Nickie

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, so of course I had to reread Children of Gods and Fighting Men before this came out.

Since it's a sequel, I'm not going into any details, but this was fantastic! I love Fódla, so her perspective is my favorite, but I love to hate Gormflaith so her perspective is almost as good.

Tensions are high among the Descendants. Most of them are ready to live among the mortals. Their biggest problem is Tomas. He will do unspeakable things to get what he wants.

Because of his acts, Gormflaith is more powerful than ever.
Will the Fomorians finally find the Descendants or will they destroy each other first?

I love this series so much! I just finished it and want to read it again!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

First, let me say that this cover is gorgeous!

I don't read a lot of YA books because it seems like the same story is regurgitated over and over. That's just my opinion. However, the premise for this one sounded fresh and unique so I decided to give it a shot.

Ever since the death of her father, Aggie's life has been a mess. Her mom went into a downward spiral of drinking and lost her job, and now they are about to lose their home. Her mom has been working on a dark matter machine, and if she can get it to work, she could get her job back and keep the house.

Then her mom disappears. Aggie goes looking for her and instead finds the Jack of Hearts. He says he's a demigod with the power to control luck and that maybe one of the other suits took her mom.

Thrust into an unbelievable world of luck, demigods and magic, Aggie will do anything to get her mom back.

I really enjoyed this! It is indeed fresh and unique. A main character with OCD, luck magic and a found family element. And the ending left me wanting more. I will definitely continue the series.

Adorable!

This is about a castle in the woods that lures people to their deaths. The Goddess Morana feeds on the suffering and death. She longs for one death above all others, someone that wronged her long ago.

I liked the creepy castle and haunted forest vibes, however, even at 274 pages, I thought this was too long. It dragged in quite a few spots.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

I'm so glad I finally got around to reading this. I love magical school settings, and this did not disappoint. I got some Wednesday vibes from El and that made it even better.
Dark academia, a magical school where monsters jump out at you when you least expect it, characters you love and some you love to hate. If those things sound good to you, read this book! Also, that ending! I need to know why!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

This is a beautifully written book. It's grimdark, but it also has some wonderful folklore.

This is the story of Kanda. She's a wife, mother, farmer. But that's not who she used to be.

One day while she's taking a walk on her land, she sees something in the water and knows her past has found her.

I loved this. It's lyrical yet brutal. If you're looking for a standalone fantasy to lose yourself in, you need to read this!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

Fantastic middle grade! I thought it was even better than the first one!

Definitely worth the hype! I adore these characters!

This was fun and cozy. I love the Regency era. Nice change of pace between chunky epics.

I thought this was great, but not quite as good as the previous books in the series. Still going on my faves list!

This is a fun fantasy/mystery middle grade following The Lilac, a fearsome bounty hunter. At least that's who she wants to be. First she has to get people to hire her. Since she's just a kid, that's proving to be more difficult than she thought it would be. With the help of her friend Netta the would be barb, anything is possible.
Being a kid isn't her only obstacle, her true identity must remain a secret.

This was a lot of fun. I loved the characters, and the humor.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

I really liked this series. I thought this one dragged in spots, but still enjoyed it. I was happy with the ending. I won't go into any details since it's the final book in the series.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I'm not a romance fan, so that part of this book didn't appeal to me. However, I love dragons and magical school settings, so I loved those aspects. I also thought the characters were great. Some I loved, some I hated, but I was invested in all of them.

I loved this! I hope she does more of these stories. It was great getting more history on these characters that I love.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

This book was ok. I think it should be classified as YA or NA. Definitely not adult high fantasy. It was full of tropes I hate, and the love triangle was not good. There was nothing fresh or new, it's all been done before.

I did enjoy the narrator. I don't think I would have been able to finish a physical copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an audio arc.

This was a big disappointment. I am being generous by giving it 3 stars.

I wanted to love this. The premise sounded great. The characters were just terrible. I did not connect with any of them. I didn't care who lived or died, I just didn't care period. The world and magic were interesting, but if you can't make me feel anything for the characters, none of it matters.

I struggled with the rating because I hated this book until the last quarter. Then it got interesting. Just not interesting enough for me to continue the series.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

I loved all the new characters! Fantastic book!

3.5 stars
Beatrice Steele is a lady. However, if anyone knew how she spent her free time, her reputation would be ruined.
Beatrice loves murder. Well, not murder, but justice and solving murders. She dreams of being an Inspector like the ones she reads about.
Little does she know, her skills might just be put to the test in real life.

I had a fun time with this one. The characters all have their weird and humorous little quirks.
It's very hard to solve a murder when everyone is guilty of something.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

This is a beautifully written coming of age story. Sadly, I also thought it was boring. Luckily, it was short.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

Morgan enjoys her life. Her parents are loving and support her need for learning. Even though it's not fitting for a lady, they make sure she has all the books and knowledge she could ever want.

That all changes when Uther Pendragon kills her father and forces her mother to marry him. Uther is a horrible. Morgan hates him and can't get along with him. He has taken everything from her.

While secretly continuing her quest for knowledge, she realizes that she has powers. She is thriving and loving life again when Uther reveals his plans for her. He is going to ruin her life all over again.

I loved this! I loved Morgan and her thirst for knowledge in a time when women were just supposed to marry and provide heirs. How dare she want more than that! I love a female character that bucks the system!

I'm really excited to see where this series goes. There was quite a bit unanswered in this one.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

This follows Maelys Mitchelmore in 1814. As if she doesn't have enough going on with the balls and other high society events, it appears she's been cursed by a goddess. She needs to find out why she was cursed and fix it before her reputation is ruined or possibly kills her.

I enjoyed this, but it's definitely not a new fave. It's perfect to read in between chunky fantasy books. It's fast and it's fun. I liked the characters.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

3.5 stars

Ada is a Chef. She can taste aromas, and she knows what food is right for anyone she meets. Chefs are property of the Crown and must do the King's bidding. When a Chef's magic manifests, they are usually conscripted to the King's army. If they run rather than serve, they are considered rogue Chef's and the punishment is the loss of their tongue which usually drives them mad.

Ada served her time. After certain events, she flees and takes on a new identity. When someone tries to kill her and puts her family in danger, she knows she can't hide anymore.

I enjoyed this. It definitely wasn't what I expected. I thought it was going to be cozy fantasy, but it wasn't. I still liked it. My only real complaint is that there was no world building at all.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

Without a doubt my favorite book of the year so far. This is absolutely fantastic!

Vis hates the Heirarchy and everything they stand for. He wants to tear them apart. Maybe the best way to do that is from within.
He tells them he's an orphan which is true, but everything else he tells them is a lie. If he reveals his true identity, they will kill him.
So far his story is working. He's adopted and sent to an elite academy. All he has to do is move through the ranks quickly, and be at the top of his class to get a high ranking position in the Heirarchy. Then he can make them pay for what they've done to him.
He needs to survive the academy first, and that is looking more difficult every day.

I cannot say enough great things about this book. This is a must read for anyone who likes fantasy.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

This picks up right where the Final Strife ended. Since this is a sequel, I'm not going into details.
I will just say that I loved it! One of my favorite things about the first book was the world building, and this one expanded on that quite a bit. There is so much going on in lots of different places and I can't wait to see how it all plays out.
A great cast of characters again. I love them all, but I was really loving the parts with Hassa.

I loved it and can't wait to continue the series.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

I never even read the synopsis of this. Book of the Ancestor is one of my favorite series of all time, so I will read anything by Mark Lawrence.
I'm glad I went into it blind. What a surprise and a treat!
All I will say is that it's set in a library, Livira is a fantastic character, and you should read this book!

I'm very intrigued to see what happens in the next one.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.