Young Adult 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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“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: Fire

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“It was a very hard thing to have crushed the heart, and the hopes, of a friend.”

Equally hated and adored, Fire is one of the last human monsters that lives in the mountains of the Dells where King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south plot to steal his throne. The forest and the mountains are filled with with spies, thieves, and lawless men. With the ability to control minds, Fire is wanted by those in power to use it for their greed but she guards it fiercely unwilling to harness it to harm innocent people especially when she has so many of her own. But, when Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City with a propistion she can’t refuse and the more she immerses herself into the environment, the more she sees how much her power could save the kingdom. If only she wasn’t so afraid of turning into her father.

This is probably my favorite book out the series and rereading it was a real treat as it had been a long time since I’d read it the first time. The writing in this book is more polished than the first one and I think that’s part of the reason why it’s more enjoyable to me than the first. Fire is different than Katsa and less annoying and the dynamics she has with those around her were very interesting and I did enjoy seeing her growth throughout the story. I really felt for her in how she was so afraid of repeating the mistakes that her father made and didn’t want to turn into him. I think that part made her feel very human because I do think that’s something that many of us are afraid of doing and the inner struggle to branch out and start a new path is terrifying and overwhelming. It was a fun reread and I’ll be working on the third book soon so keep a look out for that!