I hate writing reviews for collections of short stories or, in this case, vignettes. I'm never sure how I should tackle them. Oh well, I'll do my best.

Jahir and Vasiht'h have a unique way of working – they can see and affect their clients' dreams. This was a technique Vasiht'h pioneered in Mindtouch, so it was nice to see it fully figured out and in use.

Some of the vignettes were funny, some were quietly reflective, and some were sad. They dealt with a Phoenix client who refused to sleep in their office because they didn't have an appropriate bed. They dealt with a Harat-Shar client who was there mostly because she thought Jahir was good-looking (Vasiht'h referred to events that took place in school – did he mean the human nurse in Mindtouch who had a crush on Jahir?). Not all of their cases were easy or successful. When their work drained or upset them, they looked to each other for comfort. The little glimpses of the homey behaviors I liked so much in Mindtouch were nice, although, like everything else in this collection, they were very brief and not quite satisfying.

The longest and most short story-like entry in the collection was “The Case of the Poisoned House.” In that one, they dealt with a Harat-Shar client who'd been adopted by Hinichi parents when she was five. After their mother's death, her Hinichi brother, concerned for her, sought out Jahir and Vasiht'h. Jahir and Vasiht'h spent most of the story trying to figure out what the root of their client's problems was. Had she been on Harat-Sharii too long and unconsciously come to expect love to be demonstrated in the way a Harat-Shar would? Their biggest clue was their client's dream, in which she desperately cleaned a house in an effort to find the poison that was killing her but not affecting her Hinichi family. It was an interesting case, but it ended too abruptly – I would have liked to see how treatment turned out. This story had me wondering about how Harat-Shar raise their children – there were a few mentions of this in Earthrise, but they either weren't very clear or I just had a block where Harat-Shar culture was concerned.

I agonized over buying this, because, at $1.99 for 9,690 words, it cost more than I would usually pay for something so short. I hit the “buy” button mostly because I loved Jahir and Vasiht'h in Mindtouch and knew this was going to feature them. The verdict, now that I've read it: it's nice, but definitely overpriced. Even if it were cheaper, I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone who hadn't already read Mindtouch and fallen in love with Jahir and Vasiht'h.

 

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Reading books will always be my favorite way to spend the day, but it’s especially true during the colder months. Endless hours of darkness to sit by a fire or a nice warm lamp, curled up in a comfy chair or wrapped in a blanket, a warm mug filled with a nice hot beverage in one hand and a book in the other.

 

With these warm thoughts in mind during the cold months, it’s time to look into some winter-themed Middle Grade and Young Adult books that will melt your heart and freeze your spine. The cold, dark months may be a melancholy time for some (I cannot express how often I re-read Jane Eyre in the winter), but it can also be a time of exciting adventures or bone-chilling ghost stories.

 

 

Image via We Heart It

 

At the first snowfall, begin your winter story time journey with Let It Snow. A freak blizzard hits a small town and disrupts everyone’s Christmas plans. Three different sets of characters, all in some way known to one another, tell their 24-hour story of what they did that stormy day.

 

After you’ve taken a break to go sledding, pick up Breadcrumbs. Forge a friendship with Jack and Hazel and help Hazel find her friend after he’s captured by the Snow Queen. Dive further into the lighter reading with The Mysterious Howling. Touch base with your inner canine at Ashton Place and wreck havoc on your home -- figuratively, of course.

 

As night falls, immerse in the chilling ghost story, The Dead of Winter. Explore a haunted mansion owned by a tormented master, and help young Michael solve the mystery of the mistress’s death in the frozen moat. Look out for the ghosts in The Poisoned House, and guide Abi on her quest to discover who exactly poisoned her mother. Be sure to have all lights turned on for this evening!

 

The next morning, grab your sword and prepare for a magical battle in Witchlanders. Beware who you trust, the young farm boy destined to save his village or the powerful warrior destined to find his second half. Continue your adventure in Icefall, and discover the traitor in the midst that prevents everyone from leaving the claustrophobic fortress of ice.

 

Take a trip back in time to turn-of-the-century Paris, inside a cold abbey guarded by gargoyles in The Beautiful and the Cursed. Fight demons, discover inner powers, learn of the protective instincts of gargoyles, and experience the presence of angels like never before with Ingrid and Gabby. Fast forward to Cold War Russia in The Boy on the Bridge. Fall in love and question the motives of everyone around you.

 

After your whirlwind adventure through time, pick up that beloved, worn copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and cry tears of happiness when Harry discovers he does indeed have a true, loving family. The cold stones and warm hearths of Hogwarts will always be there for those who seek it.

 

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Laura Crockett is a graduate student, bookseller, Anglophile, tea devotee, musician, and book hoarder. Everything good in her boils down to her Midwestern upbringing. Follow her Downton Abbey obsessions on Twitter (@LECrockett) and book interests on her blog http://scribblesandwanderlust.wordpress.com

I'm not sure I'll get past the first chapter of this book. Whatever else follows it, what I've read so far indicates precious little knowledge of the period, or at least conflicts with what I've always understood of it. It's supposed to be from "actual documents" narrated by a scullery maid. A scullery maid would be able to write little more than her own name, if that - unless there is some good explanation later on for why she can write a full narrative in Standard English. Also, after running away, "without references I could hope for little more than parlor maid duties." In your dreams, child! The scullery maid would be at the bottom of the female (or any) servants' ranking, and the parlor maid would be near the top. Parlor maids were usually chosen for their looks since they would be seen by guests, and they would most certainly need references.
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Up to Chapter 15 - the story has definitely gotten better, and there is a legitimate reason (of sorts) why she can read and write. A couple of little things still bother me, though, like her superiors in the household calling her "Miss Tamper." They would never show the scullery maid such respect - if anything they would just call her by her last name.
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Finally finished - definitely much better, though there are still a lot of things that I found pretty unbelievable, like why the housekeeper was so determined to keep Abigail in the house, or how the master could have justified keeping her mother (originally hired as a nurse for his son) there for years after his son was far too old. I suppose if it's read as a kind of fairy tale rather than realistic fiction... nothing excuses that first chapter, though.

To begin with, the book was ill-titled. Poison does enter into the story but the house has nothing to do with it. Judging from the first chapter in which the protagonist- a scullery maid- adamantly and somewhat violently attempts to escape her (voluntary) life of servitude one might assume that her living conditions are dreadful. Dreadfully boring, perhaps, but really she lives a very ordinary life as a maid. Even better than, I believe. Apparently she lives in constant fear of a vengeful and mean-for-kicks housekeeper/relative of the estate's family. Sure, this woman is not to be liked. But she figured into the narrative mostly because the maid frequently complained about her. There were few actual confrontations with this woman and most of them involved her directing the staff on their duties. But the author was hell-bent on trying to pin every evil-intended thing on this woman for the sake of convincing the reader of her evilness and capability of murder.

The characters were without personality, the plot was predictable, and the ghost story was barely there and disappointing. The ending was nothing short of laughable as it was nothing more than a ridiculous Cinderella story disguised as a gothic horror story.

This is a mystery book I really enjoyed. Abi is a strong character despite the horrors she has had to endure when her mother died and she had to be under the instruction of Mrs. Cotton, the horrible head of the housekeeping staff. Mrs. Cotton has decided that Abi will bear the brunt of her anger and abuse physically and emotionally. As Abi failed in her attempt at escape, she is almost immediately besieged by another horror, this time in the form of a angry spirit. This spirit has targeted Abi and she doesn't know why.

After Abi figures out who the ghost really is, she now has a murder mystery to solve. One that points to one person in particular, but of course, proving it is something different. Although we figure out who the culprit is and why before Abi, it does not deter us from following Abi to the same conclusion. It also makes sense as to why she didn't come as quickly to the same conclusion. We are not in the wake of her emotional state.

Ah, but I do not want to give anything away. After all, that is the fun with a mystery. So, I will say that I give this book 4 stars. You will enjoy Abi and the rest of the staff except for Mrs. Cotton. For her, I have a boot with the name of her butt on the bottom of it. ;) Oh she was a perfect villan and I really couldn't stand her (if you couldn't guess). So, if you are wanting a fun and interesting YA mystery, pick up this book. I think you will enjoy it.