Tag: fantasy

Book Review: The Rebel and the Rose, by Catherine Doyle     

Image belongs to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Title: The Rebel and the Rose
Author: Catherine Doyle        
Genre: YA   
Rating: 5 out of 5

From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.

Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?

Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever…

I had not read the first The City of Fantome book, but that didn’t end up mattering. The writing was so skillful and details from the past were worked in so seamlessly that I had no problems staying up-to-speed.

I loved these characters and this world! The mythology was interesting, and the culture was fascinating. So much sarcasm and snark made me snort frequently. I can’t wait to read more!

Catherine Doyle is from Ireland. The Rebel and the Rose is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Library of Fates, by Margot Harrison  

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House.

Title: The Library of Fates
Author: Margot Harrison           
Genre: Fantasy   
Rating: 3.5 out of 4

When its librarian keeper mysteriously dies, two former classmates must race to locate a rare book from their college years that can foretell your future if you confess a secret from your past—but someone is intent on protecting what’s hidden inside…

The Library of Fates was designed to show you who you are—and who you could become. Its rarest book, The Book of Dark Nights, holds a when you write an intimate confession on its pages, you’ll receive a prediction for your future, penned in your own handwriting.

For Eleanor, whose childhood was defined by a senseless tragedy, the library offers a world where everything makes sense. She’s spent most of her life there as an apprentice to the brilliant librarian, showing other people how to find the meaning of their lives in stories.

But when her mentor dies in a freak accident and The Book of Dark Nights goes missing—along with the secrets written inside—Eleanor is pulled out of the library and into a quest to locate it with the last person she the librarian’s estranged son, Daniel, who Eleanor once loved before he suddenly ran off to Europe decades ago.

Together, as they hunt down clues from Harvard to Paris, Eleanor and Daniel grow closer again, regaining each other’s trust. But little do they know that they’re entangled in a much larger web. Someone else wants the book, and they may be willing to kill to get it…

Parts of this were fascinating, and parts of it felt very pretentious. I can’t decide if I like Eleanor—or Daniel—or not. The past characters, not really, as they’re typical selfish, oblivious teenagers. Them in the present kind of got on my nerves, too. The Book of Dark Nights is an interesting concept, if you can get past the witchcraft behind it, and the ability to choose the perfect book for someone at a particular moment is beyond cool, but on the whole, this felt more lit fic than anything, and I never connect well with literary fiction.

Margot Harrison lives in Vermont. The Library of Fates is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: Dawn of the Firebird, by Sarah Mughal Rana

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press.

Title: Dawn of the Firebird
Author: Sarah Mughal Rana             
Genre: Fantasy    
Rating: DNF 

Khamilla Zahr-zad’s life has been built on a foundation of violence and vengeance. Every home she’s known has been destroyed by war. As the daughter of an emperor’s clan, she spent her childhood training to maintain his throne. But when her clansmen are assassinated by another rival empire, plans change. With her heavenly magic of nur, Khamilla is a weapon even enemies would wield—especially those in the magical, scholarly city of Za’skar. Hiding her identity, Khamilla joins the enemy’s army school full of jinn, magic and martial arts, risking it all to topple her adversaries, avenge her clan and reclaim their throne.

To survive, she studies under cutthroat mystic monks and battles in a series of contests to outmaneuver her fellow soldiers. She must win at all costs, even if it means embracing the darkness lurking inside her. But the more she excels, the more she is faced with history that contradicts her father’s teachings. With a war brewing among the kingdoms and a new twisted magic overtaking the land, Khamilla is torn between two impossible vengeance or salvation.

I didn’t get very far in this. The writing itself was fine, but the story felt like a chaotic, jumbled mess—and one with a distant POV. This just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Sarah Mughal Rana is a student at Oxford. Dawn of the Firebird is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.)

    

Book Review: Break Wide the Sea, by Sara Holland  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books.

Title: Break Wide the Sea
Author: Sara Holland            
Genre: YA    
Rating: 4 out of 5

The seafaring humans of Kirkrell have always been plagued by finfolk—bloodthirsty fae who haunt the seas, sinking ships and cursing bloodlines. Yet it’s only by hunting magical whales that Kirkrell can prosper. Nineteen-year-old Annie is heir to the Fairfax Whaling Company, but their family’s success came at a cost: a curse by which heartbreak turns Fairfaxes slowly into monsters. And six years ago, the shipwreck that killed Annie’s parents left her with scales spreading up her arms, claws sprouting from her fingertips.

The love of her fiancé, August, salved her heart for a while—but when she learns August is maneuvering to take over the company, the curse worsens. Fearing her time is running out, she strikes a bargain with a disreputable young captain, half-finfolk and half-human Silas Price: on a voyage to hunt whales in the far north, Silas will take Annie to the finfolk queen, who can lift the curse in return for a promise to end whaling forever.

As Annie, August and Silas sail north, she is determined to uphold her family’s legacy, but the threat of the finfolk tests her resolve. Lies corrupt her relationship with August; meanwhile a dangerous connection with Silas blooms—but he’s keeping secrets too, and his might be the most dangerous of all.

As heiress, it’s Annie’s responsibility to deliver whale magic to her city. But as heartbreak looms, she must choose between saving herself and her family’s legacy—and hope it doesn’t cost her everyone she loves.

At first, this was a tiny bit slow to me, but it engrossed me quickly. The culture, magic, and mythology in this book were unique and interesting, and I enjoyed these aspects a lot. I liked Annie, although I could not understand her attraction to August—who is clearly a jerk. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Sara Holland is a bestselling author. Break Wide the Sea is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Dagger in Vichy, by Alastair Reynolds

Image belongs to Subterranean Press.

Title: The Dagger in Vichy
Author: Alastair Reynolds             
Genre: Fantasy   
Rating: 3 out of 5 

In a deep medieval future, a band of players travels across France to perform the same old tales in the same old towns. When passing soldiers entrust them with a mysterious box that they say must be delivered to the Imperator, old playwright Master Guillaume and young escaped thief Rufus puzzle at what the box might contain.

When Rufus overhears strange conversations between his Master Guillaume and the thing in the box, he must choose between his loyalty to the man who saved him from the noose and fear of the ancient intelligence working in their midst.

Secrets spill out over the road to Avignon, and none in the troupe are safe. Not Blind Benedict, who once saw the faceless Empty Knight patrolling the deathless Wald that creeps ever closer to the cities, and not Master Bernard whose sensible plans are not equal to the eldritch thing the company now carries with them. All the world’s a stage, and so was every world that came before.

The best thing I can say about this is that it’s short. There were aspects of the world and culture that intrigued me—like the Wald—and it had a bit of a steampunk feel, but I never cared about any of the characters. They all felt quite superficial, and we really didn’t get to know any of them. I never felt any sense of urgency or investment as I was reading, and I wouldn’t have kept reading at all if it weren’t for the brevity of the story.

Alastair Reynolds lives in Wales. His newest novel is The Dagger in Vichy.

(Galley courtesy of Subterranean Press in exchange for an honest review.)

   

Book Review: Thief of Night, by Holly Black

Image belongs to Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books.

Title: Thief of Night   
Author: Holly Black     
Genre: Fantasy   
Rating: 4 out of 5

There’d always been something wrong with Charlie Hall. Crooked from the day she was born. Never met a bad decision she wasn’t willing to double down on. She may be good enough to steal a shadow from a tower, but will she be good enough to steal back a heart?

I hadn’t read the first book in this duology—sometimes, that doesn’t prove a challenge, but it did in this case—so it took me a bit to figure out this world and culture. I liked the characters in this, although I wanted to smack more than one several times. Lots of adventure and angst against a gritty backdrop of death and magic, this was a solid fantasy read.

Holly Black is a bestselling author. Thief of Night is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Woven From Clay, by Jenny Birch

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books.

Title: Woven From Clay
Author: Jenny Birch      
Genre: YA, fantasy   
Rating: 4 out of 5 

Terra Slater might not know anything about her birth family or where she comes from, but that’s never stopped her, and she fully intends her senior year to be her best yet. Until the dark and mysterious Thorne Wilder―a magical bounty hunter―moves to town, bringing revelations that wreck all of her plans.

When Terra learns she is a golem, not born but crafted from mud and magic by a warlock, her world is upended. Worse, Cyrus Quill, the warlock who made her, is a fugitive, on the run from the witches who want to hold him accountable for his past crimes. But Quill’s sentence is death, which would unravel the threads of magic that hold Terra―and all of the other golems that he crafted―together.

Desperate to save herself and her friends, Terra strikes a deal with Thorne and his coven to preserve the warlock’s life and his magic. If she can prove her worth to the coven by mastering the magic within her, the golems will survive. If she can’t, they’ll perish along with Cyrus. As Thorne helps her to see and manipulate the tapestry of magic that surrounds them, their unexpected alliance evolves into something more and Terra comes to understand the depths of her magic, her humanity, and her love for the people most important to her.

I thought this was a unique concept, and I enjoyed it! I don’t think I’ve ever read anything where the protagonist is a golem and I enjoyed the worldbuilding here—and how Terra didn’t have a clue she wasn’t human.  The way she physically melted/fell apart under stress was a great manifestation of how most of us feel on the regular. This was a bit of an enemies-to-lovers read, mixed up with magic and mythology, and it was a fun read.

Jenny Birch is from Pittsburgh. Woven from Clay is her new novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Magician of Tiger Castle, by Louis Sachar

Image belongs to Berkley Publishing Group | Ace.

Title: The Magician of Tiger Castle
Author: Louis Sachar         
Genre: Historical fiction, fantasy   
Rating: 3 out of 5 

Long ago and far away (and somewhere south of France) lies the kingdom of Esquaveta. There, Princess Tullia is in nearly as much peril as her struggling kingdom. Esquaveta desperately needs to forge an alliance, and to that end, Tullia’s father has arranged a marriage between her and an odious prince. However, one month before the “wedding of the century,” Tullia falls in love with a lowly apprentice scribe.

The king turns to Anatole, his much-maligned magician. Seventeen years earlier, when Anatole first came to the castle, he was regarded as something of a prodigy. But after a long series of failures—the latest being an attempt to transform sand into gold—he has become the object of contempt and ridicule. The only one who still believes in him is the princess.

When the king orders Anatole to brew a potion that will ensure Tullia agrees to the wedding, Anatole is faced with an impossible choice. With one chance to save the marriage, the kingdom, and, of most importance to him, his reputation, will he betray the princess—or risk ruin?

This didn’t really work for me. Everything was a little too coincidental for it to be believable, and what might have worked for The Princess Bride, did not work here. (Not that I’m saying this was trying to be The Princess Bride. Just that when absurdities became magical in that case, they did not here.) Anatole came across as more bumbling idiot than anything. Why was he so clumsy/klutzy? It, like a lot of other things, just seemed kind of pointless to me. I’m clearly not the target audience here.

Louis Sachar is from New York. The Magician of Tiger Castle is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group | Ace in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Girls of Dark Divine, by E. V. Woods

Title: Girls of Dark Divine   
Author: E. V. Woods         
Genre: Fantasy, YA    
Rating: 4 out of 5 

In the legendary ballet theatre of New Kora, the girls on stage enchant the audience each night with their grace and divine beauty. Before Emberlyn became the show’s star, it was her dream to become one of the ballerinas… until she learned the price of their living nightmare.

A curse has bound the girls to the show’s mastermind, Malcolm, so they must obey his every command. They are controlled by the magic’s invisible strings that has the power to wield their limbs like marionette dolls. Only the commands don’t stop when the curtain comes down, and the girls live a life of fear from Malcolm’s wickedness and the twisted truth that each dancer is destined to turn to dust when the curse finally consumes her.

When the troupe is invited to perform in the glitzy city of Parlizia, Emberlyn knows this could be her best chance to save them all. She meets an elusive boy made of shadows with a magical connection to the girls. Together, they work to unravel the haunting truth about their creation and fight for their survival. But the cost of freedom might be too high, and as she dances closer to the edge of darkness she realizes she might break the curse… or break her own heart forever.

I do love ballet, so when you combine it with fantasy, I definitely wanted to read this! Ember was a great character, and from the very first of the book, it was easy to be fascinated by her POV and her world. I liked all the Marionettes, and their friendship was what drew me into the story—and kept me reading, eager to find out if they were going to escape their dark curse.

E. V. Woods is from the U.K. Girls of Dark Divine is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Children/Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Den of Liars, by Jessica S. Olson

Image belongs to Macmillan’s.

Title: Den of Liars
Author: Jessica S. Olson         
Genre: Fantasy, YA    
Rating: 5 out of 5

Lola St. James is the world’s best kept secret. When her father’s loss in the Liar’s Dice Tournament–a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets–made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. But the Thief’s kindness came with a Lola’s heart. In the years that followed, she and the Thief formed a bond like no other, able to feel each other’s emotions because of their shared heart.

Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar’s Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off any heist, but the Thief’s mysterious brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers’ shared history, and the lies she tells herself.

I was engrossed in this from the very first page. Lola is a great character, and I loved getting to know her and trying to guess what she’d do next. The Thief and the Liar were both strong characters—and both had good and bad qualities, but I was eager to find out more. Loved the worldbuilding in this, and the casino world was riveting to me. I would absolutely have binge-read the next book in this series immediately!

Jessica S. Olson lives in Texas. Den of Liars is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan’s in exchange for an honest review.)