Nora Roberts' "Dark witch"

 

This book can be found here.

Roberts has written a plethora of novels. So, I expect you to have heard of her. In libraries, she takes up a lot of shelf space, and a lot of the romance fiction 😀

'Dark witch' is of course a book full of romance, but there is some supernatural/fantastical elements to it. This could pique your interest.

This book centres around Iona Sheehan, who travels to Ireland to learn more about her family’s history and legacy of magic. Her cousins Branna and Connor O’Dwyer welcome her well, particularly when she tells them about the dark dreams she has about an evil sorcerer named Cabhan, who has sought revenge against the family for hundreds of years since the first Dark Witch, Sorcha, stopped him from stealing her powers. That's the supernatural side. The romance? This comes in the form of a cranky but incredibly sexy stable owner, Boyle McGrath. And there may be a happily ever after for them together if the cousins O'Dwyer are able to find a way to defeat Cabhan. 

As far as the plot goes, it follows the traditional romance genre. However; it is a trilogy so the overarching Dark Witch story continues on. Something to know about the trilogy: each book comes from the perspective of a different cousin. So you will receive a different romantic focus each time whilst trying to find out just how to defeat Cabhan. This part may seem therefore like it drags (but maybe it builds as you progress through the books). 

The characters are okay. Again, I felt they were rather set-up as romantic characters, so they fit that mould. The sections about Sorcha were probably my favourite; and depending on your reading of Iona you may find her slightly frustrating because of how she is written. In terms of Cabhan, there doesn't seem to be a lot there. Just remember the focus is the romance, so you won't have any strong opinions of the big bad without more of his perspective. 

The best part of the novel I found, was the description of the settings and the atmosphere of the characters' surroundings. This was very strong and made the book feel more romantic. 

Overall, if you like romance you will probably like this book. If you have never read another Roberts' book, this might be a good place to start (especially as we have the entire trilogy in the library to be read!).

Links for you

Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy:

Shadow spell (book 2)

Blood magick (book 3)

As she has written over 200 novels (!), I have made a list of some of her most recent here:

Awakening (2020, it is book 1)

Hideaway

Under currents

This particular book is not a romance, but a thriller. So maybe something different for you to try?

Daniel H. Wilson's "Clockwork dynasty"

 

You can find this book here.

Wilson knows his machines. he has a B.S. in computer science and did a Ph.D. in robotics. So if it is one thing he knows; it is how machines work. So this science fiction novel should be centred in strong science. But, is it? I'll get to that later.

Funny thing, it is also centred in layers of history. This makes the narrative of the story an enjoyable read as each chapter tends to move between the present and the past to make connections with characters, robots (or avtomat) and historical context consistently.

The book centres mostly around two characters: June a human, and Peter (or Pyotr) an avtomat. Past and present collide with these two characters after June discovers a secret concealed in a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll. Whilst I have made that sound strange, June is an anthropologist who specialises in ancient technologies. and the "doll" she finds is incredibly ancient. Just like Peter, who as part of that technological history, partners with June to help save, well, possibly everyone in the end.

The mystery of avtomat in this novel is strong; so too, I found are the historical elements. I found some fight scenes hard to follow, but I found the human character believable, relatable and true-to-form for being thrown into situations such as these. There is even some nice moments between avtomat.

Now, back to my first question. Is it science? Are all civilisations circular and so rise and fall just to rise again so that something like an avtomat can exist and try and save its self? And should I answer that? Maybe not. The book brings out ideas like this and makes you think about the nature of time, machines and purpose in large, sweeping arcs. It makes questions like this valuable, and as a reader, I hope you enjoy it. A book that makes you think, can be just as good fun, or even more so, than a book you read just for enjoyment. 

Don't worry; it isn't so deep you will wade through and have your brain explode on you (for example, a Kafka work). It balances well. You might find the ending anti-climactic; but it is a good book to read if you like the science fiction or steampunk genres. It is a short, quick read; which makes it a strong selling point as well. 

Links for you

Wilson's work in the Library:

Andromeda evolution

Title read-a-likes in the Library:

Peripheral

William Gibson

Humans, bow down

James Patterson

Both of these books look at artificial intelligence, machines rising up and strong narratives. Gibson's work also has a parallel narrative like Wilson's (it changes between timelines or characters).