Tag: fantasy

ARC Book Review: The Outcast Mage (The Shattered Lands #1) by Annabel Campbell

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 512 pages
Author: Annabel Campbell
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it in this glittering debut fantasy perfect for fans of Andrea Stewart, James Islington, and Samantha Shannon.

In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.

When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.

For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.

Thank you to Orbit Books for my gifted copy.

NOT EVERYTHING I HOPED.

I was really excited for this book but it ended up not quite being what I hoped for. What I did like was the general concept of the plot. It’s intriguing enough and with multiple POV’s it’s nice to see different angles of the conflicts. The characters were all perfectly fine. And that’s where the problems start to show.

I feel like I got NO character depth. Nobody was truly memorable and everything was surface level. When these big things would happen I would realize that I didn’t care because there had been nothing to tether me to them. And there was no romance (which isn’t a problem, EXCEPT) for when a very out of pocket fade to black scene was thrown in as if it was checking something off of a list.

If I read the second book it would be on audio to help speed it up. I am intrigued, but eh.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: one fade to black
  • Violence: moderate

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: December 2024

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How is it the end of the year again? I wrapped it up with a few less books (reading Rhythm of War and Wind and Truth will do that to you). But a good month to end 2024.

Favorites of the month:

  • Rhythm of War (reread)
  • A Monsoon Rising
  • Beg, Borrow, or Steal
  • O Goalie Night
  • Wind and Truth
  • Exes Don’t
  • Holiday Hostilities
  • Is She Really Going Out with Him?
  • All the Missing Pieces
  • In the Wake of the Wicked

Least favorites:

  • The Island House
  • Merry Little Match by Celine Rachelle
  • [Reread] Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archives #4) by Brandon Sanderson
  • Stranger Skies (Drowned Gods #2) by Pascale Lacelle
  • [ARC/ALC] A Monsoon Rising (The Hurricane Wars #2) by Thea Guanzon
  • Since We’ve No Place to Go
  • Servant of the Earth (The Shards of Magic #1) by Sarah Hawley
  • [ARC] Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome #3) by Sarah Adams
  • Have Yourself a Married Little Christmas by Claire Cain
  • The Serpent and the Wolf (Dark Inheritance Trilogy #1) by Rebecca Robinson
  • [ARC] Lady Anna’s Favor by Karen Tuft
  • O Goalie Night by K.M. Gillis
  • My December Darling by Lauren Asher
  • One Night Two Holidays by Ali Brady
  • [ARC] A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya
  • [ARC] Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama #1) by Kristy Boyce
  • 12 Days of Mistletoe by Jen Atkinson
  • That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe (Abieville Love Stories #4) by Julie Christianson
  • Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive #5) by Brandon Sanderson
  • Games Untold (The Inheritance Games #4.5) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  • [ALC] Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan
  • A Kingdom of Shadows (A City of Flames #2) by Rina Vasquez
  • An Honorable Deception (The Imposters #3) by Roseanna M. White
  • We Could Be Villains (The Vigil & Ante Files #1) by Megan McCullough
  • Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… by Jason Reynolds
  • [ALC] Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked #1) by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee
  • Exes Don’t (Fall in Love #3) by Leah Dobrinska
  • Holiday Hostilities (Cyclones Christmas #2) by Katie Bailey
  • The Island House (Getaway Bay Romances #1) by Elana Johnson
  • Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens
  • [ARC] All the Missing Pieces by Catherine Cowles
  • In the Wake of the Wicked by V.B. Lacey
  • The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry

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ARC Review: A Monsoon Rising (The Hurricane Wars #2) by Thea Guanzon

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Thea Guanzon
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two hearts circle each other in the eye of the storm in this highly-anticipated follow-up to The Hurricane Wars—prepare for more enemies-to-lovers romance, magical adventures, and political schemes in this Southeast Asian-inspired world.

After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. Now Talasyn must play the part of Alaric’s willing empress while her allies secretly plot to overthrow his reign. But the longer the couple are forced together, the harder it becomes to deny the feelings crackling like lightning between them. When the time comes to act, can she trust him, or must she ignore her heart for the sake of so many others?

As the master of the Shadowforged Legion, Alaric has trained for battle all his life, but marrying a Lightweaver might be his most dangerous challenge yet. With tensions between nations churning, he needs to focus on the greater threat—the Moonless Dark, a cataclysmic magical event that could devour everything. Only he and Talasyn can stop it, with a powerful merging of light and shadow that they alone can create together. But saving their world from this disaster is a mere preface to his father’s more sinister schemes, and his wife is a burning flame in the darkness, tempting both his loyalties and his desires.

The Hurricane Wars aren’t over. It’s time to choose what—and who—to fight for. The world holds its breath amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets that could change everything.

Thank you Harper Voyager for my gifted copy and LibroFM for the audiobook.

VIBIN’

I just enjoy the heck out of this series y’all. It’s incredibly romance centric and I am smitten with Alaric and Talasyn. They epitomize what I love about these types of romantasy books and I am intensely involved in what’s going to happen next. BECAUSE DID YOU READ THAT CLIFFHANGER? I love the drama.

I think it’s amazing how high the angst and tension is between these two. And yet we get a showcase of Alaric and Talasyn working together (which I adore in E2L books). There’s a lot of push and pull and some compromise filled with politicking and subtle betrayals. It really is a fantastic continuation that holds it’s own candle. There’s no sophomore slump here, I was hooked to this story from the start and I loved all of the micro-tropes throughout that had me howling.

And I immensely appreciate a dual POV romance and love getting Alaric’s viewpoint. I am having the best time reading these books and the flair of the drama and romance. And yes, I’M STILL THINKING OF THAT CLIFFHANGER.

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 3 open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: parental abuse, death and loss of loved ones

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: October 2024

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I just want cooler weather.

Favorites this month:

  • Silver and Bone
  • Goodbye Again
  • Holiday Tides
  • Across the Ages
  • The Twisted Throne
  • A Tale Told by Traitors
  • Home Run Heart
  • A Queen of Ice

Least favorites

  • Kiss Me at Christmas
  • Blood of the Sands
  • All I Want Is You
  • [ARC] The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke
  • [ARC/ALC] The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan
  • [ARC] Silver and Bone (Silver and Bone #1) by Claudia Cain
  • A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
  • The House at Watch Hill (Watch Hill Trilogy #1) by Karen Marie Moning
  • Goodbye Again by Caitlin Moss
  • [ARC/Novella] Holiday Tides (A Wilks Beach Holiday Novella) by Laura Langa
  • [ARC] The Gentleman’s Confession (Matchmaking Mamas #3) by Anneka R. Walker
  • The Dagger and the Flame (The City of Fantome #1) by Catherine Doyle
  • Vilest Things (Flesh and False Gods #2) by Chloe Gong
  • Across the Ages (Timeless #4) by Gabrielle Meyer
  • One on One by Jamie Harrow
  • Tell Me You Love Me (The Boys of Riverside #4) by Gracie Graham
  • The Twisted Throne (The Bridge Kingdom #5) by Danielle L. Jensen
  • The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
  • The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
  • [Novella] Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
  • [ARC] A Tale Told by Traitors (Tales of Wonder and Woe #2) by R. Dugan
  • [ARC] Home Run Heart (Kitt’s Harbor #2) by Hailey Gardiner
  • For She is Wrath by Emily Varga
  • We Three Kings by Kristen Bailey
  • Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
  • Blood of the Sands (The Ballan Desert #1) by S.C. Grayson
  • The Secret of the Book Keeper (The Secret of the Book Keeper #1) by J.A. Hemingway
  • Miss Adeline’s Match by Joanna Barker
  • Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn’t Evil (High Court of the Coffee Bean #3) by Jennifer Kropf
  • All I Want Is You by Falon Ballard
  • Season’s Schemings (Cyclones Christmas #2) by Katie Bailey
  • Fighting for You (Veterans of Silver Ridge #4) by Claire Cain
  • [ARC] Spectacular (Caraval #3.5) by Stephanie Garber
  • Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo
  • Not a Thing (Seddledown #2) by Susan Henshaw
  • The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain
  • [ARC] A Queen of Ice (A Trial of Sorcerers #5) by Elise Kova
  • Inheritance of Scars by Crystal Seitz

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