Tag: Romance

The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula

Posted on January 8, 2026 by - Book Review

** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review **

I’m always fascinated to pick up an author’s first novel. Of course, I applaud any individual who undertakes the huge undertaking of creating a world(s) and then nakedly sharing it with people who can, quite honestly, be rather nasty.

When I read the blurb for Ms. Mandula’s The Geomagician I knew that I had to give this book a chance. Stated quite basically, Ms. Mandula has created a Victorian world where science (Paleontology, specifically) and magic intersect. The primary character, Mary Anning, is a Geomagician: a Paleontologist who is able to use fossils to wield magic, and, in Mary’s case, use magic to help find extraordinary fossil specimens.

Mary so desires to be a member of the Geomagical Society of London, but, as was oft in that era, they do not allow women to be members.

Then Mary discovers an ancient egg that hatches into a very live pterodactyl and everything changes.

That is just about all I’m directly going to say about the plot to this lovely novel. For this book, in particular, the less known helps progress the story better. I will, however, say a couple of things about the themes in this that Ms. Mandula expertly conveyed.

The most obvious of the themes The Geomancer is the rights of women. It is a very strong theme in this book, and weaves throughout all of the various plot lines with a wide variety of facets: both social and economical.

The second most important theme in The Geomancer is the division of wealth: the haves versus the have nots. Again, this is presented from several different directions and really highlights the social divide in the world that Ms. Mandula created.

The worldbuilding itself was pretty fantastic. Be it the urban and academic bustle, or the semi-idyllic coastline town where Mary grew up, readers get a feel of all of the sounds, smells, and textures of the settings.

OK, now for the kicker. After reading this book and starting on the afterword, I was shocked to discover that Mary Anning was a real person, and a respected scholar of Paleontology. Yeah, that really kicked me in the teeth.

So, kudos to Ms. Mandula for writing a quite delightful read, and congratulations on your first novel. The Geomagician is a very fun read that engages completely.

Please note: The Geomagician doesn’t publish until the end of March 2026, so be proactive and put it on your TBR list today. Hell, you should probably pre-order it as well.

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

Posted on July 2, 2025 by - Book Review

It’s taken me quite a while to sit down and put my thoughts to electrons on this one. Yeah, I liked it a lot, but Big Swiss is a very very heavy book to digest.

Greta, I guess we will call her the protagonist of this novel, is a quintessential fuckup living with her similarly odd friend, Sabine, in an ancient Dutch farmhouse in Hudson, New York.

Because she hasn’t really done anything with her life, Greta lied her way into a job transcribing sessions for Om, another odd character who is a sex coach in Hudson.

Through these transcriptions, Greta becomes infatuated with one of Om’s clients who Greta nicknames “Big Swiss.” For the first part of the book, we learn that Big Swiss is married, a gynecologist, and has never had an orgasm.

Quite on accident, Greta discovers who Big Swiss actually is after recognizing her voice on a chance encounter. Definitely throwing all semblance of ethics aside, Greta then uses the confidential knowledge she has of Big Swiss to formulate a relationship with her that, eventually, turns sexual.

Yeah, like I said, it’s a lot.

Ms. Beagin really nails this one. It’s dark, it’s very mysterious, and there is a lot of tension and conflict that is scandalously entertaining to read. There are not really any likable characters in this novel, and that is what makes it amazing. The dynamic between Greta and just about everyone is absolutely ridiculous. This is a middle-aged woman who probably has never really been herself, and seems to be a wrecking ball through the lives of those around her.

One of the things about Big Swiss that I enjoy very much is how Ms. Beagin approaches language and phrasing. It can be odd, and awkward, but perfectly on point.

Needless to say, I think there are two camps of folks who have read Big Swiss: those, like me, who love the uncomfortableness of it, and those who absolutely hate it.

I say give it a go and see which camp you fall into. Oh, and I’m not even going to go into the insect themes this novel seems to lean on heavily.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

Posted on May 26, 2023 by - Book Review

Here’s the setup: in the far future of Earth, two factions battle each other for supreme control of the world, the timeline, and, well, everything. Two factions — Commandment and Garden — have their elite agents working clandestine operations throughout the various time threads. Our two characters, Blue and Red are fighting against each other throughout time, while, through a series of secret correspondences, also falling in love with each other. This book has a very heavy Killing Eve meets The Lake House vibe to it.

It does take a bit of time to pull back from how the novel opens — right into the chaos of the aforementioned clandestine operations — and get some bearings on what is actually going on. While this can be off-putting in some situations, it works absolutely perfectly for this tale. The chaos really helps solidify the fantastical uncertainty that forms the foundation of the world we find our two characters dropped into.

I cannot give enough kudos to the creative stylings that Ms. El-Mohtar and Mr. Gladstone throw into this short but masterful piece. Imagine hard science fiction with flowery writings akin to a Victorian romance. But it all works incredibly well!

I will admit, there were sections that I had to read multiple times because I was distracted by my surroundings, and This is How You Lose the Time War is a novel that demands full attention. If your brain wanders, you will get lost.

This book is getting a lot of buzz right now, and I’ll admit I picked it up because it seemed to take over my Twitter feed almost overnight. I was not disappointed in the slightest.