Book Review: Black Powder War by Naomi Novik

Black Powder War by Naomi Novik

 Book title: Black Powder War
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: May 30, 2006
365 pages
My rating: 4.5/5

“I do not know that the Chinese system is any worse; there is a limit to the evil one despot alone can do, and if he is truly vicious he can be overthrown; a hundred corrupt members of Parliament may together do as much injustice or more, and be the less easy to uproot.”

While still in China, Captain Will Laurence and his dragon Temeraire receive an urgent message to bring invaluable dragon eggs from Istanbul to Britain. They don’t have much time before the dragon eggs hatch, and they and their crew set off at once, following the Silk Road west and encountering sandstorms and feral dragons on the way.

Black Powder War is the third book in Naomi Novik’s historical fantasy series Temeraire, set during the Napoleonic Wars and featuring dragons. I recently listened to the first two books (His Majesty’s Dragon and Throne of Jade) as audio books, and this was yet another audio book listen. Needless to say, I really like this series.

Finishing Draft 2 of Project Urban Fantasy

I've had such a great late summer and early fall! Project Urban Fantasy, my current work in progress, has taken up most of my time, and I just finished the second draft -- or at least the first pass through the manuscript. As it turns out, there are still a few things I want to tweak before I'm calling the draft done.

But I've also had time to fill my creative well with a visit to three museum, a couple of walks, and knitting while listening to fun audio books. And I decided to celebrate (almost) finishing draft two with an apple pie. If you want to see more of what I've been doing this fall, check out my recent writing vlog below! I'm also sharing my favorite apple pie recipe in case you want to give it a try as well.

Book Review: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

 Book title: Throne of Jade
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: April 25, 2006
398 pages
My rating: 4.5/5

“Those men want to take Laurence from me, and put him in prison, and execute him, and I will not let them, ever, and I do not care if Laurence tells me not to squash you.”

A Chinese delegation has come to London to demand the return of the Chinese dragon Temeraire to his native land. Unwilling to part with Temeraire, his handler Captain Will Laurence must join him on a perilous sea voyage to the Far East in an attempt to convince the Emperor to let Temeraire stay in Britain.

Throne of Jade is the second book in Naomi Novik’s historical fantasy series Temeraire set during the Napoleonic Wars and featuring dragons. I listened to the audio book of the first book, His Majesty’s Dragon, a few weeks ago. This was also an audio book listen, and I will be continuing to listen to audio books of this series as long as they are available on my library app. I’m really enjoying this series so far! 

Book Review: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands
by Heather Fawcett

 Book title: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
Author: Heather Fawcett
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: January 16, 2024
337 pages
My rating: 4/5

“I’m afraid I have not gotten over my resentment of him for saving me from the snow king’s court in Ljosland earlier this year, and have made a solemn vow to myself that I shall be the one to rescue him from whatever faerie trouble we next find ourselves in. Yes, I realize this is illogical, given that it requires Wendell to end up in some dire circumstance, which would ideally best be avoided, but there it is. I’m quite determined.”

Emily Wilde, professor of faerie folklore, has just published her comprehensive encyclopaedia of fairies with the help of a fellow scholar and infuriatingly charming faerie king Wendell Bambleby. Her new research project is a map of the faerie realms, but her research is interrupted when Wendell’s murderous stepmother sends assassins to kill him. In order to free him from his family’s sinister plans, Emily and Wendell must travel to the Austrian Alps in search of a door to Wendell’s realm.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is the second book in Heather Fawcett’s light academia fantasy series. I read the first book, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, a year ago, and I enjoyed it a lot. The second book was as charming as the first one. I still loved Emily’s character and her diary-style narration. One thing I liked more in this installment than in the first book is that I didn’t find this book as heavy-handed in Emily’s autism-coded representation. That may be due to the fact that we already know the character, so there is no need to over-explain her personal quirks.

Book Review: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping
by Sangu Mandanna

 Book title: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Cozy fantasy
Published: July 15, 2025
352 pages
My rating: 3.5/5

“There is always a little magic in the heart of a person who loves it.”

Sera Swan used to be the most powerful young witch in Britain, until an illegal resurrection spell caused her to lose most of her magic and be evicted from the magical Guild. Now at thirty, she runs an inn with the help of what little magic she has left. When she learns about an ancient spell that might help her restore her powers, she turns to magical historian Luke Larsen to ask for his help. Together with Sera’s weird found family, they set about to reclaim Sera’s lost magic.

 A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is Sangu Mandanna’s standalone adult cozy fantasy with a strong romantic subplot. I listened to it as an audiobook, and I thought the narrator did a great job in bringing the characters to life. The writing style was witty and bantery – a little too witty to my taste at points. Not every sentence needs to try that hard to be witty. I find that this type of bantery narration so typical of romantic comedy and chick lit can get on my nerves if I consume too much of it. But if you love that style of narration, you’ll probably enjoy this book! 

September Wrap-Up and October Hopefuls

September reads

 

September Wrap-Up

• Finished: 16
• Started but not finished: 1
• Total pages read: 3,501
• Average rating: 3.8

I did not expect to finish this many books in September! I read more e-books, audiobooks, and nonfiction books than I had planned. Out of the sixteen books I finished, nine were nonfiction and seven were fiction. I’ve written reviews for four of the fiction books: Marie Brennan’s adult fantasy A Natural History of Dragons (5/5 stars), Sabaa Tahir’s young adult fantasy An Ember in the Ashes (3/5 stars), Rachel Ann Hubert’s adult fantasy The Debt Collector (4/5 stars), and Hayley Gelfuso’s adult historical fantasy The Book of Lost Hours (5/5 stars). The two five-star fantasy novels were so good that I’m not sure which I liked more!

Book Review: His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

 Book title: His Majesty’s Dragon
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: January 3, 2006
356 pages
My rating: 5/5

“I am afraid I am not rich enough a partner for you; I will not be able to give you a heap of gold to sleep on.”

“I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on,” Temeraire said.

During the Napoleonic Wars, British sea captain Will Laurence captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched Chinese dragon egg. When the dragon Temeraire hatches, he chooses Laurence as his handler, and Laurence must leave his ship behind. He and Temeraire join the Aerial Corps, taking a crash course in aerial battle tactics before Napoleon’s forces threaten to invade Britain.

His Majesty’s Dragon in the first book in Naomi Novik historical fantasy series Temeraire. This was another audio book read for me, and although I wasn’t a huge fan of the audio book narrator, the story eventually won me over.