Tag: ace publishing

Book Review: Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Length: 371 pages
Author: Matt Dinniman
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

“The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin.”

The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can’t get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.

Carl still has no pants.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. For Carl and Donut, it’s anything but a game.

ENJOYABLE SEQUEL.

I don’t have much to say about this installment?? It was a good, but not GREAT sequel. There’s definitely enough momentum that I will be picking up book three. I still delight in the uniqueness of this series and how different it is from my usual stories. I find the world fascinating and I’m always curious where each turn will lead. I feel like there’s a lot we don’t know yet and I’m super curious where it’s all going to lead.

Carl and Princess Donut are humorous and easy to follow. I like all of the video game pieces and NPC’s. There’s more achievements and another level conquered. I’ll be getting to book three soooooon!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy / Sci-Fi
  • Language: moderate-strong
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: murder and loss of life, near death experiences

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Book Review: Servant of the Earth (The Shards of Magic #1) by Sarah Hawley

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Sarah Hawley
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: November 12th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the underground Fae realm, only the strongest and most ruthless have power—but a young human woman forced into a life of servitude is about to change everything.

Kenna Heron is best known in her village for being a little wild—some say “half feral”—but she’ll need every ounce of that ferocity to survive captivity in the cruel Fae court.

Trapped as a servant in the faeries’ underground kingdom of Mistei, Kenna must help her new mistress undertake six deadly trials, one for each branch of magic: Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood. If she succeeds, her mistress will gain immortality and become the heir to Earth House. If she doesn’t, the punishment is death—for both mistress and servant.

With no ally but a sentient dagger of mysterious origins, Kenna must face monsters, magic, and grueling physical tests. But worse dangers wait underground, and soon Kenna gets caught up in a secret rebellion against the inventively sadistic faerie king. When her feelings for the rebellion’s leader turn passionate, Kenna must decide if she’s willing to risk her life for a better world and a chance at happiness.

Surviving the trials and overthrowing a tyrant king will take cunning, courage, and an iron will… but even that may not be enough.

NOTHING NEW, BUT I LIKED IT?

I know you’ve seen plenty of moments when someone compares a book to ACOTAR. Aaaand this is going to be another review in that vein. Human woman lands herself in hot fae land, is part of a trial based competition and a few others things you’ll recognize. That’s not an automatic turn off for me because I don’t mind that plot. BUT, this one didn’t sweep me away. I’ll try the second book though.

I liked how strong willed Kenna was through the horrors of the court. She’s resilient and focused which makes for a character who doesn’t bring the frustration. There was something missing from the plot though and I think it was because Kenna felt like a side character to a story already happening? I don’t know, it wasn’t clicking.

The romance did exactly what I expected. And while I usually LOVE this kind of trope/plot it didn’t hit as well here. I think the spice started to feel gratuitous and since [redacted because of spoilers] was happening I wasn’t connected and skipped a lot.

But there’s enough woven in between my issues that have me intrigued and hopeful that the follow up will have better focus.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3+ open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: brutal/bloody executions and torture, emotional and physical abuse, body horror, sexual assault and violence

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Book Review: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Cozy Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Author: Julie Leong
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: November 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells “small” fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences…

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy.

IT WAS FINE.

I’m realizing I am someone who wants to love cozy fantasy but that I really need some dark and tense action to stay fully connected to a story. This book is charming, and I didn’t have glaring issues. I just never became invested enough.

The plot felt a bit meandering and like scenes were added to get to a certain page count. I did enjoy the characters and the rag-tag group of souls who found each other and worked to find a lost child. There’s some good charm, and some good themes woven in too. I also liked the audiobook narration too.

Things came together well in the end and it definitely fits the cozy vibe if that’s what you’re after.

Overall audience notes:

  • Cozy Fantasy
  • Language: none – low
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: low

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ARC/ALC Book Review: The Wind Weaver (Reign of Remnants #1) by Julie Johnson

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 544 pages
Author: Julie Johnson
Publisher: Ace Publishing
Release Date: April 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Magic and adventure swirl through this spellbinding romantasy where a young woman reignites the embers of an ancient prophecy, unleashing a storm that could save her realm or doom them all.

Fear of maegic plagues war-torn Anwyvn. Halflings like Rhya Fleetwood are killed on sight. But Rhya’s execution is interrupted by an unexpected savior—one far more terrifying than her would-be killers. The mysterious and mercenary Commander Scythe. In the clutches of this new enemy, Rhya finds herself fighting for her life in the barren reaches of the Northlands. Yet the farther she gets from home, the more she learns that nothing is as it seems—not her fearsome captor, not the blight that ravages her dying realm, not even herself.

For Rhya is no ordinary halfling. The strange birthmark on her chest and the wind she instinctively calls forth means she is a Remnant, one of four souls scattered across Anwyvn, fated to restore the balance of maegic…or die trying.

But mastering the power inside her is only the beginning. Desire for the Commander—a man she can never trust, a man with plans of his own—burns just as fiercely as the tempests beating against her rib cage for release. Rhya must choose: smother the flames…or let them consume her.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and MTMC Tours and Ace Publishing for the physical copy.

I’LL READ THE NEXT ONE.

I had a good time reading/listening to this book. Do I think it was anything groundbreaking? No. It wasn’t anything I haven’t read before, yet that also lent towards my enjoyment level. I know what I like in romantasy and this held many of those key aspects.

*I will note I struggled with the audiobook a bit because I think the narrator made the FMC come off way more abrasive than necessary and struggled on the male voices. I liked the story and characters more when I was reading physically.

The romance was a nice long slow burn. WHICH I APPRECIATE SO MUCH. I am kind of exhausted by how much spice some books have just to start the series of. I want the burn, I want the building chemistry and soft moments that bond the couple together. But also I have thoughts on the romance??? And I’m not going to be naming names at this time, I will be getting my hands on book two as quickly as I can though…

ANYWHO. I thought the world building was executed well without superfluous info dumping. The elemental magic system was explained well and I liked the pacing. There’s a fairly good balance between the slow and fast. I really fell in love with the found family scenes and the story line definitely has enough to keep me going.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 1-2 almost open door scenes
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content warnings: loss of life, battle/war themes

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