Another month is over – goodbye July, hello August!
I felt like July was a really long month, not in a bad way though. July coming end means my son is back in school the first week of August. Summer is over for us here in Hawaii (yet we have summer weather all year so what does it matter? lol). Here is what I read in July!
What I read and reviewed in July
Total: 13 Books –
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 –
The Infinity Courts by. Dawn Akemi Bowman
A Court of Honey and Ash by. Shannon Mayer and Kelly St Clare
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ –
Strange the Dreamer by. Laini Taylor
House of Hollow by. Krystal Sutherland
Kate in Waiting by. Becky Albertalli
People We Meet on Vacation by. Emily Henry
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 –
The Mixtape by. Brittany Cherry
Late to the Party by. Kelly Quindlen
⭐️⭐️⭐️ –
With You All the Way by. Cynthia Hand
Cruel Stakes by. Nina Walker
Simmer Down by. Sarah Smith
⭐️⭐️1/2 –
Crave by. Tracy Wolff
ARC Reviews Posted in July
Total Books – 10
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ~
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by. Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 ~
A Lesson in Vengeance by. Victoria Lee
If the Shoe Fits by. Julie Murphy
The Right Side of Reckless by. Whitney D. Grandison (BLOG TOUR)
These Hollow Vows by. Lexi Ryan
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ~
The Sisters of Reckoning by. Charlotte Nicole Davis
Endless Skies by. Shannon Price
How We Fall Apart by. Katie Zhao
Radar Girls by. Sarah Ackerman (BLOG TOUR)
⭐️⭐️1/2 ~
The Dating Dare by. Jayci Lee
ARCS I read in July For Future Posts
Total Books – 2
July Total Books Read = 15
Blog Tours = 2
Not bad for July. It seems my monthly average so far in 2021 has been 13-15 books which is perfect. I had wanted to cut down on my reading and read when I wanted to at my own pace and it’s working. I’m pretty happy with my pace so far!
Bone Criers have a sacred duty. They alone can keep the dead from preying on the living. But their power to ferry the spirits of the dead into goddess Elara’s Night Heavens or Tyrus’s Underworld comes from sacrifice. The gods demand a promise of dedication. And that promise comes at the cost of the Bone Criers’ one true love.
Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love.
Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death.
Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.
I was excited to finally get this one from my library but I didn’t love it like I was hoping I would. Here are some things I did like about the story.
I liked the story about the Leuress or Bone Criers – they are a group of woman who ferry dead souls to the afterlife. These women acquire bones from animals they hunt and fashion them into pendants they can carry. When they have the bones with them they can use the power of the animal bones. I liked the world-building and thought it was really creative.
Ailesse and Sabine are the two perspectives we have in this story and I love their bond. You know they love one another and they will do anything to help one another. Sabine is the one doing a lot to try and save Ailesse in this book and she really does her best to help her friend. I feel like she is the only character that was fleshed out.
There is a twist at the end that made me much more curious about where this story will go.
Triggers: animal hunting
I wasn’t feeling the fated love story. Ailesse lures her amoure to kill him, it’s tradition as a Leuress, but the amoure that shows up is Bastien – this boy who has been training to kill Bone Criers since he saw his dad murdered by one. What could have been a really good enemies to lovers romance fell short for me. They both planned to kill one another and then immediately during some crazy events that take place, they are suddenly in love with one another? Where was the build-up? I didn’t buy it and I usually love enemies to lovers romances. I think I needed more from Ailesse and Bastien, more character depth or something.
The enemies in this story were Chained souls who didn’t want to go to their afterlife because they will be punished basically for eternity. And I thought okay cool…until Bastien and anyone not a Leuress couldn’t see them. So Ailesse would direct Bastien where to fight but he was fighting something invisible. Even when Ailesse lost her grace bones she couldn’t see the enemy, so there were these interesting blind fighting moments that I was not feeling. I guess I found the visual in my head pretty funny, Bastien fighting an invisible ghost.
Why you should read it:
cool magic system with the grace bones and ferrying the dead
there is a lot of action
Why you might not want to read it:
lacks character depth
no build up to romance
creative world building concept but some parts were vague
My Thoughts:
I had high hopes for this one because I love the cover so much and the concept was intriguing. The magic system is cool and that’s what I give most of the stars for because I liked the grace bones and ferrying dead souls but the romance was a no for me and the lack of character depth for Bastien and Ailesse. I just needed more from those two. I think Sabine carried the story for me. There is a twist at the end though that makes me curious as to what the direction will go but I’m not sure if I will be reading the sequel.
#SixforSunday is… it’s really just that. You choose 6 books (normally) that you’d choose to fit whatever the prompt is that week. This meme is hosted by A Little but a Lot and you can follow the link to find the prompts for July to September.
This week’s topic:
Favourite 2021 Reads So Far
It’s so hard to only pick six! But there are the six of my top, top reads of 2021 so far. What’s on your list?
Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Friendship, Coming of Age
Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined.
She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world.
So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids.
But then Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy in the dark, and an unexpected friendship is formed. In return for never talking about that kiss, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and draws her into a wild summer filled with late nights, new experiences, and one really cute girl named Lydia.
The only problem? Codi never tells Maritza or JaKory about any of it.
From author Kelly Quindlen comes a poignant and deeply relatable story about friendship, self-acceptance, what it means to be a Real Teenager. Late to the Party is an ode to late bloomers and wallflowers everywhere.
Late to the Party is about Codi who is tired of feeling “boxed in” her life and mostly by her friends. She’s had the same best friends, Maritza and JaKory for years and here they are, the summer before Senior year and they want to live a little. Her best friends want to be kissed, want to date someone or at least to know what it feels like to do any of those things. Codi wants it too but she doesn’t know how to go about changing her life until she runs into Ricky. He’s a year older, lives in her neighborhood and he doesn’t know if he is gay or not. Codi and Ricky bond together and it becomes a summer of changes – in ways unexpected.
Codi is a teenager, wanting a different kind of life, outside of what her best friends perceive her to be and I definitely went through that as a teenager. How do you know who you are if you are always with the same people? Especially if you don’t feel like who they think you are is not how you feel you are inside. So this story is about growing and Codi goes through a lot of it especially with her new friendship with Ricky.
Ricky is a great mirror for Codi, I adore him. He tells her things straight up and coming from a “stranger” who is a new friend and not her old friends, it’s a new voice telling her what she needs to hear. He shows her she can have fun and not be on the outside looking in all the time.
Codi and Lydia’s budding relationship is sweet and occurs naturally without too much drama which was nice to see. There is a lot of queer relationships in this book which was lovely. I also liked how Ricky wasn’t sure if he only liked guys or girls and guys – his confusion and anxiety and talking about everything with Codi was a breakthrough moment in their friendship.
Triggers: drinking alcohol
I didn’t quite connect to Codi, even though I could relate to her feelings of feeling trapped in a persona she wasn’t sure was truly herself. I just didn’t understand how she could ghost her best friends most of the summer and lie about hanging with Ricky and his friends. There were parts of her that seemed selfish but that was her point actually, she wanted something to be selfish about but it affected her relationship with her best friends and even her younger brother.
Why you should read it:
f/f and m/m relationships
nostalgia of those awkward teen years
very quick read
Why you might not want to read it:
nostalgia of those awkward teen years (lol)
My Thoughts:
This was a very quick read with a lot of queer representation and teens being teens – awkward, insecure, finding their way as they should be. Codi make mistakes and tries to fix said mistakes. Overall, it was an enjoyable story despite me not connecting to the main character as much as I would have liked.
Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Audiobook
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?
Welcome to Weep.
For some reason I had a hard time getting through the beginning of this book when I was reading it as a physical book. I don’t know why! So while I was making my daughter a plushy I said, okay, I’ll give audiobooks a try again since I need something to listen to as I craft and chose to listen to this book. I am not sure what I was thinking but…I got through it and I’m not a big audiobook fan.
As for the narrator, Steve West, he did so good! His voice is mesmerizing, which is perfect for the author’s prose. I did giggle when he had to do some of the female dialogue but for the most part – it was his voice that kept me invested in this story. It’s a 500+ paged book and 67 chapters – I really didn’t think I’d survive the audiobook version, but I found myself wanting to hear the narrator speak.
Laini Taylor is a master at world building, imagery and magical prose. This story comes to life in this audiobook, and one word kept standing out to me, sumptuous. Every description of this world is so lush, detailed, beautiful even when it is a nightmare. The story building is wonderful as we meet Lazlo Strange and his obsession with stories of a place called Weep. Everyone thinks it’s a fairytale, a story not real until…it is real. We go on this adventure with Lazlo as he travels to the Citadel to uncover the mysteries of Weep and it’s history. We also meet Sarai, a godspawn being, half god, half human and forgotten until she is found. I cared about all the characters, humans, gods, godspawn and even the ghosts.
What we find is a story of gods and humans, of massacred babies, ghosts who want peace and revenge, and godspawn half human/half god children who were forgotten and reviled. It’s a sad story, a complicated story, a heartbreaking one of choices made, and consequences of those actions and choices. It’s a story also about love and falling in love, the learning of kisses and emotions, of longing and pleasure.
I enjoyed the puzzle of Weep and Lazlo’s patience in piecing everything together. He really grows as a character from an orphan, library apprentice to finding out who he really is.
Triggers: death, violence, violence against children
Because it was an audiobook I felt like there were a lot of repetition in the story like when it came to describing life as a godspawn or even just the kissing scenes (which are beautiful) but Minya is about to kill everyone and the Godslayer is about to do something also…I wanted all that action! Would I have read through these areas faster? Maybe. There was a few parts in the beginning where I felt like things could have moved faster but there is a lot of describing going on! It is almost a 600 page book and although I love the flowery prose, at times I wanted to get to the point. Once again – this might be because I was listening to it as an audiobook, I’m not sure? I had to listen while my kids talked to me or had Roblox playing in the background haha. It was a challenge!
Why you should read it:
Intricate, unique world and story building, beautiful imagery
Amazing characters
Emotional story about love, hate, war
Why you might not want to read it:
Overly descriptive prose, sometimes repetitive and not a lot of action
Flowery prose is not your thing
Slow beginning
My thoughts:
This book was hyped up years ago and though I LOVE this author, but I couldn’t get into the story until now…4 years later! And only through audiobook I could get through the beginning because it is so slow. I just borrowed Muse of Nightmares as an ebook just in case there are slow parts again that I can speed through, I hope. Underneath all the fluffy and sumptuous words, is a beautiful, creative story about gods, humans and godspawn. I need to know what happens next and I hope it’s good.
Categories: Paranormal, Young Adult, New Adult, Romance
Cross your heart and hope to live.
I should leave them alone and be done with vampires. I finally have my mother back, I’m dating the perfect guy, and I’ve parted ways with Adrian Teresi.
But I have an opportunity to help the hunters and hopefully learn something that could save more humans. Not to mention, I need answers about the venom burning through my veins.
So I go back to The Alabaster Heart to strike another deal with the vampire prince. The game of cat and mouse that follows is expected, and maybe even a little fun, but nothing prepares me for the day that our games end—and the consequences begin.
Cruel Stakes is the sequel to Blood Casino, a paranormal series about Vampires who are like the mafia running the underworld. Evangeline or Eva, is playing both sides, working for Adrian, a vampire prince and also becoming a vampire hunter with Felix and her friends. The stakes are higher now because the Queen of vampires, Brisa, has her in her sights.
I liked being in Adrian and Eva’s world again, especially when they travel to the Palace of Versailles in France. Brisa has won the city of Versailles and has called her princes to come party with her basically, and they party everyday. It’s decadent, and as opulent as when Marie Antoinette was alive in Versailles. But to what end?
Eva and Adrian have grown somewhat closer, as close as cold Adrian lets her be – but still it’s hard to know how much Adrian can be trusted. I like that once we start to think we know Adrian…we don’t again. He is quite a mystery and I’m wondering at his end game for real.
There is another twist at the end involving Leslie Tate – so I guess I will wait for book three.
This sequel felt rushed. It’s a very quick read with only less than 300 pages in this volume and I needed more to the story. I felt like things were just being glossed over. Leslie Tate is back? Okay, let’s ambush Adrian and oh, too bad the fight is over. It was all so fast, the scenes needed to be extended a bit at least!
Adrian and Eva finally admitting something about their attraction felt so anti-climatic but there is drama there we get to know more about in book three I hope. The way it happened was rushed. And what is this obsession with her virginity? I get she smells good to vampires but yikes…haha. Eva was trying to get laid in this book.
Eva dealing with Felix, her “boyfriend”? Did they even really care about each other? I felt nothing and I’m team Adrian anyway. I honestly am not sure what it is about Eva who is 19 years old appeals to world and very very old Adrian. 😅 She is fetus compared to him. Sigh…but that’s how it is with vampire hookups. And even worse, I felt awful about her best friend Ayla. What is going on with that? How were they so close and now not best friends? And how is Eva so casual about it? She tried to talk to her a few times, but I felt like as a best friend…she could do way more. So I wasn’t feeling Eva at all in this book at all.
Why you should read it?
vampires vs. vampire hunters and….energy demons?
fun plot twist at the end
Adrian and Eva finally make moves on one another
Why you might not want to read it?
the story is rushed
most exciting thing happens at the end of the story, it’s a cliffhanger
this could have been combined with book 3
Am I still going to read book three? Yes, definitely because I need to see what happens with that plot twist. I hope Eva has more character growth in the next book and we see what Adrian is really up to and how he really feels. Overall, I’m still entertained with the series and look forward to the next one.
Categories: Romance, Musician/Rock Star, Contemporary, Diverse
Since the death of his twin brother, Oliver’s caught between pleasing his fans and finding himself. Emery finds him first.
Emery has never felt more alone. Raising her daughter is both her pleasure and her pain as she struggles to hold on to her job as a bartender and keep a roof over their heads. With no one to help them—no support system—any unexpected expense or late bill could turn their whole world upside down.
Reeling from the death of his twin brother and bandmate, rock star Oliver Smith is trying to drink his problems away. Apparently he isn’t very good at it; they follow him wherever he goes. Also in hot pursuit are the paparazzi, who catch Oliver at his lowest low.
He could have walked into any bar in California, but he walked into hers. Emery helps Oliver lose the crowd, and they find themselves alone: two people whose paths are marked with loss and pain. However, they hold an unshakable hope for healing. They find solace together, but can their love withstand the world?
This book definitely fulfilled my craving for a rockstar romance. The rock star or R&B star in this instance is Oliver & Alex Smith, who are twins and best friends. But Alex tragically dies and Oliver is left in grief. Emery is a single mother trying to make things meet but she is struggling and she has hardly any support. When Oliver and Emery meet, it starts as a friendship and into something more.
I really liked Oliver and Alex even though Alex was only in the book for a little bit. You can feel their tight brotherly bond and it’s so sad when he dies. Oliver grieves and out of the two brothers he was the quiet and introspective one so dealing with this event is hard for him. But I love how he opens up especially when he meets Emery. He is in a toxic situation with his girlfriend and just in life in general after Alex’s death. Emery is a wonderful character – she loves her daughter, loves her sister and she’s strong despite her toxic upbringing. I love her strength and her softness despite her hard circumstances.
The romance is a slow burn but when they do get together, oh does it burn between them. Don’t be surprised by the sweetness of their relationship because in the bedroom it gets steamy fast. Oliver and Emery start off as friends but they grow closer and Oliver bonds with her daughter which is so adorable. I love the theme of family in this book. Oliver has supportive and caring parents, but Emery has strict parents who withheld affection, even hated her which is truly awful. I liked how it shows how families can be toxic but there is always a chance to stop the cycle and create new, healthy family traditions.
The story is a little predictable when Emery becomes his personal chef, but I didn’t mind that at all. Also just because she’s a personal chef, this wasn’t a foodie book at all. They say her food is amazing but we don’t necessarily get all the food descriptions like we do in more food oriented romance stories.
The sexual parts are quick scenes but pretty hot and descriptive, so if you aren’t into that – this may not be for you.
Why you should read it:
fan of R&B music star falling for regular girl trope
slow burn, steamy love making scenes, sweet romance
emotional story of two people overcoming sadness and struggle in their lives
quick read
Why you might not want to read it:
musician trope
predictable story
My thoughts:
I don’t read a lot of rock star trope stories but once in awhile I get a craving for it. I loved that this was about an R&B star because it’s one of my favorite music genres and this is a diverse read with a beautiful black man and woman as the lead characters. The story is emotional, sweet, and deals with a hard topics like grief and a toxic family. But our couple comes out shining and filled with a new outlook on life and love. I look forward to reading more books from this author.
Title: How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe
Author: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 8/10/21
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Social Media, Body Image, Self Love, Family, Romance, Mental Health
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Hating Gamemeets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this irresistible romance starring a Mexican American teen who discovers love and profound truths about the universe when she spends her summer on a road trip across the country.
When her twin sister reaches social media stardom, Moon Fuentez accepts her fate as the ugly, unwanted sister hidden in the background, destined to be nothing more than her sister’s camerawoman. But this summer, Moon also takes a job as the “merch girl” on a tour bus full of beautiful influencers and her fate begins to shift in the best way possible.
Most notable is her bunkmate and new nemesis, Santiago Phillips, who is grumpy, combative, and also the hottest guy Moon has ever seen.
Moon is certain she hates Santiago and that he hates her back. But as chance and destiny (and maybe, probably, close proximity) bring the two of them in each other’s perpetual paths, Moon starts to wonder if that’s really true. She even starts to question her destiny as the unnoticed, unloved wallflower she always thought she was.
Could this summer change Moon’s life as she knows it?
I am in LOVE with this book. Where do I begin? First the title intrigued me, and the character’s name being Moon. Because I love all moon things. Then the cover with a curvy girl, the moon above her and all that pink and purple tones. That’s where my love for it starts – but then the story takes me on an emotional journey and that’s when I fell hard.
Moon Fuentez is so relatable. She’s an artist and calls to the artist in me. I want to follow her Fotogram account, I want to buy her tarot cards, I wanted to know this girl and we definitely get to know her in this story. Her twin is Star Fuentez and her opposite from their body size and beliefs about lifestyle. Moon honors the old ways, honoring the Earth, delving in the mystical – and Star is a religious model (I didn’t even know those existed!). Moon has a lot of family secrets that are revealed little by little as she gets to know Santiago, a boy on the tour. I love how Moon grows on this tour. She’s there to basically be her sister’s assistant but she learns that she has a light around her too and embraces it in the end.
Speaking of Moon and Santiago – theirs is an enemies to lovers romance which so much spark. They are enemies, then sort of friends, which was fun to watch because Santiago really is such a grump and likes to anger Moon haha, and Moon makes him laugh. I mean, Santiago already had me with his kitchen skills. They are the cutest couple.
This story takes sensitive issues that Moon is dealing with and weaves them into the mystical and natural fabric of our world and universe. I thought it was beautifully done. I felt embraced in Moon’s experiences with La Raiz. I love how Moon learned divination with her Tia, the only person who has shown her real love (besides her dad). It’s a heartbreaking story at its core, a girl just wanting the love of a parent. But Moon is strong in the end to make decisions that are healthier for her heart, soul and mind, even if it hurts a lot.
Triggers: suicide, child abuse, depression
This story is sex positive but Moon struggles with her mom’s views on sex and body image. It reminded me of my own Catholic upbringing but obviously Moon’s mom took it to the next level by slut shaming her, blaming her – her own child, for how miserable she felt inside. Her mother needed help and never got it but it conditioned Star and Moon from childhood that sex was an evil act. Moon has other people in her life explain to her why it wasn’t how her mom portrayed it to be, which is great.
Depression is mentioned because some characters in the book go through it. Moon has her own coping mechanisms, ones that she realizes she has to work through.
Is Moon Fuentez real? Because I want her to be – I want to buy her beautiful tarot cards and pick flowers with her. I want to check out her artwork in a museum, I want to see the images she captured on her beloved camera. I fell in love with Moon and Moon with Santiago and this whole story about nature’s magic, how even in this amazing, big universe, we are all connected, even in our pain. This is a book I connected with wholeheartedly, it really touched my heart, and I can’t wait to have it in my hands as a physical book.
Title: The Sisters of Reckoning (The Good Luck Girls, #2)
Author: Charlotte Nicole Davis
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 8/10/21
Publisher: Tor Teen
Categories: Young Adult, Western Dystopian
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Tor Teen for giving me a chance to read this eARC!
The Sisters of Reckoning is the blockbuster sequel to Charlotte Nicole Davis’s alternate Old West-set commercial fantasy adventure.
The Good Luck Girls are free. Aster’s sister and friends have new lives across the border in Ferron, while Aster remains in Arketta, helping more girls escape. But news of a new welcome house opening fills Aster with a need to do more than just help individual girls. And an unexpected reunion gives her an idea of how to do it. From there, grows a wildly ambitious plan to free all dustbloods, who live as prisoners to Arketta’s landmasters and debt slavery.
When Clementine and the others return from Ferron, they become the heart of a vibrant group of fearless fighters, working to unite the various underclasses and convince them to join in the fight. Along the way, friendships will be forged, lives will be lost, and love will take root even in the harshest of circumstances, between the most unexpected of lovers.
But will Arketta’s dustbloods finally come into power and freedom, or will the resistance just open them up to a new sort of danger?
The reason I loved the first book in the series, The Good Luck Girls, was the unique world building, plus the diversity and lgbt representation. We are back in the same world with Aster and her friends but even though they escaped the “welcome house” it doesn’t mean all girls in Arketta are safe. So Aster is back at it, trying to fight the landmasters with the help of the her friends and allies.
I love the way the book brings up issues about women empowerment, PTSD and human trafficking. Aster and her friends are trying to break the wheel that keeps her and others oppressed and it’s a valiant fight.
The lgbt representation is very natural in this story which is what also stood out in the first book, so it stays consistent which is great. I love how the characters are all so very diverse and the story is carried by Aster who is a strong black female. Aster is brave, capable, and she does make mistakes but still tries her best to do the right thing and fight for the cause. The sisterhood between Aster and the other girls is wonderful. They had each other’s backs since book one and it’s why I loved the series in the first place.
Triggers: human trafficking, PTSD, mentions of sexual assault
I wasn’t as engaged in this sequel as I was in the first book. It took me awhile to get into the story. Aster kept getting into some tough situations but it still didn’t hold my attention so I struggled a little through this one.
The ending also seemed rushed but I don’t know if it’s because it’s an arc copy.
This sequel didn’t hold my attention like the first one but the overall series is inspiring. We see these girls break free from being trafficked and make a life for their own, continuing to fight until everyone is free. I don’t usually gravitate towards Westerns, but this series is done really well with its unique world building and brave characters fighting for women’s rights and the oppressed.
A deadly contest. A vaulting ambition. How far will one cyren go to win?
Mighty cyrens have ruled the ancient lair of Saddoriel for centuries. A cavernous fortress, a subterranean labyrinth of tunnels and levels, powered by magic and music…
From the moment she was born, Roh, the daughter of an infamous criminal, has been despised by her own kind. Restricted to the Lower Sector and forced to work as a common bone cleaner, she has always believed she belongs above: where lies adventure… and power.
Opportunity arises in the form of the Queen’s Tournament, a treacherous set of trials that could see the victor crowned ruler of the entire lair. Up against the most cunning, dangerous cyrens in all the realms, does Roh stand a chance?
A Lair of Bones is the first gripping book in the dark fantasy quartet, Curse of the Cyren Queen.
I went into this story kind of blind. I love how dark and ominous the cover looks and I don’t usually read many books about Sirens or Cyrens as they are spelled in this series, but I was needing something different and I’m glad I borrowed this one.
Rohesia, or Roh is the daughter of a criminal so it’s only natural that she wants to know why her mother did what she did, what really happened, and to do anything to get out of the Lower Sector. She can do all these things if she joins the Queen’s Tournament and wins it all – the winner becomes Queen. But the trials are not easy and she is assigned a human to keep alive at the same time. But Roh has it in her to win, even if she has to hurt the people she loves to do it.
Roh is a morally gray character – do I like her? I like the reasons for her ambitions but I also worry what power will do to her as well. I don’t know if I quite trust her fully to do the right things, since she shows she’s willing to do some wrong things to get her way. Her ambition stems from how she was brought up, at orphan, despised, marked and kept down in the lower sector. She wants more than that…as she should. The way she goes about it is suspect though but I’m hoping for more character growth…she’s already starting to get there with Odi, her human by her side. They have an interesting relationship and I want to see what happens with them and I don’t mean that in a romantic sense – there is no romance in this book, but if there somewhere in the next book, I won’t mind at all! Usually I need romance in my fantasy novels but I like this story as is right now.
I love the characters we meet in this story from Roh’s mom, her best friends, Odi, the Queen and even Roh’s foes. It just makes the story so interesting.
The story itself is creative and I enjoyed the world building of this world of Cyrens. I love how music was incorporated with the Cyrens kidnapping human musicians. I was engaged with how Roh was going to carry out her plans and see if her ambitions would make her do whatever it takes to win or she would learn other ways to accomplish her goals.
Triggers: death
Roh is a morally gray character so you either like her or you don’t. She is ambitious, but she has a fascinating backstory, or at least her mother does and I really know what Cerys’ story is. Odi seems to be changing Roh in some ways, softening her up when it comes to human interactions at least. Will she able to mend her friendship with her best friends though? I hope so.
I liked the trials of the Queen’s tournament but I think there could have been more intensity to it. At least with the first two. I did like the twist of the second trial, but the third was the most action packed of them all. I hope the series gets more intense with the second book and the next quest Roh embarks on.
It would be nice to have some kind of romance? But that’s a ME issue haha, because I love romance.
Why you should read it:
fascinating world of Cyrens (Sirens), detailed world building
a tournament to win the throne, competition
interesting characters
morally gray character
Why you might not want to read it:
no romance
some trials lacking in intensity
My Thoughts:
This is a really great start to a series and I’m surprised I loved it even with no romance in it. Roh’s journey is not over and I hope we get to learn more about the other characters in the book. They all stand out in their own way and I love that about the stories. I especially love this dark world of the Cyrens that the author has created and I eagerly look forward to reading the sequel.
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