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?

YF highlight: George Lester's "Boy queen"

 

You can find this book here.

Robin is a teenager who has his life figured out; until he doesn't. When everything falls apart, Robin feels he will too. However, Robin falls for Drag and his life feels no longer lost or empty. 

This is the premise of the book, that highlights friendship, love and ideas and how really set they are. But it also shows how Robin is able to grow and develop into the person he really wants to be and how important it is to embrace that as well. 

Staf pick: "I am Heathcliff"

 

You can find this book here.

Wuthering Heights is my favourite book of all time! If you haven't read it, you can find it here (I am sure the Library has electronic versions too). So, I read this book because it is authors who have been inspired by the classic novel to write other stories. 

'I am Heathcliff' is a short story collection that looks at themes and characters within the novel and explores them in different ways: two- (an one-) sided intense relationships that mimic Heathcliff's emotional state for Cathy and re-writings about the problems of men like Heathcliff for women. Above all, there is the atmospheric emotional intensity of characters and even moments where the moors themselves become alive. 

I liked this book because of its different voices and perspectives on the classic novel. I liked different interpretations, readings and issues that writers found with the book. It was enlightening to read these and see what other people thought, even across diverse cultures. 

Whatever you feel for this Brontë's work; the freshness of these stories showed me how strong the impact of her work is still so that many more stories, perspectives and ideas can be shared, written and considered. 

It was fun to read: dark at times, but the good thing about short stories is that if you need a break to consider one that impacts you in some way, you can put it down for a couple of days before finding a whole new story altogether. 

-- S.B. 

Links for you

The following links are items that have been inspired by either 'Wuthering Heights' or Emily 's life.

Ill will

Michael Stewart

Nelly Dean

Alison Case

Wrong in all the right ways

Tiffany Brownlee

Dear reader

Mary O'Connell

Peter Hanington's "Single Source"

 

This book can be found here.

Peter Hanington is himself a journalist; so he knows how the world of journalism works. This adds credence to the novel. This is also a sequel of sorts to 'Dying breed', as the protagonist is the same. However, as I have not read the first book, I cannot tell you what crosses over between the two. I can tell you it didn't bother me during this read that I hadn't read the first one. 

William Carver who has been around awhile as a radio reporter. He knows the business, he follows his gut on stories, and he is a little unlikeable (maybe more so depending on your perspective). The story he follows in this novel is protests in Cairo during the Arab Spring. If you are unsure of this terminology, you could try History's website or Britannica's for an introduction. However, it turns out that Carver finds out there is an even bigger story happening during this time within Cairo; which is also even more dangerous than the first. 

Carver is a solid character with flaws and depth, but very good journalistic skills. His perspective is the dominant one within the book, though it does flit between characters, such as his producer Patrick and two brothers trying to escape Eritrea and make it to Italy. This adds different perspectives and voices to the story, and actually adds depth to the investigations overall. 

The journalistic side of this novel is very tight and the diversity of characters and connections is good. The story moves quickly, though you might not like the jump in perspectives I mentioned earlier (though I had no trouble with this) and may not be as fast-paced as other thrillers you have read.

I enjoyed the historical, political and journalistic elements of the novel. Hopefully you will too.

Links for you

Read-a-likes in the Library:

Man with no face

Peter May

Same genre and suspense elements in this novel, perhaps more so, as Hanington's. 

Seventeen

Hideo Yokoyama

Highlight: Classic fiction

 

Classic fiction (has almost) literally been around for years and years. These books last because of their themes, characterisation and impact on Western society in some way. 

So this means that some of the movies you might love have come from these authors. These, in Western society, are household name authors with big titles behind them that have impacted general lives and pop cultural references. 

It's time to highlight a few that you may not have tried yet!

Secret agent by Joseph Conrad

"London is under threat. It has become a haven for political exiles and anarchists. Frequent bomb threats and disturbances interrupt the lives of the city's inhabitants, who live in fear of the terrorists in their midst. One such terrorist is Verloc. He is the secret agent who is given the mission to strike right at the heart of London's pride by blowing up Greenwich Observatory. But his decision to drag his innocent family into the plot leads to tragic consequences on a more personal than political level."

You might know Conrad for Heart of Darkness. A lot of his work has been also turned into other formats; such as a 1993 film for 'Heart of Darkness', and currently should be expecting 'Lone Wolf' with Hugo Weaving, which is based off Conrad's 'Secret Agent'. Read it for some context before you see it!

Emma by Jane Austen

"Emma, a self-assured young lady in Regency England, is determined to arrange her life and the lives of those around her into a pattern dictated by her romantic fancy."

This too has adaptations, though the newest version of this film can be found in our library here.

Great expectations by Charles Dickens

"Pip's life as an ordinary country boy is destined to be unexceptional until a chain of mysterious events leads him away from his humble origins and up the social ladder. His efforts to become a London gentleman bring him into contact not just with the upper classes but also with dangerous criminals. Pip's desire to improve himself is matched only by his longing for the icy-hearted Estella, but secrets from the past impede his progress and he has many hard lessons to learn."

Dickens wrote plenty that has been adapted; the newest one for 'Great expectations' coming out in 2013. You can reserve your copy here.