ARC Book Review: Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

August 27, 2024August 24, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A TALE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S EVER FALLEN FOR THE VILLAIN…

When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favourite fantasy series.

She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she’s not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor’s tale.

So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they’re doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor’s fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

This adult epic fantasy debut from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain’s shoes, for an adventure that is both ‘brilliant’ (Holly Black) and ‘supremely satisfying’ (Leigh Bardugo). Expect a rogue’s gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.

Thank you Orbit Books for the gifted copy and LibroFM for the audiobook.

I’M STILL CONFUSED.

That is unfortunately my biggest takeaway. I am still confused by this world and some of these characters and why the heck this was 17 hrs of audio? The heavy world dumping in the beginning didn’t stick.

It’s a fun idea and the bones are definitely there. There’s noticeable pop culture references and some of the humor does it well. I just don’t think ALL of it did the intended job. It kind of felt like the TV show adaptation of My Lady Jane. Honestly, I think Long Live Evil would work best as a show. With the real world cross overs and setting this could be great for TV.

There’s some good themes on the perception of others and choosing the best option from a list of bad. I did like most of the characters and different scenes were interesting or perfectly comical.

I’m undecided on picking up book two right now. If I do I will probably do the audio again. There’s a great twister of an ending at least.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy + Romance
Language: moderate, scattered throughout
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate
Content Warnings: terminal illness (cancer, theme throughout), murder

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Book Review: House of Striking Oaths (The Kingdom of Crows #3) by Olivia Wildenstein

August 26, 2024July 17, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 591 pages
Author: Olivia Wildenstein
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 29th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I WILL BECOME QUEEN OF LUCE… OR DIE TRYING.

There are few people I loathe more than Dante Regio, but my aunt Bronwen, my former grandfather Justus, and my Shabbin grandmother Meriam sit right alongside the Faerie monarch on my list of despicable beings. Especially after they assist the pointy-eared ruler with my kidnapping.

Locked in an obsidian underworld no Crow can reach, not even their king, I soon learn things aren’t as they seem. People aren’t as they seem. And history… I’m still attempting to reconcile the truth with what I was previously told.

My new allies have an agenda, but I have one of my own. Though there’s overlap—we all agree Dante must die—what I desire more than anything is to return to Lore before he levels the kingdom to find me… or loses his humanity trying.

I may favor crowns over coffins, but I refuse to live in a world where my mate only exists as a bird.

Strap in for one last romantic and pulse-pounding adventure in a world governed by magic and hearts.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT.

I don’t even want to write this review. I am incredibly frustrated by this one.

First of all, why did we spend so much time with Dante? He’s THE FREAKING WORST. And took up way too many pages with his over the top dramatics and trying way too hard to be a villain. It didn’t work. I missed Lore.

Lore is the only aspect I remember liking. I enjoyed his possessive and protective side, per usual. Aaaaand that’s about it.

Fallon got on my nerves some more. And the plot took a bunch of random directions with info dumping (in this, the third book mind you) to try to create more story??? I don’t know. I was confused. Disconnected. And just begging this book to be over.

And now that I know who the spin-off is about I thought it was an odd choice too? I wanted to be able to say, read this series, and now I feel like I can’t say that. Books one and two were very enjoyable. This one left me wanting in about 100 different ways.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: heavy and strong
Romance: 3-4 open; high explicit
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, murder, physical/magical/weapons violence, small battle themes

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ARC Book Review: Drown Me with Dreams (Sing Me to Sleep #2) by Gabi Burton

August 22, 2024July 31, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy + Romance
Length: 432 pages
Author: Gabi Burton
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Release Date: August 20th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the second book in this dark and seductive YA fantasy duology, a siren must decide if saving her kingdom is worth betraying the boy she loves.

Saoirse Sorkova is on the run. Accused of several murders, her siren identity compromised, even the newly crowned King Hayes can’t protect her if she’s caught. The only way to save her life is to send her on a dangerous mission across the magical barrier that surrounds the kingdom.

Forced to travel with Carrick – once her best friend, now her greatest betrayer – she begins to unravel multiple plots that threaten the safety of her family, the livelihood of the entire kingdom, and her future with Hayes. And the more time she spends with Carrick, the harder it is to keep hating him . . .

Soon, Saoirse is forced to what if Hayes isn’t the right ruler for the kingdom? And if he’s not, is she willing to betray her king – and her heart?

Featuring an all Black and Brown cast, a forbidden romance, and a compulsively dark plot full of twists, this thrilling YA fantasy series is perfect for fans of A Song Below Water and To Kill a Kingdom.

Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tours and Bloomsbury YA for the gifted copy.

VARIED THOUGHTS.

I went up and down with this book y’all. I will put at the top of this review though that I would love to try another series by this author. I think there’s potential for some great reads, even if I was mixed on this conclusion.

I loved a lot about Saoirse. Her dedication to her sister and how much she LOVED her. I loved the protective nature and the strength and will to survive in a land that doesn’t want her. I wish Saoirse had shown a little more growth in being able to trust others and not to lean so heavily (for the entire book) on scheming and manipulation. At least with those close to her.

The romance lacked chemistry and aspects felt forced. I wanted to love the forbidden and heated interactions, yet, the sporadic nature of their proximity didn’t build up the fragile connection they started with. I was way more invested in Saoirse’s story line with Carrick.

I liked the side characters. They added complexity and turmoil, politicking and good betrayals throughout. I feel like that whole group held up the book for me. The book lacked some direction and pacing became an issue too.

Like this review entails, I was back and forth on things I loved/struggled with. It’s still a book I would recommend and now that it’s a completed duology an even better time to try this out!

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: heated make-outs with light touching
Violence: high

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Book Review: Forever Reign (The Elementals of Iona #2) by V.B. Lacey

August 10, 2024June 17, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: V.B. Lacey
Publisher: Fiction & Fates Press, LLC
Release Date: April 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nothing could have prepared Sebastian and the elementals for what occurred on the beaches of Iona three months ago. In the aftermath of loss and betrayal, they’re left to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives, recovering in their separate corners of the world. That is, until the long-lost kingdom invites them back to their shores for a festival of peace.

Isolated to the spirit plane, Isla Vasileia has received a quest from the ancient gods.

Ever since Isla took the magic from the elementals, the balance of nature has been greatly altered. Violent disasters have wreaked havoc across the kingdoms, decimating villages and tearing families apart. To bring the world back into balance, what was taken must somehow be restored.

When Isla finds herself back on the beaches of Iona, she reunites with Bri, Sebastian, and the former elementals, and they are thrust into a world of secrecy, fear, and lies. Danger lurks around every corner, but so does new love and a chance for a happy ending. Isla is once again caught in a game amongst gods, racing against fate and time to save the kingdoms from destruction, forced to make a decision that will change her world forever.

One way or another, the end will come for all.

A GOOD CONCLUSION.

After some mixed feelings with book one, I was hoping this would capture my attention a bit more, and it did! I thought the writing was even better and I fell in love with these characters. I love found family and I love multiple POV and I thought this was handled really well.

The romances had some swoony moments and I liked that there were multiple ones to pay attention to. I loved seeing more of the world and how the elements were coming together to solve the final arc of this story.

I did have a few pacing issues, and I think this lacked some *intensity* for me. It had an epic fantasy feel but put into a shorter series so a few things weren’t quite all the way there.

Minor issues aside, I’m very happy with how this wrapped up. I loved the character arcs, the feels and where everyone ended up. I look forward to more books from Lacey!

Overall audience notes: