This would’ve easily been a five star read for me if there hadn’t been a love triangle (of all the godforsaken tWhy? Why a love triangle? Why why why?
This would’ve easily been a five star read for me if there hadn’t been a love triangle (of all the godforsaken things) in this book. I can’t stand love triangles. The only thing I hate more than a love triangle (and not even a well-handled one, at that) is a surprise pregnancy. Do you know how much I hate the surprise pregnancy trope? It’s literally my least favorite trope.
The characters in this book are old enough to know better and mature enough to handle their emotions better and I… ugh. I just can’t handle love triangles. This love triangle is especially vexing because it was so transparent and poorly written in a book that was excellent in every single other way.
That’s the rub here: Curious Tides–when you pull out the love triangle–is some of the most imaginative and interesting fantasy I’ve read this year. It kind of feels like a mix of Rachel Griffin’s imagery mixed with Erin Morgenstern’s writing style. In case you’re wondering, that’s a really sincere and great compliment coming from me, because Morgenstern is one of my favorite writers of all time and Griffin is a writer I think is at the top of the game when it comes to writing imagery that contains natural elements like water (see Bring Me Your Midnight, which is fantastic).
The dark academia vibe is truly there and isn’t just a “vibe”. Dark academia is supposed to be a perversion of the academic system in some way. Here in Curious Tides, it’s in how disinformation about a certain class of students has been demonized and how disinformation has been sown about them for the sake of oppression out of fear and greed. It’s not just in the environment or the look of the school–it’s a systemic problem. That’s true dark academia and I’m living for it.
I’m eagerly waiting for the second half of the duology no matter what, because I need to know. I really, really do.
All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
If Rebecca Ross and Erin Morgenstern had a child and they wrote a debut portal romantasy with a dark edge, I think The City of Stardust would be the rIf Rebecca Ross and Erin Morgenstern had a child and they wrote a debut portal romantasy with a dark edge, I think The City of Stardust would be the result.
I had coffee with a lit professor (who was also an author) once and he said, in his opinion, every story told was essentially just The Odyssey retold in an infinite number of ways. The City of Stardust definitely has that flavor: From character names to a protagonist that sets off on a long journey from home only to return and find it changed from what she once knew, this novel had me captivated from the start.
Georgia Summers has a lovely way with prose. The sentence structure is very reminiscent of Morgenstern, while the imagery feels closer to Ross. While the book definitely lacks the experience of both of those writers it doesn’t suffer overmuch for it. I loved the world building for how it felt both Gaiman-esque and for how it reminded me of my favorite novel, The Starless Sea. The plotting felt impeccable and the pacing was steady.
The whole cast of characters was great. An antagonist worth despising and understanding, protagonists you can both identify with and love, and a large supporting cast that feels distinct and contributes considerably to the entire story without feeling extraneous.
The underlying themes of parental neglect, abandonment, family, secrets, cages, debts, adventure, stories, and the pursuit of knowledge are all well-explored and layered in myriad ways throughout the book and it makes for an excellent tapestry when all is said and done. I loved how the book wrapped up too. Not too neat, not too messy. It was wonderful.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Dark Fantasy/Fantasy/Romantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy/Standalone/Urban Fantasy...more
What’s the worst thing about this book? That it had to end. What’s the best thing about this book? That it knew exactly how and when to end.
That’s thWhat’s the worst thing about this book? That it had to end. What’s the best thing about this book? That it knew exactly how and when to end.
That’s the power of a well-written novella: Knowing what to say, how to say it, when to end it, and how to end it well.
I have made no secret of the fact The Woods All Black was one of my most-anticipated titles of 2024. Lee Mandelo’s Summer Sons has lived in my head rent-free since I read the ARC and I was beyond excited when this title was announced. Historical horror? Trans romance? Revenge? 1920s? There was absolutely nothing about this book I’m not 100% here for and now that I’ve read it I can confirm it was absolutely everything I hoped it would be and more.
Leslie Bruin, a WWI war nurse, joined up with the Frontier Nursing Service after coming home to America to help keep women and children healthy even if he doesn’t quite agree with the Service’s eugenics-based mission. He means to work around the margins as he travels from posting to posting. His latest posting is taking him to a very rural town in the hills of Appalachia. Unbeknownst to him, things in that town have happened between when his services were requested and when he arrived that have triggered feelings of ill will between him and the town’s inhabitants before he even arrives.
Yes, the messaging writ large in this book surrounds transphobia, hate crimes, religious zealotry, queer love, and traditional gender roles and conformity. What’s also of great interest is the guilt-shame-fear culture of insulated communities like you’d find in isolated areas of Appalachia, where you’ve known everyone that lives there your whole life. It’s that tumult of feelings in your stomach where you can’t tell if you feel guilty for your actions or ashamed, but you’ll never admit you might have been scared.
The writing is haunting, erotic, bloody, and vengeful. It’s not a southern gothic ballad but a southern gothic folk song, full of revenge and blood-soaked honor.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Let’s just get this out of the way really quick: This book didn’t get five stars because I thought it was too long and I didn’t think the ending was eLet’s just get this out of the way really quick: This book didn’t get five stars because I thought it was too long and I didn’t think the ending was earned. There we are. I don’t want to spend any more time talking about those negatives, because I want space to talk about other things.
This book is a manuscript mash-up that reminds me a pinch of The Starless Sea (in that sense that stories are being written all the time, are always in progress, and are mutable), every portal fantasy I’ve ever read, and every fantastical detective story I’ve ever read (except make them darker, more like Nick Harkaway’s cyber noir novels). Dreambound has a great balance of plot, characters, worldbuilding, and atmosphere, which is a tough juggling act to keep up. That may be why the book ended up being too long for my tastes.
Frey had gifted us an incredible book with a deep, rich tapestry: journal entries, audio transcripts, emails, text messages, investigative notes, short stories, fairy tales, book excerpts, newspaper and magazine articles excerpts, and more. This book, this story, wouldn’t have been possible to write without mixing the written media formats like this. The book would’ve been a long, boring slag had it been approached any other way. There were other parties who needed to have a voice in this story besides Byron, our main protagonist.
It was a nice touch for Frey to name his main protagonist Byron, for he literally does meet the definition of a Byronic hero: sullen, withdrawn, hard to like, hard to get to know, but a softy on the inside for the precious few who can get close. He has a drinking problem, his wife divorced him, and his relationship with his daughter had become fraught with tension. The thing is, it’s not hard to write a Byronic hero. Byronic heroes are a dime a dozen and have been around as a trope since before they were even called Byronic heroes. Ergo, Byron is a predictable character. Which makes for a pretty predictable story.
That’s not to say the book as a whole is predictable. That’s why we have supporting characters. And to Frey’s credit, all the supporting characters in this book are female. The supporting characters add all the color, all the unpredictability, all the surprises, provide all the guidance, and provide almost all the push back and intervention as well. There are a few interesting male supporting characters, but none stick around as long as the females. Now, this does create another trope-trap where we have a male stumbling through needing females to guide all his movements in order for him to get anywhere, but it doesn’t seem toxic in this story since a great deal of book is about the fandom for books by a female author where a female is the main protagonist of the series, so it makes sense females would be the guide posts for a dad whose daughter was a member of that fandom.
Frey really did put together a lovely story that’s woven together like a crazy quilt of folklore, fairy tales, modern narrative prose, urban fantasy, supernatural entities, memoirs, and what would be nonfiction in the world of this book. It’s a good read if you are willing to put in the time.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Dark Fantasy/Epistolary/Fantasy/Fairy Tale/Folklore/Standalone Novel/Supernatural Fantasy/Urban Fantasy ...more
I thought I could go into Traitor of Redwinter and just start reading it without a refresher (after all, McDonald helpfully provides a refresher at thI thought I could go into Traitor of Redwinter and just start reading it without a refresher (after all, McDonald helpfully provides a refresher at the beginning of the book), but it turns out I really needed a re-read, so I ended up reading Daughter of Redwinter again so I could have it fresh in mind when I started Traitor of Redwinter. If you haven’t read the first book in this series lately, you may want to do the same, because it really helped me remember all the cogs and sprockets of Redwinter and the characters in this fantastic series.
This book picks up some months after the end of DoR, and Raine, along with other characters from the first book, are on a diplomatic trip to meet up with a Draoihn who has taken over a city. They’re to take the measure of him, because the King’s health is failing and the succession is coming soon. What happens in these opening chapters sets off a chain of events that will follow Raine and company throughout the rest of the book.
Meanwhile, Uvotis has been gone for months to the capitol, Ulovar has fallen gravely ill, rose thistle has become a little too good of a friend, and Raine can’t seem to decide whether to push or pull when it comes to Esher and Sanvaunt.
Sophomore novels in a series are a hit-or-miss phenomena. Luckily, this one is a hit. I enjoyed it a bit more than I did DoR: it had more heart, more depth, more emotion (I cried more than once), more nuance, and (I hate to say it) more actual plot.
There were downsides, though. First of all: Ed McDonald needs to get a female sensitivity reader. I don’t want to read the phrase “tingles tingles” in regards to how a woman feels about a man or woman again. It’s an immature expression of desire for a woman like Raine. It doesn’t fit. It was also predictable. I didn’t mind the predictability this time, but the point stands. The last point is the ending. It felt a bit deus ex machina.
It’s still a fantastic book and a fantastic series. I still love it. I’m still enjoying the magic and the characters and the world. I just think it needs some tweaking.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Dark Fantasy/Epic Fantasy/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Found Family/LGBTQ Romance ...more
This book had me feeling a certain kind of way. Or, rather, it had me feeling two certain kinds of ways, and so I had to view it through two differentThis book had me feeling a certain kind of way. Or, rather, it had me feeling two certain kinds of ways, and so I had to view it through two different lenses. One part of me, the one who loves dark, kinky, vampire romances with a lot of gore and blood kink and if they happen to be a why choose romance also was happy as a kitten with a brand new ball of yarn. That part of me was also the one who doesn’t like monster romances, especially with monsters who are partially shifted or with monster parts that detach. To me, that’s not hot. It’s just not for me.
That’s when I have to shift gears and let the objective book reviewer out of the box to make sure I’m not just rating this book based on my own preferences. Monster romances have earned their place in the romance novel marketplace and they aren’t going anywhere, so I doubt this is the last book I’m going to come across where there is unexpected kinky sex with monsters. I can’t let that get in the way of giving these books an honest shot when I’m reviewing them.
Let’s go with my only truly objective con when it comes to this book: It’s far too long. I have read a great many of K. A. Knight’s books, and she’s always packed her books with spice scenes. It’s one of her hallmarks and it’s one of the reasons she’s such a popular author. But this book could’ve honestly been 100 pages shorter, had copious sex scenes, got the whole plot across, and it would’ve kept that latter part of the third act from dragging so much. Honestly, by the end of this book I was numb to the sex scenes. What’s the worth in a sex scene if you feel like you’ve already read it before in the book or you know what’s coming and you just say, “Been there, done that”?
Oh, look! That was my only con about the book, right there in one small paragraph.
What do I love about K. A. Knight novels the most? That’s right: Her BAMF FMCs. Althea starts out this book as a young, impish vampire in the court she was born into; but after a tragic, humiliating, and life-changing event happens shortly after she turns 18, she flees the court and begins to repeatedly violate some of the vampire world’s most important laws, killing herself from the inside out in the process until she is captured by the Judges, seven unknown men who play judge, jury, and executioner to vampires who have been weighed, measured, and found wanting for their crimes. It seems the gods and fate have plans for Althea, though, as she is given a chance to come back and become a Judge herself. It seems there is a lot the vampire race at large has a lot to pay for.
Althea, while not a complicated character, is vengeful, violent, powerful, hungry, insatiable for her men, and bloodthirsty. I am here for all of it. Her love for the other judges is as violent and bloody as her thirst for vengeance is against all those vampires who would use, abuse, and kill others for their own gains. She shines under the sun and moon, and loves both those who live in the light and dark. She knows beauty can hide true horror and nightmares can hide true beauty. Either way, she isn’t afraid. Her rebirth and the love and support of the other judges not only helped her heal from her former life, but gave her a scaffolding to hold onto while she rebuilt herself from within.
While I’m not fond of monster romances, I respect Knight for being brave enough to take the stuff truly spawned from some people’s worst nightmares and turning them into love interests. Each of the seven judges has a distinct voice, aesthetic, and they all have their own traumas. While I don’t necessarily like that the plot makes it so Althea is the balm that seals all their wounds and makes them whole (it seems too corny for me), it does truly seem that’s just how the plot ended up working out and not a conscious thing that happened.
Okay, onto the thing that I loved the most: blood. Blood and blood and more blood. I love vampire romances, but far too many of them are so dainty about it. In my opinion, if you’re going to have vampires, I want them bathing in blood. I want them dripping with it. I want bites everywhere. I want tears in the skin when things get heated and rough. And this book brings me that. These vampires rend and tear with claw and fang and I loved it. They drink and drink and lick and lick and rub it in their skin and it’s hot. To me, it’s the best of vampire romance and blood kink rolled into one. This alone made this book worth reading.
I did have a great deal of fun reading this, even when I was reading the scenes I personally didn’t care for when it came to my own preferences but thought were well-written from an objective POV. Just beware the nightmares, my friends!
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
While this isn’t a direct Greek myth retelling, it is a Greek myth-inspired dark romantasy and I had a lot of fun reading it. I didn’t even know that While this isn’t a direct Greek myth retelling, it is a Greek myth-inspired dark romantasy and I had a lot of fun reading it. I didn’t even know that it was inspired by Greek mythology going in but I was absolutely giddy when I found out because I’ve loved Greek mythology since I was a kid.
The Night Hunt carries an enemies to lovers vibe but it’s the sort of enemies to lovers that speaks of a natural enemies vibe: Atia is a monster and Silas is a Herald. Silas is one of those they would send after monsters like Atia if she breaks the rules. Silas is there the night she does and they forge an unlikely alliance: He’ll help her break her curse if she helps him recover his memories. They hope it’s going to be as easy as hip, hop, hooray, but since when is it ever?
I can’t really put into words why I loved this book so much except that it was a lot of fun and it felt like the best kind of dark romantasy hug. Does that make sense? I think to anyone who is a big fan of dark romantasy it might be. I don’t always rate my books based on a list of checkmarks and wax eloquent about everything from narrative prose to the quality of the sentence formations. I can only tell you I had a really bad day today and this made me feel better when I was reading it. I would read it again in a heartbeat.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
You want an awesome dark fantasy romance novel full of witches, curses, and an ancient warlord sorcerer that manages to bespell a vulnerable witch intYou want an awesome dark fantasy romance novel full of witches, curses, and an ancient warlord sorcerer that manages to bespell a vulnerable witch into opening his well-hidden and buried sarcophagus and lifting a 2,000 year old curse? You want that sorcerer to be sexier than sin, possessive like a barbarian, Machievellian and vengeful, and yet still have space in his dark heart to truly care for you?
Oh yeah, you’re going to absolutely love Bewitched.
Laura Thalassa is absolutely a reliable author of the character-driven dark fantasy romance novel. Her men aren’t good men–they’re definitely callous and unemotional to start out with and surely strung along the darker shades of the greyscale. Her women are feisty and often out of their element with their male love interest to start off with: a little lust drunk, unsettled by their power and mood swings, and yet they learn somewhere along the way how much power they hold both as women and as lovers.
This first installment in this series is heavy on exposition, to be sure, but the characterizations of Memnoch and Selene don’t suffer for it. If anything, the exposition helps to fill these characters out, to help us understand Memnoch’s motivations, goals, and experiences, and to also help us get a glimpse into Selene’s anger, frustration, weaknesses, and strengths. In essence, Thalassa wields exposition in the manner it’s meant to be wielded: showing us instead of merely telling us.
There is a lot of magic flying around in this book, and while there is a nominal effort made to explain the magic system, I still found myself a touch confused at times. I’m going to chalk it up to this being the first installment and there was so much going on in this book that it’s likely we’ll learn more and more about the magic in this series as it moves on.
There is also a lot of plot running around. Besides the main plot between Memnoch and Selene, there’s also two (maybe even three?) subplots running under the surface that keep the pacing flowing nice and steady, waiting there to mix it up so us readers aren’t simply sitting here reading your standard romance novel. There’s some heft to it. Some pizzazz. It’s simply a great read and a great win for Thalassa under her new imprint.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. Any thoughts, views, ideas, or opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
!!! #bookreview !!! Title: The Serpent and the Wings of Night Series: Crowns of Nyaxia, Book 1 Author: Carissa Broadbent Publisher: #indieauthor (this edi!!! #bookreview !!! Title: The Serpent and the Wings of Night Series: Crowns of Nyaxia, Book 1 Author: Carissa Broadbent Publisher: #indieauthor (this edition) Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
I’ve actually had this book sitting in my Kindle since around the time it was published. Why did I hesitate to read it? Probably because I was pretty sure I’d like it and didn’t feel this overwhelming push to read it right away. That feeling only increased once the second book in this duology came out. There was this feeling of, “Okay, well, now they’re out there and I can chill. No pressure to read them right this minute”. But I’ve been feeling the urge to read some good romantasy lately and a Throne of Glass-like vibe has been resonating with me, so when an ARC I was reading today turned into a DNF I decided to read this.
So, yeah. I was right. I loved it. Loved it the way only devouring about 500 pages in less than seven hours can feel. Like it’s an old friend. Like it’s good for the soul. Like it’s good gossip and a warm cup of coffee on a classic fall day.
Is it the best romantasy I’ve read this year? No. Was it just what I needed today? Yes. Did I immediately go download the sequel to immediately start absorbing tomorrow? Yes. Do I now want to own physical copies in addition to my ebooks? Yes! It was fun, it was sexy, it was violent, and I need more. ...more
I love Lyndall Clipstone’s writing style. It’s all vibes, atmosphere, imagery, and beautiful prose. I feel like Unholy Terrors is taking the lush, gorI love Lyndall Clipstone’s writing style. It’s all vibes, atmosphere, imagery, and beautiful prose. I feel like Unholy Terrors is taking the lush, gorgeous, gothic beauty of the World’s Edge duology and inverting it into something stark and barren–something dangerous, deadly, and sharp. Yet the gothic feel, atmosphere, vibes, imagery, and beautiful prose came along with it. Instead of a crumbling lakeside manor and flowing gowns we’re surrounded by endless moors, crumbling ruins, fields of asphodel, and armor made from leather and bones.
I don’t know what to call it but it's awesome and I’m here for it.
I’m also digging the plot, which reminds me a little of Margaret Rogerson and Tamsyn Muir (just a splash), but just as influences since Clipstone has such a strong voice and presence all on her own. It’s so evident how much Clipstone loves gothic fiction and how devoted a student she is to it. Genre fiction is an ever-evolving thing, which means you’re always going to find touches of other author’s works in the work of their contemporaries. In a market flush with dark fantasy it is inevitable that ideas will bleed into one another. I don’t ever see this as a bad thing. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all.
It’s a beautiful book with a strong enemies to lovers arc, strong female friendships, two main characters with daddy issues (I’ve been waiting all review to write that line), a really cool magic system, and stunning prose. Also? Poetry quotes from Plath, Rilke, and Gluck. I mean, come on. That’s really cool.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Dark Fantasy/Gothic Fiction/Paranormal Romance/Romantasy/Standalone/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy/YA Fiction ...more
This is author Amanda Linsmeier’s debut novel, a total mashup of genres ostensibly written for the YA set but also dealing wReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
This is author Amanda Linsmeier’s debut novel, a total mashup of genres ostensibly written for the YA set but also dealing with and handling some hefty subjects. I’d like to say it all hits, but it’s closer to about a 50% success rate.
Starlings wants to be a book about monsters, small town values, traditions, and putting familial duty above all other things, but it honestly mainly came across as “Midsommar” meets Main Street USA.
I’m really not kidding about “Midsommar”. I felt its influence all over this book. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because I loved that movie, but I do tend to think it might be a problem when it’s so evident the reader can’t stop being reminded of it.
Linsmeier does have talent, because I did read the book and I won’t sit here and say it was a horrible read. I just think it wasn’t a consistent book and the climax bothered me more than I’d like to admit.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I absolutely adore stories that read as both horrific and beautiful at the same time. Absolutely elegant prose filled with gore and terror. Colorful aI absolutely adore stories that read as both horrific and beautiful at the same time. Absolutely elegant prose filled with gore and terror. Colorful and evocative imagery juxtaposed against apathetic and dismissive dialogue. Compassionate concern wrapped in manipulation and poison. This novella is Hans Christensen Anderson, Poe, Dickinson, and Shelley tossed into a cauldron and simmered together into a black magic soup. And it is delicious.
I don’t normally give warnings. I don’t like them, because I feel it ruins the story. Especially if you’re reading dark fantasy or horror. In my opinion, you should pretty much be buckled in and ready for whatever when you open up a book in these genres. In this case, I am going to warn you this book isn’t for people who want to avoid gore or body horror. Just trust me on this.
Clocking in at around 115 pages (depending on your format), Cassandra Khaw makes efficient and effective use of every single word, using brilliant sentence and scene construction to bring this story together in the most economic, efficient, and elegant way possible. It’s not a complex story at its core: It’s two characters simply traveling together to see what’s over the next mountain. That’s generally what most stories are about, really: What’s over there? It’s a classic journey. In a full-length novel, the characters would be waylaid several times by side quests and subplots. In this novella, our two protagonists reach their first side quest and that’s where the vast majority of the story takes place.
I love that. I love that these two characters abandon their journey for what they think will just be a little while: First out of curiosity, then out of obligation, then out of vengeance, and then…Well, that would be spoiler territory.
It’s lovely and ghastly and perfect, in my opinion. Macabre, sinister, and sad. I highly recommend it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All ideas, views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Dark Fantasy/Horror/Mythological Fiction/Novella/Body Horror ...more
Bwhahaha! My inner Arthuriana fangirl was itching to get its hands on this book, being such grabby hands for books tied to the infamous mythological bBwhahaha! My inner Arthuriana fangirl was itching to get its hands on this book, being such grabby hands for books tied to the infamous mythological barbarian king, his loyal knights, Merlin (lord, let’s not get into HIM), Tintagel, Camelot, yada yada yada. However, there is one specific group of people that will always capture my attention more than any other when it comes to books related to this sub-genre of fantasy novels: any novels having to do with Morgan/Morgana, Elayne, and/or Vivian/Viviane/Vivane. (Example: Laura Sebastian’s beyond excellent Half Sick of Shadows). I’ll even throw in Morgause, since she’s sometimes substituted for one of the other three or even included with the other three, depending on your source material.
So I was so excited to get a chance to read Silver in the Bone, urban fantasy meeting the realm of Avalon, with a character named Emrys (Merlin’s name in the Welsh Arthuriana texts), a desperation to save a sibling, some enemies-to-lovers action vibes, curses, dark magic…sign me up! I cracked this baby up, settling in for a good, day-long read (it ended up being a day and a half because reasons).
The verdict? Besides being very predictable in a lot of ways (to the point where I got downright mad at the obliviousness of some characters) with some solid (but obvious) red herrings thrown our way, Silver in the Bone is an enjoyable fantasy read, but not an enjoyable fantasy romance. It’s the start of a fantasy romance, but this book is way more epic and dark fantasy than it is anything else.
I enjoyed the first and second acts of this book far more than I did the third. The third act may be where all the questions are answered and where all the serious action is, but it’s also where I facepalmed the most because I was constantly saying, “DUH” because everything I had already predicted (including the very end) was coming true).
Alexandra Bracken does a fantastic job of building both the mortal world in this book for the Hollowers and sorceresses (where Tamsin, Emrys, Cabell, and Neve come from), but she deserves even more props for her worldbuilding in Avalon. I can’t tell you about the Avalon worldbuilding because it’s not included in the summary and it would be a huge spoiler; but trust me, it’s some of the most intricate worldbuilding I’ve ever read when it comes to a rendering of Avalon.
I’d say the characters in this book stand out, but they really don’t. They feel familiar because they are familiar. A snarky, cynical, closed-off female protagonist. A yearning, slightly softer, slightly vulnerable, out-of-place, yet loyal brother figure. A bubbly, friendly, extroverted bestie who manages to melt the female protagonist despite her emotional shields. A dark-haired, handsome MMC with whom the FMC has a rivalry with even though she can’t stop thinking about him and even though she knows he’s nothing but trouble.
I could keep going. You know them and you’ve met them because these same archetype characters have been in so many fantasy novels over the past decade or so you can recognize them right away. Still, I can’t help but love Tamsin (our FMC) because I loves me a snarky and sharp-tongued woman fueled by spite. Reminds me of me.
The pacing is solid, but the plot obviously needs work if I found it so predictable. This isn’t me saying I didn’t enjoy it, because it’s an interesting and fresh take on Avalon and Arthuriana. Plus, the ending had me greedy for the next book. I was left with that urgent feeling of, “What comes next? I need to see what comes next!” And that feeling is what you want from the first book in any book series.
This book does end on a major cliffhanger. It’s a doozy. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya. But do try and pick this up and give it a read. I think you’ll enjoy it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All ideas, views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Arthuriana/YA Fantasy/YA Fantasy Romance/YA Fiction/Fantasy Series/Book Series/Coming of Age/Dark Fantasy/LGBTQ Friendly/Epic Fantasy ...more
While I’ve read a few romance novels involving the odd tentacle or fae, I’ve never read a RH/Why Choose romance novel involvReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
While I’ve read a few romance novels involving the odd tentacle or fae, I’ve never read a RH/Why Choose romance novel involving just about the whole gamut of monsters. I don’t know how I feel about it, honestly. Some of it I found to be spicy, some of it I was kind of on the fence about, and some I was noping out on. Honestly, I wanted to try it though, and I wanted to start trying with this novel because I loved the blurb and I’ve always loved her RH novels.
And, on the whole, I don’t regret it. If I take out the spicy scenes I was kind of not vibing with, the story as a whole was a great story, and I have a great deal of love for Knight’s strong female protagonists (and, since this books is co-authored, I’d extend that love to Kendra Moreno as well, even though I’m not as familiar with her writing as I am with Knight’s).
I didn’t quite dig the beginning due to how similar it felt to so many books I’ve read lately, but that could so easily be the result of simultaneous creation I’m choosing not to let it bother me much. But that did result in a chunk of the first act moving slowly and not stimulating me much. Once I did finally engage with the book I found myself fully locked in, save for the times when the spicy scenes just weren’t to my liking.
If all the monsters are your scene, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy this book more than I did. If you’re curious about all the monsters, then give it a try! It’s a good story either way.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
File Under: Dark Fantasy/Romantic Fantasy/Dark Romance/Monster-Shifter Romance/Read at Your Own Risk Romance/Reverse Harem Romance/Spice Level 3/Why Choose Romance ...more
Say what you want, but reading Dana Isaly is never boring and is always a good time. Well, it is for me, at least. She’s a writer who always has sometSay what you want, but reading Dana Isaly is never boring and is always a good time. Well, it is for me, at least. She’s a writer who always has something new to say, a new plot to show us, and new voices to tell us tales. She has yet to write anything redundant or repetitive, and I have yet to see anything from her that she hasn’t put her whole heart into. There hasn’t been one release from her that she hasn’t believed in and hasn’t left a shard of her heart in, and if you know anything of Isaly herself (as a person and an author she has never shied away from sharing her personal struggles and feelings), you can really see how exposed she must have felt while writing “As Above So Below”.
A great deal of Dana’s readers prefer her lighter releases, the spicy and flirty ones that can be gobbled up like really good chocolate while drinking champagne and strawberries. Don’t get me wrong, I love those books too! But not as much as I’ve loved her darker romances: from the Triad series to Into the Dark (which is my favorite of her books). Now we get to add to the darker writings of Dana Isaly with the vulnerable, emotional, vengeful, and terrifically spicy “As Above So Below”.
There’s so much to like about this book: the plot, the characters, the underlying themes, and even the witchy snippet pages placed here and there throughout the book that could almost serve as a small Witch 101 primer (I will use a caveat that there is no one way to practice witchcraft here just because I feel it needs to be said) that I found cute and a unique touch that shows Dana really put a lot of herself into both the research and writing of this book.
As I’ve read some of the early reviews besides mine and I hear a lot of other readers say they need more of Cain. Me? I wish I could’ve had more of this book, personally. That’s my sole complaint about this book, which is funny. A lot of the time I wish books would have been shorter because I feel like the author put in too much filler content and should’ve done a bit more content editing before they released the book. In this case, I kind of thought the book was just a bit rushed. I found myself wanting a bit more time with this plot and this book. I’m not a professional writer, but I found myself reading some scenes where I ended up disappointed because they weren’t longer, or not enough time being spent with supporting characters, or just taking some time to get to know Hell a bit. It’s one of the very few times when I felt very sad that the book ended where it did.
It was a yummy Halloween treat. There’s nothing quite like a vengeful woman with a bone to pick with the patriarchy. I’m here for it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
File Under: Dark Fantasy/Dark Romance and Erotica/Monster-Shifter Romances/Occult Fiction/Paranormal-Supernatural Romance/Spice Level 3 ...more
First thing I absolutely NEED to tell you: The summary of this book that’s up almost everywhere (I haven’t looked at that jacket on my copy, but I assFirst thing I absolutely NEED to tell you: The summary of this book that’s up almost everywhere (I haven’t looked at that jacket on my copy, but I assume it’s there too) not only does a very poor job of summarizing this book, but it’s also very misleading. It also spoils parts of the book in a big way that would have best been left unspoiled until Hannah Whitten saw fit to unveil them in the book.
Second thing I should tell you, in the interest of full disclosure: I’m totally biased in reviewing this book because I’m a total Hannah Whitten fangirl. She’s an auto-buy author for me. I had this book pre-ordered as soon as it was up and requested the ARC the day it went up. She’s one of these forward-thinking female fantasy authors that aren’t always in it for the happy endings or tries to blunt the trauma of her characters. Between her, Ava Reid, and Laura Sebastian, I am a very happy fantasy reader right now (there’s likely more in this class of female fantasy writer right now, but I haven’t had a ton of time to explore as of late).
I knew I was going to love this book from the start because all someone has to do is mention the plot involves poisons and my ears perk up like I’m a dog and someone said “Ball?”. I have a great love of poisons in my plots. Oh, it looks like we’re tacking on some messing with church versus state? Ooooh. Death magic and catacombs! Book as catnip. That’s what this book is.
There’s no denying Whitten’s biggest strength lies in her world-building and magic systems. This book isn’t merely lush–it’s downright decadent, redolent with imagery and prose vivid enough to paint whole scenes inside your mind. Wardrobes bloom with color and movement, magic shimmers and flows through the air, horrors and catastrophes are stark and unflinching against humanity, and insanity is easy to see against mere immorality.
Being the first book, and the magic systems in this book being so ancient, we don’t know everything about it yet, but what Whitten does show us and what she foreshadows and/or implies shows us book one is only the tip of the iceberg, but what an iceberg it is! To explain it all would spoil so much, but I have theories. I think all readers will have their theories. And only more of Whitten’s fabulous books will let us know who is right! *maniacal laugh*
I loved the themes explored in this book: absentee parents, heavy childhood expectations, feeling unworthy and useless as an adult, wanting to run away from heavy responsibilities but knowing you’re the only person who can do what needs to be done, church versus state, socioeconomic inequality, the blinds eyes of privilege, the excesses of the rich, being used due to your own naivete, and trust issues (“I've got issues, you've got 'em too”).
I’m so glad for the worldbuilding, the magic system, the plot, and the strong themes, because the one weak link in this book are the three main characters. I can’t find much fault with Lore, our female protagonist, but I do have issues with her two fellow male protagonists–especially since Whitten spends a great amount of pages in this book building what seems to be a love triangle in this book that may continue on into the next book and I absolutely can’t stand love triangles. Will she step into the shoes of some more progressive and intrepid fantasy writers (see Xiran Jay Xhao’s Iron Widow) and try to embrace polyfidelity or polyamory by the end of the series, or will we readers have to suffer through one or two more books filled with an unnecessary and immature love triangle? I’d like to think Whitten wouldn’t go back to the dark days of painful and immature love triangles.
I absolutely couldn’t put this book down. Terrific, engrossing read that was absolutely the escapism I needed. I need the sequel today.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the author. All views, thoughts, ideas, and opinions herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Fantasy Romance/Dark Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Book Series/LGBTQ Friendly/Epic Fantasy ...more
When I request an ARC there is quite a lag in time between that time (when I first read the summary and it interests me enough to ask for the galley) When I request an ARC there is quite a lag in time between that time (when I first read the summary and it interests me enough to ask for the galley) and when I go to read the book. Sometimes it’s six months or more. So when I went to read The Insatiable Volt Sisters, I didn’t remember much about this book’s summary other than it involved two sisters, a big house, and it was something involving paranormal and weird stuff.
This book is sneaky. At first, it has this feel of being magical realism literary fiction written in some of the (simultaneously) loveliest and most visceral prose I’ve read in some time with a whisper of gothic ghost story woven gently in. Don’t be fooled. This book quickly takes a turn for the paranormal and horrific, while still managing to have that visceral, sometimes violent, often vividly descriptive, and somehow always beautiful prose.
Honestly, I don’t know how Moulton wrote this book without summoning demons and muses at the same time, because writing a book that manages to be both heartbreaking and emotionally moving but angry and terrifying is some kind of genius writing magic. Her sentence composition and structure is the definition of perfection for this type of novel, and her copious use of the five senses adds to the surreal experience of spending time with Quarry Hollow (the Volt family home) Fowler Island (on which Quarry Hollow sits) and the quarry itself (one of the main characters in the story, even if it is a location and not a person).
Honestly, I don’t want to talk about the plot, because I feel like doing so will not only spoil the book, but it’ll spoil the experience of reading the book for anyone who wishes to read it. I kind of think this book is best enjoyed blind (though I will TW for an animal death late in the book, though it isn’t violent, in my opinion). There are a great many other topics in this book that another reviewer might give TW or CWs for, but I don’t give TW or CWs save for animal deaths, so you might want to look at some other reviews and see if another reviewer has listed comprehensive TWs or CWs. As always, be aware of your own mental thresholds while reading and don’t be afraid to stop if you need to stop. Your mental health is always more important than completing a book.
Honestly, this book has sent me reeling, and it’s resonating in my brain. I haven’t yet managed to tease out all the themes, to set them apart and figure out how Moulton managed to braid the strands together into this paranormal symphony. I’m still in the book with the characters, thinking about all of them, their roles in the story, and how they all fit in. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for this story to leave my brain, but I hope it takes a while. The best stories stick with you.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All ideas, thoughts, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I missed out on Lauren Blackwood’s debut novel from last year, Within These Wicked Walls, and I’m really regretting that right now as I sit here and dI missed out on Lauren Blackwood’s debut novel from last year, Within These Wicked Walls, and I’m really regretting that right now as I sit here and digest Wildblood, because it took all of maybe two pages for her to wrap me around her finger with some of the most striking and lovely prose I’ve read in this genre in months, and then I was completely swallowed by the intense characterizations and intricate worldbuilding before I had even hit 5% into the book. I don’t know what to call Lauren Blackwood but some sort of dark fantasy enchantress who knows her mission, researches the heck out of it, and then sits down and somehow comes out the other end with intense tales of adventure, love, horror, evil, friendship, and self-discovery set in times past whose morals and other lessons could be applied to current times and not just to the times in which the books are set (in this case it seems to be Jamaica in the early 1900s).
Yes, I do have some complaints about this book: I didn’t like Dean and felt let down by the resolution to his part in the story. I also can both recognize the need (through the time period and where he comes from) for Thorn to be a Christian and to be vocal about it without being thrilled by it. I felt his psalms and prayers took up space in the book that could’ve been used elsewhere. I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority in this opinion. I also wasn’t happy with Blackwood’s decision to not have Victoria contemplate at any point in time what it would mean to leave the compound and go out into a world she’s never been in. She never asked any questions about what it was like out there, or what she would do, or if she would have to wear certain clothing. There were scenes that would’ve allowed for this kind of small talk and intimate conversation between her and Thorn, but it never happened. I don’t know if that’s because Blackwood meant for Victoria to not think about those things because of one reason or another, but by the time I got to the resolution of the book, I found myself facepalming a little because Thorn should have put some thought into matters. Then again, he seems the impulsive type.
The worldbuilding, the setting, the magic, the mythology, the folklore…it all added up to make this book so entrancing at times. If you add in Blackwood’s lovely prose, her ability to tap into her character’s inner narratives and emotions, and her ability to draw from the history her world is built on, it all makes for a bright, emotional, adventurous, fantastical read. I loved it.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the author. All views and opinions expressed in this review are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Reads/Coming of Age/Folklore/Fantasy Romance/Historical Fantasy/Myth/Standalone/Dark Fantasy ...more
I love stories about the dark side of academia; and this bleak, twisted novella is almost wholly a pessimistic and cynical diatribe that rails againstI love stories about the dark side of academia; and this bleak, twisted novella is almost wholly a pessimistic and cynical diatribe that rails against higher education in the United States and the UK, at professors on both sides of the pond, and at the manner in which female students are treated in educational institutions around the world. This haunting and emotionally detached novella wraps its melancholy story in an intriguing and page-turning story of a female doctoral student forced to go to Europe to study under a temperamental and formerly brilliant professor after she’s blacklisted by her former advisor and mentor at every academic institution in the US. And professors in magic aren’t a dime a dozen, especially when they’re doing the level of work she’s doing. She’s working with using magic to ease anxiety in the hopes of eventually using her magic to help with all mental health matters she can. But not everyone can see the point, and not everyone can see the benefit, and not everyone thinks it’s an ethical thing to do. Doctor Gorski thinks she’s ridiculous but she’s certainly welcome to try. Too bad there’s nothing good of him left.
What I liked best about this novella, as I do with most novellas, is the author’s ability to cram so much story into less than 200 words. And wow–it’s a whole lotta story! Sometimes I read a novella and wish it was a full-length novel; at other times, I read them and they’re just like this one: perfectly suited to being a novella. It needs no more and it needs no less. To read a full-length novel of this heavy, somber, sometimes toxic subject material would likely be just too much.
The story construction is well-planned and well-written, with excellent pacing. The characters vary in tone from emotionally detached to emotionally volatile, yet all of them are human and need human things (even if they are wont to admit it). Their magic is an expression of who they are, what they need, and how they express themselves. Everything else about these people is simply window dressing, or maybe just wrapping paper.
Fellman certainly has a way with atmosphere: if he wants you to feel claustrophobic, you will feel claustrophobic. If he wants you to feel anxious, that’s what you’ll feel. It’s a mix of evocative imagery and tension in the writing, but also of immersion or deprivation of the senses.
This novella is truly worth reading just for the experience alone, but also worth a read for the themes of how academia really is a dark place where the rules of ethics get bent all the time… if you’re a white male.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Even though I own two other Chloe Gong titles, this is the first Chloe Gong novel I’ve read (I know, I know, but I haven’t had time to read the other Even though I own two other Chloe Gong titles, this is the first Chloe Gong novel I’ve read (I know, I know, but I haven’t had time to read the other series yet!). Ever since I saw the cover for Immortal Longings I’ve wanted to read it, because yes I am a sucker for a good black and gold cover. (I do occasionally suffer from Ooh Shiny Book Cover Syndrome).
I’ve come to realize that Chloe Gong is a virtuoso at worldbuilding, an artist when it comes to plot, and a torturer when it comes to romance.
I simply love the intricacies that make up the plot of Immortal Longings. I was never bored with this story and I never felt like I was ahead of the game and just waiting for the story to catch up with what I already knew was going to happen. I loved that thrill of reading a story where I truly didn’t know what was going to happen on the next page. Chloe Gong makes it all very interesting to get lost in, too, with the intrigues of court politics, the mysteries of royal identities and revolutionary plots, the grisly bloodletting of the games, and the magical phenomenon known as jumping.
The love story was a little wobbly for me. If that’s not a term anyone’s using for romantic plots, then I’m making it one. I just felt like it wasn’t as solid as it could have been. For as slow of a burn as the romance between Calla and Anton is in this book, the flames grow in intensity very quickly and it doesn’t feel as organic as I’d like. There doesn’t feel like there’s a very solid foundation. So when it comes close to the end of the book it felt harder for me to hold onto that romance.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed it a great deal and am eagerly anticipating the next installment, because that ending killed me!
All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Dark Fantasy/Dystopic/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/Urban Fantasy ...more
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