ALC Book Review: Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods

February 18, 2025February 11, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 432 pages
Author: Kell Woods
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: February 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758.
For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo’s wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship’s crew. Only Samuel—Luce’s best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.

One stormy morning, Luce’s plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honor of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.

But it is not only Luce’s hopes at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface. The truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.

Or the scales of a sea-maid’s tail.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

SQUEAKED OUT A FOUR STAR.

I kind of felt all over about this one. What I did love was the unique mash-up of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. I could easily see the nods to the story but adding in the historical fiction elements really set the plot apart and it did feel fresh rather than a regurgitated attempt at a new story.

I enjoyed Luce’s character and her growth. Somewhat naive and under her father’s thumb she slowly moves away as she understands her history, falls in love, and finds out where she truly belongs. The love story was different than I was expecting but the more I sit with it, the more that I think it makes sense for the novel and the more I like it.

The middle dragged for me and I think I was hoping for something more. Everyone got their dues and I loved seeing all of the different faerie folk woven throughout. The ending had me almost throwing my phone across the room BUT LUCKILY the epilogue saved it and I feel good about how things went down. It’s a sturdy, well planned standalone.

Overall audience notes:

Historical fantasy romance
Language: low
Romance: brief open door
Violence: moderate
Content warnings: torture, loss of life

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ARC Book Review: Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth #2) by Kristen Ciccarelli

February 18, 2025January 15, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: February 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The stakes are even higher in this epic, romantic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Crimson Moth duology.

A WITCH…
Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.

A WITCH HUNTER…
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by allying herself with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.

AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE…
When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

In Kristen Ciccarelli’s Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and Wednesday Books for the eARC.

ABSOLUTELY YES.

I have been begging for some of these sequels to hold up and blessed be, REBEL WITCH did just that. I loved the audiobook narration and was smitten from the get-go between Rune and Gideon. This is why I love enemies to lovers. Hot dang these two BROUGHT IT. The sense of impending doom and I must betray you and everything in between.

The plot had some tiny things that made me quirk my head to the side but not enough for me to knock off any star power. I think this book did a great job on expounding where it needed to in order to build the world and magic system better while also bringing the storylines to a successful close. Things wrapped up where they should and I loved the little epilogue too.

Overall audience notes:

NA Fantasy Romance
Language: mild
Romance: 1 briefly vague open door
Violence: moderate

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Book Review: On Wings of Ash and Dust (On Wings of Ash and Dust #1-6) by Brittany Wang

February 17, 2025January 27, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 502 pages
Author: Brittany Wang
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 30th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A rebel pixie princess. A deadly competition between five faerie clans. Will she win the crown or die trying?

Pixie pirate Quinn may be an outlaw, wanted by all five faerie clans, but she prefers it that way. All she wants is to finally become a captain and bury her true identity beneath the rolling waves. But when the sudden death of her twin brother causes her to plot a vengeful heist, a shocking betrayal unmasks her for who she really is—her people’s last living heir.

Her only hope of escaping certain death for her crimes is taking her brother’s place in the Ethodine: a dangerous competition for the faerie crown.

In a series of death-defying trials, Quinn faces off with the heirs of four rival clans:

A mute beast tamer.
A flirtatious merman.
A half-blind artist.
And a pompous princess.

But as dark secrets unravel and an ancient prophecy entwines their fates, rivals must become allies before there’s no world left to rule.

LOST ME.

There was nothing inherently WRONG with this book, it just lost me in the middle so much that I don’t think I ever recovered. The initial premise was intriguing, and then everything felt…predictable. I could map this out and with nothing holding it up otherwise things started to drag.

The main character finally gets around to doing something. There’s a cute little slow burn romance. A found family and an evil queen. A lot of the hallmark moments you see in young adult fantasy. I thought the audio narrator did a fantastic job though.

Will I read more by this author? I’m not sure yet.

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy
Language: none-low
Romance: kisses
Violence: high

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Book Review: Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros

February 16, 2025January 24, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 530 pages
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Publisher: Red Tower Books
Release Date: January 21st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.

I NEED TO READ THIS A FEW MORE TIMES.

Oh wow. This was a read y’all. And I’m not going to lie, I am a *little* disappointed? It’s like I loved it, but didn’t LOVE IT, ya know?

I do think Xaden was the star of this show and I would do SO MANY THINGS to get his POV throughout the whole book. I appreciated the growth in his relationship with Violet and that we got to see some true communication start to come through. This relationship isn’t linear and I like that aspect the most.

I enjoyed most of the traveling plot. It did feel a dash repetitive and some points and I do think there was A LOT of information thrown at me that I didn’t get enough time to digest (hence why I want to reread this soon). I loved the expansion of the lands and seeing different people though. And how all of Andarna’s pieces were woven into the larger story.

I definitely have a ridiculous amount of questions and theories (which I admit is kind of fun). The ending dropped a cliffhanger but also felt a bit abrupt. I am just going to go stare at a wall for a bit until I come to terms with the fact that I have to wait another few years for book four.

Overall audience notes: