Tag: Gas lamp fantasy

Review: A Tale of Secrets and Sorcery by Vanessa Nelson 

Rating: 3.75⭐️

I enjoyed this new fantasy adventure novel by Vanessa Nelson and feel it’s got some wonderful elements to it. 

But after reading it, it feels very much like a prequel or half of a story for a larger version. The characters, the concept and overall powers here as laid out are intriguing. But in the scenes where,especially Evie’s magic is revealed in marvelous detail, the promise of increasing potential for her as “the most powerful sorceress” that he’s known to have any impact here never happens. 

Even those gremlins, a fantastic asset to Evie and a element that I wanted to know more about, from their magical abilities to their backgrounds, their futures were left unanswered by the ending, a rushed finale that begged for a sequel. 

But back to the main characters, Evie the magical librarian and Lord Fentemann, Barnaby, on a secret mission from his Queen. Evie’s got a great backstory and she’s totally believable in this fantasy. My issue here is that we get constant scenes where we’re watching Evie, along with the gremlins, bring alive fantastical legendary landscapes from descriptions in ancient tomes she and Barnaby are researching from . Where’s more of this in the story? More of her powers and her abilities here? This is what I want as a reader. 

Even Barnaby, who is supposed to be a high level magician, isn’t shown any of the scenes to be that powerful. The characters are interesting enough but not entirely credible. Except for Evie and the gremlins. 

The plot is very good. And its elements of an ancient earth based religion that’s been upended holds more promise than was satisfied by the storyline’s ending. Again, no real finish to the multi plots and characters. 

It just ends with everyone just leaving to different paths with no resolution to the many different journeys of this novel. What happened to the Druids? The gremlins? The enemy? 

And spoiler, that rushed romance and instant marriage felt less like a real believable event between two people and more like a plot device needed to bring the story to a close. 

That is a shame. Because the beginning of this book is very different, layered and well done. Unlike the ending which feels rushed, unbalanced and unsatisfying. 

So much potential for a sequel to set this right. 

Interesting though. 

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comA Tale of Secrets and Sorcery eBook : Nelson, Vanessa

Blurb 

One librarian, one sorcerer, and a whole lot of trouble.

Evie has been doing her best to lead a quiet, unremarkable life, working her job as a librarian at one of the largest libraries in the world amid a collection of magical books and magical creatures that delight in causing mischief. She dreams of adventure even as she struggles to hide her magical abilities in a kingdom that executes rogue sorcerers. When a chance encounter leads to her secret being uncovered, Evie finds herself in the middle of a greater adventure than she could ever have imagined.

Lord Fentemann – Barnaby to his few friends – has been charged by his Queen with a special, dangerous and vital task. Already annoyed at having to travel to the kingdom to carry out research in the library, worse is to come when he is forced to go on the run. Someone doesn’t want Barnaby to succeed in his mission.

Thrown together, Evie and Barnaby realise that their best chance of survival is working together.

Can Evie and Barnaby work together to stay ahead of the Queen’s enemies and complete the mission not just for the Queen but possibly the whole world?

Review: Lady (Noble’s Luck Book 1) by Mel Todd

Rating:  5⭐️

This book is my first experience with this author and I’m so very excited to have found Mel Todd. What an incredible immersive experience and magnificent tale Lady is. 

Set in the Ternion Universe, same world as Todd’s Twisted Luck series (which I haven’t read and this is a prequel to), it’s an alternate timeline in Victorian England. Magic has just started to appear, Prince Albert never dies, Disraeli stays in office longer. And Victoria never retires because she never falls into grief and mourning, but remains a strong monarch. 

So much feels believable and powerful in its depth of detail because of the incredible characters, the emotion and pull of the storylines, and the magical power that is being created.

Especially when it comes to the Lucks.  Each of these is focusing on a specific Luck sibling. The stories run concurrently with each other so we see many of the same events from different perspectives and where they were, if missing from the other person’s narrative at the time. 

Miss Emmeline Luck, the youngest of the Earl’s children and the one the Earl favors the least, gets the first story.

Emmeline’s journey from a powerless object to be bartered by her father to a striking woman who has magical abilities and a sense of her own power to direct her life is gripping and incredibly satisfying.

It’s wound through with the political drama of that day, court proceedings and battles that mark the disparity between races, status and gender of Victorian times. 

Emmeline’s development, however, includes her own family as well as new members who have the power to train her magic and influence her own destiny. 

As she says herself:

“I wanted to be Emmeline Luck, someone that was irreplaceable and in control of her own destiny, not pawned off or used to further someone else’s.”

I started rooting for her and remained so inspired and invested in her life that the pages flew by. 

There’s no romance but very stirring moments as she fights for her control over her destiny. 

Fantastic side characters that I would love to see more of, including her dress designer, Diante, a fascinating person whose history I’m dying to read. 

I’m quickly heading to Lord which is Duncan’s book. 

What a fantastic book and find. It’s one I’m highly recommending!

 I adore the covers. Each and every one.  Detailed to fit the character. 

Cover by Ampersand Book Covers”

Noble’s Luck:

Lady #1

Lord #2

Bastard #3

Buy link 

        Lady (Noble’s Luck Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Miss Emmeline Luck has always strived to be a dutiful daughter, but thinking for herself has never won her favor with society—or her domineering father.

When Earl Luck announces her engagement to a slimy man unfit to be left with a scullery maid, she tries to comply. But the reality of the despicable nature of her fiancé reveals a power buried deep within her: Emmeline is a mage.

Magic is a new and controversial force in Victorian England; its emergence stirring unease while the Queen remains silent. Desperate for training, Emmeline turns to Miss Antoinette Carlton and her mentor, the Bengali mage Rohan, who has a familiar. As Emmeline delves into her training, she realizes magic could upend her family—and threaten the security of Britain itself.

When her father kicks her out, Emmeline faces an impossible choice: conform to a life without freedom or carve a path on her own terms in a society that deems a woman without a man worthless. Armed with magic, intelligence, and the law, she sets out to challenge her father’s tyranny. But with powerful forces seeking to use her as a pawn, Emmeline must summon all her strength and cunning to claim her own destiny.

In a world where magic is both feared and coveted, can she rewrite the rules—or will she remain at the mercy of others?

  • Publisher: Bad Ash Publishing
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: February 3, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 346 pages
  • Book 1 of 3: Noble’s Luck