Tag: fantasy books

ARC Book Review: Immortal Longings (Flesh and False Gods #1) by Chloe Gong

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Author: Chloe Gong
Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
Release Date: July 18th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

#1 New York Times bestselling YA author Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra , is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games.

Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches.

Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him.

Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.

Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom.

Thank you to Book Club Favorites for the gifted copy and the publisher for an eARC.

A LITTLE LET DOWN.

I am OBSESSED, obsessed, with Gong’s YA series (go read it now please). And when I had the chance to get my hands on this I jumped so fast. And now I’m writing a review I don’t want to because I’m a little let down by the whole thing.

The idea of an epic fantasy was there, but the execution was not. Bogged down by heavy, complicated world building in the initial chapters had my mind clouded and it took way too long to figure things out. The magic system is unique, jumping bodies and qi and how that all flows together. Loved that, and I loved it more when it finally made sense against the back drop of the world building.

Romance wise, also a super mixed bag. It was tossed haphazardly in and all of a sudden I was getting I love you‘s without having that connection. I didn’t mind the characters or the fac there was a romance (of course, y’all know me), buuut once again, lacking in general execution. I liked the multiple points of view and seeing different angles of the competitors and pro/antagonists. It did allow for a wider view of the story at large.

I’ll read the second book because the ending was intriguing enough to give it a go. And now that I feel like I have a hold on everything I think the plot will flow better too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 1 open; low explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: moderate blood/gore depiction, loss of life, physical and weapons altercations

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ALC Book Review: Dark Water Daughter (The Winter Sea #1) by H.M. Long

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: H.M. Long
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A stormsinger and pirate hunter join forces against a deathless pirate lord in this swashbuckling Jacobean adventure on the high-seas.

Launching the Winter Sea series, full of magic, betrayal, redemption and fearsome women, for readers of Adrienne Young, R. J. Barker and Naomi Novik.

Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Faced with servitude to pirate lord Silvanus Lirr, Mary offers her skills to his arch-rival in exchange for protection – and, more importantly, his help sending Lirr to a watery grave. But her new ally has a vendetta of his own, and Mary’s dreams are dark and full of ghistings, spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of her homeland and the figureheads of ships.

Samuel Rosser is a disgraced naval officer serving aboard The Hart, an infamous privateer commissioned to bring Lirr to justice. He will stop at nothing to capture Lirr, restore his good name and reclaim the only thing that stands between himself and madness: a talisman stolen by Mary.

Finally, driven into the eternal ice at the limits of their world, Mary and Samuel must choose their loyalties and battle forces older and more powerful than the pirates who would make them slaves.

Come sail the Winter Sea, for action-packed, high-stakes adventures, rich characterisation and epic plots full of intrigue and betrayal.

Thank you to RB Media and Titan Books for the ALC.

SAVED BY THE SECOND HALF.

Audiobook review: LOVED. I loved the narrators. They kept this book going for me. I loved that this was dual POV. Great audio read!

For the first half of this book I wasn’t quite sure where things were going. There was a lot of chasing Mary around as she was captured back and forth between pirates. Not a lot going on at the moment. Fortunately the second half picked up the pacing in a multitude of ways and now I’m curious where book two will lead.

I liked our two main characters, Mary and Samuel. They are both on different sides of the current conflict and slowly find out that they might actually be allies (and that there might be a romance in the future??).

What really kept me going was the vibes. If you’re looking for a high seas, pirate filled book, this will give you that. I thought the magic system was interesting and there were just enough twists in the second half that had me going, well what happens next.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: light
  • Romance: kiss
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: attempted murder, kidnapping, brief sexual assault (unwanted kissing and touching over clothes), near death experiences

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: June 2023

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SUMMERTIME READING has been a blast and I LOVE how many great indie books I read this month!! Anything on my favorites list are considered must read recommendations.

Favorites this month:

  • American Gauntlet
  • The Pocket Pair
  • Spark of the Everflame
  • Queen of Shadows (Reread)
  • Same Time Next Summer
  • Love, Theoretically
  • Empire of Storms
  • The Seven Year Slip
  • Back to Class
  • The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley
  • Foul Heart Hunstman
  • The Matrimonial Advertisement
  • Fear the Flames

Least favorites:

  • Crossroads of Twilight
  • Love Songs Suck by Beck Monson
  • [ARC] American Gauntlet by Allie Lewis
  • An Improbable Season (Unexpected Seasons #1) by Rosalyn Eves
  • [ARC] Love Unseen by Rachel Kelley Stones
  • Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding
  • [ARC] The Pocket Pair (Graham Brothers #3) by Emma St. Clair
  • Starlight (Angels of Elysium #3) by Olivia Wildenstein
  • The Duchess Takes a Husband (The Gilded Age Heiresses #4) by Harper St. George
  • Spark of the Everflame (Kindred’s Curse #1) by Penn Cole
  • [ALC] Borrow My Heart by Kasie West
  • [Reread] Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas
  • Queen Charlotte by Julie Quinn and Shonda Rhimes
  • [ARC] A Beautiful Disguise (The Imposters #1) by Roseanna M. White
  • I’m Not Charlotte Lucas by Kasey Stockton
  • Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
  • [ARC] Betting on the Best Friend’s Brother (Betting on Love #2) by Melanie Jacobson
  • The Tarnished (The Blameless #2) by E.S. Christison
  • [Reread] A Kingdom of Exiles (Outcast #1) by S.B. Nova
  • You First by Caitlin Moss
  • Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
  • [Reread] Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas
  • Things We Hide From the Light (Knockemout #2) by Lucy Score
  • Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time #10) by Robert Jordan
  • [ARC] Kiss the Girl (Meant to Be #3) by Zoraida Cordova
  • Heart of the Raven Prince (Entangled With Fae #2) by Tessonja Odette
  • Threads That Bind (Threads That Bind #1) by Kika Hatzopoulou
  • [ALC] The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
  • [Novella] A Duchess for the Duke (Clairvoir Castle Romance #0.5) by Sally Britton
  • Back to Class (The Thornback Society #3) by Aspen Hadley
  • [ALC] Dark Water Daughter (The Winter Sea #1) by H.M. Long
  • Honorably Engaged (Bradwell Brothers #3) by Kasey Stockton
  • The Lost God by Sheila Masterson
  • The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata
  • Ruling Destiny (Stolen Beauty #2) by Alyson Noel
  • The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh
  • The Rithmatist (Rithmatist #1) by Brandon Sanderson
  • Foul Heart Huntsman (Foul Lady Fortune #2) by Chloe Gong
  • The Matrimonial Advertisement (Parish Orphans of Devon #1) by Mimi Matthews
  • [ARC] A Cross-Country Wedding (Road Trip Romance #2) by Courtney Walsh
  • Silver Bounty (The Royal Rose Chronicles #2) by Victoria McCombs
  • Fear the Flames (Fear the Flames #1) by Olivia Rose Darling

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Book Review: When Kingdoms Fall by Callie Dahl

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 473 pages
Author: Callie Dahl
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 13th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Men feared monsters. Yet fear made men do monstrous things.

The gods are gone, leaving three races divided, broken, and without balance.
All that remains is a curse.
One to haunt and devour the mortals for their unholy betrayal.

A Mortal Girl. . .

Traifton has two rules: Never leave the safety of the walls and never enter the Wylan Woods. Those who enter never return.
Willa Thesalor is left with an impossible choice. Be killed by the monsters hiding beneath pretty lies and faces, or enter the woods and face its woes.

An Elf Prince. . .

Kauis Sylpetor is a prince with no kingdom to rule. He can feel his immortality and magic slipping slowly from his grasp. When the royal elf finds himself back in the cursed land of Kalandrae, he discovers something more addicting than his plans for retribution. Power. But to attain it, he must make a bargain and risk sacrificing all he has ever known and loved in the process.

A Fae Prince. . .

Sorean Valkian is a troubled prince with rare and unruly magic. He is days away from becoming the king of a hidden realm. Before taking the crown, Sorean must confirm the whispers about the worsening Wylan Woods. And why his mother has kept their kingdom off of the maps for centuries. But heavy is the bearer of a secret crown once Sorean uncovers more questions than answers within the god’s tainted lands.

When Kingdoms Fall is a New Adult Fantasy series intended for audiences 18+ and older. This is book 1 in a series

IMPRESSED.

Took a chance on this fantasy debut and I am HOOKED. I enjoyed this one so much!! It was interesting, had a romance set-up that I love and a story line I’m very curious about.

For the romance, I actually love (especially in a series) when there isn’t a rush to adding steam. It’s a very slow burn here, frankly I don’t know quite where it’s going and that’s my favorite part!! I’m getting to know the characters and dynamics and it makes my attachment level deeper. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

The plot kept me engaged and this seems to set-up the series really well. I liked the multiple points of view. I liked the conflicting sides of humans vs. elves vs. fae. The world building was spaced out well and the magic system connects well too. My only little ‘eh’ thing was the first half of the book I thought the chapters felt a little choppy. Each new chapter jumped kind of oddly and it took me a bit to get the groove. I do think this went away in the later half of the book.

I’m excited for book two and think this was a fantastic debut. I hope this review convinces you to take a chance too!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: two super brief scenes
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, kidnapping, creature attacks, near death experiences, physical and magical altercations

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