Snowflakes and Spider Silk

Title:  The Invisible Library Author:  Genevieve Cogman Genre: Steampunk, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy My rating: 3 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: The first installment of an adventure featuring stolen books, secret agents and forbidden societies - think Doctor Who with librarian spies! Irene must be at the top of her game or she'll be off the case - permanently... Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book. Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own. Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a...

Title:  Stormdancer Author:  Jay Kristoff Genre: Fantasy, steampunk, YA My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: (read at your own peril, I recommend picking this book up blind!) A DYING LAND The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever. AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death. A HIDDEN GIFT Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her...

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish . This week's theme: My Recent  Top Ten Five Star Books Not all of these are strictly 5 stars (some are 4.5) but they're all books I've read recently and would definitely recommend! I didn't want to go back further than December so I only have 8:   This is book 2 of the Farseer Trilogy. Robin Hobb writes slower plotted fantasy novels compared to most other series, but her characters are all so real  and I end up having way more intense emotions than with most other fantasy books. Definitely recommended for fantasy fans!   This one is just so beautifully written and gorgeous but also terrifying and gory...it's one of the best retellings I've ever read! Plus Phantom of the Opera is just awesome source material.   This one isn't published yet, but it's fantastic. I loved the politics and the manipulations, but I also loved how broken and ...

DiverSFFy is a feature hosted by yours truly! The goal is to get the word out about books in science fiction and fantasy that do a good job of portraying people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives - be it race, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic levels, etc.  I'd love it if you joined in - just link me to your posts in the comments or on twitter (@spidersilksnow)! This week's pick:  Karen Memory  by Elizabeth Bear The Rundown Title: Karen Memory Author: Elizabeth Bear Genre: Steampunk, fantasy Goodreads Summary : "You ain't gonna like what I have to tell you, but I'm gonna tell you anyway. See, my name is Karen Memery, like memory only spelt with an e, and I'm one of the girls what works in the Hôtel Mon Cherie on Amity Street. Hôtel has a little hat over the o like that. It's French, so Beatrice tells me." Set in the late 19th century—when the city we now call Seattle Underground was the whole town (and sti...