ARC Book Review: Gilded Wicked Mirrors (Wicked Mirrors #1) by Hazel St. Lewis

August 6, 2024July 8, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 440 pages
Author: Hazel St. Lewis
Publisher: Hidden Siren
Release Date: August 6th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In New Swansea, a glittering city once inhabited by vampires, power rests not with the royal class but with the Bargainers—deities trapped in magic mirrors, who exchange power, wealth, and knowledge for a cost . . . often a wretched one.

Quinnevere Ashelle wants nothing to do with the Bargainers, but at twenty-three, she is getting too old to make it into the Royalle Ballet, and with only one shot left, she’ll do anything—including make a twisted deal with an evil god. The agreement is passionately kiss her archnemesis, Prince Emrys, and she will receive her dream spot in the Royalle Ballet.

Unfortunately, when Quinn’s deal with the Bargainer backfires, her beloved friend turns up dead, entirely drained of blood, and with puncture wounds matching the long-extinct vampires.

Feeling utterly responsible, Quinn vows to get vengeance and use her medical examiner skills to solve the murder, but she is far outmatched in this world of immortals—especially when she discovers she’s being hunted, as is the killer’s next target. If she wants to survive, she must team up with the devilishly attractive but wicked Prince Emrys to track down the murderer before she gets cornered herself.

***Author’s note: Gilded Wicked Mirrors is a New Adult Romantasy featuring enemies to lovers, knife to throat, and deadly bargains. The steam level is mild, but the sequels will be much spicier. This single-POV fantasy romance is perfect for fans of Crescent City’s gritty investigations and Caraval’s lush world.

Thank you Book of Matches Media and Hazel St. Lewis for the gifted ARC!

FELT FRESH.

This book really had my attention. While you can definitely draw some similarities to other fantasies I’ve read, I did feel like much of this was unique and had a different vampire twist that has me wanting book two ASAP.

I loved that Quinn was a dancer and part-time mortician. The combination of athleticism and science are things I personally enjoy and those character dynamics were a cool part of this plot. Found family is a big aspect of the book too and I loved all of these side characters.

The romance was a bit lusty for me in the beginning, but luckily grew on me. When that backed off and I got to see the banter between Quinn and Emrys I was much more interested in watching their connection grow. I think the slow burn settled in well and I can’t wait to see how the relationship continues in book two.

All of the mirrors, and vampires and other world building aspects created a complex city full of mystery. I liked that it had plenty of action balanced with soft moments that made it easy to turn the pages.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: high
Romance: 2ish brief open door
Violence: high
Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, murder, loss of loved ones

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

June 29, 2024June 11, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

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

February 20, 2024February 2, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

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

July 1, 2020June 30, 2020 GoodeyReads4 Comments

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: