Book Review: The Stolen Kingdom

The Stolen Kingdom

Jillian Boehme

2/5

I'd like to start with saying thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The Stolen Kingdom is a standalone fantasy that alternates between the perspectives of Maralyth, a vintner's daughter, and Alac the spare heir to the throne. Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to overthrow the king and his two son's via a coup that would result in the death of the whole royal family. They infiltrate the castle as nobles, but Maralyth and Alac quickly grow closer and she doubts her resolve on their plans.

I love a good standalone book, but only if the events of it can be neatly tied without feeling rushed. Everything about this book felt rushed and so the fruition of the events was weak. There wasn't enough time spent on the characters, the relationships, or the magic. There was no training for anything, just doing. Maralyth was instantly capable of being a noblewoman and instantly capable of using her magic for whatever she needed it for. There was no real huge conflict or roadblock to their success aside from their feelings which weren't developed enough to feel like a huge issue. 

The book had the potential in the basic plot to be super interesting, it just didn't have the time to make any of these points feel impactful. Major things would happen and I would just be like, that's it? Maybe I'm too used to long series in which people come back from the dead multiple times for their revenge, but everything was just too easy. If you want a quick read, this could be an easy fantasy book to digest but only if you're the type of person who avoids emotional entanglements with your characters.

Book Review: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)

Shatter Me

Tahereh Mafi

3/5

Juliette Ferrars has spent the past three years being passed between asylums and hospitals and blood tests and shock therapies. She lives in a dark room where she is given little warning if she will be provided food or shower privileges. This is because of her powers, when people touch Juliette, they die. 

I think I originally read this book in 2012, I was 13 and in middle school. That's probably more of the audience that it's intended for, but I feel like it was a much more interesting book to read now. I remember not liking Juliette because I thought she was too emotional, turns out she has like the perfect storm of a tragic backstory and pretty good reason for being unstable. Her romance with Adam annoyed me because it felt undeveloped, even to me as a 13 year old. It's easier to understand now having read the whole series, if you were locked in a room for years and everyone reviled you for your whole life it would be easy to fall in love with the first person to show you kindness. I don't know what Adam's excuse on that is though. 

I also hated Warner during my initial read and was surprised to sympathize with him during this read. The book was extended to a hexology, and though I haven't read the final book, it's much easier to love him now. The bar isn't all that high either. I respect their traumas a lot more than I did as a child and I'm excited to see how I perceive the rest of the series.

Book Review: An Unexpected Peril (Veronica Speedwell #6)

An Unexpected Peril

Deanna Raybourn

5/5

I'll start by saying thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in return for a fair and honest review. I'm extremely invested in the characters in this series and I honestly don't think that any of their adventures could be boring at this point. In this sixth installment, Stoker and Veronica are investigating the potential murder of a fellow Curiosity Club member. In doing so, Veronica discovers that she looks very much like the Crown Princess of the Alpenwald, paving the way for her to step into this princess's shoes when she mysteriously disappears for a bit. 

Nothing shocked me more than the first book in this series did. Though I think this book fell a little short of where the other books did in terms of the mystery, I think it made up for that with the banter and character development of our two protagonists. I read a lot of historical fiction and when I tell people that, they expect it to be something stuffy or difficult to understand. Veronica Speedwell is anything but, though it doesn't completely disregard the mentalities of the time period in definitely infuses it with witty conversations and personalities that a typical person would not expect.

I had 33 highlights in this book, more than I think I've ever done in any book. I can't describe how clever everything has been during the course of this series. Everything that you expect is completely subverted, from the tropes to the mysteries. When we were first introduced to Stoker in the first book, I don't think I could ever have expected him to be quoting Keats and stealing sweets. And Veronica, she has her moments but she's really growing and realizing that you don't have to be all of one thing. While I have loved her throughout the entirety of the books, I love that she's not so selfish and that she recognizes the things that she wants even outside of her independence. I really appreciate that their growth is authentic to their characters, they're consistent to who they were at the beginning they're just stronger and better people.

So as I do every year when one of these books comes out, I strongly recommend reading this series. It has literally everything that you need from a book and continues to get better with every installment. Veronica and Stoker will always hold a special place for me and I'll keep reading them as long as they keep being written.

Book Review: The Alchemists of Loom (Loom Saga #1)

The Alchemists of Loom

Elise Kova

2/5

Arianna has spent the last two years ridding the Loom of Dragons and Dragon influence. Dragons being the ruling class of predators that dominate the Fenthri of the Loom. She is a chimera, a magical blend of the two races that many deem unnatural and doomed to a cursed existence. When she finds an injured Dragon, she agrees to aid him in finding the Alchemists in exchange for a boon. In helping him, they both learn a lot about each other's worlds and how much different everything is than it seemed. 

It was slow-paced. Too many changes in POVs for me to really fall in love with any of the characters. I was struggling to find my rhythm with the book and somehow it was short but soooo long. Arianna was frustratingly tight-lipped about everything and I wasn't seeing any justification for her mechanical prowess or for the emotional entanglements which were supposedly so intrinsic to her character. The phrasing was repetitive, if I read "the woman I loved" one more time I was just going to DNF.

It was interesting enough for me to maybe pick up the next one just because it was so slow-burn. I want to see the culmination of events but I don't know if I have the patience to read through it all. I read Air Awakens a few years ago and thought it was a pretty good series and really liked her most recent standalone so I think it's somewhat due to me not being much of a steampunk fan. I still like Elise Kova but I don't know if this series is for me.

Book Review: The Dark Days Pact (Lady Helen #2)

The Dark Days Pact

Alison Goodman

3/5

After being basically thrown out of her home and thrown headfirst into the deep end of a shadow world she didn't even know existed, Lady Helen has to adapt to living a whole different kind of life. She also has to balance her growing feelings for Lord Carlston, who is still technically married and kind of being consumed by some dark demon mania. She's being pulled in ten different directions and the stakes are only getting higher. 

I struggled with this one a bit because I feel like it dragged a little. I wasn't really feeling chemistry with her and Selburn or her and Carlston for most of it and it was being described as such a big deal. The last hundred pages redeemed most of the book for me because they were way more exciting and had more interactions between the protagonists. But a lot of this book felt like filler, which is the cardinal flaw for so many second books in a trilogy. 

I do really love the world that Alison Goodman is creating though. When you add paranormal elements to historical fiction, it gets tricky to stay authentic to the other cultural elements of the time. I think that she does a great job of balancing how stressful it would be to turn your back on every single mandate that has been instilled into Lady Helen's head since birth. It isn't just the instantaneous need for rebellion, she's growing with the book. 

I'm still pretty invested in the ending, like I feel a need to finish reading. I hope that the next one is more action-packed. There are also a lot of things that need to be resolved so I hope that everything can be tied up in the conclusion. 

 

Book Review: What the Wind Knows

What the Wind Knows

Amy Harmon

3/5

Anne has spent basically her entire life with her grandfather as her best friend. She has written novels, traveled the world, and just grown up with his constant presence. When he dies she promises to take his ashes back to Ireland where he was born and spent his childhood. She goes to the exact place he told her to and finds herself transported back to the 1920s to when her grandfather was a child. Mistaken for his mother, she takes it as an opportunity for more time with him and the man who has been raising him. 

It's a little bit of a weird premise and time travel always trips me up when I think about it too hard. But as a basic love story I think it was pretty interesting. Anne is a little bit of a difficult character to like though only because we have to be told how much we should admire her for her strength rather than observe it on the pages. I also don't trust protagonists who don't have any friends except for the ones who have to be their friends and then rely immediately on the male protagonist. I think to be a strong character even in a more romantic book you need to see how they interact and form friendships with other side characters. All of her friends were his friends and she didn't have a lot on her own timeline. 

The ending was confusing to me too. I didn't mind it as much as I probably should have because I like a neatly tied standalone, but I'm just kind of not impressed by how time travel was explained. I think that the rise and fall of the book was also a little weird, it was like we didn't get to the main conflict till 75 percent in and then it was over. It was like the revolution was supposed to feel important but didn't get the page time that it deserved, it really didn't feel like all that much of a problem.

It seems like a roast but it's always easier to point out flaws than it is to talk about what you like. I didn't hate it, I was generally rooting for the characters and wasn't able to completely figure out what was going to happen in the end. This is my fourth Amy Harmon boo, I think she's good at keeping me interested and making me want to finish reading. I do think she relies on similar relationship dynamics across different genres though. But I would read other books by her and recommend this one if you like a slightly trippy romance that's still pretty much just a romance.

Book Review: Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology #2)

Spellmaker

Charlie N. Holmberg

3/5

I got an ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review. Spellmaker is the second book in this duology following the adventures of Elsie and Bacchus. Elsie is a spellbreaker who has spent the last ten years hiding from registration and committing acts that she thought were the betterment of society. When she is turned in for her refusal to register it's looking as though it's between life in prison and the noose. Bacchus saves her but only by promising to marry her. Now they have to plan for their upcoming wedding while simultaneously hunting down a murderous spellmaker. 

It wasn't a bad book, I read it super fast and I wasn't bored. It's just that so many things felt like they were opened and set up to be super interesting and then were just too neatly resolved. I applaud the fact that it blended the supernatural with just regular problems. Like I said in the previous review, these books might be set in the 1800s but they're really not for fans of like Victorian era romances or anything. More for the lack of technology and the simplicity in the respect. 

Again, I think it was an ending that completely satisfied everything that was opened in the first book but it could have been done in a more dramatic way. I recognize that not every problem has to be magic in a fantasy book but like I wouldn't have minded. I think that maybe it tried a little too hard to shut everything down and stick to a duology and it was a little flat because of it. I would still recommend the duology, I am a little disappointed though.

Book Review: Spellbreaker (Spellbreaker Duology #1)

Spellbreaker

Charlie N. Holmberg

4/5

Set in an alternative Victorian era London, magic is the method of the wealthy and those who can pay and who are capable can create amazing and terrifying things. Elsie Camden is a spellbreaker, she can see the magic and unravel it so that it no longer functions. She is unregistered though and if she is caught she will be arrested and possibly executed. When Bacchus Kelsey finds her undoing one of his spells, he threatens to expose her if she doesn't assist him with breaking a few spells around his friend's estate. 

I know it's a little niche, but I love Victorian/regency era fantasy books. It's kind of like paranormal but without the added stress of the real world. Elsie is a pretty good protagonist, she has trauma but can't help being a little gullible just like all good protagonists. There's also the mystery of the extent of her powers which is set up to be a point of interest in the second. I honestly can't understand how this is going to end in a duology because there's so much going on. 

I wouldn't really call this a romance. There are romantic elements and an obvious romantic subplot forming between the protagonists in the expected way but it's not really a huge part of the story. I'm looking forward to it being developed a little more in the next book but I'm also scared because I read the description and it seems like a lot is happening all at once. I still found it to be a highly enjoyable read though and would recommend it for fantasy fans who like a bit of a historical twist. It's not super historical at all aside from the clothing and the customs and lack of technology, but it really adds to the ambience of the story.

Book Review: Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless #2)

Fool Me Twice

Meredith Duran

3/5

Olivia Holladay has been on the run for seven years after being strangled nearly to death. She comes to the Duke of Marwick with the intention of being a maid for him then stealing his blackmail material on her attacker. She thought it would be a lot more difficult but she finds his home in disarray and the staff in desperate need of a housekeeper. She quickly commits to assisting him out of the dark mood which his wife's betrayal had cast over the entire household and accidentally grows a little more attached than anticipated. 

I feel like these books that deal with a significant difference in station like this one all follow the same progression of events. A romance that grows too fast and then dealing with the will-they-wont-they of the societal consequences. This one was good, it hit all the marks and I enjoyed it enough to read it pretty fast. It could have had a little more drama with the actual conflict at the end, a little more angst. The duke was also very much pushing the boundaries of what I tolerate in the books at the beginning though he got a lot better as the book went on. He should have issued an apology though because they were pretty much disregarding every other form of convention at that point. 

Yeah so it was good, if you want a cute Victorian era romance. The characters (other than Alastair's blips at the beginning) were well-written to their positions. I didn't have huge problems but I don't think I would strongly recommend it because it was a little forgettable. 

Book Review: Duke of My Heart (Season for Scandal #1)

Duke of My Heart

Kelly Bowen

3/5

Captain Harcourt, also known as the Duke of Alderidge, returns from two years of sea travel to find a dead earl tied to his bed, his little sister no where to be found, and a random woman going through all of his business. Ivory Moore deals with scandal for a business, she wipes away the nasty business of the ton and keeps everything running smoothly. She doesn't get personally involved with her clients but Captain Harcourt isn't any sort of normal duke. As they unravel the events of the night in question they grow closer and find it difficult to separate the boundaries. 

I love a strong protagonist and Ivory was written pretty well. I do think she operated somewhat outside of the bounds of possibility for the time but it was handled pretty well. I will say that I don't know if she needed another duke considering the events which led her to her current position- which is a lot for me to say cause I'm always rooting for the dude with the highest title. Also, there aren't that many dukes in England so the fact that she managed to snag two struck me as kind of farfetched. Obviously the events of these kind of books are always a little farfetched but it was a lot to deal with in a singular installment. 

Interesting, not like a typical romance set in this time period. I think it definitely had a lot of positive aspects and it was a super short read with a very fast-paced plot. I don't know if I'll read the others in the series but this one was pretty enjoyable.

Book Review: To Love and to Loathe (The Regency Vows #2)

 

To Love and to Loathe

Martha Waters

4/5

The Marquess of Willingham and the widowed Lady Templeton have a pretty rich history. As her brother's friend, she has known him for close to a decade. From a halfhearted marriage proposal in her debut season to verbal sparring sessions and hefty wagers in the ballroom, they have not had the cleanest relationship since. When they make a mutual deal based on physical relations to avoid emotional entanglements I think everyone around them knows that it's going to blow up in some way. 

The banter in this book was EVERYTHING. Like I wanted to scream because of their cute little sparring sessions because they really represent everything I think every reader wants in a relationship. The progression of their relationship felt pretty natural, a combination of the physical and the sharing of their emotional barriers. Despite the synopsis it's not overwhelmingly crass, I was a little scared but it really wasn't all too spicy. I think that the real success of the novel was just how great and authentic their dialogue felt. 

I was a little thrown by the end. The pacing of it was kind of off of what the rest of the book was. Not in a way that made me hate it or anything, just enough to lose one star. I was still very satisfied by it all and would totally recommend it. Especially for fans of Bridgerton, it's not too intensely into the "regency romance" genre and it still feels like it has modern rom-com vibes but it also doesn't completely throw the conventions out the window. It can also be read as a standalone, I didn't read the first but I understood everything that was happening in this one.

Big thank you to Atria publishing and NetGalley for getting me an ARC! All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Book Review: Stolen (Coldest Fae #2)

Stolen

Katerina Martinez

3/5

In this sequel novel that's kind of a fantasy mix of The Selection and the Bachelor we get to see to delve a little deeper into Dahlia's origins and into the evils of the fae world. The book picks up a week after the previous book left off and dives nearly immediately into the next step in the competition. While you learn a lot more throughout, many things are left open-ended. 

I liked it but I think I had similar complaints to what I had with the first book. I will say that the relationships she had with the other contestants were a lot better than they were in the last book. I wanted her to have friendships and she definitely does now but I'm still looking for more. I think that the characters have chemistry in a platonic and romance sense but the author is relying a little too much on that initial chemistry rather than taking the time to strengthen it through conversations or interactions. 

I'll be looking out for the next book, I think that there are a lot of interesting places that the series could go. I don't know how I'm feeling about the possession angle but I will give the author props for keeping me wanting more. 

Book Review: Of Beasts and Vengeance (Twisted Pages #2)

Of Beasts and Vengeance

Elle Madison and Robin D. Mahle

5/5

This is the second book in the Twisted Pages series and it did not disappoint. After the cliffhanger of the last book, I was terrified I wouldn't like where it was going. But these characters are too well-written to make irredeemable mistakes. Zaina has suffered for years and thinks it's finally at the end, when she's forced to face the consequences of her actions she has to work with Einar to try to take her life back. 

I don't want to spoil anything because I think everyone should read the first book immediately. Einar and Zaina both have trust issues, both for good reasons. But the progression of their relationship is just so nice and so honest. The scenes about him understanding her culture and such? There's nothing I love more than a protagonist realizing they've been critically wrong and then deciding to make up for it. This book has literally every trope or cliche that I die for and I absolutely annihilated it. 

I would recommend this series a lot, fans of fantasy romance, fairy-tale retellings, or just a story about a character having to make the best of the worst decisions. The growth is phenomenal and I can't wait to see where these characters go. 

Book Review: Of Thorns and Beauty (Twisted Pages #1)

Of Thorns and Beauty

Elle Madison and Robin D. Mahle

5/5

Based loosely on Beauty and the Beast, Of Thorns and Roses tells the story of a forced marriage between an impostor noble and a cursed king. Zaina has been forced into every decision for over fifteen years, she lives only to protect her sisters from their adoptive mother's wrath. When she is forced to marry a king with the eventual intention of betrayal, she just adds it to the list of the crimes she would happily commit for their safety. When she gets to know the king, she starts feeling guilty and wondering if there might be a better way. 

Cliffhanger! But like such a good one. Words can't explain how much I loved this book, probably the best book I've read thus far in 2021. It may be based on Beauty and the Beast, but the story has so much more depth. Zaina is a great character who puts things above her romance while still falling into it. It's the perfect balance of intense while not being too overpowering. I think she had so much to deal with and I was screaming at some of her choices, but they weren't overwhelmingly stupid considering her situation. 

The romance was, and I hesitate to use this word because it feels weird, but it was "swoonworthy". Einar and Zaina have the ideally built relationship, a little enemies to lovers and a nice and reasonable slowburn. I loved it to the whole time and I was so surprised to find it so beautifully written and just believable. 

100 percent would recommend, it was a great read all the way to the end. Such a a great read that I'm almost 75 percent done with the sequel. If you love fairy tale retellings or just great romances I don't think you'll regret reading this one.

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

The Storm Crow

Kalyn Josephson

2/5

After her life went up in literal flames, Anthia's life is further destroyed by a forced marriage with her enemy. She's not going to let them take another part of her life away though and quickly devises a plan to avenge the lives of the fallen and to end the reign of her oppressors. 

It's not like I disliked this book, I was just so ambivalent towards it. It was okay, it was hitting all of the checkmarks on a book that I should like I just wasn't invested in it. Maybe it was the lack of chemistry in the romance that feels like a total filler? Maybe it was the lack of real worldbuilding before forcing the tragedy, I just didn't really feel the weight of Anthia's turmoil. And I don't know if it was depicted in a way that I could get behind, it's difficult to deal with mental health in a fantasy world where you want to be adventurous but like it's so weighty and dark. I don't think it hit the right balance and it just felt a little bit amateur. 

I think two stars is a little harsh but I just didn't like it that much. There are books that I recognize as poorly written but still interesting, books with horrible plot devices that are still interesting, and books that are written without any real problems but just aren't interesting. I think that the magical universe has value I was just really missing out on the depth of the characters. The cover is gorgeous and I think that the author has real potential, this just wasn't it for me.

Book Review: The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1)

 

The Dark Days Club

Alison Goodman

4/5

Lady Helen has been told for most of her life that she needs to strive away from her mother's sinful and treacherous nature. Her mother died ten years ago and is considered as mutinous to many. Lady Helen's restful tendencies could be because of her inevitable marriage to whoever her uncle decides upon, but could also be an indication of that same hereditary character flaw. When Lady Helen discovers her mother was actually part of a task force dedicated to expelling evil creatures from England and sanctioned by the crown, her entire perception of the world is at risk. 

I went back and forth on the rating because like parts of this were a little dull for me but like I needed to read because I needed to know what was going to happen. This is exactly the kind of book I love- potential enemies to lovers, fantasy, and historical fiction. Lord Carlton hasn't gotten enough exposition for me to know if I truly like his character, but he's definitely better than the Duke of Selburn. Her and the duke have zero chemistry and I hope we move past that as a plot line. 

The magic is exciting, their powers have a lot potential to go to new and original places. I think it's kind of reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice but like just a little and with the obvious addition of demons. It wasn't a fast read for me, took me a while to digest and like I said, some points were slow. I started reading it a few years ago and then dropped it and just read it straight through this time. I'm hesitant to recommend it yet because I don't know if it's going to get as exciting as I anticipate but like I'm excited. 

Book Review: The Scarred Prince

The Scarred Prince

Erika Everest

3/5

After an ordeal in her youth, Sienna goes to the Red Hoods desperate to be trained in defense. Prince Sebastian was scarred by a witch and is extremely self-conscious about his looks because of it and because of how other women have slighted him. When he meets Sienna, they strike a friendship immediately despite the differences in their station. 

Like, it was fine. It wasn't bad enough to rank any lower and there were some really interesting things about the fairy tales which were involved. I found the whole feminist angle weird and a little poorly done. She learned how to fight and not need a man but she also oscillated so much to get to that conclusion. The whole premise also got a little fuzzy when the actual events of her kidnapping were revealed, like I don't know how physical skill would defend her from a magical attack but go off I guess. 

The fairy tales were fun and the combination of them is what provided the unique twists that made it interesting. The romance was a little weird and I don't know if I vibed with the age difference, especially when they drew attention to it. I don't think I'll be reading on but it was okay as a quick read.

Book Review: Taken: The Coldest Fae (The Coldest Fae #1)

Taken: The Coldest Fae

Katerina Martinez

3/5

Okay really conflicted on the rating for this one, I liked reading it and I think it has a lot of promising material it just dragged so much at parts. The book starts in an alternative London where mages think they're superior to humans. The protagonist, Dahlia, is promptly kidnapped and taken to a secret fae kingdom where she's enrolled in a bachelor style competition for the fae prince's hand in marriage. Except think less pageantry and more like fight for your life and if you lose you might die. 

I read the premise and was skeptical but again, I think it has some great potential to be something kind of original. I liked Dahlia, I love books about protagonists who are seamstresses like they just hit different. There are also a lot of mysteries to uncover, nothing was revealed too soon and the author is definitely going to make us work for it. I think it just has a bit too go but it could be great. 

I will say that there should be a little more focus on the other characters or Dahlia's relationship with them. What makes books like this great is the partnerships and allies which the characters make along the way. The romance hasn't been overdone yet, regardless of what it might originally appear as. It's teetering right now though so I'm really hoping that it turns into something amazing. 

The next book comes out next week (the turnover is really impressive I have no idea how these Kindle Unlimited authors do it). I'll definitely be reading it because, like I said, there are a lot of things that leave me wanting more and I'm excited to see where it goes.