ARC Book Review: Bound by Firelight (Wickery #2) by Dana Swift

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Dana Swift
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: January 18th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The heart-pounding sequel to Cast in Firelight, perfect for fans of epic, sweepingly romantic fantasy by Sabaa Tahir, Susan Dennard, and Mary E. Pearson.

After a magical eruption devastates the kingdom of Belwar, royal heir Adraa is falsely accused of masterminding the destruction and forced to stand trial in front of her people, who see her as a monster. Adraa’s punishment? Imprisonment in the Dome, an impenetrable, magic-infused fortress filled with Belwar’s nastiest criminals—many of whom Adraa put there herself. And they want her to pay.

Jatin, the royal heir to Naupure, has been Adraa’s betrothed, nemesis, and fellow masked vigilante . . . but now he’s just a boy waiting to ask her the biggest question of their lives. First, though, he’s going to have to do the impossible: break Adraa out of the Dome. And he won’t be able to do it without help from the unlikeliest of sources—a girl from his past with a secret that could put them all at risk.

Time is running out, and the horrors Adraa faces in the Dome are second only to the plot to destabilize and destroy their kingdoms. But Adraa and Jatin have saved the world once already. . . . Now, can they save themselves?

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

LOVED THIS.

What a great conclusion!! My heart is happy with how things ended and I adore this duology so much. The writing captivated me. The world building was great and the magic system was unique. Add in a top notch romance and I have been smitten.

Jatin and Adraa were a power couple. Jatin was incredibly sweet and bold. All of his sweet words and soft moments with Adraa brought on the feels. I love how brave and unfailing Adraa was. Facing new avenues she might have laid down for a moment, but stood back up with even more fire in her veins. I loved them together and how this book didn’t have some dumb break-up. They worked together even when separated and WOW DO I LOVE THAT.

I wish the prison break set-up didn’t take so long because I wanted the group back together. I did think a lot of learning happened on both sides though that ultimately led towards the conclusion. The action scenes flowed well and I didn’t have glaring slow moments as I enjoyed this story.

This was a magical duo. I am really in awe this is a debut duo. I can’t wait to read Swift’s future books because I was very much wrapped up in this one.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: little (the use of the word Blood is the “curse” word)
  • Romance: implied closed door
  • Violence: blood/gore depiction, magical and physical attacks
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: torture, false imprisonment, loss of a parent

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Book Review: Falling for Your Best Friend’s Twin (Love Cliches #1) by Emma St.Clair

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Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 280 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: October 11th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There are a million and one reasons why I shouldn’t fall for my BFF’s twin…

Too bad love isn’t reasonable.

Zane is my total opposite. He dates a steady string of women who are nothing like me.

And there’s no way I would risk Zoey’s friendship over my teensy, tiny crush on her brother.

But when Zane hires me to help fix a glitch with his startup’s software, I run into two problems:

1. Someone on the inside seems to be sabotaging it.

2. Working with Zane every day sends my feelings into overdrive.

My master plan is to sniff out the rat, help Zane save the company, and get out while my heart is still intact. No biggie.

But somehow, I get roped into an investors’ spa trip. Which means spending a whole weekend with Zane and sharing a room with his date.

Kill. Me. Now.

This might serve to destroy my crush once and for all.

If it doesn’t destroy me first.

A SWEET READ.

And very fast. It was a nice break between long reads and was perfectly predictable and made me smile. I liked both of these main characters and one of my favorites aspects was present: both points of view!! I love this in romances because it really gives a great persepctive from both sides.

I love this this confict wasn’t blown out of proportion either. Clearly there was a mistake made, but I didn’t feel it ever hit a high drama note. Zane and Abby were fun to cheer for and got into some antics that had me chuckling. I thought they had good chemistry and the flirty banter was pretty great too.

I remember not loving a few scenes, and really strugged with the ending. It was definitely the happy ever after I was hoping for, but it felt…forced? An attempted big gesture that wasn’t wholly necessary. It kind of took it down for me, luckily the book overall was a good read.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses/make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: an after-birth scene (side character has baby, then Abby is present for everything after), loss of a parent (by a car wreck), bullying/harassment

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Book Review: Carry the World by Susan Fanetti

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Historical fiction romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Susan Fanetti
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: May 4th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Eastern Kentucky, 1937.

After the death of her husband, Ada Donovan returned home to live again with her aging parents. She does all she can to help them keep the small family farm going. But times are hard, and there’s never enough.

During one of her infrequent visits to town, she sees a help-wanted notice for the Pack Horse Librarian Project, seeking librarians to ride up high in the mountains and bring books to the people there. Before her marriage, Ada was a teacher, and the thought of returning to the work she loved is impossible to resist. The mountains are her favorite place, books are her great joy, and her horse is her best friend.

But not everyone on the mountain is happy to see her.

Living in a crumbing cabin at the highest, most isolated point of Ada’s route, there’s a family that catches her attention. The father keeps to the shadows. There is no mother to dote on the happy, curious children. But soon Ada comes to love them just as fiercely as the woman they lost.

And makes it her mission to bring them the world.

TENDERLY ROMANTIC.

This was a read that was recommended to me where I was a bit nervous initially diving in. The first chapter is a present moment that then flashes back to a story. I was worried we would go back and forth, but NEVER FEAR, the entire story in 1937 is told before the last chapter that flips back to the present. You won’t be taken out of the story, read away my friends!

I got completely wrapped up in the romance between Ada and Jonah. Oh my goodness it was so dang sweet. It was a slow-burn with a lot of past to work through. I LOVE having both points of view because it allowed me to really appreciate both sides. Struggling through grief, isolation, and wondering if you’ll be able to provide for your family. The hardships of this time were very much realized. It was beautiful getting some hope in this couple and the surrounding plot.

This is a historical fiction about the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky! I’ve read one other book about this time and so I was happy to read another. The setting, characters and background are really well written. I felt transported to this time and felt the rawness of all that happened. A romance built on the resilience of Ada and Jonah and the love of their families (past and present) was resonating.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fiction + romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses to open and closed door scenes
  • Violence: animal attacks, near death experiences, gun violence, physical altercations, murder, car wreck
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a spouse(s), loss of a parent(s), home invasion, domestic abuse (Ada notices this about a small side character), attempted sexual assault

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Book Review: The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 814 pages
Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: November 15th, 1990
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs-a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts- five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

A GOOD START.

I did it! Started a new fantasy series and I am ready for more.

There is a LOT to unpack here, but I’m just going to hit the highlights. It’s the first book in a long [14 books] series. I wasn’t expecting to be wholly blown away since there clearly is a slower nature to it, but I was impressed enough to keep going. I like the world Jordan has built and appreciate that as the wheel turned I was understanding more and more about the magic system and world.

I loved meeting the heroes and getting a multi-POV set-up. I actually liked that they got separated for a bit because it helped strengthen smaller storylines and breakdown the backgrounds of other characters.

The amount of world building felt like a lot, but towards the end I think I got a handle on it. There’s a lot of traveling and seeing many cities and groups of people to really tell an adventurous tale. I’m excited to continue the series and see how things further expound. There’s an interesting prophecy at foot and some fantasy tropes I look forward to seeing!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: flirting
  • Violence: many skirmishes, some battle themes, physical and magical altercations, loss of loved ones, animal attacks

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