City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials, #1) by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials, #1)

Author: C.N. Crawford

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 306

Publication Date: 8/13/21

Publisher: C.N. Crawford

Categories: Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Fake Dating

I never thought I’d be singing happy birthday to myself in a dungeon. And yet when a sinfully sexy demon crashes happy hour, that’s exactly what happens. He’s known as the Lord of Chaos, and he’s mistaken me for my succubus doppelgänger.

Happy birthday to me.

When he tastes my blood, he finally understands I’m mortal. And I realize we have something in common: we both crave revenge. So we make a deal: I can stay in the forbidden city to hunt for my mom’s killer. In return, I’ll help him get the vengeance he craves. I just have to pose as a sexy succubus. One problem–he’s my number one suspect.

And that’s increasingly hard to remember as he teaches me my role: seduction. With each heated touch I drift further into peril. And if I fall under his seductive spell, death awaits me.

Rowan is trying to make ends meet as a nineteen year old who is on her own. She has a best friend who is attending University in the forbidden city that is inhabited by demons. Rowan wants in but how? This is where the Lord of Chaos, Orion, comes in as he mistakenly thinks Rowan is Mortana, a succubus from the past with a bad, bad, bad reputation. Of course Rowan isn’t this Mortana he accuses her of being but she puts a proposition to him – she will act as Mortana and find out what Orion needs to know in order for him to exact his revenge. This helps Rowan get closer to achieving her ideas of avenge against her mother’s murderer also – if she can find out who it is.

I found Rowan a typical main character found in these types of new adult, urban fantasy books, especially the ones from this author. Rowan is down on her luck, trying to better her life and then she run into a major complication that can actually help her situation – as long as she plays along. But we learn a few things about Rowan that made the story much more interesting…is she Mortana? Or a descendant? Who killed her mom? I’ll definitely be reading the next book to find out.

Orion, Lord of Chaos, is all kinds of temptation and mystery. He’s devastatingly handsome, rich, and powerful. I love how snarky he is! The chemistry between them is off the charts. I mean…he is an incubus! 🔥 It’s his job to set her and everyone else raging with arousal.

These books are short and sweet and usually the next installment is released very soon, but it seems like book two will be released in January 2022! I hope it gets released sooner.

I just finished the last series from this author and there was a whole situation with the mc being possessed by another spirit and I really hope this series doesn’t follow the same formula. It would be cool just Rowan to be a descendant or something but we shall see what happens.

Why you should read it?

world building with demons
escapism
quick read/addictive, fake dating

Why you might not want to read it?

too short and next book comes out in 2022
not into demons

My Thoughts:

I think this is a pretty solid start to a series. I like the world building and enjoyed getting to know Rowan and some of her mysterious background. I love Orion of course and not because he’s a handsome demon but he is snarky and I love snark. I hope this turns out to be a good series and I look forward to reading the next book when it comes out.

📚~ Yolanda

Dead Lands by. Stacey Marie Brown | Book Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Dead Lands (Savage Lands, #3)

Author: Stacey Marie Brown

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 446

Publication Date: 6/15/21

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Adult Fiction

Kidnapped by the notorious rebel group, Provstat, Brexley finds her connection goes deeper than she ever imagined. Reunited with old acquaintances and an uncle she never knew, Brexley is thrown into the vicious world of politics, where human and fae leaders will do anything to come out on top. Here dangerous associations and meticulous plots are far more dangerous and cutthroat than any game she survived in Halálház.

If her life wasn’t complicated enough, her relationship with the infamous legend is growing stronger. The more she tries to untangle the link between Warwick and her, the thicker it wraps around them both, entwining them in a world between life and death, where brutal passion and fury collide.

When whispers of a coveted magical substance, called the nectar, start buzzing louder, Brexley’s strange bond to the fae book leads her on an unexpected journey. One that brings her closer to the answers she seeks.

But once she opens the door, all the secrets and lies of her past come flooding out.

Truths she’s not ready to face.

And betrayals that cut bone deep.

I am so addicted to this series and I hate when it ends. I actually was hoping this would be a trilogy so I can stop pining for it haha. But it’s not over yet and I hope the wait isn’t too long for book four!

So what happens in book three, it’s fast paced as usual which I love about this series. Brexley is with her uncle but she doesn’t stop there because everyone wants a piece of her and we still don’t know why but we are getting closer to knowing what she is. There is betrayal and finally all the wild, earth-shattering sex Brexley and Warwick have been basically heading towards, since books one and two was major foreplay for them. I’m glad because I was getting weary of the phantom hands and tongue action. 😅 Like that was fun for a little bit but like Ash said, let’s just get it out of the way. So if that’s what you were waiting for – you get it a lot in this book!

I love all the side characters like Ash, Kek, Birdie and everyone else who makes an appearance in this book. And yes I love the crazy little imp and brownie too – they always bring the humor.

I do like that we are finally getting to know more about Brexley’s background, we find out more about the night of the Fae war and her mom – we need more! We also find out more about the pills with fae essence but we need more information about that too.

This one is action packed, sex packed, motorcycle packed lol…but we are getting closer to finding out what Brexley is so that makes me happy. There were a few twists that kept things interesting as well.

Triggers: violence, death

Okay look, I love that Brex and Warwick finally got it on because it was long overdue but I got so mad at him when he gets jealous. He is alpha-male, he will do anything to protect Brexley that much is proven, and he kills with abandon. But WHY do I want her to have something going on with Killian too? That’s so unlike me. And I’m usually all for fated-mates and all that but Killian…handsome, smart, ruthless…can he get his own book?

Everyone is attracted to Brex…but why? So yes even though she and Warwick are basically having the best sex ever, there are others attracted to her, it bugs him a lot but for her…I’m not sure where she stands because she still feels attraction towards Killian for one.

I also see some potential hookups happening in the book between some of my favorite characters. Would love to see it happen!

I’m addicted to this series and wish I could have binged it all in one sitting. I love the intensity throughout the series, it’s fast paced and gritty. Brex and Warwick finally start getting their tension out of their system and yet it creates more. We find out more about Brexley but now I have more questions. And all I want from this series is more. I am eagerly awaiting book four!

📚~ Yolanda

The Gilded Ones by. Namina Forna | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1)

Author: Namina Forna

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 2/9/21

Publisher: Delacorte

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.

First thing I love about this book is the cover. It’s vibrant and has a beautiful girl on the cover looking fierce. The synopsis sounded intriguing and for the beginning part of the book, I was hooked.

Deka is going through a rough time – her blood ceremony went haywire and it showed she wasn’t pure as she was hoping. She finds out she’s an alaki, basically a half-demon and she gets sent to the emperor to join his alaki soldiers to fight the Deathstrikers. Deathstrikers are demon creatures terrorizing the empire and Deka has a link to them, which makes her different.

I liked how the other alaki ~ all girls ~ decide to bond together instead of fight one another. They realize it’s not going to be pretty training as alaki but together, they can come out of this period successfully. So they become their own family and look out for one another. There was a lot of women power themes in this story.

There is a tiny bit of romance, nothing that takes away from Deka and her journey of finding out what she really is.

Triggers: death in many gruesome ways, violence towards women, torture, mention of rape

It’s gory. Deka is killed multiple times, in various ways but she’s a demon so – she doesn’t die yet, but her village elders definitely used her golden blood to profit from. Ugh. Many of the other alaki girls who didn’t arrive with Deka were violated and killed multiple times as well. So there is a lot of violence towards girls! On the other hand, the emperor’s elite fighting warriors/assassins are women, so the story showed both violence towards women and women committing violence. It showed the girls suffering because their survival shows how strong they are.

The story lost me at the halfway point when I felt like I wasn’t connecting to Deka at all. She tries to find out more about her mom, she keeps changing and as a reader, I could guess what she was changing into. I got a little bored and not even Ixa the shapeshifting animal could rouse my interest. Maybe I wanted Deka to be more angry? Like Belcalis? If my community tried to kill me nine times in every way possible, I’d be enraged and come back with a vengeance – but that’s me. Deka has more grace than I do! Haha! She’s a good person.

The message of The Gilded Ones is great – though we may suffer, whatever doesn’t kill us – makes us stronger. I enjoyed the world building because it is unique but I wish I connected more to Deka, I think I connected more to her friends. I think many readers will definitely love this book even if I didn’t, because it has a strong message and so much girl power infused in the story.

📚 ~ Yolanda

We Free the Stars | Book Review

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Title: We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya, #2)

Author: Hafsah Faizal

Format: Hardcover (own)

Pages: 592

Publication Date: 1/19/21

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Catalog: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Duology

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.

As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

The adventure continues in the conclusion of the Sands of Awariya duology and our beloved characters go through hell and back to save their people. I love the action, the heartache, the longing, the twists, and the victories!
Talk about the slowest burn ever between Altair and Zafira ~ obviously they want to be together but there are so many obstacles between them, mainly their ability to say what they feel or the fact they both seem to feel they deserve one another. It was frustrating to watch their back and forth but I loved it all the same. I loved the yearning between them.
The writing – this author writes so beautifully! I kept noting quotes I had to save because it gave me all the feels. The writing is fluid, effortless and such a pleasure to read.
I love the characters: they are diverse, each has their own strength and weaknesses, but they are there for each other. I love their bond, and thank goodness for Kifah and Altair bringing the humor.
Zafira goes through a tough personal journey because of what the Jarawat is unleashing in her. Can she retain who she is when she is filled with such dark power? Will her loved ones be afraid of her? And what is Zafira when her reputation as the Huntress is over? Who is she now?

Trigger: grief, violence, emotional and physical abuse

I didn’t realize this book was long until I got it. At almost 600 pages it took me a few days to finish, but I’m not complaining. I just wished I read it as an ebook instead to keep from holding a heavy book haha.
The personal journeys the characters go through are rough, especially for Altair, Nasir and Zafira. For a time it feels like the despair for all of them is too much, everyone had suffer and hope was fleeting at one point – even I felt like they had no chance at beating the Lion.

We Free the Stars is a great conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology. It is written beautifully with lush world building, action, betrayal, a slow burn romance, a fight against evil and characters fighting for each other and the ones they love. In the end the message of yearning and hope prevails.

♥️ ~ Yolanda