Where the Dark Stands Still is my kind of book. It’s Howl’s Moving Castle meets Uprooted with a dash of Sorcery of Thorns. I really enjoyed it, and it ended up being 4.5 stars for me.
“‘God,’ Liska pants.
‘Not quite,’ the Leszy says, watching her carefully. ‘But it’s still a better compliment than screaming the moment you see me.’
She might have rolled her eyes if she wasn’t still trembling.”
I loved the atmosphere and Poranek’s writing style. The world is Polish folklore-inspired, which I really enjoyed. It was great seeing Liska, the main character, learn and grow as a character as the book went on. And if you like Howl, well, you’ll like the Leszy, the demon of the wood.
My only critiques: The Leszy’s nickname for Liska was definitely overused, and the beginning was a little slow.
This was a great debut! If you like creepy woods, demons and spirits, and magic/forest magic, I definitely recommend it!
Destroy the Day is the final book in the Defy the Night trilogy, and Defy the Night is one of my favorite books! It’s a classic upper YA fantasy with political intrigue, romance, and a sickness spreading through the land. The two main characters are Tessa, a Robinhood-like apothecary, and Corrick, the prince of Kandala and the King’s Justice.
I really enjoyed Destroy the Day. The story dives deeper into the world, politics, and scheming of the Kandala government. Kemmerer’s writing flows really well, and I feel like her writing style works well when switching between POVs.
Speaking of which, Destroy the Day has three different POVs: Tessa, Corrick, and Corrick’s brother, King Harristan. Harristan’s chapters end up taking up about as much of the book as Tessa and Corrick’s, which honestly, I like! I think Harristan is a great character, and he’s such a good foil to Corrick (stoic and reserved to Corrick’s more hotheadedness).
What I really appreciated about this book was Kemmerer’s talent in making me care about every single character. Usually, I’m not into new, important side characters being introduced later in a series, but Kemmerer does a great job of really showing the impact a new character has on Tessa. A couple of side characters from the second book end up having bigger roles, and I enjoyed watching them grow and help the main characters grow. I especially enjoyed the emphasis on friendship.
Another aspect I really loved about this book is the way no one is a straight-up villain. Kemmerer makes all of her characters well-rounded with solid motivations, so no character is black and white (yep—that means there are some well-written morally gray characters in this series).
Now, I have two main gripes in this book that I’ll delve into more below with spoilers. But the first one is that we get barely any scenes with Tessa and Corrick together. Yes, there are solid reasons for this, but in the end of the book, I really felt like they needed some more scenes together before the resolution. My second gripe is with an important plot point near the end that I feel like didn’t fit into two of the character arcs, which I’ll talk more about below.
All in all, I loved this finale! However, I’m still not over the ending, so I have to dock half a star (or moon, in this case) for that.
VERDICT: 🌑🌑🌑🌑🌓
SPOILERS BELOW:
If you’ve read this book already, or if you don’t care about spoilers, hello! So at the end of this book there is a heartbreaking scene of Harristan sacrificing himself for his country and his brother. While I saw this coming, I came to terms with it because I thought it fit Harristan’s character, as he would do anything to save his brother and his people.
…Until Quint, Harristan’s new boyfriend, decides to help him, and they die together. This felt a little bit too much like the “bury your gays” trope (aka gay characters tend to get killed off).
And then something felt off, and I just had a feeling that neither of them actually died. And while (ding ding!) I was right, the way it was revealed rubbed me the wrong way—Harristan and Quint escaped and survived, only to hear that Corrick had already arrived back home and been crowned king. So what did they do? They hid in a cabin with false identities. And not with the intention of saying, “Oh, hey! We actually survived and we’ll come back to the castle now.” Nope. It was to start a new, secret life.
Harristan’s main motivations were to save Corrick and to save his people. He spent this entire book earning the people of Kandala’s trust back, only to decide to push the burden of being king onto his nineteen-year-old brother, who the people trusted even less than Harristan. You just can’t tell me that it’s in character for him to just say, “Too late! Just spread the lie that we died,” AND let his brother believe it for a long time before managing to slip him a note.
Anyway. Did I still love the book? Yes. It just sucked that this was the twist at the end because I didn’t feel like it fit into Harristan’s character arc—not to mention Quint, who is Corrick’s best friend.
Lesson: Don’t bury your gays! Even if they come back from the dead.
Divine Rivals is one of my all-time faves, so it’s an understatement to say I was looking forward to its sequel, Ruthless Vows.
Rebecca Ross’s writing is always lyrical and gorgeous—and it was in Ruthless Vows, as well. I really loved reading this book, but my favorite was definitely the last 3/4. Without going into spoilers, it was heartbreaking, and I loved seeing Iris embrace her badass self.
I docked off a star for 1 main reason:
The pacing in the first half felt off. Certain parts felt too drawn out, and I expected this sequel to be faster paced and more action-packed than the first book, considering the buildup in Divine Rivals and the war.
It’s worth saying that I normally really despise the amnesia trope, but it’s a testimony to Ross’s writing skills that I think she 100% pulled it off.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I’m glad it had a satisfying ending! I’m also grateful that I was able to read this book while I was on my winter vacation.
If you’re looking for a beautifully written upper-YA low fantasy book with WW1 vibes, a war between gods, magical letter writing, and romance, then I highly recommend this duology.
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!
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.
What the River Knows is a historical fantasy novel set in late 1800’s Egypt. When Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera’s parents die during an adventure-gone-wrong in their beloved Egypt, Inez defies her new guardian, her uncle’s, order and arrives in Egypt. She won’t rest until she discovers what happened to her parents and learns how a gold ring with old-world magic, which her father mailed her before he died, fits into the narrative. Soon, she finds herself on a dangerous yet mysterious archaeological adventure with her uncle, his young assistant named Whit, and their crew.
What the River Knows is full of adventure and Egyptian history. I definitely has The Mummy but make it YA vibes (there aren’t any undead mummies, however). My favorite part of this book is how you become so immersed in the setting. Ibañez definitely did her research! I loved reading about the politics of the time period, as well as the ancient history of Egypt, which plays a large role in the story. Ibanez touches on British colonialism and the importance of history and not stealing artifacts.
The actual fantasy aspect of this book is fairly minimal, as magic only clings to old objects in this version of history. However, I found it works well because the magic didn’t overpower the importance of the setting and the archaeology.
I also enjoyed the romance. Inez and Whit are both headstrong characters, and it was fun to read about their tension and growing forbidden relationship. I especially appreciate Inez’ resolve, especially in a time period where women had no agency over their own lives, and she was unfortunately naive in a lot of situations.
My biggest critique is that I could tell the story is setting up for a sequel. The middle drags a little bit, especially the mystery. A lot of questions and mysteries were piled up on top of each other, and we didn’t get any answers until about 75% of the way into the story. I think having a couple of reveals earlier would’ve helped propel the plot along.
Overall, I loved the adventure, history, and romance in this book. If you’re looking for a fun YA fantasy, then look out for What the River Knows, pub date November 14, 2023!
VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Thanks so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for sending me an ARC for review!
The last book I read was Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb.
I’m currently reading March & Feather by Emma Saska.
And I plan to read A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher next!
Review:
Seven Faceless Saints is a newly released YA fantasy that follows two main characters. Roz is a disciple of Patience, but she’s also a part of the brewing rebellion. Damian, her childhood sweetheart, is a young war veteran and the youngest captain in the history of Palazzo security.
Roz and Damian team up to solve a string of unsolved murders, even if they are both still heartbroken and at odds with one another…especially after Damian’s father had Roz’s murdered.
What I liked:
I love the dark atmosphere and the worldbuilding. The setting, the city of Ombrazia, is Italian-inspired, which works so well considering Ombrazia’s citizens worship saints. Lobb’s descriptions really set up the city as dark and gritty, but with moments of beauty.
I enjoyed the core of both Roz and Damian’s characters. I’m a sucker for YA characters with tragic backstories that dictates their every move! Roz is hard-headed and angry, and Damian is a soft boy who struggles with PTSD from his time at war. Lobb’s characterization of Damian is especially impactful; it really shows the horror of war and how it impacts young men.
I’m also always down for a fantasy plot that centers around a murder mystery!
What I didn’t like as much:
Roz and Damian are full of ANGST. I love me some angsty teens, but I feel like this only worked well in the first half of the book. By the time I got to the second half, their explosive interactions felt as if they were going in circles, and their rollercoaster emotions gave me some whiplash. It’s a little too repetitive and over-the-top, even for me, and ends up overshadowing the rest of the story.
As for the saints themselves, the different groups of disciples remind me of the different factions in Divergent. I think part of the reason why is because we only get the bare bones of the religion. I need to know more about the saints and how the disciples’ magic works; I want to learn more!
I had a feeling this book would be a 5-star read for me, and I was right!
Adapted Synopsis:
A Song of Silver, Flame Like Night follows two main characters. Lan lives under the rule of the Elantian colonizers who invaded her kingdom and killed her mother. She has a mysterious mark on her arm that only she can see, and when she’s not working as a songgirl, she spends her time trying to figure out what it means.
Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. When Zen runs into Lan, he can see the mark on her arm and knows she has hidden power. Together, they try to outrun the Elantians while unraveling the mystery of Lan’s mark.
Review:
Well, where to begin?
Zhao’s writing is beautiful. The way she writes her imagery really brings her world to life.
The worldbuilding is intense but very well crafted. The story takes the time to set up the worldbuilding, plot, and characters. However, I think Zhao wrote it in a way that doesn’t make you feel like you’re plodding through the story. The stakes are really high and adds a thread of tension throughout the story.
I loved both of the main characters—and how dramatic they are. Lan doesn’t put up with anyone’s crap, and Zen is like a stoic emo boy. They’re both well-rounded characters with plenty of flaws and tragic backstories, and I like how they complimented each other.
My one critique that I have to mention is that there was a specific line that was straight out of Star Wars, as in it immediately conjured up a specific scene with Anakin in my brain 😅
A Song of Silver, Flame Like Night tackles a lot of hard topics: colonization, genocide, experimentation. It has practitioners and magicians, a magic school, demons, and Chinese mythology. It’s an intense book that I really enjoyed and left me devastated in the end. I’m looking forward to the sequel!
Spice Road is a YA fantasy that follows Imani, a Shield warrior with an affinity for iron. When she discovers her supposedly dead brother is actually alive, she ventures outside of her homeland, the hidden desert city of Qalia, to bring him home. Outside the city limits, she discovers a world that she never knew existed, and grapples with her worldview, herself, her understanding of her brother, and the group she travels with.
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding. Ibrahim does a great job describing the lush world. I love her use of sensory imagery, especially smell. It brings the world to life.
I love the tea magic! The people of Qalia access their affinity through drinking misra, a tea that allows them to access their magic. The first line of the book is, “We will fight, but first we will have tea.” Which is awesome.
I also really enjoyed the themes that Ibrahim presents. One of the main themes is truth and honesty, as Imani deals with the many lies she’s been told over the years. Another main theme is colonialism, which comes into play in the latter half of the book. I also appreciated the emphasis on family as Imani struggles to handle her rebellious little sister and hold onto hope that her brother is alive and well.
My favorite character is Qayn, a djinni that becomes Imani’s ally. He is the most complex and expressive character of the bunch, and I’m interested to learn more about him and his past!
But unfortunately, I didn’t like Imani’s character. She starts out as very naive and bullheaded…and ends the story being slightly less naive and bullheaded. She tends to be downright mean to anyone who helps her in the slightest and makes a lot of really dumb decisions. It doesn’t help that she’s also known as the Djinni Slayer…but besides obviously slaying a lot of djinni, we don’t really get an insight as to how she got that nickname at the age of seventeen. She also has a very confusing and lackluster enemies-to-lovers romance with a character who accompanies her on her journey.
I found her to be unlikeable in general, and I had to push through certain chapters because I wasn’t rooting for her the way I should. However, I really loved the tea magic, the Arabian-inspired world, and the mythology aspects of Spice Road.
VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐ 💫
Special thanks to Delacorte Press for sending me an e-arc for review.
Spice Road is expected to be published on January 24, 2023!
I’m not kidding when I say I sat down and devoured Bloodmarked in one day.
Bloodmarked, book two in the Legendborn Cycle, was one of my most anticipated sequels, and let’s just say if you’re worried about middle-book-syndrome/sequel syndrome, don’t be!
So much happens in this book that I already feel like I need to re-read it. The plot really thickens.
I loved learning more about Bree. I loved learning more about her root and her ancestors. I loved getting to know the secondary characters even more. I especially enjoyed getting to know Sel and Alice better. A decent number of new characters are also introduced, but Deonn does such a good job of balancing everyone out that no character feels flat.
Bloodmarked also dives into important themes such as racism, white privilege, and identity. This is such a well-fleshed out series so far, and I can’t wait to see where Deonn takes it next.
Overall, there’s not much else I can say about this book without spoilers! If you still haven’t picked up Legendborn and you’d be into a King Arthur retelling (or even if you’re just looking for a great and multi-layered YA fantasy read), I recommend picking it up.
takes two to book review 