Nickie
As I've said a million times, I'm not a big romance fan. That being said, this sounded too good to pass on just because of romance. Luckily, the romance was pretty minimal and it wasn't the main plot.
Isfalk has two classes, the Branded, who are highly susceptible to disease, and the Pure, who are immune and therefore superior.
Nara and her sister Osha are orphans. Since they are Pure, the Citadel took them in. The Pure are raised there and prepared for their lives as breeders.
Nara hates it there. She wants to go home to the Fornwood where she lived before her family was killed.
Meanwhile, rebellion is brewing among the Branded. A Prophecy that may be about the sisters could put them in the middle of the two classes and also put them in danger.
I liked this a lot! The magic is great, and I thought the two classes were very interesting. The narrator is fantastic. I had a great time listening to her. There were still a lot of questions unanswered, so I look forward to the next one.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an audio arc.
Great middle grade! Whimsical, magical, and found family vibes.
Isla Flit is going to find her father. He went to find them a home in a new town. Once settled, he would send for her. He disappeared before he had a chance.
Isla travels to the town of Shelwich to find him.
The towns magic is linked to the Tides. No one can be out after dark because that's when people disappear. With help from some new friends, she is determined to find out who or what is responsible.
This is a new favorite middle grade for me. I loved the magic and the town. The characters and residents are so heartwarming. Well, most of them. Such a fun read!
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
So glad I was finally able to read this!
When I started reading this, I didn't think I would like it as much as the first one because it wasn't following any of the main characters. I was so invested in the Nine, and I just wanted more of them.
After continuing on, I get why it started that way and it's brilliant! Now I'm just sad that I have to wait for the next one.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
This book was at the top of my most anticipated reads this year. It was definitely worth the wait.
This follows Lukan Gardova, a man with many talents, some which may not be legal or ethical. He does what he can to get by. He wasn't always like this. He comes from a prestigious family with money. At least they used to have money. After being booted from the Academy for a duel gone wrong, he pretty much ruined his families reputation and standing.
Now, seven years after leaving home in disgrace he finds out that his father was murdered. No one knows who did it, but there was a note left for Lukan. He swears a Silverblood Promise to find out who killed his father or die trying.
I loved this so much! It's compelling all the way through. The characters are fantastic. Lukan and Flea are my favorites. Most of it takes place in Saphrona, a city full of power struggles and lots of criminals. I also thought the narrator was great. This book is one of the best I've read this year.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an audio arc.
3.5 stars
E. is a recluse that lives in her family's underwater home called the Deephouse. After her mother died, her father left and her siblings went off to become scholars.
E. prefers the solitude until she sees something outside her home that is unusual. So begins her correspondence with Henerey Clel, a renowned scholar who might be able to help explain what she saw.
Henerey is excited and intrigued. After much correspondence, he goes to the Deephouse to see this discovery firsthand. Tragically, a seaquake occurs destroying the Deephouse and causing the disappearance of both E. and Henerey.
A year later, their siblings begin going through their letters to see if they can figure out what happened and if there's a chance that E. and Henerey could still be alive.
I really enjoyed the way this was written mostly in letter format. The story was intriguing and unique. I loved the characters. I just didn't love the ending. I'm still looking forward to the next one just because I need to know what happened to E. and Henerey.
I also loved the narrators. It was great listening to multiple narrators reading the letters. The characters personalities really came through.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an early copy.
This is a great series! That being said, I liked the first one a bit more. Since it's the second book in the series, I won't give any details, but I love the complex characters and magic. All the unique races are fascinating. I also think the spiral is very interesting.
If you want unique magic in your fantasy, you should read this series!
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
In the last couple of years I've read a few books by YA authors delving into writing adult fantasy. Every one of them flopped in my opinion. Needless to say, I was skeptical about picking this one up. But, it has dragons! So of course I had to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised.
Jai is the son of Rohan, the leader of one of the Steppefolk tribes. When Rohan lost the war against the Sabines, he was executed and his sons made prisoners of the Sabine Emperor. Jai has been the ward of the aging Emperor for years now. The Sabine empire has since passed to the son of the man that killed his father.
Emperor Constantine has made a match between his son and the Dansk princess. Uniting their people will expand the empire and give the Sabines what they've never had. Dragons.
I had a great time reading this. I love dragon books, political fantasy, and interesting magic. This has all of those things. I also loved Jai, Frida, Winter, and Rufus. There are plenty of characters to loathe as well.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
This is a retelling of the Wild Hunt.
Herla mistakenly asked for help to ensure Boudica's victory, but she was tricked. Hundreds of years later, she is still trying to right that wrong. Herla and her sisters of the hunt are determined to fight.
With war brewing between humans and the Otherworld, they will have to choose sides.
I loved the setting and all the historical aspects. Great characters. The writing was just a bit flowery for me. Otherwise I thought it was great.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
Ellie is broke. Her rent is due, she has student loans, and now she lost her job.
While out moping around, she comes across a man with a pumpkin head fighting a horned monster. Of course she has to help him. She just didn't expect the flames that shoot out of her hands.
This is the start of their partnership in paranormal investigations.
This was fun to read. I loved the cases they worked on. I'm interested to see what Ellie and Ichabod get into next.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
3.5 stars
This was difficult to rate. I enjoyed it, but there really wasn't much of a plot. We pretty much follow the characters from point A to point B with some monster fighting along the way.
I really liked Solveig and her shield maiden Arn. The magic is interesting. I kind of feel like this was setting up book 2. I'm going to have to read it to see.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
I read A Dowry of Blood by this author recently, and didn't love it. I thought I would try another book by her to see if I liked it more, or if this author just isn't for me.
Sadly, I didn't love this either. For me, 3 stars means ok. I think the writing is good, but I don't like the theme of these books which seems to be fear and love are the same thing. In both books, the MC loves someone and are terrified of them at the same time. Whether it's fear of abuse or fear of disappointing them, it's fear. It makes the characters seem weak. I'm just not a fan of those relationships at all. I'm amazed at how popular these books are. I like to read strong female characters, not these seemingly brainwashed pushovers.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
This mystery/fantasy starts off with a dead body at a country estate. The estate belongs to one of the most rich and powerful families in the empire.
Din is the assistant to the brilliant investigator Ana. Since she rarely leaves her home, she sends Din to see what he can find. Din has been magically enhanced to remember everything he sees so he can report back to Ana.
What he finds is a man killed by the plant growing out of his body.
Meanwhile, leviathans continue to batter the walls trying to breach the city. If they succeed, murder by contagion will be the least of Din's problems.
I loved this book so much! Ana is fantastic! She is brilliant, eccentric, and very funny. Din is great as well. They are a formidable pair! Definitely my favorite book of the year so far.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
I loved this author's other books, so I was really excited for this one. I know I'm in the minority, but I did not like this at all. The generous 2 star rating is just because her writing style is beautiful as always, I just hated the story.
There was no character development at all. I didn't connect with them, so I didn't care what happened. Based on all the high ratings, this book is obviously appealing to a lot of people, but it did not work for me. It deals with war, grief, death, ptsd, with paranormal twists.
I was bored and thought it was way too long. If you're looking for another Bear and the Nightingale, you will be disappointed.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
The premise sounded great, but it wasn't. I thought heists were supposed to be exciting, it wasn't.
This book was boring! Some of the heist bits were ok, but the romance was not good. And I am not happy with who Dani ended up with!
I wanted to give this author a go because people really seem to like her books, but it just wasn't for me. I'm not a big romance fan, so I was hoping the addition of a heist would make it better, but I just didn't like it.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
This is a fun middle grade. Jade Sol's father has been found guilty of treason. She finds out from a guard that he has been taken to the Isle of Dragons to toil in the mines. Jade needs to find the Isle and save her father.
Along the way, she meets some people willing to join her on her quest. She will need them.
This has found family vibes, steampunk, and dragons. What more do you need?
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.