Tag: young adult fantasy

ARC Book Review: Scavenge the Stars (Scavenge the Stars #1) by Tara Sim

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult fantasy + retelling
Length: 336 pages
Author: Tara Sim
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: January 7th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

THE COUNTESS IS HERE.

I feel like I first need to note that I know nothing about The Count of Monte Cristo. Unfortunately that means, I can’t really speak to how well the retelling went. What I can say is that I reallllly enjoyed this book.

Countess Yamaa, aka Amaya was a force to be reckoned with. She’s still a bit naive in this installment and has some more growing to do. There was a nice character build around her and her arc is showing great promise. Amaya has had to battle her way back from a heinous situation that leaves a mystery in its wake. I love her fierce protectiveness over the younger children around her and her tenacity to get the job done.

Her burgeoning romance with Cayo is a bit dry for me, but they did have some good moments. I love the tiny chances when they were together and both able to be who they wanted, not what was forced of them at the time. There’s definitely some sparks and connection there. I have hopes for how book two will round out.

I would have loved a little more revenge aspect. Amaya talked about it a lot, but it took her a real long time to do anything about it. The late middle section of the book is when her lust for vengeance started to come alive. I like this darker edge to her personality and gives a lot more depth to her character.

Cayo took some time to grow on me. What I appreciated most was his focus and love for his sister, Soria. Their tightbond was amazing and it drove all of Cayo’s decisions [and mistakes]. I did love him by the end and was impressed with the new leaf he was attempting to turn over after falling into a gambling addiction.

The only thing this book is lacking is world-building. There were mentions of a lot of different kingdoms and nations but I knew nothing about them. I think a map or a more direct description of the world surrounding Amaya would drastically help my understanding of the lands.

This was a great, quick, fluid read. I found myself wanting to turn back to it and curious to what happens next. I definitely can’t wait for book two and hope I get a lot more revenge from my girl, Amaya.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy retelling
  • Language: some
  • Romance: a few kisses
  • Violence: physical
  • Trigger warnings: children being sold to debtor ships as labor, child abuse, gambling addiction, someone being drugged without their consent

Instagram || Goodreads

ARC Book Review: Entwined Paths (Swift Shadows #2) by M.L. Greye

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy + romance
Length: 664 pages
Author: M.L. Greye
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: January 3rd, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: To be added after release date

BOOK SUMMARY:

Five years ago, Emry was mourning the loss of her only brother and feeling utterly helpless. When the opportunity arose to travel to the exotic nation of Heerth, Emry jumped on it. Through the help of her friend, Trezim, she learned the skills needed to protect herself and possibly save her country.

The past five years have gone a little differently for Declan. He has been kidnapped, beaten, stolen, robbed of all that he had … and trained to become the fastest man in history. But was it all worth it in the end?

Set in a world where eye color determines one’s abilities, Emry and Declan must discover the hard way that not all eyes are created equally. Yet, when they do find their perfect match, everything seems to pair up nicely.

Thank you to the author for an eARC. All opinions are my own!

HIT REWIND.

Another great installment for this series! I am dying for book three and can’t wait to see how it ends. This was actually more of a prequel book rather than a book two. This was definitely a unique choice for the series, but I found myself enjoying it overall.

The entire book is set five years prior and we get a real in-depth background on Emry and Declan. The skimming over that happened in Of Rioters & Royals is nothing compared to this story. It’s long, detailed and gives you plenty of more reasons to love these two main characters.

There is a lot more heartache and emotions throughout this book compared to the previous as well. Getting the full story of when Declan was a Stolen about ripped my heart out. So many horrors and having only a tiny bit of light to cling on to. I love that changes that his character went through and the type of person it made him after. No, he didn’t make good decisions, but he made decisions to survive and still kept his humanity.

Emry went through a lot of growth in this time frame too. Not only physically growing up, but mentally. Her eyes were opened up to her kingdom in ways she didn’t know existed. Being sheltered was no longer an option for her. I love Emry and have bold and brave she is to help her kingdom. She has taken on vast amounts in order to save her kingdom.

I liked that I also got to know more about some side characters that I know will play a part in the third book. Trezim, Rand, and Fiona especially. I love the uniqueness and differences in their personalities. They all leaped off the page and had me loving them just as much as Declan and Emry. Honestly, there could be spin-off books about them and I would definitely be interested. I love when side characters don’t steal the show, but greatly add to it.

An amazing world where eye color determines your powers (still thinks this is so cool). It’s easy to follow and not get bogged down by information. Nor is their info dumping. Things come out organically and help grown everything around the plot. There were lots of different areas that Declan and Emry traveled too really broadening the map.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: skirmishes, physical, torture, magic
  • Trigger warnings: depression, discussion of suicide, loss of loved ones

Instagram || Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Books of 2019

GoodeyReads10 Comments

Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

I am not equipped to make these choices. As a bookish people, HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE TEN FAVORITES? I mean, I did narrow it down and finally chose some books.

Though, so you know as you’re reading, I gave myself some guidelines:

  • If it’s a whole series I read this year (and loved) I included it as one book
  • I am not counting rereads (because the ACOTAR series would inevitability show up again)

Alright, now that that is out of the way, lets get started! [and no particular order]

The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

Review here!

I loved this book so much I listened to it twice back to back. It was originally only an audible book that was published as a physical book. You better believe I now have that version too. I am obsessed with this story.

The Traitor’s Circle Series by Erin Beaty

The Traitor’s Kiss | The Traitor’s Ruin | The Traitor’s Kingdom

I originally picked this up through the library and in this case, I loved it so much I immediately bought the first two! Even more excited when the third book came out this year! It’s a fantastic YA romance and YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE.

Faking Under the Mistletoe by Ashley Shepherd

Review to come in March!

I dove into reading as many Christmas books as I could this year, and y’all. THIS WAS THE BEST. Enemies to lovers, office romance with a sunshine and a grump. Oh guys. Just trust me.

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

Review here!

Need a book to bring you to tears but also swoon over the love interest? LOOK NO FURTHER.

Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin

Review here!

la la la la la, this book made my month and year. What a golden debut book. Enemies to lovers, forced marriage, witches, IT’S ALL THERE.

Air Awakens Series by Elise Kova

Air Awakens | Fire Falling | Earth’s End | Water’s Wrath | Crystal Crowned

I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH. I already got the audio books (which BTW, on audible credit gets you ALL FIVE!!!!) so I can listen to them again. It’s magical, romantic and packed full of moments where Kova doesn’t care about killing off your favorite characters.

Winter of the Witch (The Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden

Review here!

One of the first book I read this (thank you Netgalley). This series is whimsical, magical, atmospheric and full of vibrancy. If you love Russian folklore, try this series out. It’s amazing.

The Stormlight Archive (Books #1 & #2) by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings | Words of Radiance

I started to read ALL of Brandon Sanderson’s books at the end of last year and can’t believe I waited this long to do so. They are massive fantasy books with some of the best world building I’ve ever read. Don’t let these behemoths scare you!

If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Review here!

Oh wow, this was a STUNNING book. A perfect YA contemporary. The MC has a character arc that was powerful and the cute romance thrown in was just the right touch.

Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1) by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Review here!

Sci-fi books by this powerhouse team are my weakness. The first book in this new series is no different. I even gave away a copy in a giveaway I love it so!

Some honorable mentions:

And I know a lot more, but we’ve already discussed that I can’t make these decisions very well. This is what I’ve narrowed it down to. What was one of your favorite books this year? Lets talk in the comments!

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: Of Rioters & Royals (Swift Shadows #1) by M.L. Greye

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult fantasy
Length: 421 pages
Author: M.L. Greye
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: January 18th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Emry is a Royal – a princess of Enlennd. As is tradition, she must have a knight at her side as her protector. The only way to appoint one is through The Trials. Her Challengers from the five regions of Enlennd must compete for the infamous title of Princess’s Knight. The problem, though, is that the people of Enlennd are split into two categories: Rioters and Royals. Finding the perfect knight may be the last of her worries. War is coming to Enlennd.

Declan is a Rioter. An upriser. An anarchist. He mistrusts the Jewels – the sovereign family of Enlennd. Yet, he is offering himself up as a Challenger in The Trials. The Mistress, leader of the Rioters, has a mission for him. The first step is for him to become the Princess’s Knight. He is ready for the task, until he actually meets Emry and discovers that betraying her would be much more difficult than he’d thought.

Thank you to the author for a digital copy of the book in exchange for a review! All opinions are my own.

I’M INTO THIS.

I really adored this book y’all.

The world building had a unique point that I hadn’t seen so woven through the story before. Color defining eyes. All sorts of crazy colors and combinations that give the person with those eyes a unique set of skills. I thought this was fascinating and loved learning all of the different gifts it allow a person to have. It was easy to follow the differing nations and even though a third party was thrown in at the end I believe they’ll really play a part in book two allowing this story to grow even larger.

I was smitten with the romance too. Declan and Emry were such a sweet and precious couple. The trope was along the lines of a childhood romance. They had known each other prior then were separated for years to be thrown back together when Emry was in search for a Knight. I enjoyed their banter and watching them come together as a power couple. They were able to communicate and love one another for who they are. The idea of pairs (a play on mates) worked really well for this too.

At times I felt there was too much focus on describing rooms, landscapes, etc. I personally don’t like having a lot of flowery writing and want to get to the heart of the story and narrative. By the second half of the book I felt this was really the case. I also noticed that somethings were along the lines of ACOTAR Series (A Court of Thorns and Roses). Which was very interesting to me. I have no idea if this was inspired by that or anything, I just noticed some quirks that were familiar. This didn’t stop me from loving the story on its own though.

I appreciated that the plot kept moving forward with steady action, but also the quiet moments that I love so much. I love watching relationships form, families get some time together, and friendships bond. This had all of that and more. I can’t wait to read book two!

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses, a no-detailed fade to black scene
  • Violence: physical, mentions of past torture, magic, fires, drownings, explosions, skirmishes

Instagram || Goodreads