Tag: renee dugan

Book Review: Nightwing (The Starchaser Saga #3) by Renee Dugan

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 432 pages
Author: Renee Dugan
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: December 1st, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Princess Cistine Novacek is a prisoner of Valgard.

Facing unbearable grief and the revelation of her own formidable power, Cistine battles her captor’s cruel games in a fight to escape. Her only hope for survival lies in her own cunning, a surly guard, an imprisoned beast with his own reasons for seeking freedom, and an unexpected ally who will risk everything to bring her home.

Tatiana and Quill are on the hunt. Far from the familiar, they search the shadowy corners of Valgard for their lost princess. But to rescue Cistine, they may be forced to pay a higher cost than either of them bargained for—a choice that unearths an old darkness lurking at the door of their kingdom, waiting to be let inside.

Banished for betrayal, Asheila Kovar hatches a daring plan to find the princess she’s sworn to protect. But a pair of unlikely companions will guide her on a journey she never expected, with enemies she never foresaw and revelations that will change her understanding of Talheim’s past – and the course of all their futures.

Lines must be crossed. Lives must be given. Answers must be unveiled. And in order to thwart a tyrant’s madness, sacrifices are demanded of the cabal…a price that will alter the fate of the Three Kingdoms forever.

AMAZING.

I am sincerely hooked on this series and hopefully these reviews are convincing y’all to pick these books up. They need more love.

This will be a more vague review to keep away from spoilers, but know I LOVED IT.

I love this entire cast. There’s so many fantastic people. All with unique personalities, common goals, strengths and weaknesses. It’s all there. I love that they don’t always make the exact right choice. They’re flawed and growing and it’s my favorite.

There’s a few romance sub plots that got a little more speed this time and I ADORE them. Seeing some of those kiss scenes finally happen, HECK YEAH.

The ending hurt. Oh it did. I love the flow of story with rises and falls and how Dugan always leaves me wanting more.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses; an implied closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of rape and sexual assault, PTSD, sexual assault and harassment , physical and weapons violence, abuse, torture, war themes

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Book Review: Darkwind (The Starchaser Saga #1) by Renee Dugan

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 442 pages
Author: Renee Dugan
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Middle Kingdom of Talheim has enjoyed peace for decades. But with the threat of war rising from the ruthless South, the dream of a quiet life is fading. And for the noble but naïve Princess Cistine, that means embarking on a dangerous quest to the Northern Kingdom, where she hopes to forge an alliance against their southern foes and save her people.

But when Cistine is captured by an outlaw and his band of cutthroat warriors, she finds a more deadly adventure than she bargained for – and a greater power within herself than she ever knew.

Swept up in the unpredictable tide of a tenuous and shadowy political climate, a ruthless land governed by the stars, and the unexpected revelations that come from her mysterious new companions, Cistine must learn how to fight, how to lead…and above all, how to trust herself.

If the young princess can’t be forged into a fighter, then her kingdom will fall.

HI, THIS IS MY NEW PERSONALITY.

Y’all. New fantasy obsession alert. I LOVED this!! Another Kindle Unlimited gem that has its hooks in me.

This is a slow build. And at times you do feel that slowness, but it has a necessity. I hate when things are slow and aren’t truly moving. In this case, we got to see some major character growth from Cistine and I looooved that. I enjoy seeing the development of skills rather than overnight they are fantastic at everything.

The plot is satisfying too. The world building is easy to follow and I like how the magic system is involved. I also absolutely loved that this had FOUND FAMILY. One of my favorite non-romantic tropes. This group grew on me and I am hopeful that we get to see there stories as the series progresses.

I can see that the romance will be a super slow burn. And I love those so doesn’t bother me one bit. I even like how it’s set-up right now (I don’t want to mention more because of spoilers). It’s just a true to life way of romance and I think this slow development will be EVERYTHING.

I can’t wait for more of this one. It was just what I was looking for when I picked it up and I’m genuinely excited to keep reading. Highly recommend for my fantasy friends!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: small battle scenes, torture, loss of loved ones, domestic abuse (recounted)

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