I haven’t been able to read books the last few days. We still get covid positives here in Hawaii but it’s been under 5 cases each day, some days with 0. I think we’ve had 650+ positives overall and almost 90% have recovered, with 17 deaths. But things are getting under way now and more restrictions are being lifted, and then I saw George Floyd murdered on my social media feed. I felt – Sick. Anger. Grief. Pain…I couldn’t understand how that policeman could stare at the person taking video of the whole incident and not flinch.
The last few days I’ve been watching the protests and the riots taking place all over the USA and now even in some places around the world. Jobs are gone, there are people trying to survive out there, there are people pent up with staying indoors, there are people dying from a contagious virus (100,000+ deaths in the USA alone 😢) – we need leadership and there is none. Black Lives Matter. I’ve been talking to my son about what is happening, I’m posting on social media and donating to organizations. We need change, we need hope that things will change.
I’m sure I’ll post my May wrap up sometime in June. I can’t believe pre-covid we had plans to be on a Disney Cruise this week! 2020 really has been a crazy, emotional rollercoaster year so far. It’s been a year of grieving and pain. I’m scared to see what the rest of 2020 will bring…
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Elloren Gardner hides the most powerful secret in all Erthia—she is the Black Witch of Prophecy, and destined to triumph…or be used as the ultimate weapon of destruction.
Separated from everyone she loves, isolated and hunted, Elloren must turn to the last person she can trust—her fastmate, Commander Lukas Grey. With the Mage forces of Gardneria poised to conquer all of Erthia, Elloren has no choice but to ally with Lukas and combine their power to keep herself out of the hands of Gardnerian leader Marcus Vogel…the holder of the all-consuming Shadow Wand.
With just weeks to train to become a warrior, and no control over her magic, Elloren finds unexpected allies among those under orders to kill her. It’s time to step up. To fight back. And to forge onward through the most devastating loss yet.
Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Reactions:
My Attention: wavered sometimes (mostly in the first half)
World Building: epic world building but sometimes too much going on
Writing Style: pacing was a bit off
Bringing the Heat: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 – was not expecting this…😬
Crazy in Love: …love triangle…😣
Creativity: love the world of The Black Witch
Mood: mixed feelings
Triggers: sexual harassment, violence
My Takeaway: I thought this was the last book of the series…and I think it should’ve been.
Elloren finding her courage – but damn it took so much and so long for her to do it. We are in book three girl, you gotta unleash that power and learn to control it! Be the Black Witch already!
Lukas Grey is so knowledgeable and such a leader, sometimes I wish he was the Black Witch 😅. He is battle honed, politically savvy, smart and just an all around leader. I liked getting to know him better in this book.
Epic world building is still there and you just get a sense this world the author built is so vast.
There is so much action in the last third of the book, it really picks up pace and then it’s a irritating cliffhanger!
The beginning of this book could have been whittled down some. It took me awhile to get into the story. I wanted things to be tied up in this one but I felt like it added more things, new names, and just too much.
All I wanted was for Elloren to just become the Black Witch stop saying she is and just BE. Let’s get on with taking down Vogel and freeing all the people! She annoyed me because this is book three.
There has always been a love triangle and okay I get the appeal of Lukas and Elloren, their affinity lines match, and like I said, he’s a leader, he’s super smart/knowledgable, sexy and lethal. He is someone you want at your back or side…but she loves/loved Yvan who is dead, supposedly. So her getting together with Lukas in this book chaffed at me because I just KNEW something would happen to mess them up as well. How many books are in this series?…because I can’t take this swinging back and forth on who she loves and who’s alive or dead. Maybe we just need her to love herself and wield that power to help all these oppressed people like she’s supposed to. 🤷🏻♀️
Basically this installment is about Elloren embracing her power instead of fearing it. She learns to hone fighting skills so she isn’t helpless but honestly, this all takes place in the second half of the book! Elloren and Lukas definitely have an attraction and I am team Yvan but I definitely see Lukas’ appeal – the two of them smolder around each other (more than once in this book). And then there is that cliffhanger which made me groan out loud haha, because as much as I love this series, I don’t want it to drag on either. This so far is my least favorite book of the series but I hope the next gets us to the major battle and ties up loose ends.
The asteroid hurtling toward the earth will kill billions.
The Emperor and his Gold Court will be safe in their space station, watching from the stars. The Silvers will be protected underground. But the Bronzes must fight it out at the Shadow Trials for the few remaining spots left on the space station.
When an enigmatic benefactor hands Maia Graystone a spot in the Trials, she won’t just get a chance at salvation for her and her baby brother, Max: She gets to confront the mother who abandoned her in prison, the mad Emperor who murdered her father, and the Gold prince who once loved her. But it’s the dark bastard prince she’s partnered with that will make her question everything, including her own heart. With the asteroid racing closer every day, Maia must trust someone to survive.
The question is who?
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 368
Categories: Dystopia, Sci-Fi, Romance
Love the world building in this series – sci-fi is hard for me to get into but I found this world fascinating. Pandora is an asteroid that is coming close to Earth and will wipe out almost all of the Earth. There must be a way to stop it. There is, and the key is hiding in Maia, where her father put it. But what is the key? How can it stop Pandora? Along with the mission to stop Pandora is the political conflict happening with the Emperor who has safe haven along with other wealthy people in the empire, the Golds. The empire is categorized into Golds, Silvers and Bronze.
This book one is gritty and I like it that way because it has really shaped Maia’s personality and her tenacity to survive. Maia is living in the Pit and it’s a scary place! She’s alone, she’s dirty and hungry, she at the lowest point of her life. There is another boy here she meets that will be tied into her future, Riser, a Pit boy with a secretive past. They both get reconstructed into different looking people to go on a mission to enter the Shadow Trials.
I like her growing relationship with Riser. They both saw each other at their absolutely low point in their lives and together they change, grow, and feelings are growing..but are they real or manufactured?
And then again…the love triangle or tease of one. Just…sigh, it’s gonna be Riser. Caspian is nice and all and so their DNA matches or something, it will be Riser. But I think this author’s likes the love triangle thing in her series.
Now I’ve read this author’s Kingdom of Runes series and it has so much ACOTAR vibes…well this series started giving me Maze Runner, Secondborn and Hunger Games vibes! So…I can definitely see her influences in her stories.
Triggers: violence, torture, phobias
My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Shadow Rise (Shadow Fall, #2)
Terrorist. Rebel. Traitor.
One rash decision during the Shadow Trials led to unspeakable horrors that left innocents dead, friends injured and hunted by the Empire, and Maia Graystone imprisoned in the Tower at the Archduchess’s mercy.
Unsure if Riser Thornbrook survived, Maia must find a way to battle the Empire from within its own walls and escape so she can fulfill the promise to her father and stop the asteroid. But when she breaks free and joins Nicolai’s Rebel army, she discovers she’s been branded a traitor. With war between the Rebels and the Empire looming, old alliances shifting, and suspicion hanging over her head, she must fight in the Rebel Blood Courts—and win command—to regain their trust.
Only problem is, first she has to defeat the reigning champion, someone she knows all too well. Will Maia’s emotions lead to her defeat, or will she rise up and claim her victory?
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 312
Categories: Sci-Fi, Romance, Dystopia
Maia…at times I wanted to shake her. The author I think likes making her female leads headstrong to the point of making so many mistakes because she doesn’t think she needs help. She feels betrayed by Riser because he cut his memory of her out of his mind (I mean the guy was killed how many times because of her 🤦🏻♀️). But Maia is a survivor, I’ll give her that.
Riser – he doesn’t remember her but she still gets under his skin. And I love him for that. He’s a good one who’s had a really bad past. His story and Maia’s brings so much emotion to this series, they have to overcome so much. And they are good for one another, once they start trusting each other.
Maia is reunited with her brother in this one but it’s a struggle for them to open up and bond. There has been so much hurt in their lives with their father dying, them struggling being apart or thinking each other was dead and then their mother and her role with the Emperor.
In this book Maia is in the rebel camp so we meet more characters, I love Lash and Teagan. We learn more about Nicolai the leader of the rebels. There is still a lot of action in this one which moves the story quickly.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Title: Shadow Ruin (Shadow Fall, #3)
My name is Maia Graystone: soldier, commander of the rebel army . . . and the Emperor’s worst nightmare.
After going from scorned traitor to leader of the rebel army overnight, I’m now the most powerful girl in the empire.
But power always comes with a price.
My mother questions my position at every turn, my enemies wait for the right moment to strike, and the burden of leadership threatens my relationship with Riser.
When the Empire kidnaps someone I love, I’m faced with the impossible—sneak onto Hyperion, the Emperor’s highly-guarded palace in the sky.
I’ve survived the Shadow Trials. I’ve survived the violent Blood Courts. But surviving this final mission means deciding once and for all who to trust—the golden prince from my past or the dark soldier from my future.
With Pandora’s wrath only days away, I’ll enter one final twisted game of treachery, secrets, and deceit.
Winner takes all . . . let the games begin.
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 316
Categories: Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Romance
This was the first Audrey Grey series I started and in between finishing the first two books and this last installment, I read two of her other series. Kingdom of Runes was entertaining even if it was too similar to ACOTAR and her Evermore Academy fell flat for me but this Shadow Fall series is my favorite out of all of them maybe because I already read so much fantasy that this sci-fi story stood out more. And this story has so much more emotion because it starts off so dark, which is fantastic. It could only go up from there and it did.
Maia Graystone has gone through hell and back. She’s leading a rebellion with her best friends at her side. But now that her mother is fighting along side her, Maia can’t help feel inadequate. So Maia questions herself a lot. She has to learn to be a leader and at least we get to see her try her best at it. I like that she’s a heroine in which nothing has comes easy. She’s gone through it all.
Riser – I love him and his loyalty. So yeah the whole love triangle thing that Maia finds herself annoyed me. It’s all about Riser! But haha, she had to find it out all in her own confusing way. Yeah it’s not fair that she and Caspian were genetically constructed to be each other’s “match” for life. But…it was always going to be Riser.
I LOVE Lash and Teagan so much. They brought the humor and friendship to Maia’s life. Maia had been alone since separated from her mother and brother, so having made friends with Lash and Teagan ugh…that was the best. I was worried for them until the end.
I think the loose ends in this series was tied up nicely and sadly 🥺. The ending is bittersweet and it made me emotional. I really enjoyed this gritty dystopian world with a heroine who has to stop an asteroid nearing Earth plus help take down a madman Emperor who keeps the people divided by class and color. The twists were good, although sometimes with sci-fi concepts I can’t visualize them fully like I do works of fantasy. I love Riser and his loyalty to Maia. They are all so complicated – down to Maia’s mother, who comes off so so evil…but in the end she does what she has to.
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty returns to her roots with this YA coming of age story set in a New Jersey mall.
The year is 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. Cassie Worthy is psyched to spend the summer after graduation working at the Parkway Center Mall. In six weeks, she and her boyfriend head off to college in NYC to fulfill The Plan: higher education and happily ever after.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans…
Set entirely in a classic “monument to consumerism,” the novel follows Cassie as she finds friendship, love, and ultimately herself, in the most unexpected of places. Megan McCafferty, beloved New York Times bestselling author of the Jessica Darling series, takes readers on an epic trip back in time to The Mall.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
Talk about taking me back to the 90’s and basically my childhood! This story which is mostly set in a mall, is all nostalgia and fun. Cassie Worthy, is actually dealing with a few things in her life like breaking up with her boyfriend of two years, not having a place to work and then dealing with her parents divorce. But she finds herself a new job and getting through this disastrous summer by going on a treasure hunt. A treasure hunt in a mall you say? This story is a fun homage to “the mall”, which was our social hub once upon a time, a long, long time ago…in the 1990’s.
The cover and it’s neon pink color just captures the feel of the book. Love it.
I may be a little biased, but I was a pre-teen/teen in the 90’s! So everything in this book, like the Sam Goody music store 😂 (cassette tapes and cd’s – wow), the food court, ALL of it just took me down memory lane. The mall was the place to be!
I really enjoyed the characters like: Drea Bellarosa, Cassie’s not-so-new summer friend, is pretty awesome. She pops off the page, I could see her in her fashions and hear her honking laugh. They made unlikely friends but they were good for each other. “Sam Goody”, who’s name we don’t know until the end was so reminiscent of my love of all things music back in the 90’s and discovering bands – etc. Love that Cassie had a summer fling with him and Gia’s mom was fantastic too, she had such personality!
The treasure hunt in the book is such an 80’s/90’s adventure – like the movie Goonies. But it added a fun element to the story, and it helped Cassie concentrate on something other than her life seeming to fall apart. It brought Cassie and Drea close together and I’m glad Cassie earned a friend through it all.
Cassie transforms during the summer with Drea’s friendship, the treasure hunt and hooking up with boys. I’m glad she found her backbone when it came to her douche of an ex-boyfriend Troy and the plan. Cassie’s a smart girl and was definitely not someone who was going to sit back and take Troy’s treatment of her, but from a lot of nudging from Drea, she learned to love her true self.
This is a really light-hearted quick read – at times I thought maybe too light hearted but I think the focus on Cassie and Drea’s friendship was the right call. I was more interested in their relationship than Cassie finding a new boy to be a rebound. I like that though she had all these changes during the summer, it never changed her plans for college and her future.
The Mall is a nostalgia filled read for us who grew up in the 90’s. I think for readers today who are fascinated with that decade, this book would definitely give them an insight to our days gravitating to the mall. The book is a fun, quick read and will make the perfect summer read. I could definitely see this as a tv show and I’d totally watch it.
Title: In the Dark with the Duke (Lost Lords of London, #2)
Author: Christi Caldwell
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 365
Publication Date: June 9, 2020
Categories: Historical Romance
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Eight years ago, Lady Lila March retreated to the safe shadows of her family’s estate after a devastating tragedy. Weary of being a whisper of her former self, she is determined to brave the dangers of the outside world again. No man is better equipped to train her in the art of defense than the Savage Gentleman, East London’s undefeated street fighter.
Hugh Savage reigns as king—of the underworld. Physically invulnerable, emotionally battered, he has his reasons for bare-knuckle brawling. Though Hugh longs to break free of the ring and leave behind the brutal world of violence, he’s intrigued by the challenge Lady Lila poses. A mysterious lady of the peerage willfully descending into the dangerous rookeries? That bespeaks a woman with secrets of her own.
As their unconventional pact progresses, Hugh comes to admire the resolve in Lila’s heart. And beneath his hard surface, she sees a tenderness that touches her to the quick. They’ll soon discover how much they need each other—to face their pasts together, and to fight for a future they deserve.
Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Reactions:
My Attention: Engaged
World Building: early 1800’s London and I learned about Peterloo (wasn’t aware this happened!)
Writing Style: classic Christi Caldwell
Bringing the Heat: 🔥🔥🔥 – slow burn and there’s only one major scene but it did it’s job!
Crazy in Love: they get to know each other a lot before they declare their love for one another
Creativity: loved that I learned something new, plus I love this lost lords trope
Mood: I’m in the mood for romance😍 but this book was an emotional one. 😟
Triggers: fighting, violence
My Takeaway: Lady Lila fights the demons of her past so she can feel strong and move on with her present. 💪🏾
The history of Peterloo was an eye opener and it was horrific. I liked that this book had characters that experienced what happened on that day on both sides of the massacre.
Lady Lila is a fighter! She comes off as afraid and fearful of life, because of her past with Peterloo. I thought her story was emotional and heartbreaking.
This story is about violence, fighting back against fear, survival instincts, forgiveness and love.
Both Lila and Hugh are broken people with so much to gain in knowing and loving each other. I liked how their attraction grew as their stories are linked unknowingly. They have challenges trusting one another and forgiving themselves about things they couldn’t control but seeing them come together was gratifying.
This book can be read as a standalone but it does mention characters from another series I love that Christi Caldwell wrote before the Lost Lords of London.
Hugh’s “lost lord” story didn’t really come about until the end. One day he’s a brawler teaching Lady Lila survival skills and next he’s a rich duke but the story doesn’t delve into that part of it in depth. For the most part of the story it’s Hugh Savage the brawler or partner of an arena where fighting takes place, not Hugh Savage the duke.
Annalee is a side character we barely see but she’s mentioned a few times and was with Lila at Peterloo. Is Annalee going to have her own story, because I want that story!
This story is about strength, perseverance, and forgiveness. Both Lila and Hugh are trying to change things about their lives but first they have to deal with their pasts. I’m enjoying this Lost Lords of London series so far, it’s only getting better. I hope to read more of the lost lords and hope we get more emotional stories like this one.
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Sixteen-year-old Ivy Archer is arguably the best warrior-in-training Gob Hollow has ever seen. Yet everyone—except her best friend she suddenly has other feelings for—looks down on her because she’s only half goblin, with no idea what the other half is. She’s always suspected it might be human.
But humans, she’s been told, aren’t real. They’re only creatures of myth.
When the prince of their kingdom is taken for ransom, it’s Ivy’s big chance to prove her worth. And when she learns his captors are human, the rescue mission becomes personal. The stories were clearly wrong, and now she has a chance to find the truth about her lineage, as well. If she survives…
With a small band of warriors at her command, including her best friend turned crush that’s getting harder to hide, Ivy sets out to find the prince and her human family. But the answers lie within secrets and conspiracies that run far deeper than she ever imagined.
Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Reactions:
Had My Attention: for the most part
World Building: fairly solid on the goblin world, but some holes with the human being fairy tales bit 🤔
Writing Style: Easy to follow, quick read 🙂, more young teen than young adult
Bringing the Heat: a sweet kiss 🔥
Crazy in LOVE: 💚💚 (mild, best-friend crush)
Creativity: Goblins 👍🏼
Mood: adventurous
Triggers: mild violence
My Takeaway: half goblin girl shows her goblin family and friends that she’s better than the boys and worthy
Goblin stories always entertain me because not a lot of books are written about them. They are not as gorgeous as their fae or elf counterparts so I like how we have a handsome goblin prince with razor sharp teeth and green skin in this book.
Ivy can hold her own against the bullies and she trains with the guys so that’s always fun to see a girl who can fight.
I thought her crush on her best friend Pudge is cute and sweet. Their relationship is solid, not much challenges there except how they both don’t know how the other feels.
Love the book cover!
The twist with Ivy and Dorian (goblin prince) – ha! Didn’t see that coming and it was a bit awkward but it worked out in the end.
It’s a quick read and though Ivy encounters some challenges, she meets them pretty easily. Personally I wanted more, even the betrayal felt a bit weak, it felt like a light fantasy – which is fine for some. For me, I just wanted more.
I like stories about goblins because they have a rich culture even though they don’t seem the most glamorous of creatures. This story held my attention for the most part with a goblin kingdom, adventure, a girl trying to prove herself and a happy ending.
The thrilling conclusion to the series that began with the instant New York Times bestseller “made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir” (Bustle), Ember Queen is an epic fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.
Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade. Renamed the Ash Princess, she endured relentless abuse and ridicule from the Kaiser and his court. But though she wore a crown of ashes, there is fire in Theo’s blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, it runs in her veins. And if she learned nothing else from her mother, she learned that a Queen never cowers.
Now free, with a misfit army of rebels to back her, Theo must liberate her enslaved people and face a terrifying new enemy: the new Kaiserin. Imbued with a magic no one understands, the Kaiserin is determined to burn down anyone and everything in her way.
The Kaiserin’s strange power is growing stronger, and with Prinz Søren as her hostage, there is more at stake than ever. Theo must learn to embrace her own power if she has any hope of standing against the girl she once called her heart’s sister.
A princess becomes a Queen.
My Reactions:
My Attention: captured
World Building: detailed, layered, elemental gem magic, conquered kingdoms – all of it
Writing Style: fluid, so good
Bringing the Heat: 🔥 a few kisses and one night of something more not that detailed haha – Theo is busy saving Astrea!
Crazy in Love: not so crazy, but just right for a Princess fighting for her throne – she has priorities and needs balance 🤷🏻♀️
Creativity: same tropes as other “princess trying to win back her kingdom” kinda story BUT…the political chess in this story and writing is good
Mood: victorious 👊🏼
Triggers: death, violence
My Takeaway: Theo the princess grows up a lot and earns her real crown and throne. 👸🏻 She learns some hard lessons along the way. 😢
I didn’t think I’d finish this series out because Lady Smoke was an okay book mostly because of the love triangle which I felt became distracting to Theo’s goals. But in Ember Queen…she has grown, she listens to counsel from the people around her, she puts aside the romance because she is so close to freeing Astrea and their people. She endures hardship, challenges and painful loss. 🥺 But all of this has shaped who she is.
The chess match she has with Cress kept me invested. I wondered what Cress’ end game would be and it kept me on my toes.
Theo lucked out having Heron, Blaise and Artemesia by her side. Seriously, if I was someone trying to get my throne back, I want those people my side. ❤️ Talk about loyalty until the end.
This second half of this book was emotional and intense. Soren, Erik, Heron, Art and then Blaise…ugh…I was so damn worried about all of them. And I didn’t even think I cared about them but this book showed the bonds between them that wouldn’t break and I wanted a happy ending for them all.
Soren and Theo’s reunion was bittersweet but I liked that their relationship wasn’t the focus of this book. It was reiterated over and over in the book that Theo would put Astrea above anyone else and I thought that was a queen mentality. It may have seemed cold at times, but come one…she’s a Queen. She has to make the hard decisions and face the consequences no matter how painful.
This story shows how power can corrupt and how a leader has to face hard decisions especially in times of war. What are the right decisions to make? Which one will lower loss of life? What does it take to stop a war and have peace? An eye for an eye? Turn the other cheek? Theo has to face these issues and questions head on and in the end she makes the best possible choice.
Some parts were repetitive, like at times Theo’s plans (and there were many) were faulty and her counsel would try to find the holes in it, which I appreciated but there were so many plans in this mission to the throne that at times I wanted it to move faster.
You have to dig into the first part of the story because it is really setting up for a final battle which had me on edge. But many parts have to fall into place but Theo has some hiccups here and there which seems like the story is moving slowly – but she and her allies dig deep, and keep fighting.
This was a satisfying end to the series, especially with the epilogue. Most stories end with a happily ever after, the girl gets the guy, the kingdoms are saved. But has to be one of my favorite endings, Theo is alone and reflects on her journey as she approaches and sits on the throne she feared and hated for so long. She knows the loss that came with her victory, she knows the battle within herself that she’s had to fight and overcome. But now she’s made the throne her OWN. Ugh…I wanted to stand up and clap and cheer for her, that’s how awesome I felt at the end of this book. Bravo! I look forward to whatever Laura Sebastian writes next!
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
One malicious prince. Two rival kingdoms. And an innocent girl caught in the crossfire.
Raised in a war-ravaged continent, temptation comes to Calla Caldwell in the form of a charming and mysterious stranger. Giving in to his intimate seduction, her world is forever changed by a single bite.
Calla quickly learns the handsome stranger is vampire prince, Trystan Vladu. His bite was an attempt to claim and save her from a plot of vengeance generations in the making. However, the claws of that ancient vendetta are scraping ever closer. Thrust into a new nightmare by the Prince of the corrupt kingdom of Morbeth, Calla is captured, tortured, and starved in the dank confines of his dungeon. While in captivity, she takes part in a séance with a witch of light where she contacts a departed relative—a Princess of Incendia—who bequeaths a gift to Calla that will tip the scales of good and evil . . . if she can learn to harness it.
With a dark tapestry of secrets, lies, and murder unraveling around her, Calla must learn to embrace the power roiling through her veins, or be snuffed out by the strangling fist of a malevolent darkness.
Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
Vampires, damphyrs, witches and even a pirate! This book pretty much had it all. Calla is bitten by a vampire prince and that leads her on a journey filled with danger and discovery.
I like the people Calla meets along the way like Kylan, Melaina and Markus. I thought these side characters brought a lot to the storyline because we learn a lot about vampires and the world they live in through their explanations to Calla.
The world building is interesting and I was curious about these different kingdoms of Morbeth and Incendia. We have vampires, witches, elementals, and even aquarians. Calla spends most of her time though with evil Prince Roehl in Morbeth but she does have some adventures after escaping Morbeth.
The cover of the book was what made me request this book, I like it a lot!
I like fast paced books that hit you with action in the first few pages but this book did that way too fast for me. One moment Calla is at a party, then she’s bitten by a vampire prince, Trystan, who was drawn to her because he felt a connection to her name on paper. Not going to lie, that made me wary of the story. I just didn’t believe it! 🤦🏻♀️ It’s too much of a major insta-connection, I won’t say insta-love because she meets other guys along the way.
Calla is made a vampire super quick but Trystan is barely in the book and she’s yet to complete a blood bond with him. But evil Prince Roehl, also wants her to have a blood bond with him. YET…when she finally escapes Roehl and hops aboard a pirate ship -she falls in lust with Sebastian Calloway. Go Calla…but I wasn’t feeling any of it. Apparently every man wants her because she’s special – she’s an elemental vampire royal but I wasn’t connecting to her at all. 🤷🏻♀️
This reads like a story for teens but it does have heated moments between Calla and some of the men she meets along the way.
This story wasn’t for me only because I felt no connection to Calla. I think the world building is great because it had a variety of supernaturals like witches, vampires, elementals and aquarians. I’m sure the love story will develop more in the next book and maybe Trystan will get more of a spotlight because I’m assuming she ends up bonding with him sometime down the series, at least he’d be my first choice for Calla. I’m not sure if I will continue with the series only but though it didn’t work out for me, I think this will book will appeal to many fantasy fans.
After the Prince of Penryth saved her from captivity, seventeen-year-old Haven Ashwood spends her days protecting the kind prince and her nights secretly fighting the monsters outside the castle walls.
When one of those monsters kidnaps Prince Bell, Haven must ally with Archeron Halfbane and his band of immortals to rescue her friend.
Her quest takes her deep into the domain of a warped and vicious queen where the rules are simple: break her curse or die.
Lost in a land of twisted magic and fabled creatures, Haven finds herself unprepared, not just for the feelings she develops for Archeron, but for the warring powers raging inside her.
Her rare and forbidden type of magic may be their only hope . . . but mixing light and dark comes with a steep price.
Haven’s soul.
Faced with impossible love, heartbreaking betrayals, and a queen intent on destroying the realm, only one thing remains certain.
Haven must shatter the curse or it will devour everything she loves.
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 317
Categories: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
My Review:
I love Haven and Bell’s friendship. Haven is Prince Bellamy’s guard but she is also his best friend. She’s very protective of him her sole purpose in this series is to save him. I mean, that’s devotion!
Haven is a fighter but at some points she’s so cocky around more powerful beings than her. She’s rash at times with major tunnel vision (saving Bell) but Archeron, the Sun Lord is right to be aggravated with her at times. As for her feelings about him…warning, there IS a love triangle in this series.
The world building is detailed – we have mortal kingdoms, and immortal kingdoms. There is also the Netherworld which Stolas rules. The magic system is based on rune magic. There is a quest to save Prince Bell and to break a curse so the stories moves along quickly, plus at barely over 300 pages – it’s a quick read.
Triggers: violence and self-harm (because of how the rune magic is used)
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Title: Cursebreaker (Kingdom of Runes, #2)
All magic has a price.
Haven survived the Devourers, but she isn’t any closer to breaking the curse. Meanwhile, her forbidden magic rages brighter and more dangerous every day.
To control her powers and stand a chance against the Shade Queen, Haven made a bargain with two enemy immortals. Now her waking hours are spent fighting alongside the Sun Lord, but her dreams belong to the Shade Lord.
Only the closer she ventures into the wicked Shadow Kingdom the more her magic shows itself—and the more she struggles with whom to trust. The golden but wounded Sun Lord or the darkly charismatic Shade Lord.
Both are off-limits.
And both have the ability to save her . . . or destroy her.
With the Shade Queen closing in and Bell’s time nearly up, Haven will sacrifice everything to break the curse—but will it be enough to stop the mortal realm from falling into darkness forever?
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 380
Categories: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
My Review:
Bell has always been in Haven’s protective shadow even though he is a Prince and will rule one day. He is not good at fighting and always had Haven do it for him – so in his captivity he struggles but learns he can be without Haven. Bell is learning to find his own strength which is wonderful. He also meets the person who created the curse on the land in the first place.
We learn more about how the curse was created and more about Ravenna and her evil mother.
Haven gets into more harrowing danger and her hurt people, which annoyed me at times. When will she learn?! Ugh, that was frustrating about her. Her focus is still saving Bell but Archeron and she have an attraction happening. And the others in the group are becoming her friend. She shows heart in trying to help them instead of trying to deceive them. We learn about her past with evil Daimus as her captor. And then there is Stolas…uh huh…I can kind of guess how this is going to end.
This book kept giving me ACOTAR vibes…like MAJOR ACOTAR vibes with the whole Archeron and Stolas thing (Tamlin vs Rhys) and the curse. Like I just knew, she would end up with Stolas (Rhys)…I mean, at this point it’s reading like a fan fiction ACOTAR book! It bugged me but I love ACOTAR so much that I kept reading haha.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Title: King Maker (Kingdom of Runes, #3)
They broke the curse, but at what cost?
Haven and her crew may be considered heroes, but they arrive back in Penryth harboring dangerous secrets. Plagued by nightmares, Haven struggles to control her newfound magic while Bell shrinks under the weight of their shared lie.
When an emissary from Solissia shows up in Penryth and drafts Bell in a magical tournament, Haven is once again forced to follow the prince to foreign lands, this time to the bloodthirsty court of Archeron’s mother.
Trapped in a shifting landscape of dark politics, duplicitous immortals, and cruel sovereigns, Haven fights to keep Bell alive all without revealing their secret. But a terrible evil brews on the horizon. One that threatens the very fabric of the realm.
Haven might be their only hope of stopping the impending darkness. But first she must learn to accept her own darkness and follow her heart—no matter where it leads.
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: digital – ? /Amazon print version says 640
Categories: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
My Review:
And yes…there goes the ACOTAR love triangle dilemma -Archeron becomes a villain, Stolas is now the hero. SIGH. I mean, I was loving Stolas anyway but it was just so similar. Did it really have to happen? Archeron was there for her in the beginning and he has to go out like this? Evil, broken hearted, and disfigured – damn.😔
Since the curse was broken in book two, we are now introduced to Archeron’s kingdom and his family. There is a trial, and the winner gets to rule over all nine kingdoms (and yes the Nine reminds me of LOTR! 🤦🏻♀️). This series actually reminds me a lot of other books out there.
I did love learning about Stolas’ sister who is as sassy as they come, but hey she is a Queen. Also Haven finally has more friends than just Bell now, yay – and her friendship with Bell gets tested but it needed to happen. Bell needed to come out through some struggles on his own and Haven needed to let him do it.
Despite the similarities to other books, it’s an entertaining series and I’m bummed the next book isn’t until November.
Overall, the three books in the series I read gives off major ACOTAR vibes with some differences, like this one has wyverns and rune magic. Haven does grow…slowly, she definitely learns the hard way which is so frustrating. She is not my favorite female lead, the battle in the end worked because she had help from her friends. I do enjoy the rune magic aspect of this world and how Haven has both dark and light magic. Will I read the next books, YES, I need to find out what happens with Archeron, how low will he go? There is also still a battle with Daimus coming, he definitely needs to be eliminated.
Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. Check out her blog for more Top 5 Tuesday topics and other bookish content. Here is this week’s topic:
Top 5 Worst Rulers (Kings, Queens, etc..)
Cersei Lannister, Game of Thrones Series
I’m starting the book series finally this week but at least in her television portrayal…she is one bad woman! Complicated, incestuous, power-hungry, messed up…but a loving mother who will kill for her children (literally). She was scary to watch on tv and I loved to hate her. She is one of the worst because of her killer instinct but honestly I did admire how she smart she was to stay ahead of everyone wanting the throne. 🤷🏻♀️
Maven Calore, Red Queen Series
Another person with a messed up childhood, because of his MOTHER. UGH…her mind control powers made Maven unstable, which is unfortunate. He had so many personal demons but he was also so manipulative. 😒
Keris Veturia, Ember of Ashes Series
Keris Veturia…the Commandant. She’s cruel to her own son, hated him from the moment she knew she was pregnant because she was raped by his father! 😞 She is a hard woman with a hard heart.
Rat King Silan Veliant, The Bridge Kingdom
What father trains his daughters, pits them against each other (even if they die) and sends the survivor to infiltrate his enemies’ kingdom? The Rat King, that’s who. 😳
Queen Amarantha, ACOTAR
The queen that put the high lords of Prythian under a curse! They all wore masks and did her bidding until Feyre came along and endured the trials that almost killed her. I was happy to see Queen Amarantha defeated.
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 