Tag: vampires

Book Review: Scythe and Pen by A.C. Hobbs

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 506 pages
Author: A.C. Hobbs
Publisher: Counterpoise Press
Release Date: January 12th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Demetrius Raske strikes a deal with the Devil to stop a monster stalking the city, but he may have unleashed another villain entirely…

The Capital of the United League of Nations glitters like jewels on a dame’s neck—a city of wicked splendor and possibility. The deals struck in the Senate are as ruthless as the ones struck in the city’s criminal underbelly. No one knows this better than vampire politician Demetrius Raske, who walks both worlds.

Demetrius fights for a bill that will grant humans and vampires equal civil liberties. But many citizens don’t share his sentiment, especially after the murders begin. Body after body, drained of blood, appear throughout the city, threatening the League’s tenuous peace treaty between humans and vampires. If Demetrius’s bill doesn’t pass the Senate, his campaign for a united future will be crushed. Only one man has the ability to apprehend the bloodthirsty monster—a man known simply as the Devil. And rumor has it, he isn’t a man at all. Together, they strike a deal to catch the murderer before Demetrius’s bill fails—a disaster that would push the League to the brink of civil war.

But Demetrius’s calculated moves don’t go unnoticed. He catches the attention of Gabriella Rose, a journalist whose hunt for her next big headline pushes her right into the murderer’s path, costing her everything she holds dear. Now something dark grows within Gabriella—a power her allies wish to control and her enemies want to exploit.

The only way Demetrius and Gabriella can save themselves—and the city they love—is to strike another deal with the Devil. But their villainous partner is playing his own game. And soon they will learn how the Devil earned his name.

I FOUND IT.

It is historically known I am not a lover of vampire books. BUT I have found a second book that gets all the stars from me AND has vampires!! This is an absolute must read. I loooved the dark and dramatic atmosphere. It’s gritty and full of mettlesome people trying to accomplish what they think is best. I loved the politicking and secrets and conversations in the dark waiting to see what next big thing was going to happen.

This has short chapters and this beautifully engaging writing. From the moment I picked it up I was enthralled. The magnetic story pulls you in and makes you want to know what happens next. I loved that it was multiple POV. There’s a mix of characters that you get views from that all build out this world and keep that sense of mystery.

And while it is in no way a romance book, there are two subtle ones that you get to see small aspects of throughout. I am in a chokehold over one of them and gosh dang I can’t wait to see that continue to grow in this series.

I loved it all. This is a hidden gem, you definitely need this book, kind of read.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fantasy
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high

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ALC Book Review: A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea #1) by Hafsah Faizal

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Release Date: February 20th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From Hafsah Faizal, New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, comes the first book in a hotly-anticipated new fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling upon a band of misfits, Arthie formulates a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not every member of her crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

DID I OVERHYPE MYSELF?

I’ve been really excited about this book y’all. After loving the conclusion to Faizal’s previous duology I knew I wanted my hands on this. But it wasn’t quite what I was hoping.

Audiobook notes: I thought the narrator did a great job, I don’t have any issues there at all. I do wish there would have been a second or third narrator for the other POV’s. There’s three POV’s in total and I continually found myself confused as to whose I was reading at that time.

The story was intriguing, and the pacing was slow. I looove found family, and I do think that was presented well. I love the mash up of personalities and loyalties and connection that this trope brings. There’s even some romantic plots brewing, I was kind of into them? I’m hopeful for book two expansion on this and some more tension.

I found myself easily able to put this down and never felt like it was grabbing my full attention. There were some good scenes and I did enjoy what we got of the characters. I loved that this was set in the same world as We Hunt the Flame too. I could definitely feel those vibes.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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ARC Book Review: The Damned (The Beautiful #2) by Renée Ahdieh

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Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: YA Paranormal + Romance
Length: 456 pages
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: July 7th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with the second installment of her new sumptuous, sultry and romantic series, The Beautiful.

Following the events of The Beautiful, Sébastien Saint Germain is now cursed and forever changed. The treaty between the Fallen and the Brotherhood has been broken, and war between the immortals seems imminent. The price of loving Celine was costly. But Celine has also paid a high price for loving Bastien.

Still recovering from injuries sustained during a night she can’t quite remember, her dreams are troubled. And she doesn’t know she has inadvertently set into motion a chain of events that could lead to her demise and unveil a truth about herself she’s not quite ready to learn.

Forces hiding in the shadows have been patiently waiting for this moment for centuries. And just as Bastien and Celine begin to uncover the danger around them, they learn their love could tear them apart.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the eARC. All opinions are my own!

MAYBE I AM INTO VAMPIRES.

I have been long holding the belief that I was over vampires. This duology has given me hope that maybe I can try some of the new vampire books coming out! I love the way this was written. Vampires weren’t IN MY FACE, but I also love the way the interacted with their world and the group of friends turned family themselves.

The Damned also went in a different direction than expected. I guess I was thinking I was getting more romance (typical, I know), but instead, there was a lot more whimsy and fantasy aspects to it that brought the paranormal/urban fantasy combination together. Still wished there was more romance, and more Celine, because she didn’t even show up til over 30% of the way through!

Watching the push and pull between Bastien and Celine was the kind of will they/won’t they, that I loooooove. Every time they were in the same room together I was glued to the page wanting to know what would happen next. I wanted more of them together, yet the writing was beautiful anytime I did get them. Ah, yes. Love a good romance component in a book!

One of my issues was how open ended the last few chapters were. I didn’t feel much closure with this installment because it was abundantly clear, a new series is coming, with a spin-off following another character. While totally here for it, I wish somethings had been more solidified. I’m curious where the enemies are going to rise from, how the other realms will play into it, and if I’ll get to see some of my favorite character again.

Ahdieh creates some of my favorite duologies and I love her writing. Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult paranormal + romance
  • Language: occasional strong
  • Romance: kisses / heated make-outs; one love scene with minimal detail
  • Violence: murder, physical, magical; not incredibly gory

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Book Review: The Beautiful (The Beautiful #1) by Renée Ahdieh

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult historical fiction + romance + paranormal
Length: 448 pages
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 8th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

VAMPIRES?

I hesitantly picked this book up because I love Ahdieh’s books, but I heard the hypeness over the apparent vampires in this book [note: not a fan of vampire books, never really have been]. My cautionary read turned out a lot better than I thought. And I know I liked this much better than others BECAUSE there were barely any vampires in the entire book.

Ahdieh’s writing is always wonderful. I was easily invested in the story and enjoyed reading it. I love the setting, especially having traveled there, it really added to the atmosphere and vibe of old world New Orleans. The mystery and mythical combination is a tune I can love.

The romance was good, when the love triangle wasn’t in play. UGH. It didn’t need that at all to add to it (though now apparently it’ll play a big part in book two). Jury is still out and how the rest of this will unfold, but I was definitely shipping Celene and Bastien. I love the sultry banter and romantic moments they had. The ending left me all up in arms and I need a resolution.

I liked Celene for the most part. Her lack of communication skills were obvious and annoying. Celene could have had a better friendship with Pippa if she would trust her for one minute. The amount of inner dialogue she had about not telling anyone anything was running me ragged. An inability to communicate anything can really sour a character. Otherwise, I enjoyed her braveness and her courage against her situation.

Oh yes, those vampires? Well throughout the book I really couldn’t figure out who the mystery chapters were (in the vampires POV). I honestly didn’t know until they showed up on the page. That was satisfying to be on edge the entire time with who was attacking Celene and her cohorts. I definitely think they underworld of New Orleans will play a much bigger role in the second book since all of the reveals didn’t come out until the second half.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult paranormal, historical fiction romance
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: some kisses, an almost love scene with a little detail
  • Violence: gory murder description
  • Trigger Warning: attempted rape (never in full detail, discussed as part of Celene’s past with a few paragraphs dedicated to how he attacked her)

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