Cute and cozy, but both the books in this series have failed to really sell me on the romance. There's just like zero tension. Like they're fun concepCute and cozy, but both the books in this series have failed to really sell me on the romance. There's just like zero tension. Like they're fun concepts, but neither the plot or the characters feel fleshed out enough for the story to be satisfying.
(view spoiler)[Also he was a dragon and I feel like we did not explore this enough. It's totally brushed over like "oh yeah I got turned into an elf so the evil Ice Giants wouldn't hunt me down anymore" and then nothing else. She has a PET dragon!! Like imagine you're dating a man and he tells you he used to be a horse and then you just never get into it any deeper than that. I'm not even judging, I just feel like it warranted a more thorough conversation lmao. (hide spoiler)]...more
The Phoenix Keeper follows Aila, a socially awkward but very passionate zookeeper at the San Tamculo Zoo. Aila's lifelong dream has been to help the cThe Phoenix Keeper follows Aila, a socially awkward but very passionate zookeeper at the San Tamculo Zoo. Aila's lifelong dream has been to help the critically endangered Silimalo phoenix population make a comeback, and now that she's head phoenix keeper at her zoo, her dream has never been closer. But the zoo's breeding program hasn't been active in years, and every time Aila requests a male Phoenix to pair with the zoo's female, Rubra, she gets denied.
When a clutch of eggs at another zoo is stolen by poachers, Aila is desperate to do whatever she can in order to save her beloved birds. But in order to do that, she must conquer her crippling social anxiety and enlist in the help of her fellow zookeepers, including her nemesis - the (annoyingly) beautiful and talented Luciana.
If you like a cozy read with some stakes, this is it! The Phoenix Keeper is a bit slow to start as we follow Aila in her daily tasks as a zookeeper and getting to know her magical charges, but the threat to the Silimalo phoenixes feels very real throughout the book and results in an exciting climax.
My only complaint is that I wish the romance had more time to develop. The two spend a lot of time on page with one another, but the romance aspect really only exists in the last quarter of the book or so. I understand this is due to plot reasons, but it ended up feeling a bit rushed. I did think their dynamic was cute though, and I was rooting for them the whole time.
Aila is also a sometimes frustrating protagonist. I had a similar complaint about The Spellshop, both MCs are shy and awkward to the point of being absolute assholes to people at times, and that never fails to make me cringe. That said, she does experience a good deal of character growth, which I appreciated.
Despite a slow start, I had a good time with this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC!...more
I admit that I can be a bit side-eye-y (that's definitely a word) about novels that used to be fanfiction. I absolutely lMan, Julie Soto just gets it.
I admit that I can be a bit side-eye-y (that's definitely a word) about novels that used to be fanfiction. I absolutely love fanfiction, but the nature of it doesn't always require the author to do the proper character development and world building that an original work demands, and ultimately it can end up feeling a bit empty when it's repackaged for traditional publication. Obviously, contemporary romances that started life as AU fanfic doesn't run into this problem quite as much, but I've picked up my fair share that have nonetheless let me down.
Not Another Love Song did not let me down.
Something that fanfic authors understand like nobody else is the absolutely delicacy that is a glacial slow-burn. Give me 10,000 words before the characters even brush hands, I BEG of you. The payoff is absolutely delicious when tension has been allowed to build up for a stupid long amount of time. And while a novel definitely does not have that kind of allowance to torture its reader, Julie Soto somehow managed to marry the feeling of a slow-burn fanfic with the length of a traditionally published romance. I'm honestly amazed at how invested I was in these characters and their chemistry.
Alex and Gwen were on fire in this book. Every stare was loaded with emotion, every duet was dripping with longing. It was incredible. I don't have a musical bone in my body, but I understood everything Soto was doing with these characters and their relationship to one another through their music. I'll never look at a cello the same way again lol.
Absolutely loved this couple, loved the story, loved everything about this book. I already can't wait to re-read it.
Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!...more
Fiasco follows lone wolf bounty hunter Cyn Khaw as she attempts to track down a serial killer known as the Abyssal Abductor. She's been investigating Fiasco follows lone wolf bounty hunter Cyn Khaw as she attempts to track down a serial killer known as the Abyssal Abductor. She's been investigating him for her entire career, but a hot new lead from a powerful Family has Cyn teaming up with the crew of the Calamity in order to track him down and save his most recent victim. Unfortunately for Cyn, the trail leads right back to her home planet, which she's been pointedly avoiding since her own cousin was kidnapped and killed by the Abductor years ago.
I enjoyed our protagonist Cyn quite a bit. Watching her confront her past trauma and grow to trust again was a great journey. The mystery was fun, even if a bit obvious, and the crew of the Calamity is always a joy to follow.
My main issue with Fiasco is, unfortunately, the romance. With everything else happening, it felt like our love interest Micah was firmly situated on the back-burner. As a result, there just wasn't much chemistry between him and Cyn. He spends the majority of this story just kinda hanging around and keeping an eye on her, and it's been long enough since I read the first installment in the series that the memory of them initially meeting has faded, so there's not much of foundation for their relationship to be found here. It all ends up feeling very insta-lovey, made even worse by the fact that Micah has no time to develop as his own character. I remember him having a bit of an amusing temper in Calamity, but in the book where he's meant to shine, his only notable characteristics seem to be his nice arms and being a protective medic. There's very little banter between him and Cyn in order for us to get to know him better, which is disappointing.
Overall, this was a fun and steamy sci-fi romp, which is always a good time, but I wish the romance had been able to develop more. The first book balanced the space shenanigans with the romance so well that this one just felt a bit lackluster in comparison. That said, the universe and cast of characters is still a lot of fun and I plan to continue to pick them up as Constance Fay puts them out.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for the e-ARC!...more
Nothing terribly new if you've taken any sort of Classics class or even read Percy Jackson, but it was a fun feminist overview on the Greek Goddesses.Nothing terribly new if you've taken any sort of Classics class or even read Percy Jackson, but it was a fun feminist overview on the Greek Goddesses. Natalie Haynes' writing and narrating injected sharp humor and surprising tenderness into the stories of these larger than life figures.
The audiobook was fabulous, and I'm excited to explore more of Haynes' back list!...more
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