After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. Now Talasyn must play the part of Alaric’s willing empress while her allies secretly plot to overthrow his reign. But the longer the couple are forced together, the harder it becomes to deny the feelings crackling like lightning between them. When the time comes to act, can she trust him, or must she ignore her heart for the sake of so many others?
As the master of the Shadowforged Legion, Alaric has trained for battle all his life, but marrying a Lightweaver might be his most dangerous challenge yet. With tensions between nations churning, he needs to focus on the greater threat—the Moonless Dark, a cataclysmic magical event that could devour everything. Only he and Talasyn can stop it, with a powerful merging of light and shadow that they alone can create together. But saving their world from this disaster is a mere preface to his father’s more sinister schemes, and his wife is a burning flame in the darkness, tempting both his loyalties and his desires.
The Hurricane Wars aren’t over. It’s time to choose what—and who—to fight for. The world holds its breath amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets that could change everything.
I’m still loving these books! The world and mythology are fascinating to me, and I really like the two main characters. They actually start trusting each other a little bit here, but there are so many obstacles! And they can’t really trust anyone around them, adding another level of conflict. I found it very hard to put this book down!
Thea Guanzon is a bestselling author. A Monsoon Rising is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)
All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade.
After losing her mother—her only remaining parent—to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid’s nation. All Vaasa has to do is die.
But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins—and help keep it at bay.
This proposal may be too good to refuse, yet Vaasa and Reid’s undeniable attraction threatens to break the rules of their arrangement. As her brother’s lethal machinations take form, everything is at stake: Vaasa must learn to trust her new husband, but how can she, especially when their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing?
I was hooked from the very first scene. That’s when the action started, and it never let up. So much political intrigue! My brain just doesn’t work this way, with all the twists and turns and backstabbing, but it was fascinating to watch. I loved how the trust and emotion slowly grew between Vaasa and Reid as they got to know each other, and they genuinely started to care for each other. I loved all of this and can’t wait to read more.
Rebecca Robinson is a school administrator. The Serpent and the Wolf is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Sage Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins—resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories—have only three unbreakable vows.
First, the contract must be just. That’s above Eveen’s pay grade.
Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen’s a professional. She’s never missed her mark.
The third and the simplest: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn’t supposed to remember and a vow she can’t forget.
I thought this was unique and a bit quirky, and I liked the world quite a bit. I enjoyed Eveen’s personality a lot and would be happy reading more about her. This was a solid, fun read. Honestly, my only problem with this was when the gods showed up at the end, their dialect was almost incomprehensible. I’ve seen patois done really well, and this was not it. There was some almost-contemporary slang throughout the rest of the story, so having the gods’ conversation be unintelligible didn’t really make sense to me.
P. Djèlí Clark is an award-winning author. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is his newest novella.
(Galley courtesy of Tor Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)
All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.
Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England’s secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.
But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country’s magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.
Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it.
I loved this setting and world and found it fascinating. The whole magic school premise has been overdone, but this story focuses on the characters and their friendship, not the minutiae of what’s happening in the classroom, and that sets it apart. I loved that friendship was the center of this book, without getting distracted by romance and flirtation. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and found it hard to put it down when I had to go do something else.
H. G. Parry lives in New Zealand. The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Redhook Books in exchange for an honest review.)
Website:https://hgparry.wordpress.com/Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Scholar-Last-Faerie-Door-ebook/dp/B0CTZVT4NG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UB4Y11NXMXOQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.W5eKafWFGHJ67Mh2g_jQ_w.zigeTOhQcqFY3H6YaZNjmyKTtAtWfI59tC2GUkp6Y_4&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+scholar+and+the+last+faerie+door+by+h.+g.+parry&qid=1729873009&sprefix=The+Scholar+and+the+Last+Faerie+Door%2C+by+H.+G.+Parry+%2Caps%2C603&sr=8-1 Title:The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door Author: H. G. Parry Genre: Fantasy Rating:4 out of 5 All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it. Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England’s secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed. But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country’s magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed. Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it. I loved this setting and world and found it fascinating. The whole magic school premise has been overdone, but this story focuses on the characters and their friendship, not the minutiae of what’s happening in the classroom, and that sets it apart. I loved that friendship was the center of this book, without getting distracted by romance and flirtation. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and found it hard to put it down when I had to go do something else.H. G. Parry lives in New Zealand. The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is her newest novel.(Galley courtesy of Redhook Books in exchange for an honest review.) Book Review: The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, byH. G. Parry
Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved—and still can’t forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance–a stolen djinn treasure–they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure.
Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance–and her heart to the only boy she’s ever loved.
I found the culture and setting of this story to be a fascinating mix of different elements that kept me intrigued. Danie was a strong character—and one I enjoyed getting to know more. She’s tough and capable, and so afraid to let anyone close enough to betray her again, but she gradually realizes that she can trust some people. This felt like a dark fantasy, but there was hope there as well.
Emily Varga lives in Canada. For She is Wrath is her debut novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Website:https://emilyvargabooks.com/about/Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CQHL8HKV/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20 Title:For She Is Wrath Author: Emily VargaGenre: YA, fantasy, romance Rating: 4 out of 5 Three hundred and sixty-four days. Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved—and still can’t forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance–a stolen djinn treasure–they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure. Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance–and her heart to the only boy she’s ever loved. I found the culture and setting of this story to be a fascinating mix of different elements that kept me intrigued. Danie was a strong character—and one I enjoyed getting to know more. She’s tough and capable, and so afraid to let anyone close enough to betray her again, but she gradually realizes that she can trust some people. This felt like a dark fantasy, but there was hope there as well.Emily Varga lives in Canada. For She is Wrath is her debut novel. (Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.) Book Review: For She Is Wrath, by Emily Varga
Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.
Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.
Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.
This was an engrossing read from the beginning. Xishi was a wonderful character: so caring and kind and determined. Seeing her grow and change and become sure of herself and confident was lovely to read. Fanli was only present in part of the book, and he felt very reserved and distant, but I liked him. This was not a fuzzy-bunnies-ray-of-sunshine read—not in any way—but it was a gripping read that completely absorbed my attention.
Ann Liang is a bestselling author. A Song to Drown Rivers is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.
But human lust for power is immortal.
Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it’s her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard…though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.
When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.
The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride…but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.
Magic is not dead…it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.
I enjoyed the writing in this, and the culture was well-done, if a bit infuriating. I liked both Fell and Tamsyn and enjoyed their chemistry. I felt like the last quarter of the book was a bit rushed, so that detracted a little from my enjoyment, but I’d be interested in reading more, as the storyline was strong enough to carry me through and I’m interested to see what happens next.
Sophie Jordan is a bestselling author. A Fire in the Sky is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)
In the City of Elantra, only one holds the key to peace—or eternal darkness.
At the end of three long wars, Bellusdeo is the last of her kind, the sole surviving female Dragon in the City of Elantra. When she appears one evening on the doorstep of her former roommate, Corporal Kaylin Neya, her demeanor is dreadful—more so than what’s expected of the Dragons’ notoriously tempestuous temperament. Kaylin’s new roommate, Mrs. Erickson, is quick to see the reason for Bellusdeo’s despair—the eight ghosts of the Dragon’s dead sisters, chained to her and unseen. Pleading for release, revenge and, above all, peace.
Now Kaylin and Mrs. Erickson must embark on a perilous journey, from the hallowed halls of the Academia to the depths of forbidden magic, to confront the very essence of mortality itself. Can Kaylin help release the untapped power within Mrs. Erickson to save Bellusdeo’s sisters…or will unlocking the past plunge the realm into an unfathomable darkness forever?
I do love the Chronicles of Elantra series! The layers and depths in this series are engrossing to me, and this novel was no exception. I loved seeing Bellusdeo’s story unfold and twine more with Kaylin’s—and I love how Kaylin’s mind works. I enjoy all these characters and love seeing their further adventures.
Michelle Sagara lives in Toronto. Cast in Atonement is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)
A woman returns to her estranged, magical family in Appalachia but when a man is found dead in the woods nearby, it seems the family has conjured something sinister in this lush, shimmering, and wildly imaginative debut novel that is perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Deborah Harkness, and Sarah Addison Allen.
Lee left Craw Valley at eighteen without a backward glance. She wanted no part of the generations of her family who tapped into the power of the land to heal and help their community. But when she abandons her new life in California and has nowhere else to go, Lee returns to Craw Valley with her children in tow to live with her grandmother, Belva.
Lee vows to stay far away from Belva’s world of magic, but when the target of one of her grandmother’s spells is discovered dead, Lee fears that Belva’s magic may have summoned something dark.
As she and her family search for answers, Lee travels down a rabbit hole of strange phenomena and family secrets that force her to reckon with herself and rediscover her power in order to protect her family and the town she couldn’t leave behind.
This was a very atmospheric novel. I enjoyed the setting a lot, the small-town feel, but I didn’t enjoy the darker aspects of the story at all. The characters were not very nice people, and that was off-putting for me—I don’t enjoy reading about cruel and nasty people, no matter how atmospheric the setting.
Alli Dyer is from Virginia but now lives in L.A. Strange Folk is her debut novel.
(Galley courtesy of Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)
After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.
Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.
As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.
I feel like there was a lot going on in this novel: romance, magic, a bit of scifi, a mystery, family drama, and a whole lot of darkness. I enjoyed the read, but it did feel a bit chaotic. I liked how the opening scene gave a glimpse into Estela’s life and relationship with her parents, which later turned out to be only the tip of the iceberg. This was a solid read, and I’d be interested in seeing more in this world with these characters.
Romina Garber is a bestselling author. Castle of the Cursed is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 