The Ordeals by. Rachel Greenlaw | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Ordeals (Killmarth Trials, #1)

Author: Rachel Greenlaw

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 10/7/25

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Dark Academia, Magic, Alchemy, Vampires

In this lush, atmospheric romantasy, an illusionist competes in a series of deadly trials for a spot at an elite magical college—that is, if another hopeful doesn’t kill her first.

Twenty-year-old Sophia DeWinter has only known life bound to her cruel uncle, the Collector, thanks to a blood bond he exacted from her as a child. When she learns of Killmarth College, an elite academy for magic wielders outside of the Collector’s control, she knows it is her only chance to finally break free. But to gain entry, she will have to compete against other illusionists, masquiers, botanists, and alchemists in a series of brutal trials that many hopefuls don’t survive—the Ordeals.

Sophia knows her skills as an illusionist are weak; she only makes it through the first challenge by teaming up with a powerful (and insufferably sexy) botanist, Alden Locke. To make it out alive, she will have to hone her magic and learn to identify who is a rival, who could be an ally, and who is a murderer.

Because now, not only does she have to protect her heart, but her very life. Hopefuls are being viciously picked off one by one between the challenges. In her haste to escape the Collector’s trap, Sophia may have fled straight towards her own death sentence.

Content Warning: violence

+ Sophia only chance to escape her guardian, The Collector, is to enter a trials to have a chance to be admitted into a magical college institution where scholars study and work on their different powers like illusionist, arborist, alchemist, or a masquier. But first Sophia has to figure out how to get in and make sure The Collector doesn’t stop her.

+ Sophia meets her romance interest, Alden, right away. And they have an instant connection and flirtation between them ensues. I love that even though their connection was instant, they become partners in the trials first, the flirtation continues but they really do have to concentrate on keeping alive especially since there are some unsolved murders going on. There is spice eventually though. I thought they were cute together. Both of them are nice, good people with some secrets, so they had to learn to trust one another.

+ I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story. There is a murder mystery in the middle of the learning and trials. I like the enemies being vampires. I also really enjoyed seeing Sophia make friends with Tessa and Greg. Their friendship was one of my favorite parts of this story.

~ I’ve read a lot of Dark Academia stories this year so it’s becoming hard to read the same genre and try to find anything new and fresh about it. The trials in this story brought the suspense into the story, but it didn’t feel different from other trials I’ve read in books all year.

~ This book was a nice length at 384 but it took me almost two weeks to finish I think because of the pacing, which was a little slow, and the fact that I’ve read so many books in this genre this year. I maybe should have saved this for next year.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I did enjoy this one, even though the slow pacing made for a slower read. I especially loved Sophia’s friendship with Tessa and her romance with Alden. It will be interesting to see what happens in book two.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Compass and Blade by. Rachel Greenlaw | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alchemised by. SenLinYu | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️

Title: Alchemised

Author: SenLinYu

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 1040

Publication Date: 9/23/25

Categories: Dark Fantasy, War, Romance

In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.

“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”

Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.

In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.

According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?

To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.

Content Warning: violence, war, religious trauma, gore, rape, torture, drug use, death, suicidal ideation

This book has been everywhere on my socials, and let me just say I never read Manacled – the fanfic that was written before Alchemised and I’m not that knowledgable about the Dramione fanfic world that this is inspired by. That being said, I had a chance to borrow this one and wanted to see what they hype was all about.

+ I’ll get straight to what was my favorite part of this story – the love story. And when I say love, it’s not the pretty, sweet, happy, kind of love that people think about. Yes it’s a dark fantasy and dark romance story, it’s a captor/captive romance, and not for everyone. But these characters are stuck in a war that’s gone on too long, there is so much death, so much darkness, it’s all they know now: torture, blood, guts, gore, and zombies. Helena and Kaine, fall in love with one another during this very dark time. Kaine is a very red flag, but there is one thing he cares for in this hellhole of a world – Helena. His words to her are cruel, but he takes care of her. His actions spoke way louder than his words. As for Helena, she’s naturally caring because she’s a healer and she starts to see his actions beneath the mask of his words. And she’s lonely, they both are and that’s why they fall for one another. She saw him underneath all of the growling, cruelty and coldness. And no one has taken care of him like Helena has. Their love story is messy, scary, at times unforgivable, but the love or obsession between them really conquers all. Basically they are ride or die for one another and to hell with everyone else (even us reading the book! lol). Their story is emotional, heartbreaking, and I was hoping they were either going to get their happily ever after OR die together. 😅

+~ The world building is extensive and detailed. There was a lot to learn and a glossary would have helped because I felt like I was thrown into it and I was lost or my brain was not open to receiving this education in alchemy. I was like nope, I need it at beginner level please lol. But I definitely could envision this dark world embroiled in war. There is political intrigue, betrayals, and secrets. As far as the war, none of the sides sounded good to me. The Eternal Flame was so righteous in their cause and the Necromancers were so cruel and evil. The Eternal Flame seemed like the lesser of both evils. Also I think I was confused with the world-building of the Gods and such – maybe I would need to re-read it to understand it. The depiction of all the ugliness of war is done well in this story. It’s dark, it’s tragic, it’s like there is no way out of the constant killing and death. The story shows how high the cost of war is, and even I was tired of the war at the end of book.

~ I did have some issues with this book. First, the length. It is told in three parts and I actually had to push through Part One because it felt like it was moving too slow. There was a lot of info-dumping. I understand it’s setting the stage, but it was slow and I almost DNF’ed until a friend told me it gets better. The story did get better but then there would be other spots where again, too much info-dumping so I skimmed some of it. The pacing was not the best for me. I felt like there was a lot of repetition that could have been cut out. I think this would have been better for me as a series.

~ I had QUESTIONS: why was Helena so loyal to Luc and the Eternal Flame? I get that he befriended her in school and she was lonely, but that much loyalty to him? I needed to see how that friendship built. Also, how and when did Kaine get so obsessed with Helena? I wanted to see some moments in school where Kaine interacted with her or thought about her, because there’s a moment where Helena remembers how they were rivals in school but they never talked because he was a guild student and she was a scholarship student. So when did his obsession with her begin?

~ Helena and Kaine, kept going in a circle of don’t you dare die, no don’t YOU die and/or I’m going to save you, NO I’m going to save YOU. 😅. It was dramatic and I love angst, but I think it being so repetitive took out the emotional impact for me. Speaking of circle? This book is written in a way where you will want to go back to the beginning and see what you missed.

Final Thoughts:

I’d say my thoughts on this book are mixed, maybe because of the hype? But I did go into this without expectations. I think the love story between Helena and Kaine is what kept me in the story, I needed to see if they would make it out alive! The world building is dense, sometimes confusing, many things were repetitive and the pace was too slow for me. The story is long. The story is dark (check the triggers), but I like dark stories so I didn’t mind that. I liked that in the darkness of this story, came the tiniest spark of hope – and that hope was two people who did anything and everything to save one another. Two imperfect, misunderstood, broken, used, traumatized people found love, where love was hard to find and I thought that was pretty epic. I can see how people will either love this story and be devastated by it or dislike this book because it’s dark, and it’s triggering, but I’m glad I pushed through it and got to experience it.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Red City by. Marie Lu | ALC Review | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Red City (The New Alchemists, #1)

Author: Marie Lu

Narrator(s): André Santana; Eunice Wong; Natalie Naudus; Sid Sagar

Format: audiobook (NetGalley)

Pages: 432. Listening Time: Approximately 15 hours 20 min

Publication Date: 10/14/25

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Dystopian, Alchemy, Romance, Organized Crime

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

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Red City is a dark and deadly contemporary fantasy of magical warfare, star-crossed ambition, and the pursuit of perfection at any cost, set in a glittering alternate Los Angeles.

Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.

Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city―and the paths of their lives―will be irrevocably transformed.

The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates’ brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.

Content Warning: violence, torture, grooming, death

+ Marie Lu did her thing with this adult fiction debut! I listened to this as an audiobook and usually, I struggle with audiobooks but this one had me riveted. The voices were perfect for the characters and I could not stop listening to this.

+ Los Angeles is run by organized crime using alchemy. There are two main syndicates, the Lumines and Grand Central and there have been calculated moves against each other over the years but now it’s come to real blows and violence and Ari and Sam are caught in the crossfire of these groups. I loved the world building – I actually hope this becomes a show because I think it would be so cool to see mafia style alchemists battle out in the streets of LA.

+ The story follows Ari and Sam from childhood, both didn’t have ideal ones, but they are “saved” from it by being noticed. Ari is taken from his family and raised by the head of the Lumines. Sam is noticed by the head of Grand Central – both Ari and Sam keep alchemy a secret from one another but in essence they are best friends, at least as kids. As they grow, alchemy pulls them in opposite directions and without knowing it until years later, they are enemies.

+ Ari is described as the light of the party. People gravitate towards him, he is like the sun when surrounded by people. And it’s a good power to have since his main job is persuading and convincing powerful people to make deals. Whereas, Sam is invisible – has always felt invisible but now with alchemy and sand she can use it to be powerful in her own way. No one notices her, and she can do things without being caught. I love how they are opposites – love how their powers are so different and how they used them to their advantage.

+ This is an organized crime novel so it is brutal, and violent. There were so many creative and different ways these alchemists could torture and kill someone! I loved the politics and the war between the to sides.

+ I loved the storyline between Sam and her mother. I thought that packed the emotional punch this story needed.

+~ The romance isn’t easy. This story is dark. Ari has been in love with Sam since childhood but they go their separate ways. It’s not happily ever after for them and they both know it – that isn’t their path in life. They both signed their fates to a life of manipulation and killing if need be. So Ari’s first sexual encounter is not with Sam, but someone who actually wants to teach him so he can use it to manipulate people. As for Sam, she is groomed by Will, the leader of Grand Central’s son. He mentions he’s wanted to be intimate when he first saw her – she was 15 and there is a 9 age year gap. They don’t do anything until she’s much older but still…she is obsessed with him because he was her “savior” and that was uncomfortable. Do Ari and Sam come back together at least to speak about their past? Yes, but even with Ari telling Sam how he felt back then didn’t feel like they could bridge that gap between them now because they are both different people. They have killed, they have done bad things and I think they need to get to know each other again.

~ The only part that dragged for me in the story is the parts where it was full on alchemy studies, which is in the beginning. It’s setting up the story and showing how important it was for Ari and Sam to learn alchemy but all the science went over my head. Also, When Sam and Ari graduate and go on with their lives I wanted to know more about Ari. I had a good grasp of Sam, her motivations, her upbringing but Ari still remains a little bit of a mystery.

Final Thoughts:

I loved this one and that’s a surprise for me because audiobooks are not my favorite way of consuming a book. But I loved the narrators who kept me hooked to the story. The story itself was so entertaining I could not stop listening to it. I am so invested in this world of alchemy and organized crime, I have to see what happens next for Sam and Ari. I’ll be impatiently waiting for book two!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Skyhunter | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book Review | The Kingdom of Back – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Warcross by. Marie Lu – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wildcards by. Marie Lu – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Young Elites by. Marie Lu – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Blood Orchid by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Title: The Blood Orchid (The Scarlet Alchemist, #2)

Author: Kylie Lee Baker

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 10/22/24

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Chinese Mythology, Alchemy

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

Thank you to Inkyard Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Since Zilan entered the world of royal alchemists, she has learned that alchemy comes at a price. She has lost loved ones in her search for broader justice against the evil Empress and all she wants now is to find some way to bring them back. Resurrection is her specialty, after all.

In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.

Content Warning: death, violence

I loved the first book in this duology, The Scarlet Alchemist. So I was so excited to get an arc for The Blood Orchid. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

Zilan is on a mission to find a way to bring back her beloved, Hong, after the major sacrifice that occurred in book one. She is on the road with her brother Wenshu, who is in the body of Hong. The pressure to save everyone and fix everything is always on Zilan’s mind but with the help of her brother and an unlikely friend, she accomplishes what needs to be done.
Who knew Zheng Sili, Zilan’s enemy turned frenemy would grow on me? The two of them arguing and bantering was making me laugh so much throughout this story – it was refreshing!
Zilan’s mission to find this secret place, Penglai Island, introduces us to some Chinese mythology which is explained more in the author’s note. But I loved meeting all these different alchemists and seeing what happened when they were on the island.
The ending is bittersweet but I liked it. I love the world building of this whole series.

Dislikes:

Of course I wanted more of Hong because he and Zilan were amazing in book one. But he’s waiting for her in the in-between and though they had a few moments together, I understood Zilan had to focus on her mission.

My Thoughts:

This was a great conclusion to the series. I love this world of alchemists in historical China. The story got me hooked from book one with the wonderful world-building and fantastic characters. I love that it had so much humor in it! I can’t wait to read what this author writes next!

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Book Links:

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The Scarlet Alchemist by. Kylie Lee Baker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

BLOG TOUR} The Empress of Time by. Kylie Lee Baker ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

BLOG TOUR} The Keeper of Night by. Kylie Lee Baker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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:

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The Scarlet Alchemist by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Scarlet Alchemist (#1)

Author: Kylie Lee Baker

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 10/3/23

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Dark Magic, Family, Historical 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 Inkyard Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist, of providing for her family by making alchemical gold and gems for the wealthy to eat in order to stay young forever. But for now, she’s trapped in her impoverished village in southern China, practicing an illegal form of alchemy to keep food on the table—resurrecting the dead, for a price.

When Zilan finally has the chance to complete her imperial exams, she ventures to the capital to compete against the best alchemists in the country in tasks she’ll be lucky to survive, let alone pass. On top of that, her reputation for raising the dead has followed her to the capital, and the Crown Prince himself seeks out her help, suspecting a coming assassination attempt.

The more Zilan succeeds in her alchemy, the more she gets caught in the dangerous political games of the royal family. There are monsters lurking within the palace walls, and it’s only a matter of time before they—and secrets of Zilan’s past—catch up with her.

Content Warning: violence, death

Kylie Lee Baker is becoming one of my must-read authors. I just love how dark she goes into her writing, not being afraid of making her main character do questionable things, but there is always a reason.

I love the China alternate history in this story with fantasy elements. Zilan is studying to be a royal alchemist and not just for the honor of it, though it’s part of it. But she’s poor and an orphan so this is about survival. She’s not alone in her quest for success and survival, her cousins. I loved her interactions with them and as someone who grew up with cousins, it was relatable. I love Zilan’s feelings and questions about family and worth. Zilan is also half Chinese and half Scotian, and she receives some backlash over that which was interesting to see because she thought she was ugly because of it.

Zilan is a headstrong character. She’s impulsive but I liked her strength. She and the Prince, Li Hong were so different in temperament, I loved them together. He was timid for a royal and she is full of passion. The secondary cast was wonderful and full of personality.

I thought the story moved quickly as Zilan and her cousins try to pass their tests to advance. There is something mysterious happening at the palace though and it has to do with something monstrous. There is political intrique also. I loved all the alchemy and magic which is surprising because sometimes stories about alchemy leave me underwhelmed. But the way Zilan uses alchemy was very cool. I liked that the magic had consequences and there was always a strive for balance but Zilan pushed limits because of love. I loved the twist and the ending. I can’t wait to read book two!

Why you should read it:

alternate Chinese historical fantasy fiction
Zilan and her interactions with her cousins (which were funny) and her growing romance with Li Hong
alchemy magic

Why you might not want to read it:

not into dark magic and necromancy

My Thoughts:

This was a very entertaining book and I devoured it in one sitting. I love Zilan, her cousins and the Prince. The magic and alchemy was very cool and I thought the twist in the story was shocking. I loved this one and I’m looking forward to book two!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

BLOG TOUR } The Keeper of Night by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BLOG TOUR} The Empress of Time by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What We Harvest by. Ann Fraistat | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: What We Harvest

Author: Ann Fraistat

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 3/22/22

Publisher: Delcorte

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Alchemy, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary

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

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

For fans of Wilder Girls comes a nightmarish debut guaranteed to keep you up through the night, about an idyllic small town poisoned by its past, and one girl who must fight the strange disease that’s slowly claiming everyone she loves.

Wren owes everything she has to her home, Hollow’s End, a centuries-old, picture perfect American town. Tourists travel miles to marvel at its miracle crops, including the shimmering, iridescent wheat of Wren’s family farm. Until five months ago.

That’s when the quicksilver mercury blight first surfaced, poisoning the farms of Hollow’s End one by one. It began by consuming the crops–thick, silver sludge bleeding from the earth. Next were the animals. Infected livestock and wild creatures alike staggered off into the woods by day—only to return at night, their eyes, fogged white, leering from the trees.

Then, the blight came for the neighbors.

Wren is among the last locals standing. And the blight has finally come for her, too. Now, the only one she can turn to is the last person she wants to call: her ex, Derek. They haven’t spoken in months, but Wren and Derek still have one thing in common—Hollow’s End means everything to them. Only there’s much they don’t know about their hometown and its renowned miracle crops. And they’re about to discover that miracles aren’t free.

Their ancestors have an awful lot to pay for, and Wren and Derek are the only ones left to settle old debts.

Content Warning: Gore, Violence

You can kind of tell from the cover of this book that something sinister is going to be happening in this book.

Wren lives in a special town, where four founding families have situated themselves over a few generations and grow their miraculous crops and animals. Wren doesn’t know how it came to be her family grew rainbow wheat but she is next to inherit the farm except that now the farms are ruined with Blight. But this blight isn’t ordinary – it doesn’t only kill crops, it turns people and animals into zombie like creatures. So it’s a race against time before Wren can figure out not to get infected, turn into one of the Blighted, and save the farm – her family’s legacy.

This story is creepy, especially because the Blighted come out once the sun goes down. It has a lot of action too which was fun! There is even romance between Wren and boy next door or boy from one of the other founding families – her best friend since childhood, Derek. But they have broken up and now they have to rely on each other to stay safe and also to save their loved ones. There is also a f/f relationship with Derek’s sister Claudette and her girlfriend, Angie.

I liked the reveal of how the families got their source of magic to keep their farms growing the way they did. It’s horrific but I love that Wren does everything she can to undo it. The conclusion wraps everything up pretty good except for the parts where we don’t know what the government learned about the blight and what they will do with the information.

There were some parts that frustrated me about the book, like when Wren kept getting people hurt. That was partly Derek’s fault too but I was getting annoyed with her decision making. I mean I get she was half zombie at that point and couldn’t quite control herself though haha. I’m just glad things worked out!

Why you should read it:

story is creepy, thrilling and filled with action – I liked the reveal and conclusion
a quick, engaging read with just a few horror/gory scenes
zombies

Why you might not want to read it:

you are not into lite horror and gore or zombies

My Thoughts:

This is a gripping read and I was engrossed with seeing how everything played out with Wren and the blight on the farms. The tone was perfectly creepy, especially when the sun went down. If you like books like Small Favors and Burn Our Bodies Down, stories that take place on farms – you will enjoy this one!

📚 ~ Yolanda

A Far Wilder Magic by. Allison Saft | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Far Wilder Magic

Author: Allison Saft

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 3/08/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Magical Realism, 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 Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.

Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive that long.

In A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.

Content Warning: Death of Animals, Prejudice, Discrimination, Parental Neglect

This was a very interesting book and one that I didn’t think I was going to like but it actually grew on me!

Now I usually start off with what I liked but with this one, I’ll do the opposite. I couldn’t get into the beginning of this story for some reason. We meet Wes who wants badly to be an alchemist, to then become a politician. I didn’t understand why he needed to be an alchemist to be a politician – and then we meet Margaret who is the daughter of the woman he’s trying to apprentice for.

Stories with alchemy are a hit of miss for me. I am either interested in the concept of alchemy or not. In this case…I was not interested in it at all. The world this story is set in is very different though. This story is set in what seems like the early 1900’s maybe, and in this town there is a mythical fox creature, the hala, which is on the loose and killing livestock and hurting people. There is a hunting event taking place to hunt the hala, in order to join you need an alchemist and a sharpshooter. Religion is prevalent in the story, it seems like the Wes is Sumic and Sumic people are similar to Catholics and Margaret is Yu’adir which is similar to being Jewish. So there are issues of discrimination, anti-immigration and anti-semitism that Margaret and Wes face in the story.

Wes is an alchemist or trying to be a good one but he needs to train. He wants to train with Margaret’s mom who is basically not around. Instead he gets chosen to be Margaret’s partner in the hunt. Margaret is left alone to fend for herself while her mother does research for alchemy – all her mom is interested in is alchemy. All Margaret wants is her mother’s love. Wes and Margaret don’t start off on the right foot. Margaret is closed off and independent and sees through Wes and his charming self. Wes is a flirt and does so every chance he gets but eventually Margaret gets under his skin and something grows between them.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was Margaret and Wes’ personal journeys. Margaret comes to the realization that her mom really isn’t a good mom. But Margaret had to come to that conclusion on her own. As for Wes, he has his own problems to deal with – he is ambitious but has a big family relying on him. I love how though he has his problems with his family, there is so much love and support there. I thought they made a good couple, she’s strong and he’s open and charming. They are both pretty determined people. I thought their romance story was sweet and that’s what really got me into the story.

The story of hunting the hala was interesting because it’s a mythical creature and we get to see how alchemy is used and we also get to see how Wes and Margaret are treated in this town. Overall, I don’t know if the magical realism totally worked for me, I think I wanted more details in the world-building.

Why you should read it:

you enjoy magical realism
there is a love story
there is alchemy and a mythical creature

Why you might not want to read it:

not into alchemy or magical realism

My Thoughts:

Best thing about this story for me was the romance and the personal growth for both Margaret and Wes. If you love stories with alchemy and magical realism then you will definitely enjoy this one. If you are not then you might have some trouble getting into this story like I did in the beginning.

📚 ~ Yolanda