Novel Notions -

While YA and its many subgenres has been hit-or-miss for me in the past, I’ve read a lot of truly excellent young adult sci-fi and fantasy over the last few years. Again Behold the Stars is among the very best. The story is cleverly written, compelling, and loaded with humor and heart and heartbreak, with characters who grow and change and win you over. I was excited from the very first page, when we were introduced to our snarky, unusual narrator: the book itself. And that excitement never wavered, as Latimer never lost the plot or the structure or a solitary character. She was juggling so much, and yet she never dropped a single ball. …

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Book Review: Galahad and the Grail (Merlin’s Isle, #1) by Malcolm Guite

July 15, 2026 Celeste Comments 0 Comment

Galahad and the Grail by Malcolm Guite
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exquisite. Timeless. Exceptional. This is a masterpiece of the highest caliber. And it’s to be treasured in all of its formats. Reading Galahad and the Grail, Guite’s introductory volume in his four-part Merlin’s Isle, feels like uncovering a treasure lost to antiquity, one that is somehow fresh and vibrant in the light of the 21st century sun. His presentation of the search for the Holy Grail is captivating, and it left me so excited to experience the rest of his Arthuriad as he plans to release them over the next few years. Every line, every word, every syllable was chosen with such care and intention. Though this is epic poetry, a form little read in modern society, the story being told through the verse is easy to follow. This could easily be experienced as a family read aloud. It truly feels not only timeless, but ageless in its appeal. …

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Book Review: A Lady’s Handbook to Gadgets and Guile by Angela Bell

July 7, 2026 Celeste Comments 0 Comment

A Lady’s Handbook to Gadgets and Guile by Angela Bell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Lady’s Handbook to Gadgets and Guile is an absolutely delightful story. Drawing inspiration from Little Women, Inspector Gadget, and Victorian England, it is also something uniquely and wonderfully its own. Bell’s sophomore novel is funny, heartfelt, faith-filled, and a joy from start to finish. It also delivers some wonderful disability representation that is going to provide solace and soothing affirmation to those struggling with chronic pain and severe anxiety. …

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Book Review: Perplexity (The Sceptre and the Stylus, #2) by Chawna Schroeder

June 18, 2026 Celeste Comments 0 Comment

Perplexity by Chawna Schroeder
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I was charmed by Illuminary, the first installment in Chawna’s A Little Princess-inspired fantasy trilogy. The world she has created is rich in color and culture and variety. The characters populating the story might faintly echo their Hodgson Burnett counterparts, but they are even more wonderfully themselves, full of charm and personality and nuance. The inclusion of faith is vital, prevalent, and beautifully portrayed. But, as much as I loved that first installment, the aforementioned inspiration from one of my favorite children’s classics felt minimal. That was no longer the case in this followup. Perplexity delivers on the promises of Illuminary, reimagining A Little Princess in a brilliant fantastical setting while also being very much its own powerful story. …

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The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

June 3, 2026 Celeste Comments 2 comments

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“All stories are love stories if you love stories.”

The Book Witch is one of my very favorite things: a book about books that actually remains a book about books all the way through. There’s also great banter, housed in a wonderful but star-crossed romance where the romantic interest is also a charming friend, one who makes an excellent partner in crime. And there’s a multilayered mystery to be solved. But at its very heart, The Book Witch is a love letter to all stories, but especially to the ones that make us brave. …

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Book Review: The Poet Empress by Shen Tao

May 25, 2026 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books and Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art by Kelly Chong

The Poet Empress by Shen Tao

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 398 pages (Hardcover Edition)

Word Count: 139,000 words

Published: 20 January 2026 by Tor Bramble (US) and Gollancz (UK)

I am in awe. The Poet Empress is absolute greatness manifested. This is a must-read epic fantasy standalone masterpiece for fans of The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang, The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu, and Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts.

“You were born second, so you never learned the meaning of duty. You never learned that there is no glory without sacrifice. There is no greatness without suffering.”

…

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Book Review: The Splintered Sun (The Splintered Sun, #1) by Tad Williams

May 15, 2026 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

ARC provided by the publisher—Hodder—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art by Jeff Brown

The Splintered Sun by Tad Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Splintered Sun (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 528 pages (Hardcover Edition)

Word Count: 258,000 words

Published: 6 October 2026 by DAW Books (US) and Hodder (UK)

The Splintered Sun is the start of a new incredible tale in The Osten Ard Saga accompanied with a relatively faster-paced narrative .

“When you are my age, you will be less dismayed and even less surprised by the path that life leads you. I am alive and among friends. That counts for much.”

…

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Book Review: Dandelion Wine (Green Town, #1) by Ray Bradbury

April 30, 2026 Celeste Comments 0 Comment

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dandelion Wine is an absolutely beautiful coming-of-age story. It’s a book I’ve owned for years, one I purchased second-hand when I realized that it was part of a series that included one of my favorite books, Something Wicked This Way Comes. But for some reason, I kept putting it off, fearing that it would somehow weaken the magical grip Something Wicked has on my heart. Instead, it strengthened it. This slim book is every bit as weirdly wonderful and inexpressibly nostalgic as its counterpart, weaving that same magical grip around my heart regarding the summer as Something Wicked did with autumn. It’s exactly what I’m always craving—but rarely find—when I venture into the realm of natural realism. …

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Book Review: Once There Were Heroes (A Time of Dragons, #1) by Philip C. Quaintrell

April 18, 2026 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

Cover art by Chris McGrath

Once There Were Heroes by Philip C. Quaintrell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: A Time of Dragons (Book #1 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 750 pages (Hardcover Edition)

Published: 4 September 2023 by Quaintrell Publishings

Once There Were Heroes ignites the epic and slow-burning genesis of an unexplored saga in the world of Verda. …

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