Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of Buried Deep and Other Stories.

Unfortunately, I really didn't love this. It was fine. There were a few stories that were 4 stars. And a few that I would give one or two. But I would consider the good majority to be pretty average. A lot of them were hard to get into and I found myself not retaining any information about most of the stories. To be fair, the only Naomi Novik book I had previously read was the first book in the Scholomance series. So, perhaps, I would like some of the stories more if I had that background information. However, from the peeks I got into some of the worlds, I don't think I would want to read a whole book about it. My other complaint is that I really just didn't understand how the stories had anything in common or what should link them in a story collection.

Ratings for each story
-Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake: 3.5 Stars
-After Hours: 4.5 Stars. (Honestly, I really liked this one. I liked the main character Beata. I felt like I understood a lot about her and her background, which is impressive for a short story. The author excelled at creating a rivalry in a few pages and then cleared it up in a few more. It was fun to see Orion again. And I really liked the idea of the fern flower.
-Buried Deep- 1 star. I've read like 75% of the greek mythology retellings that exist. And this one was one of my all time least favorites.
-Vici- 3 Stars
-Spinning Silver- 4 Stars. This was fun. I love reading a badass female character. The Staryk's were unique and I thought this one was incredibly well written.
-Commonplace- 1 star. This one felt like it could have been deleted completely and it would have been fine. It was so short and it felt pretty pointless.
-Seven- 4 stars. I liked that the author managed to show character growth in a short story. Grovin and Kath were interesting, complex characters and the plot was unique.
-Blessings-3.. This one was like six pages. It was fine, I was leaning towards liking it. But, it was just too short to feel much.
-Lord Dunsany's Teapot- 2 stars. It was okay, but I didn't understand the ending. The whole thing felt so vague.
-Seven Years from Home- 3 stars. This one was also pretty confusing. It did have some cool elements. The science behind the wings and weapons was interesting.
- Dragons and Decorum- 4 Stars. This was good! I loved Wollstonecraft and Captain Elizabeth's relationship. This was another badass female character. My complaint with this one is that for a short story, it felt long. I think some of the information was unnecessary.
- Castle Coerlieu; 3 stars.
-The Long Way Round: 3 Stars. Also felt wordy.

Thank you again for the ARC and I do want to try reading more Naomi Novik but I just didn't connect with a lot of these. Overall, I gave it three stars.

I just finished Buried Deep my Naomi Novik and once again she has quickly and thoroughly dragged me into her incredible worlds. Short stories are not usually my favorite but this was very good. The two Temeraire stories were my favorite but the sneak peek into the world of her next book was also very intriguing. I would recommend!

Pretty good. I loved the scholomance trilogy and was a smidge disapointed by this but it was still good. Woulda liked if some were a bit more horrory or if one or two had a little bit of romance. Even though I was a little disapointed by this I will continue to read every good Naomi Novak writes.

A thrilling collection of thirteen short stories that span the worlds of the New York Times bestselling author of the Scholomance Trilogy, including a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be set.

From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.

In Buried Deep, we move from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Black Death, and into the modern era. We meet Mark Antony, Sherlock Holmes, and Elizabeth Bennet, in ways we have never seen them before. We visit exotic fantasy cities and alien civilizations among the stars.

Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: the act of finding and seizing one’s destiny, and the lengths one will go to achieve that—be it turning pirate, captaining a fighting dragon, or shifting from marriage to seek your destiny with a sword.

And in the two tales original to this collection, we first reenter the remade Scholomance in the wake of El’s revolution and see what life is like for the new crop of students. Then, we get a glimpse at the world of Novik’s upcoming series, a deserted land, populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural behemoths whose secrets are yet to be unlocked.
This was a prettygood short story collection that will appeal to fantasy fans who enjoy the magical school trope. I don't usually click with short story collections, but this one was done well enough that I enjoyed it. Basically, these stories left me wanting more and now I want to check out Noviks full length books:)

I'm not the huge fan of anthologies but I'll read anything by Naomi Novik so.

Part of the allure of the Scholomance series lies in El's unique narrative voice. Despite her absence in this particular story, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it (especially the enchanting ghost mushrooms!). Beata's portrayal as an old-world witch, intertwined with curses and nature magic, resonated with me. The story successfully captured the essence and themes of the original trilogy. Rating: 5/5

This is my first foray into the Temeraire series. While I believe a deeper familiarity with the universe or Roman Empire references would enhance the experience, the glimpse provided piqued my interest. The series seems to portray dragons in a captivating manner: conversing, soaring through the skies, breathing fire, and brimming with personality. Rating: 3/5

I had almost forgotten that "Buried Deep" was the eponymous story. Rating: 2.5/5. However, I must admit that my favorite retelling of this myth is actually an oglaf comic.

"A power claimed and challenged and thrice carried out is true." This short story, later expanded into a full-length novel, deviates from the familiar narrative into an alternate ending. Rating: 4.5/5. "The real story isn't half as pretty as the one you've heard."

"Commonplaces" delves into Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes, a character I am more acquainted with through BBC adaptations. While her initial actions intrigued me, the brevity of the story and lack of emotional connection to the characters left me unaffected. Rating: 2/5.

In the first text, "Seven (2019)," the intricate world-building details in the initial paragraphs were captivating and slightly eerie. The contrast between Kath's humble cup and the grandmaster's delicate pieces was thought-provoking, leaving a lingering sense of preference for the cup.

In the second text, "Blessings (2019)," the only downside was its brevity, leaving a desire for more. The humorous narrative of fairies getting intoxicated at a baby's party was entertaining and engaging, reminiscent of "Armor-ella" by Holly Lisle. The story earned a rating of 4.5/5.

Lastly, in "Lord Dunsany's Teapot (2011)," the setting of trench warfare during the World Wars was not appealing, resulting in a rating of 1.5/5.

Moving on to "Seven Years From Home (2010)," the fusion of old-timey writing style with futuristic elements was challenging to engage with, despite the intriguing alien planet and its bioengineering aspects. The narrative style hindered the overall experience, resulting in a rating of 2/5.

Dragons & Decorum (~Temeraire?, 2017) offers a delightful twist on Pride and Prejudice, where Elizabeth takes on the role of an officer in the Corps and commands her own dragon. The inclusion of dragons in the story adds a charming element that captivated me. I would rate it 3.5/5.

Castle Coeurlieu (2016) takes readers on a journey into the realm of fairytales, with intriguing tales nested within the main narrative. It beautifully combines elements of hubris, greed, and the inevitable presence of Death. The book manages to strike a balance between coziness and haunting, making it a captivating read. I would rate it 4.5/5.

The Long Way Round presents a simple yet compelling question: "Why not?" This fantasy novel excels in its world-building, offering readers a chance to explore eerie and mysterious unknowns. The story follows a brother and sister duo, one a sailor and the other a shipbuilder, as they embark on a daring adventure accompanied by a captivating sorcerer. I would rate it 4.5/5.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for the arc!

Ms. Novik has been on a roll the last dozen years. No misfires.
This is a collection of short stories. A few new, most previously published.
One of the stories is set in her Scholomance universe (I have read them three times each), one is in her Temeraire universe. Both those stories are off the main line. All her stories are well worth reading. Spinning Silver was expanded to into a fantastic novel.
One of the new stories is a roadmap to her next series. In her notes she says the details of that universe may change but this is her current route to it.
Well worth the cost. I got the eArc gratis but will be purchasing the finished HC when it is published.

I know Novik is hugely praised, but I feel like this collection shows how much MORE she should be praised. I had the good fortune to read a few of these stories before this book, so many are new, and they show just how versatile and creative she is, it's a wonder.

And I do mean versatile: There's such a good mix of stories in here, covering so many genres and time periods, at one point, during Dragons & Decorum, a Pride & Prejudice meets Temeraire story, I forgot I was reading Naomi Novik, and thought, "man, Novik's impact because this author really took inspiration from her Temeraire series!" lol

If you aren't here for her dragon stories, she has a wonderful mix of fairytale retellings. Castle Coeurlieu> will haunt me for a while and I hope she revisits that some day, it felt like such a dream to read.

The only complaint I had about anything was that some of the stories were a few pages long when really, I could've used a whole extended universe for them, but that's not really a complaint and hopefully it would mean more short story content in the future.

I've loved all of Novik's books, and this one is no different. While I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, there weren't any that I disliked. Highly recommended to Novik fans in particular, as a few of the stories relate to her prior books, but any fantasy or short story fan will find something to enjoy in these well-written, compelling stories.

Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake - Delightful regency era fantasy complete with genderbending fun. The practicality of the main character certainly reminds me of the best heroines of Heyer, who Novik mentions in the introduction. Novik's dry humor is a highlight.

After Hours - Loved the glimpse into a post-Scholomance series world. The self-contained story of dealing with a difficult roommate was compelling, but the appearance of a familiar character was probably my favorite part.

Vici - Fun alternate history that also acts as a prequel of sorts to the Temeraire series. A fast read with a young Antony who bonds with a dragon. Novik's dragons are always endearing, and Vici is no different.

Buried Deep - A retelling of the Minotaur story focused on Ariadne. Compelling though not a standout.

Spinning Silver - This one was more interesting as a comparison than anything else. It's fine as a stand-alone short story. I probably would have liked it more if I hadn't read and loved the novel. However, having read the novel, I can only read the short story as a rough draft. It is very interesting to compare it to what it turned into, so it is worth reading.

Commonplaces - I'm not a big Sherlock Holmes fan, so while I've heard of Irene Adler, I don't really care about her. The story was fine, but Sherlock Holmes fans would probably enjoy it more.

Seven - A lovely little tale about art - what it means, what makes something art, etc.

Blessings - The fairy godmothers were very entertaining, and the story was a lot of fun. It felt like it could use a bit more fleshing out with Magda, though. Or maybe I just wanted more!

Lord Dunsany's Teapot - Revolves around a teapot and its effect on two men during war. Interesting but not a favorite.

Seven Years from Home - Plays with perspective in an interesting way as the main character tells her own story as a response to what has already been widely disseminated about her. The descriptions of the alien planet were very evocative.

Dragons & Decorum - This story just makes me want dragons in all of classic literature. I loved the dragon, Wollstonecraft, and her love of Gothic literature and balls. A very fun retelling of Pride & Prejudice.

Castle Coeurlieu - A young girl is married to a much older man and is left by him at his castle as the plague threatens. Very creepy and suspenseful.

The Long Way Round - A brother, sister, and magical High Lord try to find a new sailing route. Intriguing world-building and a sweet relationship between the brother and sister. Looking forward to seeing if it later develops into a full length novel.

Absolutely enchanting! I want more Naomi Novik! I want more stories from Temeraire’s universe and more Spinning Silver. And more Uprooted! More is good!

So many thanks to Netgalley and Del Ray publishing for letting me read and advanced copy of Buried Deep and Other Stories. I love everything Naomi Novik has written and this is no exception. I'm not usually a big fan of anthologies but I loved that this was a mix of new worlds and worlds I've already visited. I can't wait to see the final version which will hopefully have maps and such.

Thanks to NetGalley for a ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I'm a big fan of Novik's and I love her writing style and captivating storytelling. She is a gorgeous writer with a amazing way of building story and world and plot while keeping her characters deeply emotional and grounded in reality. Whether they are dragons, or magicans, or cursed her characters are compelling and feel true to both the worlds she builds and ours.

From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy, through the realms next door to Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.

Naomi Novik has a way of writing that just reads like bits of magic! I love her stuff, her stories are so entertaining and immersive.

Naomi Novik, never stop writing. I neeeeeds my Slavic folklore, fantasy and fairytales, precious.

Fair warning, most of these short stories have already been published in other anthologies and books, etc. However, you do get two brand-new stories, one from the Scholomance world, and another from a new world. The former left me feeling a little bit disappointed, but only because I wanted MORE. I anxiously await additional stories in both worlds.

My absolute favorite story in here is “Castle Coeurlieu”, and I was left deliciously unsettled at the conclusion. It’s the stuff of nightmares, but in a “please tell me more” way. I loved the short story “Spinning Silver” on its own, and also because it was fascinating to see where Novik’s mind went initially, as compared to the resulting novel-length tale. “Buried Deep” was both haunting and heartbreaking.

There were a few stories that didn’t do it for me, mostly the Temeraire ones, only because I can’t seem to get into that world. However, the tales that work are simply brilliant, and for those reasons, I can’t give my lady Novik less than 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/Del Rey for gifting me an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I wrote this review voluntarily.

I can’t wait for the new epic fantasy series!! 😍

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House Ballantine for the ARC of Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik.

I have read Uprooted, Spinning Silver and the Scholomance series and enjoyed all of them - and I'm always on the look out for what she's up to next. In that regard, it was a delight to read the final story, which I would say is more of a leading excerpt into her next fantasy series that is absolutely excellent. The final tale has distinct vibes of Locke Lamora type hijinks and I am so excited to see where it goes next.

These 12 stories show the powerful range that Novik has in multiple genres - I find her interest in history and historic retellings is especially strong, and it almost seems like she is able to take all that knowledge of multiple European based cultures and twist it into high fantasy and adventure pirates and urban fantasy and mythology, and a brief foray into sci fi.

I have avoided her Temeraire series because I don't love any stories that sort of replace a historical space, and normally I hate any retelling/retaking of a character - but Novik was able to draw me in to both her Irene Adler short here and a retelling of Pride and Prejudice with dragons (when I have previously foresworn all zombies). And from both of those it showed the way her ideas could take something in existence and create something larger that is engaging to new and old readers of the original.

I also really enjoyed the Eastern European roots in the Scholomance short story - it was nice to feel that same appreciation of Uprooted/Spinning Silver in the Scholomance setting and it was so nice to return to the world of the Scholomance and see how things were going.

Overall, I would say this is an excellent choice for anyone who is already a Novik fan. For those who love fantasy, this is also a nice collection of stories for someone with interest in the genre, and there are a lot of different angles to dig into the material. Novik writes brief intros to each story that set the stage by either telling her mindset or her inspiration, and some writers may also find that of interest as well.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!

One of my friends wrote a comprehensive review for each and every short story. I . . .hopefully will not do so.

Short stories I truly enjoyed: After Hours (more than the original trilogy! So much more!) Vici (Temeraire, made me consider reading the series...), Buried Deep, Spinning Silver, Seven, Blessings, Castle Coeurlieu, and The Long Way Round. Which is a majority of the stories, and truly made me pleased. Or maybe it's 7.5 because I already know I love Spinning Silver, and I intend to reread it! Soon. When I get time. Maybe next month. I liked the spin on the Labyrinth myth, and the hold to love and anger, was very curious as to how all would go down with Cleopatra, the world in Seven, the humor in Blessings, the fear in Castle Coeurlieu, and the sibling annoyance in the Long Way Round.

Stories I didn't enjoy: Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake, which read to me like early work. I'm wondering if Naomi was tempted to update it, because I believe it would have benefitted from this. Commonplace... .Irene/Sherlock is very boring to me, personally, and it also read as earlier work. Lord Dunsany's Teapot I remember very little but I did feel myself getting bored. The same with Pride and Prejudice, where my eyes had glazed over completely. Have you ever read fanfic for a media you're not into and felt absolutely no pull to it? That's what it was.

I did enjoy Seven Years From Home, and the discussions of change!

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik is a collection of short stories. There are about thirteen short stories in this collection by Naomi Novik. I received an early copy of this book from Net Galley and the publisher.

The collection starts out really well with Araminta, or The Wreck of the Amphidrake and After Hours. I especially like After Hours. Its a story thats connected to the authors Scholomance trilogy. I have the first book in that and haven't read it yet. I really want to read it now! However, as the collection goes on...

Many of the stories don't have endings and just sort of peter out into nothing. I found myself wondering "What was the point of that?" The author is too fond of details and spends a lot of time getting to know the characters and the world without doing much in the actual stories.

One story that I did like a lot later on was Commonplaces. It was a story about Irene Adler from the Sherlock Holmes stories. It was a pretty good story even though it felt unfinished in the end. Thats that problem with a lot of the stories in this book. Even After Hours, which I loved, just ends and leaves a bit of a cliffhanger.

The title story, Buried Deep, especially has this problem as it leaves the reader wondering what the heck happens next. Even authors like Stephen King have this trouble with short stories (and some of his books), basically, no ending at all, which leaves the reader scratching their head and wondering if they wasted their time.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the last four stories in this collection. I tried but I didn't find the stories interesting at all. They were too focused on the details and I wasn't finding anything I was interested in.

I call this review an attempted review because of those last four stories. I wanted to read this whole collection but in the end, just couldn't do it. Naomi Novik is a good writer, thats obvious, but I wonder if her stories are for me. I do want to read Deadly Education and the other Scholomance stories, but I wonder if I'll like them. I will give the first book, which I have, a try. I wouldn't say that Buried Deep and Other Stories is a bad collection of stories. There are good stories in here.

Overall, I would say that it comes down to personal taste more than bad writing. I definitely prefer stories to have a bit more of an ending and I'm less interested in the details and more interested in characters and plot. Still, Naomi Novik is a very good writer and I want to read Deadly Education when I get the chance.

Buried Deep and Other Stories releases on September 17th, 2024. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read a digital copy of this book early.

This short story collection is a mixed bag, and your mileage will vary depending on whether you’re a fan of Naomi Novik's writing. I think this collection would be more relevant to readers who are familiar with her work.

All but 2 of these short stories included in this collection were published previously. It is a slow read, as many of the stories require some time to digest and comprehend the worldbuilding that occurs in those brief page counts.

Highlights for me include the original “After Hours,” which is set in the world of the Scholomance trilogy. It has a great cameo, and I still would love to read more about the Scholomance. I actually haven’t read the Temeraire series - I DNF’d the first book - but much to my surprise, I fell head overs heels for the 2 Temeraire offshoots, a humorous one set in ancient Roman times (“Vici”), and one that is my favorite retelling of Pride & Prejudice to date (“Dragons & Decorum”).

The original “The Long Way Round” closes the collection and sets the stage for Novik’s upcoming series, tentatively titled Folly. Now I’m very interested to see what she writes next.

This anthology collects thirteen stories — the majority of them previously published in other anthologies or collections — each introduced with a line or two by the author about the title, the inspiration, or just a comment on the story itself. Having only read Novik’s Temeraire books before, everything here was new to me. While most of the stories take place in a variety of settings, the writing style is very much Novik’s, and the characters talk … well, they all talk like they’re in the same story, and they all have a common voice. That said, it’s a very nice writing style that I very much enjoy and very easy to read. But it is clearly a collection of one author’s work.

Of the stories, a few stood out: After Hours, which takes place in the Scholomance series is about a young witch attending school. She’s from an old line of magic, able to curse and craft potions, but mostly … she grows mushrooms. It was a fun little fairy tale of a story, and makes me want go go pick up the first Scholomance book.

As a fan of the Temeraire books, Vici (about Marc Antony bonding to the first Roman dragon) and Dragons & Decorum (a Pride and Prejudice retelling with Elizabeth bonding to a Longwing) were very fun. Marc Antony and Vici were a charming pair, and I’d love to see an entire book around them and how their relationship shapes Rome.

Seven Years from Home is my hands-down favorite, for all that it’s brief, about a diplomat, Ruth, landing on a new world, tasked with infiltrating and information gathering as the powers that be want to destabilize the established political structure in order to conquer and colonize the planet … and Ruth having to make hard choices. It’s a colder story with no real ending, but I enjoyed reading it all the same.

And, of course, the final story, The Long Way Round, takes place in a world the author is still crafting. It’s interesting, and while it’s nice enough, it isn’t — on its own — enough to make me want to buy the book … which is just as well since the book isn’t out, yet!

However, this collection reminds me of just how much I enjoy Novik’s writing. I do recommend this anthology if you’re a fan of her work, or just enjoy fairy tales. She has a wonderful voice for that sort of retelling, with the focus on the story rather than the world, and her characters being clever, polite, and overall Good. But don’t go in expecting a great deal of character work. Still, I’m glad I got the chance to read it, for which I thank Net Galley and Del Rey for granting me an advanced reader copy.

Me and anthologies have never been 🤝 but I've adored several of Naomi Novik's novels so there was no way I was going to pass this up (especially the Scholomance story). While there were several duds in here, I think that she just has such a way with fairytales that any of those stories more than made up for it.

As I read this intentionally in short bursts over several days, I often found myself getting distracted by fixating on scenes and lines and settings from some of my favourite tales in this anthology.

And if I ever stop laughing about the drunk fairy godmothers one-upping each other, someone please get me to the doctor asap.
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Disclaimer: There are 13 stories and I will be doing a review for each individually. I have prior knowledge only of her Scholomance series, Uprooted, and Spinning Silver which may impact how I receive these stories.

I also think that Novik's grown considerably in her craft over time, so it makes sense that many of my favourite stories in this collection are much more recent. I've included the dates here as I feel it better contextualizes my reviews.
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Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake (2008):
I am determined that good pirate stories exist, but I've yet to find one apart from Amina. It's just a category that, for whatever reason, is dreadfully hard to get right. Likewise Regency is really not my era (nor Victorian nor World Wars, but that's unrelated), so this story wasn't really for me. Short, fine, hard for me to pay attention all the way through. 2/5

After Hours (Scholomance):
Part of the magic of the Scholomance series is El's particular voice. I'm happy to say that even though she wasn't a part of this story, I still loved it (and the glowing ghost mushrooms omg!). I love the old world, cottage, curses and nature magic type of witch that Beata is. And I think the story maintained the spirit and themes of the original trilogy. 5/5

"She didn’t know many incantations or recipes, she didn’t have a bag of artifice, but she’d been taught in stories, and she recognized the lesson of the one she was standing in right now."

Vici (Temeraire, 2010):
This is my first interaction with the Temeraire series. I imagine this short story would be a lot more satisfying if I was more familiar with the universe (or often thought about the Roman Empire), but the glimpse did at least make me intrigued-- this series appears to be dragons done right: talking, flying, fire-breathing, at the forefront of the story, and brimming with personality. 3/5

Buried Deep (2019):
Oh, I'd kinda forgotten this was the titular story. 2.5/5
But I gotta say-- my fav retelling of this myth is actually an oglaf comic
man keeps trying to solve every problem by building a labyrinth, smiles widely as it's announced the queen gave birth to a monster

Spinning Silver (2016):
"A power claimed and challenged and thrice carried out is true."

The short story that later was turned into a full length novel, though it diverges from the story we've all read into an alternate ending. 4.5/5

"The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard."

Commonplaces (2009):
A short story regarding Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes. I admittedly am most familiar with the BBC adaptations and have never been super into the IP. Her initial actions in this short story did interest me, but ultimately it's just too short and about characters I don't really have feelings for so it didn't impact me. 2/5

Seven (2019):
This one was excellent and just a little bit eerie. There were so many delicious world-building details just in the first 3 paragraphs alone. 5/5

"Kath’s work seemed like a joke when one of her squat cups was put next to one of the grandmaster’s triumphant fragile pieces, but if you looked at it too long, you began to feel the terrible sneaking suspicion that you liked the cup better."

Blessings (2019):
My only complaint with this one is that it's too short and I want more! This was hilarious and had me laughing and repeating bits aloud to my partner.

What happens when a family of middling regard invites a half dozen fairies to their baby's party (hoping to reap at least one blessing for her) and gets them all absolutely sauced? 5/5

Lord Dunsany's Teapot (2011):
Oh no. I feel like I tempted Fate earlier when I mentioned how I don't care for stories set during the World Wars. Two soldiers find solace with tea and stories between bouts of trench warfare. 1.5/5

Seven Years From Home (2010):
This is a me thing, but I struggle with an old-timey writing style (at least when it's not constantly infused with humor/witticisms). Like I can literally feel my eyes glazing over when I read sentences like "A few moments’ conversation was sufficient to disabuse him of this hope."

Is there a term for retrofuturism where the origin point of technological advancements is not 1950's America, but a more Victorian sensibility? Cause that's what this felt like. And while I enjoyed the evolution/bioengineering/plant life of the alien planet (very "Avatar" if the alien species had advanced science that they controlled and directed), the writing style was a real barrier for me. 2/5

Dragons & Decorum (~Temeraire?, 2017):
A sweet retelling of Pride and Prejudice in which Elizabeth has become an officer in the Corps and flies her own dragon. Once more I was utterly charmed by the dragon in the story. 3.5/5

Castle Coeurlieu (2016):
“Strange things happen at night, or when the doors are shut... And not all who go within come out again.”

Not only is this a fairytale, but it also has several shorter tales within it. Tale-ception! Hubris and greed and -in the end- Death. Equal parts cozy and haunted. 4.5/5

The Long Way Round:
"Why not?"

What draws me to Fantasy more than any other genre is the world-building: I love imagining the possibilities, being presented with the eerie and mysterious unknowns, and slowly building a mental sandbox -growing more and more detailed over time- to play in.

A brother and sister, unmatched in their time (she a sailor, he a shipbuilder), set off on a foolhardy adventure with a beautiful sorcerer in tow. 4.5/5

ARC note: I can see that they've set aside room for 5 maps to be added at a later date, but cannot comment on how the text is impacted by their absence nor inclusion.

A exquisite way of storytelling. I loved all the stories and their fantastic world. Really good prose and novel overall.