ARC Book Review: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods (To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods #1) by Molly X. Chang

April 16, 2024January 11, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Author: Molly X. Chang
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: April 16th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this magical epic fantasy, a young woman cursed with the power of death must decide if saving her family is worth betraying her country—the first installation of a gripping new series.

Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.

Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe.

When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.

Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?

Thank you to Del Rey for the Goodreads giveaway book!

READY FOR MORE.

I was fortunate enough to win this in a giveaway because I have been eyeing it for awhile now, and it did not disappoint.

My favorite thing about this book was how complex it was. Black, white and alllllll the gray. I loved the emotional journey this took me on. Trying to guess where the true evil was hiding, who was really making the calls, and how the story was all coming together. I liked how much this book gave me but also making me anxious for the next book. This had an awesome build where I found myself more and more invested.

The romance aspects (sub-plot) have my attention to. Honestly, I have ZERO clue where this is going and I am in love with that. I’m someone who prefers a multi-book slow burn and questioning if the first guy is the end game or not (because I have QUESTIONS). Is it weird I love how much I’m still in the dark??

An amazing debut. One I will be recommending to fantasy readers. OH!! And it’s got historical fantasy vibes which if you know, IS MY KRYPTONITE. Seriously, check this book out.

Overall audience notes:

NA Fantasy
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: drug addiction (opium), loss of loved ones, executions, medical experimentation

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Reading Wrap-Up: March 2024

April 2, 2024 GoodeyReads1 Comment

Spring is here! And apparently that meant READ ALL THE THINGS. A good list of books to add to your TBR below!

Favorite books this month:

The Rule Book
The House on Biscayne Bay
A Drop of Venom
When the Moon Hatched
Walking on Hidden Wings
But He’s My Fake Fiancé
Off the Beaten Path
The Simple Wild
The Blooms that Broke Us
Radiance of the Moon
The Foxglove King
This Could Be Us
The Roads We Follow
Always Choosing You
Betrothal or Breakaway
The Rom-Commers

Least favorites this month:

A Promise Kept
Heart of the Valkyrie
On Thin Ice
In the Orbit of You

[ARC] A Promise Kept by A.N. Horton
[ALC] The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
[ARC] The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties (Aunties #3) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Reign of Darkness (The Fallen Kingdoms #2) by K.B. Benson
With a Little Luck (Fortuna Beach #2) by Marissa Meyer
[ARC] Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus
[ARC] The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester
An Improper Gentleman (Improper Agreements #2) by Audra Wells
Heart of the Valkyrie (The Vinland to Valhalla Saga #1) by Melanie Karsak
[ARC] A Feather So Black (Fair Folk #1) by Lyra Selene
[ARC] On Thin Ice by Anna Augustine
A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
[ARC] A Grave Robbery (Veronica Speedwell #9) by Deanna Raybourn
Lore of the Wilds (Lore of the Wilds #1) by Analeigh Sbrana
The Blood Vier (Blood Vier #1) by Christy R. Harrill
When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall #1) by Sarah A. Parker
[ALC/ARC] Funny Story by Emily Henry
[ARC] Walking on Hidden Wings by Rachel Scott McDaniel
All This Twisted Glory (This Woven Kingdom #3) by Tahereh Mafi
[ARC] But He’s My Fake Fiancé (But He’s a Carter Brother #3) by Annah Conwell
Off the Beaten Path (The Mountains are Calling #1) by Madison Wright
Stay with My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan
In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher
[Reread] The Simple Wild (The Simple Wild #1) by K.A. Tucker
Queen of Shifting Sands (Instanolde Chronicles #1) by Kaitlyn Carter Brown
[ARC] The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
The Words We Lost (Fog Harbor #1) by Nicole Deese
The Blooms That Broke Us by Ashley Dill
Radiance of the Moon by Ashley Worrell
The Foxglove King (The Nightshade Crown #1) by Hannah F. Whitten
This Could Be Us (Skyland #2) by Kennedy Ryan
The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allen
[ARC] If the Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert
See Me As I Am by Cheryl Wanner
Fall of the Horizon (Dusk and Dawn #1) by Jessica J. Ayala
[ARC] The Hemlock Queen (The Nightshade Crown #2) by Hannah F. Whitten
[ARC] The Roads We Follow (Fog Harbor #2) by Nicole Deese
Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4) by Christopher Paolini
Winds of Change (The Descended Trilogy #1) by Bailey Estep
[ARC] Always Choosing You (Scoops Series #2) by K. SInko
The Tainted Cup (Shadows of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
[ARC] Betrothal or Breakaway (D.C. Eagles Hockey #3) by Leah Brunner
Divine (House of Oak #2) by Nichole Van
[ARC] The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

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Book Review: A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time #7) by Robert Jordan

March 29, 2024March 16, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 880 pages
Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: November 15th, 1997
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this volume, Elayne, Aviendha, and Mat come ever closer to the bowl ter’angreal that may reverse the world’s endless heat wave and restore natural weather. Egwene begins to gather all manner of women who can channel–Sea Folk, Windfinders, Wise Ones, and some surprising others. And above all, Rand faces the dread Forsaken Sammael, in the shadows of Shadar Logoth, where the blood-hungry mist, Mashadar, waits for prey.

WHAT A SNOOZE.

It took everything in me to continue this book y’all. Luckily I was warned beforehand that some of these middle books are slowww and I am VERY grateful for audiobooks that crank up to 3x speed.

I hate Mat and most of this book is about him. If you’re someone who does enjoy his character, I bet you’ll like this a lot more than me. I struggle to find one endearing quality about him and while I’m admittedly curious where he ends up in the end, right now I just want to skip to that ending. And what is it with Rand sleeping with any woman who walks into his bedroom? It’s laughable and makes me want to shake everyone too.

Once again, high meh feelings about how Jordan writes women. The amount of times I quirk my head and question what’s being said is non quantifiable because of how often it occurs.

It feels like nothing happened, though I’m sure some of it is important to future books. Glad to be moving on from this one.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy
Language: low
Romance: closed door
Violence: moderate-high
Trigger/Content Warnings: battle themes, loss of loved ones, near death experiences, rape

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Book Review: The Ever King (The Ever Seas #1) by L.J. Andrews

March 3, 2024January 8, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 408 pages
Author: L.J. Andrews
Publisher: Victorious
Release Date: September 16th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They stole his crown, so he stole their daughter…

For years Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm.

Until his enemy’s daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge.

She’s innocent. He’s vicious. But he will take back what he lost, no matter the price.

Unless she steals his heart first.

Welcome to the passionate world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates, sirens, and fae collide with Vikings in a dark fantasy romance between a villain and the innocent princess who holds his heart.

*Please note: This series is set in the same world as the bestselling Broken Kingdoms series, but can be read independently, and readers are encouraged to read the list of triggers inside*

MY NEW OBESSION.

Holy cow. I LOVED THIS BOOK Y’ALL. It was dark and gruesome and full of all the things that make me love dark fantasy romances. This is the one to pick up.

I looooved how the romance was written. The fated sense, the enemies banter, the I just can’t stop coming near you, AH. ALL OF IT. I was a puddle of a person highlighting just about everything Erik said to Livia. Both were compelling characters that really set that opposites attract to flame.

The world building and magic system was fantastic and I was obsessed with the whole pirate theme. And the whole crew?? Loved them. Loved them all. There were just enough secrets being held and plenty uncovered and some of those closing scenes had me gasping.

NEED BOOK TWO LIKE AIR.

Overall audience notes: