Tag: the song of the marked

Book Review: A Crown of the Gods (Shadows and Crowns #4) by S.M. Gaither

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: S.M. Gaither
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: June 28th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The highest throne in the Kethran Empire lies vacant, its once-ruler now a god-ascending, bringing more chaos and darkness to an already chaotic world. The line between the divine and mortal realms is blurring. The battlefield is set. A final, devastating war is on the horizon.

Casia Greythorne has finally come home to claim the throne that is rightfully hers—one that she hopes she can use to unite her empire and help it survive a war with the very gods themselves. But to take hold of her crown, she’ll have to wrestle it free of a past that she’s avoided for too long. One that is even more complicated than she realized.

The answers she needs to win her war—and save her world and the people she loves—all lie within that past…

But discovering them might destroy any hope she has of a future.

WHEN CAN I GET THE NEXT ONE.

I adore this series. Another great installment with another cliffhanger that had me going WHAT and now I wait for the finale coming in a few months.

This is such a great example of romantasy. I loooove Elander and Casia. They are constantly working together, and even if some poorer decisions were made in this read I really appreciated the way they can have a true conversation together. I just love them. I almost thought the spice was going to land in the, is this really necessary?, category, but luckily I thought most of it worked with the storyline.

I love the complicated villain aspects too. It shows other sides I wasn’t expecting and keep me very much intrigued in to how things will work out in the end. The plot keeps moving and the assortment of gods that show up is a great plot aspect. I like that I can remember who’s who easily enough and that all of the conundrum involving multiple characters lives make sense.

The finale is sure to be a wild one and I am ANXIOUS.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: three open door (low/med explicit)
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: anxiety depiction, loss of life

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Book Review: The Song of the Marked (Shadows and Crowns #1) by S.M. Gaither

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 512 pages
Author: S.M. Gaither
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 17th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An ancient evil is stirring. The old gods are growing restless. Can she stop the coming storm?

A Devastating Sickness

For decades, the Kethran Empire has been plagued by a strange illness that leaches the very life and soul from its victims.

The Girl Who Survived

Casia is one of the Fade-Marked—one of the few people who caught this sickness and lived. Why she lived is a mystery even to her and the outcast crew of mercenaries she calls her family. It also makes her an intriguing target for the young, enigmatic king-emperor, who claims he wants to work alongside her to find a cure.

Unfortunately, working alongside him also means working with the handsome but infuriating captain of one of the most prestigious branches of the Kethran Army.

A Soldier With No Past

This infuriating Captain Elander also has secrets: A past that Cas can’t seem to uncover, a powerful but strange brand of magic, and a deep distrust of the very monarch that he’s sworn to serve. She feels oddly drawn to him in spite of these things…

But can she really trust him?

The Fate of an Empire

As the bodies pile up and strange monsters begin to wreak havoc throughout the realms, Cas and Elander will have to work together to protect their world whether they trust one another or not. Because one thing is clear: Something ancient and evil is stirring in the shadows of Kethra.

And the empire will not survive its full unleashing.

But how can they save a world where nothing and no one is what they seem to be— including Cas herself?

NEW FANTASY OBESSSION.

I’m always looking for a fantasy series to dive into, and this one is it. It was SO DANG GOOD. And the audio book was fantastic. Highly recommend that avenue if you’re interested. I flew through this fast. The pacing was well intentioned and never felt like a drag. I love the high stakes action and the plot itself. Gimme book two ASAP.

Of course, one of my favorite aspects is the enemies to lovers trope. It’s heated and tangled. Left me begging for them to actually kiss and then contemplating what I was supposed to do with AN ENDING LIKE THAT. It’s going to be a long haul and I am here for it.

I love a strong female main character and Cas IS THAT WOMAN. She takes charge, occasionally runs off into danger, but is fiercely loyal and is just looking for answers to save her loved ones. Cas got in on the action and drove this book forward with her stubborn tenacity. Can’t get enough of her. There’s been some mention of Throne of Glass vibes and I can definitely see that here (in a great way).

The ending left me reeling and I am not coping well waiting for the next book. I’m excited to continue this series because that first book was a hidden gem.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: brief open door
  • Violence: physical and magical altercations, creature attacks
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, loss of loved ones, a wasting sickness

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