This month, I managed to read two vastly different books. One I really enjoyed and one that was not my cup of tea. As a writer, I try not to DNF any books, even though the second one I really wanted to do just that. In my opinion, even books that aren’t the best can be learning lessons, and the second book I read this month was full of them!
Without further ado, here’s what I read in February:
Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg
Spellmaker is the second novel in the Spellbreaker duology. I received the first book in a Scribbler subscription box, and quite enjoyed it. I bought the second one from Amazon as soon as I finished the first book and took my time reading it.
First of all, I love the characters. I love that each of them had their own personality and their own goals and drive. It was refreshing to have a female protagonist and other female characters in the late 19th century that had agency and weren’t just rewards for the men in the novel. I enjoyed that the men in the novel were dynamic and not all cookie cutter as the hero trope.
The setting, I thought was interesting, but I feel needed a bit more explanation or a bit more use as a character. Set in England where magic is real and several different kinds of magic exist, I wish there had been a better explanation for the setting and a more in-depth view of some of the magics. There were times where I was reading and going “Man, I wish I had taken better notes,” but that might have just been me, since I do tend to read quickly.
The plot was surprisingly good for the book being a sequel. The first book had a better plot, simply because it was the first book and there was a lot of introduction and excitement in meeting the characters and watching them find and reach their goals. I’m glad this series is a duology, because there was enough plot for a second book and it was nice to see the characters grow and change from the first book. The book has one of my favorite tropes of fake relationship that’s built on the basis of a real relationship underneath, and it was done absolutely beautifully.
Rating: 4.75/5
Bonus:
Here’s how I saw some of the characters in my head. I always enjoy when I can see the characters in my mind and can hear them as they speak.
Bacchus: 
Ogden: 
Elsie: 
The Phantom of the Bathtub by Eugenia Riley
The Phantom of the Bathtub was a book I either bought or got for free from kindle a few years ago during my Phantom of the Opera phase. Let me say it is nothing like Phantom of the Opera except they share the word Phantom in the title.
I honestly expected a lot more from this book. The back blurb mentioned werewolves, ghosts and haunted houses, but it was very watered down and skimmed over in place of the romance and kissing ass to fit in with high society. I expected a lot more from this book, and I kept reading hoping to find it, but sadly the ending didn’t sit right with me at all. It felt forced and over rushed.
The characters were mainly caricatures of people one would expect to find in the south during the late 19th century, overplayed and underdeveloped. The setting of Savannah, Georgia was never really truly explored and used as a character itself. The ghosts were not as prominent as I would have liked and barely enough of a plot point to make a difference. There were plenty of erotic scenes, but even those were lackluster and made the characters even more wishy-washy. The ending was forced for a “happy ending” with little explanation.
This book was not my cup of tea, and I was honestly glad to finish it, but in reading it I noticed things I can improve upon in my own works, so for that I am thankful.
Rating: 1/5
Bonus:
How I saw some of the characters.
Maxwell: 
Aubrey: 
Viveca: 
Stay tuned for what I’m reading next!