Tag: Fantasy

Serena’s Review: “Raven Unveiled”

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

Book: “Raven Unveiled” by Grace Draven

Publishing Info: Ace Books, November 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+!

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

Book Description: Siora has been on the run for longer than she cares to remember, from her past and her gift. Born with the ability to see and speak to ghosts, she has heard their desperate pleas as an otherworldly predator stalks the dead amid the fertile killing fields of the collapsing Krael Empire. The creature’s power and reach are growing with every soul it consumes, but Siora is preoccupied with her own troubles: namely an assassin who has sworn an oath of vengeance against her.

Gharek of Cabast was once the right-hand man of the reviled empress but is now a wanted fugitive. Although his reasons for hunting Siora are viscerally personal, what Gharek can’t anticipate is that when he finally does find her, she will hold the key to saving his world, or what’s left of it. To make good on old debts and protect the vulnerable dead from a malevolent force, Gharek and Siora will both need to make an ally out of an enemy—and trust that will be enough to save each other.

Previously Reviewed: “Phoenix Unbound” and “Dragon Unleashed”

Review: I’ve really enjoyed the, at this point, many books I’ve read by Grace Draven. She has a fairly significant back catalog that I have been slowly working my way through. But it’s also been fun to read her “Fallen Empire” trilogy as it’s been published in real time. So far, I’ve really liked both of the books in this trilogy. We’re introduced to the main characters for this book back in “Dragon Unleashed,” so I was already primed with excitement to get to their story here. Plus, who doesn’t love a good old “enemies to lovers” romance??

Siora had finally felt as if she had a place and the beginnings of a home. But then, in an effort to save lives, including that of her young war, Siora was forced to betray the man who had taken her in. For his part, Gharek is not one to forget and forgive. While he is a wanted man by many for his role as the late queen’s assassin, he is still driven with one goal and one goal only: find the woman who betrayed his, and his daughter’s, trust. But as they race in a game of cat and mouse, Siora and Gharek begin to realize that larger forces are moving in the world and they have to trust one another if they have any hope of overcoming it.

So, shocking take here given everything I already said about this author and this series so far but…yeah, I really enjoyed this one! Ok? Ok, review done? But in all seriousness, it’s always so great to find an author who consistently churns out enjoyable books. I’ve definitely had preferences and favorites, but I’ve never actively disliked a book by Graven. And this trilogy in particular has been very consistent throughout: great individual stories, great characters, great love stories, and an interesting world and history that connects them all.

By the third book in the trilogy, readers should be very familiar with all of these elements, and in a lot of ways it was like returning to a cozy, favorite place. Don’t get me wrong, this world is brutal and cruel. But as a reader, it’s also full of lovely characters and stories, and by the time you get to the third book, you’re on constant look out for returning faces. The fear, then, is that the new characters could be washed out by older characters. But Gharek and Siora definitely hold strong on their own.

I found Siora’s character and her story particularly compelling. Hers is a tale of long experience living on the outside of society. But through these experiences, and the influence of her late father, she has developed a keen sense of right and wrong. So devoted to this path, she follows these instincts even when they work against her own best interest. Indeed, this is what has lead to the situation she finds herself in now: on the run from her late employer, Gharek. For his part, Gharek’s journey is much more introspective. His role and position in the world has been pulled out from beneath him. He’s still a father, but he is barely able to understand how to be that (or any other loving role) without falling back on the destructive tendencies that had made him successful. He loves his daughter more than anything, but then to express this he leaves her behind in pursuit of revenge that she didn’t ask for. This, of course, also is seen in his growing relationship and feelings towards Siora.

The pacing and action of this book does stumble a bit. For one thing, though we get a decent amount of time with Siora and Gharek together, I found myself always wishing for more. Maybe it was the many stages that this relationship needed to go through, but I found that each of these stages could have used a bit more fleshing out. I also stumbled a bit with the “big bad” of this story. In the past two books, the Empress was a very present evil. We saw her repeatedly and her influence on everyone and her kingdom was obvious. But this book opens with her having been dealt with already. And then the evil that we do end up with is of a much more nebulous sort. The danger was unique, the way that Siora’s death powers played into this was cool, but I just found myself lacking real investment in this storyline.

Overall, however, I really liked this book. Siora and Gharek have a lovely romance, and in a lot of ways, it checks off many of my favorite tropes. The actual plotting of this book was probably not my favorite of the three, but it was also by no means bad. I flew through this book in only a few days and highly recommend it to fantasy romance fans (as part of the entire trilogy, of course!)

Rating 8: An excellent conclusion to the trilogy, but I found the love story more compelling than the actual plot of hte book.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Raven Unveiled” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on “Characters Who Hide Their Powers.”

Serena’s Review: “Saint”

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

Book: “Saint” by Adrienne Young

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, November 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: As a boy, Elias learned the hard way what happens when you don’t heed the old tales.

Nine years after his lack of superstition got his father killed, he’s grown into a young man of piety, with a deep reverence for the hallowed sea and her fickle favor. As stories of the fisherman’s son who has managed to escape the most deadly of storms spreads from port to port, his devotion to the myths and creeds has given him the reputation of the luckiest bastard to sail the Narrows.

Now, he’s mere days away from getting everything his father ever dreamed for him: a ship of his own, a crew, and a license that names him as one of the first Narrows-born traders. But when a young dredger from the Unnamed Sea with more than one secret crosses his path, Elias’ faith will be tested like never before. The greater the pull he feels toward her, the farther he drifts from the things he’s spent the last three years working for.

He is dangerously close to repeating his mistakes and he’s seen first hand how vicious the jealous sea can be. If he’s going to survive her retribution, he will have to decide which he wants more, the love of the girl who could change their shifting world, or the sacred beliefs that earned him the name that he’s known for―Saint.

Review: Adrienne Young is a must-read author for me at this point. I’ve been reading her books for some time, and they always deliver on a good story, interesting characters, and, often, a sweet romance. I really enjoyed her “Fable” duology, so I was excited to nab this book once I realized it was not a cheap romance novel (ugh that cover!!) but in fact a prequel stand-alone that follows the story of Fable’s parents and how they meet.

Elias has devoted his life to one thing and one thing only: getting his merchant license and making a name for himself and for the Narrows, his beloved and dangerous home. But things begin to go sideways when he meets a mysterious young woman working as a Dredger for a rival crew. For her part, Isolde is running her own game, one full of secrets and a desperate attempt to reinvent not only herself but the world that her powerful mother has been shaping for her. Together, Elias and Isolde face dangerous, sweeping forces. But with a shared love for the sea, can they find their way through this storm?

I really enjoyed this prequel story. It’s always a bit hard to write a book like this, for several reasons. For one thing, the Saint we met in the “Fable” duology is very different than the young man full of vision and, in his own way, optimism that we see here. He’s been tested, yes, but he hasn’t gone through the life-shaping hardships that we know are before him. For another thing, we do know tragedy is ahead for these characters, knowing the state of affairs when Fable’s own story begins. But I think Young does a good job of taking those necessary and pre-determined components and creating something that still feels hopeful and fresh.

For her part, Isolde can be a completely new character, with only very few strings attached to who she should be on the page given from previous books. We know her fate in the “Fable” books, but we never see her in person. This leaves a lot of room for her character and story to be the groundwork for this book, and she serves very well in this role (even though the book is titled for a different character). I really liked the unique vision of this world that we see through Isolde’s eyes, through the eyes of a young woman who is the daughter of one of the most powerful people alive, her mother. And while much of Isolde’s life has been influenced by the privileges that this has given her, we also see how complicated and damaging this relationship has been to Isolde’s sense of self and purpose. Much of this book is focused on her journey to shape herself into the woman she wants to be and to wrestle freedom back from the ever tightening grip of her tyrannical mother. Isolde is made up of a lot of grit and will to choose one’s own path, two traits that are very apparent in her daughter, Fable.

Saint had a bit of a harder task, as we do have a pretty solid image of him presented in the “Fable” duology. That being the case, I did struggle a bit more with his chapters. I could see some hints of how the character we were being introduced to here could turn into that much harder, much colder man, but he also felt very different, too. And yes, events will shape him in major ways going forward, but something about the characterization just didn’t gel as well as I had hoped. I think I wanted a more ruthless, pragmatic character here, rather than the more typical YA hero that we’ve all seen fairly often.

I liked the story well enough, too. But again, here, it didn’t live up to quite what I could have wished for. By the end of the book, I had a hard time really pointing to the main conflict or plot of the book. It’s a very character-driven story (something that really works for me), but the plot and action itself is rather lacking. There are action scenes, of course, but the stakes never felt particularly high, and I wasn’t incredibly invested in the point-by-point movements of the plot itself. As a character reader, I was ok with this style of book. But those who might be looking for a more compelling story at the heart of their read might find themselves let down a bit by this book.

Overall, I thought this was a solid prequel. It did a good job of bringing to the page two characters that we’ve either met before or heard a great deal about before. Technically, it would be approachable on its own to new readers, but I do think that that would be doing yourself a disservice. As many of the strengths of this story come from its characters and the plot/world-building plays a definite second fiddle, readers who are already familiar with this world and these characters are likely going to enjoy this one more.

Rating 8: Very enjoyable, though its focus on characters over plot may hold it back a bit for some readers.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Saint” can be found on these Goodreads lists: YA Sea Adventures and Best prequel/sequel

Serena’s Review: “The Vermilion Emporium”

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

Book: “The Vermilion Emporium” by Jamie Pacton

Publishing Info: Peachtree Teen, November 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: It was a day for finding things . . .
 
On the morning Twain, a lonely boy with a knack for danger, discovers a strand of starlight on the cliffs outside Severon, a mysterious curiosity shop appears in town. Meanwhile, Quinta, the ordinary daughter of an extraordinary circus performer, chases rumors of the shop, The Vermilion Emporium, desperate for a way to live up to her mother’s magical legacy.
 
When Quinta meets Twain outside the Emporium, two things happen: One, Quinta starts to fall for this starlight boy, who uses his charm to hide his scars. Two, they enter the store and discover a book that teaches them how to weave starlight into lace.
 
Soon, their lace catches the eye of the Casorina, the ruler of Severon. She commissions Quinta and Twain to make her a starlight dress and will reward them handsomely enough to make their dreams come true. However, they can’t sew a dress without more material, and the secret to starlight’s origins has been lost for centuries. As Quinta and Twain search the Emporium for answers, though, they discover the secret might not have been lost—but destroyed. And likely, for good reason.

Review: This book had early marketing that compared it to a mix of “The Radium Girls” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.” And that’s definitely one of those situations where the weirdness of that mixture just adds to the appeal. I mean, what does that even mean? But the book description itself also sounded intriguing and the cover seemed to speak to a sort of historical/fantasy hybrid of sorts. So what did it turn out to be?

Quinta and Twain each feel as if they have hit dead ends. Quinta’s mother often spoke of a future for daughter full of greatness, but looking around her now, Quinta only sees the mundane. For his part, Twain’s hopes of buying him and his brother a new life via passage on a ship out of the city died alongside his brother when he perished in a tragic accident. But when Quinta and Twain find themselves thrown together, privy to a long-lost magical substance, each sees their future opening up before them once again. However, some secrets may have been forgotten for a reason, and Quinta and Twain may be in over their heads.

This was another frustrating read for me, largely because after the first few chapters I was feeling pretty good about the book as a whole. First off, and for me most importantly, the writing seemed solid and engaging, painting a vivid new world full of interesting new magic and sympathetic characters. Twain, especially, with this tragic story of the loss of his brother was a particularly interesting narrator. His story also starts off quickly, jumping the reader right into the action and setting out a path for him to follow early on.

Things began to go down hill when I met the female main character. Quinta seemed interesting enough at first, but quite quickly it began to feel like her entire motivation and drive centered around the prediction her mother made that she would be great. She also seemed overly fixated on the fact that she only let people down and that she was a “one night girl.” Seriously, that last phrase was repeated so many times that I almost got out a note pad and started counting. I get the general type of character that these two things are supposed to be painting, but the repetitive way that Quinta talked about and described herself quickly began to feel unnatural.

And then, the romance. Oh, the romance. Why, instalove, why?? Again, the first few pages of Quinta and Twain’s interactions had me interested. There was some good banter and chemistry, and I was hopeful that that would turn into a solid foundation for an eventual relationship. NOPE! For such a “one night kind of girl” Quinta sure did jump in quickly! Seriously, they were holding hands within pages of meeting, and Quinta was immediately discussing how she didn’t buy into “love at first sight” but man, she was starting to have questions now. It was so rushed and uncomfortable.

After that, I really struggled to connect with anything else in this story. There were never any major conflicts the two characters had to face and very little character growth of any kind was involved. And if I had to hear the phrases “one night girl” or “meant for great things” a single more time…Alas, it was not for me. Perhaps fantasy readers who are not as put off by instalove and looking for lighter fare may enjoy this, but ultimately it felt like a wasted opportunity for a good story.

Rating 6: A promising start broke down fairly quickly and left me struggling to get through this one.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Vermilion Emporium” can be found on this Goodreads list: YA Novels of 2022

Serena’s Review: “Cursed”

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

Book: “Cursed” by Marissa Meyer

Publishing Info: Feiwel and Friends, November 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: Adalheid Castle is in chaos.

Following a shocking turn of events, Serilda finds herself ensnared in a deadly game of make-believe with the Erlking, who is determined to propel her deeper into the castle’s lies. Meanwhile, Serilda is determined to work with Gild to help him solve the mystery of his forgotten name and past.

But soon it becomes clear that the Erlking doesn’t only want to use Serilda to bring back his one true love. He also seeks vengeance against the seven gods who have long trapped the Dark Ones behind the veil. If the Erlking succeeds, it could change the mortal realm forever.

Can Serilda find a way to use her storytelling gifts for good—once and for all? And can Serilda and Gild break the spells that tether their spirits to the castle before the Endless Moon finds them truly cursed?

Previously Reviewed: “Gilded”

Review: Back when I reviewed “Princess of Souls,” I went on a mini rant about Macmillan only handing out one ARC per day to each individual during ALA. And back when I reviewed “Gilded” last week, I went on another mini rant against myself for delaying reading this duology. Well, combine those two and you and get the rant where I missed out on an ARC for “Cursed” at ALA because a.) I hadn’t gotten around to reading the first one and b.) they were only handing out one ARC, so I picked “Princess of Souls”…

Man, I wish I had picked this book instead!

Expecting a child and engaged to the evil Erkling, Serilda’s prospects really couldn’t be worse. Add on top of that the fact that her beloved village children are trapped under the Erkling’s curse, and she cannot tell her love and the father of her child, Gild, any of this for fear of tipping off the Erkling to her plans. With the clock ticking on her pregnancy, Serilda is desperate to find a way to save the children, Gild, and her own baby. But as she works to uncover the secret history of the land, she discovers that the Erkling’s game is much greater than she had suspected.

I pretty much read this book immediately after finishing up “Gilded.” I think it really worked being read in this way, as the story picks up immediately after the previous one kicks off. It really could feel like one, longer book. In some ways, I think it was even improved on for being read this way. As, given the way the action of the entire duology is spread out, this book opens on the lull before the story. The previous book set it all up, but this stories opens with Serilda in a fairly impossible situation. Ultimately, as judged on its own, I do think this one struggled a bit more with pacing right off the the bat because of this. As the story continued, there were long swaths of time where very little happened. There were also large changes in scenery and situation that would also feel a bit like they petered out into yet another lull. But, overall, I do think the plotting and pacing work, if they are a bit more jumbled than in the first book.

This is still very much Serilda’s story, and I continued to enjoy her as a main character. I thought the way Meyers handled her pregnancy was interesting (if a bit of a cop out in certain ways), and Serilda’s relationship with the children of her village and the child she will soon bring into the world remains her primary motivation and focus. The romance is, of course, still very sweet. But, if anything, this book reinforced again and again that this is not the relationship at the core of Serilda’s world, as much as she loves Gild. I really liked this. Not only is it refreshing to read about a main character who’s motivational relationship is not yet another romantic interest, but Meyers used this opportunity to continue to build on what was, really, a very bare bones start to Gild and Serilda’s relationship (Serilda even spends time reflecting on whether or not she truly can say she’s “in love” with Gild having only known him for a total of three nights at this point). However, perhaps unsurprising to those familiar with my pet peeves, I did struggle on and off with why Serilda continued to keep so many secrets from Gild. She seemed to be very dismissive of his ability to keep a secret or remain level-headed in front of the Erkling. But…isn’t he the one who’s been successfully dealing with this cruel king for centuries?

The story did take good number of unexpected turns along the way, and I think this really worked. As I said, there were lulls to the story, but every time I began to get the first hints of tedium, Meyers would throw a massive switch into things, and I’d find myself facing almost a completely new story and challenge. I think this worked very well and helped combat some of the pacing issues. I was able to predict a few of these reveals, but the way everything came to light and played out still was surprising and fun. There was one final twist towards the end that I’m still not completely sure makes a lot of sense. But…eh, I could go with it.

This was a very solid conclusion to the duology. I think the pacing does knock it down from a 9 to an 8, for me. But it was still a very solid read and one I greatly enjoyed. Fans of the first book are sure to be pleased with this one (just don’t expect greatly increased Gild/Serilda action though!)

Rating 8: An excellent continuation and conclusion to a unique fairytale retelling, this book (and duology) is sure to please YA fantasy fans!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Cursed” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2022 and YA Releases November 2022.

Serena’s Review: “The Golden Enclaves”

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

Book: “The Golden Enclaves” by Naomi Novik

Publishing Info: Del Rey Books, September 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: own it!

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

Book Description: The one thing you never talk about while you’re in the Scholomance is what you’ll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it’s all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we’ll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.

And now the impossible dream has come true. I’m out, we’re all out–and I didn’t even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother’s prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn’t kill enclavers, I saved them. Me, and Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone and made the world safe for all wizards and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.

Ha, only joking! Actually it’s gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I’ve got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.

Previously Reviewed: “A Deadly Education” and “The Last Graduate”

Review: This was probably my most anticipated release for the entire year. My sister was getting married the week it came out, and I forewarned her that I would have limited time to help as I would need to prioritize reading. JK, I didn’t actually do that (though, as she’s also an avid reader and loves this trilogy, she might just have joined me in avoiding wedding work for reading!). So, without any more prelude, let’s get into it!

Things both did and yet so very much did NOT go to plan. Yes, El and her friends managed to save the students of the Scholomance, fill the school with mals, and send it careening off into the void. No, they did not live happily ever after. In one last heroic effort, Orion was trapped and left behind in the Scholomance, doomed to a horrific end at the mercy of the most terrible type of mals there is, a mawmouth. And now a mysterious force is crippling the enclaves, provoking them into suspicion and fear, a hair’s breath away from all-out war with one another. With forces spiraling out of control and only an array of awful choices before her, El must find away to avoid her fate of becoming a world-destroying maleficier.

I was worried about this book in much the same way that I was worried about the seventh “Harry Potter” book when it came out. For one thing, the books that came before were pretty much perfection in my estimation, but the end to a series can really make or break the entire thing, even ruining excellent books that came before. For a second thing, both “Deathly Hollows” and “The Golden Enclaves” abandon the formula and setting that was so central to the series up to this point. The Scholomance was not just a school, it was a character that drove almost all of the story and plot of the first two books. So, without it…would the story hold up? Well, long story short, yes, yes it did!

What I continue to love about this series is how creatively Novik tackles concepts and themes that are very relatable to a modern reader. But under all the magical guild and guise, they’re also presented as completely organic to the story, no one message feeling particularly preachy or heavy-handed. Given the title, it will come as no surprise that much of this story revolves around the Enclaves, the powerful communities that provided shelter from the many dangers facing magical beings. But these communities are incredibly difficult to get into, leading to a very stratified culture between the haves and have-nots. Like the other two books, a large part of this book is taken up by El’s exploration and explanation of how these Enclaves work, many of their secrets being new to not only the reader but El as well. And from there, the book dives into the real meat of the story: where is the line in “the sacrifice of one for the good of the many?”

What I really appreciated in the exploration of this theme throughout the book was how handily Novik avoided coming to any easy, pat explanations. Instead, she meticulously lays out a problem, a world, and the people in that world handling that problem as nuanced and complicated. El must make choices, but these choices do not come with all the feel-good material of a righteous easy path. Instead, her path is full of rage, devastation, and the hard realization that more often than not the world is not made up of monstrous people but of monstrous situations or systems that cause people to make monstrous choices again and again.

I also loved how so many aspects of the first two books were tied up into this one. Not only do we have the prophesy that has hounded El her entire life (that she will become a destroyer of worlds), but there is also the question surrounding Orion and his unique abilities. There were some genuinely shocking reveals in this book. I had the inkling of a guess on one tiny aspect of it, but most of it was a complete surprise and I was there for it.

This book is also much darker and more grim than the previous two entries (not that they were particularly light-hearted, what with all the discussion about child and teen death rates). But from the very first page, El’s journey is one of bare, tortured persistence in the face of horror after horror. Those looking for much in the realm of quirky teenage romance (not a lot to be found before, but at least some) should prepare for a much darker tale than that. However, all of that being said, El, and this book, doggedly strive towards the hopeful, even in the face of horrible odds and terrible choices. I loved how it all came together in the end. And while no one rides off into a utopian sunset, the story felt complete and completely satisfying. Fans of the first two books (as long as you weren’t only in it for the love story) are should to love this book just as I did!

Rating 10: Superb! A perfect landing for what feels like a perfect trilogy full of challenging themes of power, family, and hope.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Golden Enclaves” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Dark Academia and Best Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy Trilogies.

Serena’s Review: “Gilded”

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

Book: “Gilded” by Marissa Meyer

Publishing Info: Feiwel and Friends, November 2021

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her . . . for a price.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.

Review: We read “Cinder” for bookclub many (many) years ago, and I remember enjoying it for the most part. Which is why I bewilder myself that I haven’t read any of the rest of the books in that series or by this author! She writes creative fairytale retellings (some times even including science fiction angles!) for heaven’s sake! That sounds right up my alley! Whatever the case, I did request an e-galley of this book back in 2021 when it came out….and again failed to prioritize it. But when I saw that the second one was coming out this fall, I finally decided that enough was enough, so here we finally, finally are.

Serilda is a story-teller at heart, spending her days spinning wonderous tales of magic and danger. Most of the time, however, this propensity for tall-tales is only appreciated by the village children. Indeed, most others see the mysterious wheels of color that mark her eyes and see nothing but trouble, a young woman touched by a god known for lies. Soon enough, however, magic seems to escape from the world of words and Serilda finds herself caught up in a tall tale herself, forced to spin straw into gold (a skill she foolishly claimed during one of her stories) for a cruel Fae king. Luckily for her, she meets a strange young man who does in fact have this skill. But what will he ask for in return?

I have to say, discovering that you’ve been missing out on something awesome has to be one of the few times where you’re almost rewarded for your own delay. I mean, I loved this book and I had the second book already primed and ready to go and got to merrily skip out on the year-long wait that other fans had to put up with! But it also means I’ve just been missing good books for years. I’ll definitely be checking out those other “Cinder” books now, that’s for sure.

This book was a solid fairy-tale retelling, meeting all of the requirements I look for in this sort of book. The plot hits all the major markers that readers are familiar with from the original “Rumpelstiltskin,” but other than these basic points, the world, characters, and story all feel fresh and unique. Obviously, the biggest change is that Gild himself is not the villain but the love interest. This is definitely an example of a “less is more” romance, and I appreciated that the author didn’t abandon her premise to give more page time to this character or the romance in general. Indeed, it proves just how well-written Gild was that I was fully invested in his story and the romance between him and Serilda given we only see him briefly here and there, broken up by large sections of the story that follow only Serilda.

But this choice is even neatly referenced by Serilda herself at times, noting that this is her story and not Gild’s. While the mystery surrounding him and his ability to spin gold is at the heart of much of the story, Serilda’s own motivations and priorities are what drives things: her love for her father, a mother she lost to magic years ago, and to the young children she tells stories to in her village. She was an excellent character in that you can see her making choices that you, as the reader, know will lead to mischief and sorrow, but they also feel true to the character she is. She also never shies away from the fallout of her own decisions, good and bad. She’s an incredibly strong and brave character, and, at times, laugh out loud funny.

But the story was also much darker than I was expecting. The Erkling was a terrifyingly cruel character, his presence seeming to leak off the page and let you viscerally feel the fear that everyone experiences when around him. There were several moments in the story where it felt like the author was going in a certain direction and I thought “oh, she won’t follow through on that, there will be a way out.” Nope! This had all the darkness and grim horror that is often found in classic fairytales where innocence is not a magical shield that protects characters from bad outcomes.

I loved this book. For all that it had dark, sob-worthy moments, I also found the dialogue and inner monologue to be clever and witty, giving the reader a nice reprieve from too much gloom. It does end on a pretty massive cliff hanger, but luckily for me (and anyone else who hasn’t read it yet) the second book in the duology is coming out this month, so there’s not much of a wait there. I definitely recommend this for fairy-tale fantasy readers. It might also fall into the rare “new adult” fantasy genre.

Rating 9: Sooooo good! An excellent fairytale retelling that takes a familiar story and character and remakes them into something entirely new and fresh.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Gilded” can be found on these Goodreads lists: YA Fractured Fairytales/Radical Retellings and YA/NA Fantasy Romance Book Club Nominations.

Serena’s Review: “Princess of Souls”

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

Book: “Princess of Souls” by Alexandra Christo

Publishing Info: Feiwel Friends, October 2022

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

Book Description: For sixteen years, Selestra has been trapped in her tower on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as the King’s Witch, who foretells deaths in the Festival of Predictions. Outrunning your fate earns a wish and the chance to steal the King’s immortality. But die and your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death.

A soldier in the King’s army, Nox is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but, driven by revenge, he is determined to steal the King’s immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra.

Yet when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, their fates become entwined, and death seeks to take both their souls. Only by working together can they survive long enough to escape the dark fate and the immortal King that now hunts them.

Review: I’m going to try really hard to resist going on a rant against Macmillan Publishing right now. Long story short, the Macmillan booth at ALA foolishly decided to allot 5…FIVE!!!!…ARCs of each of their books per day of the conference. So unless you were crazy enough to line up at the entrance to the convention center at the crack of dawn, chances were low you were going to get your hands on any books from them. This is truly an insane policy at a convention where you’re entire purpose is promoting your titles to librarians who will hopefully than purchase your books. No, no I will NOT wait in line for an ARC copy of a book I’m not sure I’ll even like. Ok, enough of that. All of that to say, this was the one ARC I was able to snag from Macmillan over the entire conference. And the fact that (spoiler alert) it was a solid “meh” is exactly why I would never get up early to get ARCs, especially by unknown authors. So…change your plan next time Macmillan!

For years, Selestra has remained trapped within the castle walls, standing to the side of her mother learning to one day take her place foretelling death for those foolish enough to bet their souls on the chance of riches. Every year, hundreds take this risk, with only a small few making any gains; and any who risk their lives, always losing. Selestra has always wondered what would make these individuals choose these odds. So when she has a vision of her life tied up alongside one of these foolish risk takers, she is more confused than ever. For his part, Nox has very fixed reasons for why he has entered this tournament. And getting involved with the King’s magical protégé is definitely not part of the plan.

This book was one of those strange reads where I started it up and thought “Wow, I’m really liking this. It’s definitely going to get a solid rating from me.” And then the longer I read, the more and more it began to feel like a chore. Until by the end, I had a very ambivalent feeling towards the entire experience. I can’t even point to very clear reason for this, but we’ll try and tease something out. But, to start with positives, I did enjoy this to start with and I’m sure that for many other people, this positive first impression will last. The writing is entertaining and smooth. The plot moves quickly. And both of our main characters were interesting and had distinct inner voices. Nox, in particular, was the type of witty guy lead that I typically very much enjoy.

But, again, I simply couldn’t sustain interest in this story. For one thing, I thought all of the twists were incredibly predictable, especially as the story continued. I also struggled with the world-building as the plot progressed. Things that had started out as interesting concepts began to stick in my brain and raise continuing questions about how exactly any of this works or how this history/culture really came to be. I understand that this book is set in the world of the author’s previous book, “To Kill a Kingdom,” but the success of a stand-alone book relies on the fact that it is meant to be approachable to readers who may not have read related works.

I also had heard that this book was a re-imaging of “Rapunzel,” part of the reason I was on the look-out for it at all at ALA in the first place. And…I just can’t see it? I mean, sure, she’s a girl stuck in a tower (and even this is highly questionable as she breaks out with ease within the first quarter of the book). But that’s about it. Her hair is kind of a thing, but not at all in the same way as the story. And really, there were no obvious connections to that fairytale at all in the way the story was plotted or paced. I really dislike being sold this type of false premise. If you’re going to try to hook a reader in with a specific reference like this, you better follow through with a story that actually meets that expectation in some way.

So, overall, this was a miss for me. However, I can also see it working for a lot of YA fantasy readers. For one thing, if you liked “To Kill a Kingdom,” this will probably be a nice return to a familiar world. And, like I said, there was a lot of immediate appeal to the characters and style of writing, so for many, this will likely carry them through. But if you’re looking for a tightly plotted story or a complex exploration of character and motivation, this probably won’t be.

That being said, if you’re one of those fans of the first book or are a YA fantasy reader who’s looking for a fast-paced read, don’t forget to check out our giveaway! It is open to U.S. residents only and ends Oct. 26.

Enter to win!

Rating 7: A promising start sadly wasted away over the course of this read, though I still think it will appeal to a lot of YA fantasy fans looking for lighter fare.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Princess of Souls” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on Rapunzel Retellings.

Giveaway: “Princess of Souls”

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

Book: “Princess of Souls” by Alexandra Christo

Publishing Info: Feiwel Friends, October 2022

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

Book Description: For sixteen years, Selestra has been trapped in her tower on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as the King’s Witch, who foretells deaths in the Festival of Predictions. Outrunning your fate earns a wish and the chance to steal the King’s immortality. But die and your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death.

A soldier in the King’s army, Nox is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but, driven by revenge, he is determined to steal the King’s immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra.

Yet when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, their fates become entwined, and death seeks to take both their souls. Only by working together can they survive long enough to escape the dark fate and the immortal King that now hunts them.

Giveaway Details: I love fairytale retellings (obviously). And there are definitely fairytales I’ve read more versions of than others. For fairly obvious reasons, “Rapunzel” is a challenging story to retell. The heroine is literally trapped alone in a tower for the majority of the story. But here we are with two “Rapunzel” inspired stories in the last few months! Though, I will say, this is definitely more of an “inspiration” story than the more closely tied “The House of Gothel.” Honestly, half of my interest in this story is exactly how this ties in with Rapunzel much at all? Reading the book description…I’m not sure? In a lot of ways it seems more closely tied to fantasy novels focused on some sort of deadly magical competitions (like “All of Us Villains” and the ilk). But maybe this is a case of the book description missing out on some key elements. Either way, I’m excited to find out what this book has in store!

Per the usual, my full review will come out this coming Friday. And in the meantime, make sure to enter to win an ARC of this book. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and ends Oct. 26.

Enter to win!

Serena’s Review: “The Liar’s Crown”

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

Book: “The Liar’s Crown” by Abigail Owen

Publishing Info: Entangled Teen, August 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose—to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present.

Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift—an eerily familiar gift—and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation. Which is why, when a figure made of shadow kidnaps the new queen, he gets me by mistake.

As I try to escape, all the lies start to unravel. And not just my lies. The Shadowraith who took me has secrets of his own. He struggles to contain the shadows he wields—other faces, identities that threaten my very life.

Winter is at the walls. Darkness is looming. And the only way to save my sister and our dominion is to kill Eidolon…and the Shadowraith who has stolen my heart.

Review: I’m on record as very much enjoying stories about sisters and the often beautiful but complicated relationships those can be. So it made requesting this book a bit of a no brainer. True, much of the general description sounds very familiar to other YA fantasies I’ve read. But there’s also the general adage that there’s nothing new under the sun and that all books are derivatives of others in some way or another! So request away I did!

Both magic and twins run in the royal line. But what could seen has only an odd quirk of a particular lineage has served this particular kingdom in ways known by few others. While one princess grows up as the heir to the thrown and eventually the Queen, the other lives a life unknown, stepping in to live as the royal sister when there are threats or other unknowns that may pose a risk to the true Queen. For Meren, living in her sister’s shadow has provided a sense of duty alongside a sense of claustrophobia. With no life to call her own, she struggles to carve out something of her own. But she also loves her sister, so when a threat comes in the night of her sister’s coronation, Meren steps up. So when the threat is fulfilled and the Queen is captured, it is Meren who falls into the grasp of a dark, deadly man.

While this book didn’t turn out to be all I had hoped it would be, there was still a lot to like. The writing was solid throughout. And, in particular, I think the dialogue was really well-done. The lines that were meant to be quippy were in fact funny. And characters had “voices” and manners to their speaking that made them feel like distinct characters. This is a writing skill that too often goes unnoticed, but when you stand back and look at books that come across as well-written and others that you find yourself struggling with, believable dialogue can often be found as a culprit either way. Some of my favorite authors are my favorite based almost purely on their skill at writing good dialogue.

I also really liked the characters. Meren was a sympathetic character, balancing a sense of loyalty and devotion to sister with the natural frustrations that would come from living life as a person whose entire existence is meant to be unknown. Further, I thought the love interest was also an intriguing character. There were a few reveals of him that came around the halfway mark that I found particularly interesting. These two also had good chemistry; again, I think much of this came down to the good dialogue work by the author.

But, in the end, I did find myself continuing to struggle to fully connect to the book. I was initially really into it, but as the story progressed, the entire thing began to feel more like a chore. Part of this came down to a familiar frustration for me with this kind of story: characters hiding and lying about things far past the point of believability. After a certain point, the more the author has to work to justify continuing the choice for character to continue to withhold important facts from each other. And the longer the story goes, the more these justifications begin to feel inadequate. Such was the case here. And once I started to feel annoyed about Meren’s choices in this regard, the more I struggled to get myself back into the story.

I also found myself returning to an early point in the book and a piece of history that was presented that plays an important part of the story: apparently, the villain (well known as a villain to all of the other kingdoms as well) has been stealing and killing Queens from this particular realm for quite some time. But somehow there is the assumption that the villain doesn’t know about the whole twin thing? I don’t quite get what everyone seems to think the villain character is making of the fact that the minute he captures one Queen another, identical one pops right up? It was all very weird, and as the story continued with this odd point being left to just sit there unchallenged, the more I became fixated on what should have been a minor plot point.

This is the type of book that I think will work for a lot of people. And, in fact, it was very close to working for me. There were just a few too many things that made me raise my eyebrows for me to really become invested in the story. If you like fantasy romance, however, this might be a good read for you!

Rating 7: This book has a lot of strengths, but it also fell into a few plot holes that I always struggle with. Will likely appeal to a lot of fantasy romance fans, however!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Liar’s Crown” can be found on this Goodreads list: Books with Crowns

Serena’s Review: “Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove”

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

Book: “Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove” by Rati Mehrotra

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, October 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen. But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, Katyani is shipped off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.

But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.

Review: I feel like I’ve read a number of India-inspired fantasy novels over the last few years or so. Most of them have been very good, and it’s always refreshing to see new fantasy world built on the foundation of other cultures, histories, and religions from around the world. This one was particularly interesting when I stumbled across it because it was toted as being inspired by Medieval India, a period that I know even less about that the more recent history of the nation and region. Other than this general point of interest, however, I had very little to go on.

Ever since a forbidden magical intervention was performed to save her life as a child, binding her to the queen of the realm, Katyani has always seen her future as bright and clear. She was worked tirelessly to become the best guardswoman she could be and is in line to become the personal guard of the crown prince. But as persistent assassination attempt goes unthwarted, Katyani’s stable future begins to become shaky. Not only has she been unsuccessful in thwarting this threat, but she is now being sent away from the queen and castle to guard the prince and his cousin as they train in a remote school. And while there, she begins to question more and more in not only her future, but her past.

In a lot of ways, this book felt like it was right on the verge of being a story I’d love. The world-building is interesting, the magic had its moments, and there were some excellent fantasy monsters and creatures. But all of this fell just a little short of being particularly interesting. The world-building had some good moments, but I also never felt fully grounded, often unable to picture anything particularly unique about this world. This left me filling in the blanks. And, unfortunately, when a reader is left to fill in blanks, they’ll do with elements they’re most familiar with, thus completely undermining the goal of being exposed to a world/culture that is completely new.

The magic system was also barely a system, with many things working “just because.” I don’t always need elaborate systems ala Brandon Sanderon, but I do need to feel as if there are some rules around how magic is used and what is and isn’t possible. Without this, magic begins to feel like it could just be a silver bullet for any problem that should ever arise, thus dramatic lowering any and all stakes. But, I will say, the monsters and creatures were definitely the saving grace for fantasy elements. They were all new and interesting, doing most of the work of making this world feel like a unique place and touching on the cultural and mythical Indian elements that I was looking to learn more about.

I also couldn’t connect to the characters at all. The main character was supremely bland, suffering from the all-too-familiar case of a teenage character who is somehow the best everyone’s ever seen at a highly skills based occupation. This is a personal annoyance for me, of course, so others may not be bothered by it. But even personal preferences aside, Katyani didn’t have a lot going for her. She wasn’t annoying or prone to ridiculous dramatics, but she also didn’t have any real character traits that made me care about her personally. Beyond that, all of the characters had as similar sort of blandness which made them even less interesting as they began to blend together.

Lastly, I found a lot of the story highly predictable. From the very first few chapters, it was easy to guess what a few of the “reveals” would be. When you can see all of the twists coming, it’s very hard to feel investing in sticking it out while the characters themselves discover these truths. Ultimately, this book just wasn’t for me. Given that I didn’t particularly enjoy the other duology by this author that I’ve read, I think this is maybe just a sign that I should stick to other writers in the future. Fans of her work, however, might enjoy this, as I do think it was similar to that first duology (in that my annoyances have been the same between them, so if you weren’t bothered by it then, you may be good to go here too!)

Rating 6: Everything felt like it was lacking that certain spark that needs to come together to make a great read.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove” isn’t currently on any Goodreads list, but it should be on Indian Inspired Fantasy Novels.