Rating: ★★★★ Audience: YA Fantasy Length: 384 pages Author: Kylie Lee Baker Publisher: Inkyard Press Release Date: October 22nd, 2024 Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
Since Zilan entered the world of royal alchemists, she has learned that alchemy comes at a price. She has lost loved ones in her search for broader justice against the evil Empress and all she wants now is to find some way to bring them back. Resurrection is her specialty, after all.
In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.
NEW FAV.
I think this is officially my new favorite KLB book. I really enjoyed this. I also loved the audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job of injecting the right tone and it made the story really thrive. I thought the banter was even more amplified and made me laugh out loud amidst the dark and gritty nature of the plot.
I loved the complexity of the historical and fantasy elements coming together. It’s interesting and unique and I liked the continuation of Zilan’s journey. There’s tangled sibling dynamics and a small romance that has its own interesting charm. I will definitely be continuing to pick up new books from KLB.
Rating: ★★★★ Audience: YA Fantasy Length: 432 pages Author: Kylie Lee Baker Publisher: Inkyard Press Release Date: October 3rd, 2023 Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist, of providing for her family by making alchemical gold and gems for the wealthy to eat in order to stay young forever. But for now, she’s trapped in her impoverished village in southern China, practicing an illegal form of alchemy to keep food on the table—resurrecting the dead, for a price.
When Zilan finally has the chance to complete her imperial exams, she ventures to the capital to compete against the best alchemists in the country in tasks she’ll be lucky to survive, let alone pass. On top of that, her reputation for raising the dead has followed her to the capital, and the Crown Prince himself seeks out her help, suspecting a coming assassination attempt.
The more Zilan succeeds in her alchemy, the more she gets caught in the dangerous political games of the royal family. There are monsters lurking within the palace walls, and it’s only a matter of time before they—and secrets of Zilan’s past—catch up with her.
Thank you to Inkyard Press for the eARC.
GOOD START.
I really love how unique Kylie Lee Baker’s stories are. I love the historical aspects (and the notes about them at the end!), the diverse cast and how it’s a lot more main character focused over a romance (though I admit to wanting the romance to be a bit more woven in here).
The alchemical aspects were cool and I appreciated that I could follow along with the magic system. It’s complex, yet manageable and all of the morally gray decisions are thrown in to make this a dark tale.
There were some good twists, lots of monsters (gruesome book folks!), and complicated family dynamics to keep the pages turning. The historical and fantasy combination is one of my absolute favorite genre blend and the storytelling is fantastic. Looking forward to book two!!
Overall audience notes:
YA Dark Fantasy
Language: very little
Romance: make-out
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, murder, loss of life, loss of family, kidnapping and torture, creature attacks, weapons violence, medical experimentation
Rating: ★★★ Audience: YA Fantasy Length: 416 pages Author: Kylie Lee Baker Publisher: Inkyard Press Release Date: October 4th, 2022 Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami Ren Scarborough is no longer the girl who was chased out of England—she is the Goddess of Death ruling Japan’s underworld. But her problems have never been greater. Her Shinigami see her as a foreigner on the throne. Her brother, Neven, is gone, lost in the deep darkness. And her fiancé, Hiro, has been killed by her own hand.
Then Ren receives the most troubling news yet—Reapers have been spotted in Japan, and it’s only a matter of time before Ivy, now Britain’s Death Goddess, comes to claim her revenge.
Ren’s last hope is to appeal to the god of storms and seas, who can turn the tides to send Ivy’s ship away from Japan’s shores. But he’ll help Ren only if she finds a sword lost thousands of years ago—an impossible demand.
Together with the moon god Tsukuyomi, who shares an uncanny resemblance to his brother Hiro, Ren ventures across the country in a race against time. As her journey thrusts her into the middle of scheming gods and dangerous Yokai demons, Ren will have to learn who she can truly trust—and the fate of Japan hangs in the balance.
Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an ALC.
GLAD I WENT WITH THE AUDIOBOOK.
Audiobook review: Fantastic. I have zero complaints about the narration, story telling, or anything in regards to the audiobook. Easily would say to read this book that route.
Why am I happy I did? Because I could speed it up a bit. I adored the first book in this duo, and I’m unfortunately writing another meh review for a second book in a duology.
The plot was a bit meandering as if it was trying to fill space. I didn’t really get the sense of adventure I think was trying to be conveyed. All of the lore with Reapers and Shinigami was still one of my favorite aspects. I love dark fantasy and I this did hit those notes really well.
I also did like the sibling relationship. It’s not always simple to love your brother / sister and I liked the exploration of those dynamics. The good and the bad that can come with family, but how ultimately they were able to work things out. I loved Neven and Ren for these scenes the most.
For once I’ll say I don’t think the romance was necessary. I actually thought this had none and wasn’t upset about it (because it’s not the vibe here) so no harm no foul. BUT then when a little was woven in it felt out of place. I would have been here for a strong friendship over a relationship because Ren needed that kind of connection in her life.
Overall audience notes:
YA Fantasy
Language: very little
Romance: kisses
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: blood and gore depiction, loss of loved ones
Rating: ☆☆☆☆ Audience: YA Fantasy + Romance Length: 400 pages Author: Kylie Lee Baker Publisher: Inkyard Press Release Date: October 12th, 2021 Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
Death is her destiny.
Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can.
When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death… only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task—find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons—and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.
MURDEROUS.
That’s pretty much the whole vibe of this one. Dark, twisted, and oh so murderous. And while that’s not generally my jam, this grim YA fantasy was pretty good. I cringed a lot and the mental pictures painted are a bit horror movie style, and that’s its charm!
I really enjoyed the main character Ren. Struggling with her identity as biracial and not feeling like she fits in anywhere, she goes to Japan in hopes of finding a new home there. Upon arriving with her brother are when things start to turn, ahem, deadly. She’s very much morally grey and you’ll want to follow her down to the dark side.
The lore behind all of the terrifying monsters had me keeping the lights on. The writing was vivid, and I felt myself on the journey with Ren. I adored her brother Neven and the opposite views he created. He was the necessary dichotomy to a wicked story.
Plot wise, it did drag sometimes and it took me awhile to understand all of the different things Ren was trying to accomplish and why. But I loved her journey and her ability to express and acknowledge her emotions and standing in her feelings while she worked through what life had handed her.
The ending was wild. Did not see the majority of it coming and am so dang curious how the second book rectifies it all. There is a dash of something akin to a romance, but I don’t want to say more because it would definitely be spoiler-y. It was rich in explorations of family, identity and place to be who Ren wanted to be and I can’t wait to follow her journey further.
Overall audience notes:
YA Fantasy
Language: a little
Romance: intense kisses/make-outs
Trigger/Content Warnings:ableism, racism, many blood & gore depictions, mutilation of bodies (dismemberment, etc.), death of a parent, multiple murders, exile, bullying
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kylie Lee Baker grew up in Boston and has since lived in Atlanta, Salamanca, and Seoul. Her writing is informed by her heritage (Japanese, Chinese, and Irish), as well as her experiences living abroad as both a student and teacher. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing and Spanish from Emory University and is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science degree at Simmons University. In her free time, she watches horror movies, plays the cello, and bakes too many cookies. The Keeper of Night is her debut novel.
GoodeyReads 