Tag: Reading

Review: The Floating World by Axie Oh

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The Floating World held over a mountain

Alexis:

The Floating World is a classic YA fantasy with great worldbuilding and interesting twists.

I definitely loved the world the most! I found it so intriguing. It definitely has a steampunk vibe to it mixed with Korean mythology, and I enjoyed learning about the world, its history and legends, and its politics. There’s a decent amount of political and military intrigue with the POV of a character named Jaliel. 

I loved the main characters, Ren and Sunho. They both had interesting backstories and motivations. I was definitely getting some Howl’s Moving Castle vibes, with a dash of Shadow and Bone. 

My only main criticism is that the dialogue sometimes fell a little flat and felt stilted. Also, some of the critical scenes felt like they happened really fast while some of the side scenes went on a little longer.

Overall, this is a great start to a series, and I found myself drawn into the story—there was never a dull moment! There’s definitely a lot to build on for the sequel!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillian for my ARC in exchange for a review. The Floating World releases on 4/29/25! 

VERDICT: ⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️/5

Synopsis:

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn’t realize she’s the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined…

Review: The Devourer by Alison Ames

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Alexis holds a Kindle with The Devourer cover over snow

Alexis:

Happy Pub Day to The Devourer! 

The Devourer is a YA fantasy with pirates, revenge, a monster sinking ships, and magic leaking into the world. It follows Adra, a young pirate captain. When her half-brother Cameron attacks their father and robs him of a priceless treasure map, he leaves him a shell of the pirate captain he once was. Now Adra’s only aim in life is to kill Cameron, retrieve her father’s map, and claim the treasure herself.

But her plans are thwarted by a young pirate captain named Quinn, as well as a monster called The Devourer that’s sinking ships. Now, she must strike a deal with the monster.

What I Liked:

Adra was a morally grey and well-rounded main character, and her relationship with her crew was interesting to read about. Diana, a girl who was turned into an osprey by bad magic, was my favorite character, and I wanted even more of her!

I also really vibed with Ames’ writing style, and I loved her descriptions. 

The story also has sapphic and disability representation. 

I don’t want to give anything away, but the overall plot and premise feels fresh and different, which I really appreciated in a YA read. The atmosphere of the book is fairly dark, but with enough humor to balance it out.

What I Didn’t Like As Much:

However, I found myself wanting even more monsters and mayhem. The premise of the book doesn’t really happen until halfway through the story, so the first half felt a little slow and the plot didn’t feel quite as urgent as I wanted it to. The ending also felt a little abrupt to me; I wanted more scenes with Cameron.

Verdict:

That being said, overall, this was a solid and enjoyable read. I was in the mood for a pirate story, so this hit the spot.

🌊🌊🌊🌊/5 

Thank you to Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for my ARC in exchange for a review!

Review: Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

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Death of the Author book review

Anna: In Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor tackles A LOT but does it well. This book will be released on January 14, 2025!

Zelu, a disabled Nigerian American woman, is freshly let go from her job as a professor when she strikes publishing gold with her sci-fi novel, Rusted Robots. Unlike her first novel, this one is a huge success and earns her a great book deal and immediate fame. 

I sped through this book and found myself highlighting and making a lot of notes. What stands out is the novel’s critique of the publishing world and its examination of cancel culture and social media. It also asks if AI/technology is good/bad and can be trusted. 

The rest of the novel follows her struggles with fame as she deals with the expectations of writing more great books and disagrees with the direction the film adaptation of her book takes. She also faces backlash from fans and readers, as, now famous and wealthy, she explores futuristic avenues and adventures for herself which quickly gets her accused of “becoming a robot”.

Zelu’s family is a big part of her life, but they are also a point of contention as they have a lot of ideas about how to act as Nigerian Americans. Zelu seems to have already strayed from their expectations purely by having an accident and becoming disabled, and this family dynamic becomes more and more complicated as the book goes on. 

The book also looks at how culture and race can impact people’s view of disability. Zelu is seen as rebellious and purely by existing as a disabled unmarried woman pursuing a creative career.

You also get to read Rusted Robots, the fictional book  within the book, which is very cool! 

I didn’t enjoy the Rusted Robots story-within-a-story as much as Zelu’s but enjoyed the concept of a book within a book, especially as Zelu turned more and more to technology in real life.

WARNING:SPOLIER BELOW

It did lose me a bit at the end due to her sudden pregnancy and the fact that she was still able to go to space despite it. As someone who is currently 27 pregnant myself, I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief for that, even though I know the point is that she can still maintain her individuality and pursue her own dreams as a mother.

Overall, I found Death of the Author highly unique, interesting and complex!

VERDICT: 🛸🛸🛸🛸/5

(4/5 spaceships)

Review: Nightstrider by Sophia Slade

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A matcha latte over a money tree and Nightstrider cover

Alexis: 

It’s been 6 years since Anna and I started this blog! She’s actually pregnant and hasn’t been reading as much as usual, hence why she hasn’t been posting any reviews lately. But I’m looking forward to being an aunt, and I hope you enjoy another fantasy review from me.

Nightstrider is a dark fantasy with well-written characters, different POVs, and interesting magic/worldbuilding. ⁣

⁣One of my favorite aspects of this book is definitely the magic and worldbuilding. The dream magic felt so unique, as did the two different realms. 

I loved all of the main characters. Sometimes I struggle with books with a lot of POVs, but Slade balanced them well! I was interested in all of their backstories and motivations, and their dialogue and banter was great.

There’s a portal, an evil night creature/king who can cross the boundary between the dream and waking realms, LGBTQ representation, and hints of romance. There’s also some political intrigue and plenty of action. Nightstrider had everything I was in the mood for, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. 

To stop a vicious demon’s conquest, nightmares and humans will band together.

From Sophia Slade, stunning new voice in epic fantasy, comes this dark, romantic tale about a world split in two and the four misguided souls who must come together to save it, for fans of Holly Black and Hannah Whitten.

⁣VERDICT: 🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒/5 ⁣

Alexis’ November Hopefuls

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Fall graphic of books to read

Alexis:

Happy November! 🍂🦃

I don’t usually make tbrs (or strict tbrs, anyway) because somehow my mood reading always comes into play. However, these are the books that I’m hoping to read this month. 

  • The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott: My library hold of this one just came in. It’s supposed to be a dark academia romantasy.
  • Heir by Sabaa Tahir: I’m also picking this one up from the library today. It sounds like a great, classic YA fantasy.
  • The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart: This was the last book I bought. Stewart’s debut, The Bone Shard Daughter, is one of my favorite books, so I’m looking forward to reading this one, which is about a world ravaged by ancient magic, where gemstones give certain people magical abilities.
  • The Devourer by Alison Ames: I have an ARC of this one, which is about pirates and the sea. It sounds so interesting, and I’m also obsessed with the cover.

Have you read any of these, or are you planning on reading any of them? I hope you have a great reading month!

Foresty Book Recs

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Stack of foresty books on a bookshelf

Alexis:

What’s your favorite kind of book? Because mine is a good foresty/woodsy novel! If it’s a book featuring a creepy, atmospheric forest—or better yet, a sentient forest—chances are, I’ll want to read it. Foresty books are perfect for fall! It’s been foggy here in the mornings, which really adds to the fall reading ambience. 

The stacks of books pictured above are some of my favorite fantasy reads featuring forests (say that 5 times fast). If you’re in the mood, I hope you’ll pick some of them up.

If you want a forest-themed/woodland mug, I’ve got you covered. Thank you so much to FloraeSnow for sending me this beautiful mug! If you want to check out her Etsy shop, you can use our code to get 15% off: TAKESTWO15

Happy reading! 🌲

Review: These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs

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Alexis holds These Burning Stars in front of a bookshelf

Alexis:

These Burning Stars is a political sci-fi with a dark, gritty, and chaotic feel.  

The story follows three separate women: Jun—a famous hacker who finds a key piece of information that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. Esek—the brutal heir to the Nightfoot empire. And Chono, a cleric who is loyal to Esek. And amidst them all is a mysterious character named Six, who Esek is determined to hunt down. 

There are a lot of impactful themes in this book. It focuses on revenge, choice, and power. I love a good political book, and I enjoyed learning about the crazy power dynamics and the history of the Kinship. Jun herself reminds me of a Jyn/Rey type of character. 

I’ve seen a lot of people say this is one of the best new sci-fi books. While I really enjoyed a lot of it and Jacobs’ writing style, I can’t say it was my favorite. It doesn’t help that the title These Burning Stars does not fit the vibe of the story and that the story itself was marketed as a space opera, yet it doesn’t really feel like one. On top of that, there are two main aspects of this book that frustrated me. 

  1. The story jumps back and forth between different timelines. On top of the different POVs, this made it a bit tedious to get through. I think some well executed flashbacks would’ve worked better and propelled the story and pace along.
  2. Some of the characters are a little too flat. During some chapters, I would think, “Wow, I feel like I know this character well.” Only for the next one to almost make the characters feel like they were in the background of their own story. Jun really intrigued me, but I feel like we got far more of Esek and Chono’s POVs than Jun’s.

That being said, there was a shocking plot twist near the ending, and this book sets up for a powerful sequel. 

If you read sci-fi, have you read this one yet? What did you think?

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐.5 /5 

Review: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

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A Kindle with A Song to Drown Rivers lays on a desk

Alexis:

I’m back with another 5-star book recommendation! If you’re looking for the next best romantic fantasy, A Song to Drown Rivers is releasing this fall!

Don’t be fooled by the term “romantic fantasy,” however. This book deals with a myriad of dark, impactful themes, including war, sacrifice, and womanhood—alongside love, of course. 

The two main characters, Xishi and Fanli, were so well written. I love Xishi’s voice, as it’s from her first person POV. 

I’m actually devastated at how beautiful this story was—and heartbreaking. Liang’s writing is gorgeous and lyrical. Liang tackles the themes of war and sacrifice especially well. And despite me literally crying at the ending (which is very rare for me!) this was such a beautiful and well-written book. 

Look out for A Song to Drown Rivers on October 1!

VERDICT: 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊/5 

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC!

Review: Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

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Alexis holds Five Broken Blades in front of a bookshelf

Alexis:

After a nice beach vacation and a lot of work this month, I’m back with a review of a new adult fantasy called Five Broken Blades.

Short Synopsis From Goodreads:

The king of Yusan must die.

The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.

He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.

And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness―from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.

⁣Review: 

I’ve seen mixed reviews of Five Broken Blades—but I loved it! It was a super fun, fast paced read, and I was impressed with how well Corland juggled so many POVs. ⁣Usually, I prefer books with 1-2 POVs. However, each chapter is short, which keeps the pace moving. They’re in first person, which allows you to get to know each character. And I genuinely enjoyed learning about each character.

They’re morally gray and flawed, and I liked learning about their backstories and motivations. I would say this book is almost equally driven by both the plot and characters. And you know I can never resist a book with political intrigue and romance subplots. If you like romantic subplots, you’ll be kicking your feet! (Because every character has one.) But if you don’t, then this story may not be for you. However, I enjoyed that love and deserving to be loved was one of the main themes. 

My only main critiques are that the backstories of each character were introduced very early in the story and the writing style leans on telling and not showing. While sometimes I wished the writing was more subtle or had more subtext, it didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story. It’s also a new adult book, so if you don’t jive with a more young adult voice, it might not be for you. 

Overall, if you’re looking for a low fantasy, Korean-inspired world with political intrigue, secrets, and a band of misfits on a mission to assassinate a king, pick this one up. ⁣It’s 5 out of 5 swords for me (ha!)

VERDICT: 🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️/5

Review: In The Weeds by B.K. Borison

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A Kindle rests on a desk flatlay with a cactus pillow, cloud wrist rest, and cactus print envelope.

Alexis:

Now that the weather is warming up, I’m reading more fun romance books. In The Weeds is the second book in the Lovelight series by B.K. Borison. I reread Lovelight Farms, the first book, this past Christtmastime, and I’m glad my library got the second book!

In The Weeds follows Beckett, a farmer on Lovelight Farms, and Evelyn, a woman he had a one-night stand with during a work trip and can’t stop thinking about. 

Romance books set in small towns with a fun cast of characters are my favorite. Lovelight Farms has become one of my fave romance books, and In The Weeds is such a cute sequel! The town is such a great setting, and I love the reccuring characters.

Beckett is grumpy and a man of few words, but he also has an army of cats and begrudgingly adopts an orphaned baby duck. Evelyn is described as a ray of sunshine. She’s bubbly and connects with everyone around her, and I liked their dynamic. 

Beckett also has a noise sensitivity/sensory issues, and I really appreciated the representation. 

While Lovelight Farms is still my favorite in the series, I enjoyed In The Weeds, and I’m looking forward to reading the third one—Mixed Signals!