Review: The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison

Title: The Grief of Stones
Author: Katherine Addison with Liam Gerrard (Narrator) 
Series: The Chronicles of Osreth #3
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: June 23, 2022
Edition: Audiobook, 
Source: Library
Purchase/Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's |  

 

 

 

Synopsis:

   As a Witness for the Dead, Thara Celehar can speak to the recently departed: see the last thing they saw, know the last thought they had, experience the last thing they felt. It is his duty to use that ability to ascertain the intent of the dead and to find the killers of the murdered. Celehar’s time in the city of Amalo has brought him both friends and enemies—and no little notoriety. Now, when solving the murder of a marquise raises more questions than it answers, he finds himself exploring Amalo’s dark underside. 
   His investigations lead him to the Cemchelarna School for Foundling Girls, where all is not as it seems. Discovering the truth about its headmistress will lead Celehar deep into the city’s history—and into the shattering depths of the loss he fears the most.

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Review: The Witness for the Dead Katherine Addison

Title: The Witness for the Dead
Author: Katherine Addison with Liam Gerrard (Narrator) 
Series:  The Chronicles of Osreth #2
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: June 22, 2021
Edition: Audiobook, 8 hours, 12 minutes
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Apple Books  | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's | 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

   When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had set the bombs that killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his father’s Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin. 
   Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honestly will not permit him to live quietly. As a Witness for the Dead, he can, sometimes, speak to the recently dead: see the last thing they saw, know the last thought they had, experience the last thing they felt. It is his duty use that ability to resolve disputes, to ascertain the intent of the dead, to find the killers of the murdered. 
   Now Celehar’s skills lead him out of the quiet and into a morass of treachery, murder, and injustice. No matter his own background with the imperial house, Celehar will stand with the commoners, and possibly find a light in the darkness. 

   Katherine Addison returns to the glittering world she created for her beloved novel, The Goblin Emperor, in this stand-alone sequel.

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Bulk Review: Manga pt. 8

 

And more manga. I have cut back on manga this year, which was something I wanted to do from last year. As I write this, I still have yet to finish any of the books I own, but I also feel the need to support my local libraries more now that ever.

ARC Review: In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy

Title: In the Veins of the Drowning
Author: Kalie Cassidy
Series: The Siren Mage #1
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance/Mythology/
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
Edition: Ebook, 384 pages
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's | 

 

Synopsis:

The monster is always slain…
   Imogen Nel is in hiding. Hiding from a cruel kingdom that believes Sirens are monstrous, blood-hungry creatures. Hiding from a king and his captain who viciously hunt her kind. Hiding from her own alluring abilities. By keeping herself from the sea, Imogen’s bloodlust is dulled, and her black wings remain concealed beneath her skin.
   When a neighboring king comes to visit, Imogen can no longer hide. He knows precisely what she is, and he believes she can save their kingdoms from an even greater monster. But Imogen’s power threatens to violently reveal itself, and the two form a blood bond that protects them both. They flee together, traversing waters teeming with the undead. As the lines between duty to their people and desire for each other begin to blur, Imogen worries her ancestral powers may not be enough to kill what hunts her—the only way to defeat a monster may be to become one herself.

An "atmospheric and evocative" (Rachel Gillig) romantasy about a threatened Siren who forges a bond with a brooding, self-righteous king in order to flee the king who raised her. Perfect for fans of One Dark Window and For the Wolf.

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Tag: Mid-year Update

 That time of year again, when I try to break up my posts with something else. I don't share everything I read on here. Books I read but didn't have enough to say about, or books I didn't finish.

This is classically called "Mid-year freak out" but, state of the world stuff prevents me from freaking out about something as mundane as my reading habits this year. I last did this in 2019, which is wild. I thought I'd done it more recently. Time has no meaning anymore.