Tag: Book Review

Book Review: Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1) by I.V. Marie

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Dark Academia Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: I.V. Marie
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: July 29th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Six students at Blackwood Academy, an enigmatic boarding school located at the edge of the afterlife, must compete for the once-in-eternity chance to change their fate—or risk remaining stuck in purgatory forever. An unputdownable debut full of hairpin twists, shock betrayals and world-defying love, for fans of The Atlas Six.

Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located at the fringes of the afterlife, where students are fated to spend the rest of eternity shepherding lost souls. Once a pupil enters the school’s arched gates, there is no way out…except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration that rewards nominees who pass its trials with a choice: formally graduate and join Blackwood’s magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the mysterious Other Side.

Wren Loughty is certain that this Decennial, she has what it takes to earn the nomination—unless, that is, her academic archrival Augustine Hughes steals her spot.

Irene Manette Bamford has never cared about playing by the rules. She’s willing to break whatever (and whoever) stands between her and getting the hell out of Blackwood, including her best and only friend, Masika Sallow.

Olivier Dupont gave up on securing the nomination ages ago. But after he meets Blackwood’s newest student, Emilio Córdova, he’ll do anything to keep Emilio from leaving him and crossing over to the Other Side—even if it means claiming the victory for himself.

All of them are determined to be Blackwood’s chosen candidate–and all of them would do anything to win. But none of them are prepared for what’s to come. Because this Decennial will be different. This time, the Decennial isn’t a celebration…it’s a competition. And there can only be one victor.

Six nominees. Four trials. Untold danger. Wren, August, Irene, Masika, Olivier and Emilio are about to learn: there are some fates worse than death.

Thank you Delacorte Press for the gifted copy.

I’LL READ BOOK TWO.

This had every typical kind of vibe you’d find in a multiple POV, young adult, dark academia read. Which added many points in its favor because I do enjoy those things, but also took away for the lack of originality too.

And what bugged me the most was that if there had been 50ish more pages it could have been a standalone. Honestly I’m not sure how it continues for book two, but I do want to read it. There were multiple romances that I did like but needed more of a slow burn. I kept feeling like I was missing a prologue novella to get more of a background on everyone.

The magic system is interesting and I loved the immortality concept. There’s not a whole lot of school happening but the gothic atmosphere was definitely present. I kept wanting to pick this back up to see where it goes which is always my sign that it’s a solid read.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Dark Academia + Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy Retelling
Length: 352 pages
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling author and TikTok sensation Kalynn Bayron returns to fairytales with a lush, thrilling and original YA Snow White retelling that brings a new and exciting voice to this familiar tale. Perfect for fans of Cinderella Is Dead.

Only the truly desperate – and foolish – seek out the Knight, an ancient monster who twists wishes into curses. Eve knows this first-hand: one of her mothers was cursed by the Knight and trapped in the body of a songbird. With the unique abilities to communicate with animals and conjure weapons from nature, Eve has trained all her life to defeat him.

With more and more villagers harmed by the Knight’s corrupt deals, Eve believes she’s finally ready to face him. But when Queen Regina begins acting strangely – talking to seemingly no one, isolating herself, and lashing out at the slightest provocation – Eve must question if her powers are enough to save her family and her kingdom.

I’M NOT QUITE SURE.

I don’t really know how to format this review. I never found myself upset with reading but now that I’m trying to write this out, I don’t think I really felt anything. When the Snow White aspects started coming into play in the second half, I liked those! I thought there were great allusions with a uniquely crafted version that left me wondering how things would finally come together without feeling like the original. There were a few good twists and changes that worked well for me.

The romance needed better pacing. This is a shorter fantasy and I think the development should have started sooner. The love confessions felt out of left field and while I DID think there was chemistry, I never got those swoony romantic feelings for them.

It is a standalone and from what I recall there weren’t any glaring plot holes. The story wraps up well, the antagonist has a satisfying end and you get that happy ever after.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Retelling
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Salvacion by Sandra Proudman

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Author: Sandra Proudman
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this Latinx YA fantasy inspired by El Zorro, Lola de La Peña becomes the masked heroine Salvación in order to save her family and town from a man who would destroy it for the magic it contains…if she doesn’t fall in love with one of his men first.

Lola de La Peña yearns to be free from the societal expectations of a young Mexican lady of her station. She spends her days pretending to be delicate and proper while watching her mamá cure the sick and injured with sal negra (black salt), a recently discovered magic that heals even the most mortal of sicknesses and wounds. But by night, she is Salvación, the free-spirit lady vigilante protecting the town of Coloma from those who threaten its peace and safety among the rising tension in Alta California after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

But one night, a woman races into Coloma, barely alive, to tell the horrifying tale of how her town was obliterated by sal roja, a potent, deadly magic capable of obliterating anything it comes into contact with and the man who wields it: Damien Hernández. And when Hernández arrives the next day with a party of fifty strong and promises of returning Alta California to México, Lola knows it’s only a matter of time before he brings the region under his rule—all Hernández needs is the next full moon and the stolen, ancient amulet he carries to mine enough sal roja to conquer the land. Determined to protect everything she loves, Lola races against time as Salvación to stop his plans. What she didn’t count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernández but doesn’t seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernández getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans, even teaming up with Alejandro—who she doesn’t fully trust, but can’t help but fall in love with.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the gifted copy.

NOT QUITE SURE.

The audiobook was definitely a good pick for this one. I liked the narrator a lot and it made the book more enjoyable. And while I did like the book, I also never fully got invested in the story. The setting and plot and character dynamics were all good, but I think a duology would have been amazing for this kind of story. I wanted more from almost every aspect (i.e. world, characters, magic, romance, etc.). The bones are there at least.

As a standalone I think many will find enjoyment in it. There’s important topics and themes discussed and I really liked the pieces of the magic system I got. It’s a good fantasy debut and I’m not mad I read it. I would read another book from this author so I look forward to future stories.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: gun violence, loss of a loved one, war themes

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Book Review: Lore of the Tides (Lore of the Wilds Duology #2) by Analeigh Sbrana

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 454 pages
Author: Analeigh Sbrana
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: July 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the author of Lore of the Wilds comes the exciting and passionate conclusion, as Lore navigates Fae magic amid looming dangers that threaten to destroy her world.

Lore Alemeyu wakes up to discover she’s on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Held prisoner and with no way to escape, she’s faced with a dire set of circumstances…

A crew that’s distrustful of Lore’s magic capabilities…

Her betrayal by a Fae she thought she could trust…

A dangerous quest for the sun book, which, if placed in the wrong hands, will make the Alytherian Fae even more powerful.

Lore must navigate threats on the ship and beyond, into the ocean’s magical and mysterious depths, in order to find the sun book herself and help free the humans. All the while, Lore can’t help but feel the intense pull of one Fae male who has been helping her all along. But is she willing to risk her human heart for creatures that have burned her in the past, and jeopardize her people’s future?

Thank you Harper Voyager for the gifted copy.

ONE GIANT SIDE QUEST.

I desperately wanted to love this more than book one but feel about the same for both books. What’s funny is the least frustrating piece of this was the love triangle. I actually didn’t mind it (did it go the way I want???? Well IYKYK) but I at least could see the thought process and enduring relationship between Lore and who she ends up with.

The book started off well but then when they went below the waves it began to feel like a side quest. As if the original plot line wasn’t strong enough to carry all of book two so adding in this tangent was supposed to fill in some gaps and all it did was add space for spicy scenes.

I did enjoy the audiobook a lot and there were some endearing scenes and moments. I would read another book by this author. I’m kind of hoping a fresh series will be the click for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4+ open door
  • Violence: high

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