Quicksilver by. Callie Hart | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1)

Author: Callie Hart

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 624

Publication Date: 6/4/24

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Fae, Vampires, Magic, Alchemy


Do not touch the sword.

Do not turn the key.

Do not open the gate.

In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot.

Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares…but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed herself right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him… or her.

Death has a name.

It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate.

His past is murky.

His attitude stinks.

And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child.

The devil is in the details…


N.B. Quicksilver contains depictions of graphic violence/adult situations and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author’s website.

Content Warning: violence

I’ve been seeing this recommended on my Kindle Unlimited for a few months now and I loved the cover but wasn’t sure about it. For some reason this week, I borrowed it and I read it in 2 days! Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ I love when I go into a book not expecting much (I didn’t read the reviews but saw it had a lot of 4-5 stars), and takes me by surprise. I was here for vibes and it gave me all the romantasy vibes I was looking for: a strong MC, a hot and annoying love interest, villains, found family, a war, magic, plot twists, spice, tension, banter, humor – it really did have everything! It’s over 600 pages but it kept my attention the whole time.

+ Saeris has been living in squalor in the Third sector in Zilvaren, fighting tooth and nail just to keep her, her brother and family friend alive for another day. But she does something that changes the course of her life forever. She is taken to the Fae world of Yvelia where she learns about the Fae and their war, learns about alchemy and creates friendships and finds the love of her life. I love Saeris’ toughness and grit, but also how she cares for her family and those around her. I really liked her gift of alchemy and thought it was so cool she could forge weapons.

+ Fisher is such a menacing rascal who’s role in life was to get under Saeris’ skin but as the story keeps going we find out what’s going inside his head and heart. He turns out to be the biggest softy where Saeris is concerned and I really loved that about him. I, like Saeris, hated and loved him too!

+ The love story between Saeris and Fisher is everything but I love how it was evenly balanced throughout the book and that even when the whole “mate” issue was brought up, I wasn’t turned off. I usually am only because once a “mate” appears in a romantasy…the word is repeated so much that I get sick of it. It didn’t do that to me in this book because I felt like it was just right and not overkill (thank you!). I love the banter, the attraction, the spice and them choosing one another despite everything. I’ll add them to my favorite couples list.

+ The world building is great! I love how we went from the human world, then the Fae world and got a peek into the vampire world – really all the things I love (fae and vampires!). And I also loved the cast of this story from Carrion whose relationship with Saeris is so funny. And then the found family Saeris finds in Yvelia with Fisher’s sister, his best friend and his healer. I’d love to get to know all of them more!

Dislikes:

    ~ There were typos. So I hope that gets cleaned up for book two.

    ~ Also I think some parts of the story like when they have to do research to solve a problem, some of that could have been taken out to move the story along better and cut down on the page numbers. Like okay, did all of them have to be in the library doing research? I love libraries and love that they thought to do research but I would think there should be an urgency to things with the vampires trying to kill the Fae and with Saeris trying to get home to help her brother?

    My Final Thoughts:

    Even with the minor issues I had with this book it honestly hit the spot for what I was craving at the time I borrowed the book. I wanted enemies to lovers, banter/bickering, fun characters, Fae, vampires, spice and magic! This one was fun! It’s an addicting read and I’m looking forward to book two.

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    Book Links:

    Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

    First Lines Fridays – Can You Guess What Book? | 9/27/24

    First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

    • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
    • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
    • Finally… reveal the book!

    “Once there was a young scholar who was exiled from the imperial court after angering the emperor.”

    ⬇️

    ⬇️

    ⬇️

    ⬇️

    ⬇️

    ⬇️

    ⬇️

    ⬇️

    ⬇️

    Can you guess what book it is?

    Did you guess it? Have you read this one?

    📖 ~ Yolanda

    Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of Revolution by. S. K. Ali | ARC Review

    My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Title: Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of Revolution (#1)

    Author: S. K. Ali

    Format: eBook (NetGalley)

    Pages: 544

    Publication Date: 10/8/24

    Publisher: Kokila

    Categories: Dystopia, Young Adult, Sci-fi/Fantasy

    Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

    Thank you to Kokila for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!



    The first book in a gripping duology from acclaimed author S.K. Ali introduces a fractured world on the brink of either enlightenment or war.

    Would you trade love for peace?

    Raisa of Upper Earth has only lived a life of privilege and acquiescence. Ever dutiful, she accepts her father’s arrangement of her marriage to Lein, Crown Prince of the corrupt, volatile lands of Lower Earth. Though Lein is a stranger, Raisa knows the wedding will unite their vastly different worlds in a pact of peace: an infusion of Upper Earth technology into Lower Earth will usher in the final age of enlightenment, ending war between humans forever.

    Or is justice more urgent?

    Newly released from imprisonment, Nada of Lower Earth has found her own calling: disrupting the royal wedding. Convinced her cousin Lein’s alliance with Upper Earth will launch an invasive, terrifying form of tyranny, Nada sets out undercover to light the spark of revolution.

    When Raisa goes missing a week before the wedding, all eyes turn to the rebels, including Nayf, Nada’s twin brother—a fugitive on the run. And when Nayf and Raisa meet, the long-simmering animosity they feel toward each other’s worlds slowly burns away into something unexpected.

    But the Crown Prince wants his bride—and future—back. And he will go to the ends of the Earths to reclaim them.

    Content Warning: violence, acid attack, death, torture

    This is a story about a revolution and here are my thoughts:

    Likes:

    + There is very good world-building in this story. I got the dystopian/sci-fi feel for it right away with Earth being split into Upper and Lower Earth and characters using high tech items like a scalplink. I thought some of the settings were unique like the hive that housed the rebels.

    + The story of the revolution is very felt through the record or entries of different Keepers. A marriage of peace between both Upper and Lower Earth is supposed to take place but the groom has other plans. Raisa’s journey is frightening because she goes from someone who is protected and pampered and thrown into the midst of a revolution. There are some really violent scenes in this book – one involving an acid attack on women. Nada, the groom’s cousin, who is actually trying to help Raisa, is also tortured. There is a lot of history, politics, attacks and just so many things going on in this book.

    + I liked Nada and Raisa characters. They are strong women in their own way and had to go through some challenging things in the book. Raisa I think had the most growth because she came from such a sheltered upbringing.

    Dislikes:

    ~ Due to the detailed world-building I found this book to have a very slow beginning. It took me awhile to read this one because I would find the story moving nicely and then hit a block where my interest waned so pacing was an issue.

    ~ There are a lot of POVs which include POVs from record keepers of the past. I just felt like there were too many people to keep track of so I mostly looked forward to Raisa’s and Nada’s POVs.

    My Thoughts:

    I haven’t read a dystopian book in awhile and wanted to try this one and I don’t think this one was for me because it was too slow and maybe I wasn’t in the right reading mood for it. But if you like dystopian books I think you would enjoy this because of the world-building, action, politics, and some really cool characters like Nada and Raisa.

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    Book Links:

    Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

    Dishonestly Yours By. Krista & Becca Ritchie | Book Review

    My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

    Title: Dishonestly Yours (Webs We Weave, #1)

    Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie

    Format: eBook (NetGalley)

    Pages: 464

    Publication Date: 7/2/24

    Publisher: Berkley

    Categories: Romance, Crime, Family, New Adult


    Starting fresh is the only way Phoebe can escape a life of crime, but her best friend’s older brother complicates honest dreams in this gripping new series from the authors of the Addicted series.

    Phoebe Graves grew up in a family where deception and seduction are as commonplace as breathing. The Graves and her best friend Hailey’s family have been on the run their whole lives, but after a high-stakes con job goes south, Phoebe and Hailey decide to run away and start over. The small Connecticut town they settle in seems too good to be true.

    The biggest flaw in their plan is Hailey’s frustratingly handsome brother, Rocky, who insists on coming with them. Living honestly isn’t in his DNA, and his past with Phoebe is downright messy. He’s everything she wants, but nothing she can have. 

    Phoebe worries that Rocky will tempt them back into their old ways, where lying is second nature.  She doesn’t want Rocky to mess up the new life she’s begun for herself. The longer she stays in town, the more she realizes what it means to have a reputation—and what a normal life with the man she loves could look like.

    Content Warning: crime, sexual assault, mentions of rape, toxic parental relationships, hazing

    I’ll admit I gravitated to this book because of the cover! I love the colors and then the synopsis got me intrigued so this is what I thought of the book:

    Likes:

    + Two best-friends who have lived a life a crime (forced upon them by their toxic parents), now wants to try living life the right way, a life free of crime in Victoria, Connecticut and honestly when Phoebe mentions Hailey’s favorite movie is Mystic Pizza – I was like oh…I’m going to like this because I was obsessed with Mystic Pizza lol. I love the relationship between Phoebe and Hailey, they are best-friends but like sisters for how long they’ve known each other and all the things they have been through. And they have been through a lot.

    + I think the whole crime family storyline is fascinating with how they lived their lives by just doing a con every time they needed money. Phoebe and Hailey and their siblings have been so manipulated by their parents that all the only real way they know how to live is to manipulate others too so it was interesting to see if Phoebe and Hailey could stop their habit of conning their way through life. I like that they are giving it a real good effort.

    + The forbidden romance between Phoebe and Rocky is filled with angst, passion, but also a deep, deep love. They can’t be together for fear of their parents manipulating that love – which is so sad to me. Rocky is her best friend’s brother and they have such a history together and know each other inside and outside of a con. So really, the two of them know each other’s best and worst sides. I thought they were perfect together and was rooting for them. They do have some steamy scenes.

    Dislikes:

    + The fake-dating with Phoebe and Jake was kind of weak but I know there is more about Jake we need to learn about. He is hard to gauge and has lots of secrets also.

    My Thoughts:

    This story is filled with drama as expected from some characters who only know a life of conning but I found it addicting the more messier things got! I loved Phoebe and Hailey’s friendship and Phoebe and Rocky’s angsty love and I definitely will be reading book two to see what happens when their parents come to town and also I want to know more about Jake.

    Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (Shop)

    Book Links:

    Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

    WWW Wednesday | 9/25/24

    WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

    The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

    What are you currently reading?

    What have you just finished reading?

    What are you going to read next?

    It’s the last Wednesday in September and I’m having a tough time wrapping my head around it. I don’t think I AM ready for the holidays like I thought I was lol. I know it’s officially Fall, but the weather in Hawaii says nope, it’s not. I saw a house with Halloween decorations out already and I’m like…wait….it’s not even October. 😆 But I guess it’s close enough since October is next week. I had such a busy weekend that I didn’t really have time to read, but I’m hoping for some quiet time during the week so I can catch up on reading.

    What are you currently reading?

    Stranger Skies by. Pascale LaCelle – 1% – still no progress because I’m reading other things but I will be getting to this one very soon!

    The Games Gods Play by. Abigail Owen – 9% – no progress

    Worst in Show by. Anna E. Collins – 2% – because I always need something light to read lately along with my darker reads lol

    Eleven Houses by. Colleen Oakes – 48% – picked this one up Sunday night and this was a quick read.

    Love & Lattes by. Beth Reekles – 35% – this one is a very quick read.

    Fangs for Nothing by. Steffanie Holmes – 37% – this one is cute but kind of long, I can’t believe I’m only at 37%!

    What have you just finished reading?

    Dishonestly Yours by. Krista & Becca Ritchie – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

    Zodiac Rising by. Katie Zhao – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

    What are you going to read next?

    What are you reading right now?

    Books on My Fall 2024 To-Read List | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 9/24/24

    Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

    This week’s topic is:

    Books on My Fall 2024 To-Read List

    I’m so grateful I got an arc to most of the Fall books I wanted to read. But here are some of the ones I would like to read this Fall…

    Poison in Their Hearts (Castles in Their Bones, #3) by. Laura Sebastian – I need to read this one to finish the series.

    What’s on your TTT?

    Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (shop)

    Top Ten Tuesday Topics:

    SEPTEMBER~~
    September 3: Books Involving Food (That are Not Cookbooks) (Submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext and Hopewell’s Public Library of Life)
    September 10: Books That Provide a Much-Needed Escape (bonus points if you tell us why!)
    September 17: Ten Characters Authors Surprisingly Redeemed (which characters did you not like at first, but grew to love by the end of the book?) (submitted by Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse)
    September 24: Books on My Fall 2024 To-Read List

    OCTOBER~~
    October 1: Books I Read/Avoided Because of the Hype (and did you make the right choice?)
    October 8: Bookish Brags (or Confessions!) (what are you proud of or… not-so proud of in your bookish life?) (submitted by Lydia @ https://lydiaschoch.com)
    October 15: Books I Was Assigned to Read in School (These can be books you loved or hated. Or just tolerated. Bonus points if you give us a tiny review of your thoughts!)
    October 22: How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time (submitted by Lydia @ https://lydiaschoch.com)
    October 29: Halloween Freebie

    New Book Releases This Week | 9/24/24

    Happy book birthday to these new releases! Check out this list today:

    The Thirteenth Child by. Erin A. Craig

    This is the story of Hazel, a young healer navigating a ruthless court to save the life of the king, grappling with a pantheon of gods with questionable agendas as she fights for agency and true love in her own life as the goddaughter of none other than Death himself.

    All gifts come with a price.

    Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.

    When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.

    But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?

    From the astonishing mind of Erin A. Craig comes the breathtaking fairy tale retelling readers have been waiting for— what does a life well-lived mean, and how do we justify the impossible choices we make for the ones we love?

    Goodreads | Amazon

    When the World Tips Over by. Jandy Nelson

    An explosive new novel brimming with love, secrets, and enchantment

    The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head.

    Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. Now Dizzy Fall, age twelve, bakes cakes, sees spirits, and wishes she were a heroine of a romance novel. Miles Fall, seventeen, brainiac, athlete, and dog-whisperer, is a raving beauty, but also lost, and desperate to meet the kind of guy he dreams of. And Wynton Fall, nineteen, who raises the temperature of a room just by entering it, is a virtuoso violinist set on a crash course for fame . . . or self-destruction.

    Then an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl shows up, tipping the Falls’ world over. She might be an angel. Or a saint. Or an ordinary girl. Somehow, she is vital to each of them. But before anyone can figure out who she is, catastrophe strikes, leaving the Falls more broken than ever. And more desperate to be whole.

    With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.

    Goodreads | Amazon

    Pick the Lock by. A. S. King

    From Michael L. Printz Award winner A.S. King, a weird and insightful new novel about a girl intent on picking the lock of her toxic family with punk rock and opera.Jane’s mother is an artist constantly on tour to earn a living and support the family. While her mother is away, Jane lives in a Victorian mansion with her younger brother and their controlling, mendacious father and aunt, both of whom have conspired to confine Jane and Henry’s mother to a system of pneumatic tubes whenever she’s at home. Pick the Lock follows Jane’s bizarre and brilliant journey to rediscover and reconnect with her mother through punk rock and opera.

    Goodreads | Amazon

    A Fire in the Sky by. Sophie Jordan

    New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns to the high-stakes, sweeping world of dragons, romance, and drama first evoked in her bestselling young adult Firelight series, in a brand-new epic adult romantasy series.

    Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

    But human lust for power is immortal.

    Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it’s her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard…though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

    When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

    The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride…but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

    Magic is not dead…it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

    Goodreads | Amazon

    Are you getting any new books this week? I need to read Throne of Secrets. I’ve already read The Thirteenth Child, When the World Tips Over and A Fire in the Sky – and enjoyed all of them!

    Happy Reading!

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    Goodreads Monday: The Fate of Magic by. Sara Raasch and Beth Revis

    Happy Monday!

    Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme where you chose a random book from your Goodreads TBR and show it off. This meme is hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog.

    Title: The Fate of Magic (Witch and Hunter, #2)

    Author: Sara Raasch and Beth Revis

    Pages: 320

    Links: Goodreads | Amazon

    Publication Date: 10/29/24

    Synopsis:

    The breathtaking sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller Night of the Witch culminates with a sweeping romance and an epic battle to determine the fate of magic…and the world.

    Fritzi is a champion. After escaping the clutches of Dieter Kirch, the sadistic leader of the witch hunters, Fritzi and Otto have taken refuge among the witches of the Black Forest. Fritzi is finally ready to assume her place on the council as the coven’s goddess-chosen champion. Plagued by distrust and self-doubt, Fritzi throws herself into her duty to serve the goddesses . . . until she uncovers a powerful secret that could mean the very undoing of magic itself.

    Otto is a warrior. He swears himself to Fritzi as her bonded protector, certain the peaceful unity of a witch and hunter will heal the wounds he helped make. But as the horrifying plot that threatens the Black Forest’s magic comes to light, Otto will have to face his both his past and what it means to bind himself to a magic he does not fully understand.

    Shadows loom. Truths are revealed. And as dangers new and old arise, Fritzi and Otto must stand together against everything that threatens magic—even if the biggest threat might be the very bond they share.

    Do you have plans to read this book? Let me know in the comments below!

    Heir by. Sabaa Tahir | ARC Review

    My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Title: Heir (#1)

    Author: Sabaa Tahir

    Format: eBook (NetGalley)

    Pages: 512

    Publication Date: 10/1/24

    Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

    Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Series

    Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

    Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!



    Prepare for the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic new fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award winning author Sabaa Tahir about love, legacy, and vengeance.

    An orphan.
    An outcast.
    A prince.
    And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

    Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

    Banished from her tribe for an unforgiveable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way.

    QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but he’s loathe to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

    Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir masterfully interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with the burdens of power, the treachery of love and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed. Get ready for a dark and breathless journey that will captivate readers and that may cost these young people their lives―and their hearts. Literally.

    Content Warning: violence, death, death of children, war

    This is a spin-off of the An Ember in the Ashes series – which was really amazing, but I never read the last book and not because I didn’t want to, but life happened and I kept meaning to get to it. But that didn’t stop me from wanting to read Heir. Here are my thoughts:

    Likes:

    + The story-telling and world building is amazing which is nothing less than I expected from this author. I liked how the Kegars had sails (aircrafts) that they built to fly! Helene, Elias and Laia make an appearance which is wonderful because it just brought me back to the Ember series and how much I loved these characters. But now they are older, with Helene being guardian to her nephew, Quil and Elias and Laia having kids together.

    + There are a few characters in this book and they are fun to get to know. Quil is Helene’s nephew and heir to the empire but I think my favorite was Sirsha who is a tracker. She’s tracking down an evil presence, she’s quick on her feet, has lots of personality and there is a romance between her and Quil. And then there is Aiz who is someone I was fascinated with in the beginning and then the story reveals her intentions, actions and her past and let’s just say she’s a very complicated character.

    + I did enjoy the second half of this book more than the beginning but that’s probably because of there is so much action and things being revealed in the second half.

    Dislikes:

    ~ I don’t dislike that this is in the book because it is what shapes the villain but many children are sacrificed in this story and it’s heartbreaking (as it should be) and the author does an amazing job at writing this book that I hate the villain so much.

    My Thoughts:

    I do wish I finished the Ember series or even re-read the whole thing before reading this one but I think I found my footing in this story even though I didn’t finish the Ember series. I loved the new characters like Quil, Sirsha, Ruh and Sufi. I also loved seeing Helene, Elias and Laia in this book. The writing is fantastic as always and the world-building is detailed and expanded. This book made me feel so many emotions and it’s a dark story but so compelling. This is shaping up to be a really good spin-off and I can’t wait to see what happens in the conclusion!

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    Book Links:

    Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

    Other Books I’ve Read By This Author:

    All My Rage by. Sabaa Tahir | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    An Ember in the Ashes (#1) by. Sabaa Tahir – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    A Torch Against the Night (#2) by. Sabaa Tahir – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    **I know I read book three of the Ember series but I didn’t rate it on Goodreads just probably forgot to but I feel like I should do a re-read of the whole thing. **

    Weekly Wrap Up | 9/22/24

    Aloha friends!

    My kids had a 4 day school week, but we did have to go to their annual doctor appointment on their day off and get a flu shot. So it wasn’t all fun, but at least they had a day off of school and we got to meet up with a college buddy of mine who was stopping over in Hawaii from a trip to Japan! It was so much fun to see her again and catch up.

    Fall break is in 2 weeks – but that means we are almost in October folks! 🤯 And that means the holidays are here and I am not ready. I should do my Xmas shopping now (which I saw every year and never follow through)…but can you believe how fast this year went by? I can’t!

    Anyway, I hope you all have a nice week!

    Blog Posts:

    Books I Read:

    • Storm of Ink and Blood by. Nisha J. Tuli
    • Zodiac Rising by. Katie Zhao

    Currently Reading:

    • The Games Gods Play by. Abigail Owen
    • Love & Lattes by. Beth Reekles
    • Wisteria by. Adalyn Grace
    • Fangs for Nothing by. Stefanie Holmes

    Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

    • Some football

    How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!