Lucci's List: October 2020

Readers beware: spooky tales to follow! Enjoy!

"The Witches Journal" by Patti Roberts is good witchy fun. This is an easy and interesting guidebook to all things witchy, including uses for herbs, candle color meanings, how to set up an altar, and neat tid-bits of information. A cute book for the lighter side of witchcraft.

"The Techno Mage" by S.W. Raine combines elements of sci-fi fantasy in a fast paced adventure with a tint of the macabre.

Three friends, Magaliana "Mags," Arteus, and Ikarim, work together with Doctor Gesselmeyer using their own particular talents. With their individual strengths, they lead a successful life amid airships, science, technology, and alchemy in there Germanic home.

All is well until one day their boss and head of the family, Gesselmeyer, returns from a secretive trip gravely ill. Upon his death, Arteus learns a life-changing fact that swerves his fate. He himself has a secret that shames him, a matter so personal that he feels the need to keep even his beloved Mags from knowing. Ikarim is the loyal friend who keeps the peace, even when they encounter airship pirates and are separated by the influence of the Techno Mage. The Techno Mage is a foe so powerful that most civilians do not dare defy him, and the three friends crumble in his evil plot.

Mags has been pressed by her parents to marry and settle down into the more acceptable lifestyle as an aristocrat. Instead, she naively embarks on a voyage with the Techno Mage. She is determined to learn his craft of alchemy as she pursues excellence din her own practice. Little by little, she becomes charmed by the Techno Mage, and agrees to marry him.

When the wedding turns into a rescue mission, the three friends are changed forever. Watching Mags fall overboard the airship to a certain death, Arteus does to recover her body and avenge her. Ikarim is also heart broken by the loss of Mags, and accompanies Arteus on his mission. First they must enlist in the armed forces together in order to gain the necessary skills to find Mags's remains and conquer the Techno Mage once and for all.

There are more secrets yet to unfold. The Techno Mage holds more power than any of the friends imagined. It is a vile, filthy, nasty, disgusting secret that suddenly comes to light in the most gruesome way.

Then Arteus and Ikarim encounter a mysterious woman and find themselves at her mercy. Their mission has evolved, and so has the Techno Mage.

Despite their individual flaws and fights, Arteus and Ikarim prove to be a competent team. Even when the worst they could have dreamed of throws them into a battle they cannot win, they persevere together.

This novel is packed with high energy, rewarding character development, and one of the grossest scenes I have ever been delighted to read. In fact, I read this book front to back twice in a row because I just couldn't get enough!

I have been careful in this review not to divulge any spoilers. This entire book flows with so many twists and turns, it was difficult not to reveal too much!

The character arcs were fulfilling. At first, I didn't;t particularly like any of the characters. They changed appropriately through the challenges of their separate and combined fates in ways that was exceptionally satisfying.

I highly recommend this book to fans of steampunk, dieselpunk, and sci-fi fantasy. It is appropriate for teens as well as adults. What a breathtaking adventure!

"The Faerie Prince" by Rachel Morgan is a unique romance/thriller/fantasy story. The main character is a guardian fairy, akin to a guardian angel, and she is studying to pass her magical high school class. In order to graduate, she must complete a project with the last faerie she would have chosen. Together, they learn more than just magic.

"Magic Hour" by Kristen Hannah is a fast paced criminal mystery involving a feral child. A disgraced psychiatrist takes her in, while her sister the small-town chief of police does her best to track down the girl's family. The discoveries they make, the lives intertwined, and the warmth throughout the bleakness make this book an excellent read.

I am not usually a fan of mysteries, but this one hit home.

"Dryad" by Matthew Shaw is Sci-fi mixed with ancient mythology in the most extraordinary way.

Young Emily is motherless, kidnapped, but remains strong as she is rescued. Her father is a rebel scientist who is constantly on the run from a government that wants to squelch his hopes for an uprising of Earth’s natural life.

Emily learns a miserable secret about her mother’s death and must carry on where her father left off. With a child of her own, her fight to live freely becomes even more complicated.

This story takes place in the next millennia, and is written in a clear modern way. Some descriptions are particularly vivid. For instance: “An old-fashioned, concrete bunker of a building, it had been eroded by the incessant wind and grime, so its vertebrae of rusted steel wires were exposed.”

There are interesting updates in technology but life seems to reflect common themes now.

The characters are mostly male with a taste for misogyny. The magical dryads make fascinating appearances that change the course of future history.

The sci-fi elements were interesting, and I liked the descriptions. I didn't have strong feelings for any of the characters and the dryads seemed underwhelming at times. This is still a worthy read, with a unique blend of genres.

"And So it Begins: A Thrilling Short Story" by Nick Herntier is a cute campfire story just right for young teens. A good quick read.