Tag: Book Review

ARC Book Review: The Phoenix King (The Ravence Trilogy #1) by Aparna Verma

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 512 pages
Author: Aparna Verma
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: August 31st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In a kingdom where flames hold magic and the desert hides secrets, an ancient prophecy comes for an assassin, a princess, and a king. But none are ready to face destiny—and the choices they make could burn the world.
 
“If we carry the burdens of our fathers, we’ll never know what it means to be free.”
 
For Elena Aadya Ravence, fire is yearning. She longs to feel worthy of her Phoenix god, of her ancestors who transformed the barren dunes of Sayon into a thriving kingdom. But though she knows the ways and wiles of the desert better than she knows her own skin, the secrets of the Eternal Flame elude her. And without them, she’ll never be accepted as queen.
 
For Leo Malhari Ravence, fire is control. He is not ready to give up his crown—there’s still too much work to be done to ensure his legacy remains untarnished, his family protected. But power comes with a price, and he’ll wage war with the heavens themselves to keep from paying it.
 
For Yassen Knight, fire is redemption. He dreams of shedding his past as one of Sayon’s most deadly assassins, of laying to rest the ghosts of those he has lost. If joining the court of flame and serving the royal Ravence family—the very people he once swore to eliminate—will earn him that, he’ll do it no matter what they ask of him.
 
But the Phoenix watches over all and the fire has a will of its own. It will come for all three, will come for Sayon itself….and they must either find a way to withstand the blaze or burn to ash.

Thank you to Orbit for the ARC.

DISAPPOINTED.

This book was a struggle to get through. I think unfortunately I got off on the wrong foot with it because I wasn’t super into the writing style and it went downhill from there.

I’m very confused by the world building. It’s fantasy, but sci-fi, but dystopian? I’m not quite sure and I wish some more time was spent in creating a world that made sense.

The characters were pretty cardboard too. My favorite was Leo. That man was jumping off the deep end, but at least he was doing something and had a personality. You never knew quite what he was going to do next and that was somewhat intriguing. Yassen and Elena were every fantasy main character you’ve ever seen. There romance was suuuuper lack luster and I wanted to connect more with them too. For 500 pages I felt like a lot was missing.

There’s some cool ideas here with the Phoenix/Prophet scenario. I was surprised by some of the things that happened at the end. But I can’t tell you if I want to pick up book two. Maybe on audio.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: one very brief & vague
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, battle themes, torture, being burned alive, mass murder

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Book Review: Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin by Mariana Zapata

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 398 pages
Author: Mariana Zapata
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 21st, 2015
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Twenty-six-year-old Gaby Barreto might be a lot of things (loyal, sarcastic, one of the guys and a pain in the butt depending on which family member you ask), but dumb isn’t one of them. When her twin brother invites her to go on tour as his band’s merch girl, she isn’t exactly screaming at the top of her lungs with joy.

With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour. Spending the next ninety-plus days with three beloved idiots and eight complete strangers shouldn’t be a big deal, right?

If only the singer of the headlining band didn’t have tattoos… a great personality… a fantastic body… and if he wasn’t so funny….

Let’s be real: Gaby never had a chance against Sacha Malykhin.

CHALLENGED.

I am trying to read through MZ’s backlist, and unfortunately realizing those aren’t hitting as well for me as her newer stuff. BUT, this book got progressively better and I didn’t mind reading it in the end.

I was turned off by the high level of crass and off-color jokes between the band. I’m sure it was trying to set the stage for how the group interacts and messes around with each other. Yet the found family vibes fell a bit flat with some of the commentary. They did take care of each other when it really counted though and I did appreciate that.

The romance hero was super different from previous books too (nothing bad, just a comment on it). Sacha is a CINNAMON ROLL. I adored how soft he was and how he and Gabby formed a friendship that blossomed into something more.

While the plot held a good forced proximity notion I think it also fell a bit flat. It was simply a band on tour. And then filler pages of random crap they did to continue the story. I do struggle to get on board with actor/musician based books and I think that became apparent here again too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very strong and often
  • Romance: open door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: transmisia, sexism, slut-shaming

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ARC Book Review: A Lady’s Promise by Ranee S. Clark

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 200 pages
Author: Ranee S. Clark
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Release Date: September 5th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For orphaned New York socialite Isabella De Vries, finding a husband has become imperative. After unsuccessfully navigating four Seasons, it’s time to enlist the help of an old family friend to find her a suitable match. She trusts Preston implicitly, but his solution is both unconventional and he himself will marry Isabella in name alone so that she may be the sole beneficiary of his inheritance when he succumbs to the disease that will soon take his life. His plan solves everyone’s Isabella will be cared for, and his inheritance will be protected from his irresponsible younger brother, Prince. There is no love left between Prince Baxter and his older brother. When he hears that Preston is going to marry Isabella, Prince knows he will have to charm his way into friendship with Isabella if he wants to see any portion of the inheritance money. His plot, however, quickly crumples to pieces as he and Isabella establish a genuine connection―and he makes the mistake of falling in love with her.

Thank you to the author and Covenant Communications for the ARC.

ENJOYABLE.

I liked this one y’all! It’s very short (180 pages) and still manages to give some good story lines and character arcs throughout. This was a unique premise I haven’t come across before and I loved that it was set in New York.

The main characters Isabella and Prince both had journeys I appreciated seeing. Isabella had to learn to ignore gossip that was truly out of her control and make the best decisions for her and her life regardless of what everyone else will say. And I liked seeing Prince going from over the top spoiled to being humbled by the position he actually does hold in society and what he can do with that power.

The romance was a bit more subtle than I was hoping for, but I do see the necessary progression and slow burn. I would have loved even more moments between the two, yet I did like what was on page. That would be the overall thing I needed most, a longer story with more fleshed out backgrounds and plot.

It’s a quick read. It’s moderately heavy as can be seen from the synopsis. I don’t think it overwhelmed the story though. This was my first book by this author and I would love to try another!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: cancer (a theme throughout), mentions of loss of a parent

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Book Review: Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Sally Thorne
Publisher: Avon Books
Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game Sally Thorne comes something a little unexpected… a historical rom-com that imagines Victor Frankenstein’s sheltered younger sister, and her attempts to create the perfect man.

For generations, every Frankenstein has found their true love and equal, unlocking lifetimes of blissful wedded adventure. Clever, pretty (and odd) Angelika Frankenstein has run out of suitors and fears she may become the exception to this family rule. When assisting in her brother Victor’s ground-breaking experiment to bring a reassembled man back to life, she realizes that having an agreeable gentleman convalescing in the guest suite might be a chance to let a man get to know the real her. For the first time, Angelika embarks upon a project that is all her own.

When her handsome scientific miracle sits up on the lab table, her hopes for an instant romantic connection are thrown into disarray. Her resurrected beau (named Will for the moment) has total amnesia and is solely focused on uncovering his true identity. Trying to ignore their heart-pounding chemistry, Angelika reluctantly joins the investigation into his past, hoping it will bring them closer. But when a second suitor emerges to aid their quest, Angelika wonders if she was too hasty inventing a solution. Perhaps fate is not something that can be influenced in a laboratory? Or is Will (or whatever his name is!) her dream man, tailored for her in every way? And can he survive what was done to him in the name of science, and love?

Filled with carriages, candlesticks, and corpses, Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match is the spooky-season reimagining of the well-known classic that reminds us to never judge a man by his cadaver!

THIS GREW ON ME.

I did NOT know what to do with the first 30-35% of this one y’all. It was weird, and oddly focused on things I just didn’t think mattered. Not to mention there’s insta-love here (which does make sense in context, but you’ve been warned!).

THEN, towards the second half I realized I kind of actually liked the relationship between Angelika and Will. When some of the physicality was left on the side they did have some good conversations about life, love, and beyond. And I found the ending to be beautiful.

The surrounding plot was full of all things Frankenstein-esque that you’ve heard, read, or watched. I love that it fell in line with a lot of the original story and still took on it’s own bearing. It’s definitely super quirky (for fans of India Holton I’d say give it a go).

I had a good time reading something off the beaten path of my usual go-to genres and it’s the second book I’ve at last ready of Thorne’s (THG owns me). I’m curious if she’ll continue with these types of reads, I think I’d give another one a try!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple open door; med-high explicit + high innuendo
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: pregnancy & infertility, deaths of parents recounted, sexual assault

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