The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter

A Victorian romp with all your favorite horror stories.  Daughters of Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein, one of Dr. Moreau’s experiments, Sherlock Homes, Dracula’s servant, and more make this a fun ride, while somewhat nostalgic.
I’ll admit every time the characters interrupted the story to provide commentary, I laughed.  Having written and read these types of books, I can identify with Catherine, the writer, and her audience reading over her shoulder.  It is a unique stylistic choice and I had so much fun with this aspect as well as the runaway nature of the story, I look forward to the next book.

Akata Witch

I will admit that ancient African magic and mythology is not something I’m familiar or even remotely acquainted to, so I found this book very interesting from the start.
Based on the prologue, I thought it would be told in the first person, but Okorafor shifted away from that for her narrative.  In a way, it works well in third person because it allows a group focus, but I really think a first person POV from Sunny’s perspective would have had a lot more weight.
That being said, this was a well rounded story until the climax.  There wasn’t really a decline period which would have helped introduce the next book in the series.  It’s an interesting read and I look forward to more of this story, however.

Incarceron

Finn was born in the prison, of the prison.  Claudia was made to be queen.  Their worlds collide in a tangle of scandal, conspiracy, and espionage.  Combining technology and era styles like I’ve never read before, Fisher draws the reader into Incarceron.  She uses a third person limited POV switching between the prison and the world outside it. 
Two people trying to escape the circumstances of their lives, separated by miles and inches at once.  This tale is not a romance.  This is a science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk adventure packaged neatly into just over 400 pages.  I am completely blown away by this and cannot wait to read more by Catherine Fisher.

The Tethered Mage

Written in first person narrative, Tethered Mage follows patrician daughter, Amalia, on her unlikely path as a Falconer and diplomat.  

In the empire of Raverra, Falcons are mages of one kind or another, and Falconers are the humans who tie them and their powers to the empire.  After a fluke that binds her to a fire warlock, Amalia is forced to play among Falconer ranks, despite her patrician status.  This upset causes rifts among the ruling councils and cities of the empire.

Amalia takes her training as a future diplomat of Raverra to task in her attempts to save the city of Ardence from war and certain destruction.  But nothing is ever easy, especially for a Cornaro, and Amalia and her Falcon, Zaira have their work cut out for them.

In a fast paced narrative, Caruso takes the reader on a wild ride, not leaving any worldbuilding holes.  It’s a page turner you won’t be able to put down.  I look forward to the continuation of the story.