Book Review: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

March 23, 2024February 26, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 325 pages
Author: Katherine Arden
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: February 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.

BEAUTIFULLY POIGNANT.

I am the biggest fan of historical fantasies. They get me every dang time and this was no exception. I’m also a major fan girl of all books Katherine Arden, so I shouldn’t be surprised by this development.

I thought this was beautifully written and explored many nuanced aspects of WW1. The fantasy dynamics intrigued me and I highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end. It brought the whole book (and certain characters) into an even better focus and the complexity is next level.

Freddie and Laura were great main characters. Giving two sides to this moving tale. The fierce love between siblings to find each other again, amidst the war, and ghosts, and love and all of these factors yanking and tugging them in different directions.

I could pick a few things I’d love a bit more of, but overall, this is a really solid standalone and one I would highly recommend to others. A book that is dark and vibrant at the same time and one that will stick with you.

Overall audience notes:

Historical Fantasy
Language: low
Romance: closed door
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: blood and gore depiction, WW1 themes

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Book Review: The Blood Vier (Blood Vier #1) by Christy R. Harrill

March 22, 2024March 11, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 392 pages
Author: Christy R. Harrill
Publisher: Rose Hollow Press
Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A puzzling murder.
A crumbling diarchy.
A Blood Vier summoned to quell the ashes of corruption.

Taryn wants nothing to do with the father who abandoned her. She bolts at her first glimpse of freedom, only for a mysterious man to track her down, claiming her father was murdered and she is the key to finding the killer. She strikes a bargain, traveling to the kingdom’s capital where she becomes an unwilling player in a political game against the opposing sovereignties and her father’s suspected killer.

As a Blood Vier, a blood heir come to vie for her father’s position, Taryn is now the prime target of assassination for her interference. She seeks evidence to bring down her deadly opponent, enlisting the help of the cocky prince and a despised healer. But as her father’s secrets begin to slowly unravel, Taryn is caught between duty and freedom, questioning where her allegiances lie and how much she is willing to sacrifice.

Treason haunts the kingdom halls, death stalks close behind, and betrayal is only the opening act. Taryn has spent her life shrouded in secrets and deception, and she’s done playing the pawn.

Thank you Book of Matches Media and Christy R. Harrill for the gifted audiobook.

NOT A BAD START.

Audiobook notes: I loved the male narrator. He did amazing and I thought the female narrator did too. As a stylistic choice I thought the FMC came off angry about everything all the time. Which occasionally bugged me.

This book is definitely high action. Lots of good altercations throughout that kept things moving. You are literally thrown into it at the start, and while jarring I felt like this worked. I ran fast with this book and it was easy to establish the world building and political dynamics.

I loved that this had dual POV. In future books I’m even more curious if those will be added upon. There’s some subtle romances brewing that I enjoyed too. There’s some tender connection moments where I felt the characterization of everyone deepened. The antagonists are the only ones I didn’t love. They felt over created and lacked substance.

I would be up for trying book two, but I would definitely do it as an audiobook again rather than physical read.

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy
Language: low
Romance: flirting
Violence: moderate

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Book Review: The Impossible Princess by Keira Dominguez

March 22, 2024March 9, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 273 pages
Author: Keira Dominguez
Publisher: Klickitat Canyon
Release Date: April 9th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Hoping to carve out a meaningful role in the royal family of Sondmark, Clara needs to prove to her mother that she can be the perfect princess. Perfect means opening mass-transit car parks and giving speeches on childhood nutrition, without a hair out of place. Perfect doesn’t mean developing a crush on an unnamed military officer she sees once a year. But infatuation is a victimless crime, and nobody ever has to know.

When Princess Clara falls into his arms in front of a bank of photographers, Lieutenant Commander Max Andersen of Her Majesty’s Royal Navy is thrust into the tabloids, the gossip threatening his promising career. He hates the sudden glare of media attention and hates how it diverts focus from his job. But the way Clara feels in his arms is a different story.

NOT FOR ME.

Sucked in by a beautiful cover, let down by the story. I feel like I’m being generous with three stars but I usually reserve 2 star reviews for books that make me angry. This didn’t make me angry, it just didn’t have anything happening.

It was all too easy. For a princess x commoner romance I thought there would be some tension, some will they/won’t they, and that wasn’t here. They went on a few dates, they kissed, they confessed love pretty quickly too. Very predictable. If you’re looking for a very simple read that had some cute moments I would give this a go.

While it wasn’t for me, I did like the characters. The book was sweet. I liked the siblings and the relationships there. I love a Princess Diaries vibe with a make-believe kingdom. There’s some good positives here in the end.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses

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ARC Book Review: A Promise Kept by A.N. Horton

March 21, 2024March 1, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 330 pages
Author: A.N. Horton
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 22nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

How far would you go to keep a promise?

When twelve-year-old Oliver Ainsworth promised his life to Avery Hastings, she never believed him. After years apart, through war and tragedy, it seems even more likely that he’s forgotten her entirely. And she’s moved on as well.

Haunted by their parents’ gruesome murder and the overbearing debt they’d left behind, Avery and her sister both sell themselves into different trades to make their livings, to pay back the murderer before he comes for them too. As for Oliver? The war came for him just like it came for every other young boy in their village. Or so Avery thinks.

Until her employment with a wealthy family in France forces their two worlds to collide once more and she learns there’s far more to the boy she knew than she could have ever imagined.

Bound by a contract neither of them ever signed, they must come together again after years apart, after being worlds away, after becoming different people. A contract which states that they are overdue for their own wedding. But, after a lengthy engagement, when Oliver gives Avery the chance to opt out… will she even want to?

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

ACCURACY ISSUES.

I struggled with this one from the beginning y’all. The bones were good. And I liked the characters enough.

Buuuuut. The historical inaccuracies were bugging me. The writing style seemed much more modern than it should have been and there were glaring plot holes. The time jumps that skipped over crucial details left me confused when certain things happened. One of them being that the FMC catches a knife out of the air when thrown at the love interest. This and other aspects made no sense to me. Other style and plot choices had me skimming to get to the rest of the book too.

I’m going to leave this as it is. This was an unfortunate miss for me.

Overall audience notes: