“Except I kept a hundred of his dark secrets, and he kept only one of mine.”
“I know that voice like I know my own soul.”
“On land, you k3.5-4 star
“Except I kept a hundred of his dark secrets, and he kept only one of mine.”
“I know that voice like I know my own soul.”
“On land, you know your destination precisely, and the route you’ll take to get there. But a journey at sea is ever-changing, unpredictable. You can chart your course, but as I know from painful experience, anything can happen along the way.”
“His voice is low by my ear. “You haven’t ever handled anything that long and thick, have you?”“What?” I gasp, blinking through the rain. “I—I don’t—oh, you mean the rope.”“What else would I mean?”I shrug, my face burning. I’m glad for the cooling effect of the rain.“You can learn to handle it,” he says. “With practice. You have to be willing to stretch yourself, to expand. To try new things.”
“He goes very still, solid as a stone. “How perfectly convenient,” he says evenly. “Because I liked the simple cabin boy Nick, and the runaway girl with the stunning green eyes—but this coquettish minx, with her sly ways and bloody magic—I don’t want her.”
“shield against the surprise and hurt in his eyes. He’s a pirate, damn it. Rejection isn’t supposed to bother him. He’s not supposed to look at me like a puppy I just kicked. Not that I’ve ever kicked a puppy”
“He’s going to dump me over the side. He’s lifting me, ready to heave me overboard—And then he stops.Barely breathing, stomach coiling in knots, I look up at him. But he’s not looking at my face; he’s looking at my feet.” “The captain’s boots,” he says slowly. “You put them on.”“What’s that?” the pirate captain asks.“I told this boy to take off the merchant captain’s fine boots. And he did. See? He put them on himself.”The pirate captain stares at me, a waifish scrap of freckles and blood and rags, with my very fine black boots sticking up over Locke’s arm.The pirate crew and the merchant sailors fall quiet, watching us.And then the captain throws back his head and laughs. “A young thief with spirit!” he says. “Steal from the rich and give to the poor—which is ourselves, am I right, lads?” The pirates voice a guttural roar.” (hide spoiler)]...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
wow wow WOW. I was getting heart eyes in the first book and I got my forehead kissed in this one. **I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
wow wow WOW. I was getting heart eyes in the first book and I got my forehead kissed in this one.
The sequel quickly picks up on the aftermath of a great battle, a great loss, and our great heroine Arwen just burning everything in her sight like a little psycho. I mean as Kane would say....
"A breathtaking, violent goddess of fury"
꧁The Characters꧂
Arwen is back with her sassy attitude, tragic backstory and healing abilities but the secrets of her fate and lineage are slowly being uncovered and having even bigger ramifications than we first thought. But I gotta be honest, why was babygirl literally so depressed??! bahaha I'm not kidding, she went through a depressive spiral then a little crazy yolo energy spike then another crash and burn! It was hilarious to read until it wasn't…
"And even if there was a chance of my survival - even I could let myself believe in such a thing - I didn't particularly want the life that would stretch before me."
The girl was almost doing handstands through the stages of grief. Everything from her perspective felt frightened, emotions heightened and the general angst added a level of urgency to our looming battle ahead so you kept turning pages wondering how on earth they were going to pull this off...this being Kane's shirt
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Kane our love interest, oh what to say about this cinnamon roll who looks like he can kill you. For a sequel, I wanted to develop upon all we learned in first book and finally get some deeper insights into his character, to really understand the core who is Kane? My conclusion: A sarcastic little shit
"I was in love with her. And it was a fucking nightmare."
I was literally cracking like a manic while reading his point of view. Kane made some very comedic moments and had hilarious commentary because he just wants to save the world dammit! Like when some prick tries to tag along on his quest when he wants time alone with his healer,
"The king and queen have requested I join you on the expedition for the Blade of the Sun." "Sorry. Team's all full. Better luck next time." There was no world, no reality, where I brought this imbecile along with us so he could insult me and ogle Arwen for the next few days."
He really is trying his best to save the world despite the odds going increasingly against him with every passing moment.
"Is there anything else you can tell us about the blade? About where it is in (view spoiler)[ Onyx (hide spoiler)]? About our battle with (view spoiler)[ Lazarus (hide spoiler)]?" "You must defeat him. You are the only hope either realm has." "Yes." I gritted my teeth. "That I know."
I honestly have a love-hate relationship with his character because Kane is a redeeming grey character whose personality is sometimes written younger than his age is supposed to be. Like his backstory and abilities are dark and his morality is questionable but his point of view and actual actions are more .. angsty? borderline stupid ?? to the point of cuteness in the romance !!
"I should have apologized for my outburst after seeing her with (view spoiler)[ Fedrik. (hide spoiler)]. But I compelled myself to enter the guest room and close the door before I did something idiotic instead like kiss her. Or ask her to marry me"
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But he do be dumb tho. Like I was honestly so disappointed by some nonstrategic moments that left me wondering how he had handled court life and politics before. To say that you don't have time to care who is sleeping with who?? When its someone you don't trust?? THAT IS IMPORTANT! Within our group of characters that I adore, we are missing some people-person's intelligence factors. Like we needed a spymaster or empath or mindreader. SOMEONE who considers the importance of alliances and politics ON TOP OF the actual armies and fighting here.
One thing that really impressed me was how developed the Secondary Characters were in this novel. And honestly, there was so many of them! I had to start highlighting their names to try and remember who was an ally, an enemy, or a relative
Mari the obligatory book best friend continues to develop her own plotline that aligns very closely with our heroine's. Mari is headstrong, and will always do what it takes for knowledge, just a classic Eldest Daughter perfectionism vibes. She's as flawed as Arwan but in different ways so we almost have less patience with her as readers.
Fedrik a Prince of a supposed ally country that was a hilarious addition to the group for his sassy comments but I'm calling Judas right now!
"Despite your clear lack of morals and piss-poor personality, you and I actually want the same thing."
Acorn the pet Strix which is a dangerous thing and i hope comes back for some cute dog dad scenes
Leigh the little sister, an artist, and pissed off that Arwen isn't able to fix everything and make it better so she is rude to her. This character was a perfect accumulation of naivety and innocence that is like nails down a chalkboard, and there was a whole sister fight that was honestly relatable.
Vaughn is my personal priority, we need to find him alive
Dagan The grouchy old man who is human is back and kinda has some -enlightenment Buddha- vibes here.
"Dagan considered me, curiosity and maybe... sympathy in his eyes. Then, as if a light had gone off inside hsi mind, he drew in a breath that lifted his brows. "What?" I asked, more edge creeping into my voice than I intended. "You've given up." And with that, he stood, returned his swords to his back, and began to walk away."
Then there's also the seer, the seer's daughter Esme, the seer's daughter's daughter I don't remember her name but she's important too!
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And (view spoiler)[ Halden (hide spoiler)] the bad boiii, that is honestly just fun to hate on! He is so pathetic you almost feel bad for him but he's like a parasite you cant stop from sucking the blood off whenever he near so you gotta STaMP TAHT SHIT
Griffin has grown into literally everything I want from a secondary character especially one who is wingman to our love interest! He has his own OPINION and backstory that is often used IN CONFLICT with our heroine because it forces Arwan to stand up for herself and move the plot forward.
In this book, Griffin's character truly develops into the small details of a character that i love like how he lost his parents in the rebellion and feels guilty and can't suffer anymore losses so he's afraid to LOVE and it is so tragic and I EAT THAT SHIT UP!
"Griffin, tramped onto the beach, deliberate as always, though his eyes beheld a subtle brightness. He had gone from a glorified babysitter stuck in a foreign city without his friend or his woman to a man on an ADVENTURE with the only people in his world he even remotely liked. I would call this version of Grffin almost gleeful"
I swear to god I will be LIIVIDDD if anything happens to this man
I absolutely loved the foreshadowing of important characters and objects at other kingdoms because it makes perfect sense to keep track of people's abilities and makes me excited to see what future interactions we'll save.
The little amulet from the first book becomes a huge important artifact in this book. That lightbulb moment when a small item from the first book provides the needed backstory for our characters to move forward! It's creative as hell and becomes a huge plot development for our characters and meeting a new one that I loved seeing this item come full circle... GO AROUND AGAIN! My theories for the next book? (view spoiler)[ Aleksander Hale(hide spoiler)] I am legit intrigued by a particularly savage race of Fae called Hemolich.
I can't wait to meet the White Crow! be careful what you let him do to you, he isn't right in the mind
I was totally onto it with Drake Alcott when Ryder talked about him being a most brilliant thief to ever live and I know that's going to be important later
꧁World Building꧂ The concept of Sacred Stones is definitely unique where each stone is a kingdom and makes you want to picture the beauty of Pearl Kingdom and its libraries. This book definitely allows our heroine to travel to all the places Arwen's never read about...because the chick legit knows nothing! This worked well to have the differences explained to us as readers because she was so unsure about the world she was now fighting to save
Crag's Hollow the cutest little gloomy coastal town over an ancient glacial lake, the dark water of Lake Stygian Hemlock Isle serves as the largest and most treacherous prison in all of Evendell Siren's Bay Amber was the most devout kingdom with temples, priests Pearl Kingdom From the subtle comments about its huge libraries full of seer's words, their scholars and priests. The author made me picture it and want to go there in this book... *ekk i really really hope we do soon!*
I absolutely love it when I can picture the places with my characters, and them engaging with the environment just adds to the danger of the bookish world on TOP of the whole war thing going on.
But I am still trying to understand the mythology of it all. . There are Fae, Witches are now rare, Pirates, Onxy and Peridot solders, Gareth's army, Faerie lighte that can be DRAINED oh that's gonna be a whole thing probably!!, Fae Gods.
꧁The Plot꧂
While the first book had a very strong plot of learning our abilities and using them against the hot king, this one struggled a little with the sequel slump because Arwen was honestly in denial. Depression. And mostly trying to process the knowledge from the first book and figure out how exactly we gonna do it. I'm not totally impressed by the military strategy here or long term thinking of our characters because it all seems pretty much like a slow train crash right now.
꧁Writing Style꧂
I absolutely loved that the the author labeled our chapter's point of view change (it's a small detail you don't appreciate UNTIL ITS GONE!) but I could also FEEL the perspective change!
Arwen had more sass and the phrase "big ugly tears" was the most relatable thing I've ever read
Whereas Kane has been fighting this battle for a long time and fear is BACK in his life from his desire to protect and the author's writing of the tension was perfectly built up
"Fear - true and genine fear hammered through my heart. "I think..." I could feel what Arwen felt. Could feel her being tethered to something, my back, mirroring hers, bound to some kind of pole. "I think someone has her." My voice was hoarse."
I SCREAMED!! The perspective switching kept me hooked and engaged where I was almost mad at Kate Golden for cutting me off in the middle of a great scene but the wait made it even better...
But now I must address my biggest critique of the first book...'reading blueballs'
Oh it's real. And it really AINT in this sequel!
"How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?"
THAT LINE ALONG MADE ME BLUSH AND THIS BOOK WAS SPICEY YALL! This book definitely moved the series to New Adult with the amount of cursing elevated and sensual scenes were just as good
"And I almost fucked her - her first time, too - in some nondescript Azurine alleyway. Fucking deplorable."
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I was honestly very shocked by the ending, it was a total cliffhanger so be aware of that going in! But I also just had not seen it coming with that bad guy trope being used in this series!! and I have no idea how to feel about it. On one hand I love having a flat-out bad guy with a clear motive... but I just hadn't really seen that veer off coming. so. trigger warning might be necessary for next book?
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book because of the dynamic characters with unique personalities and powers that are both fighting to save what's important to them ... only to discover it's each other. ekkkkkk come on that's just cute! But this book felt incredibly slow with fewer direct battles and confrontations. It was mostly our characters processing the ramifications of the first and our characters trying to game plan how to move forward... so give me book 3 I AM READY! I love the build-up that the author has woven towards confronting our bad guy and trying to rally out characters to greatness but felt unsatisfied by this book's progress... even if i was much more satisifed by the SPICE LEVEL RISING !!...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
I gotta confess guys, it has been A MINUTE since I read something not pure smut and a new author w**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
I gotta confess guys, it has been A MINUTE since I read something not pure smut and a new author worthy of 4 stars.
“We can’t just kill people whenever we feel like it, Kane.” Griffin shook his head “No, now we absolutely have to kill them.”
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But this one? Had me WHEEZING, CRYING, LAUGHING, HEARTTHROBBING! Featuring a unique world, hilarious character dynamics, and who doesn’t adore the grumpy x sunshine trope??
So lets get into it.
Our MC Arwen pulls a whole bullshit martyr-move for her family, only to get pulled into the very war she was trying to run away from… and of course she has a larger part to play. If only there was a hot a$$hole raven king to annoy, i mean help her!
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Kane Ravenwood. Kane motherfreaking Ravenwood. How to describe this hothead manipulative powerful man with a good sense of humor and a killer crooked grin?
“What do you want? I have a patient to tend to.” I hoped my breathy voice might be a credited to shock. “You’ve been avoiding me.” I swore steam was curling out of my ears “Could you be any more self obsessed? This man is dying.”
Every chapter had me begging for a dual perspective or even a glimpse into his secret filled mind. He would go from flirting bastard to mysterious prick and I frankly did not get enough of him. On the Punnet square, I think he is -looks like he can kill you, is a cinnamon roll-.
And sure, there were other well-developed characters from Mari sassy BFF with her own storyline. As the obligatory BFF I often have a low patience with book friendships, but Mari was a headstrong, thirsty for knowledge kinda gal who would push and encourage our heroine to make dangerous decisions!
“So you want me to ask him for it? “No! Holy stones, Arwen, of course not. He’d never give that to you to to me” I heaved a sigh of relief “I want to steal it from his study”
Bahahah these girls are nuts !!
Commander Griffin who constantly gives MC shit, he was the typical quiet general loyal to a fault. “I have no military training. I’m not nobility and I’ve only seen two maps of our contingent in my entire life” Besides me, Griffin places his head in his hands. Kane stifled a laugh.”
Dagan grouchy old man, and a mysterious Lady Kleio who I think will return in sequel with larger part.
BUT WHERE, FOR THE LOVE OF BOOkTOK, WAS THE SMUT ?!?!
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Im not kidding, 3/4 of this book was banter
“I love to listen to you explain medicinal practices” he purred “And I’d love to listen to you fall off a cliff” He visible shook suppressing a laugh.”
flirting
“Firstly you may call me Kane. King Ravenwood is a little formal from someone I’ve made blush as many times as you.”
And the last was just a bit of sexual tension
“I was furious with the man. So so furious. But I also wanted to lick his neck. It was complicated.”
See what I mean? The chemistry was perfect but reading blueballs is real.
Overall, Kate Golden did a great job of building such a complex world in this series with intricate relationships spanning back CENTURIES of character development. This first book really just set up the heroine for an epic story. She went from just trying to survive her immediate issue to taking charge of the MAJOR plot that the series will be focused on.
Thats just some good god@mn writing.
The heroine was my kind of sassy and learned to defend herself. Seriously, any book where the MC is relucant to learn to fight/develop powers/ be a Nesta IS THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE.
Looking ahead, I have some definite expectations for the sequel. I especially hope the author carefully works to differentiate the cultures and buildup of each court, so that they aren’t all basically the same with just a different gem color scheme *cough pathetic don't do it*
꧁Favorite quotes꧂
“I gained on Kane with ease and saw a look of shock register on his face. It was delicious”
***
“I closed my eyes. I did not have the mental energy for this man right now”
***
“Fair point, bird. Prisons not the ideal result of adventure, I’ll give you that.”
***
“In an instant, fear melted into relief which gave way to confusion.”
***
“I wish whatever attacked you in the woods had succeeded.” Eyes laced with deadly power gazed back at me. “No you do not.”...more
“I’d been born to fulfill a promise to the fae king.”
***
“The room was…fine, if you were someone who enjoyed the soulless eyes of dead animals watc “I’d been born to fulfill a promise to the fae king.”
***
“The room was…fine, if you were someone who enjoyed the soulless eyes of dead animals watching your every movement. It seemed someone—likely the king—had a penchant for hunting.”
***
“What makes you so sure I’d try something stupid?” “I’ve spent more than five minutes in your presence,” he threw over his shoulder. “That was enough.”
***
“Don’t worry,” he said in a low growl. “It would have to kill me before I would let it take you from me.”
***
“Nothing,” Nellie answered for me, her voice thick with dread. “He did nothing, Val.” Val’s brows pinched together. “That makes no fucking sense.”
***
“Well.” A pause. “No. The mists are dangerous. You wouldn’t survive out there alone.” A bitter laugh popped from my throat. “That is exactly what Oberon said to keep us in line.” Toryn fell silent. Clearly, he couldn’t come up with a good argument. Because there wasn’t one.”
***
“This is annoying,” I said to them. “Don’t you want to go help them?” No answer, but what did I expect? They were horses.”
“I huff at him and throw my hands in the air. “I’ve done nothing wrong. Nothing, even when I really freaking wanted to. So if that asshole comes out w“I huff at him and throw my hands in the air. “I’ve done nothing wrong. Nothing, even when I really freaking wanted to. So if that asshole comes out with a bad attitude, you can tell him to shove it so far up his ass that he chokes on it!”...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
If you adore Rhysand, then read this book. If you fancy the Bargainer series, then read this book. **I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
If you adore Rhysand, then read this book. If you fancy the Bargainer series, then read this book. If you revel in Zodiac Academy, then you already bought this book.... good girl [image][image]
This book is unapologetically dark romance fae trash… So let’s get into it
꧁The Characters꧂ Meet Estrella. She's conscientious. She's protective. And she's angry at how life has constantly given her the short end
same girl
"I was so f*cking tired of being a victim. Of being treated like I was less than the men around me, because they had a piece of meat swinging between their legs."
Her martyrism for her family endeared me to her but also made me side eye and snitch phrases like "Mary Sue" at the beginning.....
Then the author quickly cranked that sh*t up to 100. [image]
This book is exactly what I'm looking for when I just want a quick easy hot alpha paired up with an equally violent and sassy heroine. Estrella's development into a violent and defiant POV was constantly entertaining, full of raw emotions. She just so angry and vulnerable about her reality.
Everyone kept fighting her. So she started fighting back muhaha
"You're a vicious one, aren't you?" he asked, running his tongue over the top of his perfect bottom teeth. "Only when it comes to pushy men who seem to think they have the right to touch me," I snapped, leaning further into the knife against his throat."
Enter our potential love interest, Caelum.
The world-building, unique plot, and antihero love interest all hooked me right away. He is a total morally grey character that embraces his monster tendencies in the most wickedly delicious ways.
“I would burn the world to the ground and lay it at your feet if you so much as asked it of me"
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I have reread every scene with Caelum. From the sassy banter...
"I wish I was a hydra," I teased. "Then I could just swallow you whole and not have to endure your endless hovering anymore." "My star, you can swallow me whole anytime you --" I smacked him in the stomach
To the sexy sexy fun times
"These lips were made to moan my name."
꧁The Writing Style꧂ Short and shocking which worked very well with Estrella’s POV of everything being new and dangerous that I was immediately immersed into this book world
"Sudden awareness burst through my contentment, the impression of someone banging on the other side of a doorway, though there was none to be found."
And now the critiques…
Im going to list its flaws with the astrix of *i saw the shortcomings and literally did not give a sh*t.
✨Cliche✨ This is a dark fae romance book. It will contain every fae alphahole trope from jealous motherf*cka to i will protect you even from yourself. Either ya like it or ya dont. ✨Human✨ The heroine is painfully human so she makes lots of stupid decisions and is the last f*cking person to realize anything. ✨Basic✨ There is no subtle foreshadowing. We allllll know whats coming but we still have to GET there.
Looking back, this book really felt more like a prequel than a main event. There was so much set up and predictions. Family secrets (view spoiler)[ what the actual frick was her brother doing (hide spoiler)]. Identity foreshadowing (view spoiler)[ shadow fae have public mating mentioned in mythology stories earlier (hide spoiler)]. Secrecy (view spoiler)[ Caelum pretending to be human to infiltrate the rebellion (hide spoiler)].
I mean those are all really great plot points!! But we never get anywhere with them in this first book :(
This first book really just set up the heroine. First introduced to the fae world to work on the immediate issue THEN later build-up to the MAJOR plot that the series will be focused on.
Overall, I simply adored this book despite critiques.
The heroine is my kind of sassy and capable that I can't wait to get more of. Each obstacle pushed her, forced her to confront her weaknesses then she REFUSED to let that weakness stop her [image]
For the first of a series, it set up the world that I cannot WAIT to see where it’s going, and how the author might add some more twists and turns. The love interest was flawed, driven, and I wanted to slap then kiss him at the same time.
"If you can hit me, you can hit anyone," he said, stabbing toward me with a quick jab. I bent backward to avoid it striking me in the chest. "And I will very much enjoy watching you cut down enemies at my side one day."
Looking ahead, I have some definite expectations for the sequel. I especially hope the author carefully works to differentiate the cultures and buildup of each fae court, so that they aren’t all basically the same with just a different color scheme *cough pathetic don't do it*
While the beginning had some basic YA vibes with the setup, it quickly developed into an engaging NA with more sexy, more intriguing, more b*tching characters. For me, how the sequel is developed will decide whether this was a one and done, or a Rhysand-sneaky plotting-human standing up for herself- kind of series.
For real tho, anyone who reads this book pleaseee message me so I have someone to rave about it with!! [image]...more
“Figured that Underhill identified as female, the fickle bitch”
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“As soon as you hear the horn, run. That horn doesn’t only unleash you, it unlea “Figured that Underhill identified as female, the fickle bitch”
***
“As soon as you hear the horn, run. That horn doesn’t only unleash you, it unleashes Underhill’s beasties on your heels. Beasties was a polite and totally inaccurate way of putting— “Monster on the left,” Rowan hollered.”
***
“Hyacinth drew herself up taller. “What’s good for her is having me around. Just try to separate us. Just try. You’ll see who she sides with. You may have a dick, but I can cook. Dicks go limp over time; good cooking is forever.”
***
“The fae were far more dangerous than we let on. Especially when we believed we had no other way out but to fight. A truth which I was about to learn all the way to my core.”
***
“A guard crouched by my feet and unlocked my shackles. Behind him, Bres winced, probably predicting what was about to happen. Yeah, I was pissed and this guy just became a volunteer. I snapped the base of my heel straight into the guard’s face, enjoying the thick crunch of his nose. Blood sprayed through the cabin, and I regarded Bres in the wake. “Got that out of your system?” he asked.”
***
“His eyes searched my face as if he were looking for the answer on my forehead, typed neatly in size 12 Times New Roman. ”
***
“What’ve we got?” one of the baggage handlers hollered. The voice of the man clambering into the hold echoed. “More weird fae shit.” “Glitter?”
***
“The giant placed a hand over his heart in an old fae custom I’d rarely seen in my lifetime.”
***
“You’ve arrived at the first tier! Have a fae-tastic day!” the automated trolley recording announced. Lugh’s left nut. That better not be the last thing I ever heard.”
*** Oh “Drake cleared his throat, drawing my eyes back to him. “This here’s the new guy, forgot to tell you about him. Goes by Lan.” Sure he did. Sure he fucking well did. Bastard. I pulled myself together with some difficulty. “I know him, Drake, though I’m surprised to see him here.” I paused and handed out the tarts. They were cold, but damn, Cinth’s cooking held up”
***
“I know you are awake, Kallik,” Bres said. I opened my eyes to stare into his face. “Your king wishes to speak with you. You should not have run,” he told me” I glared. “Knee-jerk reaction to people hunting me down, what can I say. It’s nothing personal.” He grunted”
*** “My lady this. My lady that. One word from the king, and suddenly I was everyone’s best friend.”...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review#Booksirens**
Best way to describe is just a fun magic mystery mercenary series. I loved the varie**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review#Booksirens**
Best way to describe is just a fun magic mystery mercenary series. I loved the variety of characters, I loved the bisexual representation, and while a lili predictable I enjoyed the ridiculousness of the plot. But .... some of the writing styles choices just kinda failed for me
Meet our local bisexual necromancer, Seraphina Mason
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She not exactly the brightest of the bunch but she fights through any problem, learns to use her powers, and will absolutely make the more reckless decision if it saves more people
“Shit. So, this is how it ended. With my hunting ineptitude. Made sense. Ideally not great, but it tracked.”
Her sassy attitude took dark pleasure from bad things happening to people that annoyed her. The reveal of her abilities as a necromancer leads the audience to believe that she hasn't developed her powers to their full capacity as she thought
Secondary Characters had a great variety of people that stayed pretty one-dimensional and left me wanting more interactions with
“Devyn Shaw—the best damn vampire hunter in the 716—is your woman. She also happens to be my ex.”
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LIKE WHAT??! THAT'S ALL YOU GONNA TELL US?
Nathaniel Caligari, a local vampire
Rhys: "one of the city’s forensic pathologists and longtime innocent bystander to my paranormal bullshit”
and the sister Elliesigghhhhh
I really struggled with this chick— the sisterly dynamic felt like two strangers in the same house who shared food. I saw her as removed and distant to Sera, the sister who is sacrificing everything for her while Ellie was just off doing her own thing which was ... what now??
The place where this book sorta struggles to me and the reason it doesn’t quite compare to the other great paranormal detectives like Kate Daniels or Nevada Baylor or Toby Daye is the lack of character relations and dynamics.
The sisterhood of Ellie and Sera is cute but surface deep. The romance of her and Nate is fun but hasn’t really gotten sexy or swoon-worthy. The rest of the characters are interesting with some great pop-up scenes like with Dev appearing for one battle scene and a witty line… but I literally couldn't describe any of their personalities to you just differed them by name and job title.
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Worldbuilding this is an urban fantasy with magic normalized in our group of characters. It felt like we kept hearing about the major power players in the world but never really interacted with any groups.... why. it was mostly Sera directly explaining it to us. also why.
“For the sake of clarity, I think I should backtrack a little. The politics between hunters and vampires are complicated."
There are a ton of vampires !
But we don't know how the organized, whether its bunch of leaders of their own groups or one central
There are witches and warlocks !
But we don't meet any or know anything else about them
There are also vampire hunters or something...
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do you see a fucking pattern there?
The Plot
I wanted the adventure to be more incorporated throughout the book but it was pretty limited to the end fight scene. I mean, it took till over half the book for our characters to even come up with a plan! to actually investigate the murders and cult! bruh.
It felt like the build-up of learning the world was explained to us and took up the majority of the book !! which sadly left the actual plot and characters actually taking initiative on the actions to be the last 100 pages.
Perhaps because this is the beginning of a series-type book with a large amount of world-building and explanation that kinda turned me off.
But it was also the writing style and choices made. I mean it felt passive with Sera directly explaining sooo much to me as the reader. Like why didn't the author try to use interactions with characters and dialogue to give us that information? The main character's own background with the sister felt more reminiscent of friends who could ignore each other than a big sister sacrificing everything to a little sister that just left her. like what the actual fuck.
I recommend if you just wanna try a fun mystery and vampires because this book clearly ticks all those essentials. But you really gotta make an effort to connect to the characters so it's more about the mystery and power buildup happening with Sera instead of focusing on the characters themselves...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
Apparently this book is meant to be read as a sequel...oops... only my stubbornness made me see it**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
Apparently this book is meant to be read as a sequel...oops... only my stubbornness made me see it through… But now i gotta go back& figure out who the hell everyone is
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Jordan Sanders a biologist and a leader of a team that studies magical animals
In other words…
Mot social. No touchy touchy. She kinda like the awkward duckling that just trying to get her work done but gets pulled into a whole lotta political crazy that she isnt *quite* equipped to handle
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For a mystery magic book, this was weirdly long (prolonging the badass magical elements I wanted) and world-building got alotta attention
꧁ Worldbuilding ꧂ This is an urban type fantasy with magic normalized in our group of characters. I love the concept of Ancestoral magic and this was a pretty unique take on how that influences the rest of the worlds dynamics of resources and power.
꧁ Writing style ꧂ The writer focused more on the details and worldbuilding more than action, which was likely done to develop the characters but left me wanting more danger. Certain writing choices of the inner monologues were a little disorientating in what was actually happening in the plot. Some moments were drawn out and you were like. Why. But later revelations made some details make wayyy more sense
Overall, this was a fun book with the science nerd doing her best that was made the mystery all the more enteraining with the life chaos surrounding these characters as they struggle. While the beginning was a little basic recipe, all the twists and turns worked to elevate this whole book and really explore this elaborate bookish world....more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
I am actually embarrassed by how much I underestimated this book. I. Was. Wrong!
Within this one DE**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
I am actually embarrassed by how much I underestimated this book. I. Was. Wrong!
Within this one DEBUT book, the author creates 3 brilliantly beautiful plot developments of Human tier, Magic tier, and Gods tier.
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Human Tier— this book was some basic YA beginning. Formulaic High school cliche girl discovering powers from defending herself and, of course, random hot guys showing up to help
Kary our MC starts as a pretty basic lili dumb birthday girl. But this book isn't about Kary the human
My favorite part of this book: Kary's life as a goddess wasn't just a random backstory to give reasons for her powers. I friggen adored all the insights into her past lives and how those past actions influence our problems now
Random memories of previous reincarnations *illuminate* the kind of goddess that Kary use to be…. And its friggen teRrIfYiNg
“There was power in names and knowing hers could change who she was in an instant.”
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Magic Tier— this is where things really start to get interesting !!
Chaotic realm full of magical creatures, Olympians, oracles, world-altering decisions and heart pounding battles. And the ongoing mystery of figuring out who is which goddess: Kary, Lorelei, Caroline, and Serena.
spoiler... not all the goddess were exactly good in their past lives lmao
The action, humor, danger, and sisterly bonding kept this YA fantasy novel from being basic
I was cackling while reading the sisters badass dynamic — some classic sisterly fights of stealing clothes, sneaking off, and keeping secrets....wait what... GODDAMN IT LORELEI
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Some of secondary character included Ryan, Sebastian, Seth, Regor, Aaron each with their own past experiences with the goddesses throughout their lifetimes
“You’re ridiculous.” He pinched his nose. “What am I saying.” He was talking to himself now, muttering under his breath. “You’ve always been ridiculous.” “Hey —” Kary began to protest.”
And then. We finally get to
the God Tier. —
This aint just some random mythology added mad-lips style. I talkin' friggen Top Tier character reveals, plot twists, and foreshadowing FROM THE FIFTH CHAPTER HAVING hUgE RAMIFICATIONS !!
The book built-upon the already entertaining plot and identity discovery to have even bigger consequences than we thought !
For all intents and purposes
Think: — (view spoiler)[
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(hide spoiler)] being reincarnated over into several centuries, cultures, wars.
Only to be separated. And become harbingers of doom.
And then we find out that the whole time the (view spoiler)[twins WERE being born in the same lifetimes, BUT those fuckers would KILL OnE oF ThEm SO THEN ONLY ONE COULD EXIST IN WORLD AT A TIME (hide spoiler)]
And ThEn WE REALIZE THAT (view spoiler)[ AEDAN'S HUMAN CHARACTER HAS ALREADY APPEARED IN THE BOOK AND WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS HIM
These twists and developments just completely elevated this entire book to be really amazing to read and the mythology just so brilliant foreshadowed
I was worried that because this is a YA novel, our MC would act like a typical YA heroine circa 15 years old. This is a goddess who has lived for thousands of years so obviously, she needs to have the maturity to go with that. And Kary quickly embraced her inner powerful goddess that is definitely a morally grey badass muhaha
I’ve read a lot of reincarnation books. And mythology books. And young girls finding out powers books. And this book incorporated all those elements pretty great with interesting characters and learning more about the goddesses being reincarnated into different cultures-- being Greek Gods then Egyptian, etc WAS JUST SO FRIGGEN COOL
Now the critiques *sniffle sniffle*
My god, that was beginning was basic and almost kinda painful to read through.
It was just a basic cutesy start that honestly a lot of people might've stopped at — thinking that the whole book was gonna be like that. I mean a friggen high schooler birthday. And the age was just way 2 young. The entire time I was picturing our MC to be 18 at LEAST
And looking back i'm wondering, WHY!? I think the author tried to distinguish human Kary from her goddess awakening, but sadly it got to the point where the human had almost no personality and the goddess was a sudden adrenaline junkie that would wake up to destroy shit. And obviously, I wanted to get straight to the goddess badass part of the book.
Also I feel like the other sisters accepted that whole child murder thing a little 2 quickly.... Like they were raised human for a reason and that whole revelation was barely a page — they need to keep their unique personalities while having the same goddess awakening that Kary undergoing.
The writing style of ch 13 for an event. Then suddenly in ch 15 we went back to that scene from another person's POV without even knowing it was a time skip. That was just so random and different from the rest of the POVs that usually continued the linear progression that I was confused and thought I was re-reading the same scene again
Finally that the whole feeling incomplete without the (view spoiler)[twin (hide spoiler)]. I would’ve loved for that to be more incorporated in the beginning human tier of Kary's character to hint towards it later
WARNING: there is some kinda taboo stuff on up in here that is pretty edgey for a friggen YA so it not for everyone but I like dark sexy fantasy psst... anime fans think "The Irregular at Magic High School"
Honestly, I just wanted this book to be NA the whole time instead of YA. Where the perfect additions of some curse words, sexy sexy fun times and darker actions would've made this book alllll the more delicious. It's already leaning towards dark fantasy but couldn't *quite* commit because of the limitations of YA genre.
Overall, Rebecca Queen did a great job of building such a fantasic world in this series with intricate relationships spanning back CENTURIES of character development. It started as a typical YA heroine with powers that was suddenly elevated by remembering her past Goddess self with some extra details to keep it from cliche. The plot was action-packed with the creative building. The author made the worldbuilding of god mythology work TO BUILD UP the important plot instead of paragraphs just describing where the characters are. AND I TOTALLY FIGURED OUT THE EARLIER CHARACTER REVEAL OF AEDAN AND I FRIGGEN LOST MY SHIT, PLEASE MESSAGE ME IMMEDIATELY AFTER READING THIS TO DISCUSS IN LENGTH
It made me laugh, smile, swoon, jump up and down in excitement, and cry. This book had it all! Definitely Recommend checking out this debut book and seeing what she does next!...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
I’ve read a lot of vampire books. Like a lot. I’ve read sPaRkLy Vampires, and sExY Vampires and Gi**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
I’ve read a lot of vampire books. Like a lot. I’ve read sPaRkLy Vampires, and sExY Vampires and GiGgLy Vampires.
This was my first pure horror medieval vampire (short stories) book. And my god...
“I assure you my young friend in the last four hundred years much has happened here. Men of destiny were born, deals were struck, and empires were forged on blood “
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But first. I must say it.‼️Authors. Please remember and respect your readers to include TRIGGER WARNINGS in the synopsis of your book‼️
You do not know the experiences of trauma and consent of your readers so it is ESSENTIAL to be upfront and include this info. This book does contain scenes of sexual assault and other violent sexual acts.
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Now that, that's been said.
The characters
So quite obviously this is Dracula's story, Vlad the Impaler. His history as a brutal sinister cruel human. Vlad has always been a monster. His transformation into a vampire just gave him more powers to abuse.
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But there are *quite* a few secondary characters in other short stories that intertwine with his main story
Doctor Faust arc-sorcerer Jonathan Harker István Xala the blood goddess Grigor of Musatescu Strigoica the vampire queen Mephistopheles Nycea of Corinth Apollonius of tyana Baba Yaga Kra sue Vardalekos of Greece Duke Lorenzo de Ponte Nero Chi You Jiang Shi emperor Shan Wu-ten Princess Kah Lo
I loved the cultural diversity of the characters that brought together many different generations and corners of the world. But I wish there had been more than titles and names that differentiate them from each other because it got overwhelming and confusing especially within the short story format.
The plot From a general perspective -- there are two distinct sections of Vlad as human THEN Vlad as a vampire.
So most of the book we get to see sneak peeks into some of the ruthless shit he has done as a warlord.
THEN BOOM
Vlad desperately trying to learn more about the supernatural world, murderrrr, vampire courts, and typical supernatural shenanigans. I mean it's not every day a blood goddess puts you on a throne just to make you a target for everyone to kill. That's some game of thrones shit.
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But there are also all these mini-plots as part of each short story.
The author notes several times that this is an accumulation of 20 short stories
my question is
WHY.
Each story changes POV to follow the action. So treat each story as individuals in the same world with new characters that will pop up but you don't necessarily need to remember them all because only a couple will continue throughout the storyline
The foreshadowing was pretty great as we all know somehow Vlad becomes vampire ... but all the other magical beings don’t know that and are trying to outmaneuver him
Like with the Skgany !!
“We swear to serve Prince Vlad Dracuelea for long as he reigns. Let us hope it is a short reign, Zolanna prayed"
.... BAHAHA
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History and mythology are written on top of the general book plot and character developments of Vlad's transition from human to vampire life
So readers get hints of medieval mythology with Merlin and even some fellow horror-monsters with Frankenstein making an appearance which was an unusual mix in the short stories
Overall,
I gotta be honest in saying this was a refreshing take on vampires. Most of them nowadays consist of vampires being college frat-boys where vamps all go to clubs to get drunk and feed off of humans. And yes it's fun for some books but come on, some vamps have been alive for hundreds of years, I'm sure someone got their shit together.
Well lo and behold, this book delivered with wayyy more sophisticated societies and vampires who weren't there just to drink and get stabbed at some dicey dance club *whoaaaa*
However I did struggle with the short story format. Yes, it kept things interesting with seeing different points of view and how it all connects in the end to Vlad's story. But, I love character-driven novels. And this isn't one. I wanted more dialogue and banter between the characters to have a stronger bond with each other but also highlighting their own distinct personalities/ goals/ thoughts/ motivation. While reading, I felt overwhelmed by the constant POV shift that I never really connected with any of the characters. I was just reading to see how it all ended....more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
The premise and worldbuilding of this book is pretty friggen unique featuring the Brotherhood of M**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
The premise and worldbuilding of this book is pretty friggen unique featuring the Brotherhood of Moe as magical gypsy hiding doctors, different kingdoms united by their fear of the beast and emperor, dark magic with Aradia the Dessert demon who I was totally picturing like this the whole time:
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Meet our heroine Mary, Queen of Aeris and protective mom
I'm gonna be honest, I think this is the first fantasy book I've read that is mostly from the mom's POV, not the daughters. and that was pretty cool. [image]
All of the horrible painful cliches of 'unsupportive parents' trope with parents REFUSING to engage in the plot, share bare min info, verbally abusive is promptly tossed out the window in this book
“The queen of Aeris journeyed for three days through snowy plains before she reached a bridge that led to the mouth of the Mountain of Ash over a river of molten rock”
TO HELP SAVE HER GODDAMN FAMILY, YES QUEEN
But I wanted more dialogue and banter. Mary didn't have a strong personality outside of being a mom and a queen. Through strong characteristics and traits defining your character, Authors can make each scene more complex and dynamic for their readers to engage with. I wanted her to interact with her daughters for some funny family dialogue to make them more dynamic. It would've be adorable to have some mother-daughter bonding to show more sides of the queen's personality !!
King Aurelio supportive SO and dad who straight up argues with the friggen DESSERT DEMON cuz he didn't appreciate her vague-ass clues to understand the curse
“He had sworn an oath, like every other king, to uphold the honor of the kingdoms against any form of witchcraft, magic, or dark”
And then there's Vile the Gorgon It looks like this and aint nobody gonna convince me otherwise
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The tension and buildup of this monster was pretty friggen great
“Yes, I know. You feel it too.” The bearded man inhaled deeply, not minding the stench of the beast before him. “Can you sense it? Smell it?” he asked, but he knew the beast couldn’t speak. “Tis the season, my dear. A new sacrifice awaits”
While the characters were interesting, sadly this book wasn't really focused on developing character relationships and connections -- rather it was plot driven. Like the princesses, who each had their unique powers and curses ... but sadly fell flat on the comedic sisters, engaging characters aspect
Tulia with a literal cloud over her heard constantly but figured out how to hide the child and keep her safe
“In the kingdom of Gordea. A drought has been upon the land for years now. Without water, it has been a struggle for the subjects,” she explained. “I can find a good family there. One that would take good care of her, while her gift waters the land. It will be killing two birds with one stone.”
That's some good goddamn advice tho !!
But sadly she never really got a personality or defining traits to interact with people outside the crying
The twins Cecilia and Destitine are cursed to 'always' be near and connected to each other
But again, we had these great interesting characters that didn't really connect or interact with each other. I wanted to be shown sisterly teasing and scenes showing Destitine's boldness and Cecilia's brilliance, instead of just being told
Question tho about the firstborn plot gap, this kinda a spoiler but not really but I don't wanna ruin the experience for anyone so imma mark it as such
(view spoiler)[ Why did the parents hide Tulia as a secret from everyone + servants? But when the twins were born (who would then be seen as their firstborns royalty since no one knew about Tulia), they could actually be open in the castle? Everyone would assume the twins are firstborn who wasn’t sacrificed either and still be mad about Vile ... right ?? (hide spoiler)]
either this was a majorly overlooked plot hole or the author means to hint to some sorta second book idea
Anyways... let's talk about that cover! First, I thought the cover was beautiful. Then towards the end, it was revealed what it actually MEANT. And that was pretty friggen great.
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The writing style is the kinda slow burn, dense action which isn't my usual cup of tea cuz I get annoyed with too much description but I know others enjoy it.
"With her magic, and a new method of medicine called science, practiced by the Brotherhood of Moe, Cornelius meant to become immortal. But it came at a price – life would have to feed his immortality.”
Ya know how most books are very hesitant to kill off their characters. So even after a huge epic battle, there is no serious loss or real danger felt in the book *blehhh*
Yah this author basically said screw that, screw you and oh my goddddddd it got intense in those last 3 characters
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I was literally sitting shocked like wait did that really just happen wAIT what are they doing now HOLY SHIT ARE YOU FUCKIGN KIDDING ME. It was a total roller coaster in those last 5 chapters that I wish had been more incorporated throughout the novel
Overall, cool variety of magic, decent action plan, and the world seemed hella interesting~ The strength was definitely in the writing the interconnectedness of everything, instead of the characters as I enjoy more character-driven books. The plot from a book isn't just a series of events happening to a generic NPC character, its happening to your protagonist. And I struggled to connect with Mary as a person-- only as a mother queen. Is she sassy, sweet, snarky? did she always want to learn to fight? did she use to sneak outta castles and now catches her own kids doing it? I wanted more banter between the characters to better connect them during the book plot. But hey, ya gotta support indie authors by reading books outside usual popular genres and giving honest feedback on their works and hope they keep writing *wink*
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Going back to the parent aspect: I dunno why this struck me so hard but it really did and helped me connect to the characters. I get *so goddamn tired* with book parents refusing to engage with their kids, gaslighting, & hiding information wtf But this book just completely turned it around to show what engaging magical fantasy parent characters that are relatable and yet building up a creative world that i wanna see what Tulia or Cecilia or Zoe's POV next...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review**
From page one, this book brings you back into the crafty world of magic and mayhem that we first di**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review**
From page one, this book brings you back into the crafty world of magic and mayhem that we first discovered in "Lost Princess"
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Our Main characters
Theo protective optimistic and dorky protagonist, with his braid and powers he learning
Clyde childhood best friend, being the more darker edgy half of this duo; he follows Theo everywhere
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These two friends go out to explore the world after leaving their village when they get suddenly thrown in the middle of the shitshow that is Nemesine's mayhem.
Selene the ice queen mage is back ! Continuing her strength of character balancing the victim and survivor complex... and THE SASS.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold." Selene whispered with a grin crawling across her face, "Oh, yes...Very cold, indeed. I love that metaphor.”
I continue to adore this powerful woman and this book worked to give her the goddamn respect she deserves. We get more insight into her background and her power-hungry abilities. She thrives off her magic and hates to feel helpless.
Our Secondary Characters
At times, it just felt like there was ... and this is a technical term... shitton of people.?.
It got kinda confusing to keep track of them all in who I actually needed to remember and was important. Phillipe soldiers. Raven temptress warrior. Pierre bookworm wizard from first book. Marlee chatty pickpocket. Yuki female assassin.Flask^TRIGGER WARNING!^. Headmaster Oberin. Commander Arren. Alicia Saint-Lady. Jenny. Baras. Lukas.
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And Jerrod the oldie talking knight who is quickly becoming a favorite of mine
"Verily," Jerrod said, "That he keepeth beasts like this beneath Blesoon...Crimes upon crimes upon crimes! Pray pardon my tongue when I say the time cometh to fucking kill Victor.”
Setting The worldbuilding is very unique in the different empires and diverse magical abilities but what I really appreciated about this writing was how ^beautifully^ well-written the author distinguishes cultures ‼️
Each empire, village, city we visited, had its own unique traits and vibes.
The fast dangerous pace of Brass City. The overworked and regulations of Northern Barracks. The dark lair of Nemesine. The isolated holy city of Blesoon. The traumatic Abradas Estate. The slumbering Castle Cagliostro.
But my favorite by FAR was the village Redshire with their local tradition that everyone has a special braid
"... a braid, which hung down the side of his head, a symbol of unity in his hometown Redshire. It was tradition to cut off the braid and offer to someone of significance; be it friend or lover."
which makes it even more fucking cute that Theo fiddles with his braid when he's nervous or embarrassed !!!!
Random occurrences, subtle suggestions, and excessive details all appear unrelated at first but as the writer continues to pull us along with each page, all the acts are woven together to reveal the final plot.
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Also just an FYI, this is NOT a sequel!! The Wanderer and Princess are set in same universe but are both part of an ongoing story ... Therefore, some of #2 occurs beforehand then intertwines with #1 that gives more details of the aftermath sprinkled with hints of what’s to come in #3
Weaknesses
I guess my major critique is that I need more ✨character dynamics✨. Slow down. Let us breathe. Let us have a moment of adventure/ infodump then pause all the build-up to enjoy funny banter among our characters. I needed to know more about Clyde (and Theo) to have them interacting with each other and Selene.
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The place where this book sorta struggles to me and the reason it doesn’t *quite* compare to the other great fantasy is the lack of character relations and dynamics. The friendship of Clyde and Theo is cute but surface deep. I mean for childhood friends, they felt weirdly formal with each other.
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The rest of the characters are interesting with some great pop-up scenes like with Raven appearing for one battle scene and a witty line… but we don’t have any of the great group dynamics of everyone together laughing struggling bonding.
Overall
I definitely recommend if you just want fun mystery and fantasy, because this book clearly ticks all those great essentials. But you really gotta make an effort to connect to the characters and accept that they not really trying to connect to each other either. They all just trying to survive *fucking valid tho* so its more about the mystery and power buildup instead of focusing on the characters themselves
This book reflects bloody brillant ideas with its vivid settings, established practices in the Cult of Arlys, and the fact that these characters are woven between two different books with complex plots that intertwine within a larger picture. What struggles in the writing is the lack of dialogue among the characters outside of just exchanging information. !!Authors!! By strengthening characters’ bonds and relationships with each other, it will further connect your readers to engage with the story. It’s the difference between reading to find out what happens versus reading to see how your characters solve the issue.
And now...
We have two major bad guys with powers way beyond anyone’s understanding and the only person with their level of magic is currently Umr who don’t know if we can trust and gotta see if Theo and Selene develop abiltiies to hopefully be on the same power level or pray to god someone else does. Book 3 definitely has a lot to cover, and I wonder whose POV is next.
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
Rally up bitches, the magic feminists are back !!
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This was EXACTLY how a sequel should be ***I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
Rally up bitches, the magic feminists are back !!
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This was EXACTLY how a sequel should be *thank gawd* where events from the first book have consequences and everything is building up to the epic battle showdown
Women have no ability to cast spells. That's what wizards have said for generations. But it's a lie.
wOmEn ArE 2 wEaK fOr MaGiC
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The sequel brilliantly reviews the actions of the first book thru some creative goddamn dialogue
“You seriously asked the sister of the woman running the Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic, the crucking Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic, to assist your omnimancy operation?”
Hell yahhh he did !!!
Then immediately gets into the current actions -- with the Women's League working for equality, Beatrix learning her magic & wanting to spread the knowledge, and Peter's struggle with the death device
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Heres our MCs: Beatrix Harper a sister, a magic user, a fighter, a manipulator and Peter Blackwell a wizard and a manipulator.
awww aren't they just precious together
Similar to the first book, Beatrix continues to be a strong-ass woman. But she also goes a little more on the rebel dark side compared to the first book... and i love IT!! muhaha
But I really appreciated the character arc of Peter, he really evolves from the original arrogant prick we met
I love Peter so much. His relationship with Beatrix is so well developed. He knows Beatrix as a victim, broken girl, self-sufficient woman, magic-user, and general badass. He's seen it alll and he keeps coming back for her.
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My favorite FAVORITE thing about this book was how you totally saw how their dynamic obviously changed and developed. They go from indifferent strangers, to tentative friends, to best friends, to secret enemies, to friends, to lovers.
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The character dynamics between them are not quite as fun & bantery as the first book because of all the danger and underlying threats ... but the writing was so well-done I accepted it
“His anger had largely burned itself out—hers too, he thought. But the distance remained.”
Secondary characters Ella the funny best friend has more of a presence than in the first book which I loved. I love dynamics between my characters, everyone needs friends dammit
“Ella—friend, confidante, co-conspirator—shifted in the seat beside her.”
Lydia... grrrr. I did not like her in the first book. I saw her as cold and distant to Beatrix, the sister who is sacrificing everything for her.
And this book totally addressed that lacking in the first book by giving both more spotlight, showing how both sisters clearly love each other and hate their distance but aren't sure how to reunite
This is where true writing shows: the classic -show don't just tell- was so prominent and well done in this book I wanted to cry. The author DID NOT just simply tell us over and over again about the wisdom of Beatrix and Lydia as a good sister, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!!! The author showed their love of family through actions and thoughts
Martinelli straight-up came into this book like
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I lowkey forgot about him as a character in the first book but he made an awesome addition. After being assistant to Peter, I thought his character would fade away
Instead, he turns out to be Peter's homie .. and its ADORABLE
“ Martinelli grinned. “It was especially entertaining to watch your face as it dawned on you why the Sedereys invited us to eat with them two weekends in a row.” Peter sighed. “What am I to do? I can’t very well say, ‘So sorry, Miss Sederey, but I’m desperately in love with Miss Harper."
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This was also a *hella* creative writing tool to have two wizards discuss more details about magic and understand some of the crazy Vow shit happening in the first book
"So did the other pair, but then they Vowed a second time—” “—and their dreams became like an extension of real life, except it was just the two of them?” “Yes.” “Did they Vow a third time? One to the other, or each to each?” “No! Holy shit—what the hell happens after a third time?” “You can’t undo the Vows. They fuse. They’re permanent.” For a second or two, Martinelli simply stared at him. “Oh, shit.” “Yeah, tell me about it,” Peter muttered.”
While I did love the emphasis on character development, the actual actions were less than satisfactory. I wanted the adventure to be more incorporated throughout the book but it was pretty limited to the end fight scene
“It looks like a birdbath,” Rosemarie said, shaking her head. It did, in fact. What it most certainly did not look like was a weapon of mass death.”
And OFFFF COURSEEE the book ends on a fucking cliffhanger that leaves you screaming and wanting to know what the fuck happened to spoiler
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Overall. Well-fucking done. Everything I loved in the first book -- the unique premise, the fun characters, and pacing --continued in the sequel. But more importantly, the author clearly worked on some of the failings of the first book. Where the sisterly dynamic of the first book felt like two strangers in the same house, the second book addressed and explained the distance. Where the first book had Beatrix as little bit of a pusher over, this book Beatrix purposefully goes against what everyone else is telling her to do what SHE thinks is right .... even if it totally wasn't. Even though it wasn't the usual action-packed fantasy novel I go for, I still was hooked and zoomed right through it because I kept wanting to see what happened next.
I wasn't reading this book just to finish it, I genuinely enjoyed being with the characters-- freaking out with them when things went wrong, laughing at the characters banter together, and celebrating successful plans. and I fucking love that feeling. its the whole reason I read.
For the third book I got some clear and definite expectations ● what the everloving FUCK happened to spoiler ● I need more Martinelli and Peter bromance ● Beatrix needs to admit her goddamn feelings to both her sister and Peter on how she feels about them ● I'm hoping we finally leave the tiny village to go into the city which will open the environment for hella lot more danger violence and intrigue that this book touches upon but rally its the equivalent of a epic battle in the middle of fucknowhere Montana. there just ain't enough resources to really build it up ya know?...more
I know this says book one, but its really a prequel *mic drop*
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I really enjoyed this book, but not necessarily this heroine *yet*
Nora JacI know this says book one, but its really a prequel *mic drop*
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I really enjoyed this book, but not necessarily this heroine *yet*
Nora Jacob has a little bit of special snowflake Mary-Sue vibes that I have never been a fan of in any book
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But her character also has some great glimpses of being capable, wanting to help people, and actually having self-preservation after being hurt in past
Heads up there are some serious trigger warnings here lots of reference to abuse, rape, PTSD, mind rape, etc.
From a 'curse', Nora draws in people. But as we all know men can be such assholes sometimes. For me, this was honestly the unique twist that sets this series apart
Usually when the supernatural possessive hottie vampire shows up, we assume its the love interest.
“Bring Nora to me,” Henry rasps. I staked the bastard, and he can still talk? He’s like a damn cockroach”
But the author totally flips it around and basically says fuck those guys that wants to “baby her”. Thats not what she fucking wants. She wants support, not to be taken care of.
Now... My Main critique… the love interests
Bitch. If you say this a reverse harem… then give me a goddamn reverse harem
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I guess we could describe this as the slowest burn ever because we meet a variety of guys with no real romance to show for it *frowny face*
Parker the vampire enforcer Oliver the sorcerer (who was really kinda eh wimpy) Terence the awesome troll who got hard-core friendzoned here *tears* Nick a demon ?? something ??
Honestly, I really loved the odd collection of magic and characters we've met so far, they all added a funny overlayer to the plot i really enjoyed
“As I leave, I hear Oliver mutter, “The woman just fist-bumped a troll.” “After she ordered him around like a damn maid and lived,” Nick whispers. “Unbelievable.” Terrance’s laughter shakes the whole place.”
But all of my critiques are about how I wanted MORE from the series, not less. I found the story engrossing, the characters engaging, the mystery exciting, the pace thrilling
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And we'll probably meet more harem potentials as the series develops and Nora joins the supernatural world
So why do I consider this a prequel?
Because all the elements are just set-up here. Yes its clearly building to something but I kept waiting for it to actually occur in THIS book
We meet the heroine. But its not till the end that she shares her dreams, and gets a job - so implies for next books we gonna get some more mystery later
We meet the guys. But again, nothing really develops with romance so implies we gonna get some later
We get introduced to the world. But its completely new to Nora and she never really ventures outside one supernatural club so implies we gonna see more later
are you seeing a pattern?
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So that's why I consider this a prequel because its all set-up for the real first book and rest of series. Overall, I enjoyed this *as a prequel* I am definitely excited to see where it develops next. I'm looking for Nova develop out of her Mary-Sueness into her own character, the harem to start forming some more chemistry and bonds, and more supernatural mysteries that I always adore...more
Sooo, I love paranormal detectives. I love the twisted plots, the dangerous characters, the desperate situations…it provides a rush that few other genSooo, I love paranormal detectives. I love the twisted plots, the dangerous characters, the desperate situations…it provides a rush that few other genres can match.
And October Toby Daye is a damn good example with the fey-orientated series that blends crime, action-adventure, and some pretty great characters.
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As a heroine, Toby is definitely one of my favorites *acknowleding her depression and struggle in book 4+5* even with all the shit in her life, she doesn't just bitch and moan about how unfair life is. She does what needs to be done, often in the most hilarious way possible
“According to the digital readout, it wasn’t even eight o’clock in the morning. I’d been in bed for less than ten minutes. The doorbell rang again. “Oh, someone’s getting murdered today,” I muttered”
Toby's official court/squad has been formed and together they solve one major fuck-up after another: Toby, Tybalt, Quinn, Raj, Luidaeg, Ormond, Danny
Before, we had some side scenes with brief peaks at each of these characters. Now they are way more developed, interacting with each other AND Toby, and just honestly fucking adorable.
“ I resent that,” said Quentin. “Many men have resented me in their days, young prince,” said Tybalt. “Be proud of the legacy you have joined.” “Tybalt, don’t taunt my squire,” I said. “Quentin, don’t kill my boyfriend. Both of you, shut up and let me work.”
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By far my favorite is definitely, Quinn and Raj. These two kids characters were hilarious and added to the whole story !! Usually I get annoyed with kids slowing stuff down but McGuire does a great job to keep them engaged with Toby in character realistic ways
“You can start a snowball fight with Raj later, okay?” “Okay,” said Quentin. “Wait, what?” said Raj. “Both of you, come on.” I turned, trying not to shiver”
oh hey remember that fucker that turned Toby into a fish? Well he’s backkkkk “Consider your own history. You’ve killed a Firstborn and overthrown a Queen. Against your record, turning someone into a fish is positively friendly.” [image]
Honestly its so strange to think about how far we’ve come and its so weird to think about Toby’s old life in the human world
And now the biggie, Tybalt, our ♥Lord of Cats♥
“I am beginning to feel as if we do not save each other in equal measure,” he said wearily, voice rasping a little from the strain he had put on it with all the screaming. “Next time you must let me save you, or I will start to feel I am not contributing to this partnership.”
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Thie series creatively builds a storyline that is credible and interesting around the tendrils of magic power wielded in different ways by many of the characters in this novel.
“Why do you ask?” “Because we’re all too stupid to live, and that’s why we’re all going to die soon,” I said slowly.”
October’s past in the fey court with the lords and ladies that either love or hate her come back into play
And better yet, we able to create a female magic-wielder who wasn't a witch. Honestly I just kinda sick of witchy urban fantasy and paranormal heroines, it's gotten to the point where it's almost cliche'. So that made me love this series even more with the fey aspect especially a weaker fey series just a great fresh take.
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The author's use of folklore is clever and well-placed. She takes a different direction with fey courts and the different hierarchies of magic. The mythical badass Luidaeg being a prime and my favorite example:
“Mother, if you can hear me, I’ve been very good,” said the Luidaeg. “I haven’t killed anyone who didn’t deserve it, not even my sister, who should probably have been killed a hundred times over by now”
Even baddies are afraid of their terrifying fucking mothers that gave them a portion of their power
How would I describe this series? Paranormal mystery solver? Check! Tough-talking super bravado? Check! Awesome secondary side characters that make me like heroine more? Check!
The land of Faerie has always intermingled with the mortal world. With their secret Courts. Terrifying creatures and legends. Where their beauty is oThe land of Faerie has always intermingled with the mortal world. With their secret Courts. Terrifying creatures and legends. Where their beauty is only equal to their danger.
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One definitely unique change to the fey world is that changelings aren't stolen children like most fey stories, instead they are mortal halfbreeds who don't quite fit into either worlds. Enter our heroine, October 'Toby' Daye. And all the shenanigans she gets into.
Re-Reading this series I'm able to appreciate and enjoy it a lot more than the first go-around.
Now that I know what the world is like, see where all of this is going with Toby Daye and Tybalt, know what's up with all of the cryptic references to her past, and recognize which characters are actually important staples in this universe in later books
So let me summarize:
Book 1: Good intro book, general set-up Book 2: Established world better and I fell in love with Tybalt Book 3: intro the series plot of the series with the Firsts Book 4: little bland and dry Book 5: depressing as fuuuck Book 6: Toby back in action! The banter coming back, and group dynamic forming Book 7: *Top fucking tier!* Book 8: We have a system and I’m liking it
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I definitely plan to be continuing this series and recommend it as an entertaining series. Each book in itself is enjoyable, but the power definitely lies in the series as a whole and just how creative this world is. Highly recommend giving it a try if you like fey, fun & mystery. See if it's your cup of tea....more
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