Book List
20. The Patriot Witch by CC Finlay.
The start of a trilogy of alternate histories in which witches and warlocks are participating on both sides of the Revolutionary War. This started strong, as we follow Procter Brown, a young minuteman who hides his untrained magical nature, through the battle of Lexington and Concord. At this point I assumed we'd be following the course of the Revolution, but Procter then spends the second act of the novel on something else, which made the middle drag, though the third act and ending was fairly strong.
21. Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith. Audiobooks are wonderful for big thick biographies, and so are long road trips. I listened to the first half of this one going back and forth to see Amy in Clarksville. While there's perhaps a little too much detail of Eisenhower's rise through the ranks, Smith gives a good account of Eisenhower's strengths and weaknesses as a general (he was a mediocre battlefield commander but excellent at managing generals and dealing with politicians) and of his presidential administration.
22. Saving Italy by Robert Edsel. This is a non-fiction book about art historians fighting Nazis. During World War II, the Allies had officers called "monuments men" whose charge was to safeguard the cultural treasures of Italy from both Nazis (who had a bad habit of stealing art "for its protection") and Allied bombing. They would identify no-bombing zones and inspect the damage in newly liberated territory. At times Edsel goes off on tangents (such as several chapters devoted to an SS general's conspiracy to surrender the German armies in Italy), but this shed light on a part of history I was unaware of. It made me appreciate the beauty I'd seen in Florence more, and regret the destruction of bridges and buildings I never knew existed.
23. Battle by Michelle West. This is the latest novel in Michelle West's House War series, but if you don't already read West, you should start at The Hidden City. (And if you like Robert Jordan, you should: their strengths and weaknesses are very similar.)
Jewel Markess is the Terafin now, the undisputed leader of one of the greatest noble houses in the Empire. But her magical gifts are manifesting too strongly, and while her intentions are pure, the Twin Kings wonder if they can let anyone with her degree of power live. But with one battle against the demon Kialli barely won and a much greater one inevitable in the years to come, can they afford to destroy the one woman who might save their Empire?
I enjoyed this novel, and it was good to see some long-hidden secrets revealed, but it's the first half of a split novel and it shows. Much could be cut and not seem to harm the whole. But I eagerly look forward to the next book, which will bring a close to this phase of the story.
The start of a trilogy of alternate histories in which witches and warlocks are participating on both sides of the Revolutionary War. This started strong, as we follow Procter Brown, a young minuteman who hides his untrained magical nature, through the battle of Lexington and Concord. At this point I assumed we'd be following the course of the Revolution, but Procter then spends the second act of the novel on something else, which made the middle drag, though the third act and ending was fairly strong.
21. Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith. Audiobooks are wonderful for big thick biographies, and so are long road trips. I listened to the first half of this one going back and forth to see Amy in Clarksville. While there's perhaps a little too much detail of Eisenhower's rise through the ranks, Smith gives a good account of Eisenhower's strengths and weaknesses as a general (he was a mediocre battlefield commander but excellent at managing generals and dealing with politicians) and of his presidential administration.
22. Saving Italy by Robert Edsel. This is a non-fiction book about art historians fighting Nazis. During World War II, the Allies had officers called "monuments men" whose charge was to safeguard the cultural treasures of Italy from both Nazis (who had a bad habit of stealing art "for its protection") and Allied bombing. They would identify no-bombing zones and inspect the damage in newly liberated territory. At times Edsel goes off on tangents (such as several chapters devoted to an SS general's conspiracy to surrender the German armies in Italy), but this shed light on a part of history I was unaware of. It made me appreciate the beauty I'd seen in Florence more, and regret the destruction of bridges and buildings I never knew existed.
23. Battle by Michelle West. This is the latest novel in Michelle West's House War series, but if you don't already read West, you should start at The Hidden City. (And if you like Robert Jordan, you should: their strengths and weaknesses are very similar.)
Jewel Markess is the Terafin now, the undisputed leader of one of the greatest noble houses in the Empire. But her magical gifts are manifesting too strongly, and while her intentions are pure, the Twin Kings wonder if they can let anyone with her degree of power live. But with one battle against the demon Kialli barely won and a much greater one inevitable in the years to come, can they afford to destroy the one woman who might save their Empire?
I enjoyed this novel, and it was good to see some long-hidden secrets revealed, but it's the first half of a split novel and it shows. Much could be cut and not seem to harm the whole. But I eagerly look forward to the next book, which will bring a close to this phase of the story.