Tag: Book Review

Book Review: Songs of the Wicked (A Dreamer’s Misfortune #1) by C.A. Farran

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 703 pages
Author: C.A. Farran
Publisher: Sylvan Ink Press LLC
Release Date: January 22nd, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Fear is not my master. I will never submit.

A grave threat looms over the mortal world. The veil that separates the realms has weakened over time, and monsters-Undesirables-claw their way out of the Netherworld to torment the living. What once dwelled in whispered stories now stalks the shadows. The only guard against chaos is balance.

Reapers are duty bound to uphold that balance, tasked with guiding mortal souls to the afterlife. Lark secretly dreams of shedding her immortal chains and forging her own path. She’s captivated by the humans and envies their freedom, their passion, their anguish. Her master, Thanar, god of death, forbids this fascination and demands her utmost loyalty.

When Lark encounters a mortal whose fire and suffering awakens something in her, she denies fate and saves him, refusing to guide him to his death.

To escape Thanar’s wrath, Lark makes a deal with the witch-queen of the Netherworld and is remade as human-trading her power for mortality. She flees through the veil and enters the land of the living, unaware she isn’t the only one freed from the clutches of the Netherworld.

Songs of the Wicked is a New Adult dark reimagining of the Little Mermaid.

STUNNING.

I’m always hesitant to start fantasies over 500 pages (though let’s be honest, that’s also MY JAM). And then most of the time, I find myself completely engrossed in the story not realizing I’ve spent so much time with a new favorite.

This was a fantastic read. Great writing and characterization. I am alllll about the characters and the found family here was WONDERFUL. I loved Lark and her progression throughout everything thrown her way. She was resilient and yet, always remained kind and I can’t get enough of that type of FMC.

Enter in one of the slowest burns ever with Gavriel and I was smitten. If at anytime I here myself say, KISS ALREADY, I know it’s good. And it happened here multiple times. There relationship is so complex and I am very curious how it continues to evolve as the series progresses.

There is a very nuanced Little Mermaid vibe. If you’ve watched the movie enough times it was fun to notice the subtle ways Farran threw in nods and allusions to the tale. While I would have definitely appreciated some actual mermaids, I was pleased with everything else!

The plot is thick with many layers. I thought the world building was written well. Not overly convoluted, but spaced out without info dumping to really allow for the build that this story took. I’m excited to see what book two holds.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: open door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of rape (in initial scenes, side character), kidnapping, loss of loved ones, weapons violence, physical altercations, creature attacks, imprisonment

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Book Review: On These Black Sands (Aisling Sea #1) by Vanessa Rasanen

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: NA Fantasy
Length: 436 pages
Author: Vanessa Rasanen
Publisher: Crab Apple Books
Release Date: August 10th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An awkward stowaway. A troubled pirate captain.
Is she the key to his quest or will she be his ruin?

Aoife wants nothing more than to fulfill her duty and serve on the Council. But a spilled secret reveals a deadly truth she never suspected. Plagued by guilt and wanting no part in the Council’s methods, she panics and runs, stowing away on a pirate ship.

Declan doesn’t have time to deal with an irritating stowaway, and this job is already dangerous enough without having her underfoot. With less than a month to bring the enchanted dagger to the rebels, he needs to find a way past the bloodthirsty creatures guarding it.

In a world of secrets and legends, a lost dagger may be the key to saving a nation. But it will take far more than wit and a cutlass to retrieve it. Can an heir and a pirate work together–or will their secrets drown all hope?

NOT A BAD START.

This was a great debut. Even if I struggled with some of it, I truly enjoyed it overall and look forward to checking out book two.

Aoiefe was alright. I felt like she was extremely naïve about everrrrrything. And some repetitiveness to her storyline and thoughts dragged that on longer than necessary. Luckily, I found a pretty swoony character in Declan. I liked him most of the two points-of-view. He was the kind of dashing pirate, searching for treasure that makes you want to jump on the boat and join him.

The world building was a bit shallow. I was confused about why we were after a certain artifact and still wondering how that artifact works and can change the game, so to speak. There’s also fae involved? I don’t know, I need more answers here. I muuuust have good world building in a fantasy book to be wrapped up in here and that’s what lacked the most.

A predictable ending, with a good set-up for book two. I did like a lot of the side characters and there seems to be plenty of opportunity to expand the world and get some deeper character dives.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: some mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: physical altercations, kidnapping,

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ARC Book Review: Saint (The World of the Narrows #0) by Adrienne Young

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Author: Adrienne Young
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: November 29th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns to the world of The Narrows with Saint, a captivating prequel to Fable and Namesake.

As a boy, Elias learned the hard way what happens when you don’t heed the old tales.

Nine years after his lack of superstition got his father killed, he’s grown into a young man of piety, with a deep reverence for the hallowed sea and her fickle favor. As stories of the fisherman’s son who has managed to escape the most deadly of storms spreads from port to port, his devotion to the myths and creeds has given him the reputation of the luckiest bastard to sail the Narrows.

Now, he’s mere days away from getting everything his father ever dreamed for him: a ship of his own, a crew, and a license that names him as one of the first Narrows-born traders. But when a young dredger from the Unnamed Sea with more than one secret crosses his path, Elias’ faith will be tested like never before. The greater the pull he feels toward her, the farther he drifts from the things he’s spent the last three years working for.

He is dangerously close to repeating his mistakes and he’s seen first hand how vicious the jealous sea can be. If he’s going to survive her retribution, he will have to decide which he wants more, the love of the girl who could change their shifting world, or the sacred beliefs that earned him the name that he’s known for―Saint.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for an ALC.

SOLID PREQUEL.

I know a lot of us are hit/miss on prequel books after the fact the original books are already out. This would be a case of me saying, if you enjoyed Fable / Namesake I think you’ll enjoy Saint too.

I loved getting much of Saint’s background. The heated intensity that is Saint is something else and seeing it with a romantic edge was *chef’s kiss*. It’s a super fast, read in a day, kind of story that gives you a great peek at the fated meeting of Saint and Isolde. It was great getting both points of view because I really wanted some background on Isolde as well. The attraction between them was undeniable and that instantaneous connection worked perfectly here.

The timeline didn’t end where I thought it would (forever wishing Adrienne Young books were a bit longer), but I guess it ended well enough? We all know what happens so I do understand [after the fact] why it closed here, buuut would have loved a bit more in a few different areas.

Audiobook wise: PERFECT. No complaints. Both narrators did an amazing job of reading at the same pace so I was able to keep the speed at the same for the rotating chapters. I felt like it only enhanced my reading experience and would recommend this avenue easy.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical altercations, loss of loved ones, loss of life

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Book Review: On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Shirlene Obuobi
Publisher: Avon Books
Release Date: June 21st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For fans of Grey’s Anatomy and Seven Days in June, this dazzling debut novel by Shirlene Obuobi explores that time in your life when you must decide what you want, how to get it, & who you are, all while navigating love, friendship, and the realization that the path you’re traveling is going to be a bumpy ride.

Ghanaian-American Angela Appiah has checked off all the boxes for the “Perfect Immigrant Daughter.”

– Enroll in an elite medical school
– Snag a suitable lawyer/doctor/engineer boyfriend
– Surround self with a gaggle of successful and/or loyal friends

But then it quickly all falls apart: her boyfriend dumps her, she bombs the most important exam of her medical career, and her best friend pulls away. And her parents, whose approval seems to hinge on how closely she follows the path they chose, are a lot less proud of their daughter. It’s a quarter life crisis of epic proportions.

Angie, who has always faced her problems by working “twice as hard to get half as far,” is at a loss. Suddenly, she begins to question everything: her career choice, her friendships, even why she’s attracted to men who don’t love her as much as she loves them.

And just when things couldn’t get more complicated, enter Ricky Gutierrez— brilliant, thoughtful, sexy, and most importantly, seems to see Angie for who she is instead of what she can represent.

Unfortunately, he’s also got “wasteman” practically tattooed across his forehead, and Angie’s done chasing mirages of men. Or so she thinks. For someone who’s always been in control, Angie realizes that there’s one thing she can’t plan on: matters of her heart.

IN THE MIDDLE.

I have mixed thoughts on this one.

Firstly, I loved the medical school setting. I think it was unique and I learned a lot more (as someone who almost went to med school) than I previously knew. I love when a read is more impactful than expected and there were many, many conversations in here about important themes and topics that I appreciated being highlighted. There’s always space to grow and listen, and this book provided a moment like that.

Romance wise, I wasn’t sold. It started off iffy and then by the time I truly thought it was sweet, things soured quickly. I didn’t like the way the conflict was handled, I never fell for Ricky and I really wanted the best for Angie. Just not convinced this was it.

This does read more as fiction over romance (which I know some prefer). For me, I was hoping for a bit more romance interspersed. The audiobook narrator was wonderful, but I hesitantly say to go with the audiobook option. I learned via other reviews that there’s footnotes about a lot of the medical related things in here and it came off in the audio as more of an over explanation. Knowing about the footnotes helped me change my frame of mind while listening. Adding that in here so others know too!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: brief fade to black
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, misogyny, sexism, drug abuse, death, medical scenes, anxiety, mentions of gun violence

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