Kayleigh

꧁ DISCLAIMER ꧂

I received this copy for free as an ARC. I was not paid to review this book, these are my own thoughts and feelings. Thank you to Riley Knight and the Publishing Company; Thank you to booksirens for the chance to read and review this book!

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Death of the Glass Angel took my idea of a romantasy, and completely re-oriented it. I never thought that blending real life illnesses into Fantasy would work well. But Riley Knight knocks it out of the park.

While I had a hard time following the beginning of the book, the world gradually opened up and became more clear throughout the story. You do not often see stories where real mental illnesses are portrayed in books, especially in main characters. These illnesses are also not portrayed as something magical. They are brought about by real trauma the characters have experienced. And though I think they are shown well, I am not a professional in that sense so I cannot say whether they are truly represented.

The world of DotGA follows a few MCs: Janus, Talon, Des, & Felsin. There are a few other characters that you follow towards the end of the book, and they shine a light on the past. I love the little excerpts that the author puts in the beginning of the chapters, snippets from letters of characters, or diaries. There are flashbacks as well, so they can be somewhat hard to follow. And the chapters where there are multiple characters POVs can be a little disorienting when they switch.

Most romantasy books I've read, put you into this fantastical world, where magic is abound and beautiful. Death of the Glass Angel, while still set in a world where magic exists, it is far more limited. There are Evokers, those who can create things from their memory, and Cefra who can use elemental magic. I would go into more detail, but I feel like that would take away from the intrigue. Though labeled as a romantasy, I would categorize this more as an Epic Fantasy with romantic aspects. The story is heavy on world building and politics, along with a dash of mystery and dark themes.

By the end of the book, I found myself having changed my favorite characters and relationships. I felt like I was putting the puzzle pieces together along with the characters, and felt betrayed by others. Truthfully, I enjoyed this book. Once I began to understand things, I flew through it and the end left me needing the next one.

For my first T. Kingfisher book, I have to say this maybe wasn't the best choice to pick up.


Hemlock & Silver is a retelling on the tale of Snow White. It is a cozy fantasy, so if you're expecting to have a typical romantasy setting this is not it. 


I wanted to love the story, I had heard so many good things about the author and their writing. I love retellings of fairytales, especially ones that make their own twists. 


But the story just didn't draw me in the way I wanted it to. It was interesting enough to keep me reading it, but at some point the story just didn't have much in the way of substance. The romance felt wrong, and way too hurried. It didnt make much sense.


For me personally, the storyline felt lacking. I really enjoyed the idea that the FMC was a healer more interested in poisons & antidotes than actual healing. But I feel like the constant reiterating that she was a plus size person was overdone. 


I liked Snow being a child that was supposedly being poisoned and no one thinking it could be that. The king approaching Healer Anja on his own without any recommendations was unexpected. Initially, I expected that she would end up with the King. 


I like the idea of the mirror world, and the food being the poison that was slowly killing Snow. I liked how it was set up that the mirror world was grey except where a mirror reflected the real world. I wish the author had explored that more. It could easily have been a duology and would have maybe given the book a denser story.


Overall, it wasn't the worst book I had read this year. I would still give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️. I had high hopes for the book, and was oy ever so slightly let down.

World. Building. 


Two words that I absolutely NEED to have in a good romantasy. Devney does a wonderful job at building a world and its lore. The Gods (which are typically present in romantasy) felt very different feom how they are usually portrayed. Are they still complete arseholes? 100%. But the lore tells a story of love and sacrifice.


Broody morally grey MMC? Check. 

Found family? Yupp.

An FMC that starts out being not at all badass? For sure.


But all those things are also what makes this story good. There's tension, there's magic, there's suspense. There are twists and turns that i could see coming, and some I didn't. 


Theres mystery surrounding Odessa & her family. Why did her father ignore her, up until she had to become the sparrow? Why did no one talk abojt her mother? Why did they make her dye her hair? Why can't anyone else feel the magic of the Brotherhood?


And the monsters are so interesting. I want to know more about the monsters in the realm. Are they truly that awful, or are they just misunderstood? Faze is easily one of my favorite characters and I feel like he will be important in the following books.


All in all, a very good read. The ending kept me wanting to read on, and I think I checked at least 4 times while reading to see if any news about book 2 had been released.

Have you ever wanted your heart broken and pieced back together a million times? Because thats what this book will do to you.

Wrath of the Dragons is the perfect sequel to Fear the Flames. Elowen has blossomed into her strongest self throughout this whole book. She is strong, and fearsome, and cunning. She is willing to do anything to protect the ones she loves, and to wreak havoc on those who hurt her and her dragons.

One thing I immensely enjoy is the dual POV that the sequel consists of.

Fear the Flames was the introduction to these characters, but it was told from entirely Elowen's POV. Wrath of the Dragons is told from both Elowen & Cayden's POV. I truly love the deeper insight into Cayden & the things that he goes through. His emotions, his past, his turmoils when it comes to Elowen.

There's magic, and love, and fighting. There's strategies and gods and alliances born of necessity that could possibly bloom into friendships. The banter is to die for, the connection these characters all have to each other is truly beautiful.

There were a few plot twists that caught me, and I had to re-read a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining it. The ending of the book had my jaw dropping. I'm still reeling from it, and don't know how I'm going to recover.

Let me start out by saying this book has been on my TBR since I started reading again. I have purchased this book several different ways, all with the intent to read it and it has taken until now for my to get to it.

That being said, let's get into it.

I LOVE dragons. I have loved them since I was very little, and some of my favorite books consist of stories with or about dragons. If you ever felt like Daenarys from Game of Thrones didn't have enough interactions with her dragons, or didn't have enough at all, then you will LOVE Elowen.

Elowen is feisty, strong, and beyond brave for undergoing the trials and abuse that she has. She has held onto her sense of self, and turned that into the determination that she will survive anything. She proves that even if you are beaten and broken, you can rise again.

The way her bond with her dragons is described, makes me feel like I am living it myself. She can't read their minds, she can't understand their thoughts. But she can feel the pull, she can read the emotion and questions in their eyes and body language. I love how she talks about them as she remembers them, the way their scales feel or the way they shift colors. She doesn't just feel connected to them through the bond, but also through a real relationship.

She is that way not only with her dragons, but the friends and people she meets along her journey. Finnian is one of my favorite side characters. There's no longing between them (y'know the type; typical I've always loved you trope). Instead, there's genuine found family. For the first time in a very long time, I wish there was more with the best friend. She doesn't have to explain herself to him, he just knows her cues. And she begins to trust others the same way throughout the book. I mean, Cayden – need I say more? Talk about a perfect book boyfriend.

There's betrayal, and forbidden love. There's adventures, and bloodlust. This story is only just beginning, and I cannot wait to see the shape it takes. I could not put this down, I was so caught up in the world that I forgot reality for moments. As of writing this, I am itching to get my hands on the sequel to continue reading! I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR, or moving it up to be one of your next reads. This is one of the few books I actively annotated along the read.

꧁ DISCLAIMER ꧂

All thoughts, remarks and opinions are of my own mind. I did not receive this book for free, nor is this sponsored.




WOWZA. This book was not at all what i was expecting from a romantic fantasy novel. But i must say i enjoyed it so much. Its such a different take on the genre as a whole. 


This is not some overly populated book, or an extravagant world. This is the aftermath of that world. 


What happens when you've won the war? After you have paid your debts? After you've been the heroine or the villain in a story? Well, Never the Roses explores that.


When you've lived your whole life under control of the crown, and you've finally earned enough to be free, where do you go? Do you go on an adventure, and explore the world that you now have the freedom to see? Do you go home and live as you did?


Oneira was the dread sorceress, known all across the realms as a destroyer. But when she finally pays the debt of her contract, she decides to live alone in solace.


This is a story of her life, after. This is a story of self-rediscovery, of turmoil, of mental illnesses. This is also a story of love, of acceptance, and of hope. I found myself relating to Oneira so often, thinking similar thoughts. I hoped for her, despaired for her, and smiled with her. 


And the relationships in this story were built so well. I feel like every relationship in this book came as unexpected, but in the way that it was always meant to happen. From her animal companions, to the people she meets. To her relationship with herself.


This is easily one of my 5