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Book Review: Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours #3) by Cassandra Clare

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 800 pages
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books
Release Date: January 31st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

James and Cordelia must save London—and their marriage—in this conclusion to the Last Hours series from author Cassandra Clare.
Chain of Thorns is a Shadowhunters novel.

Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.

FINISHED.

This was a good book. It was a lot more romantic than I feel like previous ones have been (which was a slight detriment to the large plot, that I’ll get into in a second) but I do love romance and there were a lot of great couples here. Still forever obsessed with Cordelia and James, EVEN IF I WANTED TO SHAKE THE CHARACTERS AROUND A BIT. But, I digress.

This is my fourth completed Shadowhunter series and I kind of feel like…if you’ve read one series, you’ve read them all? Maybe blasphemous but there’s just not anything new. A bad shadowhunter pairs up with a demon, a portal to hell is open and there’s a few action scenes. Rinse and repeat for each dang series. I just wish it would have evolved in someway.

I enjoy the characters and stories that go along. I’m happy that I went with the audiobook because I didn’t feel like physically picking this up (audio was great by the way). I think I might just be finished with Shadowhunter books for now.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Urban Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: one vague open + closed door
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: light blood/gore depiction, loss of life, possession, near death experiences, magical, physical and weapons violence

ARC Book Review: A Story Spun in Scarlet (Tales of Wonder and Woe #1) by Renee Dugan

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 660 pages
Author: Renee Dugan
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 8th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY…

AUDRA JASHOWIN is a storyteller without a purpose.

When all the tales in the land of Mithra-Sha lost their endings, Audra fled from her family’s rejection and the only home she ever knew. Now, with a sense of veiled danger haunting her heels and her life as devoid of direction as her stories, she arrives at long last in a city of fresh starts and second chances.

There, she finds an adventure greater than she ever dreamed.

JAIK GRISSOM might be the key to bringing back the power of all stories.

A simple farmhand with a way around weapons, Jaik possesses more than a sharp wit that sets Audra’s soul aflame. He’s a natural amplifier with the talent to breathe life into her tales…into all the tales in Mithra-Sha.

Chased from their comfortable lives by a stroke of ill luck on a fateful night, Audra and Jaik embark on a journey for answers—through the wilderness and over the raging sea, to the heart of storytelling itself. Along the way, the strange bond between them deepens as they begin to uncover a mystery that lurks beneath all the broken tales, written in the shroud of their own unlikely pasts.

To mend the fractured stories in Mithra-Sha, Audra and Jaik must learn to embrace what lives at the core of their own the bravery and brilliance, the loyalty and love, and the purpose and power they both harness—together and apart.

And they must face a terrible truth penned between the pages of their quest…a tragedy that will change the course of history and rewrite the ending of their tale forever.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for an eARC.

I HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.

Oh my goodness what an incredible book. Those last few chapters let me an utter mess and I am sitting here writing this review right after finishing and I am NOT OKAY. I mean, I am, but also THE FEELS.

I loooved this whole concept. It was really unique with the storytelling powers and how that changed the world around Audra. Meanwhile, I also adored Audra!! What a beautifully strong FMC who truly rose above an incredible amount to find the answers she was seeking and the strength to carry that through.

Jaik was such a gem too. I loved the chemistry between them and how they had that pull towards each other. Some perfectly written banter and all of the best protective moments and I must protect these two at all costs.

The reveals were fantastic and each turn in the story drew me in even more. There were some stunning moments that held such raw humanness that brought tears to my eyes. I loved this journey from the start to the finish. There’s action and romance and magic and intrigue and this sense of feeling like one of those true fantasy books you just have to read.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: anxiety depiction, loss of life, near death experiences, blood/gore depiction

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ARC Book Review: An Unlikely Proposition (Unexpected Seasons #2) by Rosalyn Eves

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Rosalyn Eves
Publisher: Fierce Reads
Release Date: March 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A standalone companion to An Improbable Season , this Regency romance ⁠― perfect for fans of Bridgerton ― is about following your heart, pursuing your dreams, and falling head over heels in love.

Eleanor did not come to London to be proper and boring. After the death of her husband and a year of mourning, the seventeen year old wants nothing more than her independence and to have a little fun. She’s hardly looking to remarry, despite pressures from her late husband’s nephew, who is keen on obtaining her inheritance. Eleanor quickly devises a plan that includes a fake engagement. What’s not a part of the plan? Falling for a dashing, quiet man outside of her social circle – a man who is not her betrothed. Can she survive the Season with her heart and her fortune intact?

Thalia is determined to begin afresh after a disastrous first Season in London. No romantic distractions, but only her work as a poet and newfound companion to Eleanor. Determined to get her poems published, she struggles to be taken seriously as a female writer. As the spring progresses, Thalia does not expect to take interest in a man from her past (a man who is engaged to her employer, no less!), but some feelings demand to be felt even if the timing isn’t quite right.

Rosalyn Eves’s An Unlikely Proposition is a transportive Regency drama that captures the sparkle of London, thrill of friendship, and swoon of new love.

Thank you AustenProse PR and Fierce Reads for the gifted copy.

CHARMING.

I really enjoyed this! Another charming and delightful read in this standalone series. I love the London atmosphere and the balls and intriguing romances that come about.

Eleanor and Thalia both had a lot of character and I liked seeing their growth throughout the book. Eleanor needed to learn to lean on others and I was so happy to see how things worked out for her in the end. Thalia meanwhile, gained confidence in her writing and the courage to pursue her passions. Add in two handsome men and this brought a smile to my face.

A few small tidbits that kept me from that full five stars, but a genuine enjoyable read nonetheless. I like the voices the author creates for these characters and the drama and hope that flows throughout. If you’re needing something on the lighter side with a bit of swoon, I would absolutely recommend this (or book one! Which can be read on its own too).

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Romance
  • Language: none – low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a spouse (recounted), attempted sexual assault (one brief incident)

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Book Review: Stardust in Their Veins (Castles in Their Bones #2) by Laura Sebastian

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 576 pages
Author: Laura Sebastian
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: February 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Princesses Beatriz and Daphne have lost their older sister, but their mother’s grand scheme of taking the continent of Vesteria is far from complete. With the country of Temarin now under the Empress’s control, only the nations of Cellaria and Friv remain free from her rule. What’s worse, an ominous prophecy has begun to shine through the constellations: the blood of stars and majesty spilled.

Usurped by conniving cousins Nico and Gigi, Beatriz fears for her life, while in icy Friv, Daphne continues her shaky alliance with the rebels even as she struggles to stay a step ahead of them. But when an unlikely ally offers Beatriz a deal, she finds herself back in her mother’s sights.

With enemies around every corner and the stars whispering of betrayal, Daphne and Beatriz can’t trust anyone–least of all each other. If they’ve learned anything, though, it’s that the Empress’s game is constantly changing. And the arrival of surprise visitors from Temarin just might tip the scales in the princesses’ favor… if they manage to avoid meeting their sister’s fate before they can make their next move.

LONG.

I’m mostly enjoying this series, but even at 3x audio speed I was feeling the drag of some of the story. I felt the same about book one which means I’m really hoping for the last book to bring this home.

I do like the multi-POV setup. There’s so much happening in many different parts of this world that multi works best to get an understanding of everything across the kingdoms. There’s plenty of politicking, and a lack of action. As a rebellion group I kept thinking the sisters would end up in more scuffles and that there wouldn’t be as much hanging out.

Beatriz is still my favorite of the bunch and I like how morally gray she became throughout. Daphne definitely makes you want to shake her to knock some understanding into her brain, but I didn’t find it annoying. It fit with the story and how each of the sisters are taking their own journey to seeing the evil around them.

I’ll still read the next book, but I will be going the library/audio route again.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, murder, near death experiences, weapons violence, poisoning, physical altercations

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