Books We Love – Our Favorite March Reads

Our We Write Fantasy authors are equally voracious readers. After asking the group to share their favorite March reads, we have some great recommendations to share below. Click on the cover photos for Goodreads links. Happy Reading!

K.D. Jones recommends:

Melissa McShane reviewed:

This intriguing first novel takes the folklore of the Appalachians and mixes it with a modern-day sensibility. I hesitate to call it YA, even though most of the main characters are teens, but it’s certainly accessible to adult and teen readers alike. My favorite character is probably Jack, who as a boy saw a giant, told people about it, and received the reward you can probably guess at–being forever after known as Lyin’ Jack. But all three POV characters are interesting: there’s also Jenny the young witch, just learning the truth about her parents’ death and her own powers, as well as Sean, whose ability to see ghosts brings him to the titular Blood Creek in search of a girl who died decades before. In fact, I’d say the characterization is the strongest aspect of the book, given how well-realized all the side characters are as well…I was engaged the whole way through and felt interested in what would happen next. The ending is not a cliffhanger, thank goodness, but has a strong lead-in to the next book. Barnson’s familiarity with and love of the landscape and people of West Virginia comes through strongly, and I was particularly impressed at his handling of the dialect, which was easy to read and yet very distinctive. I look forward to seeing what happens next in the story.

Jennifer Silverwood loved:

A beautiful, haunting retelling of Beauty and the Beast. In this rare case, I have no words to describe how deeply this novel touched my heart and inspired my imagination to see through to the heart. Proof that fairy tales are truly timeless and once in a while, retellings can achieve perfection.