Tag: atmosphere press

Book Review: A Vision in Smoke (Until the Stars Are Dead #2) by Allyson S. Barkley

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 522 pages
Author: Allyson S. Barkley
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Release Date: January 1st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After weeks of travel and several narrow brushes with death and capture, Ari and Ely are finally nearing the end of their unwanted adventure. But Ari let her secret slip to save them and suddenly the stakes of their journey are so much higher. Thrown into the middle of the war Ari has tried to avoid for so long, they are forced to confront long-forgotten ghosts, painful betrayals, and dangerous truths. Will Ari and Ely’s unsteady bond be enough to brave these oncoming battles, or will the past and its secrets tear everything apart?

A Vision in Smoke draws us back into the world of Until the Stars Are Dead with a host of new characters, exciting twists, and gripping action.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

WELL.

This didn’t go as I hoped. I had mixed thoughts on book and it kind of spiraled in book two.

Once again Ari and Ely are traveling and traveling, and traveling. After getting to a war camp, most of the book is spent there without anything really happening. Some war councils, a few practice sessions, etc. Aaaand that was mostly it until at the end there was at last, some true action.

There was a dash of romance in here but it came from a different angle than I was expecting and I wasn’t wholly invested. And with how some of those last scenes shook out I am very much disappointed.

I think there was a lot of potential and the core ideas are there. I’m missing the connection to it I need to love it, but I’m sure others will.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical altercations, battle themes, loss of loved ones

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Book Review: A Memory of Light (Until the Stars Are Dead #1) by Allyson S. Barkley

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Rating: ★★★☆
Genre: NA Fantasy
Length: 330 pages
Author: Allyson S. Barkley
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Release Date: January 1st, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An exceptionally-skilled thief, Ari lives deep in the forest with no one but her bobcat Jagger for company. She is determined to keep to herself as civil war drags on around her, but when a mysterious stranger appears with an unexpected job offer, she has no choice but to leave her quiet life behind.

Unwillingly paired with chatty, optimistic magician Ely, Ari finds her patience, wits, and skill tested when the journey quickly proves to be far from what either of them bargained for. Ari must face one of the greatest tests of her thieving career – and come to terms with the many secrets she has been hiding.

With an exciting heroine and a diverse cast of characters, A Memory of Light is the first title in the fantasy series Until the Stars Are Dead, which follows Ari and Ely’s adventures navigating the dangers of their complicated, quickly-changing world.

Thank you to the author for sending along a copy.

I SEE THE POTENTIAL.

This kind of got off to a rough start, there was an extreme lack of dialogue which (for me) is hard to get drawn in by. I like the connection the characters and needed more of that.

Once Ari FINALLY started feeling like talking a bit to Ely and others things got better. I liked the dynamic between them and see maaaybe a potential love interest? If not, totally cool, I like the bond they have going. The closeness between them is starting to show and I think that’s why I can see potential. Now that they have a bit of a bond I hope to see it more in book two.

One of my least favorite fantasy tropes is the adventure/traveling plotline. This dragged out for me too. The entire book is one quest without any home base for me to get a feeling of anything else then some woods and running for your lives.

In the end, I did truly enjoy the base of the writing. I wasn’t turned from wanting to continue and I look forward to seeing how book two further expounds on the world building and the character development.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: mild
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: small scale skirmish scenes, physical and weaponry altercations, recounting of losing loved ones

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