Fantasy

The Silvered Serpents

| piperreads

“Then again, the names we are born with can end up meaning so little. The names we give ourselves, well, perhaps that’s the truth of us.”

Severin and his crew might have successfully thwarted the fallen house, one victory that has come at a terrible cost. A cost that haunts them all leaving Severin desperate to make amends, he pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant it’s possessor the power of God. Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew whether a myth is really a myth at all. As hidden secrets come to light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves but what they may find out will lead them down paths they never expected.

Besides the writing, what really stands out in particular with this book is the diversity and Chokshi really does a good job with fleshing them out and giving them growth from the first book. I struggled to like Lalia in the first one as I wasn’t sold on her narrative but she grew on me as I got to know her more in this book. The characters are all emotionally engaging and have their own struggles and flaws which helps with understanding their motives. Out of all the characters, my favorite is the relatable queen, Zofia who is such an interesting and emotionally intelligent character. This book is where you see a lot of group dynamics develop just as much as the characters and that is always a treat to see. The only thing I hated was the cliffhanger at the end, I remember when I read it for the first time, I threw the book across the room. But, since I reread this closer to the release of the new book, I wasn’t as angry.

I will have a review of the third and final book very soon, stay tuned!

The Gilded Wolves

| piperreads

“Make yourself a myth and live within it, so that you belong to no one but yourself.”

The Gilded Wolves starts out in 1889 Paris when the city is on the cusp of power and industry and the exposition universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In the city, no one keeps tabs on the dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Severin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission. A mission that will deliver Severin with the prize that he never thought he would able to get: his true inheritance. To make this mission successful, Severin recruits Lalia, Hypnos, Zofia, and Enrique as they embark on a journey that will change the course of their lives and test the bonds of loyalty that they to each other.

Ah rereading this book made me realize how much I love Chokshi’s writing and how much it’s improved. She has a way with words and how her world-building is developed is truly amazing. It makes you feel like you’re actually in the world that she’s created. The premise is what hooked me in as I’m sucker for heist stories just like Six Of Crows, but this is very different than Leigh Bardugo’s band of misfits. What I really loved about the book were the characters especially Zofia and Hypnos as they were unique, interesting, and well written. There was a lot of development with each of the characters so it’s hard to pick a favorite and the dynamics between the group was great with banter, flirtation, and realizing that they have more in common than they first thought. This is truly a delight but I will say that the pacing in the beginning is slow but it does pick up and you find yourself turning the page in anticipation of what will happen next.

I am reviewing the second book next so stay tuned!

The Witch’s Tale by Genevieve Gornichec

| piperreads

“There is a difference between understanding and forgiveness. It’s possible to have one without the other.”

What a beautifully written retelling of norse mythology and in particular the relationship Angrboda and Loki. The retelling makes you feel like you’re a part of a world with gods, monsters, and other magical creatures. In this retelling, Angrboda’s story starts out where many witches meet their end: a burning. The most powerful Norse god, Odin punishes Angrboda for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future and the fire leaves her powerless and injured. She flees into the woods and soon meets a mysterious man by the name of Loki, and at first the two are at odds but soon fall in love. The union produces three children all with unique magical abilities, as they grow closer, the pair especially Angrboda wants to keep her family out of Odin’s watchful eye.

But, as time passes and Angrboda’s injuries begin to heal, she soon learns that everything she holds dear, including her precious family is is grave danger. Angrboda’s leans on Skadi, a skilled huntress with whom she shares a growing bond to help her. Angrboda will have to choose between remaking their future or accepting the fate that she has forseen for them.

What I truly loved about this book is the retelling and fleshing out of Angrboda with making her real and relatable and giving her a story where you really feel for her. The character development that she goes through during the trying and blissful events throughout the book stood out the most. I was intrigued by the development and you could see her growth and I loved how the book really focused on her. She demonstrated a lot of emotional intelligence, stability, resilience, and empathy and when you have a character with qualities that like, it’s hard not to be invested in them. This along with the plot and other characters made it a very enjoyable novel and I think many people will enjoy it just as much as I did.

The Vanished Birds

| piperreads

“Take my day, they sang, but give me the night. Feed the hearth and ready the brew, for I am coming home to you.”

The Vanished Birds follows Nia Imani is a woman out of time and place traveling through space and the stars throughout the years as so many things have happened. Her friends and lovers have aged past her and all that she has left is her work. Alone and adrift, Nia finds herself longing for something more and soon she finds herself wrapped up in a new adventure, one of which will change the course of her life and make her question everything she thought she knew.

I would’ve given it a higher rating but there were parts where i felt very confused and not as invested in the story as I wanted it to be. The plot and writing is top notch but I felt other parts of the story and even the characters felt under developed and under utilized. It’s a space opera which is pretty freaking cool and I don’t read enough of those. Normally, you meet the main character in the first chapter but not this story which I think also contributed to my interest level. The first chapter was filled with lots of historical information and felt like more of a prologue than an introduction to the story. Besides the main character, Nia I didn’t have an interest in the others. While i enjoy reading about the main character, I want to invest in other characters in the book as they have interesting stories and when I can’t, I lose interest real quick. The story had great potential but I just didn’t click with it for several reasons. But, I’m sure others will enjoy for different reasons so to each their own.

Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise

| piperreads

TW: Abuse, Misogyny, Abandonment Issues, Death, Loss of Parents, War

She has the sudden impression that bits of his skin might lift away, like a mask hiding something terrible underneath.”

Wendy, Darling is a dark retelling of Peter Pan that focuses on the oldest child, Wendy and what journey she took after coming back from Neverland. Her brothers, Michael and John were able to condition themselves to forget their time in Neverland, Wendy wasn’t able to do and spent time in an Asylum thus damaging the relationship with her two brothers. She feels bitter and resentful towards them and spends time wondering if their parents hadn’t died on their cruise ship, would she have been put in the asylum or would things be different? Although she doesn’t speak of it, Neverland isn’t far from her mind and one night she gets a visit from the last person she expected to see. She finds out that Neverland is what it used to be and there is darkness lurking on the island and the visitor is looking for another Wendy, and before she knows it her young daughter Jane is taken in her place.

I love retellings and I have see a lot of Peter Pan retellings so I was looking forward to this. Sadly, it wasn’t what I expected it to be and it was a bummer. While the story was interesting, I felt it was a bit too dark for my liking and it was hard to invest in the other characters besides Wendy. I found her to be a very interesting and well written protagonist with a harrowing journey that makes you feel for her. I did like the alternating POV’s between Wendy and her daughter, Jane and reading about her adventures in Neverland and I was pleased with how it ended. But, the lack of depth in the characters made me struggle to stay invested so that was a bummer.

Music and Mirrors by Candace Robinson

| piperreads

The souls are inside you, as theirs are and now the reflections are all just that, reflections.

While the first book followed the adventures of Auden and Lark, this one follows the other side of mirror where Leni and Ridley, the antagonists who were tasked with getting rid of Lark and Auden and failed to do so. The two are facing punishment and in order to save them from a terrible fate, they must seek help from the two they tried to kill or Leni will end up dead and Ridley will become someone he truly hates.

Robinson’s follow up to Lyrics and Music was just as captivating, original, engaging, and full of twists and turns that kept me turning the page in anticipation. The big draw of both books are the characters, as they are all very unique, interesting, and so well written you feel like you know them. It was interesting seeing the other side of it and the perspectives from Leni and Ridley, it really helped you feel compassion for them and understand the plight they were under. The dynamics between the characters helped give the relationships more depth and the writing helped the story flow very well. I was surprised at how much I liked these books, they were very fun, mysterious, engaging, and exciting all in one and I hope that there will be more in this series.

Book Of The Week: Lyrics and Curses

| piperreads

Curses and Lyrics follows two young people, Lark and Auden who are both coming to terms with their painful pasts. Lark lives with her trendy, party-loving, twin sister and her mother come lately, Beth who has sworn off men and thrown herself into homemaking who don’t understand her love of cassette tapes, distaste of the pop scene, or her standoffish personality. For Lark, she feels like she has no place of belonging except one place, Bubbles Odities, where she finds herself a kindred spirit in Auden Ellis. But, Auden keeps her at arms length because of his fear of exposing her to dangers that lurk in the shadows. But, when two strangers come to town, carrying a dark and mysterious object and errie flute music, the two find that their painful pasts are more in sync than they believe. Now the two have to come to terms with their budding attraction while also keeping their loved ones safe with the dangers that are about to be exposed.

The two main characters are what stood out to me. They were very real, fleshed out, and easy to relate to and have empathy for the with their struggles. Lark has two sisters and a mother doesn’t give Lark what she really needs which makes it easy to connect with her. Auden lost both of his parents and has a loving-psuedo parent and two younger brothers so it’s very easy to feel for them and want them to find the happiness that they need. I was impressed with how well Robinson writes the typical teenager, in some books it can be very cheesy and overdone but in this book, it was very real so that helped. You really do find yourself rooting for Lark and Auden as they’ve gone through so much and do have a bright future ahead of them.

What an absolute delight this book! I was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed every second of it and can’t wait to read book two for my september tbr. I had heard a lot of hype for this book and it certainly lived up to it as I loved everything about especially that it was in the mid 80’s. I was born in 1986 so this was so much fun to read about as I’m a huge 80’s buff and felt the setting was perfect. The writing was so captivating and had me turning the page in anticipation of what would happen next. Of course this book would end in a cliffhanging but it was still super fun!

Forget This Ever Happened by Cassandra Rose Clarke

| piperreads

All the things in the world create music, and as we move through the universe, that music runs into other music and overlaps.

Dumped in the rural Indianola, Texas in the summer of 1993, to take care of her sickly and mean grandmother, Clarie couldn’t think of a worse summer vacation than this. While all her friends are going on adventures and doing things they want to do, Claire is stuck being bored while also dealing with grandmother. But, all is not as it seems as in the dreary and hot town, something interesting has taken shape and once you leave Indianola, you’ll forget it. Claire is desperate to figure what is beyond this mysterious energies taken place where there is a fissure of time and space leaving their a gap in reality. But, Claire also knows that once you leave you may never come back.

Well this was a fun and interesting book as I didn’t expect it to be so dark and creepy. The story follows Claire making it to her grandmother’s place, trying to adjust and then discovering the mysteries of the town while meeting various people who have a much bigger part to play especially, Julie, the cute girl who befriends Clarie shortly after her arrival. The story was unique and the writing helped a lot especially with flow and pacing and I felt engaged throughout the book. The only thing that I wish is that it would’ve been a little longer but I can’t really complain since it was a fun and easy read so I think many people will enjoy this book!

The Girl The Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

| piperreads

Rating: 3/5

They weren’t afraid of battle. They were afraid of losing what they loved. And that’s what made them brave in battle.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back follows Tova, a young warrior who has always lived among the Svell, the people who found her when she washed ashore. Although the memories of her home and clan have faded away, the sacred symbols and stavs inked all over her body mark as her the one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. But before, she knows it the two clans among Svell are at odds with each other for the first time in history and Tova is pulled between the two.

Having read previous books by Adrienne Young, I was looking forward to reading this and I feel a bit let down. I have always enjoyed how her world-building is shown in her books and I didn’t feel that way with this book. But, I’ll get to that in a bit. First, the cover is what reeled me in as it’s beautiful and I was very interested to read about vikings and I found Tova an interesting protagonist. She had moments of vulnerability and toughness and it was handled really well which makes it easier to relate. One of the biggest blocks for me to fall completely in love with it was the ending, it felt very rushed to me and I was a bit disappointed. I felt like the book could’ve been a bit longer and spread out but it just felt like she was trying to cram everything in and I lost interest. But, it will be a hit for others and that’s wonderful so if this sounds up your ally, then check it out!