that honestly, this book was exactly what I expected it to be.

I’ve been a fan of Mercedes Lackey since almost the beginning, finding a copy of Magic’s Pawn in a K-mart back around 1990. Valdemar saved me, it’s not hyperbole to say, and imagining myself in Valdemar allowed me to survive some pretty rough years as I entered, and finished, high school, so to say I was excited to hear there would be a founding trilogy is an understatement. The trilogy begins with Beyond, and this book is the second in the series.

Sometimes the second book in the series drags, and there are places where we get into Kordas’ head which I feel probably were more the author channeling thoughts and observations (which I didn’t mind one bit!) rather than actual action. They fit within the storyline, and the character of Kordas is, like most of Valdemar’s later leaders, aware that the mantle of leadership can be heavy at times. The joy with this book, especially, is beginning to piece together what we already know about Valdemar and seeing it appear. For example, I immediately recognized the wyrsa from the Winds trilogy, and by now the Pelgairs and what creatures it harbors is an old, and sometimes not so dear friend.

I devoured this book. Affection for the world and the characters seeps through every page. The stories of Sydney-You-Asshole (rather aptly named cat) are delightful to anyone who is the servant of a feline overlord, and when some true old friends appear toward the end of the book–well, I just cheered out loud.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that we haven’t seen the companions yet, and I cannot wait for the third book to be published. Highly recommend this, and in fact, am starting my spouse on this series to introduce him to Valdemar.