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Mistress of Bees
Noble or ignoble, human or otherwise, everyone knows there is only one person in Ashbury to turn to when things go horribly the self-proclaimed "Lady" Maris Goselin. Handy with a spell or a blade, Maris is known for her wit, her cunning, and her temper—and of course for her loyal bees. Having clawed her way out of poverty to the fringes of respectability, this lady-of-all-trades never shies from a challenge—be it tentacled horror, an arrogant noble, a dark spell threatening to destroy the world, or her superstar minstrel ex with his gorgeous new girlfriend. But nothing that life throws at her could possibly match up to Maris’s ultimate herself.
Readers are in for a wild ride in this cheeky, fast-paced adventure debut, set in the medieval Duchy of Ashbury, where nothing is what it seems and everything is possible.
Readers are in for a wild ride in this cheeky, fast-paced adventure debut, set in the medieval Duchy of Ashbury, where nothing is what it seems and everything is possible.
310 pages, Paperback
Published September 23, 2025
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1036 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 13, 2025
Going into this book, I wasn’t certain what to expect. I knew it was a collection of inter-connected short stories in the fantasy genre…but that was about it. I’ve read “interconnected short stories” before and they often are nothing more than a regular novel, with the stories simply amounting to what most books call “chapters.”
But this one was different.
I’ve read a great number of “fantasy” books over my reading life but frankly, I’ve been reading less and less over the past few years. This is due mostly to so much repetition. Same old plots, similar settings, and massive world-ending conflicts. And elves. And dragons. Not that I have a problem with those things, but I guess I’m looking for something different.
This book provided just the ticket.
Maris Goselin lives her life in Ashbury and the good citizens of Ashbury know her as a sort of fixer. The one person they can count on to tackle the big threats. Maris has risen from poverty, has mastered the weaving of magic spells, and isn’t too bad with a blade. She has survived the school of hard knocks but also tends to make bad choices and cares not a whit what others may think. Her skills and wit are perhaps exceeded only by her temper. At one point she herself admits to a tendency to piss people off.
These eight stories cover Maris’ entire life, from young thief and troublemaker to cranky old crone ready to pass on her wisdom to the next generation. They truly are individual short stories, each with a beginning, middle, and end. Each was originally published separately. They inter-connect of course, and you’ll find fun easter eggs lying about from previous stories. While Maris is the central character in each tale, the co-characters usually differ (although previous ones will crop up again occasionally). The stories themselves are often written a bit differently from each other too. Some are geared toward a young-adult audience (sort of) while others are filled with bawdry scenes and titillating plotlines.
While we are treated to some world-building and come to understand how magic works here, the book relies on the character of Maris herself. All stories except the last one are told from her own first-person POV and it is her wit, charm, and sometimes unbelievable antics that carry the show.
I’m glad I read this book and look forward to trying other works by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
But this one was different.
I’ve read a great number of “fantasy” books over my reading life but frankly, I’ve been reading less and less over the past few years. This is due mostly to so much repetition. Same old plots, similar settings, and massive world-ending conflicts. And elves. And dragons. Not that I have a problem with those things, but I guess I’m looking for something different.
This book provided just the ticket.
Maris Goselin lives her life in Ashbury and the good citizens of Ashbury know her as a sort of fixer. The one person they can count on to tackle the big threats. Maris has risen from poverty, has mastered the weaving of magic spells, and isn’t too bad with a blade. She has survived the school of hard knocks but also tends to make bad choices and cares not a whit what others may think. Her skills and wit are perhaps exceeded only by her temper. At one point she herself admits to a tendency to piss people off.
These eight stories cover Maris’ entire life, from young thief and troublemaker to cranky old crone ready to pass on her wisdom to the next generation. They truly are individual short stories, each with a beginning, middle, and end. Each was originally published separately. They inter-connect of course, and you’ll find fun easter eggs lying about from previous stories. While Maris is the central character in each tale, the co-characters usually differ (although previous ones will crop up again occasionally). The stories themselves are often written a bit differently from each other too. Some are geared toward a young-adult audience (sort of) while others are filled with bawdry scenes and titillating plotlines.
While we are treated to some world-building and come to understand how magic works here, the book relies on the character of Maris herself. All stories except the last one are told from her own first-person POV and it is her wit, charm, and sometimes unbelievable antics that carry the show.
I’m glad I read this book and look forward to trying other works by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
partly-read
August 7, 2025DNF at 56%, when the darkness finally overcame me.
The Mistress of Bees of the title is a sorceress from a poor background. Seemingly abandoned or lost by her parents as a small child, she was helped by a street urchin a couple of years older. They became friends, companions, lovers, had a huge breakup in their mid-teens over some stupid things they both did (mostly her) that meant they had to leave the city, then she did various unsavoury things in order to survive. It was in the mid-book flashback to these years that I left her.
Sure, it's understandable, given her background, that she fell into prostitution, theft, drug use, and eventually murder. It doesn't make me like her, though I did like her somewhat at first; she's wryly funny, determined, has no respect for authority (again, understandable), and while she doesn't have much in the way of a moral sense, she does draw the line at standing by while innocents are killed if she can prevent it. Though in the very first of this linked series of stories, she herself kills innocents who were about to be killed by a monster, in order to destroy it and protect the rest of the world. She regrets it, but you know she'd do it again if she had the choice a second time.
The whole book is dark like that. She's not good at making friends, but the ones she does make all die, some of them horribly, at least one because she made a bad decision. In the end, it was too much for me. It isn't grimdark, quite, because she does at least have good intentions and is sometimes able to act on them and help people, at least for a while. But it's not truly noblebright either; at best, it's noblegrimy. It reminded me, especially early on, of Garth Nix's Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer : sword-and-sorcery setting, morally grey protagonist(s), dark deeds done for the protection of the world. But it's darker and more depressing than that.
It is well written for the most part, though I'll mention a couple of faults I saw in the pre-publication version I got via Netgalley; they may be fixed in the published book. Firstly, some vocabulary issues, most prominently the consistent use of "discrete" when the author means "discreet," an error even good writers make. But more importantly, and less likely to end up completely corrected, a lot of the apostrophes are either in the wrong place - particularly when plurals are involved - or missing entirely (including in an "its" that should be "it's").
Overall, this is a good book that isn't a good fit for this reader, unfortunately, though I did enjoy some aspects of it.
The Mistress of Bees of the title is a sorceress from a poor background. Seemingly abandoned or lost by her parents as a small child, she was helped by a street urchin a couple of years older. They became friends, companions, lovers, had a huge breakup in their mid-teens over some stupid things they both did (mostly her) that meant they had to leave the city, then she did various unsavoury things in order to survive. It was in the mid-book flashback to these years that I left her.
Sure, it's understandable, given her background, that she fell into prostitution, theft, drug use, and eventually murder. It doesn't make me like her, though I did like her somewhat at first; she's wryly funny, determined, has no respect for authority (again, understandable), and while she doesn't have much in the way of a moral sense, she does draw the line at standing by while innocents are killed if she can prevent it. Though in the very first of this linked series of stories, she herself kills innocents who were about to be killed by a monster, in order to destroy it and protect the rest of the world. She regrets it, but you know she'd do it again if she had the choice a second time.
The whole book is dark like that. She's not good at making friends, but the ones she does make all die, some of them horribly, at least one because she made a bad decision. In the end, it was too much for me. It isn't grimdark, quite, because she does at least have good intentions and is sometimes able to act on them and help people, at least for a while. But it's not truly noblebright either; at best, it's noblegrimy. It reminded me, especially early on, of Garth Nix's Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer : sword-and-sorcery setting, morally grey protagonist(s), dark deeds done for the protection of the world. But it's darker and more depressing than that.
It is well written for the most part, though I'll mention a couple of faults I saw in the pre-publication version I got via Netgalley; they may be fixed in the published book. Firstly, some vocabulary issues, most prominently the consistent use of "discrete" when the author means "discreet," an error even good writers make. But more importantly, and less likely to end up completely corrected, a lot of the apostrophes are either in the wrong place - particularly when plurals are involved - or missing entirely (including in an "its" that should be "it's").
Overall, this is a good book that isn't a good fit for this reader, unfortunately, though I did enjoy some aspects of it.
August 27, 2025
This was a well written sword & sorcery fantasy novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed getting to know this world and the characters in that world. The characters felt like they belonged in this universe and from how they felt like real people, I enjoyed getting to know "Lady" Maris Goselin. Bernie Mojzes has a strong writing style and was able to weave a strong storyline that I was looking for.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 7, 2025
This is a true novel in short stories, which is not something I've read much before. Stories varied a bit in style and topic, though they all centered protagonist Maris Goselin at different phases in her life. The result is a mosaic of this prominent fictional figure's life, told mostly (though not entirely) from her perspective.
The first half or so of the book consists of shorter, more episodic stories harvested from various anthologies. This was originally a shared universe, though the author notes at the end of the book that he took several liberties with the rules he was expected to keep while writing in this universe (liberties which I largely think were to the stories' benefit--especially the one about goblins), and he created this character as his contribution to that shared universe. The second half of the book consists of fewer, longer stories which I believe were written specifically for this book, and this was really where the book took off for me and started to feel more like a novel. I did enjoy the stories of the first half, but they are formatted like short stories; they cut straight to the point and don't provide a lot of time to get emotionally invested in the protagonist or the world. Perhaps the shared universe nature of the anthologies they originally appeared in also contributed to this. It did leave me feeling more distant from the events of the book than I preferred, and I think it would have behooved the author to open the book with a new story meant to introduce us more leisurely to the world and to Maris before delving into the reprints, but that might be a personal preference. The writing style also trends a little more toward summary than deeply detailed scenes, which contributes to that feeling of distance.
The upside of this is that, if I was frustrated about not feeling close enough to Maris, it was because I loved her so much as a character. A sex-positive, bisexual/poly woman competent with a blade and experimental about her magic? Someone constantly bucking the oppressive concepts of the patriarchy, monarchy, and racism (here represented as species-ism)? Sign me up!
The first half or so of the book consists of shorter, more episodic stories harvested from various anthologies. This was originally a shared universe, though the author notes at the end of the book that he took several liberties with the rules he was expected to keep while writing in this universe (liberties which I largely think were to the stories' benefit--especially the one about goblins), and he created this character as his contribution to that shared universe. The second half of the book consists of fewer, longer stories which I believe were written specifically for this book, and this was really where the book took off for me and started to feel more like a novel. I did enjoy the stories of the first half, but they are formatted like short stories; they cut straight to the point and don't provide a lot of time to get emotionally invested in the protagonist or the world. Perhaps the shared universe nature of the anthologies they originally appeared in also contributed to this. It did leave me feeling more distant from the events of the book than I preferred, and I think it would have behooved the author to open the book with a new story meant to introduce us more leisurely to the world and to Maris before delving into the reprints, but that might be a personal preference. The writing style also trends a little more toward summary than deeply detailed scenes, which contributes to that feeling of distance.
The upside of this is that, if I was frustrated about not feeling close enough to Maris, it was because I loved her so much as a character. A sex-positive, bisexual/poly woman competent with a blade and experimental about her magic? Someone constantly bucking the oppressive concepts of the patriarchy, monarchy, and racism (here represented as species-ism)? Sign me up!
January 18, 2026
When I picked up Mistress of Bees, I expected a playful romp through a world of magic and mischief, and that’s exactly what I got, but with a lot more teeth than I anticipated. The book follows Lady Maris Goselin, a foul-mouthed, bee-wielding, sharp-witted sorceress who narrates her own adventures with a mix of biting humor, lustful candor, and raw honesty. Through her eyes, we stumble into necromantic disasters, awkward entanglements with past lovers, dangerous pacts, and more than one horrifying monster fight. It’s a collection of linked tales, each brimming with irreverence, peril, and a constant tug-of-war between desire, regret, and survival.
What struck me first was the voice. She’s crude, hilarious, sometimes cruel, but always human in a way that feels oddly relatable. I found myself laughing one moment and wincing the next. Author Bernie Mojzes writes her like someone you might meet at a bar, the kind of person who overshares and insults you in the same breath, yet you can’t walk away because the stories are just that good. There’s a rhythm to the prose that pulls you along, rough and jagged at times, almost tender at others, and always with the sense that Maris is whispering in your ear, daring you to judge her.
For all its bawdy humor and sly jokes, there’s a heavy weight behind the stories. Maris is haunted. She’s angry, lonely, bitter, and still carrying scars from every betrayal and every battle. The way she faces down horrors, both monstrous and personal, feels raw and almost painful. I didn’t just read about her struggles, I felt them. And yet, the book never wallows. It snaps back with snark, with sex, with bees buzzing through the chaos. That mix of tragedy and comedy made it unpredictable and addictive.
By the time I finished, I knew this was the sort of book I’d want to recommend to readers who crave fantasy that doesn’t play nice. If you like your adventures messy, your heroes deeply flawed, and your magic tangled up with lust and rage, this is for you. Mistress of Bees is loud, brash, sometimes shocking, and often moving in ways you won’t expect. I’d recommend it to fans of dark fantasy, lovers of irreverent narrators, and anyone who wants a story that feels alive, buzzing, and just a little dangerous.
What struck me first was the voice. She’s crude, hilarious, sometimes cruel, but always human in a way that feels oddly relatable. I found myself laughing one moment and wincing the next. Author Bernie Mojzes writes her like someone you might meet at a bar, the kind of person who overshares and insults you in the same breath, yet you can’t walk away because the stories are just that good. There’s a rhythm to the prose that pulls you along, rough and jagged at times, almost tender at others, and always with the sense that Maris is whispering in your ear, daring you to judge her.
For all its bawdy humor and sly jokes, there’s a heavy weight behind the stories. Maris is haunted. She’s angry, lonely, bitter, and still carrying scars from every betrayal and every battle. The way she faces down horrors, both monstrous and personal, feels raw and almost painful. I didn’t just read about her struggles, I felt them. And yet, the book never wallows. It snaps back with snark, with sex, with bees buzzing through the chaos. That mix of tragedy and comedy made it unpredictable and addictive.
By the time I finished, I knew this was the sort of book I’d want to recommend to readers who crave fantasy that doesn’t play nice. If you like your adventures messy, your heroes deeply flawed, and your magic tangled up with lust and rage, this is for you. Mistress of Bees is loud, brash, sometimes shocking, and often moving in ways you won’t expect. I’d recommend it to fans of dark fantasy, lovers of irreverent narrators, and anyone who wants a story that feels alive, buzzing, and just a little dangerous.
August 30, 2025
I learned after reading that this book was part of a wider universe and I think it would have helped if I had read that first. While I enjoyed the read, I never felt completely connected to the universe that Mojzes built.
Maris Gosselin is a woman with history and we get the highlights of that history in fits and starts, which really, is how you get to know a person you meet in the flesh. I liked Maris, even with her dark past. Her character developed well, and she felt like a complete person. In the hands of someone less skilled, she would have been a bunch of tropes strung together with the guts of her enemies.
The plots of the stories were fun, and managed to surprise me, which I appreciated. What looked to be straightforward took enough twists and turns to keep me reading. A nice thing about the collection is each story simply took as long as it took.
The pacing felt natural. I was never in a position where I was waiting and waiting for something to happen, or that things happened too quick for me to follow.
Word choices were a mix of modern and classic and sometimes a turn of phrase would feel off to me. Still, the book was overall a fun read, and I think it will appeal to fans of the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonwell Publishing for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for a review.
Maris Gosselin is a woman with history and we get the highlights of that history in fits and starts, which really, is how you get to know a person you meet in the flesh. I liked Maris, even with her dark past. Her character developed well, and she felt like a complete person. In the hands of someone less skilled, she would have been a bunch of tropes strung together with the guts of her enemies.
The plots of the stories were fun, and managed to surprise me, which I appreciated. What looked to be straightforward took enough twists and turns to keep me reading. A nice thing about the collection is each story simply took as long as it took.
The pacing felt natural. I was never in a position where I was waiting and waiting for something to happen, or that things happened too quick for me to follow.
Word choices were a mix of modern and classic and sometimes a turn of phrase would feel off to me. Still, the book was overall a fun read, and I think it will appeal to fans of the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonwell Publishing for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for a review.
October 5, 2025
I enjoyed the different tales of Maris, but found it confusing as the story seemed to jump about.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
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