ARC Book Review: Heir (Heir Duology #1) by Sabaa Tahir

September 30, 2024September 6, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Prepare for the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic new fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award winning author Sabaa Tahir about love, legacy, and vengeance.

An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her tribe for an unforgiveable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but he’s loathe to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir masterfully interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with the burdens of power, the treachery of love and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed. Get ready for a dark and breathless journey that will captivate readers and that may cost these young people their lives―and their hearts. Literally.

Thank you Penguin Teen #penguinteenpartner for the gifted ARC.

I WILL NOT BE THE SAME.

This is one of those books that has altered my brain chemistry. It is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I feel like I won’t even do this review justice because of how phenomenal the entire book is.

I loved being back in this world and I loved getting to see my favorites from An Ember in the Ashes (highly recommend reading that series first!!). I loved all of the new characters. It’s a complex and diverse cast where this is not one weak point. Every single POV was engaging. I slowly devoured this because I wanted to savor it but also needed to know what was going to happen next.

And oh boy were there TWISTS. I was left staring into space multiple times while also flipping pages back and forth to make sure I had grasped what the heck just happened. Sabaa Tahir is an incredible writer and the wait for this book was worth it and more.

Also, ROMANCE. Good heavens it SENT ME. Every little lingering moment and touch and soft glance and heated exchange. It was an effortlessly created slow burn. I am obsessed.

There’s so many moments I would love to highlight that have engraved themselves on my soul. The deep, heart wrenching themes and the small pockets of joy. Handling what life has handed you with the strength to take the next step forward. This is one story that I will be thinking about for a long time.

Overall audience notes:

NA Fantasy + Romance
Language: low
Romance: very vague open/fade to black
Violence: high
Content Warnings: loss of life and war themes, torture and kidnapping, weapons of mass destruction

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ARC Book Review: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

September 29, 2024August 21, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★☆
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Ann Liang
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds.
Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.

Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.

Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.

Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL Y’ALL.

I am sitting here to write this review after finishing it the previous day and I still haven’t figured out how I feel about it and what I want to do about it. I DID enjoy the audiobook. If you want to read ASTDR I would definitely recommend that avenue. Loved the narrator, no issues on that front.

My main issue stems from how short this book felt. It is barely over 300 pages and for a standalone fantasy that can be hit or miss. I thought things were moving TOO FAST and I couldn’t keep up with the speed of the timeline. It also made the main romance line feel off-kilter. I would have loved more connection and time between them.

I didn’t mind the plot. It’s one I’ve read before, but do enjoy often. But, as the story went one it took some final turns that have me in a befuddled state. I think it boils down to this not being the style of fantasy romance I personally like.

I’ve enjoyed Ann Liang’s previous books in the YA Contemporary Romance category, and I would still read her next book.

Overall audience notes:

Historical fantasy romance
Language: low
Romance: make-outs; low innuendo
Violence: moderate-high
Content Warnings: weapons violence, poisoning, attempted murder, actual murder, loss of life, war themes

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Book Review: Omen of Ice (Omen of Ice #1) by Jus Accardo

September 23, 2024August 13, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Jus Accardo
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Keltania Tunne has spent her whole life training to become a bodyguard for a Winter Fae. It’s the highest of honors for a druid…only when Tania arrives at the Winter Court for the first time, nothing is what she expected.

Her assignment is the heir to the throne, Valen, and he doesn’t want her protection. In fact, he wants her gone. Yesterday. But Tania will not compromise, even if he is the most arrogant jackass she’s ever met―because something isn’t right in the Winter Court.

Everyone has secrets. From the Winter Lord to the kitchen maids to the rising faction that wants the prince dead―no one is who they seem. And now it’s up to Tania to keep her sacred oath and protect Valen, even when his smart mouth makes her skate the razor-thin edge between love and hate.

But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes his secret is the biggest of all―and might just get them both killed.

I’M INTRIGUED.

The synopsis had me oh so intrigued. And I admit, I did enjoy it. Took awhile to grow on me though.

Our MMC, Valen is very Cardan Greenbriar coded (which could be a good or bad thing for you). The snarky fae who likes to drink a bit too much and has a major chip on his shoulder with the things he has to handle. Enter in, Keltania who’s only job is protect Valen. A very good forced proximity with a bit of enemies to lovers situation. The romance grew on me and I feel invested enough in them to continue this series.

The plot for the most part centers around traveling and seeing other mythical creatures (kelpies, trolls, etc.). Kinda dragged here and there and the villain reveals aren’t anything surprising. There’s some give and take here but I’m not mad I read it. I hope to see some story deviations that feel new in the second book.

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: make-outs; light innuendo
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: near death experiences, physical and magical altercations, loss of loved ones

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Book Review: Five Broken Blades (The Broken Blades #1) by Mai Corland

September 8, 2024May 10, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: Mai Corland
Publisher: Red Tower
Release Date: May 7th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s the season
for treason…

The king of Yusan must die.

The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.

He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.

And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness―from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.

They can agree on murder.

They can agree on treachery.

But for these five killers―each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal―it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.

Let the best liar win.

I’LL READ BOOK TWO.

This was a good series starter. I especially loved the audiobook because they had five separate narrators for all of the POV’s which made it much easier to follow along. I did like all of our main leads. They’ve each got secrets and strengths and weaknesses that you see played out though the book. I loved the ending betrayals and twists. A few took me by surprise which is always my favorite.

I liked most of the romantic aspects. Some times I felt like it was trying too hard to be sexy (and not in a lusty way, it’s hard to explain without spoiling) and it wasn’t coming off well. I do like the contrasting pairings and I’m curious how those will continue to unravel (or tie together) as the series continues.

The plot is simple, which works well against so many points of view. I liked seeing different pieces of the world and how the politicking and intrigue worked together. I’m very much interested in seeing where this series will go next.

Overall audience notes: