Book Review: The Demon Tamer (The Demon Tamer #1)

The Demon Tamer
Christian Brancati
3/5

I was sent a copy of the book by the author for a review. The Demon Tamer follows the adventures of Damian, a unique blend of gods and humans and dragons (kind of??) as he tries to figure out who he is and what his purpose is. If you love all kinds of mythology then this really is the book for you because just like the main character, there's a little bit of everything here. It starts in Ancient Rome but it's like all over the place in terms of the historical content and journeys.

I appreciated how historical this book was because it provided such a unique blend of so many different cultures, along with that added fantasy. I do think that at times this hindered the story a little bit, or at least my connection to the characters. I would recommend spending more time focused on talking about the main character, so many characters were introduced so quickly that I lost some of the impact of the plot. There were also general issues I had with the writing style, nothing that can't get better in the sequel.

Overall, it was a good read with a lot of different elements that you wouldn't expect to blend so well. I'll keep my eye out for the sequel and can't wait to see how Brancati grows as an author.

Book Review: The Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow #1)

The Merciful Crow
Margaret Owen
5/5

I would just like to say that I loved this book oh my god. I think it can go into my top reads of 2019 because wow I'm still so amazed by everything that happened here. The Merciful Crow follows Fie, a member of the crow caste who is destined to be a chief. The caste system is what really got me about this book because it's so interesting and cool. Every caste is named as a bird and every caste has a birthright- minus the crows, unless you count surviving the plague. For hundreds of years, the kingdom has relied on the crows to properly dispose of the plague victims while simultaneously committing mass acts of harassment and genocide towards said crows.

I've read books about groups of people who have been discriminated against, fantasy books included, and I feel like Margaret Owen just does it so artfully. I hate all of the other castes for what they do to Fie, but she's not overly bitter and she's not stupid about it. She's spent her life being put down but she has a family, she has created her own family, and no one is dying to push that plot-line forward. It's horrible, the way society treats the crows, but it's not done in an unrealistic way like the way that they're treated is the way that society constantly treats those who are less powerful.

Her powers are cool though, all of the powers that the separate castes have are cool. Invisibility, fire, making people tell the truth, to say a few. Fie can technically access them all through her almighty ability to get those abilities from people's bones- particularly their teeth. She's constantly underestimated for it even though she's literally so good at using them, so smart about everything that she does with all of that power.

The romance was amazing because it's also not overpowering. For one thing, there have been mentions of LGBT characters and that's probably going to get more page-time in the future, I really appreciate that being identified and not like over-dramatized. The main pairing, Tavin and Fie, is also so perfect because neither of them lets it distract away from the ultimate goal. They love each other and protect each other but they also understand that there are bigger problems to deal with that take precedent. I literally cannot wait to see how they're going to deal with the separation while simultaneously plotting their equally important destinies.

I would recommend this book, like I just finished it last night and I've already done so. Fie is an amazing character, the side characters are all very well developed with a ton of potential, the whole plot has so many amazing places to go.

Book Review: Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)

Stolen Songbird
Danielle L Jensen
3/5

Stolen Songbird is about a secret underground troll kingdom, a kingdom desperate to see the sun again. They are so desperate that the King waves his rules about the marriage between humans and trolls to allow his son to marry a human girl as a way to fulfill a prophecy. Cécile is about to be famous, kind of, she's finally old enough for her absent mother to take her to the big city and make her famous. But instead of her going away party, she's kidnapped and sold to the trolls.

Tristan, the crown prince whom she marries, is thankfully not as mean as some authors decide the male protagonists should be. He has already spent many years attempting to quietly organize justice for the half-bloods who live under the ground. The book starts with a lot of him trying to push Cécile away to protect that secret, but the troll bond is special and he feels all of her emotions. It makes it hard to ignore and hate someone when they're always in your head.

I liked the first half of the book a lot more than the second. Towards the end it was just getting so repetitive. I feel like there was some good build-up at the beginning towards their ultimate romance, but then it just hit so fast and it was like ok wow they are just obsessed with each other now I guess. If I had to read Tristan tell her to leave one more time I probably would have lost my mind, like we get it ok you don't think she's safe there stop saying it. Also, her injuries at the end? Another scene where everything just happened so fast and it felt so random, because we barely even saw the villain. That's something we'll probably see more of in the future, but here it just felt like an obligatory way to separate them.

I was also expecting music to be a bigger part of the book? Since that's Cécile's whole claim to fame, she sings like twice I don't know. Again, this is the first book so maybe it's something that will become more important throughout the trilogy. Right now though, wish I had seen more of it.

Not a bad book, I didn't dislike reading it and it had an interesting plot line. There just wasn't enough unique about it to make me want to rate it any higher. The side characters weren't really notable, and I had difficulties supporting Cécile and Tristan at points. It had positive points, interesting points, but I'd like to see more in the next one.

Book Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1)

A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Brigid Kemmerer
4/5

In the grand scheme of fairy tale retellings, I'd say this was pretty good. It's fantasy, but also kind of paranormal because the main character is like your classic paranormal heroine with the kind of humor she's pushing. It's a beauty and the beast kind of retelling but it also has a ton of different elements that make it a much more elaborate story, it goes beyond the curse placed upon Rhen. I think it's very similar to The Bird and The Sword, probably just the line with the best friend and the monster and all that.

I loved that Harper had a disability, that she wasn't ashamed of it, she never tried to hide it. This book was great because Kemmerer was so direct about things, like if a real person from our generation was placed in some fantasy world, there would definitely be some questions asked. I know that this is YA, but I was also feeling like Harper should have been nineteen or something because bro I think the truancy officer would be after her she was a minor who just straight disappeared. That was one of the things I found questionable, along with a couple other points where I was just annoyed with how listy the writing felt. I hate it when I feel like I'm being given character attributes rather than seeing them. I read this book super fast and didn't take note of enough, but I highlighted a few lines where the attitude was just off.

The absolute best part was the plot twist at the ending. I did not see the whole brother thing coming, and I'm usually pretty good about that. That's also why I'm relating it to The Bird and the Stone but wow, I'd recommend this book just based on that. Don't count it out just because it's a retelling, it has a lot more to offer.

Book Review: Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)

Gathering Darkness
Morgan Rhodes
3/5

I feel like this series has been a solid three stars so far just because of how many uninteresting parts are mixed in. The plot is super cool, we have magic and we have evil and romance and all the great elements of an epic fantasy. It's not quite as intense as an epic fantasy, but it still has those great plot points. I think at this point I would like it better if we just cut Jonah and Lysandra out of the story, or their POVs out because honestly they've just been so boring to me. I know that they have importance I just take like five times longer to read their chapters than Cleo and Magnus and even Lucia.

This series is compared to Game of Thrones a lot, I kind of see it but also it's much less convoluted. That being said, I don't really think the writing is anywhere close to on-par with GoT. There are points where it feels awkward and just clumsy, it has gotten better from the first book though. I'm looking forward to the next three books because everyone has told me that the second half of the series is much better than the first.

The romance is like kind of love-hate for me. Alexei and Lucia are a big no for me, I don't really like fantasy age differences like that but I especially hate it when he was like oh I watched her grow up- that's just straight creepy. Magnus and Cleo are heating up which I'm here for, but I also feel as though I should hate Magnus because he has done some real trash things. I need for him to just pick a side so I can definitively hate him or like him since I'm so on the fence. I love Cleo, at some points I feel like she's the only reason I keep reading. I'm loving her character development and I really need her to be happy or I'll explode.

I don't know if I'd recommend the whole series to anyone, just because of the writing technique and the long stretches of boring, but I'm still going on. Again, I've heard the last half is better so we'll see if I fall in love with it.

Book Review: Onyx (Lux #2)

Onyx
Jennifer L. Armentrout
4/5

I have a TBR list a mile long but I somehow ended up finishing this book first, it's so addicting. The cover is horrible, the newer cover I've seen is a lot better, but like it looks like a trashy paranormal novel. It's paranormal, there are a lot of trashy and cliche elements, but I think that the author tried to work outside the box. I compared the first one to Twilight and while it does have those same general elements, Katy is much more independent and thoughtful than Bella could have ever been. I think many people have collectively agreed that Twilight is peak paranormal trash, this one has a lot more plot to it and makes a lot more sense. Perfect those people too scared to admit that there were some good parts of Twilight. 

Not to say that Katy doesn't make stupid decisions. The book was spoiled by all the characters telling Katy not to do stupid things, and then by us watching her do precisely that stupid thing. Armentrout was obviously working to build a strong and independent character, sometimes people are just super stupid though. I appreciate that Daemon was much less wishy-washy in this one, honestly I think that boosted it a star for me. I'm glad that he committed, his character was a lot more likable when he wasn't spending hundreds of pages trying to convince her that he didn't like her.

Onyx isn't the best book I've ever read, I still stand by the fact that Storm and Fury is much better and I'm glad that Armentrout has grown as an author. But simultaneously, it's super fun and super bingeworthy and I have no regrets whatsoever.

Book Review: Obsidian (Lux #1)

Obsidian
Jennifer L. Armentrout
3/5

Obsidian is a sci-fi ish book that's more like a paranormal book, like it's rooted in aliens but feels more like paranormal. The protagonist, Katy, just moved from Florida to West Virginia, the typical cliche of a high schooler trying to fit in but being blocked by the hot paranormal boy-next-door. It was a fun read, so far it's kind of light, and the characters are pretty amusing and relatable. I do think they're sometimes trying a little to be haha relatable teen content, but I also appreciate it because wow that's so much more fun to read.

The powers are cool, like if aliens exist I hope they'd have cool light powers like that because like I need some fantasy in the world. But also wow they're so over-powered, they'd KO the world just like that. I loved the concept of the duality, light versus dark is so simple yet also such a great way to set up opposition I was here for it. The time thing confuses me, there's still a lot of potential there for a great showdown though and from what I've heard, the series only gets better.

I had a few problems with like the general plot, it was kind of similar to Twilight and I didn't like that. It did have better writing though so like it's not on Twilight level, it just had that same cliche plot thing. Daemon was a much better angsty main guy cause he wasn't nearly as stupid and his angst wasn't nearly as constant. Don't know why anyone supports a guy who's constantly a jerk, Daemon is annoying cause he's rude so often, but he has redeeming moments.

The most annoying part was how inaccurate the mentions of Florida were. She's from Gainesville and she's supposedly used to the beach and guys walking around shirtless and people with bad tans and such, obviously no research was done on Florida cause Gainesville is pretty far from any beaches. That just irked me cause I know better so like it's pretty easily accessible information, check yourself on that. I think I'd still recommend it to people as an easy read, since like I said, it's light right now.

Book Review: Everless (Everless #1)

Everless
Sara Holland
2/5

I feel bad giving this book 2/5, because the premise is so interesting. Time is money, people bleed their time out and it's minted into coins. There is a Queen who has ruled for hundreds of year, thriving off years stolen from peasants. I love that, the potential for a revolution and the whole peasant uprising thing. That's not where this story went. Instead, it was all about Jules whining and trying to figure herself out by doing absolutely nothing productive, obsessing over people she barely knows, and just being annoying for most of the novel. In my opinion, a weak plot can be redeemed by strong characters, but a strong plot can't be undermined by weak characters.

It wasn't all around horrible, which is why I feel bad with the two stars, there were points when I was interested in the world and trying to figure out who was who. But Jules, why are you in love with someone who you haven't seen in ten years? It was like secondhand embarrassment that whole time. Then the feelings were reciprocated and I'm like hey ditch this dirtbag he's definitely not loyal. Maybe I could understand holding onto love for ten years, like as an adult, but what kind of seven year old just falls in love with their playmate? Weird and a real just confusing plot thing for me.

Descriptive language was failing a little here. I have no idea what the people look like, no idea what the castles look like, honestly don't understand how a book of this length could have missed so many descriptions. Maybe that's just me, but I was really lost with all of that. I'm at least going to want hair color like I don't like reading blind.

The time idea is great, the universe with all of the drama and plot twists could be confusing, but could also shape up to be something better. I don't know if I'll feel motivated to go onto the second book when I know what's going on with Liam and it's another case of me wanting to throw the book at Jules. The cover is gorgeous though, I really love the aesthetic, and it's too bad I just couldn't handle Jules.

Book Review: Give the Dark My Love (Give the Dark My Love #1)

Give the Dark My Love
Beth Revis
4/5

I went into this book not thinking that I'd like it a ton. It just looked like the kind of book that's trying to be edgy but just wouldn't hit the mark. I honestly loved it though, it was such a cool read. Nedra is hardworking and determined, she wants to be medicinal alchemist and save her people from the plague which consumes them. To do so, she has gained admission into the top university on the island, a place typically reserved for the wealthy elite. She's determined in her beliefs, she volunteers at hospitals, works herself to the bone, she needs to save everyone. Nedra is the kind of character I can really get behind because there's really nothing that originally differentiates her as a genius, she's hardworking and she has beliefs and I love that.

I don't like books that have that whole love-at-first-sight-let's-abandon-the-mission-for-this-rando type vibe to them, this isn't like it. Greggori isn't a jerk, he's just a normal guy who understands that he makes mistakes. There aren't ultimatums, the book is dramatic but it's also not totally focused on the romance. Greggori and Nedra felt super authentic, her relationships with her family members were also very authentic. The emotional reactions are understandable, I wasn't screaming at any of the characters for their stupidity.

The only problem I had with it was the simplicity of some of the actions. Like somethings just fell into place way too easily. She said like two sentences to the professor and he respected her and wanted to train her from nothing. She isn't with her family in months and then returns home right at a critical point. I just didn't like how convenient that felt, made it awkward.

Definitely would recommend, it's short and easy to read and just really nice. I'm super excited for the sequel, and I'm glad that it's a duology. I think a trilogy could have made it felt overdone or tired, the duology will be perfect.

Book Review: Rebel Springs (Falling Kingdoms #2)

Rebel Spring
Morgan Rhodes
3/5

I'm going to be real, there isn't enough magic in these books. I'm holding out cause I know that there's going to be some more, but it's not feeling like hard enough fantasy yet. This is the second book in the Falling Kingdoms series, it continues the adventures of Lucia, Cleo, Magnus, and Jonas, with a couple other POVs mixed in just for fun. The three kingdoms have merged into one, Mytica, and they're ruled by a psycho.

Said psycho, King Gaius, is actually a pretty fun villain. He's so cruel and so loveless, but at the same time he like loves his kids in his own twisted way. I appreciate how he expresses his pride and his appreciation for them, he's definitely very abusive and sadistic, but he has some great twists to his character that make him more human. I don't think I like Magnus, he has some weird Warner vibes from Shatter Me, like I don't know if he should be forgiven for what he's been doing but I feel compelled to forgive him. We'll see where that goes, I guess Rhodes is good at writing a redeemable villain?

I think that my main problem with this one was the pacing, it all felt very weird. There are a couple awkward time jumps that like lessen the impact of the situation, made it feel more listy than intense. There are some good plot twists in there though, even with the weird pacing I was entertaining. I'm not going to say that Rhodes isn't afraid of killing people, cause there are obvious mains that have yet to die, but there are some fun deaths in there where I was like wow that had me shook didn't see that one coming. I liked that, kept me on my toes and got me past the pacing.

I'm looking forward to reading the next one in this series because I've heard that it only gets better. At this point, I think it's worth a read because it does have some complexity without being convoluted. Not fantasy enough yet, but it's a slow burn fantasy.

Book Review: Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)

Falling Kingdoms
Morgan Rhodes
3/5

Falling Kingdoms was super exciting and interesting the whole way through. It's through the eyes of Cleo, Magnus, Jonas, and Lucia, teenagers who have suddenly become very involved in the war between their kingdoms. They all have their strengths, politically, mentally, physically, and magically. If you like books that have court intrigue with magical elements, this has it all.

The three kingdoms, Paelsia, Limeros, and Auranos, have stark differences in wealth. This becomes exceedingly obvious when a peasant from Paelsia is murdered by an Auranos noble while haggling over prices that the Auranos noble could obviously pay. After that, there's a bunch of building tension and political maneuvering in attempts by Paelsia and Limeros to take the wealthier Auranos. I liked the war scenes, the idea of the rich taking advantage of the poor and the poor getting sick of it. The idea of three kingdoms who used to be one having such stark differences.

I had problems with the general convenience of it. A lot of it felt so just blatantly spoken, like things were being said instead of shown. Like Magnus has been abused, let's use these situation directly and have it all be described through clunky flashbacks. The prologue gave away what could have been a cooler plot twist, but like instead it felt like Rhodes was trying to justify Magnus's creepy thoughts towards his sister. (Did not like that and I'm glad that it got shut down, even if you aren't related by blood like why do you feel that way I don't understand).

(Slight spoilers) The deaths also didn't strike me as much of plot twists, just obligatory in order to push the characters towards each other. Theon's whole arc was so random, I never really cared if he lived or died and I didn't feel the authenticity of his love story with Cleo. I couldn't handle the line where he was like "you should fall in love with someone" and then like forty pages later "he thinks he's in love with her" (I read mostly on the bus and didn't take notes). Obligatory, a character motivator for Cleo's arc and not really a great way of doing so.

This one didn't have me shook or screaming, more like I was reading the prologue or their backstories. I'm still super excited to read the next book, this one was too short to get into all of the different characters listed. I want to like Magnus and Jonas, but I'm skeptical that I will, I don't know how you can come back from how I felt about their actions in this one. I loved Cleo, and though we didn't see enough of Lucia, I'm thinking she's also going to be a great character. This one was definitely a three star read, but still a great set-up to the rest of the series.

Book Review: The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1)

The Cruel Prince
Holly Black
3/5

This book has been on my TBR list forever, I think I had the ebook from the library at one point and then I just couldn't get into it. I definitely got into it this time, I've heard so many people tell me that if you make it past the initial parts of the book it really picks up, I think I can confirm that. The book is through the perspective of Jude, who has been living in the world of Faerie since her adopted father killed her parents when she was seven. She and her twin sister don't have any fey blood and they are the subject of constant bullying from the other fey children who despise them. Obviously, this only makes her want to be included, so she's trying to fight her way into becoming a permanent member of the courts. This book is set in modern day, which I didn't expect, so there are references to the real world that shocked me and add an interesting twist.

I couldn't decide if I liked Jude, she's one of those characters that I went back and forth from being like wow you're literally so stupid to wow I would have done the same thing. She isn't a character who is constantly right or embarrassingly wrong, I think she just makes the mistakes that most people of her aspirations would make. I liked her better than the rest of the characters, because honestly all of the people in this book suck in some way. I don't think it could be a five star read just on the grounds that I don't love anyone, there's a disconnect between me and their story lines.

I'm excited to read the next book, I can't wait how Jude deals with everything she has created. I appreciated how she is making changes without being the chosen one- though I do love a good chosen one plot- she's a normal person who has been thrown into an impossible situation. I don't know if I'll end up liking Cardan, he isn't especially charismatic or funny, or even cruel in an interesting way. I think he's a character that I might decide I like later on when he gets more coverage, I don't feel like he was in this book all that much.

If you start this book and you hate it, I'd definitely recommend continuing. It has a great plot, the kind of thing that could build into a real thriller, especially given the potential for romance and treachery.

Book Review: Dark Shores (Dark Shores #1)

Dark Shores
Danielle L. Jensen
4/5

This review is a little biased because I don't feel like I could hate anything with pirates in it. I mean, well-written pirates. Plus, you have to add in the whole Romanesque Celendor Empire and a tastefully done romance, there's all the best elements of a great series. Teriana is the daughter of a Maarin ship captain, sworn to keep the two halves of the world separate from one another. The system of transport is super cool, like underwater tunnels to get from the East to the West, I hope the transport system gets more focus in the sequel because wow. The POV alternates between Teriana and Marcus, he's a solider of the Celendor Empire trained and programmed to kill and conquer. Obviously, things pick up when the Celendor Empire realizes that there's a whole other half of the world to kill and conquer.

It's a little cliche as initial plot lines work, but I feel like it has enough moving parts and completely separate elements to prevent it from being boring. The dichotomy between the strength of a military leader and the weakness of chronic illness, like wow that's some top tier stuff. The bonds between the crew members, amazing. Just the relationships in general were really well done, the romance had a lot of buildup without it feeling like overkill, it felt pretty natural. I'm so excited to see where this goes because there are so many open story lines that could be explored. We haven't even gotten past the surface of all the conquering, all the magic, all the mythological battles of the gods that could occur in this series.

The only problem I had with it was how little there was about the pirates despite it feeling like the central part of the story. That leaves a lot to build off in the second book, so there's obviously a lot of potential there, but I would have like a little bit more about Teriana's pirate life before the whole being conquered part. I'm kind of excited to see what happens with the second book, because I just saw that it's going to be about Lydia and another character rather than Teriana and Marcus. I usually don't like series that leave their main characters in alternating books, but I'm super invested at this point.

Book Review: Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2)

Soul of the Sword
Julie Kagawa
4/5

I've heard that Soul of the Sword isn't as good as Shadow of the Fox, but I think that if you liked the first, you'll definitely like the second. The second book continues to follow Yumeko as she attempts to preserve the world from being destroyed by the Kami Dragon and save her partner in crime, Tatsumi, from total possession by the demon Hakaimono. We get alternating POVs from Yumeko, Hakaimono, Tatsumi, and Suki, a ghost from the first novel.

I'd like to say I loved the fact that Suki has maintained her importance throughout both books. When I started Shadow of the Fox last year I was so sad when I thought it was over for her, she just is way too innocent and good for that. Her role is formative while not making me feel like I'm following too many story lines, I think it was very well done.

Tatsumi and his demon possession, that kills me. But Kagawa also did a great job leading to the ultimate end resolution between the two, because I didn't really hate Hakaimono. He kept saying he wanted suffering and bloodshed and to break Tatsumi's mind, I didn't like that, but he has goals and he has like I don't know a strong sense of what he wants from the world. Kagawa also gave him a first person voice, it's difficult to see a character as this distance villain to hate when you've been inside his head. It gives a cool duality to a demon, something that's not easy to do when he literally tried to rip my favorite character's heart out.

Ok spoilers ahead for the side characters, bail now if you don't want to hear about that. Okame and Daisuke, I didn't see that coming. Usually I'm pretty good about seeing relationships coming, especially LGBT ones because I feel like authors are under a little more pressure to give more signs since the whole JK Rowling and Dumbledore thing. I liked it here, I feel like it was given as much attention as any side romance would, I appreciate the normalization, and I thought it was pretty cute. There's a little potential there, I love a romance that fights together like it's a great dynamic that I'm here for. Those few short pages were such a highlight for me when all I get from Tatsumi and Yumeko is like a cheek touch every three hundred pages.

The only negative thing I'd say about this book is that there are some really slow scenes. The first book had this as well, I think the Iron Fey might have had this as well if I'm remembering correctly. I think some of it comes with taking on such heavy material, there are a lot of elements that need to be fleshed out in a not so exciting way. It wouldn't make me not recommend the series to people, I think this series should definitely be on any fantasy lovers TBR list. Can't wait for the third!