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review: nectar and ambrosia by e.m. hamill

26/8/2018

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REVIEWED BY L.A. ASHTON

Genre:
Urban Fantasy

Pairings: M/F

Queer Rep: Bi/Pansexuality, Demisexuality, Gay, Trans

Warnings: Accounts of epileptic attacks and seizures

My Rating: Four Stars

Synopsis

Chased by a creature that shouldn’t exist, Callie flees her home and hopes it buys her parents’ safety. But her future is uncertain, and she is wracked by mind-bending visions she can’t control. Her out of control mind somehow leads her to Nectar and Ambrosia, a bar seen by few and inhabited by the immortal—or, as we know them, the mythological.

Thanks to a kind doorkeeper and a vision of an oncoming apocalypse, Callie is thrown headfirst into a multi-dimensional conflict that could eviscerate the human race.

General

Unique, fun, and full of twists and thrills. Weaving together mythology, current religion, and aspects of light sci-fi, Nectar and Ambrosia will take you on an adventure like none you've experienced before. And then? You’ll want more.

Plot

You’re thrown into this world without any knowledge or preconceptions. Luckily for us, so is Callie. Being able to learn the ropes with the protagonist was a massive bonus, and helped things feel natural instead of info-dumpy.

Considering the scale of this piece, pacing novel should have been difficult. Hamill made it look easy. There’s time for mystery, tension, and breathless attempts to halt the apocalypse, but there’s also time for love and laughter. I was always itching for the next clue or a deeper glimpse of the characters. It draws you in and doesn’t let go until the final words.

Setting

The world in Nectar and Ambrosia is beautiful and ornate. I already want to return to Florian’s bar and mingle with its immortal patrons. Everything here was crafted with love and attention; details made the piece shine and brought the characters to life in a rich, satisfying way.

Characters

Like everything else in this novel, characters were created with considerable care. I loved so many gods, so many Sidhe, so many. Even ones that were questionable. Even ones I knew I shouldn’t. I would read individual stories about them all right now. Florian also stole my heart immediately—his quiet and caring nature made me long for an inter-dimensional hug. I wish I had more time with some of the side characters. I realize the cast was large and the plot was a tall order. Perhaps I'm greedy, but I blame Hamill for making me attach to them in the first place.

Strangely, the only one I had trouble connecting to was Callie. This felt like a very “it’s me, not the book” type of situation. All the aspects were there, all the details and character building, but I couldn’t align with her as wholly as I often do. I finally grew more attached as the book went on, and I have a feeling we’ll fit together better if there’s a sequel. Who knows why brains work the way they do? Mine’s a mystery.
 
It feels very difficult to discuss aspects of this piece without giving things away. Every character and set piece has its role, every scene and interaction. Sometimes I forget about the subtle Chekhov’s Gun aspect of Hamill’s work, but that’s probably her intention, isn’t? Just trust me on this: Nectar and Ambrosia will transport you somewhere amazing, and when it’s over you’re going to want to go back. If you’re having trouble believing me, Hamill offers the first three chapters for free on her site. Go, be convinced.
  
E. M. Hamill’s official site can be found here, and her twitter is over this way.

Note: I am an Amazon Associate and I am using affiliate links. These do not affect you or my reviews.
From Amazon.com:

Nectar and Ambrosia (print) — $12.99    |    Nectar and Ambrosia (ebook) — $4.99

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Book Review: Sparkwood by Daria Defore

20/8/2017

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Sparkwood promises magic, intrigue, and strong-willed bisexual men, and it definitely delivers on those promises. After a sluggish start, the book drew me in and demanded that I finish it. 

THE POSITIVES

My favourite aspect of this novella was the setting. I didn't connect with the characters immediately (I did by the end!), but thanks to the initial description of the small town of Sparkwood, I started to really engage with the writing. I also loved how much the author managed to convey about the 'other' Sparkwood (a different realm) with very few words. 

The enemies-to-lovers story-line that acts as a backdrop to the central mystery is handled very well. I, personally, don't tend to enjoy books where the romantic elements overpower and overshadow the genre tropes and/or genre conventions. As such, the fact that Sparkwood lets the romance develop as a result of the paranormal mystery, rather than using the mystery plot as a convenient way to force the characters together, was something I quite liked.

There is also a lovely comment being made about cultural differences, culture shock, and learning to accept others throughout the story (and it isn't too heavy-handed in how the theme is integrated). Finn's personal growth is great to witness, especially in the space of only 53,000 words. 

THE NOT-SO-POSITIVE

For the first chapter or two, I wasn't sure I would like 'Sparkwood'. Finn took me a while to warm up to, and it took a lot longer for me to be convinced that he felt much of anything about his brother's murder aside from general annoyance. Sure enough though, all of those doubts melted away as I delved further into the story. 

It isn't necessarily in the control of the author, but I was distracted by the multitude of typos. In one chapter closer to the end, there were about four or five mistakes in the space of two pages (though that was the biggest cluster...most of the others were just here-and-there). Another pass by a proofing editor would have helped the overall quality.

OVERALL...a fine and relaxing read. It isn't an overly 'literary' novel (and it wouldn't work if it was, because it's not in the nature of the main character to be especially descriptive), but there are some lovely passages that hint at the author's flair with language. The plot moves at a pretty good pace once it gets past the initial set-up of people, places, and events

VIEW THIS BOOK ON GOODREADS

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    ABOUT C.B.

    Book reviews, Author Q&As and more as shared by an Australian lesbian. My core interests lie in genre fiction: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror etc.
    ​
    My aim is to help provide more exposure to those books that  may not fit neatly into the usual "lesfic" boxes (EG: pansexual women who engage with different aspects of their sexuality, non-binary characters, books with very little romance etc.) or books that don't conform to the most popular tropes that tend to dominate the LGBTIQ+ publishing world.

    That said, I'll put up pretty much any review that I'd like to share. Most will have some sort of rainbow content, but not all. I am a reader who likes to talk about books -- that's really what this little corner of the web is for, to talk about books.

    ​Email: celestialbooks [AT] rebeccalangham.com.au

    Twitter: @ceLEStialsff

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