Birthright by E.J. Stevens - 4.75/5. An incredible addition to the series!

Today, I am reviewing the Urban Fantasy story Birthright by E.J. Stevens. The fourth full novel in the Ivy Granger series, it follows Ms. Granger down into Faerie, as she seeks her father and the knowledge she needs in order to prevent further Unseelie-sponsored assassination attempts. She brings along her kelpie beloved, Ceff, and the notoriously naughty cat sidhe Torn as they hunt down the court of the wisps, Ivy’s own people, and make some new and shocking discoveries on the way. 

I give this book a 4.75/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. This time the story focused on just three of our large cast, and that time allowed for us to really explore them in further detail. We get to see new wrinkles in the relationship between Ceff and Ivy, including some developments that have been a long time coming, in this reader’s opinion. Torn rounds out the cast and provides the exact amount of snark and nonchalance that the other two need to balance them out.

Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Incredibly, I think that Stevens’ storytelling gets better and better with every book. Birthright was amazing and compelling, grabbing hold of my mind and never letting go. I followed every twist of the story with relish, looking forward to whatever was coming next. Faerie felt like a new world, as it should, and the rules and laws were both alien and familiar, the echoes of stories that many have already forgotten. Fantastic job!

Flow: 5/5. A worthy successor to a worthy series, Birthright is incredibly tight and well-crafted. The action fills the time without bloating it, and every scene is made so that it flows into the next. No wasted space, no wasted time, and a sense of urgency that makes you want to know what happens next. In the wisp court in particular, Stevens used a slower pace to her advantage, leaving me chomping at the bit in order to find out what was going on next.

Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. I counted exactly 4 minor spelling errors in the entirety of the work. That’s outstanding. Phenomenal. A vast improvement over Burning Bright, and a credit to both her and her editor. Well done!

Overall: 4.75/5. I don’t know how much more I can say about E.J. Stevens without seeming like a fanboy…but what the hell. She’s awesome. Her books are awesome. I recommend her to everyone that I meet that enjoys this kind of work, and hold her up as an exemplar when people discuss modern urban fantasy writers. With tight work, fantastic characters, and stories crafted from the quicksilver of Faerie itself, Stevens is a writer that you must try.

The new minor characters, including Ivy’s uncle, the current regent of the wisp court, are well-fleshed out and intriguing. I admit to cheering when Flavio got what was coming to him ;)

Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Incredibly, I think that Stevens’ storytelling gets better and better with every book. Birthright was amazing and compelling, grabbing hold of my mind and never letting go. I followed every twist of the story with relish, looking forward to whatever was coming next. Faerie felt like a new world, as it should, and the rules and laws were both alien and familiar, the echoes of stories that many have already forgotten. Fantastic job!

Flow: 5/5. A worthy successor to a worthy series, Birthright is incredibly tight and well-crafted. The action fills the time without bloating it, and every scene is made so that it flows into the next. No wasted space, no wasted time, and a sense of urgency that makes you want to know what happens next. In the wisp court in particular, Stevens used a slower pace to her advantage, leaving me chomping at the bit in order to find out what was going on next.

Trust me.

You can find Birthright, along with the rest of her works, at the link below.

The End of the World is Rye by Brett Cottrell: A unique take on Urban Fantasy that kept me reading! 4/5 Stars.

Hello! And welcome back to all my readers and followers. I'm sorry for the delay, but as many of you know, I've been working on my move to Hawaii as of late. But now we're settled in and I can get back to reading and reviewing!

Today, I am reviewing the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy story The End of the World is Rye by Brett Cottrell. Another debut novel and the first in a series, this book asks us to believe in different beings that each embody one particular aspect, or thought, of God – His Genius, Inspiration, Wrath, and Love are all in attendance, each with their own personas and characters. The story is in first person, narrated from the perspective of Contradiction, or Cognitive Dissonance, whose job is to help people reconcile the disparate aspects of God’s being. Unfortunately, Insanity escapes his chains, and heads out to cause trouble as only he can.

Naturally, this doesn’t bode well for the rest.

I received this book as an Advance Review Copy (ARC), so the final version may be slightly different from what I’ve reviewed here. This review is, as always, honest in its entirety.

This was a fun romp through a very interesting fantasy world that Mr. Cottrell has created. I enjoyed the book very much, and, overall, give it a 4/5 rating. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. Definitely the strongest point of this book. I loved the interaction between the various aspects of God’s psyche, the thoughts given form, and the variety and interplay made the book for me. Each one was unique, but tied together, unable to dismiss the others but locked into their own points of view. Fantastic.

Plot/Storyline: 4/5. Expertly executed. It starts out small, with a “hey, Insanity’s gone, that’s a problem,” and escalating into the “Oh, crap, what now?” type of thing. Classic threads are interwoven with those of Cottrell’s own design, creating an original, unique event. I was curious about the limitations of the character’s ability to “zap” themselves through time; it’s stated that they can, unless restrained, but I didn’t see them use it very much. Would it have been helpful? I don’t know.

Flow: 4/5. Clean and easy to read. I had no trouble convincing my fingers to turn pages (yes, this was a physical book this time!) and they went by very quickly. There are no major stumbling blocks, and, indeed, I thought that the story moved from beat to beat very well.

Spelling/Grammar: 3/5. I hope that Rosarium Publishing runs through this book one more time. It’s not bad, by any means, but there were enough small errors that I noticed them. Little things, small typos and misplaced punctuation, maybe a dropped word or two.

Overall: 4/5. A very enjoyable read, filled with fun, danger, excitement, and intriguing possibilities. I had a great time in Mr. Cottrell’s world, and I’m looking forward to the sequel!


You can find the book on Amazon here: