Tag: fantasy romance

ALC Book Review: Vengeance of the Pirate Queen (Daughter of the Pirate Queen #3) by Tricia Levenseller

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy + Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: November 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Mummy in Vengeance of the Pirate Queen, a beautifully designed standalone YA fantasy romance, set in the world of Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King.

You can’t be afraid of the dark when you’re the monster lurking in the shadows.

As an assassin working for the pirate queen, eighteen-year-old Sorinda is surprised when Alosa’s next task for her is not to kill a new target, but to captain a handpicked crew on a rescue mission. Unfortunately, her sailing master is twenty-year-old Kearan. He may be the best helmsman the pirate queen has, but Sorinda finds him a real pain in the arse. Sadly, there are few places on a ship to hide from an attentive man.

As the crew of the Vengeance faces dangerous waters and deadly sea creatures, they accidentally awaken the King of the Undersea, a being who can control the dead. Their rescue mission quickly turns into a fight to save the world, but first, Sorinda must save herself from becoming an undead queen.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ALC.

LOVED.

I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve read a Tricia Levenseller book and this reminded me of why she’s one of my favorite young adult authors. I absolutely loved this story.

I loved seeing the growth in Sorinda as she had to break out of standing in the background to being the captain of a ship. Her ups and downs were inspiring and I liked seeing the inner battle Sorinda showcased as the plot progressed. Those ending action scenes were incredible and really brought the story full circle.

The sub-plot romance worked perfectly too. Some enemies to lovers vibes with Kearan. While also confessing the darkest parts of their souls as both learned to be open. There’s some good swoon and passion too.

I liked the plot, the high seas adventure, getting to see a little bit of Alosa again, the themes and everything in between.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: heated kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, near death experiences, physical/magical altercations, blood/gore depiction

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Book Review: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (The Cosmere) by Brandon Sanderson

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 474 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Dragonsteel
Release Date: July 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings us a gripping story set in the Cosmere universe told by Hoid, where two people from incredibly different worlds must compromise and work together to save their worlds from ruin.

Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster?

LOVELY.

This was really dang good. Am I surprised? Not at all. And shoutout to my favorite audiobook narrators that read all of Sanderson’s books. Y’all are amazing.

I love how this subtly (but firmly) took on AI and the beauty and imagination of genuine artists. I felt this was really a nod to how important and impactful art (in all forms) is to a society.

The romance is sweet and actually at the for front of this story. Now I wouldn’t say this is a ROMANCE, but there is heavy focus on the relationship between Painter and Yumi. I adored these characters and how they both learned about the other, were honest about their struggles and were genuinely trying to do what was best.

Hoid once again narrates and I thought his little snippets were funny and quirky. While not necessarily my favorite aspect, I get the idea behind using this framework for the books that don’t necessarily fit into one of Sanderson’s already built systems.

This can be read as a standalone without prior Sanderson books. The narration might throw you off and you could see some Easter eggs from other parts of the Cosmere, but nothing spoiler based.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy / Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and magical altercations, nightmares, anxiety depiction, depression depiction,

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: October 2023

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Finally felt a little bit of cooler weather this month. I got a lot of reading accomplished this month and I am so excited it’s about to be NOVEMBER.

Favorite Books:

  • Flame & Shadow
  • Vengeance of the Pirate Queen
  • The Ballad of Never After Reread
  • A Not-So-Distant Love
  • Shadows of You
  • Drift
  • Absolutely Not in Love
  • The Fragile Threads of Power
  • The Sunlit Man
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin Reread
  • I Got You
  • The Unmaking of June Farrow
  • A Winter in New York
  • Sinner’s Isle
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight
  • The Right Move
  • The Hurricane Wars
  • Counting the Cost
  • The Woman in Me
  • A Curse for True Love
  • The Getaway List
  • Cabin Crush
  • Fourth Wing Reread

Least Favorite:

  • Witch of Wild Things
  • The Matchmaker
  • The Agaped Bearer
  • None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
  • [ARC] Flame & Sparrow (Court of the Marr #1) by S.M. Gaither
  • [ALC] Vengeance of the Pirate Queen (Daughter of the Pirate King #3) by Tricia Levenseller
  • [Reread] The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart #2) by Stephanie Garber
  • [ARC] A Not-So-Distant Love by Heidi Kimball
  • Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
  • [ALC] Shadows of You (Lost & Found #4) by Catherine Cowles
  • [Novella] Drift: Willa & Koy by Adrienne Young
  • Curious Tides by Pascalle Lacelle
  • [ARC] Absolutely Not in Love (Sweater Weather #7) by Jenny Proctor
  • A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
  • A Not So Fictional Fall (Sweater Weather #6) by Savannah Scott
  • Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey
  • The Matchmaker by Catherine Walsh
  • A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies #1) by Stacia Stark
  • The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power #1) by V.E. Schwab
  • Unleashed Holiday by Victoria Schade
  • The Forest Grimm (The Forest Grimm #1) by Kathryn Purdie
  • Beachside Kisses With My Bodyguard (Hallmark Beach Small Town Romance #1) by Kristin Canary
  • The Brothers Hawthorne (The Inheritance Games #4) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  • The Memory of Glass by Brenna Lauren
  • The Sunlit Man (Cosmere) by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird
  • [Reread] A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas
  • I Got You by Stacy Williams
  • The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
  • A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
  • [ARC] Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya
  • [ARC] The Ruined (The Beautiful #4) by Renee Ahdieh
  • [Reread] A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.5) by Sarah J. Maas
  • The Right Move (Windy City #2) by Liz Tomforde
  • The Agaped Bearer: Wishing Stars by Hannah Lindsey
  • The Hurricane Wars (The Hurricane Wars #1) by Thea Guanzon
  • Lake of Glass (Archives of the Warden #1) by V.K. Dixon
  • Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar
  • The Queen of Days by Greta Kelly
  • Beyond the Filigree Wall (Rivenwilde #1) by Melissa Wright
  • The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
  • A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart #3) by Stephanie Garber
  • [ARC] The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Mayers
  • [ARC] The Getaway List by Emma Lord
  • Eragon (The Inheritance Games #1) by Christopher Paolini
  • Cabin Crush (Gift Wrapped Romance) by Kasey Stockton
  • [Reread] Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
  • [ALC] Snowed In by Catherine Walsh

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Book Review: Dance of a Burning Sea (Mousai #2) by E.J. Mellow

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: E.J. Mellow
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: October 19th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Within the world of Aadilor, there is a hidden place called the Thief Kingdom, where both magic and pleasure abound. There, the Mousai, a trio of deadly sorceresses bound by oath and blood, use their powers to protect the kingdom’s treasures.

Niya Bassette brings the potent gift of dance to the Mousai, but behind her tempting twirls, she carries a heavy secret—that the infamous pirate lord, Alōs Ezra, has been threatening to exploit for years. Now banished from the Thief Kingdom for smuggling, Alōs resurfaces in Niya’s life with a plot to hold her hostage, leveraging what he knows to extort a pardon from the Thief King.

But Niya makes her own deal with Alōs to guard her secret and guarantee her freedom—yet in doing so binds herself aboard his pirate ship, where she must navigate deadly waters, a bloodthirsty crew, and her own traitorous heart. Soon, a simmering attraction between her and Alōs threatens their delicate truce and makes for a tumultuous ride on the open seas. Far from her kingdom, Niya is entangled in a dangerous dance indeed.

Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where dark deeds can mask noble hearts and the most alluring of sways often ends with a burn. Care for a spin?

From award-winning author E. J. Mellow comes the thrilling second installment in the Mousai series, featuring a powerful sorceress who finds her loyalties tested by a ruthless pirate lord.

WANTED TO LOVE.

Another overall miss for this series. I think it’s me? Fantasy standalones within a series is a struggle for me. I love long sagas or one and done with fantasies. The difference seems to always leave me wanting.

The enemies to lovers vibes here worked for me a lot of the time. I liked the back and forth and plenty of forced proximity and banter. Where I struggled with was a particular [spoiler] scene that took me out of the story. After that point things kind of fell flat and I was speeding up the audio to move along.

I did enjoy all of the pirate related saga. On a treasure hunt type quest, hanging with the crew and some good battle scenes did fit the story well. The bond between the sisters and Dad is also one of my favorite parts. I love close knit family connections and find this a unique aspect to the fantasy genre.

I’m tempted to read the third, but will probably wait a bit like I did with this one.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: two open door
  • Violence: med-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: whipping, loss of life, murder, physical and magical altercations

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