Tag Archives: fantasy

Book Review: Tides of the Sovereign, by Kate Gateley

I accepted a review copy of Tides of the Sovereign, by Kate Gateley through Literary Bound Tours. However, I have to admit to not loving the book. So, I held this review until the tour was finished.

A centuries-old rebirth curse, an otherworldly Celtic prince, and an inescapable prophecy.

Thirty-year-old magic Bearer Julia Harrison had never given the notion of past lives or grand destinies any real credence or thought. She has knowledge of magic, and the power she shares with the women of her bloodline. She’s aware of the difference between Druids and Sorcerers, Wielders and Bearers, and so on, but regardless of all of that… her everyday life has always felt quite normal—distinctly unmagical—and never more so than as of late.

With the recent death of her beloved grandmother, Julia finds herself severed from the only sense of place she’d ever known. Grandma Gertie had all but raised her and was easily the strongest connection she’d had to her own magic, and that of the natural world. Without it, she feels lost. Disconnected. Unable to rely on (or even effectively access) her own limited magics in her current emotional state, Julia’s primary focus turns to placing one foot in front of the other as she resumes a linguistics degree that has taken far longer to earn than it should have.

But when a visiting professor arrives on her Vancouver campus—one who brings with him an odd sense of familiarity that’s almost as compelling as his raw Celtic masculinity, Julia knows that her life’s journey is about to change, heading off on an entirely new path. What she could have never predicted, or even dreamed of, was that somehow, they had walked that path together countless times before… each time towards their own inescapable deaths at the hands of Marcus Cassius Longinus, the indomitable “Child of Rome.”

Do you know what my primary thought was on finishing this book? It was “finally!” This book takes more than 500 pages to tell a story that might fill 200, if all the fluff was removed. I was so bored; just so, so, so bored throughout this book. It felt like it legitimately was never going to end.

I kept consciously reminding myself that this isn’t urban fantasy, in which I might expect action and adventure. Be that as it may, 500+ pages of be told (not shown, but told about) Julia going to class, eating dinner, living her day-to-day life, AND NOTHING OF NOTE HAPPENING was just more than I could tolerate, let alone enjoy. I was bored!

Then, the whole thing ended (or fizzled out) with Julia miraculously doing something to save the day that she didn’t know how she did or even what it was. So, it contained no sort of real agency. Plus, nothing truly concludes. It was utterly anti-climactic.

I’ll grant that the writing is mechanically sound, the editing seems pretty clean, and those who like a little bit of sappy slice-of-life literature might well enjoy this. (The book seems to have good reviews outside of mine.) But I’m just glad to be finished and have no intention of continuing the series.

Other Reviews:

Book Review: No Land For Heroes, by Cal Black

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I accepted a review copy of No Land for Heroes, by Cal Black, through Reedsy. The book was later featured over on Sadie’s Spotlight too. You can hop over there for an excerpt, author interview, playlist, and chance to win a copy of your own.

Mildred Berry is down to her last four bullets…

In a wild west where the only things more dangerous than outlaws are dragons, Deputy Berry is struggling to protect her town and keep her family fed. As a last resort, she robs a train for ammunition only to find that the cargo she needs so badly was owned by war hero Frederic Rousseau.

The same Frederic Rousseau whom she served during the Amelior Civil War. The same Frederic Rousseau she’s been hiding from for the last five years.

Millie knows a secret that could ruin Rousseau’s life, and he’ll stop at nothing to keep her from telling the truth. With her violent past bearing down on the life she’s built for herself, Millie has to decide how far she’ll be willing to go to keep her town safe.

I realize that it’s only May. So, it’s far too early to be choosing my favorite book of 2022. But, honestly, when the time comes, I won’t be surprised if No Land for Heroes is on it. I loved this…and I’m saying that despite being someone who tends to be reserved in their praise. But I adored these characters…all of them.

Ok, yes, I disliked Gilbert in the beginning, before he shed some of his smarmy act. I felt sorry for the poor dragon, who was just following its instincts. And I was a little uncomfortable with the way this seemed to re-imagine the aftermath of the American Civil War without ever acknowledging it as the source material, thereby sidestepping the issue of enslaved peoples. I wasn’t even sure if the ‘secessionists’ were against freeing the victims of the African slave trade or if such peoples of color were entirely replaced by elves, orcs, and such in this re-imagined scenario. (Or if the war was about something else entirely, though I find this unlikely.) I suppose I could say the same about the way Millie’s heritage was very clearly using some Indigenous American stereotypes.

But I felt like there was a lot of diversity and positive representation in the rest of the book (and it’s outside my lane to truly make a judgement here), that I still greatly enjoyed the story.

I liked the way Black played with gender expectations. I laughed often. The plot rolls along at a good clip. The writing is snappy and fun to read. And the ‘found family’ is strong in this one. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and look forward to more.