The Phantom's Curse

An old evil threatens to rise from the depths of the warded city… Sixteen-year-old Marianne lives a simple life as a healer in the Link, looking after her younger brother since their parents’ exile. Little does she know how everything will change after attending the blessing in the city of Obanac. After her brother is wrongfully imprisoned, Marianne seeks his release from Crawford Reign, the Lord of Obanac. But she’s faced with an impossible choice—the lord wants her in exchange. To save her brother she turns to the daring outlaw Robbie and his friends for help. Along with the help of Theo, the holy man’s son, a daring rescue soon uncovers rumors of an old sorcerer who may still live and whispers of the phantom’s curse—an evil that requires a host and seeks to destroy the world—threatening to resurface. With the threat of an old evil rising in Obanac and the attacks of the Black Riders throughout the realm, nowhere seems safe. To save the people of the land and everyone she cares about, Marianne must unlock the secret to who she really is and embrace the mage magic that stirs within her.

The Phantom's Curse by Shelley Wilson is a YA fantasy book. I received an ARC from Netgalley. The book comes out on June 11th, 2020.

 Marianne is just a young girl, living her best life in the poor part of town with her younger brother. Their parents have been forcefully taken from them a few years ago, so Marianne had to grow up quick. There is a party for all young people turning sixteen and Marianne is the only one from the poor section, so she's looked down upon. She brings her younger brother because she has no one else. This proves to be a mistake because he is imprisoned, using a pretty obvious trick, and Lord Crawford wants Marianne in exchange.

 At the party, she meets Theo, who is her inside man in the city. He helps not only with the rescue of her brother, but other things that Marianne needs help with inside the city walls. With Theo, Robbie and his crew, she plans a rescue. Then things take an even darker turn. Marianne isn't sure what is happening or why Crawford wants her so badly, but she will soon find out. And, no spoilers, but the situation becomes even stranger towards the end of the book.

 I enjoyed the book quite a bit. It's rather short only about 200-ish pages. It was a nice, quick read. It felt like this book is the start of a series, but it could also just be a one-shot. Hopefully, it is a series because I would like more in this world. An explanation for a lot of magic (especially the Phantom itself) and other stuff would be amazing. The characters were fun and well written. Robbie and his band of outlaws were a nice addition. The romance is light, but obvious to any reader of YA fiction before. All the lovely tropes are there, and I mean that in the best way. Sometimes a tropey, easy read is the best kind of thing, especially in this time of crisis (Yes I am dating this review for future readers!).

 I did like the rescue of Marianne's brother and also the rescue of someone else later in the book. It was full on Robin Hood stuff, which was a lot of fun. I sort of felt this was aimed for kids trying YA for the first time. It's a simple plot, the bad guys are bad, and the story moves quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly. The book could have been a little longer. There wasn't a lot of set up for things, they just happened. But, again, if this is someone's first YA book, then none of these things stand out. Either way, it's a fun read!

 Here's an Amazon Affiliate link, if you'd like to buy it: Will be added when the book releases on June 11th

Madame Koska & the Imperial Brooch

Meet Madame Koska—a fabulous haute couture designer and the owner of a new atelier in 1920’s London who has a knack at solving crimes that simply baffle the police.

When a priceless brooch disappears from a museum in Russia, Madame Koska is suddenly drawn into the mystery. But who is Madame Koska? And what does the missing jewel have to do with her? Find out in her first adventure!

Madame Koska & the Imperial Brooch by Ilil Arbel is a historical mystery set in London after World War I. As historical mysteries are my jam, I was ready to read.

Madame Koska employs various people to help her with her new fashion line, including an ex-Countess and a rich English girl. Things start spiraling out of control when her new boutique is broken into. After that, secrets start piling up until Madame Koska carefully pulls them apart.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's not too long and almost hits that cozy mystery button. Madame Koska has a mysterious background, but still chooses to run in elite Russian circles. Well, as elite as they can be after the Boshelivk Revolution.

I don't know a lot about what was happening after WWI, so it was interesting to find out. I also liked learning about what happened to the elite Russians who had fled from their country. A lot of the things they left behind, jewelry, etc. are important to the plot and I think even still talked about today.

I learned a few things. One, was that mannequin was another word for model, not just the blank stand we see in stores today. The other thing the book talked a lot about was Catherine the Great and it told of her lovers and a small history of her. It was just so interesting.

Madame Koska is also a joy to read about. I want to know more about her and why she is like she is. She's like Phryne Fisher, but does less of the flouting of rules as Phryne does. I think they'd get along though.

The mystery was pretty good as well. I don't want to spoil it, so I'm trying to be as vague as possible. I wasn't sure who the villain was, so I was surprised at the ending. All the red herrings actually led somewhere and most things were tied up nicely. There were some subjects brought up that I knew would come back around, and they did, just not how I expected.

I would love to read more books about Madame Koska. I do enjoy a nice read with a good mystery and this book has that.

Here's an Amazon Affiliate link, if you'd like to buy it: