The Crone of Midnight Embers (Book 1 of the Myrtlewood Crones) by Iris Beaglehole, C+
I generally try to avoid reading self-published books until and unless they’re picked up by a traditional publisher, the reason being that I’ve never read a self-published book that was adequately edited. I should therefore have passed on The Crone of Midnight Embers, but I happened upon its Amazon page while I was Christmas shopping, where I was charmed by one of the lines in the description (Why don’t more 60-something-year-olds get to have fun magical adventures?) and fooled by the number of reviews (over 5,000). I bought it on impulse, not realizing that it was self-published. The combination of fatigue and Christmas desperation will do that to you. <sigh>
What it’s about: When Delia, a 60-something theater director, suddenly starts accidentally setting things on fire using only the powers of her mind, she runs away to the small, remote village of Myrtlewood, where she meets three witches who believe she may be the fourth crone required to fulfill some ancient prophecy. Meanwhile, there’s an evil monkish sort of group (the Crimson Order) that wants to prevent the crones from doing that, and also a Sisterhood that’s sort of ambiguous, and some townspeople that are magical but that don’t feature much. Some fights and chases ensue.
My opinion: The basic premise is good–we need more books about elderly women kicking ass! The chapters are short, making it an easy read at night when you’re tired and can only manage a few pages. Those are big pros, but there are bigger cons. A book about magic needs to hit the right tone, and for characters that are “crones,” there are some great basic options for tone: creepy, mystical, or comical. I thought it would be comical, but it isn’t, at least not often. Nor is it creepy or mystical. It’s just sort of meh. And it’s not only the tone that’s lacking. So too are the detail, character development, and action needed to support a book of this length. A good editor would have said, “Condense this into a few solid and richly detailed chapters, then give me more. A lot more.” That’s my opinion, anyway. Ms. Beaglehole certainly must have her admirers or she wouldn’t be selling so many books. I wish her well, but I will not be reading any more of her work.
In contrast, there’s M.L. Wang’s Blood Over Bright Haven, also initially self-published but since released by Del Rey.
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang, A
What it’s about: Sciona is the first woman to be admitted to the High Magistry in the city of Tiran, a place where magic sustains all the major systems, including a protective outer shield. The highmages are planning to enlarge the city’s shield, and they need Sciona’s skills. But misogyny doesn’t just fade away because someone’s finally put a crack in the glass ceiling, and Sciona’s male colleagues are determined to put her down in any way possible. They deny her a qualified lab assistant, instead sticking her with a janitor. It was meant to be an insult both to him and to her. But there’s more to that janitor than meets the eye, and Sciona didn’t attain highmage status by backing away from challenges. Working together, the two will uncover some ancient and very dangerous secrets.
My opinion: This is a really good book, but not without its flaws. There are supposed to be some big revelations in the story, but they’re really obvious. If you’re like me and figure them out almost immediately, you’ll have to wait for the main characters’ understanding of the situation to catch up with your own, but there’s a lot of payoff when the shit finally goes down. If you’ve ever experienced rage against a cruel and racist patriarchy, then you might enjoy this book, though you’ll need to be prepared for a lot of blood and violence. For me, it was a page-turner. I give it all the love and an A grade.
Currently reading: Hekate: The Witch by Nikita Gill. I was drawn by the beautiful cover art and the subject matter. I discovered afterward that the book was written in verse, and I wasn’t sure if that would be a plus or minus. I will withhold judgment on that until the end, but I will say that the verse format is no barrier to reading. I am about halfway through and have been enjoying it.