H.D. Lynn

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I have no idea what to make of The Corner Store Witch by HD Lynn. If this should be taken seriously or as a parody or both. I do know that the title and cover, both of which make this sound fantastic, were completely misleading. There is no witch, only a girl who gets tangled up in some mystical mess, and she certainly doesn’t seem as well-versed or confident in her abilities as the girl on the cover. I cringed as ‘nerd’ pop culture mentions littered the first few pages and then again at the reactions of the girls at a random man landing in the shop.

The entire book seemed to be a parody of urban fantasy tropes and geek culture, and if it was, then I could understand it a bit better. Having girls at the center, especially non-white girls that were smart and educated, thrust in a medieval-esque adventure seems to be a twist on everything. Especially when the demon oni seem to be surprised and disgusted? at seeing a dark skinned girl. Considering they’re demons and from a different realm, it doesn’t make sense UNLESS it is a parody of the fact that racists like to say people of color can’t play certain fantasy characters because they are “obviously white” or whatever other nonsense they spout.

But then, it takes itself seriously at other times and I wonder, is this for real? Am I supposed to take this seriously, as an actual urban fantasy novel? It’s just too much, too over the top. Though it was under 200 pages, I honestly struggled to finish it. The only reason it got two stars was because I was a) able to finish it and b) it might work as parody.

Sorry to say but I think The Corner Store Witch by HD Lynn is going to have to be a pass from me.

// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this title. //
… (más)

Despite considerable parental disapproval, Leone runs her own comic shop. She’s a geek and she’s gleefully happy as such along with her friends Courtney and Shadi

But even in their geekiest dreams, they never expected and actual dimensional traveller to fall from the ceiling, carrying a magical staff

Soon they find adventures and dungeon crawls are so much more fun with 20 sided dice than they are in the real world, with oni, dimension hopping and ominous prophecies promising troublesome side quests

I feel that this book is a prequel to the greater story. Clearly the meat of the story is going to happen when Leone, her sister and her friends reach Abinar’s home. This means this whole book kind of feels terribly rushed to get to that point.

We have Abinar drop in from the alternate world and everyone… kind of just runs with that. People seem to accept it extremely quickly. Yes someone just appearing from nowhere is a little odd – but “he’s a wizard from another dimension because of how he’s dressed” is a bit of a stretch. Especially since absolutely no-one really asks him questions – not where he’s from, not why he’s there, not what he wants – they just kind of take him in.

This whole part of the book is frustrating, they take him home and play D&D – we’re establishing the geek credentials of the cast, but someone just appeared from nowhere and you decide to play tabletop RPGs rather than ask him any questions at all? It just makes no sense

The whole story for a large chunk of this book feels forced as we’re desperately railroaded to the other world. Abinar Just appears, they don’t question him. Leone feels the need to take him home and keep him with her (why? She knows nothing about this guy!), which means she happens to be nearby when the bad guys show up, drop the markings of the Chosen One on her which leads happily to the prophetic dream with a nice guide on what to do next.

It kind of makes Leone not a very compelling character. She is certainly rare in the genre, a Black female protagonist and a Black female geek as well – geek culture is universally presented as white, straight and male – to have these very very very geeky Black female friends be central to the story is excellent. I like a lot about her – but so far her abilities and drive come from the woo-woo. I think it will be a lot lot lot better with future books because then we would be following the story for where the author wants to take and then get to see a whole lot more of her personality (and, don’t get me wrong, I like what I’ve seen so far but I would love to see more of her when she’s not scrambling and being driven by the plot itself). We do have some moments where Leone directly addresses race… but they feel a little… PSA-y at times.

Once Leone and her friends reach the other world, things pick up a little more. We have some world building, and a world setting with strong Shinto and Buddhist elements which I haven’t seen a great deal. So far it’s not especially deep (it’s a little Wikipedia-ness at times) but it has only just being introduced

Read More… (más)

The Corner Store Witch by H.D. Lynn is a young adult, urban fantasy book that is lots of fun for the nerdy, D&D fan. Magic, inter-dimensional travel, demons, sword play, magic tats, and more. A guy drops out of the sky into Leone's shop and life gets even crazier from there. Demons follow her, she travels to other worlds/dimensions, fights with magic, and called a goddess. The only drawback for me is it stops...just stops. No warning, no lead up, a definite cliff hanger! Cool book up to then. Guess you need to read the next book to see what happens. I received this book for an honest review.… (más)

3 ½ of 5 Stars

Sixteen-year-old Hunter, Toby, has an unusual gift of lifting the Veil and revealing shape-shifters. After an ambush that killed his mother and colleges, Toby is rescued by a Jackal shifter named William. Together they hunt down the wolf that killed Toby’s mother; simultaneously, others are searching for Toby because of his ability to lift the Veil.

Toby is a brave hero. He knows he is different and tries to hide it. He loved his mother and is determined to avenge her. I liked that, despite being raised to hate shifters; he gives William the benefit of the doubt.

William is an interesting character. He has overcome addiction. He loves playing the fiddle. He saved his enemy. He is not proud of his past, and he tries to be a good person.

The plot is unique and interesting. I really enjoyed the mythological aspects of the book. God’s Play is very mysterious. It is not always clear who the bad are.

I think God's Play would make a great movie. There is a lot of action and fascinating characters.

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.… (más)