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Book Review: Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy #3) by Lauren Roberts

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 608 pages
Author: Lauren Roberts
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: April 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Paedyn and Kai are reunited but face a terrible decision in this thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling romantic fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and The Red Queen.

Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer return to the Kingdom of Ilya…

And Paedyn has a life-altering choice to make. Whatever she decides will determine her fate—and the fate of those around her—forever.

In the ultimate battle of love and loyalty, who wins?

Thank you to Simon Audio for the audiobook and Simon Teen for the gifted copy.

FANTASTIC CONCLUSION.

Where do I even begin?! I devoured this audiobook in two days (I had a long excursion one day so admittedly that helped) BUT ANYWAYS. I couldn’t put this book down!!! The audio production is amazing and really brings this book to a new level for me. I love listening to these characters.

I was a little worried about some plot points and different pieces but when I finished the book and realized the necessity of the decisions behind the journey, I felt more at peace with what went down.

The romance is once again a JOURNEY. The banter between Kai and Pae is still absolutely everything to me!!! And I might have to read this physically to highlight all of the moments between them. There’s sweet, and heat, and passion, and anger, and fear, and ALL THE EMOTIONS. I love all the emotions.

And I do think it wrapped up in the ways that made the most sense. I loved having a third POV (you’ll see!!!) because that story made me theorize HARD and when my theories were correct I was pleasantly shocked because I don’t think I’ve read that before and I love new to me things.

This book had a little bit of everything and is truly one of the most solid YA trilogies I’ve read in a hot minute. The conclusion I’ve been hoping for delivered.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: one closed door
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content warnings: loss of loved ones

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ARC Book Review: The Ashfire King (The Sandsea Trilogy #2) by Chelsea Abdullah

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 544 pages
Author: Chelsea Abdullah
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: April 15th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A merchant and a prince trapped in the crumbling realm of jinn must figure out how to save one world to return to their own in The Ashfire King, the second book in the Sandsea Trilogy.

Neither here nor there, but long ago… After fleeing a patricidal prince, legendary merchant Loulie al-Nazari and banished prince Mazen bin Malik find themselves in the realm of jinn. But instead of sanctuary, they find a world on the cusp of collapse.

The jinn cities, long sheltered beneath the Sandsea by the magic of its kings, are sinking. Amid the turmoil, political alliances are forming, and rebellion is on the rise. When Loulie assists a dissenter—one of her bodyguard’s old comrades—she puts herself in the center of a centuries-old war.

Trapped in a world that isn’t her own and wielding magic that belongs to a fallen king, Loulie must decide: Will she carry on someone else’s legacy or carve out her own?

Thank you to Orbit Books for the gifted ARC.

WORTH THE WAIT…MAYBE?

I have been waiting for this book for a LONG TIME. I loved The Stardust Thief and have been waiting to see where all of my favorite characters are up to. Did I love this as much as I hoped? No, unfortunately I didn’t. Definitely enough to read book three, this one was just harder to move through.

Mazen and Loulie are my favorite POV’s and I liked the journey they went on the most. There’s some good turns and rising levels of action as another quest begins. I liked the expansion of the world and magic systems and seeing some of those character arcs really blossoming.

Aisha had a good journey too and it did help set up some of the plot lines for book three. I like that this has complicated antagonists and that it’s hard to trust every person who walks on page.

I think if you enjoyed book one you would still enjoy this book. I think the turn from more action driven rather than character driven took away from some of the moments I was hoping to see turn up.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: AN ALMOST KISS
  • Violence: moderate – high

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ARC Book Review: The Haven, the Hallow, & the Highborn (A Roots of Magic Series Novella) by Jessa Grey

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 218 pages
Author: Jessa Grey
Publisher: Paper Heart Publishing
Release Date: April 15th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In facing her finest opponent, she will uncover her greatest strength.

Eedy Blackthorn wields a rare and mystical witch magic—she can become a conduit to harness the raw forces of lightning itself. But her abilities do not make up for her painful past. After a tragic accident claims her beloved father, Eedy inherits his seat on the mage-led council. Consumed by guilt over her father’s death and determined to honor his legacy, she refuses to be silenced, no matter how often the male-dominated council disregards her suggestions.

When a mysterious disruption in magic threatens the kingdom’s balance, Prince Caelum is sent to join the council. Discovering Eedy’s identity reawakens a grudge tied to her late father, who ridiculed his family for years. With old wounds resurfacing, every council debate between them crackles with tension. As they clash over how to restore the magical order, their arguments become charged with something neither of them is willing to name.

With duty and destiny colliding, Eedy and Caelum must navigate their forbidden feelings for each other while racing to restore the kingdom’s magic before the winter solstice. As the solution to the magical crisis becomes clear, the couple is faced with an impossible decision, one that will test the limits of Eedy’s power and the depths of Caelum’s heart.

Love, magic, and sacrifice intertwine in this rivals-to-lovers romantasy novella. This novella takes place a century before the start of the related Roots of Magic main series.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

I LIKED IT.

I didn’t have any set expectations for this because it’s an author I’ve never heard of but a novella seemed like an easy way to try a new author and it was good! I am intrigued enough to read a full novel and see more of this world and the characters.

This has a lore novella vibe where I feel a lot more will make sense with larger expansion of the world, magic system and characters. I did like the few characters I saw and I thought the writing was great.

It does have that more instant love (even though their “rivals”) which was my biggest issue. It felt rushed for the timeline, even when I could see the necessity of the decision for the plot. I just needed more between them to really feel the connection.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance Novella
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: one open door
  • Violence: mild – moderate

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ARC Book Review: The Voice We Find (Fog Harbor #3) by Nicole Deese

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Christian Contemporary Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Nicole Deese
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: April 15th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sophie Wilder returns home to California with nothing more than a failed Broadway career and a geriatric cat. Stuck working at the family winery with her egotistical brother and desperate for a way to revive her acting dreams, she takes a side gig as an audiobook narrator with Fog Harbor Books. But getting mixed up in the life of her reluctant sound engineer was never a part of her plans.

August Tate is still reeling from taking guardianship of his teen sister. Determined to find a solution to her degenerative hearing loss and to prevent his private recording studio from going under, he agrees to produce audiobooks part-time. When Sophie breathes new life into his creativity and forms an unexpected bond with his sister, rooted in their common faith, he must confront the reasons he turned away from his own.

Bestselling and award-winning author Nicole Deese weaves an emotionally charged romance rich in the complexities of love and family.

Thank you to the author and Bethany House for the gifted copy.

A STRONG STORY.

First and foremost I loved the deaf/hard of hearing rep so much. I felt like I learned a lot and appreciated seeing this heavily present in the book. It’s a theme throughout and there was a copious amount of knowledge gained.

The relationship between Sophie and August was sweet. They went from strangers to lovers well and I liked the times the spent together and the little nudges of getting to know each other and feel seen within their own personal trials. I was highly frustrated by the third act because it involved one of my least favorite third act tropes, but I digress. These two had a tender and beautiful romance I loved seeing blossom.

The side plot with Sophie’s brother Jasper never felt complete or fully woven in. I don’t know how to put my finger on it that something was missing from this nefarious side quest and I needed something different from him.

All of the audiobook and ASL learning content was amazing though. I loved those aspects and they really carried the journey in this story. A bit preachy here and there for my usual preferences in reading a Christian romance but I think this will still resonate with a lot of people and hopefully bring some peace while reading this beautiful book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Christian Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: loss of parents (recounted), mentions of spousal abuse (brief), grief depictions, panic attack on page

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