Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Magic!!! (jazz hands)

Pacheco and the Witch of the Mountain: A Graphic Novel by Juan E. Zambrano

by 1 Comment

We have seen this story before: Boys cannot do magic. They cannot be witches. The non witches also think witches are evil and bad. Witches think non witches are beneath them and if they have any trace of magic it is not pure and therefore not worthy of paying attention to.  But in Pacheco and the Witch of the Mountain: A Graphic Novel by Juan E. Zambrano (due June 2025) this story is told with a bit of fun and humor, plus a few twists […]

A champion, mimic and sorceress beat some bad guys and might have saved the world

Sword of the Champion by Eric Lide

by Leave a Comment

I have no idea when I started the online reader copy of Sword of the Champion by Eric Lide. I do know that it was sometime in early to mid 2024 as I saw I might not want to start it as it was such a future publication. So I put it aside and promptly forgot about it. (Sorry!) However, I was smart enough to know I needed to save as many links as possible to it. I am not sure why, but thankfully I […]

It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn

The Legacy of Arniston House by T.L. Huchu

by Leave a Comment

After defecting to English magic (and higher pay), ghost-talker Ropa is ready to pack up her grandmother and leave Edinburgh behind entirely. But as tensions mount in the city and a mysterious enemy becomes more visible, Ropa’s grandmother is murdered – and Ropa is considered the primary suspect. In the fourth book of the Edinburgh Nights series, author Huchu really begins to weave together the broader conflict brewing in the world of Scottish magic and Ropa’s personal journey, bringing to fruition many of the things […]

Sea monsters, demons, and fae magic

A Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison

One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire

The Kraken's Sacrifice by Katee Robert

by 1 Comment

No half-cannonball for me, but I’ve managed to squeeze in reviews for everything I’ve read in 2024. I’ve been savoring The Hollows series by Kim Harrison like a fine wine. I finally finished her OG urban fantasy and paranormal romance with A Witch With No Name. You have to read these in order, but it’s worth it. The close of the series finds Rachel Morgan once again in hot water with the magical beings of the world. A demon witch who shouldn’t exist will have to […]

A Jamaican-inspired YA fantasy with dragons

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

by Leave a Comment

So Let Them Burn is the debut YA fantasy from Kamilah Cole. Our leads are two Afro-Caribbean sisters. They live on a small tropical island, which was inspired by Jamaica. We meet Faron who called on the gods and was blessed with power to save her country from colonial invaders on dragons. It’s been a few years since the traumatic battle. Now she is kind of a bratty teenager who uses her magic to win races against bullies. Much to the chagrin of her sister Elara […]

There’s a magical home for everyone, even if you stopped looking

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

by Leave a Comment

The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is worthy of all the hype. Linus works for a government agency that manages magical children. He is essentially a social worker. He sticks to himself and follows the rules to the letter. How else can he minimize conflict in his life? He lives alone with his cat and is rather ordinary if you ask him. He isn’t quite coasting more like he doesn’t want to upset the order. He absolutely does not want to garner […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo