Tag: Book Review

ARC Book Review: Defiant (Skyward #4) by Brandon Sanderson

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: 480 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: November 21st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes the final book in an epic series about a girl who will travel beyond the stars to save the world she loves from destruction.

Spensa made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she’s had about her own strange Cytonic gifts.

The Superiority didn’t stop in it’s fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa’s team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it’s only a matter of time until humanity–and the rest of the galaxy–falls.

Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: how far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself–and her friends–in the process.

The final book in the Skyward series will free humanity, or see it fall forever.

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

WHAT A CONCLUSION.

Y’all know I love Brandon Sanderson books and I was delighted to get my hands on an early copy and even happier to have it bring everything I wanted in the conclusion of Spensa’s story.

I LOVED HER GROWTH. When you look across the series at where Spensa started to where she is at the end, she feels new, but also, like the woman she was always supposed to be. I loved that she had ups and downs, apologies to make and strengths to show. Her perseverance is next level and I was here for all the knowledge she received.

Sanderson always writes incredible side characters and I loved this whole crew. The romance with Jorgen has some really great moments and I’m a smitten puddle as always for any crumble I get. Hesho is my new favorite and I loved his wise words and calming prescene. Not to mention the whole flight crew?? I LOVE THEM ALL.

I think this ended right where it needed to and I look forward to future expansion of this world.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate/high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, battle themes, drugging, murder

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Book Review: The Long Game (Long Game #1) by Elena Armas

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Elena Armas
Publisher: Atria
Release Date: September 5th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children’s team in this smalltown love story in the vein of Ted Lasso and It Happened One Summer —from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception.

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.

But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.

To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam’s leg, and Adalyn’s bumper, he’s also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help.

WELL.

If you know anything about me, it’s that The Spanish Love Deception is one of my all time favorite romance reads. I love Elena Armas books. Buuuut I will say this one missed a few marks for me. Still recommend, still good, just not everything I hoped for.

The second half was MUCH better. I thought the chemistry finally combusted and you got to see both characters together a lot more without as much contention. I know this had an enemies to lovers vibe and it kind of worked? The soccer girls were real cute and I love all things small town romance. There’s some realllllllly great swoony lines that had me in a puddle and I ended up loving Cam. Doing all of the little things paints a big picture.

The first half though was definitely missing something. I didn’t feel that connection between Cam and Adalyn and the plot wasn’t going much of anywhere. And with the third act, it didn’t make me wildly angry, BUT I did see a clear route it could have gone and I think would have been even better. And it happened at NINETY PERCENT? That’s too late. Adalyn could have really used a karmic retribution moment. I wanted to see a few people in her life actually suffer the consequences of their actions. She was left out to try way too many times.

I still enjoy the writing and story telling style. It’s not a bad book, just missing some of those key aspects that I was hoping to find.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very strong
  • Romance: 3-4 open
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracy Deonn

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Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: YA Fantasy
Length: 576 pages
Author: Tracy Deonn
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The shadows have risen, and the line is law.

All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:

A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.

But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.

When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.

AAAAAMAZING.

You know a series is good when the sequel is just as awesome as the first book. Those second books usually get me and that was not the case here. WHOOP.

I LOVE Bri. I love that she fits well into the YA FMC category. She is definitely 16 going on 17 but also is strong, capable, and willing to learn. I loved her progression in this book and look forward to continuing to see that arc grow over the series.

The flow of action to quiet to intense to sweet was perfect. I loved the balance and felt like I got every angle I needed to love this book. I constantly felt a need to read one more chapter before putting it down because I was way too involved in every part of the story. I loved that the magic system and world building was a lot less confusing than I had found it in Legendborn. The expansion of everything worked really well here and I feel like I have a full grasp of the systems now.

I’m pretty sure this love triangle situation is out to torture me and I’m rolling with it for now. BUT DON’T WORRY, I HAVE A SIDE. I honestly have no idea how it’ll play out though.

The ending had my jaw drop and shouting, how did I not see that earlier?!. Which is the best kind of cliffhanger. I’m very much in love with this writing and storytelling and cannot wait to know what happens next.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, murder, physical and magical violence, references to slavery, PTSD, trauma, sexism, possession

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Book Review: The Goddess Eye (The Blood and Water Saga #1) by Cassidy Clarke

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 651 pages
Author: Cassidy Clarke
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 25th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

RAQUEL ANGELOV is going home.
To keep yet another Atlas royal from falling to a deity’s influence, Raquel must return to a place she was banished from long ago…Skyhaven, a community of Tempest-blessed zealots that exists outside all kingdom borders. But she vowed never to return for a reason, and when seeking the God of Nature’s relic puts her in the path of a dangerous old “friend,” it will take all her strength to escape from Skyhaven a second time…and to protect the Atlas princes who followed her there.

THE ATLAS BROTHERS are fighting a new war.
Taunted and tempted by deities intent on their own purposes, Kallias and Finnick Atlas are in for the fight of their lives. Long-kept secrets and long-held grudges threaten the vows sworn between them, and if the brothers can’t find their way through the kingdom of their enemies, Atlas may lose its last line of defense..and its last remaining successors.

SOREN ATLAS loves both her kingdoms…but torn loyalties are the perfect seeds for chaos to bloom.
On the run from mercenaries who would see the host of a goddess dead or worse, Soren and Elias find themselves taking shelter somewhere they never thought they’d see again…home. But things in Nyx are not the same as they were. Corrupted magic has crept its way across the Atlas border and brought Tenebrae’s influence with it, wiping out entire towns without a single soldier in sight. With the Chaos God gaining ground, the weight of a goddess’s soul breaking her body piece by piece, and both of her families in danger, Soren must find a way to save one without sacrificing the other…and without falling prey to the song of discord winding its way through the very heart of Nyx.

THE EMOTIONAL DESTRUCTION.

I HAVE NOT RECOVERED. How does Cassidy Clarke right these massive fantasy books that don’t feel long at all? I am in love with all of these characters and now I’m sad I have to wait for book four. READ THIS SERIES.

I love how heavily character driven this series is. I am deeply and emotionally attached to each and every one and I love how many POV’s we get. This book was the most romantic book of the bunch. I loved the increase focus on some of the couples and where there stories are taking them. While this book HURT it also had this softer quality that I’m absolutely sure is gearing up for some destruction in future books.

This is such a hidden gem of the indie fantasy world and I beg of you to give it a try. There’s MEDDLING GODS, politicking, battles, ROMANCE, magic and world building that is well crafted and not overwhelming. I love this series so much.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: torture, whipping, loss of life, loss of loved ones, physical and weapons violence

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