Tag Archives: Olivia Wildenstein

Meeting old friends again

I’ve been knee-deep in a very sticky first draft for most of this week (second-book syndrome; it has been kicking my backside), so reading time has been limited. Imagine my joy on Thursday evening when I finally got to write the magical words “The End”!

Cover of Olivia Wildenstein's The MasterkeyAfter that stress and strain, I was delighted to relax with Olivia Wildenstein’s The Masterkey. I love Olivia’s writing and was thrilled to find another book in the series. I read The Masterpiecers and The Masterminds a while ago now, and I think The Masterkey, although set chronologically earlier than the others, is a new addition to the world. It’s also utterly fabulous. The Masterkey focuses on Aster, Masterpiecer Ivy’s twin sister. Aster is heartbreakingly lovely and damaged, and Josh is simply a poppet (probably don’t tell him; he might not be flattered).

I’ve mentioned before my perception that everything’s part of a series now, and yes, sometimes that’s annoying, but The Masterkey reminded me that it can be a really good thing. As a reader, when you find a world you enjoy, you want to spend more time there. I know it felt like a real treat to get back with Ivy and Aster again. So now I’ve got the opposite problem of being sad that there isn’t more to read about them – never happy us readers, are we?

My free reading challenge: lost in Netgalley

I signed up for Netgalley recently. I wouldn’t have bothered, but a book I’d requested to review for a blog tour was only available via Netgalley, so I got myself an account.

I’ve tried to be disciplined, I swear I have. But it’s a bit like another bookshop – except one where most of the books aren’t freely available yet. It’s an awful lot like being able to open your Christmas presents early. I only had a look around for a minute, I promise, but even that was maybe too much for an inveterate book lover.

Cover of Lee Kelly's A Criminal Magic
Outlawed magic in prohibition America

Apart from the book I’d requested to review (A Criminal Magic – it’s brilliant; watch out for my review on the Paisley Piranha site later this month), I’ve also requested and downloaded Dawn of the Vie and The Masterminds, both by authors I’ve read and enjoyed before.

Cover of Laura Diamond's Dawn of the Vie
Vampire aliens – click for the preview

Since it’s not like my Kindle was in any way threadbare before adding those, I think I’m going to have to have a couple of weeks of head-down reading to slim down my TBR pile before I let myself through the door of Netgalley again. Can my self-discipline take the strain? You’ll find out here first!

Cover of Olivia Wildenstein's The Masterminds
More from the Masterpiecers universe

Anyone else a Netgalley reader? Let me know your experiences. Anyone got lost in there for days?