Foxheart
by Claire Legrand (Greenwillow Books, 2016)
audiobook read by Billie Fulford Brown (Greenwillow Books, 2016)
A curious MG fantasy. Legrand’s worldbuilding has some truly endearing and original elements—the witches and their monsters, and most especially the time-looping perpetuation of master and apprentice—yet the story itself plays out to a predictable end, trundling past formulaic checkpoints.
A Forgery of Roses
by Jessica S. Olson (Inkyard Press, 2022)
audiobook read by Billie Fulford-Brown (Harlequin, 2022)
Myra is a frustrating protagonist, slow on the uptake and blown without thought or hesitation by conflicting winds of speculative mystery and YA romance. While the storytelling is competent, the characterisation is heavy-handed. The juxtaposition of tropes induces a persistent, jarring wince.