A.J. Maguire

Tag: Book Review

  • Happy Thanksgiving (2025)

    This is my favorite holiday.

    From the turkey and stuffing to the golden-brown hue outside my window, I can’t help but love this time of year. That’s why I scheduled Nora’s final book to release on the 28th.

    Well, technically it should have been released for Halloween but life had other plans.

    At any rate, the Nora Grayson Adventures have concluded, Advanced Readers have the novel, and pretty soon everyone else who wants it will be able to snag it from Amazon.

    I am deeply grateful to those Readers who have followed Nora’s journey from the beginning and whose comments and encouragements helped push me to the finish line. For the record, I know some questions have been left unanswered – not the MAJOR questions, mind you, but some of the littler things – and that is by design because I intend to return to this world.

    It just won’t be Nora Grayson leading the fray.

    I want to do a separate standalone with Derrick and Vessa that deals with Derrick’s mother and those known as the Lost.

    I also have plans for Eucilla. She’s a dracken and can outlive everyone else, so I imagine that novel taking place a century or so later.

    Also (mild spoiler alert), the romantic in me can’t help wondering what the Atlas Court will be like for Nora when she finally steps into that role, but insofar as the storyline of Nora’s family is concerned, we have an ending.

    For now, I have several novels that have been sitting on the back burner while I finished up Nora’s books, and it’s time I gave them the attention they deserve. (More on that in a later post.)

    So what am I thankful for this year?

    I have a home. Food in my pantry. Pets who adore me. My book is complete and I have a group of amazing readers who are ready to get their hands on it.

    I have a son who is also a creative and I know he is working on his own writing and worlds. He’ll be 18 in January, which hurts my heart in weird ways and terrifies me at the same time because he’s about to get his license.

    I have a loving husband who believes in me and works hard so that I can continue to live my dream.

    And I have family and friends who remind me every day that I am loved and appreciated.

    Thank you. All of you. Whether you’re friend, family, or reader, I hope your day is amazing and that you are equally blessed.

  • A Hill to Die On

    I’ve been watching the Bookish/Author community for a while now and I can’t help but notice some trends that are cropping up. Or at least a certain cycle of events that keep circling.

    It has become the popular thing to do to draw lines in the sand or find hills to die on. Some of these are in good fun, told in a tone of voice that proves the creator is merely claiming their opinion on something silly.

    Things like which Book Boyfriend is the best or which magic system they would prefer to live in. Things like this I have no problem with, they are meant in a joking manner and are both entertaining and fun.

    But then there’s the other type of Hill to Die On.

    Said with capitol letters.

    Things like, First Person POV is the best POV.

    Which, hey, if you love First Person and that’s where you go to relax and enjoy a book then hey… You do you! I’m so glad you enjoy those. I do too.

    However, there seems to be this trend that says “If you don’t die on this hill with me, then you’re wrong and you’re awful and we’re going to throw bricks at you until you come around to our viewpoint.”

    These Hills to Die On are everywhere.

    Audiobooks don’t count as real reading!

    Em-Dashes mean it was written by AI! (Reminder, this is utterly false and AI learned to write based on all of us authors, using tools we often use, so OF COURSE AI learned how to use the em-dash.)

    Clean romance versus spicy romance!

    Romantasy is killing literature!

    Now… because I am a human being, I have opinions on these things, but I have them with the understanding that my opinions and tastes are going to change as I grow. So, why would I want to die on a hill here?

    Further, why would I want to alienate people by deciding to plant my flag on that hill and start shouting it?

    Again, when it is all in a joking manner there’s no issue but these days it seems were are hunting for ways to divide ourselves. Instead of a Reading Community that is welcoming, we start congregating in subsects and ganging up on anyone who likes different things.

    I’ve watched it get super ugly.

    And I can’t help but wonder why.

    Why do we do this?

    Why can’t we say – Hey! You read? That’s amazing! What are you reading right now?

    And then, you know, NOT JUDGE THEM for what they choose to read?

    There doesn’t need to be a war here. If someone reads a book you don’t like, why does it matter to you? For the love of God, stop trying to control other people. Their decisions are not up to you.

    Yes, you can have an opinion, but don’t cross the line into – You are so stupid for liking that book.

    Or

    That book is ruining literature by merely existing.

    First of all, the hubris on that last accusation is so high that maybe you should take a few moments of genuine self-reflection. Literature existed long before you were born and it’ll survive long after you’re gone. Further, literature is a reflection of the culture and times in which it lives.

    I digress.

    And I suppose I have found my own Hill to Die On.

    Stop the division. Stop finding reasons to hate each other. Stop attacking people who have taken the time to read and stop trying to control people.

    You’re allowed your opinions. You can write them in your reviews and give your stars, one through five, but at the end of the day it is nothing more than your opinion. It is not something to foist on other people and demand they agree with you.

    We’re beautifully diverse. It’s alright to compromise here. It’s alright to be different. You live, you laugh, you love, you matter. And so does the person sitting next to you.

    Happy Reading, everyone.

  • A Kick in the Pants

    Life has a way of kicking you in the pants.

    Or at least, it has a way of kicking ME in the pants, but I’m old enough to know this is the norm for a lot of people.

    I was hard at work, prepping marketing things for Blood of the Witch Heir’s release – which is in FOUR DAYS – and drafting up Nora’s final book when suddenly…

    My computer stopped working.

    As in, the thing would not power on.

    This was frustrating since the warranty ran out the month prior and I’m afraid extending warranties/insuring items like this has never been in the finances for me.

    Budgets be budgets, you know?

    Anyway, there I was, stuck with no computer for a couple of days. We did try to unearth an older laptop lingering in the house but the thing was from the days of antiquity, too slow to load anything and running an outdated operating system.

    What did I do with no computer for days on end?

    Well, I read a lot. (I rated them on Goodreads as I went because I will not be trying to type out an entire review on my tiny iPhone Mini.) This means I not only caught up to y 50 books in 2025 goal, I went a little over and am now a book ahead of schedule.

    I also received some happy packages! I got my author copies of Blood of the Witch Heir and new copies of the Nora books whose covers have been upgraded.

    Nora and the Siren Song still has to be updated, but we are in the works for that! As soon as I have them all in hand, I’ll do a happy little post to display them all because they are GORGEOUS and I love them to pieces.

    And finally, I enjoyed time with my husband and watched my animals be crazy. Which means I took a lot of pictures, which I am going to share here because why not?

    Brief note: the goats are not mine. We stumbled on them at the Old Sturbirdge Village and that boy goat went and posed for me on the rock. It was too cute not to include.

    Anyway, the OTHER thing I did was make a schedule with altered deadlines and now I probably should get back to it.

    Happy writing. Happy Reading.

  • A REAL Summer Reading List – 2025

    In response to the Chicago Sun Times debacle where they have printed an AI generated list of books for Summer Reading, which includes books that DO NOT exist, I thought I would be a little cheeky and send out a REAL Summer Reading List.

    Or at least, MY Summer Reading List, which is curated by my personal tastes and some of them are literally waiting on my TBR pile. I lean heavily Fantasy / Romantasy / and Science Fiction in my reading.

    FIRST UP – Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews.

    This is for my Romantasy friends. It is a happy blend of Vikings and Magic following Roark Ashwood and Lyra Bien and you can bet it has all the yummy Romantasy elements we open these books to find.

    You can check it out HERE

    SECOND – A Taste for Lies by LC Whitehouse

    I devoured this book in a day and a half. It is new and I enjoyed the world the author built. This is also a Romantasy (hey, I like what I like) but its pacing alone is impeccable and the characters on the page were absolutely vibrant.

    You can check it out HERE

    THIRD – Litany for a Broken World by LJ Cohen

    Admittedly, this one is on my TBR. I have enjoyed this author before, particularly her novel Future Tense and the amazing Halcyone Space Series, so I am excited to see what loveliness is in store for me with her newest novel.

    You can check it out HERE

    FOURTH – The Maya Bust (Boneguard 4) by E. Chris Ambrose

    Again, this is from my TBR pile and now that I’m looking I see I have SO MANY to catch up on with the Boneguard series. I loved Indiana Jones when I was growing up, so of course I’m going to love Grant Casey and the thrillers that Ambrose writes. We get history and action and a whole lot of fun in these novels.

    You can check out the Boneguard series HERE

    FIFTH – The Crimson Moth series by Kristen Circcarelli

    I read the first novel, Heartless Hunter, and love the mix of magic and Scarlett Pimpernel that was presented, so its second book, Rebel Witch, is patiently waiting for its turn on my TBR pile. I’m putting them both on here because, if you haven’t read the first one then you’re seriously missing out.

    You can check them out HERE

    Actually, now that I’m looking at my TBR pile it is starting to grow teeth and I fear for my life. I have a lot of reading to do!

    But hey, Chicago Sun Times… There are at least 5 actual, real life novels by actual real life people you could have put in your list instead of consulting a robot. Please hear the creatives in the room when we say that Art, and the consumption of Art, is a purely HUMAN experience. Stop trying to cut the humanity out of it.

    (P.S. My own novel, Blood of the Witch Heir, debuts in June, so it could ALSO count as a Summer Reading Book. If, you know, you like fantasy. And romance. And witches kicking some serious butt.)

  • Embracing the Pantser In Me

    In just 7 days, Nora and the Siren Song will be available to the world. Hurray! Throw confetti!

    Which means I’ve officially been alerted that I have 48 hours to make certain all those files are the right files and that I don’t have any further changes I want to make to the book. Which, honestly, induces a mild panic attack and forces me to re-read everything.

    Even though I have literally read this book over a dozen times from first draft to finished product.

    Nora has come a long way since her inception.

    I first got the idea for her books from a conversation on social media where myself and another author were fangirling over the show Lucifer. We both found it deeply amusing that Lucifer had a therapist in the show, and the conversation stretched to… What if all these paranormal romances we read about with vampires and werewolves and other said shifters/magic user suddenly had to go to couples therapy?

    What would that therapists life look like?

    Enter Nora Grayson, an empathic wizard living in Boston whose private home study sees couples from the typical vampires and elves, to the more exotic creatures hiding in plain sight of humanity.

    I made her an empath for two reasons.

    First, I love Deanna Troi from Star Trek the Next Generation. You can say what you want about me being a Trekkie or whatever, I really don’t mind. Star Trek was my mother’s favorite show when I was growing up, so I come by my geekery honestly.

    Second, because I am an empathetic person myself and I feel like this trait isn’t given center stage a lot. The ability to listen and identify the emotional state of the people around you, and then genuinely understand, feels like a skill that is undervalued in the world today.

    We’re too busy.

    We have our own problems.

    Or worse, we’re scared of people.

    I mean, who wouldn’t be given what we see plastered over the news?

    I digress.

    Nora’s first book, Nora and the Werewolf Wedding has a simple design. It’s basically Clue, but with magic and werewolves. And yes, I learned to embrace my Pantser in that book.

    Or, well, this whole series.

    Don’t know what a Pantser is?

    A Pantser is someone who writes without an outline. There is a vague idea – in this case, empathic wizard stuck negotiating a socialite wedding where at least one of the guests is murdered – and you build from there.

    Which means literally everything that happened in that first book came as a surprise.

    True story, I honestly thought Derrick’s grandfather would be the big bad guy on the page. Spoilers! He isn’t.

    There are pros and cons to embracing the Pantser side of my muse.

    First, I’ve had a blast writing. That’s a huge PRO. I sit at the computer, stare out the window for a little as the scene starts to show itself, and then the narrative tends to flow. (Assuming I’m not interrupted. Interruptions are a part of life. I do have pets, a teenage son, a husband, and general biological needs like eating.)

    However, that PRO is often checked by the CON where I literally had to build Fairy from the ground up whilst on the go. I have a handwritten notebook with all of my world building notes, many of which required that I flesh out the rules during the editing process of the book.

    I mention this as a CON because I know the world is bigger than what has been displayed on the pages and I feel like I can do better.

    Another PRO is that I am genuinely surprised by the endings when I get there. Or… things like the surprise wedding in Book 2, which is still one of my favorite moments.

    Writing this way has made it feel like this is Nora’s story and she is telling it, first to me, and then to the rest of the world. All my other books, where outlines have been heavily utilized, I was directing things more than the characters on the page.

    Sure, Jorry and Trenna both had a huge say in what happened in their stories, but it was still ME telling those stories.

    Maybe one day I’ll go back and revise their books from this new, Pantser-loving lens, but don’t hold your breath for it. Nora’s final book is still in the works. It will be out in October of this year. And I have several others novels in various stages of complete or near-to-complete that will get to see publication first.

    In the meantime, here is me, embracing my Pantser. It’s difficult, but apparently well worth the editing time I have to spend after that first draft is done.

    Nora and the Siren Song will be available on April 8th!

  • Book Review – Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

    For those of you who are still shaking their fists at KU and trying to boycott it, I am going to shrug at you and let you have your opinions. KU gives me access to books that I would otherwise not be able to snag on my monthly book budget. And before you suggest a library instead, I live on the top of a mountain in a small town. Not that I should have to justify my life circumstances to random strangers on the internet, but there you have it.

    Besides, and which has been pointed out by Indie Authors everywhere, boycotting KU doesn’t hurt the people you want it to hurt. It only hurts the Authors.

    That said, I recognize Yarros is a far cry from an Indie Author. I still read her books. Or at least I’m reading the Empyrean series. And I’m enjoying them.

    Still here?

    Awesome. Let’s review Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros.

    The world in this novel opened up in a big way. I loved learning about the different cultures and watching as they fought to open the eyes of an entire nation to the lies it had been told. The characters all grew and I was excited to see Violet aligning back with her friends. The love story was fun but…

    And here I get into my criticism of the book…

    I hated the Cat storyline. I’m not going to get into spoilery specifics here, I’m just going to eye this with a healthy dose of “I thought these were adults” because it sure didn’t feel like they were being very adult. Especially given the fact that lives are at stake and literal war is happening.

    I recognize that the characters on the page might be categorized as ‘new adult’ given the ages at which they were introduced but there was a level of pettiness on the page that drove me absolutely insane. Which might have been the point, in which case, I applaud the author. I’m rarely that annoyed whilst reading, and you hit all the right buttons to get me there.

    Also… thank you, Yarros, for breaking my heart again. Didn’t think you could do it twice, but you did. And now I’m terrified to read the third book.

    I have it.

    My husband bought it for me.

    But I haven’t opened it out of some weird PTSD you’ve given me.

    Five stars.

    Happy reading, everyone!

  • Book Review – A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

    This book had great atmosphere. I loved the gaslamp aspects of the setting and the villains were quite hateable very early on. I particularly enjoyed Kell, ostensibly the main character, and was drawn into his tale early on.

    What knocked this down to a four star instead of a five star book for me was the OTHER character in the novel – Lila. She just felt so very shallow that I was never really rooting for her. I understand that some of her past was likely deliberately left off the page, that the author may have been distant from all the things that make the girl who she is because she herself was distant from them and didn’t want to confront all that she had been through.

    However, I needed her to confront some of it. The constant yearning for another place and wanting to be more than she was and daydreaming about a pirate ship fell flat for me because she never really revealed anything of herself. Sure, she had some moments with Kell where things slipped out, but we were inside her POV and head enough that we – the Reader – deserved to know more.

    That said, I recognize this is a ME preference and problem. And perhaps the novel was showcasing a personality who deliberately lived “in the moment” because she chose not to dwell on the things that built her into the thieving, I’m-ok-with-killing-when-I-have-to personality that she is. I could kind of see that perspective on the page, but as a reader I felt I deserved a more blatant confrontation with herself and subsequent understanding afterward.

    What knocked this UP to a four was most assuredly Kell. He had all the questions and few of the answers and that drove me forward. I loved how much of an underdog he felt like, and the magic system in general. I loved the dynamic between Kell and his brother, though I have weird feelings about his so-called parents. I’m curious to see what happens next in their story.

    PURCHASE LINK

    Happy Reading, everyone!

  • Countdown to Siren Songs!

    As of today, we have 66 days before Nora and the Siren Song hits the virtual shelves.

    I am so very excited for everyone to get a chance to read the next step in Nora’s journey. The early reviews have been excellent. You can check them out on Goodreads if you don’t believe me. Or Bookbub, if you would rather.

    I know there are several other review sites out there, but Goodreads still tends to garner the most reviews and ratings for me.

    So what is this new adventure about?

    Well, it’s a romance.

    As in, the other books the romance tends to hide in the background, but in this next volume it takes center stage. I know this might annoy some people who prefer their romances in the light version, but Nora is growing and as such, she has reached a point of crisis where she must confront what she truly wants out of life.

    Which includes knowing what she wants out of a partner.

    I thoroughly enjoyed writing this book. It is a huge journey for Nora, not only because she must come to some decisions about who she is and what she wants, but because the world around her is getting far more dangerous.

    I can’t say much more than that without spoiling the book for you, so I will leave you with the current Book Blurb (subject to change between now and Publication Date.)

    Nora Grayson never meant to be a criminal.

    Raised by the very people who murdered her parents, Nora’s memory has been shrouded by spell-work and heavy drugs. Sensing that something terrible is in the works, Nora is desperate to uncover the truth of what her caretakers forced her to do, but there are other powers at play both Earthside and in Fairy. When the Vampire Court demands Nora be shackled from her power, she and Constable Elliot Cade must flee. Her only hope rests with the last known Great Wizard, Lady Helle, but reaching the wizard’s tower proves more difficult than either of them imagined.

    Boxed in on all sides, ancient rivalries rush to the surface, and the ocean powers Cade has been hiding from set out to prove that there is nothing more treacherous than the sea in a storm. With options and allies dwindling, and the wizard’s tower far out of reach, Nora faces an impossible choice: clear her own name or save the man she loves.

    Pre-Order Here!

  • Book Review – The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen

    This book made me laugh out loud several times, in the absolute best of ways.

    The Hades/Lyra dynamic was just… (chef’s kiss) when it came to sass. And the visual of Hades wearing a t-shirt that says, Sure, you can pet my dog, will remain with me for the rest of my life.

    That might be a mild spoiler, but it’s pretty early in the book so I’m gonna give it to you anyway.

    At any rate, thank you, Ms. Owen, for that one. I had to share it with my family and they all got a good laugh too.

    Six out of five stars. I can only give it 5 on Goodreads, but know that if I could, I’d give just… all of the stars. For making me laugh.

    My family was most displeased because I read the book in a day, which meant they had to fend for themselves insofar as food/cleaning around the house. I think they’d try to knock some stars off the review precisely because of that, but they’re not the ones who went on this journey so they don’t get a voice.

    The narrative was effortless, the characters vivid, and the gods… precisely how one would imagine the Greek Pantheon. I was worried I would roll my eyes at Hades being the good guy because the whole “bad guy is the good guy” seems to be a trope everyone is grabbing hold of these days but I didn’t.

    Don’t ask me why, because I don’t really know. Ms. Owen used some form of writing magic to make the trope feel fresh to me.

    Yes, there is spice. So if you need to know that walking in, you’ve been duly warned.

    At any rate, my proverbial hat’s off to the author. This was beautifully executed and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

    All. The. Stars.

    Happy Reading!

    PURCHASE LINK – THE GAMES GODS PLAY BY ABIGAIL OWEN

  • Book Review – Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

    I’ve had my eye on this book for a while now, so I was pleased when I was able to pick it up. It took me approximately three days to read, which is about average for the work week. The prose was smooth and easy, the pacing quick, and I enjoyed most of the characters. I also enjoyed the feel of criminals thrown together toward a set goal, with a lot of mistrust going around.

    For the most part, I loved this novel. It felt like a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre and kept me engaged throughout.

    Two things bothered me though, which is why I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars instead of a full 5 star review.

    First… Aeri felt out of place/time. Every other character on the page, when we were in their POV, felt like they lived in that world. Aeri, on the other hand, felt like she had been plucked out of a high school here in modern times. Every time it was in her POV, I felt disjointed and yanked out of the narrative.

    Second… the spymaster didn’t really get to earn the badassery discussed on the page. Sure, we get a moment where he runs through a warehouse murderfying bad guys (trying not to give spoilers here, I feel like that’s vague enough) but particularly when we reach the climax of the book, he doesn’t really get to do anything.

    I mean, he put the whole thing together and organized things (as spymasters do) but he was also proclaimed a demon with the blade (fun points for the flaming sword, by the way) and we just didn’t get a chance to see him put pedal to the metal when it mattered the most.

    At any rate, I enjoyed the book and look forward to its sequel.

    4 out of 5 Stars.

    Happy Reading!

    PURCHASE LINK – FIVE BROKEN BLADES