Tag: king arthur

Book Review: Silver in the Bone (Silver in the Bone #1) by Alexandra Bracken

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 480 pages
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Knopf Books
Release Date: April 4th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A series opener inspired by Arthurian legend and fueled by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!

Tamsin Lark didn’t ask to be a Hollower. As a mortal with no magical talent, she was never meant to break into ancient crypts, or compete with sorceresses and Cunningfolk for the treasures inside. But after her thieving foster father disappeared without so much as a goodbye, it was the only way to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.

Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian vanished with a powerful ring from Arthurian legend. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.

As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother. 

THE ENDING SAVED IT.

I didn’t know how I would end up liking this one because Arthurian legend + urban fantasy is not usually my combination. What is about King Arthur legend books that totally goes over my head??? But I digress. Things did get better and I will read the sequel.

The romance in here is subtle but very sweet. I liked the development of it and the contrast of that versus the rest of the book. I have SO MANY questions about that ending and it was the perfect dose of a cliffhanger.

Plot wise I was lost for a the beginning, figured out what was happening for awhile, completely lost in the middle and then found my way back one more time. The middle is slowed down quite a bit and I’m grateful I had the audiobook to keep the pace up or I think this review would have gone more south.

I liked Tamsin and her brother, Cabell. They have some interesting character arcs I want to further explore and the decisions and actions all felt true to the nature of everything happening.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, physical and magical altercations

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Book Review: Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracy Deonn

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Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: YA Fantasy
Length: 576 pages
Author: Tracy Deonn
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The shadows have risen, and the line is law.

All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:

A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.

But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.

When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.

AAAAAMAZING.

You know a series is good when the sequel is just as awesome as the first book. Those second books usually get me and that was not the case here. WHOOP.

I LOVE Bri. I love that she fits well into the YA FMC category. She is definitely 16 going on 17 but also is strong, capable, and willing to learn. I loved her progression in this book and look forward to continuing to see that arc grow over the series.

The flow of action to quiet to intense to sweet was perfect. I loved the balance and felt like I got every angle I needed to love this book. I constantly felt a need to read one more chapter before putting it down because I was way too involved in every part of the story. I loved that the magic system and world building was a lot less confusing than I had found it in Legendborn. The expansion of everything worked really well here and I feel like I have a full grasp of the systems now.

I’m pretty sure this love triangle situation is out to torture me and I’m rolling with it for now. BUT DON’T WORRY, I HAVE A SIDE. I honestly have no idea how it’ll play out though.

The ending had my jaw drop and shouting, how did I not see that earlier?!. Which is the best kind of cliffhanger. I’m very much in love with this writing and storytelling and cannot wait to know what happens next.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, murder, physical and magical violence, references to slavery, PTSD, trauma, sexism, possession

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