Fantasy

Book Review

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“I wished I were better at speaking. All those thoughts were in my head, but I didn’t know how to get them out.”

Artemesia is training to be a gray sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on, otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than have to deal with the living who trade whispers of her scarred hands and secret past. When her convent is attacked by soldiers who are possessed, she defends it by awakening a ancient spirit bound to the saint’s relic. It is a reverent, a malevolent one that threatens to possess her body if she drops her guard and as the gray lady in training seeks to understand her place in all of this. The more she uncovers, the more she is beginning to realize that this more complicated than she thought it would be and as time goes on, a sinister evil begins to surface, she will have to make a decision that will force her to betray everything she was taught to believe.

This was one of the most unique fantasy novels that I’ve read in a long time. Having already read Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns, I knew that I was going to enjoy this one as well since I love her writing and how she develops her characters and the world they live in. While I’m not the biggest fan of possession in books as sometimes I feel like it’s way overdone and does more harm than anything, I actually liked how it was done in the book. The banter between Artemesia and her reverent was enjoyable and I did enjoy reading about the trust between them especially with Artemesia working through her trauma. That aspect was probably my favorite as having dealt with trauma in my own life, I did relate to Artemesia of trying to work through it and grow and be at peace with her past while embracing her journey to healing. This book was very enjoyable so I highly recommend it!

Book Review

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“She knew that someday, her feelings would transform into something else entirely, something beautiful and strong, and the memories would still ache but with a sweet sort of sadness—the way sorrow often does, given enough time.”⁣

Three generations of witches must come together to solve a twenty year old mystery in the small town Yarrow, Kentucky as the witches are known for their shadow garden. Their magic can cure any headache and the fruits of that garden can bring a special quality to the local bourbon distillery where one day every year, a shot of Bonner Bourbon will make your worst memory disappear. But, twenty years ago on that day, the town gave up more than a memory and forgot the entire summer where someone died and the other person disappeared.

This was such a delight! I absolutely loved every single part of it and I can’t believe it’s a debut and i am looking forward to more books by this author.There is more than one romance that goes on in this novel and i love and appreciate that the author focused more on the romance between the older characters than younger. Not that I didn’t like it but it really gave it more of an adult feel and made me more invested in the book itself and I found all the characters interesting and unique with real flaws that made it easy to relate and feel empathy for. The dynamics between the characters felt very real and I did appreciate how the author kept up the suspense till the end as i was turning the page in anticipation about what would happen next. What I absolutely loved the most was the idea of the shadow garden taking pain and turning it into something beautiful in a metaphoric sense of healing from painful experiences. That actually made me tear up and it was executed so well and it could’ve been botched and lost the powerful meaning of what healing really is. All in all, it was a fun, exciting, and heartwarming tale so please check it out!

Book Review: Lakesedge

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When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge Estate, she expects to find a monster as she knows the rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy but Leta finds herself drawn to the man who she has been told to avoid and is having a hard time believing the rumors to be true.

While it did take sometime to get into the novel and also warm up to the main character, Violeta who I found annoying at times, I did enjoy the relationships and how the story developed until the end. The relationships were the best part of the book and the majority of the characters including Violeta identified as queer so that was wonderful to have. Sometimes, the roles aren’t fleshed out enough with both main and secondary but that wasn’t the case here and that’s one of the big reason I stay so invested. The dynamics between the characters, even Violeta and Rowan were interesting and felt very real and the more I read, the more I did end up liking Violeta. The story did have a gothic feel to it and I did enjoy how the story developed to the end and I will be reading the second book so be on the lookout for that!

To end corruption and break the curse that haunted Lakesedge Estate, Violeta Graceling sacrificed herself to the land of the dead where Lord Umber watches over. A side that will test her humanity and everything she holds dear including her bond with Rowan as she tries to get out of this world of lost souls which hide many secrets.

Definitely enjoyed this better than the first book! Leta is more fleshed out and the growth that she’s gone through is realistic. It felt like the author spent more time this round working on developing the main and secondary characters and giving them real flaws and growth while also creating more vivid and rich world-building that made it very easy to be immersed in. The dynamics between the characters especially Leta & Rowan were deeper and that made it easier to invest in the romance so this was a great follow up!

Book Review: Once UPOn A River

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“There are stories that may be told aloud, and stories that must be told in whispers, and there are stories that are never told at all.”

On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place where the regulars tell stories to while away dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger with a lifeless body of a child in his arms. A miracle happens as hours later, the girl stirs and returns to life leaving all those around in shock wondering how she came back to life. Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their knowledge to try and solve the mystery of who this young girl is and what happened to her that would leave her for dead only to come back to life hours later. The town is full of questions and that gets deeper as three families arrive claiming that the young girl belongs to them.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but the more I got into the story, the more invested I became with how the story developed. It does cross into different genres of fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, and magical realism and I was really impressed with how it was done and how smooth the transition was. If handled wrong, I don’t know that I would’ve enjoyed it as much as I did and the addition of fairy tales was what I loved the most. What was really interesting was how the author intertwined reality and supernatural into the story and I thought it was done really well and it’s something that could’ve gone the opposite if not handled the right way. This is a fine line that I think about often and I think most people do and something that is thrilling for them. This book was magical and fun so I highly recommend it!

book Review

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“If only there were a way to hold a moment in your hands and keep it alive forever.”

Under the moon throne, there have been centuries of suffering at the hands of despotic emperor, and his sons, the three terrors, as they hold the countryside in their hands. They bleed the land and leave the citizens living in fear of their dark powers they inherited from the god god locked under the palace. But, the god cannot be contained forever and with the aid of Jun, a broken guard who is still trying to deal with his grief-stricken past and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god is freed from her prison and flees from her own children, the three terrors who would drag her back down to her prison where she belongs. Now, the three must find a new home for the god and keep her away from harms way and find a way to end the moon throne but the road to freedom is paved with danger wherever they go.

What a thrilling and exciting read! I’m not usually a fan of long books but this one was well worth it and while the plot was very straightforward and something that you see a lot of in fantasy books, the author does a fantastic job with the writing to make it seem like something completely new and unique. Not only do you get a compelling love story but you also get a story that shows how love drives motivations, actions, and serves as a ray of hope. All of the characters were motivated by their scorn or want for love and how the author portrayed that throughout the book was brilliantly done. It was a truly a fantastic and thrilling read and I loved the dynamics between Keema and Jun, it felt very open and real and the two of them do a lot of growing throughout the novel. Highly recommend this one!!

BOOk reVIEW

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“But in a song or a tale, anything is possible.”

A powerful singer and warrior to be, Libohan’s dying to become a part of an elite warrior band on Swan Island and along with her brother, the two have been training to join the band and while vying for a spot in the band. All while that is going on, the find themselves on a mission as the island trains both singers and warriors and the mission is going to require them to find a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has gone mysteriously missing. If the instrument isn’t found for the upcoming coronation, people could revolt as the candidate wouldn’t be accepted and the deeper Libohan goes, the more she realizes that this isn’t an ordinary mission and she is soon forced to make a decision that could end in heartbreak.

As much as i liked the plot as i found it interesting and unique, the lack of well-developed world building and the characters left me feeling very underwhelmed especially with Libohan as I felt like she was a bit of a mary-sue. While she did struggle at times, it felt like she got through things very easy and there wasn’t really any times where I found myself rooting for her. I didn’t feel like i could immerse myself into the world because there still things that were lost on me and I didn’t feel like there was enough development with the characters, they felt a bit one dimensional to me. It sucked because the plot was very interesting but there wasn’t enough development for me and the one plus was the writing so i’m bummed that it didn’t work out for me but I’m sure others will enjoy it.

Book Review

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“The twin gods, Necessity and Chance, walked among the stars. What needed to be, was; what might be, sometimes was.”

The kingdom of Goredd is a world not like any other as humans and dragons live as one but it is not a life of bliss for either races. For the ones who are human and dragon, they walk an uneasy path as any moment as their true identity could be discovered so they must hide their truth and cultivate a life that will keep them safe. One of those is a young woman by the name of Seraphine who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world and when tensions finally hit, she must travel to find those like herself for she has a connection to all of them. But, she must be careful on her quest as there are humans who want to harm her and if she’s not too careful, she might not make it to ensure those like her are able to defeat the evil.

While I did like this book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one but it was still a good book nonetheless. One of the things I do wish is that it would’ve been a bit shorter because I did feel like things were dragged out a bit much and it could’ve ended a few chapters earlier. But, it was still delightful to see Seraphina and her friends as they try to fight for what is good and end the war between humans and dragons. I was hooked from the beginning just like the first book but some of the things she did seemed a bit out of character and not the Seraphina I read about in the first book who was so brave, loyal, and would do anything for her loved ones. She seemed to find herself in one lie after another and seemed very unbothered by it and the fact that her friends and loved ones were being hurt, that’s not the Seraphina I remember from book one.

While Shadow Scale is beautifully written and Hartman does a very good job with keeping up the suspense and having readers hooked from the first page, I still feel a bit let down but I guess that happens sometimes even though it stinks.



Book Review: The Long WAY TO A SMALL ANGry PLAneT

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“All you can do, Rosemary – all any of us can do – is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It’s up to you to decide what part you will play.”

Not expecting much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer, Rosemary Harper finds herself right at home with a chaotic and crazy life abroad the Wayfarer. The ship has seen better days but it offers a bed, a chance to explore the far off galaxies and most importantly a long distance from her past. Rosemary knows how to keep to herself and finds the crew very different from herself and it’s about to get even dangerous when the crew accepts the job of a lifetime. A job that could mean the end of her life and her crew members if they’re not careful leaving Rosemary in a position that she was trying to get away from. The young woman must learn how to put her trust in others, a team of odd balls that will teach her how to love and trust and that having a family isn’t the worst thing in the world.

There’s nothing that I love more than feel-good science fiction and this book did more than deliver. Glad there are other books in the series because i really enjoyed this one. I love it when there’s a rag tag team of odd balls who are sent on a mission to save the world, it’s so much fun. Along with the feel good vibes, I really loved learning about the world and it felt so real and how it was written really made me love it even more. The writing is what really helped it seem so real and unique so that’s a bonus when you get that in fantasy and sci-fi novels. I loved Rosemary, she was a likable and relatable protagonist and I really felt for her and how she was trying to deal with her past trauma. I think a lot of us are dealing with that right now and it can be very overwhelming to do but I did enjoy her relationships with the other crew members. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to reading more of the series!

Book Review

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I may be ruthless but I am not cruel. I think it’s one of the things that Ana likes about me, I do bad things when must but I try to be good.

By day Kiki De Souza and Ana Lezama De Urianza are proper seventeenth century ladies. But when night falls, they trade in their gowns and silk for swords and muskets venturing out into the vibrant, buzzling, crime-ridden streets of Potosi in the Spanish Empire’s Viceroyalty of Peru. They spend their time gambling, crime fighting, and falling desperatly in love with one another. But, on the night Kiki’s engagment to Viceroy’s son is announced, her older brother heir to the family fortune is found murdered. The two embark on a investigation to find what happened to Kiki’s brother and if they’re not too careful, they might find themselves falling into the same trouble as he did.

What a fun retelling of The Three Musketeers with a twist. The majority of the book was very entertaining and faced paced but the one that was missing was the suspense. I didn’t really any danger especially with the villains as you know who they are once they’re mentioned so it was a bit predictable. But, it wasn’t something that really held me back from enjoying the rest of the novel and even though I don’t read YA novels that much anymore, this was a quick and easy read. Though I feel like this could work for older YA and maybe even New Adult cause it does have that kind of feel and I didn’t find anything too cheesy. Ana and Kiki, the two main characters were very fun and i love the banter between the two and although I did like the romance, I think they also work very well by themselves. At first, I found the romance a little rushed because it was very in your face but as time passed on, I started to really enjoy the romance and found it endearing. The chemistry between them sealed the deal for me as I felt that it was very real and even more so that they not only found happiness with each other but themselves. A great read so check it out!!