Tag: fantasy books

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2023

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I’ve been focusing hard this year to try to pick books (and accepts ARCs) I legitimately think I will enjoy. Out of 80+ books, I’ve only had TWO two stars. And that to me is really impressive. I’ve also been doing a lot of rereading and I’m here for that era too.

FAVORITES OF THE MONTH:

  • First to Fall
  • A Game of Hearts
  • Final Offer
  • Into the Churn
  • All Rhodes Lead Here
  • A Waltz with Traitors
  • Edenbrooke
  • Wing and a Miss
  • Exes and O’s
  • The Bluff
  • The Work of Art
  • A Dawn of Onyx
  • Sensibly Wed
  • Running Barefoot
  • Royal Gone Rogue

LEAST FAVORITES OF THE MONTH:

  • Falling Hard for the Royal Guard
  • First to Fall (Lost Story Bookshop #2) by Jenny B. Jones
  • [Reread/ALC] Game of Hearts by Joanna Barker
  • Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher
  • The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
  • [ARC] Into the Churn by Hayley Reese Chow
  • Well of Eida (The Fallen Kingdoms #1) by KB Benson
  • [Reread] All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
  • The Curse of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #1) by Nicole Platania
  • Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time #6) by Robert Jordan
  • My Phony Valentine (Holidays With Hart #1) by Courtney Walsh
  • The Shattered City (The Last Magician #4) by Lisa Maxwell
  • [ARC] A Waltz with Traitors by A.L. Sowards
  • [Reread] Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
  • Wing and a Miss (Deadlights Cove #3) by B. Perkins and Aimee Vance
  • Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) by Maiya Ibrahim
  • [Novella] Mysteries of Thorn Manor (Sorcery of Thorns #1.5) by Margaret Rogerson
  • [Reread] Exes and O’s (The Influencer #2) by Amy Lea
  • [Gifted] Lovely Dark and Deep (Fallow Creek #1) by Claudia Cain
  • [Reread/ALC] The Bluff (Graham Brothers #2) by Emma St. Clair
  • These Infinite Threads (This Woven Kingdom #2) by Tahereh Mafi
  • [ARC] Happy Place by Emily Henry
  • Spare by Prince Harry
  • [Gifted] Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
  • [ARC] Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson
  • [Novella] Coming Home by Kennedy Ryan
  • Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr #1) by Helen Scheuerer
  • The Work of Art (Somerset Stories #1) by Mimi Matthews
  • A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones #1) by Kate Golden
  • In Spotlight and Shadow (Doors to the Past #11) by Rachel Scott McDaniel
  • The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (The Unselected Journals #1) by Beth Brower
  • Sensibly Wed (Bradwell Brothers #1) by Kasey Stockton
  • [ARC] Love Buzz by Neely Tubati Alexander
  • Running Barefoot by Amy Harmon
  • Beauty and the Blade by S.C. Grayson
  • Mr. Gardiner and the Governess (Clairvoir Castle Romances #1) by Sally Britton
  • [ARC] The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes
  • Stardust in Their Veins (Castles in Their Bones #2) by Laura Sebastian
  • [ARC] Royal Gone Rogue (Sweet Royal RomComs #2) by Emma St. Clair
  • Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours #3) by Cassandra Clare
  • A Tournament of Crowns (A Trial of Sorcerers #3) by Elise Kova

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ARC Book Review: This Dark Alliance (The Curse of the Blessed #1) by Renee Dugan

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 288 pages
Author: Renee Dugan
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 20th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An Heiress. An Assassin. A Quest for Vengeance.
They say if you want a job done properly, don’t do it yourself; hire a Blessed to do it for you.

When the kingdom of Erala found itself full of humans exceptionally talented in various arts, they were revered as saviors. Centuries later, they’re no more than slaves. For the right amount of gold, a Blessed can make you rich. It can build you a mansion. It can turn your debts to sums.

But when wealthy heiress Elynor of Bast arrives at the Sanctum of the Blessed, she isn’t looking for a tailor or a storyteller. She’s searching for a Blessed assassin.

It’s been months since anyone required Sharek’s murderous services. With Elynor’s contract, he sees a chance to be useful – and for freedom. But when the mark goes awry, Sharek and Elynor find themselves in possession of secrets that could lead their kingdom to war. In order to prevent it, a Blessed and his hirer must learn to work together-and in the journey, learn who they truly are.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

GREAT START.

Renee Dugan is one of my new indie author fantasy finds and I am so excited to start a new series by her! I enjoyed this one a lot and look forward to future installments.

TDA is super fast paced and easy to move through. I thought the world building was handled well in the beginning to get a grasp of the dynamics and religious aspects that hold everything together. There’s a lot of differing opinions on how things should be done and I can’t wait to further see how those unravel and reshape.

I liked the dual POV main characters too. Sharek and Elynor both bring a plenty to the table and Dugan is known for creating amazing character arcs and I know these two are only in the beginning stages. I even see a hint at future romance??? Slow burns are my jam so I will wait it out!

Plot wise I wish a little more *something* occurred but that’s my only small complaint. It’s still engaging and I love the ease of Dugan’s writing.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, near death experiences, physical and magical altercations, loss of a parent, poisonings

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Book Review: The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2: #7) by Brandon Sanderson

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 528 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: November 15th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Return to Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn world of Scadrial as its second era, which began with The Alloy of Law, comes to its conclusion.

For years, frontier lawman turned big-city senator Waxillium Ladrian has hunted the shadowy organization the Set-with his late uncle and his sister among their leaders-since they started kidnapping people with the power of Allomancy in their bloodlines. When Detective Marasi Colms and her partner Wayne find stockpiled weapons bound for the Outer City of Bilming, this opens a new lead. Conflict between Elendel and the Outer Cities only favors the Set, and their tendrils now reach to the Elendel Senate-whose corruption Wax and Steris have sought to expose-and Bilming is even more entangled. After Wax discovers a new type of explosive that can unleash unprecedented destruction and realizes that the Set must already have it, an immortal kandra serving Scadrial’s god, Harmony, reveals that Bilming has fallen under the influence of another god: Trell, worshipped by the Set. And Trell isn’t the only factor at play from the larger Cosmere-Marasi is recruited by offworlders with strange abilities who claim their goal is to protect Scadrial…at any cost. Wax must choose whether to set aside his rocky relationship with God and once again become the Sword that Harmony has groomed him to be. If no one steps forward to be the hero Scadrial needs, the planet and its millions of people will come to a sudden and calamitous ruin.

OMG.

I can’t help but sit in awe each time I read a Sanderson book because HOW DOES HE DO IT. I LOVE the Cosmere world and everything about it. The characters, stories, emotions, relationships. His books have it allllllll. And this era is slept on and I need more people reading this!

I do think it’s important to note that this series (especially this last book) have some key commentary and discussions about the Cosmere as a whole. I won’t say more than that, but read them. READ THEM.

Wax and Wayne are my favorite duo. I love the Western + Sci-fi combination. And for two genres I don’t read a ton of, I should not be surprised that Sanderson has made me love it. I love the gun slinging action, the magic system, and the countdown to the end that had me listening to this book faster than I expected.

Writing spoiler free is hard, especially for one of my biggest waited releases of 2022. I just loved it. I couldn’t comment on one thing about it that I needed to be different. Things ended as I kind of expected, and still filled with all of the hope and love these characters present against impossible odds. This bromance is one that will stand against time and I will now be impatiently waiting for the next Sanderson book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses + light innuendo
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and magical violence, gun violence, explosions, near death experiences, loss of life

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Book Review: Tress of the Emerald Sea (The Cosmere) by Brandon Sanderson

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 483 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Dragonsteel Entertainment
Release Date: January 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

#1 New York Times Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings us deeper into the Cosmere universe with a rollicking, riveting tale that will appeal to fans of The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

FASCINATINGLY GOOD.

I mean, was I expecting anything less? NOPE.

I absolutely loved this. I felt like I was completely immersed in these characters, the story, plot, everything. Having Hoid as the narrator was the perfect dose of wit and spunk that carried everything else along. There was great social commentary that fit in well within the fantasy background and a lot of nods to self-worth and coming of age. I flat out laughed multiple times because the jokes just landed with all of the charm Hoid has.

The story was full of action and heart. I felt like it had a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean vibes with a Cosmere twist. I adored the diverse side characters and the found family that Tress and them became. It was whimsical yet intense and I was on the edge of my seat often.

I loooved the twists and the ending was fantastic. There’s so many little pieces in here that I could talk about (but won’t because spoilers) that really made this entire read. Sanderson crafts books like no others. You’ll love Tress’s character arc and the journey she goes on.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: near death experiences, physical and magical altercations, weapons violence

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