Tag: adult fantasy books

Review: The Will of the Many by James Islington

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The Will of the Many rests on a desk with a cloud wrist rest, a planner, and a cat sniffing the book.

Alexis:

Happy April! I hope you all have been reading some good books. One of my reading goals for this year is to pick up more adult fantasy books. I heard nothing but good things about The Will of the Many, so I grabbed it from the library.

I’m happy to say that it lived up to the hype!

The Will of the Many is one of those books where it’s good to go into it with little expectations. But here’s what you can know about it:

  • The main character, Vis, is such a great, well-rounded main character. He’s vicious, caring, and intelligent.
  • A main theme is colonialism and the evils it can bring.
  • The book is in first person present tense, and it serves the story well. 
  • It’s an Ancient Roman-inspired political fantasy.
  • It’s partially set in an academy, which gives strong dark academia vibes.
  • The story has tons of twists and turns!
  • It has a unique magic system; the society allows a person’s strength, drive, and focus—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those in a higher societal position. 

It hits on so many hard themes, and despite the chunky page length, I was never bored. While Vis is only 17-years-old, this is definitely an adult book meant for adult audiences. That being said, it appeals to me as a mostly YA reader, as well. If you’re looking for a clever fantasy book, I definitely recommend it!

VERDICT: 🏛️🏛️🏛️🏛️🏛️/5

Review: Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

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Alexis holds a small candle, Sweater Weather, on top of a notebook with bookshelves on it. A library copy of Ink Blood Sister Scribe sits next to it.

Alexis:

Hello, hello!

Dog waving GIF

It’s been a while! I did read a lot of books in August, but I mostly read romance books, and I don’t feel inclined to review romance books as much. My reviews usually end up looking something like, “This was cute! A fun read!”

I recently finished Ink Blood Sister Scribe, which was the perfect way to start off September and the almost-start of fall (it is, unfortunately, still 92 degrees outside here).

This book has magical books and a creepy library. Powerful spells and books. Magic mirrors. Mysteries galore. I loved it!

Törzs’ prose is lovely; you can really tell she’s a short story writer, because on a line level, her writing is great. I loved the tension and the juxtaposition of the grim atmosphere with the humor. I really enjoyed the cast of characters and how they all came together in the end. Plus, there’s a dog (named Sir Kiwi) and a cat!

My only real critique is that the beginning is a little slow. However, it sets up a lot of the plot and the characters in the end, and there was enough tension and questions to keep me reading. Plus, the plot twists 😯

Overall, if you like mysteries, creepy magical books, blood magic, and family secrets, then you might like this one.

VERDICT: 🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️/5

Review: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

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A library copy of the book rests on an iron table next to a bottle of Wegman's mango kombucha

Alexis:

Are you looking for a swashbuckling pirate story that has both historical and fantasy elements?

The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi follows Amina, a retired, middle-aged pirate. She lives far away from society in order to keep her young daughter safe and away from the haunts of her past. But when an old woman (the mother of a former crewman) comes to her door claiming her granddaughter was kidnapped, Amina finds it to be a job she can’t refuse. With the promise of making a fortune that will secure her daughter’s future, Amina comes out of retirement to dive back into her pirate life and finds herself facing the greatest adventure, and threat, of her life that might just leave her a legend. 

I absolutely loved the vibes of this book. The first half has a very strong historical fiction feel with very little fantasy elements, and you can tell Chakroborty did a phenomenal amount of historical research. The second half is very action-packed and becomes high fantasy very quickly. But the whole book has a strong feel of adventure and danger, which is perfect for a pirate story!

Amina is a fun main character with a strong voice. I love the fact that she’s older and has to come out of retirement. I love how she reconnects with her old crew. And I also love how she’s a mother, which plays a large part in her motivations. Amina is Muslim, and her reckoning with her religion also plays a large part in the story. 

Additionally, I like how the story is set up as an oral tradition. Amina is telling the story to an unknown someone (we find out at the end), and there are even tidbits of letters and info placed between chapters. 

I will say, the first half of this book is a little slow. Chakroborty takes her time setting everything up, and I kept wondering, When does this become a fantasy book? A lot of the side characters felt a little flat, but I really enjoyed the character of Dunya, the missing granddaughter. This definitely would’ve been a 5-star read if the first half didn’t drag quite as much.

Additional aspects I liked:

  • If you couldn’t tell from the cover, there’s a kraken-like creature that makes an appearance. 
  • Pirates of the Caribbean plus Life of Pi vibes 
  • Plenty of comedic moments and conversations 
  • There’s a demon with a vibrant personality 
  • Emphasis on myths and legends, alongside storytelling 

VERDICT: 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️/5 

Review: Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco

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Alexis holds Kingdom of the Feared in front of a bookshelf

Alexis:

Kingdom of the Feared was the perfect way to kick off October. ⁣

It’s the third and final book in the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy, which follows Emilia, a witch in late 1800s Sicily who accidentally binds herself to one of the wicked princes of Hell who calls himself Wrath. 

⁣The thing I appreciated the most in Kingdom of the Feared was the plot. While I really enjoyed the first two books, they were a little lacking in plot, but made up for it in atmosphere. But in this third book, the plot ramped up a lot. Maniscalco added plot twist after plot twist while answering a lot of lingering questions and mysteries. Plus, the overall atmosphere/vibes were still as good. 

⁣Yet…the second book, Kingdom of the Cursed is definitely my favorite of the trilogy. ⁣

⁣Kingdom of the Feared had one particular trope that I really don’t like. Sure it was resolved, in a way, by the end, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. 

Another point worth mentioning is that this book was a little too spicy and repetitive at times. I found myself thinking, We get it! They’re wicked and they’re attracted to each other. And while Emilia’s character arc was good, I found myself wanting more from Wrath’s character. 

This, plus the trope issue, knocked my rating down a star.

⁣Note: This book is definitely a new adult/adult book. While the first book in the series could be classified as YA, the series in its entirety is an adult series and should NOT be marketed as YA. 

VERDICT: 💀💀💀💀/5

Review: The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis

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The Lights of Prague sits on a gray blanket next to a small white pumpkin and a dilute calico cat.

Alexis:

The Lights of Prague is a historical fantasy set in (you guessed it) Prague in the mid 1800s, right after gas lamps are introduced to the city. ⁣

⁣It follows Domek, a lamplighter who also fights monsters—like the pijavice (vampires)—and Ora, a wealthy, badass, and secretive widow.

⁣This book has a will-o’-the-wisp, monster hunting, philosophical musings, alchemy, and beautiful descriptions of Prague. ⁣

While I liked Domek’s character in the beginning, Ora quickly became my favorite. She had an interesting backstory and was flawed and well-rounded. 

⁣My only con was that the plot felt slow moving, which meant I found myself leisurely reading this instead of my usual binge-reading. Despite the high stakes, I didn’t feel like the plot had quite enough urgency. Because of this, I liked this book, but I wasn’t as obsessed with it as I had hoped.

I still enjoyed it overall, and if you’re looking for a historical fantasy with vampires, then check it out; it’s the perfect read to ease into fall.

VERDICT: 🧛🧛🧛.5/5