Book Review: The Fire Thief (The Fire Thief #1)

The Fire Thief
Erin St. Pierre and Gwynn White
5/5

Overview

I surprisingly loved this book and I'm shocked that more people aren't into it. I know that fae are all the rage these days, so maybe it should be advertised as more of a fae thing? It felt a lot like Throne of Glass before all the confusion that made me stop reading that series, so I think it has a lot of potential. Basically, Stasha is an orphan controlled by a psycho religion, works for way below minimum wage and has to make extra income via betting and fighting in a pit. The fae are introduced, she tries to reject them and finds it unavoidable, but she sticks to her morals and never gives up on her friends.

Stasha is the perfect heroine to me, she's smart, she's strong, and she knows her weaknesses. YA/NA books (I don't know which this falls under if either) tend to have their "feisty heroine" fall onto some spectrum of stupid yet special. Stasha makes some stupid choices, but she redeems herself in my eyes and I can't wait to see where her powers go and who she becomes. Also Boadicea??? I love the history of Boudicca, and a super strong Queen like Boadicea is my favorite kind of character.

(Spoiler) I spent the entire book thinking that Klaus would be dying for character growth on her part. I hate it when books fall to this cliche, it's understandable and I can see how easy it is, but I'm looking forward to who he becomes as a character as well. I love their friendship and I really hope that Stasha doesn't end up being roasted by Boa or Averin. (End Spoiler)

The romance is kind of a slow-burn thing, it hasn't culminated yet. There's obvious chemistry (his literal words) between Averin and Stasha, which you expect from the description, but there are also little warning signs that might implode in the next book. For now though, it's clean and cute and hopefully wholesome.

Would I Recommend?

Yes! It's an amazing find on Kindle Unlimited, well-written and well-structured. There are obviously flaws in the progression that I might find a problem with in a more popular and mainstream series, but it's the first book in a series and has a lot of potential. Can't wait to read the sequel!

Book Review: A Thief in Farshore (The Farshore Chronicles #1)

A Thief in Farshore
Justin Fike
3/5

Overview

I love finding books that have barely any reviews, feels like a treasure hunt on Kindle Unlimited. This book is about Charity, an orphan who's been living by herself on the streets for years. As penance for a crime which we never really learn anything about, she is sentenced to ten years of hard labor. Obviously, she's too headstrong to be anyone's slave, so she gets moved to the fighting pits.

The whole battle arena thing just had me thinking of Kill the Queen, just not as detailed, but it wasn't poorly written. Kindle Unlimited has a lot of those eh books where you're like it's ok, but it's nothing special. I think this book probably falls under that. I would have probably been more into it if we had more details of her backstory, or of anyone's backstory. As it stood, it was just extremely short and felt like all about a couple of battles. Also, the description said romance, but I've yet to see even a hint of it. There may have been a little tiny bit of build-up, only if you squint.

I did love Sheska though, I'm super excited to see where the whole Ko'koan bond thing will go. I love unique little relationships like that because they feel so genuine. Especially with crazy characters like Sheska, and I just want Charity to have friends.

Would I Recommend?

It's only like one hundred pages, and it has some cool parts. I'd recommend it because I hope that the series will pick up and we'll get some more information. I also think there are some cool battle scenes and I'm always here for a heroine who teaches herself to fight.

Book Review: Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1)

Spin the Dawn
Elizabeth Lim
5/5

Overview

Let me start by saying that this book is advertised as a crossover between Project Runway and Mulan, on that basis I don't really think there's any way I couldn't like it. I was like how could you possibly mix the two, Elizabeth Lim did that though. Maia has three brothers, but she's the only one talented enough to even consider taking care of the business. She has been studying her whole life, though tailor is not a career offered to women. When the emperor demands her father or brother's presence, she takes their place to bring honor and wealth to her struggling family. She has to compete against ruthless tailors who don't even know her gender, she has to impress a foreign princess, it's fighting without combat.

That's just the first half of the book too, we get to see so much more in her quest for the ingredients to create three mythic dresses. I love Maia because she's traversing the country and dying of heat stroke and demons, but the whole time she's also working on the bases of these three dresses. There's a strength and fortitude to her character that feels entirely genuine and I love it.

The romance is equally amazing! I feel like it's hard to create romance in a book with such obvious quests, because I want the heroine to finish the quest and the romance feels distracting and irrelevant. Not here, the romance is perfect in every way. They care for each other, neither of them are too stuck-up to admit it. He cares about her father's opinion of him despite his role as an all powerful enchanter, that just felt so cute and perfect to me. I'm really trying not to spoil anything, there were so many great surprises in this book. It's a beautiful blend of cultures, you see shoutouts to a few fairy tales and myths and it's just so original.

Would I Recommend?

100 percent for sure. I was recommending it to people before I even finished it, there's just so much to love about this book. I don't know how I'm going to last until the sequel comes out I literally can't wait. Believe the hype about this book because it completely deserves it.

Book Review: Born in Fire (Fire and Ice Trilogy #1)

Born in Fire
K.F. Breene
2/5

Overview

I don't really do the 0.5 stars thing, but I feel like I would have given this one 2.5 stars. I know a lot of people like it so I was looking forward to liking it so I just disappointed myself. It felt half-baked, like a knock-off of a million things already out there. The romance felt forced, I love sarcasm and puns and characters that think they're cool but not when it's being shoved down my throat.

The main vampire dude wasn't really interesting to me in anyway. Again, overused idea with the cooler than cool doesn't care about anyone cliche like I'm all for cliches, this just wasn't it. I get the appeal of it as a paranormal book, I love urban paranormal books like this but there should definitely be something to distinguish it from every other urban fantasy book.

Her lineage was hyped up the entire book I swear to god, I feel like I finished it just to know who her stupid dad was. It sounded cool, I guess it all adds up, it just felt like it fizzled out. All the sudden, everyone knew and no one cared. I guess that's something that could get better in the next books? I don't know I feel like I know how the whole series will pan out before even opening it.

Would I Recommend?

Eh. It was an in-between book I read on the bus, like not great but not terrible. It isn't anything that will change your life or keep you up at night, but there are some fun parts. I don't know if I'll read the whole trilogy, I guess we'll see how bored I get.

Book Review: Savage One (Born Wild #2)

Savage One
Donna Augustine
4/5

Overview

Honestly, I thought this book was better than the first. The major problem for me though was pacing. We have this big villain, the Magician, who was tormenting the characters at the end of the last book, and he's like not that big a deal. We get a new villain immediately, so that felt a little too quick on the switch. The whole time I thought this was going to be a trilogy, so I was ok with the way things were moving. The romance was a bit too slow for me, I was so sick of all the arguing- we already spent an entire book on that so why are we still going. It felt with every step forward she took ten steps back. I can understand how that would happen, the last six years or whatever haven't been great to her, but Callon is equally annoying about it. I'm all for characters that are protective of each other, but they should act like they actually like each other? I need at least a couple of sappy monologues and love professions before I'll deal with that.

Teddy's parentage is brought up, kind of glossed over as well. Again, felt like it was a trilogy so I was ok with it until the end when I realized that this is a duology. Just felt slow at some points and then bam extremely rushed. I loved the characters and I loved the plot, I just wish the events had been spread out a little better. Especially when, (spoiler), he was all over her at the end about how he should have protected her and her father was all roasting him about it. You guys are just jumping straight into that? A lot of build up for a lot of what felt like instant gratification.

Feels like I went a little too hard on the roasts, but I actually do genuinely enjoy the plot and characters which is why I gave it four stars. I feel like there was a lot that Augustine could have expanded on, but it's perfectly acceptable for her to draw the line and decide to end it rather than keep it going unnecessarily long.

Would I Recommend?

For sure! It was a great sequel, most things were tied up, and we had great closure for Teddy and Callon. I'm happy I finished the duology, and I look forward to what Donna Augustine does in the future.

Book Review: Wild One (Born Wild #1)

Wild One
Donna Augustine
4/5

Overview

I actually really liked this book, and I'm writing this review already having read the sequel so I'm a little biased, but I think it had a lot of great world-building. This book is part of another universe, the original series giving more context to the whole Plaguer thing and the apocalypse that took the world down, but it's not really required to read that series to understand this one.

The girl, Teddy, which feels like a weird name to give someone who was purchased to be a slave but that's none of my business, has been beaten for years and has kind of lost hope. She has the ability to see the deaths of other people, doesn't seem like a super helpful skill, but it earns her captivity. I appreciated that her struggles persisted throughout the entirety of the novel, her scars are more obviously mental than they are physical.

The romance is minor in this book, it actually annoyed me how roundabout it was. They spend so long arguing with each other about it that I just get bored of it. I think that I mainly couldn't give this book five stars because of how long Teddy spent talking about how horrible of a person she is, how hard her life was, how she'd never be a good person. I get it, like I said I do appreciate the persistence of her mental instability, but at times it just felt too overdone.

Would I Recommend?

Yeah, it's honestly a really good read. It's on Kindle Unlimited, so you have easy access to it. It's pretty short, so you get to the points pretty quickly and yet you still feel satisfied. It's a great opening book, especially because it really makes you want to see the romance work out. I don't read a ton of sci-fi because I feel like the whole dystopian thing has been kind of overdone, but this one is more fantasy than dystopia despite it being post-apocalyptic.

Book Review: Trial by Fae (Dragon's Gift: The Dark Fae #1)

Trial by Fae
Linsey Hall
3/5

Overview

Interesting but convenient. That sums up everything that happens in this book pretty well. Like that's pretty much the definition of Mari's powers, she cuts her finger and bam she can have any magic that she wants in the world. I think that's a little bit unfair, I don't like it when characters feel so omnipotent, but it didn't make the book unreadable like it does with a lot of other books.
Her romance with the Fae king is also pretty convenient and surface level, we haven't seen a lot of communications between the two that make it feel like anything deeper than infatuation. I liked the idea of a competition, but again it ended too conveniently and too quickly. I do like paranormal books like this when there's a ton of magical creatures which have their own places in society. Like I know that the series that Mari was initially featured in had similar themes, maybe I'm not feeling the depth of the characters because I haven't read that series. I don't think it's a requirement to read the other series though, so I think there should've been a little bit more to this as it's the first novel in Mari's perspective.

Would I Recommend?

It's short and it has potential, I'd recommend it for that. If you like super complex plot lines, like more like high fantasy stuff, this isn't really going to be what you're looking for. I hope that the next book goes deeper into Mari's parentage and everything, we'll see if it's a series worth reading.

Book Review: Cinder & the Prince of Midnight (Midnight Tales #1)

Cinder & the Prince of Midnight
Susan EE

Overview

I love fairy tale rewrites, unfortunately, this one wasn't great. It definitely had potential, an evil king who controls his sons and his people, brainwashing them into thinking his kingdom is the best they're going to get. Cinder training to fight back, to save the abused women of the kingdom, sold into monthly slavery. It fell flat though, we never even meet this feared king, the ending felt like giving up.
A lot of the book moved very slowly, then we had a two year time jump in the middle, and then the ending just was there. Like I said, the story lines had a lot of potential, there were a few conflicts that weren't ever even fully addressed. The parts at the end that were actually concluded didn't even feel as though they fully did so. I honestly still can't even understand what happened at the end, it was just so weird and random and not fitting that I feel bad even giving the book two stars.

Would I Recommend?

No not really. There are a lot of better variations out there, though the originality of the plot is pretty good, the ending and overall execution leave a lot to be desired. It's super short though so that's a plus, I just don't think it's even worth the small time investment it required.

Book Review: Sorcery of Thorns

Sorcery of Thorns
Margaret Rogerson
4/5

Overview

When I saw this book on the list of new releases, I immediately thought it was going to be a SJM knock-off. I saw this one before I read Enchantment of Ravens last week, but they both had such high reviews that I figured I'd try them. This one was a lot better than I thought it would be, I've had some bad experiences with books on sorcery since I think it's so easy to get confused about what's good and what's evil, this book had it all though. I have a lot to say about this book because this book had a lot of feels and most of them were good feels.

I kind of feel like I should have given it five stars, but I also felt like I couldn't just because it was so cliche and didn't shock me at all. The chaotic female lead and the sarcastic male lead, it's been done a million times. They're both orphans, typical, and in a lot of ways it just felt very stagnant. What saved it for me was probably Silas and the relationships that formed there. It was just so cute and genuine to see such a positive platonic relationship, and with a demon of all things. He was funny and I loved him and his role in the book. I also think that the relationships between sorcerers and their demons was interesting to see, a little more original than the rest of what was going on.

The libraries! I loved that, like who doesn't love an enchanted library with books straight out of Harry Potter. I wish they explored more about her powers and her abilities and everything about the library, just because I feel like that was the most original setting of the book and had the most potential. I didn't like all of the slow parts when I was just confused as to what was going on. I feel like the fight peaked, then it peaked again, and again, before the villain was actually taken out. So I felt like I spent the final quarter of the book anticipating the ending and then just felt like it was going on too long. But the ending was still great, mostly because I loved Silas and think that he played an amazing role in it.

I know it ends on a little cliffhanger, but I feel like this book is a perfect standalone. When I really like a couple, like I did for Nathaniel and Elisabeth, it's hard for me to want it to end. Here though, everything was well addressed and tied up without it becoming too extra. Though if there was another book written I can't say I wouldn't read it.

Would I Recommend?

Yes! Even if it wasn't super original, it was a super fun read with a lot of great dialogue and some great characters. I think that if I read it again and was anticipating how long the fight scenes were going to last, I would definitely give it five stars. Just try not to compare it to ACOTAR when you're reading it despite the cover similarities, it really isn't even similar at all. Hope to see more great books from Margaret Rogerson!

Book Review: King of Flames (The Masks of Under #1)

King of Flames
Kathryn Ann Kingsley
3/5

Overview

King of Flames is a paranormal/fantasy book about aliens or maybe more of a Stranger Things like parallel dimension description is more accurate. First off, labeling it as a romance is wrong. There isn't any romance in this book, there's just possible build-up to it which could go any of three ways, since there's the one female main character and three guys currently possibly interested in her. I think one of my issues with the book was that it was so short and so many things were introduced and touched on but not really established? A lot was going on but at the same time, a lot wasn't going on. I know Lydia thinks of Nick as a good friend, but we don't see a whole lot of interaction, same with Aon and King Edu. They're all just there and have fights over stuff that doesn't make a lot of sense to the reader. Plus there's the possibility of a love triangle or something, and I'm just not interested in that sort of thing so I didn't really like how it went against the description of the book.

I think that's mostly why I was so bored the whole book. I was expecting some great interactions between Lydia and King Edu, or at least for him to care about her at all. It just felt more sadistic than what I like to read. I'm all for an emo lead character, but it's different when they're emo and passive about the character that should have been their love interest.

Would I Recommend?

I gave it three stars, but like I don't think I have the commitment to read the rest of the series. Shorter books like this that come out in rapid succession have to grab my interest, there should at least be a couple that I want to get behind and see more of. I would like to see where Lydia's whole power transformation goes, but I think it's going too slowly for me to want to read four books, and there are a lot of weirder and "darker" elements that I'm not really interested in. So I don't think it's the best series for me to get involved in or recommend.

Book Review: Silevethiel (The Vaelinel Trilogy #1)

Silevethiel
Andi O'Connor
3/5

Overview

Silevethiel is a novel about a girl struggling to deal with the death of her father and the implications of her heritage. The description could be any one of a huge number of novels written on the same premise. It had some unique plot elements with the protector-guardian idea and the diversity of the different types of elves, and overall it was much better than the cover makes it look. There was definitely room for growth, with the characters and the writing, but I feel like it was a pretty decent starting point for a series.

The biggest mistake I saw with the plot progression is something I see a lot with lesser-known books, one of the main characters was constantly getting injured. I love a good character injury, but when it happens three times in a row all in such a short book, it feels repetitive and cheap. Irewen and Laegon take turns being unconscious, or wounded, or lost in peril. I do appreciate that O'Connor didn't place all the injuries on the female protagonist, there just needs to be more plot motivated by events aside from injury.

Would I Recommend?

Like I said, a lot better than the cover makes it seem. There's potential with the universe and the plot for it to be much more exciting, almost high fantasy with a romance not all centered around love-at-first-sight. I think it's short and easy to get through, worth at least trying.

Book Review: The Winter Ghosts

The Winter Ghosts
Kate Mosse
2/5

Overview

The problem I had with this book is that nothing set it apart from any other book. Like, I can't even really put it any specific genre because it was just so bland and didn't feel like it committed to any genre. I guess it was romance, he said he loved the girl but he didn't even know her so I didn't really feel good about it? I guess it was paranormal but also it was so short and so peripheral that I didn't get any of the chills that I usually get with novels about ghosts.

I thought for a bit that we were going to get some Pedro Paramo type plot where we reconsider everything we thought we knew, but for paranormal it was extremely straight forward. I'm talking extremely straight forward. Like one character told another to find something, they immediately found it right where the other character said it would be. It wasn't a mystery, it wasn't some great conspiracy, it was just direct and to the point.

Would I Recommend?

I got the book for fifty cents at a used bookstore, so for a fifty-cent book it was okay. In all other aspects, I wouldn't recommend it to fans of romance, or mystery, or paranormal, so I don't really know who would be interested in it. It had some points where I was kind of interested, so it wasn't a one-star book, but it isn't something I'd really be interested in ever reading again and I'll probably forget it considering none of the characters were distinct in anyway.

Book Review: An Enchantment of Ravens

An Enchantment of Ravens
Margaret Rogerson
3/5

Overview

I'm super biased and I tend to rate books heavily on how much I like the ending, and the ending of this book just left me confused. This book came out a couple of years ago, a lot of people compared it to SJM and ACOTAR, but honestly just cause it's fey doesn't mean it's SJM. The fey in this book felt a lot closer to The Iron Fey to me, like less emotion and more involved with their blatant lack of emotion.

It was cute though, not a lot of explanations on the magic and much more all about the tragedy of forbidden love. That's something interesting and entertaining in itself, but I would have preferred if I had been given a more thorough explanation of the universe. It may not have been the most original plot yet there was a refreshing honesty to the characters. Like the fact that the main characters had a whole scene where they discussed her zit was pretty fun to me. I liked that it wasn't instant love, there wasn't a lot of superfluous declarations of love and loyalty, and there were many points in which they questioned the reality of their situation. In those respects, Rogerson gave us a pretty crisp and beautiful love story.

Questions (Spoilers!)

The ending? I'm confused, she's the queen now but she isn't fey? That felt super rushed and just not very well explained, it would probably work better if there had been a couple more chapters. I don't like it when epilogues are like five minutes later, especially when the matter of their marriage and subsequent secession is just now unaddressed. This book had the potential, at least from my perspective, to have a higher rating if these things had been fully addressed. I love a good standalone, it makes it much easier to stay involved until the end, however I also prefer that the standalone answers the most relevant questions. If I missed it, let me know, but I think it's just supposed to be implied?

Would I Recommend?

It's cute, it's short, it's a standalone. I wasn't super invested in it, the characters weren't especially unique or striking to me and I felt like the ending was obvious. If you like drama and being on the edge of your seat worrying about your OTP, this probably isn't the book for you. If you want to see a cute perspective on the fey with a cut and dry romance, this would be a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Book Review: The Traitor's Kingdom (The Traitor Circle #3)

The Traitor's Kingdom
Erin Beaty
5/5

Overview

This book was so hard for me to finish, not because it was bad or DNF in any way, but because I love the universe and the main characters so much. When I first started this series last year, I couldn't believe that I had never heard of it before. Looking at the series from the beginning to the end, it's unbelievable that it could be so cohesive yet simultaneously, such divergence from the original content. The character growth is also insane, Sage from the first book to now is almost completely different and yet she maintained the strength and integrity which made me originally love her so much. Also, props to Beaty for going so hard on the whole Sage-thing, her name matching so many color and prop elements.

A lot of books use conflicts with foreign nations and wars and treachery to define their plots. This book defines the politics of the situation a lot more than any other book that I've ever read in Young Adult. Like they attend peace debates, but it's not all boring peace talks, it's intrigue and secrecy and combat, exciting yet realistic. I hate it when books get straight to the fighting without even considering the implications. Not to say that there is a lack of action in this series, we all remember the battle which ended the second book, and Sage and Alex continue to deal with the implications of that battle throughout this novel. Character death exists in this series, but it means something to the characters and it continues to be central to the plot.

The romance in this universe is some of my favorite of all time. The original premise of the series is the whole concept of matchmakers, but not like ok this person will be with that person because it'll strengthen everyone politically, there's an intense network of matchmakers who watch the girls and boys from every point in their lives and then decides who makes the best political and emotional match. Horrible people get horrible matches if the matchmakers are involved, or no matches at all, and there's a justice in that which perpetuates through the series. Though there is inequality with the treatment of women in this system, and that continues to be a subtopic which is addressed through each book. I do appreciate the strength which women are given that you don't often see in fantasy novels with regency elements like this one. And ultimately with the main romance, Alex and Sage matched themselves together, they grew together, they come together when they both felt that it was the right thing to do.

The ending was perfect! I loved every part of it and I'm so happy that everyone got what they deserved in the end. Though, I will say that I didn't really like Lani and Clare in this book that much. I feel like they were pettier than they could have been, I understand their perspectives but I also believe that in times of such high stress, they could have been a little more accommodating. I don't like the ending for Clare, I don't think I would want that in my country, I'll accept it though.

Would I Recommend?

100 percent! In my opinion, this is one of the best YA series out there. It's not built on two characters alone, yet it still has that individualized element that makes you fall in love with them. I'm sad that this is the ending, but I am so beyond satisfied with everything that has happened. Sage and Alex will always hold a special place in my heart. Also, all the covers are so aesthetic that you could honestly just read it for that.

Book Review: The Dragon Sickness (Alveria Dragon Akademy #2)

The Dragon Sickness
Ava Richardson
3/5

Overview

The Dragon Sickness is the sequel book to The Dragon Tamer where we learn more about the lives of Prince Lasaro, a royal dragon, and Kaelan Young, his peasant dragon tamer and the daughter of one of the most infamous dragons of all time. It exists in a universe where dragons are the only ones who can lead, and there are strong class distinctions in the dragon world between those who can take their full dragon form and those with only minimal dragon powers. These abilities are questionably linked to heritage, considering the one with the most dragon blood isn't even a dragon, but ultimately there are huge moral dilemmas surrounding how to protect the tamers and how to protect the all-human peasant population with the impending war.

I love dragons, but it's kind of annoying how mistreated the dragon tamers are in this series. Kaelan saves the whole country for the second time in a year in this book, and she's still relegated to the role of dragon lackey. It feels like there have been absolutely no reasoning given as to why the dragons should be in charge of everything, they haven't exhibited any moral, mental, or physical superiority. There is no love for the dragons in the general population of the country, the politics of this book are muddled at best.

The romance between the two main characters is also a little muddled, they hold each other back. I want to like them, but I can't feel it when they're so problematic and even their high moments feel kind of pushed. Love-at-first-sight never feels super authentic to me, and I get that they have history and stuff now, but I feel like I actually want a time-jump because I'm really not feeling anything with it.

Would I Recommend?

In a lot of ways, it's better than The Dragon Tamer yet simultaneously, there are a lot of places that I want more. It's a short read though, so if you love dragons like I do then it's pretty good.

Book Review: Fortune Favors the Cruel (Dark Maji #1)

Fortune Favors the Cruel
Lucy Smoke and Kel Carpenter
5/5

Overview

Fortune Favors the Cruel is a fantasy novel featuring Quinn, a dark nightmare edgelord, and Lazarus, a similarly dark nightmare edgelord. It felt very Young Elites except like more adult, character with a dark power that she's afraid to totally embrace but ends up embracing anyways. I know that's overused but I love it so I was honestly loving it from the beginning because I love an overpowered female protagonist.

I don't want to spoil too much, but I feel like this book mostly deserves five-stars for how hidden yet well-written it is. I have a bad feeling about book series that get released all in one year (even though I read them like crazy) and I'm not blind to the grammatical issues and the plot-holes that usually accompany them. This one though, I felt like it had a lot more depth than there usually is. And for once, the main character wasn't being completely stupid. Quinn had a Throne of Glass vibe but like without the constant rebellion that just countered the plot, she actually knew when it was best to just go along with things. That's honestly one of the most commendable attributes in a character for me considering the recent trend in trying to create the perfect edgy strong-girl. I feel like I like more realism, and the more realistic survivalist would know when to back down despite of their own pride.

Not to say that Quinn wasn't a strong female character, her powers are shaping up to be pretty amazing. I loved everything about her, she controlled fear completely and she isn't even completely powered-up yet. Lazarus was pretty cool too, I could support him for most of his decisions. One thing I would recommend less of though would be the whole ellipsis thing, I was so sick of the "...she couldn't be!" thing. He was a little too broody, but what can you expect from such an edgelord.

Would I Recommend?

Yeah! It was a super short read, 370 pages on Kindle, and it had a lot of substance. I'm interested to see where the rest of the series goes, there's a lot of potential with the political systems alone, not to mention all the amazing dark-light-gray maji stuff happening. It's labeled a lot as a romance, but there isn't a ton of romance happening. There's a lot of promise for the next book though as it's obviously being set-up, but it's seeming like more of a slow-burn type thing. Looking forward to that for sure in the sequel!

Book Review: The Dragon Tamer (Alveria Dragon Akademy #1)

The Dragon Tamer
Ava Richardson
3/5

Overview

The Dragon Tamer follows the POVs of Kaelan, a peasant girl discovering her budding powers connected to her newly-discovered parentage, and Prince Lasaro, the youngest son of a powerful dragon queen who has yet to demonstrate the powers he knows he should have.

I was super excited to read The Dragon Tamer just based on the cover. Dragons and magic? Sounds like the best kind of book. First off, I don't believe that Richardson was able to give me the world I was looking for. There were a lot of elements that felt half-baked, starting with the protagonists themselves. There was no build-up to anything, I feel like every little plot twist was just handed to us. I was a little disappointed that they decided to go for the love-at-first-sight trope, it was another example of handing the plot to us. She can roar? Oh yeah her dad's not just a dragon, but the biggest, baddest dragon. She meets a prince? Immediate connection which he equivocates to love. I feel like the whole plot was more focused on helping the prince find his powers rather than encouraging Kaelan's powers, and I liked Kaelan a lot more than Lasaro and wanted her to succeed.

It was lighthearted for sure, but I don't feel like that exactly matched with the idea that the whole kingdom was breaking down from internal civil war. The civil war was fair considering the book started with her being attacked for being a dragon lover, when dragons are the supposedly ruling family and the strongest of everyone. No one was doing anything to even try to stifle this anti-dragon sentiment a little? Like, when one of your provinces is so against you that the people who support you are immediately attacked, I don't think you're really that strong of a ruling family.That's fair with the description of the book, but there wasn't enough plot-support for that kind of conflict. The fundamentals of the story are interesting, but I needed more detail for a better review.

Would I Recommend?

There's definitely promise with the plot, but there really wasn't much special about it. If you love dragons, there aren't that many great books featuring them so this one falls pretty middle-tier. I'll try to read the next book and hope that I get some more substance for Kaelan and Lasaro.

Book Review: Mr. Darcy's Enchantment: A Pride & Prejudice Variation

Mr. Darcy's Enchantment: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
Abigail Reynolds
4/5

Overview

I live for Pride & Prejudice rewrites, for some reason they are just the coolest thing to me. This one is a little different from the others that I have read, because it starts after the events of the Netherfield ball and what I consider as the first maybe forty percent of the events of the original. It is actually a lot more original in terms of plot than most variations are considering it begins around the time in the original when Elizabeth is taking her tour with her aunt and uncle? It's difficult to match the timelines considering there is so much contrast between the original.

But like aside from that divergence, this book has magic. It isn't just like magic like spells or elements or anything either, it's solid Shakespeare, fay courts, Titania and Oberon type stuff. A lot of work went into creating the guidelines for the rules of relations between the fay and immortals, it confused me a little bit with how intricate it got and I loved it. It was so complicated and at the same time very simple, there was almost no animosity in the entire book. The Iron Fey dealt with the same Shakespearean court system, and there were people against the protagonist in the courts. Here, the fay were way more tranquil, even their conflict with mortals is just kind of fake. I loved the concept and the intricacy, but I feel like the whole political part of it could have been dealt with better.

Don't judge a book by its cover! I know that when I first saw it, it looked like something self-published twenty years ago, but the quality of writing is much better than the cover design.

Would I Recommend?

It maintains the integrity of the main characters of Pride & Prejudice while adding magic. For that reason alone, I feel like it's worth the read. However, it's a pretty long read, there are a lot of elements of which I consider somewhat superfluous. If you're just looking for something similar to the original, I don't think this is what you're looking for. While I do believe it maintains the integrity of the original, it's very obviously completely different and neglects to really mention any of the Bennet sisters besides Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are completely different, Bingley is literally non-existent, and there are a lot of new characters. The differences between wild magic, spell magic, and sorcery are not very well-defined, making the villains difficult to really dislike besides Wickham. It's probably more for fans of fantasy than of Jane Austen.

Book Review: Romanov

Romanov
Nadine Brandes

Overview

Ok so first of all, I think I gave it more stars than I probably should have because I love the Romanov family and I love the cover. I appreciated a lot of the historical accuracy despite it being a tragic story, I felt a little bit of The Book Thief there. But unlike The Book Thief, I don't really think this book has the substance to be a classic. It was a short but enjoyable, and I could feel a building sense of tragedy, but I never really felt like this tragedy was addressed. It was just too happy for it to really reflect how sad the Romanov history has always made me, and it was just minimized to nothing.
I loved the concept of the spell ink and the Matryoshka doll, but I do feel like there was more potential for it. The book was like 80 percent their captivity, which would have been fine if there was more to it afterwards. I felt like the relationships were too easily created, not a lot of background to them. It all felt very surface level.

Why Four Stars?

Honestly, I feel a little bad giving it four stars compared to other books that I have rated. But I loved the concept and the characters so much previous to even reading it that the shortness of it didn't irritate me as much as it would have with other books. I don't think it has enough loose-ends for a sequel, but I wish everything had been extended a little. If a book is advertised with such an emphasis on firing squad and rebellion, the firing squad and rebellion should take up more of the book.

Would I Recommend?

I think it's a great book if you love the Romanov family and Anastasia and wish that the fairy tale element of it all was actually real. It's a much happier ending than the actual history, though I don't like how Brandes breezed over the deaths actually included in the book. I would recommend it though just for the history.

Book Review: City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1)

The City of Brass
S.A. Chakraborty

The Overview

The City of Brass was one of the best books I’ve read in a while- particularly for the original storyline and the intricacy of the universe. But even before I read the book I loved djinn so I’m kind of biased, they’re definitely top-three magical creatures. I hadn’t seen any art or talk about it previously, it was actually just recommended by my library, so I felt like it would be fun to illustrate a scene. I’ve never tried this before so sorry if it’s horrible. Full review below, but would definitely recommend!

I kind of dreaded reading it at first because of the long descriptions at the front of the book with each clan, like I knew I would never be able to keep them straight. For this book at least, we focus mainly on two clans, though I can tell that it will progress further in the next.

Our heroine is Nahri, and from the beginning I can tell that she’s the kind of character I support whole-heartedly. I liked her so much that it kind of annoyed me with the double POVs, like Ali was ok and all but I just wanted to hear all about Nahri. I’ve read books about Cairo in the relative time which the novel is set, so I know that her fierceness and independence was hard-won. She’s literally so cool, she can heal people and cheats the ones that don’t deserve it. She can speak any language instantly and I think that’s one of the coolest abilities a magical character can have. She started off so amazing, I said that I dreaded it for the descriptions but was immediately sold on Nahri. Once it got closer to the end though I felt myself siding against her which I hate doing, I never see any of my characters as perfect, but I like it more when they retain their rationality and she kind of felt like she was slipping. In the next book I’m looking forward to seeing her reconsider her position, even though I can only see her declining further when everyone around her is kind of a snake.

I think the description of the book says a whole lot without saying anything at all, I had no idea that there would be the weird romance element and no idea that Nahri would not always be the primary focus. I think it created some confusing circumstances because at some points I felt like we were supposed to see it from Ali’s point of view and know things we hadn’t yet learned. It wasn’t a love triangle and yet I felt like it was a love triangle- I’m waiting to see how the main characters are really related because I’m concerned they’re going to end up being siblings or something.

I loved the magic. I found myself struggling to follow their limitations a little bit, especially considering the huge clans had subcategories. I had to keep returning to the front of the book to make sure I was associating the right names with the right affinities which was kind of annoying since I was reading on my phone. I felt like the powers intersected a lot more than I had originally anticipated, at some points it just felt like everyone could do everything?

Why Four Stars?

Honestly, I think I gave it four stars because of how much potential I see in the rest of the series. There were a lot of elements where I felt like it was too lengthy, too many words for what was being done. I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes, but it's also a fairly long read.

Would I Recommend It?

Everything was so thoroughly developed though, I had no idea that this was S.A. Chakraborty’s debut novel. I believe that it’s worth reading almost on that principle alone, it’s so beautifully written and obviously well-researched. I have such high hopes for the rest of the series considering how many concepts were introduced- there’s such potential for expansion. I would totally recommend it for anyone interested in fantasy, in romances that are less plot central, or anyone interested in historical fiction!

Book Review: Defy Me (Shatter Me #5)

Defy Me
Tahereh Mafi
3/5

The Overview

So I had mixed feelings going into this book. I hated the original trilogy, I only read it because my friend was obsessed with it but I honestly hated it. Everything was poorly explained, there were no plot twists, it was just everything wrong with YA. The fourth book was different, I don't honestly know why I read it last year, I think I was just really bored and needed a book and it was super short. But it shocked me in a very good way, for once I actually wanted to read the next book. If you told me that the fourth book was going to turn out the way it did after I finished the third seven years ago, I would think you were talking about fanfiction. But compared to that book, this one just really fell flat to me. I think Mafi relies way too heavily on the shock factor, 90 percent of both of these books has just been meaningless and then bam, it lures you in with some kind of shock factor. That's how a lot of books function, but at this point in such a lengthy series, I'm looking for more. I started this series as a seventh grader, so I can understand how it could be considered more of a middle grade novel, I don't know if the romance was too much for a middle schooler? If you're looking at it from a conservative perspective then probably. There aren't any graphic descriptions at all, but sex is directly mentioned and that's a little too much for some middle schoolers. Also the parental abuse may be too much, along with the violence, someone literally gets their heart ripped out.
Featuring Kenji's point of view was fun, but honestly it was not enough substance. I couldn't really grasp the significance of what was happening to him given the length of his parts. Like I know he was in a prison, he was in isolation, but I didn't feel the emotion of it because it was over in the blink of an eye. I wish he was less of a peripheral character, and I know she's working on that, but here it just felt a little too little.
That could be linked to how wrong the length felt. I kept checking to make sure this was a full-length novel, it says it's 352 pages but it was only like 700 on my phone, so the font must have been pretty large in print. The ending felt like a novella, it was too happy, it didn't make me want to read anymore and it didn't feel related to the rest of the series. Okay, we get it, he's traumatized and he's finally where he belongs, but why is the book ended on that?

Why Three Stars?

I think it's fairly obvious, the book just didn't have enough substance to be ranked anything higher as a novel. Maybe if it was a novella I would think differently of it, but it's just nothing in the comparative time scheme. I had high hopes for the novel, I felt like it would be addressing a lot of the major introduced plot points. It kind of did? It felt more like it was just gearing us up for the next novel, so again, it just felt like a random novella. I needed more substance, the last novel was already a build up novel.

How Was the Ending?

Not good, like I said, way too happy. I know that there is an active plot, but it just felt like all of the characters were settling way too quickly. It felt like fanfiction again, you don't know these people but hey, let's throw a birthday party!

Would I Recommend?

If you have already invested time in this series, the original trilogy, then yeah I think that these additions make the rest of the books stronger. But that's coming from someone who hated the original books, if you really loved them then these might not be for you. If you kind of liked them, these books are so short that I think the little twists and the continuation of the existing romance makes it worth it. If you're new to this series, I wouldn't recommend starting it.

Book Review: The Deceiver's Heart (The Traitor's Game #2)

The Deceiver's Heart
Jennifer A. Nielsen
4/5

The Overview

So honestly, when I started reading this book I couldn't really remember the events of the first book. It has a very basic plot, with a lot of tropes that are pretty overdone in the YA world. Especially the names, like Kestra is so close to Kestrel from The Winner's Curse along with it also being the typical rebel-overthrows-the-kingdom type thing that I really struggled. But after reading the synopsis of the first and a few of the reviews, I had a better grasp of where we were and I remembered how much I loved Simon and Kestra. As a romance, they aren't super original or anything, the "forget everything but a vague sense of caring sentiment for the other protagonist" was also done in The Winner's Curse trilogy, but I honestly wasn't complaining because let's be real, many of the YA books aren't winning for their originality.
I think that I rated the first book three stars, so I thought that this one was very obviously better. Like obviously this is a fantasy book, but the last book had hardly any magic elements. Now, that isn't necessary to fantasy, but it just felt more like a war and rebellion type novel. This one had much more in terms of magic and magic training, Kestra coming to terms with her heritage and how she could one day blend her two sides to help everyone.

Why isn't it a five star read? 

Well I feel like there were obvious moments when Nielsen makes a lot of cheap plays in her attempts to make the plot more interesting. Harlyn was introduced (at this point) pretty much solely to make Kestra jealous and to play the stereotypical mean girl. I hate that, like she doesn't have to be written so pettily and that just felt cheap and cliche in a bad way.

How was the ending?

The ending was a cliffhanger! The book moves a little slowly at points, but I think it earned itself a higher rating through making me want to continue the trilogy.

Would I recommend?

Overall, a quick read with a cute and clean romance. I would recommend to anyone into that classic overturn-the-government plot with the benefit of some cool magic.