Book Review: Lake of Glass (Archives of the Warden #1) by V.K. Dixon

November 22, 2024October 24, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Mystery
Length: 346 pages
Author: V.K. Dixon
Publisher: Xenia House Press
Release Date: October 18th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An inheritance they never expected will change their lives, reveal long-held secrets, & expose a world they didn’t know existed….

Brothers and co-authors, Peter and Spencer Collins, are living the life of the struggling artist. When their estranged Great-Aunt leaves her house and extensive inheritance to them in her will, it seems their dreams can come true. Picking up their whole lives, the brothers move to the tiny town of DeVerre, WA, to become full-time authors. But as strange occurrences and a string of animal attacks arise in the town, the brothers begin to feel as though they’ve stepped into one of their own mysteries.
Questioning their choice to uproot their entire lives, Peter and Spencer find themselves thrown into danger they never expected as secrets and conspiracies are uncovered in DeVerre — along with a link to the supernatural.
The brothers must decide if the success of their career and the truth behind these life-changing secrets are worth potentially risking their lives as they are drawn into a mystery filled with the ghosts, phantoms, and beasts of the spirit world.

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED.

The cover of this book gave me some haunted gothic mansion vibes. And while that was there a little bit, ultimately this book wasn’t what I thought and didn’t keep me interested enough to want to read book two.

What this mostly consisted of were two brothers getting to know this tiny town that had “secrets.” And all of the townspeople kept repeating the same phrases of just get to know us and I’m sitting here thinking I still don’t know them. There were some convoluted family lines and bad blood scenarios and Spencer and Preston naively walked in thinking they could fix it all???

Not to mention the whole shadow plane + religious aspects didn’t pan out either. I was fine with the combination but the execution was lacking. I thought some thoughts didn’t quite work and pulled me out of the story.

This wasn’t a hate read by any means, just a not for me book that saddens me because I have been looking forward to picking this up for the fall.

Overall audience notes:

Mystery
Language: a little
Romance: flirting
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, near death experiences, ghost encounters

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ARC Book Review: The Myths of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #4) by Nicole Platania

November 21, 2024November 20, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 686 pages
Author: Nicole Platania
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 21st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Constellations may fall,
but perhaps all the myths are alive.

Ophelia has survived warfare, curses, and betrayals. Now, as the Revered of the Mystique Warriors and the Chosen of the Angels, she faces an unprecedented threat: The bloodthirsty Queen of the Fae sails for the shores of Gallantia. To ensure the safety of her people, Ophelia is forced into a deadly bargain.

As the hunt for the remaining two Angel emblems continues–now with newfound allies–Ophelia’s chosen family is thrown into peril and prophecies. Fates are questioned, magic seeks to kill, and each day, the Angels try to bend Ophelia further to their will.

But she is born of myths and legend, and she will scorch the deities before they pull her strings. Can Ophelia discover the remedy to the Angelcurse and harness her newfound power, or will centuries-old secrets rip her apart at the seams?

The Myths of Ophelia is book four in the Curse of Ophelia series, a new adult epic romantic fantasy with inspiration from Greek Mythology. It’s a high-stakes warrior adventure filled with bantering found family, meddling gods and Angels, and multiple slow burn romances, perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent, Sarah J Maas, and Chloe C. Peñaranda.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

DEVASTATION.

I’m back for another review for this series and once again in desperate need of more people to pick it up!! If you’re looking for something with Throne of Glass vibes (but is its own story!!) then you have to try TCOO.

I’ll be brief for lack of wanting to spoil anything for anyone who’s reading this without having read the other books. BUT essentially, there’s more of everything. The world building is continually expanding, I love seeing where the magic system is going and the mythical creatures that are popping up are my favorite.

I love how many POV’s are present and how this also adds more romances (and I think I spotted another one that I’m already obsessed with). I love this entire cast. I love how the different strengths and weaknesses in this found family have come together to work towards the greater good of their lands. I am anxiously waiting for the next (and I believe last?) installment. It’ll gut me, AND I’M READY.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: moderate – high
Romance: multiple open door (plot > spice though)
Violence: high

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Book Review: A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

November 21, 2024October 3, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 360 pages
Author: June Hur
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: May 14th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history.

Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.

1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.

Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

When Iseul’s and Daehyun’s fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:

Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.

UNDER RATED.

At present, I am the only person I know of who has read this book and I think y’all need to get on this too! It is a standalone young adult historical fiction/fantasy with some enemies to lovers/oh wait we both hate the same guy romance that I loved listening to.

Now this book does NOT shy away from the atrocities committed by the king in question. I learned a lot from this book and from the author’s note at the end about this point in time. I love when books broaden my knowledge of time periods I knew little of. I do think some of the historical aspects and characters got lost in the shuffle of trying to create this as a standalone but that was my only issue.

I loved that this was dual POV and that both characters were people you wanted to root for. There were so many scenes that gutted me and so many scenes that pulled at my heart. I loved the intensity and how things came together in the end. It’s a fantastic book.

Overall audience notes:

YA Historical fiction / fantasy / romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: high
Content Warnings: mentions of rape and abuse, war themes, animal violence, sexual abuse, misogyny, kidnapping of women and girls, incent (mentioned), suicide (mentioned), infanticide (mentioned), panic attacks — the author does have a full trigger warning page at the beginning of the book; because I listened to the audiobook I might have missed something else to note here

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Book Review: The Road of Bones (The Ashen #1) by Demi Winters

November 20, 2024November 15, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: Demi Winters
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: June 27th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life.

The queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones–a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer–and go to Kopa, where a shield-house awaits her.

After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.

Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?

Featuring an immersive world blending fairy tale with Vikings, The Road of Bones leads you on an adrenaline-fueled chase with fun banter and a slow-building enemies to lovers romance. The first book in the Ashen Series, you are one click away from reading it!

Thank you Delacorte Press for the gifted copy.

THIS IS WHY I LOVE FANTASY ROMANCE.

Oh gosh, I have been looing for the next hit of dopamine that comes from finding an amazing fantasy romance. BLESS. I obsessively listened to this for two days and I regret nothing. This has one of my most favorite plot devices that I would love to tell you more about but I can’t because that would spoil and I will not ruin the fun. JUST TRUST ME.

I loved the multiple points of view and getting every angle of this world through the different characters. I loooove this found family group and the the road trip journey worked beautifully for this story. I found the world building to be easy to follow and I am obsessed with all of the Viking vibes. It’s gruesome and intricate and leaves you begging for more. I must get my hands on book two.

Overall audience notes: