ARC/ALC Book Review: Mortal Things (Mortal Things #1) by Marie Lu

October 27, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Release Date: October 27th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Set in a world of insatiable immortals, their eternal rivalries, and the humans trapped between them, MORTAL THINGS is a cinematic and sweeping new fantasy from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu, perfect for fans of Heartless Hunter and A Darker Shade of Magic.

Rose Lin Fairchild didn’t believe in gods, but one chose her anyway.

Rose despises Raven, the god of Death. His mysterious commands. His mercurial moods. His closed heart. But most of all, she loathes that she was forced to become his Harbinger, a human mercenary tasked to fulfil their god’s every want and whim. Still, she would do it again, because being a Harbinger is the only thing keeping her best friend alive.

When a murder rocks the world of the gods, Rose is suddenly thrust into the immortal realm’s spotlight as Raven’s heir. This is her chance to free her friend once and for all. But in order for her to ascend, she must first prove herself to the other gods—and the one person standing in her way is a fellow Harbinger.

Étienne Beauchard is notorious for his sly wit and charming good looks. Rose can’t stand that he is the one assigned to test her abilities, but as their initial hostility evolves into an intense attraction, they find that the gods’ secrets go deeper than they ever expected. Something is wrong in the immortal world, something that threatens to break their bond and engulf them all in war.

As Rose and Étienne fight to uncover the truth and trust each other with their hearts, they realize that everything hinges on the same How far would you go to save the person you love?

Thank you FS&G and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy and ALC.

IT GOT BETTER?

I’m a big Marie Lu fan so I’m always jumping up and down when I get my hands on a book early. But unfortunately, this one was kind of a let down. I’m hoping with the next book I’ll feel differently.

The audiobook was great though. I had no issues with that format and liked the narrator a lot.

It took me a bit to get into because of the amount of info dumping about all of the gods, harbingers and urban setting. There is an immortal plane too so I didn’t feel like the urban setting bugged me. The vibe felt fantastical which I tend to love more often. Once I got a grasp of things I do think things felt more settled and it made me curious enough to for sure want to read the sequel.

I was hoping for a little more romance. I don’t think there was enough lead up and by the time there were love confessions I hadn’t fully gotten there myself. The age bracket I believe is young adult but it did feel older? Not a bad thing. Just another thing I noted.

It was lacking the emotional punch that I hope shows up in book two.

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy + Romance
Language: mild
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate
Content warnings: a lot of conversation surrounding death

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Book Review: Blightfall (Riftwake #1) by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson

October 25, 2026October 18, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy/Sci-fi
Length: 496 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson & Janci Patterson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 1st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the first book in a new, high-flying trilogy featuring the legendary Skyward Flight as they undertake a deadly intergalactic mission to explore a mysterious alien world.

After decades of war against alien oppressors, the humans of the Defiant Defense Force are finally free. Yet for Arturo Mendez, leader of Skyward Flight, freedom isn’t what he thought it would be.

His first postwar assignment seems simple: The DDF has found evidence of other settlements of humans who were isolated during their long war against the aliens, and Arturo and his flight of pilots are to escort a team of diplomats as they attempt to make contact. It’s an easy mission—get in, guard the diplomats, and get out.

But no element of this mission turns out to be simple. Blightfall is inhospitable, surrounded by mysterious debris and covered in giant, invasive forests that have swallowed most of the planet. Upon arrival, Arturo’s team is attacked, and it quickly becomes clear that this human settlement isn’t what it appears to be.

Now trapped in an unfamiliar world and unsure who to trust, Arturo and his team must find allies and uncover long-buried secrets if they hope to escape and return home.

Thank you to Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

THOUGHTS.

Let it be known, I love the Skyward series. It’s one of my favorite YA sci-fi series and I think it’s great for all ages. This obviously means I’ve been excited about reading this spin-off…and I was a little let down.

For a book set after Skyward the characters felt younger. This had more of a middle grade tone in regards to the jokes (your mom jokes should be nixed) and general dialogue. There were moments where the crew did act more the age I expected so I hope that continues to grow over the season.

I didn’t mind the change of scenery and the interesting mystery afoot. I’m very curious to see how finding Blightfall will influence the rest of the the world as Arturo and his team know it. I liked the addition of Elysium (go read the novella!!) too. The twisting of AI was a big theme and I think a very relevant one that created that sense of this could be real life. It was haunting and an important conversation.

Hopeful for book two!!

Overall audience notes:

YA Dystopian Sci-Fi Fantasy
Language: none
Romance: flirting
Violence: mild+
Content warnings: loss of life

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Book Review: Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou

October 19, 2026November 11, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Kika Hatzopoulou
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: October 28th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the bestselling author of Threads that Bind and Hearts that Cut comes a brand-new compulsive romantasy about a girl obsessed with the dark and the shadowy magical prince she falls in love with, perfect for fans of Holly Black and Laini Taylor.

The dark has come alive . . .

Six years ago, vicious creatures began to crawl out of the dark crevices of the world, and with it Sascia’s fascination with the darkness was born. Now eighteen, that fascination has become an obsession, and while exploring an area known for its connection to the Darkworld, Sascia sees a person climb out of the darkness. But Nugau is no ordinary person, they’re a genderfluid elf prince with one mission . . . to kill Sascia.

Except, the second time they meet, Nugau is younger and doesn’t recognise Sascia. And the third time, Nugau stumbles out of the darkness with poison running through their veins, expressing their undying love for her.

Piecing together the puzzle, Sascia makes two shocking the timelines of her world and Nugau’s are not linear, and she is inexplicably enmeshed in a war between humanity and elves. But with their worlds at battle, is it worth fighting for each other . . . ?

I’M NOT QUITE SURE.

I wanted to love this one but I got lost in the humdrum of repetitive middle ground that left me trying to get to the end. I think there were some good themes and discussions woven in. But maybe it was trying too much? There was a LOT in here for a standalone. And maybe that’s why inconsistencies and my engagement level petered out.

The concept was unique, I will hands down give it that. I loved the idea of an alternate world in the dark. There’s enough time spent there that it doesn’t feel like a portal fantasy that skips back and forth. And this was my second book with a time loop in one week and I need something different.

Overall audience notes:

YA Urban Fantasy
Language: mild
Romance: closed door
Violence: mild

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Book Review: The Last Tiger by Julia Riew & Brad Riew

October 5, 2026October 23, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 416 pages
Author: Julia Riew & Brad Riew
Publisher: Penguin Teen
Release Date: July 29th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In a colonized land where tigers are being hunted to extinction and ancient magic stirs, two star-crossed teens from opposite worlds—Lee Seung, a servant yearning for freedom, and Choi Eunji, a noble girl defying tradition—join forces to try and reshape their respective fates.

But their relationship evolves from begrudging accomplices to bitter adversaries as they soon find themselves on opposite sides of a battle over the last tiger, a symbol of their people’s lost freedom and key to the liberation of their country. As the ties between Seung and Eunji are complicated by their conflicting loyalties, tensions rise—especially when a charming princeling of the empire begins to rival for Eunji’s affection.

In this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story of forbidden romance, antagonists turned allies, oppression and liberation, neither Seung nor Eunji can abandon their mission—or each other. And as they embark on separate quests to find the elusive creature, each must also find the power within themselves to make their own destiny.

Inspired by true stories from the authors’ grandparents’ lives during one of the darkest periods in Korean history, The Last Tiger is a debut young adult fantasy novel about the power of love to give voice to a silenced people.

IT WAS ALRIGHT.

I’m glad I went the audiobook route on this one because it was only okay? I didn’t hate it by any means but I feel like it was a bit misleading to call this a ROMANCE. Initially things got off to a good start and then there was a time jump with a big chunk of telling vs. showing so I missed many key elements in the connection between Seung and Eunji.

I did appreciate that the audiobook had two narrators. That made the story easier to follow. I liked the concept and general bones of the plot. There were important themes and conversations woven in. I just don’t know how this was a standalone? The ending didn’t wrap up things super clearly nor did it feel like the end? Maybe there’s more, I’m not sure. I would read another book if it provided some more expansion on the character front.

Overall audience notes: