Tag: Book review

Review: The Queen of Days by Greta Kelly

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
Alexis holds the Queen of Days next to an orange pumpkin

Alexis:

Are you looking for a new heist book?

From Goodreads: From Greta Kelly, the author of the Warrior Witch duology, comes The Queen of Days, an epic adventure that weaves together a flawed-but-lovable family of thieves, a battle between fallen gods, and stakes high enough to cause vertigo—perfect for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora and Six of Crows.

The Queen of Days has

✨A mysterious character named Tass who eats time

✨Dangerous mission to defeat a god

✨Crew of misfits/thiefs

✨Portal to different dimension

By far my favorite part of the book was Tass. Since she’s not human, her interactions and conversations were always funny, and I enjoyed her perspective and getting to unravel her past as the story went on. Her time-eating power was so interesting and unique, and I loved the way it was explained.

As much as I love a good band of misfits and thieves, I do wish this book had a stronger plot. I felt like there were more conversations than action. But I did enjoy the story overall.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thanks so much to Harper Voyager for my arc!

Review: Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
Alexis sits in a coffee shop and holds Champion of Fate in her hands.

Alexis:

Champion of Fate follows Reed, an orphan who joins an elite group of immortal warriors called the Aristene. Now, as an initiate, just one challenge stands in her way: she must shepherd her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and Reed will take her place beside her sisters. 

What I Liked:

I really enjoyed getting to know the Aristene. I loved the worldbuilding and the lore behind them, and I especially enjoyed Reed as a main character. She’s a strong female main character but has plenty of flaws to balance her out. The comradery between this group of female warriors was great, and reminded me of the Amazonian warriors of Greek mythology. In fact, a lot of the world reminded me of Greek mythology, which I’m always down for!

What I Didn’t Like As Much:

The pacing around the middle of this book was a little too slow. It took a long time for Reed to actually start her actual quest of shaping, Hestion, into a hero. There was also a romance that felt very underdeveloped.

However, I think this is a promising start to a series. The world and the Artistene have a lot to offer and explore, and I think there’s a possibility to explore the romance even further.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thanks so much to Quill Tree Books for my review copy!

Review: The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
Slippered feet standing by three pumpkins a book, The Female Persuasion

VERDICT: 📚 📚 📚 📚 📚 / 5

Anna: I’ve been meaning to read The Female Persuasion for years, and I’m so glad that I finally did! This is a sweeping coming-of-age novel that takes a lot of energy to read but, in my opinion, had a high pay off. 

The book follows Greer as she begins her freshman year of college at Ryland. The child of two stoners, Greer has been studious and high achieving all of her life—perhaps rebelliously—so. She was meant to attend Princeton or Yale alongside her equally brainy high school boyfriend, Cory, had her parents not messed up her financial aid forms. In the beginning of the book, Greer is riotously angry about attending what she sees as a second-rate school.

When the book starts, Greer is infuriatingly naive in a way that unfortunately reminded me of myself when I started college. Her anger at being at Ryland is also frustrating as a reader. But after experiencing a sexual assault that is brushed aside by the school, Greer attends a lecture by a famous feminist, Faith Frank. She subsequently falls quickly into the world of feminism and into an obsession with Faith Frank. Very quickly her righteous anger at going to Ryland redirects to anger at the patriarchy.

As Greer becomes more educated and exposed to women’s issues, her passion for feminism and women’s rights becomes her chief interest and passion. After college, Greer finds a job working for Faith’s foundation. At first, she’s starstruck by Faith and impassioned by the chance to make a difference in women’s lives. She can’t believe her good fortune to work at a job she really believes in, while making an actual difference in women’s lives. Meanwhile, Cory and her best college friend, Z, encounter hardship after hardship in the corporate world. But everything isn’t what it seems, and soon, Greer is forced to confront the hypocrisy of Faith Frank’s breed of white feminism.

This book took me back to some of the hardest years of my life—figuring out what to do with myself after college. Though the book starts in her early years of college, that’s ultimately what this is about. As Greer gets older she becomes more aware of the darker side of the foundation and of Faith. She slowly realizes that everything in her life is controlled and warped by men, including the foundation and the woman she dedicated so many years of her life to. 

I also liked that though Greer was by no means a perfect, she had autonomy and was a driving force in her own story. She didn’t just let things happen to her, which is something that can sometimes frustrate me about the protagonists of coming-of-age stories. I also liked that this book spanned so many years and had a satisfying ending. It was really such a good exploration of the good and the bad of feminism—or any social or political movement—and the importance of standing up for what you really believe in once you’ve figured it out.

Review: To Cage a God by Elizabeth May

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
A Kindle with To Cage A God sits on a gold book cart next to a stuffed pumpkin

Alexis:

I really enjoyed To Cage a God! I loved the wintery, brutal, Russian-inspired world.

The cast of characters were definitely my favorite part. I loved how both Galina and Sera, the two main characters, are strong, but in completely different ways. Their backstories are so interesting and sad that it made me want to read a prequel! I even enjoyed the POVs that came later in the story, including a princess who is a recluse. I’m usually a 1-2 POV kind of person, so that’s saying lot from me!

I also enjoyed the two different romances (one of them is sapphic) though they didn’t come into play until the second half of the book. That being said, the slow pace in the beginning, loose plot, and the sometimes vague imagery kept it from being a 5-star book for me.

If you’re looking for a new adult romantasy with a brewing rebellion, fire and ice powers, and caged dragon gods, I recommend it!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for my e-ARC!

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Using ancient secrets, Galina and Sera’s mother grafted gods into their bones. Bound to brutal deities and granted forbidden power no commoner has held in a millennia, the sisters have grown up to become living weapons. Raised to overthrow an empire―no matter the cost.

With their mother gone and their country on the brink of war, it falls to the sisters to take the helm of the rebellion and end the cruel reign of a royal family possessed by destructive gods. Because when the ruling alurea invade, they conquer with fire and blood. And when they clash, common folk burn.

While Sera reunites with her estranged lover turned violent rebel leader, Galina infiltrates the palace. In this world of deception and danger, her only refuge is an isolated princess, whose whip-smart tongue and sharp gaze threaten to uncover Galina’s secret. Torn between desire and duty, Galina must make a choice: work together to expose the lies of the empire―or bring it all down.

Review: Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool

Anna and Alexis1 Comment
Garden of the Cursed lays on a laptop keyboard with sunglases next to an iced matcha latte

Alexis:

If you’re looking for a fun, mysterious YA fantasy set in a gritty world, you might like Garden of the Cursed!

Synopsis:

Garden of the Cursed follows Marlow, who works as a cursebreaker in Caraza City. When her ex-friend, Adrius, asks her to help break a curse cast on him, Marlow reluctantly takes on his case. While she works to break Adrius’ curse, she begins to uncover what happened to her mother, who mysteriously disappeared a year ago, and she is drawn into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies.

What I Liked:

Worldbuilding

I found the word to be really interesting. The Five Families, a group of powerful and corrupt families who control spellcraft, run Caraza, which makes the city itself feel very mysterious and dangerous. The world definitely gave me Six of Crows meets City of Nightmares vibes. There’s a lot of gangs, fighting, and talk of corruption and power.

I’m also a huge fan of curses in stories, so I enjoyed learning about the magic system, which features cards, and how Marlow breaks curses. 

Plot

I found the plot to be very fast-paced, fun, and mysterious. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think the different plotlines worked well together.

What I Didn’t Like As Much:

To be honest, I liked pretty much everything about this book! Yes, at times, the dialogue is a little too on the nose. But I like Marlow’s gumption. I obviously liked the world. I like that there’s a cat named Toad and commentary on social classes and power. There’s even fake dating.

The one aspect I’m not a huge fan of is Adrius’ character. He’s supposed to be charming and flirty, but I honestly thought he was just annoying. It made the romantic subplot a little lackluster for me.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you’re looking for a YA fantasy filled with curses, gangs, plot twists, mysteries, and a lot of parties and balls, then I recommend Garden of the Cursed!

Review: The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart

Anna and Alexis1 Comment
A stack of all three books in the Drowned Empire trilogy sit on a black bookshelf.

Alexis:

The Bone Shard Daughter, the first book in the Drowned Empire trilogy, is one of my favorite books. The magic system and world are really cool and interesting, and I love the characters, including a talking otter-like creature named Mephi.

I finally got around to reading the last book in the trilogy, The Bone Shard War. I tried reading it on my Kindle, but for thick fantasy books, I really need a physical copy.

To be honest, I struggled to get through the first half of this book. Well I actually liked the multiple POVs in the first two books, I felt like I was drowning in the different perspectives. Jovis and Lin are really the main two characters, and their chapters got a little lost in the middle of the other ones, especially Nisong’s, who I didn’t really care about.

I also thought this entire book would be a war. And while there technically was a war, there really weren’t that many battles. A lot of the chapters focused on traveling between places.

I also find myself frustrated by some of the character arcs. Well I did enjoy the second half of the book, and the ending wrapped up well, the character arc of Jovis, my favorite character, went backwards. But, as always, Stewarts’ worldbuilding and the magic system are still awesome, and there was yet another great reveal.

Regardless, I still love the series. I think if you only want to read the first book, you can. Each of the books in the trilogy has amazing plot twists and reveals, but if that doesn’t make you want to read it, Mephi definitely should!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐/5 


Check out my review of The Bone Shard Daughter and The Bone Shard Emperor!

Review: Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
A Kindle ARC copy of Dark Water Daughter lays on a desk on 2 notebooks and next to a pair of pinkish-clear glasses and a candle

Alexis:

Happy Publication Day to Dark Water Daughter!

Synopsis

Dark Water Daughter is an adult historical pirate fantasy. It follows two main characters: Mary is a Stormsinger, a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Samuel is an ex-naval officer who now works as a pirate hunter—with a unique power of his own. Both Mary and Samuel must come face to face with pirate lord Silvanus Lirr as he hunts down Mary for reasons yet unknown while also coming to terms with their pasts.

Worldbuilding 

The thing I love most about this book is the worldbuilding and magic systems. At the beginning of each chapter is a tidbit from a guidebook that details an aspect of the world. I love how this feeds us information about the world without it feeling forced and without having to info dump.

As for the worldbuilding itself, we have ghistings, or spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of Mary’s homeland and the figureheads of ships. I absolutely loved how unique and ghostly ghistings feel! 

On top of that, we have Stormsingers, as mentioned above, but there are also people who can see into a world called the Other, and yet other people who can influence others. The world and magic is so rich and vibrant, and I loved reading about it.

Atmosphere and Characters 

The atmosphere is great: think forest/sea/winter. Think Pirates of the Caribbean but darker. I love both Mary and Sam’s backstories. There’s a whole host of side characters, but they never feel flat. And there is an amazing twist in the second half that really gets the story moving and gives it another edge. 

Critiques 

My only main critique is that the middle of this book lags a bit, especially when Mary and Samuel set off on separate adventures—I kept waiting for their storylines to cross again! This book is also in first person perspective, and sometimes I wanted to hear more thoughts and feelings from both Mary and Samuel. (However, this is a common critique I have of adult fantasy books, so it could totally just be me who feels this way!)

Why you should read it!

If you’re looking for an adventurous and dark pirate story with a unique magic system, a complicated plot with a great twist, and plenty of forest, sea, and winter vibes, definitely give Dark Water Daughter a shot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with an ARC for review! 

VERDICT: ☠️☠️☠️☠️.5/5 

Also, Happy Publication Day to A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow! You can check out my review of this heartfelt YA space opera here.

DNF: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Anna and Alexis3 Comments
Alexis holds a library copy of the book in front of a bookshelf

Alexis:

Whelp, I DNFed Tress of the Emerald Sea. Given all the rave reviews, this book wasn’t what I expected.

The thing that threw me off the most was the narration style. Even though Sanderson explains this in the back of the book, it wasn’t working for me (or the story, in my opinion). The narrator is a character who appears later in the book. So even though the story is in 3rd person POV from Tress’ point of view, it’s technically actually in 1st person from the narrator’s POV.

The narrator is obnoxious. He’s constantly making side remarks and comments and cracking dumb jokes. It ended up completely taking me out of the story.

It doesn’t help, however, that I feel like I barely got to know Tress as a character. The romance is one dimensional, and the characters also feel one dimensional. The pacing felt off. The spore sea was interesting (the ocean isn’t actually water, but made of fungi spores) but everything else made me put this book down. 

(Also, yes, I’m aware that the book is flipped in the photo 😂)

DISCLAIMER: I haven’t read Sanderson’s Cosmere series, which is where this book is set. I know I would understand the world more if I did! However, since this book is a standalone, I am reviewing it as a standalone book.

Alexis: Last, Now, Next—June

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
A library copy of both Yellowface and Winter's Orbit sit next to a Kindle copy of The Bone Shard War on a black bookshelf

Alexis: Last, Now, Next📚

Last: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang 

If you want to read a dark satire with an unlikeable main character that delves into the craziness of both the publishing and the writing world (especially online and on Twitter), this is for you. This book was crazy, timely, and easy to fly through!

Now: Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell 

I’m only about a quarter way through this one, but it’s an LBGTQ, political space opera with an arranged marriage. I’ve been getting back into space operas and sci-fi, and I like this one so far. It’s definitely a little slow-paced and heavy on the politics (as expected!), but I’m enjoying the worldbuilding and the two main characters. 

Next: The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart

I might have already started this one! I went out of town recently for the first time in a long while, and I started reading it on my plane ride home. I loved the first two, and even though I honestly don’t remember much of what happened in the second book, I’m excited to dive back into this final installment and learn how this trilogy concludes. 

Have you read any of these books, or are they on your tbr?

Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
A library copy sits on a green blanket next to the spines of The Hunger Games trilogy. A lit candle rests above the book.

Alexis:

When I saw the new trailer for the The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie, I thought, Well, I guess I’d better read the book!

Like a lot of people, when the book was announced a couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. President Snow is the villain of The Hunger Games, after all. 

Here’s the thing about this book: compared to Katniss’ close point-of-view in The Hunger Games, this prequel feels very distant. 

The book is from Corolanius’ point of view, sure, but it’s a distant third. We’re not bathed in his fear, horror, and opinions like we are Katniss’. When the Hunger Games happen, we’re nothing but a spectator alongside Corolanius, watching from the outside. Because of this, despite it being a literal life or death situation, it didn’t feel like it actually was a life or death situation, and I found myself skimming the depictions of the Games. There’s also a myriad of side characters, and most of them felt rather flat and blurred together.

All of that being said, I thought the ending was well done.

Overall, this book was just okay. I think Collins’ publishers were probably like, “Hey, you need to write a prequel,” and she just had to roll with it. However, I do think it will translate better on screen when we can be more involved in the Games, so I still plan on watching the movie!