Jordan
Thank you to @dawbooks and @netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Overall, this was an enjoyable addition to the series. I think it struggled with pacing throughout most of the first big chunk of the book. But the ending was wild, as always, and I cried for the first time reading this series. Very excited for this to hit shelves so we can get the 6th book!”
Viv is a legendary warrior who has decided to put down her sword. She does one last job to secure her plans, and then retires. She goes to a small town and decides to open a coffee shop. In this lovely tale, she creates a little family in this new town.
This book is adorable. The cover says it all: “High fantasy with low stakes”. This books was such a breath of fresh air. While there is still conflict and a plot, it honestly feels so relaxing and happy. I loved all of the characters and the setting. All of the descriptions of the food and the coffee made everything feel incredibly atmospheric and real.
Travis Baldree has introduced me to a new subgenre of fantasy that I am obsessed with and want more of.
2.5
A really cool concept, but it took me a while to even understand what was going on, and once I did, I just felt bored for most of the story. Might try the next one later down the road.
4.5
I read this book as part of SPFBO (Team Bookborn!). This book was a pleasant surprise. I went in not knowing much about it, and was greeted by a gritty, brutal world, where these two flawed people have found happiness. I loved the 2 main characters so much. Their relationship was a wonderful beacon of light in this sad existence. I am excited to continue this series.
Guys, you all know I love Christina Lauren so much. But this book? Buck wild. The story follows a woman who's late father was a treasure hunter. She now uses his notes to run little tourist expeditions to do fake treasure hunts so she can buy her land back. When the man she had a summer romance with comes with his friends to do this expedition, the two must come to terms with the miscommunications they had in the past. From there, the plot goes off the rails.
First, something very big and very dark happens pretty quickly towards the beginning of the story, and no one acts like how a normal human would act in this circumstance. I was so confused. And then the plot just kept taking more and more wild turns. And the fact there was still a romance happening this whole time just felt so wild.
Ultimately, the romance was cute, but the plot got so out of hand I just didn't find any of the story believable. It did give me some national treasure vibes so I loved that.
Six candidates are chosen to test for a year in a secret, magical society. At the end of that year, 5 of the candidates are chosen to be inducted. They all are extremely powerful magic users, each with their own specialty. They are tasked with working together to solve a problem. What follows is a story of manipulation, deception, and magic.
I am now officially fully on the bandwagon for this book. My sole task on this earth is to get everyone to read it. It was incredible. The prose, the characters, the plot; everything came together to make an incredible story.
The prose in this story is very high brow and almost pretentious, which works so well in this dark academia setting. All of these characters are the best at what they do, and they know it. The prose highlights this throughout, really helping the characterization advance. There were some lines where I was just gushing at how beautifully written it was.
The characters are all so incredible. I think that some were explored more than others, but that didn't bother me too much. I do wish we had gotten a little more of Reina. I think the complex dynamics that exist between everyone is so engaging.
The plot is fast paced and twisted. I had no idea what was coming around every turn. I thought that the entire concept of the society is fascinating, and some of the discoveries these 6 people made literally made me get up off my couch and pace around. My husband thought I was losing it.
All in all, this book was a masterpiece. I am dying for the second book. This is now my whole personality.
TW: alcohol, blood, death, degenerative disease, guns/gunshot wound, manipulation, murder, sex scenes (not explicit), suicide
4.5
This follow up to The Unbroken was so good. I loved the dynamics between the characters, as well as the struggles they went through during this revoluti0n. The romance is also so so good.
First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
In this retelling of The Juniper Tree, we follow the youngest of three sister. Their father is a wizard who has had a curse put on him. He has an insatiable hunger and can't feel love for his three daughters. Each of the daughters has their own magical power which he exploits to bring in money for their family. When the youngest daughter, Marlinchen, goes to the city and meets a dancer, a romance ensues.
This book is very dark and graphic. It is definitely a horror story. I want to preface this whole review by saying there should've been trigger warnings provided by NetGalley and the publisher. There are a lot of graphic scenes in this book. I will list trigger warnings below.
I really liked the fantastical story telling devices used in this book. I've always liked a dark fairy tale, and this fit the bill. It was so atmospheric and scary. However, I really feel like the entire story was over-sexualized. There was so much emphasis on nipples and boobs, like constantly. A lot of it was really hard to read. I think that that was probably the author's intent, but it was still tough. I felt like we could've cut back on some of the sexualization and the story would've still be successful.
This story definitely isn't for the faint of heart. I really did enjoy the story and the ending, but please go into this with caution.
TW: gore, body horror, child sexual abuse, incest, cannibalism, antisemitism, xenophobia, scientific racism, physical and psychological abuse by family members, gaslighting, self-harm and suicidal ideation, bulimia, graphic descriptions of vomiting, animal death
First, I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
In this book, Loulie and her jinn bodyguard, Qadir, search the desert for magical artifacts to sell for a steep price. One day, after saving one of the prince's lives, Loulie ends up on the Sultan's radar. He recruits her to go with his oldest son out to the lost city of the jinn and find a particular artifact that he will then use to wipe out all jinn. What follows is an adventure of friendship and love and loss and adventure that is so enthralling.
Guys, I really loved this book. I went into it without many expectations, and I was swept away. The setting was so magical and fully captivated me from the beginning. Abdullah's ability to make me feel present in this world was incredible. The plot was medium paced. There were a few points where I felt like the pacing was a little off. However, they weren't so egregious that I thought the book was bad.
The real star of the show was the characters. I am dying for the second book just to spend more time with these characters. They were so well developed and so unique, and all of their interactions together felt so real. Qadir and Loulie's relationship was beautiful, and I loved every minute we had with them together. I liked that there wasn't any overt romance to the story. Normally I love a good romance, but this book felt like it didn't need it yet.
Overall, an incredible book. I think you should all preorder it.
TW: alcohol, assault, attempted murder, blood, death, emotional abuse, fire, gore, murder, skeletons, violence
As many people know, I had mixed feelings on [b: The Shadow of the Gods 52694527 The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #1) John Gwynne https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1610375894l/52694527.SY75.jpg 73710031]. I was definitely in the minority of that opinion, but I found that I didn't grow many attachments to characters and the plot wasn't memorable for me. I've always wondered if I just read it at the wrong time, which is very possible. Regardless, I went into this book hesitantly. I really, really wanted to like it, and knew I would be so disappointed if I didn't.Hey! I loved it! I want to start by thanking John Gwynne for all of the recap information at the beginning of the book. Every fantasy novel in a series besides the first should have this. We all read such huge, dense fantasy novels. There's no way to remember everything, especially when a lot of time has passed! This recap really helped remind me what happened in the first book and prep me to dive right back into this story. I grew so fond of the characters in the book this time. I love the camaraderie formed in each band of warriors. I love all of the nuances to their characters, even though many of them have similar motivations. By the end, I was definitely crying and rooting for everything these characters did. The setting was made to feel so immersive and real. It reminded me a lot of AC: Valhalla honestly. The different plot lines were a little confusing for me in the beginning, but as I got reacquainted with everything, I was no longer confused. The plots were all so well thought out and paced. I didn't feel like there were long stretches that dragged or unnecessary plot lines. I love the exploration we are getting of the gods, but I'm especially loving getting to learn about the powers of their descendants. This world is just so cool and I'm so excited to continue on with this series. TW: death, gore and blood, body horror, slavery, war, brief mentions of rape/sexual assault
Y'all. This book. My mind is reeling, and this is my second time reading it. I need Alecto like I need air to breathe.
This book follows Isolde, a Princess to a throne in a world where vampires are conquering everyone's lands, and Adrian, the vampire doing the conquering. When Adrian comes to discuss terms with Isolde's father, he says he wants to marry Isolde. She agrees to save her kingdom. Romance follows.
This book wasn't good. The plot was nothing unique; I've read this same premise before. I felt like the big reveal at the end ruined any of the romance that happened previously because Isolde wasn't told. The steamy scenes weren't that great to make up for the bad plot. Adrian and Isolde weren't interesting characters. Isolde does a whole 180 on her views on the conquest? I only gave it 2 stars because it was interesting enough that I finished it in one sitting. But it still wasn't good, just entertaining mindless reading.
TW: sexual content, blood, violence, murder, death, gore, death of parent, fire, war, grief, misogyny, colonization, slavery
First, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In this book, we follow a cast of characters living in Kithamar, a city with an ancient, bloody history. To get by, our characters have become proficient thieves. However, after the death of her brother, Alys is set on revenge. She follows in his footsteps, trying to complete his work while looking for his murderer.
Ultimately, this book was fine. I just felt like everything was a little lackluster. None of the characters gripped me and made me feel invested. The plot wasn't interesting enough to lift up the characters. It ultimately felt like a fantasy story I've read countless times, but without characters that I loved to engage with.
I think this book would definitely work for some people, just not me.
TW: death/death of a child/death of a sibling, gore, violence, suicidal thoughts, self harm, body horror