Rant & Rave- A Study in Steam by Stephanie K. Clemens AND An Ode to the Odd and the Old by Simon Howard

Hello Lovely Readers! I'm back, yet again, with multiple books under my belt. The list includes Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross (Owlcrate), Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake (the final book in the Three Dark Crowns series), The Alchemists' Council by Cynthea Masson, A Study in Steam by Stephanie K. Clemens and An Ode to the Odd and the Old by Simon Howard. It was a productive month- I might even be missing a few. Per usual, I will give a brief paragraph on my thoughts for the books I chose for myself, and a more detailed Rant & Rave for A Study in Steam by Stephanie K. Clemens. For An Ode to the Odd and the Old by Simon Howard, I will give some more detailed thoughts as well, but the nature of the book (primarily poetry) calls for a different type of evaluation. So let's get to it! I absolutely loved the concept of Dreams Lie Beneath. Some of you that know me personally are probably aware- I have created many a Dungeons & Dragons character with the concept of inflicting psychological damage via nightmares, so the concept of a world where nightmares literally come to life is incredible. That being said, I wish this book had gone deeper into the nightmare concept, and potentially gotten darker. I wanted to see a dark fantasy here, and that just didn't happen. I thought the romance was good, if a bit predictable. It didn't ruin the book for me like romances sometimes do. Regardless, the mysteries of the book were both interesting and well-paced, and the plot was enticing. Despite the minor disappointment, this book definitely still makes my top fifty, but probably falls just short of top ten. The conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series was unpredictable in some ways and exactly what I expected in other ways. Yet again, Blake makes the reader question their own feelings about the characters, which I loved. I have mixed feelings about the conclusion because, while I like a lot of the characters and I'm glad things turned out the way they did, I think the ending could have been better if it wasn't a "happy" ending. I don't consider this a spoiler because there are so many ways this book could have turned out (happy or otherwise) that even with that knowledge it doesn't give anything away. I didn't particularly enjoy The Alchemists' Council. I had high hopes after reading the description, but the book fell short for me. The characters weren't very relatable, and Masson made it difficult to choose what I wanted to see happen in the book. As you learned about the strict nature of the council dimension, it left you confused about what you could even hope for. It almost felt like playing a game with someone that changes the rules as the game progresses. The plot itself also left a little to be desired, but I won't get into spoilers. A Study in Steam is about Pippa, a young steam engineering student. She is one of the first four women accepted to Grantabridge University, but it seems the world is not ready for women at University. Her studies are fraught with sabatoge, and even murder. Of course, the ever-curious Pippa decides to investigate the murder of her professor, quickly discovering that it is likely related to another murder. Both victims were strong supporters of inviting women and commoners to university, a giant social change that could heavily impact the wealthy elites. Wealthy elites, it seems, that have decided to blame her for the murder of her professor. Can Pippa solve the mystery and clear her name before it's too late? Let's rant: This is one of those books where the romance takes away from the book, in my opinion. The progression of the romance is well-written and the steamy parts are good. My issue is the fact that Clemens chose the most vanilla character to be the love interest (not literally- he's actually black, so at least there is some representation there). I liked that she chose someone that's supportive and appreciates Pippa's independance, but that's really the only character trait she gves him, other than being handsome. Now, as an avid fantasy reader, I'm a little spoiled when it comes to dramatic relationships and love interests, but even in a more mundane setting like Brythion, I expect at least a decent personality description. I found myself hoping that he was secretly one of the bad guys. I suppose it's still possible, but we'll see. This might just be my experience with books, but the culprit behind the murders (and likely the sabatoge) seemed pretty predictable. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll steer clear of any plot, but I really hope that in the next books, a more substancial villain (or group of villians) appears. And let's rave: Clemens does a really good job writing all of the ladies of WACK as unique individuals with wide-ranging interests and talents. I liked that their friendship was dynamic, and their contributions to the group and each other weren't solely based on their talent. They all contributed to group ideas, and contributions weren't limited to the "one thing" they were knowledgable about. I'm really excited to see where they go from here-the sky is the limit! I'm also interested to see what happens with the working class additions to the group, and the group's new ideas for salons. I liked how the book was left open to a series, but still felt like the characters accomplished what needed to be done to bring a neat, clean end to this novel. On to An Ode to the Odd and the Old... An Ode to the Odd and the Old is a book of primarily poetry. There is also a short story and a chapter of Simon Howard's upcoming novel included. The themes I noticed throughout the book were aging/time, grief, family, and war. My personal favorite poems were Lost, Monster, and Old Tom. My favorite haiku, written by Howard's wife about their beloved dog, was entitled Jenna. Old Tom is about an aged neighborhood tomcat, his life filled with knowledge of the village, lovers, and streetfights. Despite the clear implications that the tomcat is old, and close to death, the poem ends with a hopeful note about meeting Bast and finding peace in the afterlife. Monster is a much darker poem than Old Tom. It reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, but instead of a happy ending the monster is rejected, perhaps deservedly so. It even says "not the hero of one's story." The poem is short, but powerful. Lost is also a dark poem. It seemed, at least to me, like the writer of the poem was either in limbo or in immense grief. The line "landscape of naught but longing" could bolster either interpretation. Regardless of the interpretation, the poem is disheartening in a way that is, perhaps not relatable, but understandable. Jenna is everything I hope for when reminiscing about my own past dogs. It invites the joyful memories back in, but also honors their death with a gothic beauty. I can't believe she fit all that into 17 syllables! I owe a special thank you to both Stephanie K. Clemens, who sent me an advance copy of her book (release date: February 22nd, 2022), and Simon Howard, who sent me a copy to review. Both books were a joy to read, despite their sometimes less then joyful themes. As always, let me know what you thought of the books or my reviews in the comments! Thanks for checking in! Dana