Category: Serena’s Reviews

Serena’s Review: “The Dragons of Deepwood Fen”

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Book: “The Dragons of Deepwood Fen” by Bradly P/ Beaulieu

Publishing Info: DAW, December 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Lorelei Aurelius is the smartest inquisitor in the mountain city of Ancris. When a mysterious tip leads her to a clandestine meeting between the Church and the hated Red Knives, she uncovers a plot that threatens not only her home but the empire itself.

The trail leads her to Rylan Holbrooke, a notorious thief posing as a dragon singer. Rylan came to Ancris to solve the very same mystery she stumbled onto. Knowing his incarceration could lead to the Red Knives’ achieving their goals, Lorelei makes a fateful she frees him.

Now branded as traitors, the two flee the city on dragonback. In the massive forest known as the Holt, they discover something terrible. The Red Knives are planning to awaken a powerful demigod in the holiest shrine in Ancris, and for some reason the Church is willing to allow it. It forces their return to Ancris, where the unlikely allies must rally the very people who’ve vowed to capture them before it’s too late.

Explore the mountain city of Ancris, where fast-paced adventure and intrigue abound. in this new offering from the author of the acclaimed Song of the Shattered Sands series.

Review: I know many of you may be wondering by now why I haven’t reviewed “Fourth Wing” on the blog yet. On paper, it should be right up my alley! Well, it might surprise some of you, but I don’t love writing super negative reviews for books that others seem to love! That said, I do think there’s something very curious about the ridiculous surge in popularity that that book specifically seemed to inspire (at best, I think it was a fairly generic example of a whole bunch of fantasy/romantasy books that already existed and didn’t get nearly the same reception); it tickles my conspiratorial side, let’s say. But the one very positive thing I can say for sure is that hopefully “Fourth Wing’s” popularity will bring another resurgence of dragons in fantasy fiction. I’m sure this book was well on its way to production before “Fourth Wing” even dropped, but I hope it’s just the tip of the spear as far as a trend goes.

While I had a few quibbles about pacing and such, there was still a lot to like about this book and I do think there is a solid fan base out there who will really love this one. Namely, fans of sprawling, epic fantasy. The world-building is front and center in this one, a fact that is hinted at early on by the inclusion of a two-page spread map. I love maps in books, and this one was not only interesting, but necessary to understanding the geography of the world we were exploring. This also very much feels like classic fantasy fiction, in that the reader is simply plopped down into the story with very little explanation regarding how it all works. I love this style of writing, as I’m happy to go along with a book as it slowly reveals its secrets. However, it’s something be aware of for readers who enjoy more explanation up front.

I also enjoyed the dragons, especially the fact that they were given distinctive personalities, allowing them to function more fully as characters on their own. I also enjoy this sort of dragon rider story where there is a specific bond between the riders and the dragons. Again, like “Fourth Wing,” but, you know, with actually skilled writing. I also really enjoyed the magic system at the heart of this novel. This world has two suns, each emitting different rays of magic that are then soaked up by the dragons’ scales. I also enjoyed the fact that we got to follow a scientist of this world who was studying how these magical elements affected the landscape and the world. I always love it when fantasy books include scholarly pursuits into their world-building, and it worked very well with this book.

That said, this book was definitely a slower read for me. While the reader is plunked right down into the world and into the middle of the characters’ stories, the pacing was still on the slower side. It’s also well-established at this point that I personally struggle with large casts of POV, and this book serves as a good example of why I think this choice can often have a negative effect on the pacing of the story. There’s so much jumping around from one character to the next that the reader is never given a chance to really settle into any one storyline. Instead, as one character’s story seems to be building towards something, the book switches to another POV, cutting the legs out from under any build-up in the pace of the book, forcing the reader to start all over again.

However, overall, I did enjoy this book. The world-building especially felt intricate and well thought out. I enjoyed learning about how the magic system was built into the way this society developed, and, of course, I’m a sucker for fantasy novels that delve into the politics of the various peoples of a new world. For readers who enjoy dragons but who also want world-building that actually makes sense *side-eyes “Fourth Wing” real hard*, definitely check this one out! That said, this is definitely a slower book, so readers should go in with that expectation.

Rating 8: A creative magic system and dragons galore, this is a great choice for readers looking to re-capture that “classic fantasy” feeling.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Dragons of Deepwood Fen” isn’t on any Goodreads lists but it should be on Myths & Mythological Creature Books.

Serena’s Review: “Powerless”

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Book: “Powerless” by Lauren Roberts

Publishing Info: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, November 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting. He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be. Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.

Review: Well, what is there to say: tricked into reading this one by the hype train once again! That said, I’ve had a few surprises recently where books that were very hyped actually ended up being quite good! So while “popular on BookTok” is still often a red flag for me, I don’t want it to become an instant warning sign to not even check out a book. Unfortunately, this one re-established many of the reasons I’m hesitant about books that seem to be crazy hyped.

Mostly, this book felt like a conglomeration of tropes and recycled world-building. And on top of that, the writing felt very simplistic and even cheesy at times. Both of these complaints (tropes/unoriginal concepts and fairly low quality writing) are the ones that most often come up for me when I read books like this that have been highly hyped. Maybe I’m snobby, I don’t know, but it almost seems like the readers who hype these books seem to have very low bar set for the quality of what they’re reading. Don’t you want to read something different? Don’t you want a new story? A new world? A new romance? It’s all just so…tired.

It starts with the world which is pretty much just a high fantasy version of “Hunger Games.” The entire concept is also fairly crazy as this is apparently a world where everyone has powers and yet somehow society isn’t chaos?? Beyond that, those without powers are considered deadly threats for being diseased. And yet, fairly early on, we see and hear of several examples of people without powers being hidden away for years on end. If it was just a horrible stigma taken to a deadly level, then I would understand it. But I don’t understand the idea that these people are seen as actual threats to life and health when it’s very clear that this isn’t the case using any basic observational skills.

Beyond that, the seemingly endless types of abilities and powers that people in world could have served as a detriment to the stakes and storytelling in this book. It was like a constant dues ex machina. Brandon Sanderson has a few videos up on YouTube about his approach to building magic systems, and one of the points that he emphasizes is that your system, be it a strict or loose magic system, needs to have clear limitations. This book serves as a perfect case study in what happens when there are no limitations, and the end result is that it sucks out much of the coherence or sense of stakes built into the story.

From there, I felt the main character and the love interest were cardboard cutouts of the same characters I’ve read in books like this before. They weren’t necessarily bad characters, but they were so familiar, so uncreative that I simply couldn’t find myself caring. Paedyn was your heroic underdog type and Kai was your supposedly morally grey, mighty fighter type. And again, many of these character traits are simply told to the reader, often in fairly cheesy dialogue. Kai referring to himself as a monster more than once is a good example of this. But what do we actually see from him? A guy living in a violent society who, if anything, has a much more moral approach to what he does than others. So…monster? Really?

Overall, I was very underwhelmed with this book. It felt incredibly familiar and was built on too many tropes to even count. The characters weren’t bad, but they also weren’t bringing anything new or interesting to the table. The writing was also very simplistic and failed to draw me in. I know the author has a big TikTok following, so I’m sure it will do well with a built-in fanbase. But if you’re a general fantasy reader looking for the next book to pick up, I can’t say I recommend this one.

Rating 6: Not for me, I feel like I’ve read this same book many times before and don’t need to read one again.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Powerless” can be found on this Goodreads list: Best Fantasy Fiction for Teenagers

Serena’s Review: “Shadow Baron”

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Book: “Shadow Baron” by Davinia Evans

Publishing Info: Orbit, November 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: copy from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Strap in for a thrilling adventure in the sequel to Davinia Evans’s wickedly entertaining debut fantasy that follows our favorite irreverent alchemists, high society ladies, and swashbuckling street gangs as they wrestle with the nature of reality itself. 

Siyon Velo might be acknowledged as the Alchemist. He may have even stabilized the planes and stopped Bezim from ever shaking into the sea again. But that doesn’t mean he has any idea what’s he doing—and it won’t be long before everyone knows it. 

To make things worse, mythical creatures once confined to operas and myths are spotted around Bezim. A djinn invades Zagiri’s garden party, and whispers of a naga slither across Anahid’s Flower District card tables. Magic is waking up in the Mundane. It’s up to Siyon to figure out a way to stop it, or everything he’s worked hard to save will come crashing down.

Previously Reviewed: “Notorious Sorcerer”

Review: Reading my review for “Notorious Sorcerer,” you wouldn’t be blamed for being a bit surprised that I’m back with a review of the second book in what appears to now be a trilogy. Well, when this one popped up as a review option, I went back to check out my review of the first one and decided that, given the specific struggles I had there, it might be a good idea to give the second book a chance. Notably, I struggled with the pacing of the first book.

The first one sped along in a way that I believe I described as “galloping.” Fast paced story can work well in a lot of ways, but in this case, it hindered my ability to truly connect to the characters. But this is also why I wanted to check out the second book. Character-wise, a decent amount was done in the first book to lay the foundation of who these people are, so I was hopeful that my connection to their stories would root me more firmly in place. And, for the most part, I was right about that, as I did enjoy this book more than the first.

Beyond the fact that I was helped for having already been introduced to this world and these characters, I do think there were some solid improvements in the overall quality of this book. The pacing did actually seem to flow better, being still quick but not so fast-paced that it left me feeling overwhelmed and unable to really settle into the reading experience. I also thought the world-building was improved this go-around. I was interested enough the first time, but I definitely remember wishing that things had been a bit more fleshed out and elaborated upon. And thankfully, that came through here as well. The slower pace also allowed for many of the elements and ideas presented in the first book to truly come to life, and I felt better able to center myself in the world that had been created.

Our main characters spent much more time apart in this second outing. This will likely work well for some readers, and not as well for others. I enjoyed it, as I think their individual storylines, largely disconnected from one another, left me better able to truly appreciate the character building that was going on for each of them. This was probably the aspect of the book that felt most “middle book” like. Some of the plot lines didn’t feel as important as others, but it was clear that the goals of these story points had more to do with moving the characters along a larger arch than it did with the storyline itself. As a character reader, I was happy with this. I also enjoyed the closer focus on the politics of this world and how our characters were needing to work within and without the system to bring improvement to this world.

Overall, I had a fun time with this book and enjoyed it more than the second one. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy the deeper look into this world, though some may be frustrated by how much time our characters spend apart. Readers who had mixed feelings about the first book, may still want to give this second one a go, as I feel it was a stronger story, overall.

Rating 8: An improvement in pacing and world-building, this second book in the trilogy will be a hit for fans of this series!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Shadow Baron” can be found on this Goodreads list: Books I’m Dying to Get My Hands On

Serena’s Review: “The Serpent and the Wings of Night”

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Book: “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” by Carissa Broadbent

Publishing Info: Bramble, December 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: eARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: For humans and vampires, the rules of survival are the never trust, never yield, and always—always—guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

Review: Vampires have never really been my favorite paranormal creature. It would be easy to blame “Twilight” for this opinion, but even before then, back when I was reading “Interview with a Vampire” and the like, I never quite understood the appeal. Especially not in the romantic sense. How do you form a romantic interest out of a being that literally sees you as food? That in mind, I’ve been a bit hesitant about the recent resurgence of vampire fantasy fiction. But I’m always hopeful that there is a book out there that can change my mind on some of these pre-existing skepticisms. And, here we are, a vampire book that I actually really loved!

You know how a week ago I struggled to write a review for Jennifer Armentrout’s “Fall of Ruin and Wrath?” Mostly because, while I enjoyed the book, I could also objectively look at it and recognize that, at least in this instance, the author’s quality of writing was fairly low. Well, here I am a week later with a book that truly highlights the difference that good writing makes. In many ways, these books are similar. They are romantic fantasy fiction, focused on powerful beings and the humans who are caught up in their scheming, and, ostensibly, they both have unique worlds (I use the word “unique” carefully in Armentrout’s case as it seemed that she recycled some of her own ideas in her book.) But from the very first page, it is clear that this book is operating on an entirely different level. The sentence structure was varied and dynamic, the author pulled from a large vocabulary, the narration had a distinct voice, and the dialogue was engaging and natural. It was a success in every way, and I was immediately drawn in by the style.

The world-building was also introduced organically throughout the story, while not bogging down what ended up being a very fast-moving plot. The versions of vampires we see here are recognizable, but there was also a lot of creative interpretation built into the structure of this society, the political conflicts, and the lore of this world. I was also impressed by the creativity brought to the Kejari trials. Each one of them felt fresh and unique to this world and its story. These weren’t simple battles to the death, but intricate and dangerous puzzles of danger.

Further, I’ve also read a decent number of “Hunger Games” style books with deadly competitions at the heart of the story, and too often this aspect of these stories often falls flat, with the main character surviving due to heavy swaths of plot armor rather than any real skill we’ve seen from them. Instead, here, we have clear insight into Oraya’s success, with it often coming down to her keen observational skills and her drive to push herself further than her fellow competitors, beings who have been able to rely on their physical dominance up to this point. And that’s not to say that Oraya isn’t a powerful fighter herself. I appreciated the balance that was struck here between presenting Oraya, a human, as an exceptionally skilled fighter while also remaining realistic about the disadvantages she faced when competing against supernatural beings.

I also really enjoyed the romance that builds up through this story. This is definitely a slow-burn love story. Not only does the book itself hold off on its main characters getting together until late in the novel, but the structure of the plot takes place over months, giving our two characters a believable amount of time to work together, develop a friendship and partnership, and eventually a romance, overcoming their original distrust of one another. Of course, the book ends with a fairly large reveal (I was able to predict some of it, but that didn’t make it any less engaging when it happened), so the story is left in a state of upheaval as far as their love story goes. But the author so neatly side-stepped many failure points in the development of this relationship that I feel fully confident that she’ll navigate the path ahead just as successfully.

This book definitely doesn’t shy away from the violence of this world, so readers should go in expecting bloodshed. It’s also a romance novel in that it has fairly explicit scenes when it gets to that point. But it also reads well as a straight fantasy novel, with full attention and detail given to the plot and world-building. I think this book would likely appeal to most fantasy readers in general, beyond the romantasy fans out there. I really can’t express how impressed I was with this read. These books were originally self-published, so the sequel is available on Amazon now. But I’m going to try to hold off on reading and reviewing the second one until it comes out later this spring. Gotta support Bramble’s effort to pick up indie authors like this! Who know what other hidden gems are out there?!

Rating 9: Expanding the boundaries of what romantasy is capable of, this book has it all: solid word-building, compelling characters, and a fantastic love story!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Serpent and the Wings of Night” isn’t on any Goodreads lists but it should be on Fantasy Vampire Romance .

Serena’s Review: “A River of Golden Bones”

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Book: “A River of Golden Bones” by A.K. Mulford

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, December 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: eARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: From bestselling author and TikTok sensation A.K. Mulford comes the first riveting, enchanting book in the all-new Golden Court romantasy trilogy— A River of Golden Bones  begins a journey of self-discovery, romance, and adventure for a young heir as she/they comes out of hiding to save her sister from a malicious, powerful sorceress and her dangerous sleeping curse. A sleeping curse. A fallen court. A secret twin. Twins Calla and Briar have spent their entire lives hiding from the powerful sorceress who destroyed their kingdom…and from the humans who don’t know they are Wolves. Each twin has their own purpose in Briar’s is to marry the prince of an ally pack and save the Golden Court. Calla’s purpose is to remain a secret, her twin’s shadow . . . the backup plan. No one knows who Calla truly is except for her childhood friend—and sister’s betrothed—the distractingly handsome Prince Grae. But when Calla and Briar journey out of hiding for Briar’s wedding, all of their well-made plans go awry. The evil sorceress is back with another sleeping curse for the last heir to the Golden Court. Calla must step out of the shadows to save their sister, their kingdom, and their own legacy. Continuing to hide as a human and denying who she truly is, Calla embarks on a quest across the realm, discovering a whole world she never knew existed. Outside the confines of rigid Wolf society, Calla begins to who could she be if she dared to try? Full of adventure, love, gender exploration, and self-discovery, A River of Golden Bones follows Calla’s journey through treacherous Wolf kingdoms, monster-filled realms, and the depths of their own heart in this thrilling romantic fantasy.

Review: I was initially drawn to this book due to the unique cover. It’s definitely a “second look” style, in that it is bright, colorful, and unlike any of the current trends we often see on fantasy books. That said, when I looked a bit closer and saw the golden wolf head at the top, it did drop a few points in my estimation due to the inherent “cheese” factor of it all. But still, it got the job done and I placed a request to check this one out.

Vampires are currently back in trend it seems, so it’s interesting running across a werewolf high fantasy book in our current environment. With werewolves come a whole lot of fairly routine elements and tropes, and I was fairly disappointed to see so many of them trotted out quickly here. We have the tried and true “fated mates” trope, the “werewolf protectors” trope, and, of course, a good healthy dose of fairly sexist stereotypes and society structures. And while the book does take an interesting look at the black and white nature of this aspect of werewolf society, it was very much presented through the lens of the main character’s personal identity journey. Unforunately, at times, I felt like this reinforeced other stereotypes even as it worked to deconstruct other limitations.

For example, much of Calla’s experience with her identity, particularly in the beginning of the book, is directly drawn from her sister Briar. From Briar’s figure, from the clothes Briar wears, etc., all of which is opposite of Calla’s body type and preferences. But we never hear from Briar herself. Obviously, she didn’t pick her body type. And what she wears says very little about who she is. It felt strange to have so much exploration of personal identity built around a character who was never given a voice for expressing how she felt about herself or her role.

I also struggled to connect with this story due to the competing content it seemed to offer. On one hand, most of Calla’s journey is a “coming of age” story and much of this exploration gave off very strong “YA” vibes. But then the romance was very adult, with a healthy dose of spicy scenes that are anything but young adult. The combination didn’t work well for my reading experience.

I also didn’t enjoy the romance. It felt very predictable, and I often found both characters at their most tiresome when they were together. The angst and drama was more annoying than it was enticing. Supposedly these characters had been best friends at some point, but we see nothing that would even hint at that sort of relationship on the page.

And then, to make matters worse, in the final conflict with the big bad, an individual who had committed atrocities, the climax of it all seemed to be the accusation made that Grae wasn’t going to accept Calla’s true identity. This, again, felt very YA. That somehow we have a battle going on with a murderous, horrific individual, and the real crisis is coming down to Calla’s own personal journey. Obviously, that is a crucial part of her and of her story. But one’s own individual journey and experience with others, while important, is not going to pair well when brought into a fight about life-and-death events taking place within an entire kingdom.

Overall, I struggled to really connect with anything in this story. I thought the exploration of Calla’s journey was unique and interesting, but it wasn’t enough to offset my dislike of the romance and my frustration with the strange mix of YA/adult themes throughout the book. If you’re looking for a fantasy novel that tackles gender identity, this one definitely is a creative look at the topic. But ultimately, this book didn’t work for me.

Rating 6: Fairly disappointing, with a mismatched combination of YA and adult thematic elements.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A River of Golden Bones” can be found on this Goodreads list: Best Queer Romantasy Books.

Serena’s Review: “The Witchwood Knot”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Witchwood Knot” by Olivia Atwater

Publishing Info: Starwatch Press, November 2023

Where Did I Get this Book:

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Victorian governess Winifred Hall knows a con when she sees one. When her bratty young charge transforms overnight into a perfectly behaved block of wood, she soon realizes that the real boy has been abducted by the Fair Folk. Unfortunately, the lord of Witchwood Manor is the only man in England who doesn’t believe in faeries—which leaves Winnie in the unenviable position of rescuing the young lord-to-be all by herself.

Witchwood Manor is bigger than its inhabitants realize, however, and full of otherworldly dangers. As Winnie delves deeper into the other side of the house, she enlists the aid of its dark and dubious faerie butler, Mr Quincy, who hides several awful secrets behind his charming smile. Winnie hopes to make her way to the centre of the Witchwood Knot through wit and cleverness… but when all of her usual tricks fail, who will she dare to trust?

Review: Olivia Atwater came out of nowhere for me as a reader. On a whim, I requested the first book I saw by her, “Half a Soul,” and that’s all it took! I quickly read all three in that series over the course of the summer. I know she has another book coming out sometime in the next year, something about baked good and the supernatural (sounds perfect to me!) so I was super surprised to see this book pop up on NetGalley when I was browsing one night. I didn’t even look into what it was, so I was that much more surprised to find that it is a story set in the same world as her original books, only this time taking place in the Victorian era, rather than Regency. Gothic horror and gothic romance? Count me in!

I’ve loved this shift towards gothic fantasy over the last year or so. Of course, there will always come a point where you can have too much of a good thing, but I haven’t reached it yet, as far as this trend goes. I was curious to see, however, how Atwater would fair taking on this sort of fantasy story. Her original three books were the epitome of light-hearted, comical, comfort reads. But a haunted house story and the gothic vibes that are meant to pair with it, well, that’s an entirely different tone! Low and behold, not only was this shift in tone successful, but the book also explores some fairly dark themes regarding assault and the nature of what makes a monster. I was incredibly impressed by how carefully these topics were covered, all without losing the overall appeal that is at the heart of Atwater’s style.

While this book is definitely more dark than her original trilogy, it also fit naturally within the greater world that had been created. In the other books, we saw hints of the darkness that existed in the world of the Fae and the nature of their strict, but confounding, approach to the rules of existence. Here, those aspects are drawn out and painted in darker colors. This book doesn’t shy away from its moments of horror, with violence seeping into scenes, as well as some truly creepy imagery. That said, this is by no means a horror novel. Not only was it laugh-out-loud funny at times, but within the story was an incredibly sweet romance as well as an unexpectedly touching relationship between Winnie and her ward.

I loved the main characters, as well. Winnie was a strong central character, working to unravel the mysteries at the heart of the Witchwood Knot while slowly beginning to form connections to those around her, breaking down walls that she had long-ago established for her own protection. I particularly liked the slow-burn romance between her and Mr. Quincy. The beginning of the book has him firmly slotted into a villain role, and I was impressed by how thoroughly the author worked to change the mind of both her main character and the reader. It was done in a very slow, subtle way. I will say that some of the character’s physical descriptions were a bit, um, unnerving, especially as a romantic interest. But on the other hand, I’m impressed with Atwater’s sheer audacity at just going with it and not trying to magic away the “otherness.”

I loved this book! It was right up there with “Half a Soul” as one of my favorites by this author. I’ve enjoyed all of her books, for sure, but I did appreciate this one more than some for the more serious themes at its heart. The balance felt more complete, with the lightness mixing naturally alongside the darker shades of grey, creating a more fulfilling read all around. Definitely check this one out if you’re a fan of this author or are looking for a solid stand-alone gothic fantasy novel!

Rating 9: Gothic fantasy at its finest, Atwater brilliantly combines her natural light-hearted style with the exploration of darker themes of redemption and what makes a monster.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Witchwood Knot” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Haunted House Stories and Gothic Fantasy Books.

Serena’s Review: “Fall of Ruin and Wrath”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Fall of Wrath and Ruin” by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publishing Info: Bramble, September 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.

Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.

When her intuition leads her to save a traveling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he’ll be her doom.

When the Baron takes an interest in the traveling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion. But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.

Calista must follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.

Review: I’ve used this gif before in my “Great Animorphs Re-Read” several years ago, but it’s just to apropos for my feelings now whenever I see that Jennifer Armentrout is coming out with a new romantasy title:

Am I expecting a work of art? No. Am I concerned that, even if I enjoy the first book, the series as a whole will quickly nose dive into nonsense? Yes. But will I still pick it up out of sheer, self-destructive curiosity? Yeah, probably. Plus, Bramble picked up this series, and I was curious to see how Armentrout did in the hands of a large publishing house. Would they be able to wrangle in her use of ellipses? (Spoiler: no, no they could not.)

This is another tough review to write, simply because I did enjoy myself reading this book, but I also can look at it critically and see a good number of flaws. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about Armentrout’s style, or her near perfect understanding of how to best employ romance tropes, that always manages to reel me in, almost despite myself as a critical reader. So let’s start with the obvious pros, and the first one is just that: readability. I whipped through this book in no time. Partly this is because much of the world-building, characters, and magic felt very familiar from other books and didn’t require much thought from me. But the other part is that the style of writing is very approachable and sure to suck readers in. The story could be funny when it wanted, dramatic when it needed to be, and even suspenseful as the action picked up towards the ends.

I will also say that if you enjoy spicy romance, this is the book for you. Conversely, if you don’t enjoy smutty books, this is NOT the book for you. While there is a plot, if you dig around and really look, this book is definitely more focused on its characters and the steamy situations they get themselves into. Perhaps even more so than the other books I’ve read, this book leans in on these scenes, sometimes unnecessarily so, I felt. There was one moment I can remember from early in the book where the main character is having a conversation with one of her friends, and of course they can’t just talk together, they have to be messing around at the same time. This is where the spiciness was a bit much for me. This scene wasn’t part of the central romance, these two characters were actually discussing important things, but for some reason we needed to up the ante and add erotica to the situation.

I did enjoy the central romance, however. Yes, it will feel very familiar to fans of Armentrout’s other books, but it was also satisfying in a similar way. This dynamic between romantic characters clearly works, and I’m definitely a “don’t fix what’s not broken” type of person. That said, the love story, like the characters and the world-building did feel almost TOO familiar at times. As I was reading this book, there were aspects of the world and its magic that honestly felt like “cut and paste” copies of Armentrout’s “Blood and Ash” series. The types of beings that populate the world, Calista’s role as a “special person” with hints of “super specialness” being laid down heavily, even some of the supernatural threats felt like almost exact carbon copies of ones I’ve seen before from her. So, while I was having a fun time and all, I also couldn’t get over the feeling that the author had picked up scraps from her other books and cobbled them into a new story here. Not only did this all seem familiar, but I feel like I can easily see the road this series will travel and, man, does that look familiar, too.

And, alas, the ellipses. I had real hopes that the editors over at Bramble could have exerted some more copyediting control and beaten this writing tic into submission. And yet I feel like there are even more here than in other books! And the more you notice it, the worse it gets. There are, you know, words that can be used to convey hesitation, caution, uncertainty. But instead, every time, she falls back on simply inserting ellipses before, between, and after words. I know she’s a best-selling, popular author. But there’s always room for improvement and this is where professional editors are needed most, places where writers are stuck in certain habits.

So where does this leave us. Like I said, for all of its flaws, my level of enjoyment was mostly around an 8. This is the definition of a “guilty pleasure” read for me. I liked it probably more than it deserves, and I’m fully prepared to flame out on it the same way I did with her other series. On the other hand, objectively, this book felt very familiar to other books she’s written, the spice-levels were verging on ridiculous, and some of her writing bad habits were on full display. So this would probably land it around a 6. To be fair, we’re giving it a solid 7, and you can do with that what you will!

Rating 7: I enjoyed the heck out of this book and judged myself for it the entire time.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Fall of Ruin and Wrath” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Deja Title: _ of _ and _ and 2023 – September Fantasy Releases

Year of Sanderson: “The Sunlit Man”

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“Year of Sanderson” is an on-going, monthly series that will post on the last Friday of each month in which I will cover various Brandon Sanderson-related things. This will largely be comprised of book reviews (some from his back catalog and some from the books being released this year), as well as assorted other topics like reviews of the items in the swag boxes that will be coming out as part of Sanderson’s Kickstarted campaign. Frankly, we’ll just have to see what we get from this series, very much like the Kickstarter itself!

Book: “The Sunlit Man” by Brandon Sanderson

Publishing Info: Dragonsteel Entertainment, October 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: own it!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org| Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Years ago he had comrades in arms and a cause to believe in, but now the man who calls himself Nomad knows only a life on the run. Forced to hop from world to world in the Cosmere whenever the relentless Night Brigade gets too close, Nomad lands on a new planet and is instantly caught up in the struggle between a tyrant and the rebels who want only to escape being turned into mindless slaves—all under the constant threat of a sunrise whose heat will melt the very stones. Unable to understand the language, can he navigate the conflict and gain enough power to leap offworld before his mind or body pay the ultimate price?

Review: Here we are at last, the bittersweet final book of the four new releases from Brandon Sanderon we received this year! I’ll have one more post in this review series, but that will be a post focused on the book boxes I received over the course of the year, so this will be the last official book review of my “Year of Sanderson” series. There have been highs (both “Yumi” and “Tress”) and there have been lows (looking at you “Wizard’s Guide”); where does this last book fall on the spectrum?

As always with these special editions, I want to start off by once again commenting on the high value we’re getting here. These books are simply gorgeous, no two ways about it. Not only does the cover art on the book itself perfectly illustrate the type of sci-fi/Mad Max style book that you’re about to read, but throughout the book, there are so many beautiful spreads. This book is unique to the other three we’ve seen in that it features artwork by many different artists, rather than just a single artist who illustrates the entire project. I think this was an excellent choice; it was lovely to see so many examples of the type of talent that exists out there and the very different approaches that these artists take when depicting the same characters and world. As always, as I was reading, I was always looking forward to the next illustration that I would come across.

Now, this book does stand out from the other three in one very important way. While technically one could read this book without having any prior exposure to Sanderson’s larger catalog, I do think this that would significantly impact the experience of the book. Like the other three, there are references to other stories and worlds peppered throughout this book. But unlike those, this one is very centered around the characters, magic system, and world found in “The Stormlight Archive.” There are so many references, in fact, that I do think it would be a struggle to piece together certain parts of this book without some understanding of that series. Beyond that, this book is infinitely more rewarding to fans who are caught up on the “Stormlight” books. It seems to take place some number of years in the future from where that series has currently left off, so the diligent fan has a plethora of opportunities to try to piece together clues as to what the future has to offer there.

The main character himself, Nomad, is directly connected to that series in a way that will only really hit for fans of the “Stormlight” books. That said, as I was reading this book, I did find myself becoming increasingly frustrated by the delayed reveal of just who Nomad really is. It’s strongly implied early in the book that this is a character that Cosmere fans will recognize, but then the story itself holds off on this reveal for quite some time. For me, instead of increasing the suspense, this central mystery proved to be more of a distraction than a delayed gratification situation. I found myself so busy trying to piece things together who exactly Nomad was that I was often disconnected from the actual story I was reading. Instead, had this reveal come earlier, I could have appreciated these connections to the “Stormlight” books without this mystery eating up my attention span.

When I did focus more on the story at hand, I very much enjoyed it. Sanderson mentions that he was partially inspired by “Mad Max” when writing this book, and that is very evident. Like “Mad Max: Fury Road,” this book has a frenetic energy to it, with the pacing driving forward relentlessly. This does create an exciting reading experience, but I’ll also admit that I had to take more breaks while reading this book than usual simply because the nonstop nature of the story doesn’t give you any breaks itself. As always, though, I’m continually impressed by the sheer creativity of Sanderson’s work. He manages to capture the same energy as “Fury Road” but does so in such a unique manner: the idea of a planet where the entire population must constantly out-run the deadly sunlight.

I very much enjoyed this last book in the secret projects bundle! As a big fan of Sanderson’s work, I enjoyed a book that was very clearly written first and foremost for readers who are all-in on the author’s larger Cosmere series. However, for readers who are less familiar, this book might be more of a struggle.

Rating 8: Relentless and fast-paced, this book will leave you out-of-breath as you try to keep up!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Sunlit Man” is on a bunch of not useful Goodreads lists but it should also be on Best Action/Fantasy Books.

Serena’s Review: “The Hurricane Wars”

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Book: “The Hurricane Wars” by Thea Guanzon

Publishing Info: HarperVoyager, October 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from ALAAC 2023

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: All Talasyn has ever known is the Hurricane Wars. Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, Talasyn has found her family among the soldiers who fight for freedom. But she is hiding a deadly secret: light magic courses through her veins, a blazing power believed to have been wiped out years ago that can cut through the Night Empire’s shadows.

Prince Alaric, the emperor’s only son and heir, has been forged into a weapon by his father. Tasked with obliterating any threats to the Night Empire’s rule with the strength of his armies and mighty Shadow magic, Alaric has never been bested. That is until he sees Talasyn burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, and ignited the Hurricane Wars. In a clash of light and dark, their powers merge and create a force the likes of which has never been seen.

Talasyn and Alaric both know this war can only end with them. But a greater threat is coming, and the strange new magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Thrust into an uneasy alliance, they will confront the secrets at the heart of the war and find, in each other, a searing passion–one that could save their world…or destroy it.

An exquisite fantasy brimming with unforgettable characters, sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance, and richly drawn worlds, The Hurricane Wars marks the breathtaking debut of an extraordinary new writer.

Review: This is another highly anticipated read for the fall. How do I know? Well, let’s just say that the booth at ALA that had these ARCs was…um…

At the time, I didn’t know why, but I have since discovered that this book was developed from a very popular fanfiction story. And, the world being what it is, of course that fanfiction was Reylo. We’ll get into that more a bit later. All of this being the case, I was a bit apprehensive when I started the book. Me and hyped books don’t have a great track record, and believe it or not, I don’t always love being the downer who rains on fan parades. But the clouds have parted, miracles happen, and I, in fact, enjoyed this one quite a bit!

Overall, I think this book has a lot to recommend it. At the same time, I’m not above admitting that I think this might also be a case of “right book, right mood” for me, as there are definitely aspects of this story that I think, in other books, I’d be focusing on more critically.

It’s always a tough job to re-interpret a previously existing story, but I think this one gives a good template for how it’s done. I haven’t read the original story, and while I can easily see where changes were made, I can also fairly confidently say that if I had read this book blind, I wouldn’t have questioned anything I was reading. The world-building felt complete. The magic system felt fully fleshed out and worked on the strength of its own concept, no “Force” references needed. I also thought the conflict and building romantic tension between the two main characters built in a natural way, not relying on any previously established buy-in of these two as Rey and Kylo cutouts.

The story is split between their POVS, but we spend much more of our time in Talasyn’s head, making her feel like the primary character with only brief glimpses of Alaric. As someone who struggles with dual POV, I appreciated this uneven approach to page time, as it better allowed me to understand Talasyn’s own story and arc. If the next book switches to a bigger focus on Alaraic, that would be a nice balance, too. As it is, Talasyn’s journey in this story is very much centered around loyalty, trust, and the tensions between the family you’re born to and the family you choose. All of this felt very well-established and really centered Talasyn’s conflicts throughout the story, beyond just her relationship with Alarcic. This is one example of how I think this book succeeded for me where other very hyped books have not.

Readers of fan fiction may recognize some of the stylizations of the writing in this book, especially in the way that the romance is built up and ebbs and flows throughout. But I think that the solid world-building and the centering of Talasyn’s history as a solider and her drive to protect those she claims as her own elevates the story beyond some of the limitations often found in books that get too bogged down in the central romantic conflict. Instead, because I felt invested in the larger story, it was easier for me to also become invested in the romance, which had its fair share of drama and angst, something that is usually an immediate turn off for me. But, like the best fan fiction, I was fully in it, fully caught up in the whirl wind of these two.

Beyond that, I appreciated how dark the author allowed this book to be. Both Alaric and Talasyn are soldiers. They have killed people and witnessed horrors. Even more importantly, the book doesn’t fail to take a hard look at Alaric’s role in the destructive force that is his country, a tyrannical institution that has razed everything before it, all in the name of “the greater good.” I especially appreciated the fact that much of this goes unresolved by the end of this book. These are big topics and for Talasyn to somehow get over it, or even for Alaric to open his eyes to the reality around him, all in the first book would have done some severe damage to the believability of the tale. Instead, the story commits’ to the ongoing saga that it is, with this book very much reading as just the jumping off platform for the larger conflict, both world-wide and between these two.

So, where does that leave us? Well, I’m currently debating whether I can resist spoiling myself by reading the original fanfiction or trying to hold out for the second book. So far, so good, but we’ll see how it goes as the months pass. Readers of the original story I’m sure will enjoy this, as well as fantasy lovers who enjoy dramatic, slow-burn romances. However, I can admit that, objectively, this does lean in to the angst and miscommunication as far as the love story goes, so if those are pet peeves of yours, you might need to beware. For me, I guess the rest of it worked so well that, for once, I didn’t mind and simply enjoyed the ride!

Rating 8: Electrifying, with sparks flying not only on the battle field but also within a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers romance!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Hurricane Wars ” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2023 and Published fan fiction

Serena’s Review: “Tonight, I Burn”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Tonight, I Burn” by Katharine J. Adams

Publishing Info: Orbit, October 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: A thorn witch with the power to walk between the realms of Life and Death finds herself at the center of a magical rebellion—and a dangerous romance—that could destroy her coven and her soul in this dark and decadent debut. 

Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett. 

Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all.

But one morning, Penny’s favorite sister Ella doesn’t return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn’t as it seems in Life or Death. 

Her journey leads her to Malin, a devastating lord with too many secrets; to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet; and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows beneath the city. And as Penny’s world splits, she’ll face a devastating choice. Because it’s not just her sister’s life that hangs in the balance. It’s the fate of all magic. 

All it takes is one witch—and one spark—to set the world ablaze.

Review: I’ve read a number of witch books this fall and mostly enjoyed them all! Of course, it is the time of year for this type of book, but it also seems that there is a current trend in YA and adult fantasy towards these types of stories recently. That being the case, I was excited to check out this book that promised an intricate new world, darker thematic content, plus a swoon-worthy romance! Unfortunately, while I think it might work well for other readers, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped.

But let’s start with the positives. Right there in the premise the book is setting up a truly dark existence, one in which a witch must be burned at the stake every night to patrol the realm. Yes, they are meant to come back to life the next day, but that does very little to combat the true horror of a death in that manner every night. This was such an interesting concept to begin with. Added on top of that you have the mystery of why one witch fails to return which propels the action of our heroine. It’s an excellent set up and I was quickly pulled into the general concept of the story.

However, as the book progressed, I began to struggle. First with the heroine herself and then with the romances as they were introduced. Fairly quickly, I began to feel frustrated with Penny and some of her decision making. It felt at times that she was simply doing things to prove that she was doing something in the first place, rather than for any true reason. Moments like this left me with the impression of her as a fairly immature character. Again and again she received praise for making decisions that were, on their face, pretty bad.

And then we get into the romance and the love interests. So, I’ll be honest, part of this is on me in that I read the book description and didn’t pick up on the fact that this was a polyamory story. In my defense, I don’t think it’s super obvious in the summary either. But either way, as a reader I often struggle to enjoy polyamory stories. That being the case, I usually avoid them simply so I don’t have a host of middling to negative reviews here on the blog of a subgenre that I know others enjoy but just aren’t for me. Know thyself and all of that.

This book does a good job (back hand compliment time!) in highlighting one of my struggles with this type of romance: it’s hard enough to write a solid, fully-fleshed out love story between two characters in the page count of a single book; thusly, it’s almost impossible to do justice to three characters and two love stories within the same number of pages. And here, like in so many other instances, I simply couldn’t become invested in these romances. Sure, they were each attracted to each other. But beyond that? I never felt like any time was given to why these characters were falling for one another, what true connections bound them together other than the fairly rote parallels between Penny’s powers and the fact that one love interest represents Death and the other Life. Beyond that, I personally just don’t enjoy polyamory romances, so this was probably never going to be a great success for me. But for readers who do enjoy these stories, this might still work, though objectively, in this case, I still think the love stories themselves were fairly watered down to simple attraction and not much else.

Overall, I really enjoyed the world-building and magic of this world, but I struggled with the main character and the romances too much to truly enjoy this book. But if you’re a fan of polyamory stories and want to check out an interesting, fresh take on witches and witch burning, this might be a good book for you!

Rating 6: Not to my taste, but it did offer some interesting fantasy concepts that I’d never come across before!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Tonight, I Burn” isn’t on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Vampires and Werewolves and Witches…Oh My!