Out on a Limb is a book I’d never heard of, until it was chosen as the monthly read for the book club that I am in. AftOut On A Limb Review on K-Books
Out on a Limb is a book I’d never heard of, until it was chosen as the monthly read for the book club that I am in. After looking it up, I can’t lie… I was apprehensive about this book. I never would have chosen it to read myself if it hadn’t been a book club book because I am not a fan of pregnancy tropes in books. It’s usually something that really puts me off picking a book up, and had this not been a book club book I wouldn’t have ever picked this up. And I would have missed out on one of the best contemporary books I’ve read this year. I am about to eat my words about pregnancy tropes, because this book was… in a word… brilliant.
I am honestly so surprised by how much I loved this book. While the unplanned / surprise pregnancy is a major plot point in this book, I would say that there is so much more going on. Both of our main characters are disabled. Win has an underdeveloped hand, and Bo has had one of his legs amputated. And I loved that a focus of this book was how they cope in their day to day life and how they come together to face the struggles they may face being parents with these disabilities. The disability representation in this book was superb and I honestly loved that element of the book.
Win and Bo’s relationship was so adorable and I loved that. I really loved that this is a very normal, healthy relationship. They are both adults, who communicate like adults and that is something that I really don’t see a lot in romance books so this was very refreshing to read. I also loved that even though they meet as adults it’s still very much a case of friends to lovers and a bit of a slow burn in terms of their romance. I adored that! I really loved that you see their really normal and calm day to day life. They move in together as roommates and you see them going to work, coming home, cooking at home and doing other hobbies at home. I feel like a lot of romance books has the couple going out and doing a lot of outdoorsy stuff (which is fine) but I loved seeing a totally normal, healthy introverted lifestyle in this book. As an introvert myself I adored it.
Out on a Limb is without a doubt the biggest surprise for me so far this year. I went into it expecting to not like it, or to DNF it… but I really really enjoyed it. It was heartwarming and cute and honestly… really realistic. Which in my opinion, is what we need in books. We need to see more realistic, healthy ‘green flag’ relationships in books and I am now a Hannah Bonam-Young fan. I will definitely be going out and getting her other books to read. This was truly fantastic!
T Kingfisher has been on my radar for a while. I have seen their books around the blogosphere for a couple of years, but IThornhedge Review on K-Books
T Kingfisher has been on my radar for a while. I have seen their books around the blogosphere for a couple of years, but I have never read any of them before, mainly because their books seem to be more in the horror genres than fantasy. As a self-professed wimp, horror is just not my bag. But after being in a bit of a slump and discovering this novella on a TikTok video recommending whimsical fantasy, I decided it was finally time for me to dive in and try one of T Kingfisher’s books.
I am so glad I picked up Thornhedge. I really, really enjoyed this quick and cute novella. This novella is a twist on the Sleeping Beauty tale, but asks the question of what if she is put to sleep for a reason. Our main character is Toadling, the creature who has been tasked with the job of making sure the princess stays asleep… for people’s safety. I really loved Toadling. She is such a cute character and I loved the way the story was told from a mix of her telling a knight, and her memories. It was really short and fun and a great twist on a beloved tale.
I really enjoyed every moment of Thornhedge, and I will definitely be having a look for T Kingfisher’s other, more fantasy based books. It was just what I needed right now, after being in a slump for so long. This is a must-read for any fans of fairytale retellings and anyone who just needs a nice, short palette cleanser. Fantastic!
A Lady’s Formula for Love has been on my radar for a while. While I am not a big reader of historical romances, I do read a few and those that I do I quite enjoy. When I first came across this book, I really liked the idea of all of the women being scientists. I feel like this is such a unique take in the Victorian England. I wasn’t wrong, this was such a fun book.
A Lady’s Formula for Love follows Lady Violet. Violet is a widow who since the death of her husband can finally focus on her true passion… science. But what she, and her other ladies is studying, could prove dangerous so she is given a bodyguard in the form of Arthur. As tensions grow higher, Arthur grows closer and needs to decide whether he is willing to give in to his heart.
I really liked the mix of science and romance in this book. I love books with a scientific storyline so naturally I was excited to read this book. It was very different to what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. I flew through this book, and if you’re a fan of audiobooks, the narrator of this one was fantastic. I just couldn’t stop listening. It was a little bit more spicy that I was expecting. I don’t know why but I find spice that bit more shocking when it’s in a historical novel. I’m not sure why, but I just do. But any spice lovers out there… you will be satisfied with this one.
While this book isn’t the best historical novel I’ve ever read, I did enjoy it and I will be continuing the series at some point. I will be more likely to read the others physically as I don’t particularly like books with spicy scenes on audio. It just makes me cringe hearing it out loud, but I will read the others and I’m excited to read more from this author.
"Honey, if all that stops people from killing each other is the laws of men, then maybe we deserved to be wiped out by the flu.”
All That’s Left in the World is a book that I probably never would have picked up if it hadn’t been selected as the pick for one of my book clubs. Oh my word… I am so glad this was chosen, as this book was utterly fantastic. I haven’t read a dystopia book quite a while, probably because we’ve all been living it the past few years, but I truly had forgotten how much I adore dystopia novels. This was everything I love in a dystopia novel, with a touch of adorable romance and a dash of humour. It was honestly fantastic.
All That’s Left in the World follows teenagers Jamie and Andrew in a post-apocalyptic world after 80% of the population have been wiped out from a superflu. As they meet and set off on a journey together, they start to grow closer and soon enough the only people they can rely on is each other. But as they travel across the country searching for safety… is it any use? Is there any safety left anywhere?
I absolutely loved everything about this book. It’s honestly such a fantastic book. It has such great humour for a dystopia book and I loved that. I find a lot of dystopia books are quite sombre… and rightfully so. They are, after all, set in a disastrous post-apocalyptic world. But I loved that Andrew had such a great sense of humour, and would crack lots of jokes all the time to lighten the mood. It, in my opinion, really set this book apart from others in this genre. It’s funny and it’s really cute and sweet. I got some serious ‘The Last of Us Episode 3’ vibes from Jamie and Andrew… but like the cute bit at the beginning and I was so here for it!! I loved them as characters so much and it was really nice to see a LGBTQ+ relationship in a dystopia novel. I’m not saying there’s not enough out there, as there might be, but there’s not many that I personally have become aware of so I really loved seeing this.
This book was just amazing. While it is post-apocalyptic, it is so real and tackles some real issues about what it is to be human. I personally loved this element of the book the most, there are so many quotes I saved while reading this because they were so beautifully profound and thought provoking. I loved that about this book, and for that reason it is definitely one that will stay with me for a long time. I know some adults will probably see this as ‘another YA’ book and not want to read it but honestly, this is such an important book to read for everyone as at the heart of it is the message of what it is to be human, and I adore that! This is without a doubt a must-read for everyone.
“All the progress the world made in the past hundred years or so, gone with a sneeze. Progress halted and possibly reversed. Reversed if people don’t fight for it, if we don’t remember what we had and hold on to it.”
The Wren in the Holly Library has been one of my most anticipated releases of 2024. I mean just look at that cover… who wouldn’t want to read that? I have known KA Linde online for years and years but had only read one of her previous books so I was really excited for this new series. I’m super intimidated by completed series (I know, I’m weird) because it feels like a big commitment, but I love new series that are just starting that I can read as they release. I loved The Wren in the Holly Library so much and this is one of my favourite reads of the year so far.
The Wren in the Holly Library starts as a bit of a Beauty and the Beast retelling… just imagine that Belle is a pickpocket and after trying to steal from the Beasts library, impressed by her prowess, the Beast hires her to work with him on a dangerous heist. Sound awesome right? Because it is.
Right from the start, I was absolutely obsessed with this book. It was absolutely fantastic and I couldn’t put it down. KA Linde’s writing style is honestly just fantastic. It’s so easy to just fall into this book and forget about the real world. I truly felt like I was pickpocketing across the streets of New York along with Kierse. I just loved how easy it was to be so absorbed into this world. I think one thing that made it easier, is the fact that it’s very much urban fantasy. It is set in our world, so this would be the perfect book for new readers of fantasy as well.
The more I read of this book, the more I was obsessed. This book is honestly just so good and addictive. I love the characters, the magic system and the mystery of waiting to find out just what is Kierse, and why can she do the things that she can do. Let me tell you the wait to find out is worth it! I did not guess it at all and was completely taken aback by that revelation. It was honestly fantastic!
I truly cannot wait to read more of this series, and more from KA Linde completely. I loved every single second of this book and I cannot recommend it enough. If you’re looking for an amazing Romantasy, but a slow burn enemies to lovers and the perfect sprinkling of spice, this book is definitely for you! I can’t wait for more people to read this masterpiece. The new Romantasy of the year!
As soon as I finished reading Forged in Magic, I couldn’t help but dive straight into the next book in the Falling foBrewed in Magic Review on K-Books
As soon as I finished reading Forged in Magic, I couldn’t help but dive straight into the next book in the Falling for Fables series. If you’re someone who knows me well, will know what a big deal this is for me, as I am not a binge reader. I’m a read one book and then add the series to my never ending ‘series to finish’ list. But I loved this cosy world so much, I had to dive straight into book 2. And I was not disappointed. I loved every single second of Brewed in Magic, and I think I loved it even more than the first book.
Brewed in Magic follows Lilia, the sister of the main guy from Forged in Magic, as she takes her world famous Traveling Tavern on the road for the festival season. When she comes across a gorgeous stranger, not realising that he has his own traveling tavern and is in competition with her. Let the sabotaging commence.
I loved everything about this book. I loved Lilia in the first book in this series, so I was automatically invested and really excited to see what happened in her story. I really enjoyed the rivals to lovers trope in this one. It was so much fun and really added a lot of hilarity to the story. I think one of the reasons that I loved more about this one is that there is a little bit of mystery to it. When both tavern’s ale seems to go missing, our main characters have to work together to try and find the culprit and I loved this whole ‘whodunnit’ element to this one.
Once again, I absolutely raced through this book. I couldn’t put it down, I loved it so so much! This entire series is just like a warm hug and leaves you feeling all happy and cosy! I cannot wait to dive into the third book in this series soon. This is fast becoming a favourite series of mine and I will definitely be checking out more books by Jenna in the future. If you’re a cosy fantasy / romantasy fan, do not sleep on this series. It is absolutely worth the read.
“In the absence of a clear ambition, serving others is a mighty purpose.”
Indigo Ridge is a book I never would have picked up if it hadn’t been selected as one of the monthly reads in my book club. Despite being a fan of romantic suspense books, I don’t tend to read them all that often. In addition to this, I honestly had never heard of this series before. I am so very glad that this was chosen because I absolutely loved this book. It truly was fantastic, start to finish.
Indigo Ridge follows Winslow, a police captain who moves to her grandfather’s small town to take over as their new chief. There have been a string of teenage suicides in town over the past few years, and Winslow is determined to figure out whether these are actual suicides or something more sinister. As she starts to dig up these cases, things may just end up getting a bit too dangerous for even Winslow to handle.
One thing I loved about this book was the balance of romance and plot. I thought it was the perfect balance of both for a book like this. I’m a plot girl through and through and so I loved this focus on the plot. It’s really made me realise that I need to read more books in this genre in the future as I really do love them. I love the mystery of trying to figure what is going on but it also has that romance going alongside to soften the horrible things going on plot wise. Indigo Ridge was a perfect example of this. It’s really renewed my love for romantic suspense.
Another thing I adored about this book was the lack of spice. Don’t stop reading here if you’re a spice lover… I promise you will still love this book. I am the sort of reader who loves romance, but doesn’t love smut. I find in a lot of romance books now that there is smut/spice happening really early in the books and I miss that tension and that angst of waiting for the couple of get together. Despite there being a one night stand very early on in the book, it’s not overly graphic and you still have that slow and sweet developing of the romance. I loved that and it showed how you can have an amazing adult romance without the need for lots of smut. That was a definite plus for me.
Indigo Ridge kept me guessing right to the very end… and I didn’t figure the mystery out. This is such a huge thing for me because usually in mystery/thriller/suspense books, I figure out ‘who dunnit’ really early. This book has the twist of all twists and I absolutely adored every single moment of that. I love a book that can surprise me and that’s exactly what this one did.
Indigo Ridge was fantastic. I was surprised by how much I loved it. I loved everything about it. The plot, the mystery, the twists and the romance. I will definitely be picking up the other books in this series in the future and I can’t wait to dive into them. Devney Perry has definitely made it on my authors to watch list and I will definitely be checking out more of her work soon. If you’re a romance fan, this book is a definite must-read.
“You fucked up and lost her. She’s mine. And I won’t fuck it up.”
“She’d been taught her whole life to fear and despise love but it has been unloosed now – she’d opened all its nuts aShadowstitch Review on K-Books
“She’d been taught her whole life to fear and despise love but it has been unloosed now – she’d opened all its nuts and let it out and now she had no way to control it.”
There are no words to describe just how excited I was to get my hands on Shadowstitch. Ever since I read Threadneedle back in early 2022, I have been dying to get my hands on the long awaited sequel. This was probably my most anticipated book of 2024… and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I am absolutely obsessed with everything about this series and once again Cari Thomas holds me in her magical clutches.
Shadowstitch picks up exactly where Threadneedle left off, with Anna having survived the Binders and moving in with her sister Effie, their guardian Selene and the boy they both love. I absolutely loved this new dynamic between all of the characters now than Anna knows the truth about her family and their curse. It is definitely much darker than the first book, as they journey more into forbidden magical worlds to try and find a way out of the curse without Anna or Effie killing the other. This book is such a tumultuous journey and I absolutely loved every moment of that. It was so addicting to see the characters grow more into their own and them going through their own personal journeys.
If you’re looking for a fantasy book that is super fast paced, then this is not what you’re looking for. But that definitely does not mean that this book is boring. It is slow paced, definitely. But it fits this story so well because Anna is so new to the world of magic, we learn tidbits as she does. Honestly, I’m usually such a plot focused reader and usually if a book is slow I’m like nope, I’m out. I don’t know what sort of magic Cari Thomas is weaving into her books but despite the slow pace, there was not a single second that I was bored or wishing that the pace would pick up. Cari expertly sprinkles these little bits of information at us every few pages that we grab onto greedily and cannot wait to see how they all weave together. It was utterly perfect.
This series has my whole, witchy heart. I loved every single moment of it. It made me feel all the emotions. I was in love one moment, scared for my favourites fate the next and crying the next. It was a definite rollercoaster of emotions and I already just want to dive into it again and experience it all over again. I have no doubt that this series has so many hidden depths that we just won’t know about until we re-read, and I am dying already to do that. The ending of Shadowstitch has me reeling and I cannot wait to get my hands on the third book. I need it like I need air to breathe… but I guess I’ll just distract myself with other books until I can get my greedy little hands on it. If you enjoy witch books an urban fantasy then I highly recommend that you pick up this series. It’s honestly so fantastic… you won’t be disappointed.
“The dead are nothing to fear. They are us. We do not forget our dead like cowans. We live beside them, feast with them, dance with them and love them still, for that is how we keep them alive.”
Where The Scepter was our introduction to Rooke’s backstory, The Sword is our glimpse of our male main character’s backstorThe Sword Review on K-Books
Where The Scepter was our introduction to Rooke’s backstory, The Sword is our glimpse of our male main character’s backstory. Prince Soren, otherwise known as The Savage Prince has been waiting hundreds of years for his mate and he is getting impatient. He needs to meet her and marry her so he can save his people from the rule of his uncle and he cannot wait till the day arrives.
I really liked this novella and it made me really like Soren. I have read some reviews of The Crown of Oaths and Curses and how unlikeable he is in the main book so I am very glad that I read this first, as it’s really given me an insight into his wants and needs for people and his kingdom. I can’t wait to see what happens when he meets Rooke. I’m sure fireworks will fly… and I cannot wait! This was a great insight into his character, and I highly recommend reading this one before you go into the main series.
The Scepter is the first novella in The Mortal Fates series by J Bree. Prior to this I hadn’t read anything by J Bree befThe Scepter Review on K-Books
The Scepter is the first novella in The Mortal Fates series by J Bree. Prior to this I hadn’t read anything by J Bree before as she mainly writes dark, reverse harem books and RH books are just not my jam. However, when I heard that she was writing a fantasy series, I definitely wanted to give it a go. Add that to the fact that she is attending 2 book cons that I am this year, I felt like I definitely needed to read it before I went and I decided to read the two prequel novellas before diving into the first book. I’m so glad I did as I feel like The Scepter really gave me such a great insight into our main character.
The Scepter is set a good 200 years before the events of the first book in the series and it tells the backstory of Rooke as she sets off on her journey to the Seer to find out her fate. I really enjoyed this short story. It’s only about 80-90 pages so it’s a very quick read and it’s super fast paced. I loved learning about who Rooke was as a young girl and her journey with her brother following the tragic end of their coven. There’s not a lot of plot going on but I feel like it really gives you some good character development for our main character. Prior to me reading this novella I was in such a big book slump and despite this only being a novella it definitely got my out of the slump. I definitely recommend reading this before going into the first book of The Mortal Fates series.
Visions of Flesh and Blood is the companion that every From Blood and Ash World fan is going to want to get their hands on. Before I say anything I want to really stress that this is not the next book in the From Blood and Ash series. I know it says this in the blurbs but I still just feel some people may pick this up expecting a continuation and that is not what you are getting here. This is for the lore lovers and the obsessives who just want to be able to get more information about the world and the Gods.
Visions of Flesh and Blood is not a book that you need to sit and read cover to cover. It is a book of mixed media. There is gorgeous artwork (that I can’t wait to see in the physical book as my kindle definitely didn’t do it justice), maps, pronunciation guides, lore on the world and the gods and a lot of character information. Mixed in with all of this are some additional scenes with your favourite characters and some diary entries from Miss Willa herself. I know everyone will go crazy for these new scenes and extra tidbits into our favourite characters. My personal favourite was one that included Tawny as I, personally, am just so curious about here but there’s lots in there and there’s something for everyone. If you’re the type of reader that loves their spicy scenes you are going to LOVE these new scenes. If you’re not a fan of super spicy… you may want to give the Miss Willa scenes a miss… if you know, you know!
I absolutely love that this book exists and I can’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy. I have the worst memory and often need to reread books before the next in the series because I forget everything. If you relate to this, you are going to want to get your hands on this book. It is the perfect reference book, where you can flick through and look up all the previous information you’ve forgotten. I will definitely be using this when I’m reading the next book to recap my memory. This is definitely a must-have for any lover of the series, however, if you have a wonderful memory and don’t feel like you need the recaps and all the extra lore, you would be absolutely fine skipping this one.
I will not be including a star rating on this one, as all of my ratings are based on novels or novellas and I don’t feel like any of them fit for a book like this....more
I have been a huge fan of Wendy Higgins for a long time. I fell head over heels in love with her stories back in tRise of the Melody Review on K-Books
I have been a huge fan of Wendy Higgins for a long time. I fell head over heels in love with her stories back in the early 2010’s with her Sweet Evil series. As a huge YA Fantasy lover, I was so excited to see that she was writing another YA novel. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, and I was super excited to dive in. Rightfully so as well, as this book was absolutely fantastic. I loved every single moment of this book.
Rise of the Melody follows the story of Letty, a young girl who loves to sing. But when her singing teacher has a very strange reaction to her singing one day, lots of secrets start to come out. She is exposed to a whole hidden world of magical creatures. As her and her Aunt go back ‘home’ she discovers more about her history and her role as the last Land Siren. But not it all as it seems and things are more dangerous than she could ever imagine.
I truly loved everything about this book. I love the Scottish and Irish Folklore influences that are expertly woven throughout this book. I loved learning about all of the different creatures of this folklore along with Letty. I think Wendy has done an absolutely amazing job of having the main character not knowing anything about this world, as the reader gets to learn all of this alongside her. I really enjoyed this aspect, and it really made me feel connected to Letty a lot more.
The characters in this book were definitely one of the things that made it so amazing. Whether it was Letty and her discovery of who she is or one of the amazing new magical friends that she makes along the way, there is a whole cast of amazing characters for you to connect to. I loved the friendships that were really vital to this story. Female friendships are so important and to see Letty find her found family in them was just such a joy to read. I really loved it so much.
Rise of the Melody is such a fantastic first book in a series. It is fast paced and action packed, filled with phenomenal characters and a hint of mystery and intrigue. I loved every single second of it, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book in the series. Wendy Higgins is well and truly back and I can’t wait to see what she does next!
NOTE: Spoilers from House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath are present in this review. If you have not finished the previous two books in this series, read on at your own risk!
House of Flame and Shadow has been a highly anticipated release for me for years. I read the second Crescent City book back when it first released, and was so excited to see where Sarah was going with the story next. I was so excited when I finally got this book in my hand. I was not disappointed. This book was amazing. While it wasn’t my favourite book by her (hello Throne of Glass series. Yes, the whole thing), it was such an amazing ride.
House of Flame and Shadow picks up directly where House of Sky and Breath left off, with Bryce disappearing through a portal right into the true world of the fae, our beloved Velaris. Everyone was so excited about the Crescent City and ACOTAR cross over, and I have seen a lot of people left really disappointed about it. I honestly enjoyed it. When I finished CC2 I was really worried as I love the Crescent City series as it’s own thing, and as ACOTAR is Sarah’s most popular series I was worried about it overshadowing the CC plot. I needn’t have worried, the crossover, which lasting for a while, is actually minimal to the plot. We don’t see all that many characters from ACOTAR and I was thrilled that the majority of it was my girl Nesta. Honestly it’s just made me want another Nesta book! I loved it, but I was honestly happy when Bryce went back to Midgard.
I feel like this book did an amazing job of finishing Bryce and Hunt’s story. I loved their journey in this book and it really did them justice. Alongside this we got to see my faves Lidia and Ruhn. Honestly I just need a whole book of them. Lidia was without a doubt my favourite character within this book. She was just absolutely amazing. One thing I think Sarah did very well was that while she was wrapping up all these ends for Bryce and Hunt, she was simultaneously unravelling some for other characters, in what was probably her building up to those characters having their own books. Some I enjoyed more than other. Ithan’s in particular was a struggle for me… mainly because of the idiotic choices he was making.
House of Flame and Shadow was truly a fantastic third instalment in the Crescent City series. I do think it was a good 150/200 pages longer than it needed to be and I started getting a bit bored in the second half, but the ending was phenomenal. This book made me laugh and cry… okay SOB in parts. It was so emotional and beautiful and I can’t wait to see what Sarah gets up to next. If you haven’t picked this one up, what are you waiting for? Go get it now.
“When you spend you entire life in fear of something, it’s hard to let that fear go.”
2024 has been the year of cosy fantasy for me. I am fast discovering this is my favourite genre, so when I found myself in a reading slump, I finally decided to pick up Forged by Magic. It looked ridiculously cute, and the cover kind of reminded me a little bit of Legends and Lattes, which I absolutely loved. I was not disappointed. Forged by Magic was everything I could have wanted in a cosy fantasy. It was so much fun, and definitely got me out of my reading slump.
Forged by Magic follows the story of Daella, an Orc who has been imprisoned by an evil emperor. Using her as his assassin, in order to win her freedom, he sends her off to the peaceful Isles of Fable looking for the ‘evil’ dragons. But Daella finds herself in the wrong town, and staying with the grump Rivelin. As she settles into a more peaceful life, and helping Rivelin to win the summer games, she realises that maybe all she has believed in for years, is not actually accurate.
Honestly this book was everything that I needed at the time of picking it up. When I say I’d been in a reading slump, I mean for months, and everything I picked up was just a bit ‘meh’ for me. I absolutely raced through Forged by Magic. It had been taking me weeks and weeks to get through one book, but the minute I picked this book up, I seriously could not put it down. Every time I was busy I was thinking about when I could pick my kindle up again to see what was going to happen, and I truly haven’t felt like that about a book for months, if at all this year.
I loved everything about this book. I loved that it had a pretty substantial plot. While cosy fantasy is fast becoming my favourite genre, I do find that a lot in this genre rely heavily on the vibes, and there isn’t much of a plot… and that’s fine because that’s the purpose of this genre, but this one equally had a great plot. The evil emperor that you are waiting to make an appearance and shatter the joy and peace of the isles… to the summer games that you can’t wait to see who wins… it was a strong plot and I loved that. This book just feels like me in book form. Someone who just finds joy in the simple things and loves their peace. If this sounds like you, you must read this book!
Forged by Magic was utterly fantastic! I loved every moment of it. I have knocked half a star off my rating, purely because I felt like the ending wrapped up just a little bit too easily and too quickly. I wish it had gone on a little bit longer but honestly this is a contender for my favourite read of the year so far. I absolutely loved every moment and I cannot recommend it more!
One Dark Window is a book that has been on my radar for a while. I received the first book as part of my Fairyloot suOne Dark Window Review on K-Books
One Dark Window is a book that has been on my radar for a while. I received the first book as part of my Fairyloot subscription and it just sat there on the shelf for a while as I didn’t really know much about it. Then I don’t know what happened, but everyone seemed to be reading this duology and loving it. I honestly was going to get rid of it until I saw everyone raving about it, then I decided I should definitely give it a go…. I kind of wish I’d gone with my gut and got rid of it. This book was just not for me.
One Dark Window has a very spooky, gothic romance kind of vibe, which usually would absolutely be my kind of book but I found it really slow paced and boring. Had I not been listening to this one on audio (and the fact it was the choice for my book club), I probably would have DNF’d it. I just can’t put my finger on what I didn’t like, I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t really connect with the characters very much, and I really found myself zoning out quite a lot throughout the first half of the book.
On the positive side, I did really like the last 20-30% of the book. I felt like some of the twists were exciting and the pacing really ramped up. If the rest of the book had pacing like that last part, I probably would have really enjoyed it, but as it was… I was just really disengaged and bored with it. I won’t be going into the second book as I just didn’t enjoy this one enough to continue. I know this one has a huge fanbase, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.
Isabel Ibañez is an author who has been on my radar for a while. I remember getting one of her other books in my Fairyloot boxes a few years back, but I never picked it up. However, when I received What The River Knows I was too intrigued not to try this one. This book is dubbed as Indiana Jones meets The Mummy and well… The Mummy is my favourite movie of all time, so how could I not want to read this one?
What The River Knows is just utterly magical. From the very first page I was sucked into this phenomenal mystery and adventure set between Argentina, where our main character Ibanez resides at the start of the book, and Egypt. I have always been a huge lover of fantasy books set in non-Western countries and cultures so immediately I absolutely loved this setting. I loved our main character, Inez, from the very start. She is absolutely hilarious and when men tell her to do one thing, you can guarantee she is going to do the very opposite. I loved her for that.
I absolutely adored just about everything about this book. I loved the mystery that kept you guessing of what has actually happened to her parents, and you just don’t want to put the book down until you find out. I loved this, as it’s quite rare to find this sort of mystery in a fantasy book. I will say that is definitely light fantasy. If you’re picking this up in the hope that you’re going to get lots of magic goings on, then you’re not going to find it in this book. There’s a touch of magical elements, but honestly that’s all you needed. It fit the whole history of Egypt, and honestly you don’t need more than that in this phenomenal book.
Now, the romance. There is a lightest touch of a romance going on. It is definitely not the main focus of this book and I adored that. I am the sort of reader who doesn’t really need romance, I’m a plot girl through and through so the fact that this is more plot focused was a definitely positive for me. But fear not… there IS some romance. But it is a super slow burn… and it was perfection. I loved Inez and Whit’s budding romance and their rivals/frenemy status throughout this book. It was just hilarious and definitely added that touch of comedy that you need when discussing harder hitting topics.
What The River Knows was utter perfection for me. I personally think the vibes run more towards Indiana Jones type stories than The Mummy but either way I adored it. This is the first book in a long while that I just wanted to start all over again the minute I finished it. I’m a re-reader but very rarely will I want to re-read a book that quickly. So that speaks volumes over how much I loved this book. I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2. If you want a YA Fantasy to take over your whole life and personality, this is it! Go read it now!
The Deathless Series fast became a favourite YA Fantasy series of mine when I read book 1 a few years ago. I absolutThe Eternal Ones Review on K-Books
The Deathless Series fast became a favourite YA Fantasy series of mine when I read book 1 a few years ago. I absolutely loved this rich fantasy world full of lies and deception and I absolutely zoomed through the first two books. Due to this, there were no words for how excited I was to get an ARC of the final book in this series. I was so excited to dive in and to see how it all ended for Deka and her friends. Honestly, I was a little bit disappointed in this one. I don’t know whether it was because of the mood I was in at the time of reading, but I found the pacing of this one really slow and I kept losing interest.
I am so sad that I didn’t love this one just as much as the first two books. I completely accept that there were lots of things to put into place before we could have the big fight but honestly, it took far too long to get there for me. We have really been building up to this big war between Deka and the Gilded Ones for three books and I was so excited to see this big epic battle in this book. The fact that it still hadn’t started by the time I got 70% through this book was a big disappointment to me. We took far too long building up to it and it felt really anticlimactic to me.
I did really enjoy the characters in this series. One of my favourite parts of this series is the abundance of fantastic characters. I loved each and every one of them and to see them get their ending was so satisfying. I am really glad I picked up The Eternal Ones and this does still remain a great series and one I would definitely re-read. At the time of reading this book, I had been reading a lot of fantasy books so a part of me feels like maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind to read it, and feeling a little book slumpy. I will probably re-read this one at a different time to see if my feelings change towards it in the future, but as of now, I was a little bit disappointed.
The minute I finished reading Divine Rivals, I couldn’t help but dive straight into Ruthless Vows. I am so glad I waiteRuthless Vows Review on K-Books
The minute I finished reading Divine Rivals, I couldn’t help but dive straight into Ruthless Vows. I am so glad I waited to read Divine Rivals when the sequel was released as I was just dying to find out what happened to Iris and Roman after that cliffhanger ending. Yes, you read right… a book I actually DO consider a cliffhanger. I never usually binge read series, not even duologies as usually I have had enough of a world/series just with the one book and need a break, so the fact that I dove straight into Ruthless Vows really does show how incredible this series is.
Ruthless Vows picks up right where Divine Rivals left off, with Iris and Roman separated, and with Roman having no memory of his life before Dacre saved him. I know that this sort of storyline was a cause for concern for some readers as they have the separation and memory loss kind of tropes but let me tell you… this is how you do a memory loss trope RIGHT! I actually loved that Roman lost his memory because we kind of got to see him falling in love with Iris all over again and it was so sweet and adorable and I loved every moment of it!
In my review of Divine Rivals, I said one of the things that I loved most was that it didn’t focus on the ins and outs of the Gods but more the impact of the war on the families and communities of the human soldiers. Ruthless Vows is where we get to see more of a direct view of the war and the Gods. And honestly, I really enjoyed that. I really enjoyed getting to see Dacre and Enva and their motivations. It was a different take from the first book but I really love that throughout the duology we get to see both sides of this.
Ruthless Vows is without a doubt one of the most emotional books I have ever read. I can’t lie, I absolutely sobbed! I was utterly heartbroken at parts and it has been a while since I cried that hard at a book. Initially I was deciding whether to rate this one 4.5 or 5 stars, as while I loved it, I definitely loved Divine Rivals that little bit more. But when I get this strong an emotional reaction to a book, I can’t really give it anything but 5 stars. Ruthless Vows was just… phenomenal in every way.
This book has once again cemented Rebecca Ross as a potential new favourite author. I just flew through this entire duology and it is one of my all time favourite duologies. I am definitely going to be working my way through her backlist in the coming months as I am just utterly obsessed with her. If you loved Divine Rivals, you will absolutely obsess over this one too. It’s a definite must-read!
Kayleigh {K-Books}
>
Books:
Read
(1158)
Loading...
