The Last Labyrinth by Gwendolyn Womack

I honestly had zero expectations going into this, but The Last Labyrinth was very good. I was swept along with the story each time I opened the book to read. I didn’t even mind the semi-abrupt nature of the romance.

I quite liked the time travel and how it was handled. It’s interesting to see how someone from the 1800s might handle it. After all, science fiction of that nature isn’t exactly a commonplace notion, I don’t think, during that era. I feel like, despite time travel being a fictional thing, someone from the modern day would have an easier time wrapping their heads around it, just due to the prevalence in our fiction these days.

On another note, the ending felt rushed but satisfying at the same time. The rushing was a natural consequence of the climax and pacing speeding up. I’m also not entirely sure there could have been a more satisfying ending. What Magellan thought she needed in the end just seemed like an actually impossible thing to end up writing.

I feel like the Arthurian Legend adjacent part of this was pretty much just adjacent. It did open up the "Male Historical Figure's Sister" thing, which is crucial to the plot. But it does work well as an overall framing device.

The Last Labyrinth was a lot of fun and well paced. I very much enjoyed it. 

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

So… at the risk of saying what I always say… This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is interesting. I don’t usually read Portal Fantasy, but I’m definitely no stranger to the concept (my Anime entry-point was Digimon and The Chronicles of Narnia was a staple of my childhood). I feel like this is an interesting way to do a Portal Fantasy, though, due to the nature of the beast, it does feel rather info-dump-y at times. I like Maggie. The way she is about her book series is very much how I am about Buffy: The Vampire Slayer to the point where I’ve had this exact fantasy about being able to do what Maggie is essentially doing. It’s also a bit of a breath of fresh air to have a female protagonist who isn’t already a total badass in the physical arena, as a lot of the female protagonists I are. I am glad she eventually gets at least some weapons training, but going into it pretty helpless in that arena was neat.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is quite the twisty tale. It relies a lot more on the knowledge Maggie possesses than any physical prowess she may or may not have. Again, very different from what I’m used to reading, but in very good ways.

Not sure how I feel about the “twist” mid-book. On the one hand, kind of a great “twist.” On the other… it’s… yeah idk. It’s not the best “twist” and I’m very interested to find out how exactly the “twist” ended up deciding to be a “twist.” I’m also not sure I can actually talk about it because it is kind of a major “twist” but at the same time… mid-book. Not exactly missable. Yay for random fantasy romance tropes, I guess? It is rather well done, honestly.

Speaking of the romantasy tropes, I thought the potential love interests were well established. I was sure it was going to turn somewhat soppy at some point and I’m glad I was very wrong about the lack of sop. The story definitely didn’t need it, nor did I. All that to say, I am very pleased with the amount of romantasy drama. Just right for my tastes.

I like the bits of fantasy critters we get. You’d better believe I have them visualized via OviPets and plan to eventually add them to my too-long list of critters I want to make.

I will say, as I was nearing the end, I feared This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me was going to just trail off and not actually end. Another spot where I was very glad to be proven wrong. The climax definitely took it straight to a satisfying ending. The epilogue was also satisfying enough and leads into the next book well. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes from here.

So… yeah. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me was a fun break from what I’ve been reading lately. Definitely recommend giving it a read. 

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

This marks the beginning of my second attempt at reading through Discworld. So far, it’s gone far better than the first attempt. I actually want to read the next book, for instance.

I don’t really have a lot to say about Guards, Guards. I think it’s definitely a good jumping-on point. It’s fairly well paced. The world presented is interesting enough and works well within its own logic.

I thought Lord Vetinari’s view of the world was actually pretty spot on, if a fairly bleak way of putting it. We’re all varying degrees of “evil,” that is to say, shades of grey.

Aaand. That’s it, really. On to the next one. 

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

There is a slight spoiler for something reveal mid-book. Just a bit of a warning.

I definitely liked this one a lot more than Broken Homes. The lore especially was right up my alley. I also like Beverly Brook more than I ever did Lesley. That is not to say Lesley is a bad character, I’m just less fond of her. *shrug* But anyway, Foxglove Summer fully introduces the Fae in what I think is a rather classic but brilliant way. Although fairyland itself doesn’t have so much “screen time,” it lived up to my expectations of what we might get.

Changeling lore is usually pretty fun. Being the veteran of fantasy and mythology that I am, I clocked it pretty much from the start, or at least, upon the return of Hannah and “Nicole.” I didn’t anticipate the “Derek” of it all, but that was a nice little twist.

I think I also preferred the group of police from Leominster over the London group. They seemed much more chill and open about the whole Folly business. I’m appreciative of open-mindedness around weird things you demonstratively know are happening, rather than immediately going down the “don’t ask/don’t tell” route.

So yeah, Foxglove Summer was quite enjoyable. Good world building. Solid entry. 

The Raven Song by Luanne G. Smith

It’s been 3 years and some change since I read the first of this duology ( The Raven Spell ). I remember very little from it, so The Raven Song may as well have been a standalone novel. I honestly found it very middling.

I feel like, although a main character of this book, Edwina wasn’t super present in it. She’s not given any time to properly grieve and any time she’s alone is pretty much skipped over. Her entire story is centered around pining for Ian and being kidnapped for fairy reasons. Even her frustration at Mary is short-lived and then explained away rather randomly in the end, in my opinion. I don’t remember how I felt about Edwina in The Raven Spell but I don’t feel like I know her well enough to have much of an opinion now.

I am definitely well over the “man intimidates and kidnaps women for power” thing. I found Carlin incredibly dull as an antagonist. Even keeping his name a secret felt incredibly contrived. There was just no reason for it.

I’m not sure how I feel about the info-dump ending. Sure, everything was tied up neatly, but that was a lot of information just thrown at us and Edwina, for that matter. I do believe she is very right about the new Prophetess needing things explained sooner than tradition dictates. It’s clear the secrecy around it doesn’t actually keep the secret very well. After all, Carlin managed to hear rumors and he’s not even connected to anything.

So yeah… The Raven Song was entirely middling. Entertaining enough, but with quite flat characters. 

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

While not exactly super surprising, I did very much enjoy Moon Over Soho. I thought it was nice to see consequences from the last book carry over into this one. It's always nice when we aren't just reset back to "normal" immediately. I know that's a little weird to say for a sequel, as I think the consequences should always stick... but yeah.

As usual, I very much enjoyed the world-building. Got a few answers to a couple of questions I had from Rivers of London, The Masquerades of Spring, and some of the short stories preceding Moon Over Soho chronologically. It was also fairly well done. Not a giant info dump, just Nightingale organically telling Peter stuff when appropriate.

I also enjoyed the progression of the characters. Getting to know Peter better and learning about Lesley through her family and recovery. Dr. Walid amused me, in line with several coroner types from CSI-like shows. I even quite like Ash and hope we see more of him in future.

I was kind of amused at the notion of Nightingale assuming his former colleagues would just not teach anyone else magic just because there was some sort of Agreement. It does (from short story readings) seem like other government types in other countries assumed the same. It seemed completely silly to me for some surviving wizards to keep that knowledge to themselves. Of course the knowledge is going to be passed on. It's so obvious to me. Heck, Peter's pretty much got two apprentices of his own in Lesley and Abigail (one assumes Abigail, anyway) and he's not even a "proper" wizard yet. I kind of assume Lesley's going to come under Nightingale's tutelage, but one never knows.

I thought Simone being super connected to Peter's case was also fairly obvious. He fell too fast, too hard for her to not be involved somehow. I actually though she might be a shapeshifter of some kind. I was definitely wrong on that count, but that's where my head was originally at.

Anyway, I thought Moon Over Soho was a solid follow up to Rivers of London. Built out more of the world nicely and was just solid over all. 

Favorite Lines

"He was calling it an atonic seizure because, even if he didn’t know why it had happened, it was important to give it a cool name." - Peter Grant

"For a terrifying moment I thought he was going to hug me, but fortunately we both remembered we were English just in time. Still, it was a close call." - Peter Grant  

In Other News

I finished my Moosemon Project, part of my Armor Digimon Project Line over on OviPets. Took me just about a year to complete. 

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

I found Snake-Eater to be utterly delightful. I thought it was fairly chill, with good characters and a story that pulled you along. I thought the mythology portion of the story was well done. Nothing was too info-dump-y, which makes a nice change from what I’ve been reading lately.

I thought Selena’s host of mental issues was well-handled. Lord knows I felt very seen when she was repeating “scripts” over and over. I do that exact thing. Selena almost felt like a self-insert character, where the self-insertion was me. It was cool watching her come into her own.

I enjoyed the short discussion on spirits vs gods vas Christianity. I very much liked Father Aguirre’s take on the whole thing. Very nuanced and true to someone of his parentage.

I don’t really have much else to say about Snake-Eater. It was definitely a fun read. 

Favorite Lines

“The first commandment is ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,’” he said gently. “It doesn’t say that there aren’t any others, or that you shouldn’t be polite when you meet them." - Father Aguirre

"Fire Marshal Jenny reminds everyone that our fire risk is extremely high, and if you burn down the desert, everyone’s going to be pissed." - DJ Raven

“Ain’t no kill like overkill,” - Grandma Billy   

A House Between Sea and Sky by Beth Cato

I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting from A House Between Sea and Sky, but it was a delightful read. It’s full of surprises and fun characters. I largely just enjoyed the ride. It’s fun to see a twist on mythologies I’m familiar with. I won’t spoil it, but I guessed fairly early on the provenance of The House. Finding out I was right only made it more fun. A House Between Sea and Sky is another one of those I don’t really have a lot of thoughts about, so I’ll leave it here. It was a fun, chill read. Exactly what I needed with the holiday chaos around me. 

Favorite Lines

"Men were the worst creatures to unexpectedly meet in the dark." - Fayette Wynne Narration

"While help could be fine sometimes, there was no freedom like that of wandering among full bookshelves." - Fayette Wynne Narration  

Reviews Batch 15

 Alright so... this next pair of reviews are quite short and so I'm posting them together. Enjoy.

 

Micah by Laurell K. Hamilton

Short Reread Review

I liked Micah a lot. It was short, sweet, and packed a good chunk of backstory in. 

 

 

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

So… I did enjoy this enough to keep reading until the end. It’s not incomprehensible and the characters are still enjoyable enough… I’m just not vibing with The Wheel of Time. There’s just a lot going on to keep track of and the writing style just isn’t meshing in my head… I dunno. This just isn’t what I’m feeling right now.

All that being said… I like Faile. I wasn’t keen on Perrin deciding he wasn’t going to call her what she wanted to be called (stop being a dick, Perrin). I kind of enjoyed Egwene exploring the dream world.

But yeah… I don’t really have anything else to say about The Dragon Reborn. I’m definitely gonna at least take a break from The Wheel of Time right now, though. Might come back to it at a later date, not sure. Much shrugging. 

Favorite Line

 "Prophecies are fulfilled as they are meant to be, not as we think they should be." - Moiraine

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

So, the second book of The Wheel of Time was, in all honesty, better toward the beginning and the end than it was in the middle. I was very close to just DNFing the entire thing while Rand, Loial, and Hurin were in that alternate universe with “Selene.” I knew things were going to get better —almost had to — so I stuck with it.

This is the part where I remind my readers that I did watch the Amazon adaptation because I’m about to reference it. I think the adaptation leaving out the whole middle part of this book was a good decision, just given what we got in the show. I cannot speak to whether or not losing the stuff with the Portal Stones was ultimately a good thing, but since the show ended without it being an issue… good on the show for going a different way with “Selene” and Rand’s meeting.

I don’t really have any thoughts on the book, so here’s what I liked. The Seanchan stuff. World-Building is my jam and I largely thought the way their society was so different was neat. As much as the damanae stuff is ultimately gross, I enjoyed it as well. Having an entirely different way of dealing with channelers makes complete sense. I also enjoyed Rand as the reluctant Dragon. Not entirely pleased he was as whiny about it as he was, but it made complete sense given all the weight behind both The Dragon and all the false ones. Elayne, Egwaine, Nynaeve, and Min were delightful. 

Favorite Lines

"The best of men are not much better than housebroken." Nynaeve paused, and added half to herself, "But then, the best of them are worth the trouble of housebreaking." - Nynaeve al'Meara

"But men often mistake revenge and killing for justice. They seldom have the stomach for justice." - Nynaeve al'Meara 

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Full disclosure: I did watch “The Wheel of Time” Amazon Prime adaptation before reading this book. I was very aware of the story beats that were the same and those that differed due to the adaptation itself and the difficulties during filming.

All that said, I did enjoy The Eye of the World. It is quite dense and honestly, at times, felt as though it should have been broken up into smaller books. The world feels very rich and lived-in, which I very much enjoyed. There were definitely times where the amount of characters felt overwhelming and detrimental to things like pacing.

I really don’t have a lot to say about The Eye of the World. It was good enough as a first outing to keep me reading further. I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the series pans out. 
 

Favorite Lines

"People don't always think of behave the way you might believe they would." - Tam al'Thor

"Gray hairs don't mean our brains have curdled," - Tam al'Thor

"Anything can be a weapon, if the man or woman who holds it has the nerve and will to make it so." - Lan Mandragoran

"I am not a cheese for slicing." - Thom Merrilin 

New Spring by Robert Jordan

Full disclosure: Prior to picking up New Spring, I did watch The Wheel of Time Amazon show. I also am well aware that New Spring was not intended to be read prior to its order in the Publication Order… and yet here I am, starting with it first. I look forward to finding out what exactly I was supposed to have had spoiled by reading New Spring first.

That said, I did have fun with New Spring. I liked learning more about Moraine, Lan, and Siuan than I knew previously. It’s always fun for me finding out how characters met and formed their bonds, especially characters like Moraine, Lan, and Siuan. Moraine’s treatment of Lan during their journey together made me smile.

It was also a lot of fun getting to know how The White Tower works from the inside. That wasn’t super clear in the Amazon show.

I don’t really have a whole lot of thoughts, other than that. I did think Malkeri culture seemed interesting… though we clearly won’t be getting much more, if any more of that… though of course I say that with full knowledge of a whole series ahead. Anyway.

New Spring definitely felt like the prequel it is. Nothing delved into super deep. It was entertaining enough. On to the main Wheel of Time series now, I guess. 

The Prince of Nowhere by Emily Drake

Honestly, this was not what I was expecting. I was not expecting the two year time-jump, not that it made any difference whatsoever. I was expecting something having to do with Gregory, which this did not at all. It was honestly okay most of the way through, which seems to be par for the course with The Magickers series. The ending, as usual, was super rushed, though also took forever getting there.

So, the nothing burger of a time-jump. I honestly feel like it was there to have given Ting/Pearl time to become a larger dragon and explain how she’s now used to this. Trent and Jason seem to have figured out how to use Trent’s abilities in a much different manner than Trent was using them in The Gate of Bones. That was so different I was confused as to what anyone was talking about in regard to Trent’s abilities. But otherwise… everything is pretty much the same as it was at the end of The Gate of Bones.

I enjoyed meeting and getting to know Leah. She’s a fun new character. I’m honestly glad, though, that we only got this short amount of time with her, as I feel like she would have just faded into the ensemble if the series were continuing. Along with Leah, we got more of a glimpse into Haven’s other inhabitants and how another piece of their society works.

Eyomani was honestly a nothing burger of an antagonist. His motivation, explained at the very end, was honestly stupid. I would have rather not had him at all and just focused on finding Rich’s cure. That, and dealing with Leah and her tracker-companion would have been just fine.

So, yeah… The Prince of Nowhere was largely just alright. The very ending felt like a rushed mess that had to basically tie up everything

 

In Other News

I finished another OviPets Project. This one is an approximation of the Digimon: Sakumon. Sakumon has a blade on its head and OviPets doesn't have that option so the unicorn horn had to do.

Sakumon took me approximately 3 months to complete and is a "Village of Beginnings" project.

The Gate of Bones by Emily Drake

I'm really... kind of torn about this one. The Gate of Bones was definitely better than The Dragon Guard, but it had its own problems. It mostly felt like the endgame of this book should have been rescuing Eleanora and Fire Ann, but that ended up being fairly anti-climactic... and then the actual ending seemed to take forever in getting there. I was honestly bored by the time the book decided to close the Gate, both literally and figuratively.

The Gate of Bones was definitely much less choppy, though it still somewhat suffered from choppiness. Most of the story focused on how the Magickers were dealing with their new world and some of the ways in which that new world worked. Haven was semi-interesting, though there wasn't a whole lot of explanation as to how society functioned there. There's definitely a vague medieval-ish/Renaissance-y vibe, but it's also rather disparate so... just strange.

I did find it just as frustrating as Bailey and Ting that the girls were left behind for a lot of the "questing" stuff. There's an understanding as to why, but at the same time... not great. I thought for a hot second that Jonnard was going to develop a crush on Bailey and boy and I glad his quest for Power superseded all of that. The last thing this semi-convoluted stuff needed was Jonnard thirsting after Bailey. I'm not super happy that Bailey essentially got damseled a couple of times, too.

We finally get confirmation as to what Aunt Freya is guarding, though what's actually going to happen on that front is up in the air at the end. I won't spoil it, but it's kind of the only reason I'm about to go on to the fifth Magickers book (only available digitally, but at least there's an actual ending to this thing).

There's also some more philosophical discussion between Jason and The Dragon. Much dithering over whether or not Jason chose correctly, mostly because Jason doubts himself. Other than that, though, Jason's not actually the main focus of this one... his bits aren't really focused on any more than the others.

But yeah, The Gate of Bones was overall alright. I would honestly have been fine leaving the story here, but, as I've already got the fifth and final one... *much shrugging ensues* Guess we'll see how that goes.

The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana

So, the only thing keeping The Library of Fates from being a 5 star read is the fact that Sikander’s whole personality hinges on whether or not Thea ends up as his wife. I completely understand this is not the point of the book (I did read the foreword), but it seriously rankles me. I very sincerely dislike when the antagonists are antagonists because they didn’t “get the girl” whether they realize it or not. I don’t know if Sikander internalized Thea’s lack of influence in the first place, but I hate that their relationship was apparently the hinge.

Otherwise, The Library of Fates was very good. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the twists. I enjoyed the world-building. I was honestly not expecting the story to go the ways it did. It was a rollicking adventure with expertly placed fantasy elements. Things combine in such a way as to make the world feel very real and grounded. 

The Dragon Guard by Emily Drake

2025 Reread

I honestly don't think I've read a more frustrating book in a while. I really pushed myself through this one, which I can only hope gets paid off in the next one... which was the entire reason I kept reading. the Dragon Guard is severely choppy, the characters make the most frustrating decisions, and it didn't really come together until the second half and even then it's still really choppy.

I honestly don't think the strategy of switching up POVs worked well. There were just too many characters to get away with doing so. There's one point, before Jason's big soccer game, where we check in with Ting... a nothing-burger of a check in. Made me want to throw the book across the bathroom I've been reading it in. It just felt severely unfocused.

The issue of the adult characters also rears its head again. I have a whole list on my phone haranguing Gavan's really bad planning in terms of teaching the 7 Magicker children... one of whom (Danno) is barely mentioned and apparently just fine off wherever he ended up. Tomaz just fucks off for most of the book on his own project, Eleanora is knocked out because of the whole Jennifer thing, and Aunt Freya is doing something secretive that makes her unhelpful. That's not even mentioning Khalil and Isabella... one of which has a very spoiler-ific reveal so I won't be talking about it, but it's still... ugh. So frustrating. Anyway, the main issue is Gavan wanting to do this Academy thing and not having the resources to even teach 7 kids or get the results he wants out of Jason in particular... just... what the hell, man.

Which then brings me to Jon and Brennard. Yeah... Brennard's supposed to be giving this "Dark Lord" energy and he's just not. Jon's largely usurping that, but also isn't at the same time. They really don't do a whole heck of a lot except loom in the background, being very, very vaguely menacing. I just... my head's smacking a wall with how much I, as a reader, do not care about the "villains" of the piece.

I do care a lot more about Jason. Jason is a good POV character. He's the main character we should be following the entire time, but, as I said to begin with, The Dragon Guard is just so choppy. It's like Drake was unsure as to whether or not Jason could hold the story on his own and so had to keep switching POVs because Jason couldn't be everywhere... which is fair, but also, as I'm typing this, I'm thinking about the "runtime" of the book. I think having Jason be the main POV character would have made the book shorter as well. I don't personally think that would have been a bad thing, but... yeah. It's just too much.

I am really, really hoping The Bone Gate is better. I truly don't remember, just like I only remembered, like, two details from The Dragon Guard. It's been a long while. 

 

Reasons I'm Annoyed At Gavan In Particular

1. Gavan really should have thought out his Academy project a lot better before even trying to start Ravenwyng. That whole thing was severely bungled.

2. Bailey's Dad discovered she's doing Magick because she got scared and of course she was gonna teleport out of the situation. She's got no backup or anyone helpful to talk to about the situation.

3. Basically the entirety of The Curse of Arkady... which we also actually learn about a damn book later.

4. Jason inadvertently pissing off his dragon friend, because, again with the scared kids who can teleport using that as a resource mainly due to not having anything else to lean on.

5. Basically everything Jason yells at Gavan about. Their training is crapola and basically non-existent in these books. 

6. Gavan's so-called allies are basically doing nothing to help... at all.

7. Shit that's happening to Henry because of Jonnard.

8. Jason got more training in, like, 2 days with Ting's grandmother than he did in any of his time with Gavan or the other Magickers. She's not even a "proper" Magicker! 

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian had me in tears a good few times. I largely chalk this up to a waves of backup Percy and the Campers receive over the course of the New York Battle. I’ve said it before and I will say it probably a thousand more times: I am a sucker for the “Big Damn Heroes” Trope in which everyone and their mother shows up to help save the day. The Last Olympian had many such moments and therefore: tears. Couldn’t help it.

I am rather glad that Nico got more characterization. I originally found him mostly a non-entity, so I’m glad that’s changed. I'm not sure exactly how much of a spoiler it is to say that Thalia makes a reappearance... but she does. It was the first of the "Big Damn Heroes" moments that had me tearing up. She seems much more grounded here, though I'm not sure exactly what gave me that impression.

After the reveals about Luke's mother, I saw Rachel Dare's fate coming. I honestly thought it was rather obvious, though I like her as a character. 

I don’t think I have much else specific to say about The Last Olympian. I enjoyed it a lot more than the other books, that’s for sure. It felt much more focused, which, given the New York Battle took up a sizable chunk of the book, makes sense. Definitely an acceptable and satisfying end to Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

 On A Personal Note

I honestly would probably have enjoyed these more when I was younger. I've been told by and IRL coworker/friend that the next batch of books is better... however, I really have zero desire to continue beyond this point. Plus, well, I'm more excited to start The Wheel of Time. I might return to the Percy Jackson universe at some stage, but... not right now.

I'll do my customary pallette cleanser standalone novel before starting The Wheel of Time. Just so ya'll know where I'm at, reading-wise. 

The Curse of Arkady by Emily Drake

I have found The Curse of Arkady to be incredibly frustrating. The multiple POVs jump around abruptly, though I will admit, without a central location for the characters to be in, the multiple POVs are necessary. The storyline, though, is just… utterly frustrating and the end feels abrupt. Come see as I explain/rant about the nonsense.

I really, really dislike that the adult Magickers have basically just left the kids to fend for themselves. Gavan even specifically tells Jason that there might not always be someone to answer an alarm beacon. Then WTF is the point of it then??? I understand ya’ll don’t have the resources to take care of a whole school or even the amount of kids you originally had at Camp, but you’ve now got a whole 7 teenagers in need to training and you’re just… not doing anything aside from random check ins. How the fuck are they supposed to learn or defend themselves properly, exactly? One of the Council members talks about how they used to do apprenticeships, so it's not like teaching young Magickers individually is outside anyone's wheelhouse, it's just straight up not even being done.

I do think the book adequately shows just how much trouble the kids can get into on their own, as well. A member of the Dark Hand ambushes Jason, Stef goes bear at a horrible time, Jennifer’s losing her sense of self, and Bailey and Ting accidentally turn a supposedly harmless charm into a full-blown love-charm. All with no backup and really no one to call for help because the adult Magickers are all too busy to even check in on them regularly… apparently. This apparently all plays straight into the hands of Brennard, so that's just great.

Ah yes, and then the kids get scolded for being in “situations you shouldn’t have been in, in the first place.” As though they had enough training to keep themselves out of such situations. This is exactly what happens when magical kids don’t get enough/consistent training. Just… Tomaz’s entire thing after Jason finds Fizziwig makes me want to smack him. Ya’ll certainly aren’t acting as though these kids are at all important to you. But sure, “don’t disappoint us” is the way to go. WTF.

Fuck Statler Finch. Anyone who blames the victims of bullying for the bullying is THE WORST. Bullying is NEVER the victim’s fault. I am supremely happy Jason recognizes this pretty much right off the bat. I'm really trying to keep this spoiler-free, so I can't really say much more about Finch, but... he's an extreme annoyance.

I did like the little looks into each kid's life. They got just that much more fleshed out, plus some scoring on the diversity front. If there's one thing that really sets The Magickers apart as a series, it's the diversity of family dynamics and backgrounds. I'm really looking forward to seeing more about Ting's family, especially after the revelations there. I honestly remember maybe one thing from the next two books, so I can't speak to whether or not we get more of them.

I feel like, even though the ending was endlessly foreshadowed, it felt abrupt. Felt like Jason just fell into things for the last few chapters of the book. Even Brennard's goal was extremely fuzzy. Like yes, he apparently wanted Jason and his powers, but he did not feel like much of a threat. Trent actually shone more in the last chapter than almost anyone else. He reminded me a bit of Rachel Dare from the Percy Jackson series. I am also quite happy with Henry's fate, if not his role in the plot. Yes, he's back, tiny spoiler.

So, yeah, The Curse of Arkady was less strong of a sequel than I would have liked. Just a whole lot of nothing on top of a massive amount of frustration. I will hopefully be less frustrated with the next one.

In Other News

I have finished another OviPets Project! This one is really, truly a stretched from the inspiration... but I would like to introduce Monochromon!

Monochromon took me approximately 10 months to complete. These are part of my Adult Digimon Project. I really do love them, despite their lack of... uh... resemblance to the Digimon they're based off of. 

The Magickers by Emily Drake

2025 Reread Review

The Magickers is one of those books that (especially given the blurb on the back of the book), could be compared to the Harry Potter books. At the present moment, I'm gonna go ahead an say it combines the wizarding school aspect of Harry Potter with the camp aspects of Percy Jackson... well, the camp setting anyway. The Magickers definitely does the camp stuff better. After all, Camp Ravenwyng is, first and foremost, a summer camp and a newer one at that (as far as operational terms). This reread marks my fourth or fifth time reading the series. I happened to starting rereading it this time around the same time I'm reading Percy Jackson for the first time, so that's been an interesting thing to have also running through my mind.

Emily Drake has a very nice writing style that far and away trumps Rick Riordan in descriptive terms. Camp Ravenwyng actually feels like a real camp, which I appreciate. The kids are being taught about their abilities at the same time they're having camp activities. Though, honestly, I feel like the way the Magickers were introduced as such wasn't the best. I do understand that this is Gavan's first time essentially giving the "You're a wizard, Harry" speech, but... it still felt very stilted. I don't feel like anyone in that room would have actually taken him seriously, even with the small displays of magic alongside the history lesson. Of course, the "and now back to your regularly scheduled camp activities" immediately afterward didn't help with that feeling. I did like the rest of the world-building. It feels full and vibrant, both specific to Jason's experience and hinting at a much wider Magicker world to expand into.

I did, and still do, quite like the characters. Bailey remains my favorite, probably reminding me of myself at that age, some. In hindsight, Trent's whole thing toward the latter half of the book is clear as day... I don't remember my reaction to his behavior the first time, but... yeah. I liked the diversity of the Magickers, though I do feel like Tomaz and Dr. Patel felt quite stereotypical of their ethnicities/cultures. I guess it's fine, given this is a Young Adult book, but still felt kinda icky to me. I might be being hyper-sensitive, not sure.

I think the over-arching Dark Hand stuff was pretty well-handled as something that would need to be dealt with in the future. The wolfjackals are a semi-interesting starter "villain."

So yeah, The Magickers is a good introduction to a series as well as being a good jumping in point for a young fantasy fan. Definitely a good alternative to Harry Potter if you're trying to avoid introducing it to your kids.