Iris
Dark, spicy and a total pageturner!
To be honest, I've only read this book because it got picked by my book club. I was kind of hesitant to read it, since I've heard a lot of people who didn't finish it and/or said it was too dark for them.
But OMG.. I really, really tried not to like this book and I failed completely. The cat and mouse game got me hooked. The tension between the main characters is so intense and when it gets s3xual.. Oof!
Just finished reading an incredible book set in the captivating world of Astria! This high fantasy tale explores the struggles of Zaria, a strong and determined protagonist who fights against the prevalence of slavery. From the moment Zaria found herself by a dark rip as a child, she became the guiding light for her newfound siblings. But when tragedy strikes and her brother is lost, Zaria makes an unexpected connection with the enigmatic Savage King.
A Fire Endless continues where the story has left off in A River Enchanted, the first book of the series. In the first book, a bard by the name of Jack Tamerlaine reluctantly teams up with his childhood rival -and daughter of the laird- Adaira. Together they try to figure out why the daughters of the isle are going missing and what they can do to get them back.
While tensions between both the East and West and between Jack and Adaira make it quite difficult to solve the mystery, the duo slowly unraveled the mystery. An unfortunate event leads to the separation of Jack and Adaira and that is where A Fire Endless continues.
In A Fire Endless, Adaira resides in the West, while Jack remains in the East.
Adaira tries to deal with the hard and brutal life as a part of the Breccan clan. While the magic flows freely in the West, the people are suffering due to the low food supply and the harsh conditions.
In the East, Jack has a hard time being away from Adaira and keeps second-guessing her motivations for her to leave without him. Since she went away, he hasn't played a note on his harp. When the fire spirit in his home ceases to burn, he is forced to sing it back into burning again, which sets him off on a dangerous journey. This path finally leads him to the West, but not only Adaira but also a dangerous fate awaits him.
In the meantime Thorin and Sidra are confronted with a disease that rapidly takes lives. While Sidra searches for a cure, Thorin makes a deal with the spirits and has to go with them to the Spirit Realm.
When Adaira and Jack are finally reunited, they find out that the disease that pesters the East, is also taking lives in the West. Apparently, an evil spirit called Bane is responsible. Jack, Adaira, Sidra and Thorin all try to solve the mystery and the disease while walking their own individual paths. But the solution isn't what they thought it would be and the price they have to pay is high..
Although I liked the first book, I loved this book so much more! A Fire Endless gripped me from the beginning and I really felt like I was a part of this story myself. I felt connected with the characters and I loved learning more and more about the spirits and their secrets.
I listened to the audiobook simultaneously and Ruth Urquhart brought this story even more to life. I personally loved her Scottish accent, which made the experience even more real.
If you liked A River Enchanted, then you should definitely read A Fire Endless. It will blow you away!
Wow. I didn't really expect this, but I ADORED this book! I loved the new take on Dracula's story and - even more - I LOVED his companions. His gentle, caring and mostly complacent wife Constanta. Energetic and passionate Magdalena. Bold, daring and entertaining Alexi. The bonds between each of them and their individual characters. I felt connected to them.
This book was like a sneak peak into their lives and S.T. Gibson made it feel like it was history, rather than a fantasy book. Or.. more like an old memory I used to be a part of, but had forgotten due to all the time that had passed. This book blew me away. If I hadn't been forced to lay it down because of life in the real world, I would have read it in one sitting.
3,5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This story is something I would have liked a lot when I was younger. It's a good example of a fantasy YA book. I loved the mysterious fae land and all the mythical creatures. The story itself was quite predictable to me at some moments. The Iron King and court I didn't see coming and although it was a creative concept I'm not sure if I really liked the Iron Fae characters in this world. But that's because I'm a sucker for the original Fae and Elves and everything about their world. Also, Julie probably didn't write them with the idea for them to be likable
The story itself was interesting. The supposedly big revelation in the beginning of this book was super predictable and it took quite a long time for them to finally figure it out. That being said, I was curious how the rest of the story would go. There were some other smaller predictable elements, but that's okay.
The writing style was still a little cringy sometimes (strong ‘teenage puppy love' vibes from FMC with a lot of ‘swooning'). Also the use of ‘AF' was still way too frequent but fortunately a lot less than the first book.
In the beginning I had a hard time reading the parts that were supposed to be British English. It was basically just a lot of British swear words in a row. Sometimes it felt like Hudson was some kind of hooligan instead of a posh vampire prince.
This was an easy and interesting read. I really liked the story and the characters. The writing style.. not so much. It was kind of cringy, especially the ‘teenage puppy love' way the FMC was made to act and the constant ‘swooning' over nothing. Also the continuous use of ‘AF' was super annoying(‘hot AF, sexy AF' etc).
If you can get past that, this book is a really good read. I liked the school setting, the ‘different groups' of students
A very exciting read!
I got the opportunity to read the ARC (advanced reader copy) and I absolutely loved it. It was very hard to put down and I kept wanting more. I really liked the relationship between Dez and her newfound sister Cyn, the tight bond with their new friends and -last but definitely not least- the steamy encounters with Jace
In A River Enchanted, a bard by the name of Jack Tamerlaine is summoned to return home to the isle of Cadence, after ten years living on the mainland. Reluctantly, he answers the summons and will try to figure out why the daughters of the island are going missing.
He soon finds out that the nature spirits of the isle are just as capricious as he remembered and will only listen to his songs. Furthermore, the tension between the East and the West is higher than ever, which makes it even more difficult to find out what happened to the girls. He teams up with Adaira -his childhood rival and the daughter of the Laird- to finally solve this mystery.
In the beginning, I struggled a little with this book. Somehow it didn't really grab me and it felt quite melancholic at times. Jack had a rough start being back in Cadence and among the people he grew up with. He keeps wanting to go back to the mainland and his beloved career. Once he reluctantly agreed to team up with Adaira, it slowly got better -for Jack as well as for me.
The magic system and the nature spirits are really well written! I was very intrigued by the idea of the wind whispering rumors and warnings, the hills making your trip longer or shorter and the sea giving you fish or starving you.
The characters in this book are very lovable. I especially liked Jack's sister Frae, but also loved Sidra, Maisie, Thorin and Mirin. Each character has their own flaws and struggles and it all comes together nicely.
Overall I really liked this book. The first part was a bit hard for me, but the second part definitively made up for it. If you like Scottish folklore, a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance and stories entwined with magic and spirits, this book is perfect for you.
This book was a lot better than Glass Sword (#2), especially with the added perspectives of Evangeline and Cameron. Still, it's still nowhere near the first book.
This is one of the times I somehow keep buying and reading the sequels, hoping the next book will be -at least- as good as the first. Or maybe the next will be. Or the next. Luckily King's Cage was an improvement of Glass Sword.
To be honest, if the next book wasn't already sitting on my bookshelf, I probably wouldn't have continued reading this series