Arcana Academy by. Elise Kova | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Arcana Academy (Arcana Academy, #1)

Author: Elise Kova

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 576

Publication Date: 7/22/25

Publisher: Del Rey

Categories: Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Political Intrigue, Dark Academia, Magic

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

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

A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling romantasy series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.

Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards-a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy’s enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape-for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world-and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?

Content Warning: violence, death, grief

+ I haven’t read an Elise Kova book in awhile, but I had to read this one because of it’s premise. Tarot card forgery, magic, and an arcana academy sounded very intriguing!

+ In this world of Arcana, a deck of cards is all you need to fight and defend yourself and Clara is talented in making tarot forgeries which is illegal. And it ends her up on the most notorious prison, Halazar. Clara has a second chance now, posing as the second prince’s fiance and attending Arcana Academy. While she’s there working with him to execute his plans of changing the world, she’s also trying to find her sister Arina, who was at the academy and has disappeared. I thought the setting of Arcana Academy was lush, dark, mystery and even opulent for a school. Clara makes some new friends and enemies.

+ I found the magic of the tarot card deck really fascinating! Also throughout the story, Prince Kaelis has a plan to steal some Major Arcana cards from his father, the king, so at some parts of the story it felt like a heist, which I thought was fun and engaging. I also liked the politics. There is still so much secrecy about some of the characters in this book that I hope will be revealed in book two. Also there is a found family trope.

+ The romance was full of tension but I didn’t feel it was a main focus of the book for awhile. Prince Kaelis has an agenda and though Clara is helping him to keep herself from going back to prison, she doesn’t fully trust him either but is definitely attracted to him. He is the misunderstood, brooding prince with a bad reputation, but he is also headmaster at Arcana Academy. The attraction grows between them – reluctantly, since they are enemies, but by the end they do become lovers. There is some spice, where clearly they choose to keep this relationship casual and physical but I think that works out fine since Clara has a lot going on.

~ The story is under 600 pages, but I did read it in two days. The pacing is slow but not in a way that I got too bored. I was steadily curious throughout. I think there was so much information about how the tarot magic worked that sometimes it tended to get info-dumpy and I still was confused about some things because I felt like I needed actual visuals of these cards. But I was also equally fascinated and wanted to learn more!

~ The romance though fun at moments, wasn’t a lot. I wish Kaelis and Clara had more interactions. Clara is really focused on her studies, finding her sisters, and trying to forge cards for Kaelis.

~ There is so many more secrets to be revealed and there is a cliffhanger ending. So now I will be eagerly waiting impatiently for book two!

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a really good start to a new series and I found the magic system fascinating even though sometimes confusing. I enjoyed the enemies to lover romance, the politics and the found family and I’m always a sucker for a dark academia book. The cliffhanger ending makes me eager for book two!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

A Duel with the Vampire Lord by. Elise Kova | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Dance with the Fae Prince (Married to Magic #2) by. Elise Kova| Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Deal with the Elf King | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Jasad Crown by. Sara Hashem | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Jasad Crown (The Scorched Throne, #2)

Author: Sara Hashem

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 692

Publication Date: 7/15/25

Publisher: Orbit

Categories: Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Political Intrigue

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

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

In the thrilling conclusion to the Egyptian-inspired Scorched Throne duology, a fugitive queen must risk everything and everyone she loves for the chance to restore her lost kingdom of Jasad.

Held deep in a mountain refuge, Sylvia has been captured by the Urabi, who believe the Jasad Heir can return their homeland to its former power. But after years of denying her legacy and a forbidden alliance with Jasad’s greatest enemy, Sylvia must win the Urabi’s trust while struggling to hide the dangerous side effects her magic is having on her mind.

In a rival kingdom, Arin must maneuver carefully between his father’s desire to put down the brewing rebellion and the sacred edicts Arin is sworn to uphold. He is determined to find Sylvia before it’s too late, but Arin’s search unravels secrets that threaten the very core of his beliefs about his family and the destruction of Jasad.

War is inevitable, but Sylvia cannot abandon her people again. The Urabi plan to raise the Jasadi fortress, and it will either kill Sylvia or destroy the humanity she’s fought so hard to protect. For the first time in her life Sylvia doesn’t just want to survive. She wants to win.

The fugitive queen is ready to reign.

Content Warning: violence, death, grief, parental abuse

+ This is part two in The Scorched Throne series and what I loved about the first book was Arin and Sylvia/Essiya. I wanted to see what would happen to them in the conclusion and what a conclusion it is.

+ The enemies to lovers romance in this series is top notch. The tension between Arin and Essiya is so good. And they are always fighting and I don’t mean arguing but physical fighting. And I wanted more in this book but I felt like we still got bread crumbs. There are some exceptional moments though where Arin is telling Essiya what lengths he would go to save her, be with her, love her. It made me melt! It hurts my heart just knowing what they had to go through in this story. But what a love story it turned out to be!

+ Sylvia/Essiya was the compelling character in book one because of who she was and what she was hiding. She’s still amazing in this one – strong, impulsive, but learning to be a leader. It’s Arin that stole my heart in book two. He has to deal with a lot of truths, betrayals, guilt and with his brilliant mind, with him always trying to figure out a puzzle or plan for the future – he of course has to figure out how to save Essiya. I loved both their personal journeys, but more so Arin’s.

+ The world-building was great and the twists in the story did surprise me. I love this lush world of magic, with magical creatures and beasts coming to life.

~ Like book one, I felt like this book again was too long. This is longer than book one, coming in just under 700 pages. I wonder why this was never made into a trilogy because it definitely could have been! Also, I’m starting to question if I just don’t enjoy long books?

~ Because I felt like it was too long, the pacing was uneven. The beginning was slow, it took me a few days to get through it, I was trying to get my bearings and remember who Sefa and Marek were. This time they have their own POVs. I was not-so-patiently waiting for Arin and Essiya to be in scenes together. And then I would be riveted to the story and then it would slow down again. The second half was much better. The ending plot-twist felt a little rushed and I wish there was more to explore that which is why I wish this would have been a trilogy!

Final Thoughts:

Even though it was too long and the pacing was uneven, the Arin and Essiya love story really bumped up my rating from 3.5 to 4 stars. I love them together and was rooting for them hard. I loved the world building and the twists in the story. This was a good conclusion to the duology. If you like fantasy and romance (not so much romantasy – there is no smut in this) then you will enjoy this series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Jasad Heir by. Sara Hashem | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Looking Back on 2024: Series That I Started or Finished

I did a similar post last year to see what series I started and finished during the year. It’s very interesting to see if I stick to a series or not. It’s so hard sometimes to get back into a series after waiting so long for the next book since I don’t re-read a lot of books anymore.

Series That I Started or Finished in 2024

Here’s what I started:

A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea, #1) by Hafsah Faizal
Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1) by. Kristen Ciccarelli
A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1) by. Danielle L. Jensen

Snowglobe (Snowglobe Duology) by. Soyoung Park
The Last Bloodcarver (The Last Bloodcarver) by. Vanessa Le
The Veiled Kingdom (The Veiled Kingdom) by. Holly Renee

Curious Tides (Drowned Gods) by. Pascale LaCelle
When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall) by. Sarah A. Parker
Heavenbreaker (Heavenbreaker) by. Sara Wolf

The Ever King (The Ever Seas Series) by. LJ Andrews
Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy) by. Brynne Weaver
Heir (Heir Duology) by. Sabaa Tahir

The Dagger and the Flame (The City of Fantome series) by. Catherine Doyle
Dishonestly Yours (Webs We Weave series) by. Krista & Becca Ritchie
The House at Watch Hill (The Watch Hill Trilogy) by. Karen Marie Moning

Fledgling (The Keeper’s Records of Revolution series) by. S.K. Ali
A Fire in the Sky (A Fire in the Sky series) by. Sophie Jordan
Fear the Flames (Fear the Flames series) by. Olivia Rose Darling

The Road of Bones (The Ashen series) by. Demi Winters
The Games Gods Play (The Crucible series) by. Abigail Owen

Filthy Rich Fae (Filthy Rich Fae series) by. Geneva Lee
Fangs for Nothing (The Nevermore Murder Club & Smutty Book Coven) by. Steffanie Holmes
The Wren in the Holly Library (The Oak and Holly Cycle series) by. K.A. Linde

Zodiac Rising (Descendants of the Zodiac series) by. Katie Zhao
The Half King (The Half King series) by. Melissa Landers
Bloodguard (Old Erth series) by. Cecy Robson

The ones I won’t be continuing are:

Snowglobe (Snowglobe Duology) by. Soyoung Park – from what I remember it was intriguing but don’t know if it’s enough for me to read part two.
When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall) by. Sarah A. Parker – this first book was SO long, but I pushed through. I don’t know if I have the patience to read a book two.
Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy) by. Brynne Weaver – read this because of the hype and this was entertaining but not interested in the rest of the series.
Fledgling (The Keeper’s Records of Revolution series) by. S.K. Ali – entertaining dystopian read but would have to be in the right mood to read it.
Fear the Flames (Fear the Flames series) by. Olivia Rose Darling – I liked this one but didn’t love the flow and wasn’t connecting to the characters.
Fangs for Nothing (The Nevermore Murder Club & Smutty Book Coven) by. Steffanie Holmes – this was fun but no interest in continuing unless I have nothing else to read
The Wren in the Holly Library (The Oak and Holly Cycle series) by. K.A. Linde – bought this because the book cover was pretty but ugh, I didn’t love the story, wanted more from the story.
Zodiac Rising (Descendants of the Zodiac series) by. Katie Zhao – interesting world building but didn’t love.
Bloodguard (Old Erth series) by. Cecy Robson – another pretty cover but story was okay.

Here are the series that I finished:

I finished 12 series this year! Many were duologies which makes it easier to finish.

Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment series) by. Rebecca Ross
Destroy the Day (Defy the Night series) by. Brigid Kemmerer
The Prisoner’s Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology) by. Holly Black

A Fire Endless (An Elements of Cadence series) by. Rebecca Ross
Ghostsmith (House of the Dead series) by. Nicki Pau Preto
The Mirror of Beasts (Silver in the Bone series) by. Alexandra Bracken

Nothing Like the Movies (Better Than the Movies series) by. Lynn Painter
The Blood Orchid (The Scarlet Alchemist series) Kylie Lee Baker
Wisteria (Belladonna series) by. Adalyn Grace

Fangs for Nothing by. Steffanie Holmes

The Whispering Night (The Luminaries series) by. Susan Dennard

The Darkness Within Us (The Shadows Between Us series) by. Tricia Levenseller

What series did you start or finish in 2024?

Let me know in the comments!

Looking Back on 2023: Series That I Started or Finished

Series That I Started or Finished in 2023

Here’s what I started:

One Dark Window (The Shepherd King series) by. Rachel Gillig
Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos series) by. Nisha J. Tuli
Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom series) by. Sue Lynn Tan

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (Song of the Last Kingdom series) by. Amelie Wen Zhao
Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment series) by. Rebecca Ross
Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr series) by. Helen Schuerer

The Foxglove King (The Nightshade Crown series) by. Hannah Whitten
Silver in the Bone (Silver in the Bone series) by. Alexandra Bracken
The Liar’s Crown (Dominions series) by. Abigail Owen

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean series) by. Rebecca Yarros
Lightlark (Lightlark series) by. Alex Aster
Immortal Longings (Flesh and False Gods series) by. Chloe Gong

Stealing Infinity (Stolen Beauty series) by. Alyson Noel
A Taste of Torment (Shadow Hills Academy series) by. Stacey Trombley
Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns series) by. Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde series) by. Heather Fawcett
House of Marionne (House of Marionne series) by. J. Elle
The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist series) by. Kylie Lee Baker

King of Wrath (Kings of Sin series) by. Ana Huang
The Stolen Heir (The Stolen Heir duology) by. Holly Black

The Jasad Heir (The Scorched Throne series) by. Sara Hashem
Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy series) by. Lauren Roberts
Heart of Night and Fire (The Nightfire Quartet series) by. Nisha J. Tuli

Night of the Witch (Witch and Hunter series) by. Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
The Hurricane Wars (The Hurricane Wars series) by. Thea Guanzon
To Kill a Shadow (Mistlands series) by. Katherine Quinn

The ones I won’t be continuing are:

The Liar’s Crown – Dominions series. I actually read book two but have no interest in finishing the series.
Lightlark – this was okay for me but didn’t spark my interest to keep going on in the series.
Emily Wilde series is fascinating but a little too slow for me at times. I’d have to be in a really cozy mood to read the next book or I’ll listen to it as an audiobook so this one is a maybe.
House of Marionne series is a maybe also. I was intrigued by the ending, but we’ll see how my mood is when book two comes out.
Night of the Witch – this was another okay book for me. Don’t think I’ll continue.
To Kill a Shadow – I didn’t feel anything new with this series to set it apart from other romance fantasies out there. So I won’t continue this one.

Here are the series that I finished:

The Sweetest Betrayal (The Kinder Poison series) by. Natalie Mae
Immortality: A Love Story (The Anatomy Duology series) by. Dana Schwartz
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyxia – The Nightborn Duet series) by. Carissa Broadbent

These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows series) by. Lexi Ryan
Tokyo Dreaming (Tokyo Ever After series) by. Emiko Jean
A Dose of Agony (Shadow Hills Academy series) by. Stacey Trombley

Forestfall (World at the Lake’s Edge series) by. Lyndall Clipstone
Foul Heart Huntsman (Foul Lady Fortune series) by. Chloe Gong
Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King series) by. Rachel Gillig

This Cursed Light (The Last Finestra series) by. Emily Thiede

A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart series) by. Stephanie Garber

Duologies are way easier for me to finish than trilogies for sure! So many of the series I finished were duologies.

What series did you start or finish in 2023?

Let me know in the comments!

Looking Back on 2022: Series That I Started or Finished

I haven’t been the best lately and finishing a series – but that’s why I’ve found duologies really work well for me! This year there were some series I got to finish (YAY!) and some series that I started and hope to eventually…someday. Let’s take a look at the series I read this year:

Series That I Started or Finished in 2022

Here’s what I started:

Okay that’s a long list of series I just started! lol…this is why I end up not finishing some series. 😅

The ones I won’t be continuing are:

A Deadly Education by. Naomi Novik (maybe)
Forging Silver into Stars by. Brigid Kemmerer (maybe? I rather finish the Defy the Night series!)
The Witch Collector by. Charissa Weaks (maybe)
House of Beating Wings by. Olivia Wildenstein (definitely will not)

Here are the series that I finished:

I did pretty good in finishing some series this year and mostly because a bunch of these are duologies! I hope I can finish a bunch of series in 2023.

What series are you looking forward to finish or start in 2023?

Let me know in the comments!

A Curse of Queens by. Amanda Bouchet | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Curse of Queens (#4)

Author: Amanda Bouchet

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 496

Publication Date: 10/4/22

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Categories: Greek Mythology, Romance, Adventure, Fantasy, 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 Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The queen has been cursed, and no one knows who’s behind the plot to threaten the realm’s fragile peace. Desperate to help, Jocasta hatches a plan to find Circe’s Garden, a fabled island where she hopes to discover an antidote. But she can’t do it alone. She needs the strong arm and unflinching bravery of the warrior she’s loved since childhood—her brother’s right-hand-man and captain of the guard, Flynn of Sinta.

Together they can do the impossible. Yet with treachery brewing on Mount Olympus, one thing is clear: Thalyria and its new royals are still pawns in an epic game of power—one that might end in a War of Gods.

Content Warning:

I read the last Kingmaker Chronicles book when it was published back in 2018 so I advise anyone who hasn’t read them to read it first before this one because you will be very lost. I actually didn’t realize this was a book four of that series. I saw the author’s name, and the cover and requested the book. As I read it I vaguely remembered these characters but not having read the last book in four years meant that I got lost a bunch of times!

What’s fun about this series is the Greek Mythology, plus I loved the series because of the romance. Once more the romance shines here with Jocasta and Flynn. It’s a very slow burn though but they have history. Jocasta has always been in love with Flynn and it’s the same for him but he’s had to deal with some traumatic situations in his life that has scared him off the idea of marrying and having kids.

Jocasta’s character really goes through some challenges and transformation in this book. She starts off as the daughter who is pretty much forgotten since she isn’t much of a warrior. She is a healer and sometimes overlooked in her family. But by the end of this story she is the heroine.

There are a lot of characters in this series and this being book four, it was hard to get situated and remember what happened to certain ones in past books. I had to just push through though. Also there is so much Greek Mythology characters alongside the human ones, there was just many times I wished I had reread the first three books.

The fun parts of the book are the adventures Jocasta and her little crew go on to get to Circe’s island. Carver, Jo’s brother is always arguing with Bellanca. I think their story would be less slow burn and lots of burning haha so I’m excited to see how their story ends up.

Why you should read it:

a slow burn romance
Greek mythology
lots of adventure and battling Greek Gods

Why you might not want to read it:

you haven’t read the previous three books in a while or ever…(I recommend you read them!)

My Thoughts:

I would have enjoyed this book more if I had reread the other books in the series. The parts I did enjoy was the adventure to Circe’s island and watching Jocasta and Flynn push and pull towards one another. It’s a slow burn romance but I did like both characters and they deserve their happy ending. I am interested to see what happens to Jo’s brother Carver and if he can get a happy ending as well.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

This Wicked Fate by.Kalynn Bayron | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: This Wicked Fate (#2)

Author: Kalynn Bayron

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 6/21/22

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Categories: Greek Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Family

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

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

How much would you risk to save the ones you love? Would you tempt even the most dangerous fate?

Briseis has one chance to save her mother, but she’ll need to do the impossible: find the last fragment of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. If she is to locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she’s never known, learn about their secret powers, and take her place in their ancient lineage. Briseis is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfill their own ruthless plans. The fates tell of a truly dangerous journey, one that could end in more heartache, more death. Bolstered by the sisterhood of ancient magic, can Briseis harness her power to save the people she loves most?

Content Warning: violence

The second book in the This Poison Heart series continues right away from events in book one. This time, Briseis has to help save her mom but she has lots of help.

There is a lot of action in this one as Briseis and her group come up with a plan to find the last piece of the Absytrus Heart to save her mom. The story immerses us even more into Greek mythology so if you love mythology, you will love this book. The story is fast paced and full of adventure especially when they go after the Heart.

A lot of characters from book one are here again: Marie, Nyx, Mo, Circe and Persephone. Even Karter makes an appearance towards the end. The lovely LGBT+ representation is in the story again with Marie and Briseis’ budding romance. It’s not the main focus of the story but it was nice to see. And of course I was rooting for Bri’s mom to be saved!

Only thing for me was I have to be in the mood to read stories about Greek mythology and I had a little trouble getting back into the story in the beginning.

Why you should read it:

LGBT+ representation
Greek mythology, magic, and adventure
love of family

Why you might not want to read it:

not into Greek Mythology

My Thoughts:

I think this was the perfect conclusion to this duology series. It’s got action, adventure, romance, magic, Greek mythology, LGBT+ representation and it’s a beautiful story about family.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The Genesis Wars by. Akemi Dawn Bowman | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Genesis Wars (The Infinity Courts, #2)

Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 4/19/22

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Categories: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, 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 Simon Pulse for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Nami’s continuing adventures as she fights to free her friends.

It’s been ten months since Nami narrowly escaped the Four Courts and Ophelia’s wrath. Ten months since she was betrayed by someone she once considered a friend. Someone she poured her heart out to. And now her family here in the afterlife are gone, captured, and Nami is utterly alone.

On the run, only steps ahead of the AI forces pursuing her, and desperate to free her friends, Nami must take the allies she can find, even if she doesn’t fully trust them. And as she tests the limits of her own power, she must also reckon with the responsibility that entails.

Stakes are high as Nami navigates old enemies, unexpected allies, and an ever-changing landscape filled with dangers and twists at every turn. Along the way, she’ll learn powerful truths about who she can trust and the sacrifices that must be made in order to fight for a better, freer world for all.

Content Warning: Violence, Torture

In the sequel to The Infinity Courts, things get more dire for Nami. Book one left us with a big, shocking plot twist at the end and now Nami has to deal with the outcome of the events that occurred. She is in the Borderlands, trying to train hard enough to fight the Residents and trying to gather allies to help her get her friends. But she is at her wits end – everyone seems to be against her. Nami won’t give up trying to go back to the Courts to find her friends though, even if she has to infiltrate Caelan’s mind to do so.

Nami…what can I say about this girl? She is stubborn, rash, makes so many mistakes but she is fighting to save her friends because she carries guilt for trusting Caelan She blames herself for their capture and she’s heartbroken and angry because he betrayed her. Nami is hardened in book two, she is eaten up with guilt and anger. Her focus is only on saving her friends, and keeping the Borderlands alive so humans have a safe space to go to when they cross over. People like her sister Mei. Nami frustrated me because her plans took precedent over everyone else’s. But as it was reiterated many times in the story – she’s only been there for one lifetime whereas the others, have been fighting for many lifetimes. She’s a baby compared to everyone else there, she has a lot to learn and she does – the hard way.

I enjoyed meeting the characters in the Borderlands and learning about the different tribes. Kasia was a kind friend to Nami – bless her heart and Nix’s. Nami needs a friend and Kasia was gracious enough to extend that friendship to her. Caelan is back and I was wary about him as Nami was but we learn a few things about him that explains his actions in book one.

Once again this book ends in a cliffhanger. This series I will say, has some amazing plot twists and cliffhangers. The writing is wonderful, it just flows so well and the story moved fast. I like how the story tackled issues about leaders and their responsibilities to their people. Also there were questions about a person’s free will and sacrifice. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next book!

Why you should read it:

you read The Infinity Courts and need to find out what happens next after that cliffhanger ending
it has action, plot twists and a cliffhanger – writing flows so easily
Nami’s character growth – she suffers through guilt and anger in this sequel, she makes mistakes but she does not stop fighting to find her friends. There is a lot of room to grow for her.

Why you might not want to read it:

Not into sci-fi/dystopian set in the afterlife

My Thoughts:

This sequel gave us a chance to see Nami struggle with guilt, anger, making mistakes, and being rash with her decisions but sticking steadfast to her goal of finding her friends and keeping the Borderlands alive to help humans find a safe haven. She is challenged at every turn, she trusts no one and has to really keep her wits about her. Her character frustrated me a lot but I understood why she acted out the way she did. The story moves quickly and of course there is a cliffhanger that makes me eager for book three. This is a solid sequel that sets up for book three in a big way.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Series I Need to Finish | Part 1

I’ve seen this around on other blogs and finally got around to making my own post because I have a few series that I haven’t finished that I really do want to finish. I’m hoping by writing it down it motivates me to pick up the books and finish.

First series I’m putting here since I’m already going to start book two is The Green Bone Saga. I finally finished Jade City and with the story fresh in my head, I feel like I should just go ahead and plow through the whole series.

Next is a series I’ve had on my bookshelf for I think 2 years now. I read Scythe and was in the beginning of book two when my mood changed. So now it’s just a series waiting on my bookshelf. The world building for this series is definitely one that has been stuck in my head for awhile, so I really should finish it.

And last but not least, another series on my bookshelf just waiting to be read…actually I’m missing the 3rd book. This was popular a few years ago too and I found the books on bookoutlet for a great price but I was never in the mood to read it.

Have you read any of these series? Let me know what you think! ~ Yolanda

Unleashed | Book Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Unleashed (Unspoken, #3)

Author: Celia McMahon

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 440

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Wolves, Magic

“I will claim my victory with claws and teeth and steel.”

In the wake of her battle to protect the Den, Izzy has crossed back into Stormwall to enact her plan with the former prince, Ashe, to retake the kingdom from within. Only weeks go by with no word from the prince and Izzy is faced once again with Ashe’s betrayal. She is forced to make alternate plans with a group of rebels to kill both king and prince.

But the world has always bent at odd angles for the wolf-princess. On the day of their battle, things don’t go as planned and Izzy finds herself once again fighting for her life and friends. In the chaos that follows, Izzy and her rebels lose Stormwall into the hands of the Gwylis.

When Izzy discovers that the king had been turning children into wolves, she embarks on a journey that will take her deeper into Mirosa to both save innocent lives and continue her brother Henry’s take of breaking the Gwylis curse. While battling her own demons, her friends have continued the path of their own destinies, each weaving together for one final battle. With the Uncanny’s power growing stronger there is more at stake than ever. Amidst demons and gods, Izzy must aim to break apart the world she knew, to build something even better in its place. A kingdom without demons or wolves. A new kingdom.

Aesthetics ~ once again, such amazing cover art work for this whole Unspoken series. Consistently beautiful and the color scheme is great.
World Building ~ great world building throughout the series and this time we get to know more about the history about the Gwylis curse. We even get a glimpse of the demons and Gods playing havoc with the lives of humans.
Friendship and Family ~ Izzy and Ashe’s relationship is everything to me in this story. It’s a story about forgiveness and trust. I think it was my favorite part of the story because I didn’t know what to expect out of Ashe’s role from book two. As far as Fray…he is lost without Izzy and is so stubborn and faithless. He learns to believe in the pack again, but it takes a lot for him to get there.
This one is faster paced than book two and darker which I enjoyed. Izzy and Fray are separated but I like that they have their own individual journeys to take, no matter how scary or painful. Izzy I feel grows a lot, and her character needed that growth because I always felt she was kind of selfish – always thinking she could do things alone. I loved the sacrifices at the end that came from Izzy, Ashe and even Fray.

Triggers: grief, violence
I know Izzy and Fray are fated mates, but honestly, with how much progress she and Ashe go through together in this book, I was team Ashe! Haha…but I know, I know, their friendship is the strongest part about them. Still, I was hoping.
I know being a Gwylis was a curse, but I loved that they were shape shifters. Kind of bummed that they were trying to undo it all but I understand why they did it.
A noticeable typo that made me pause and reread a sentence near the end.

This was a good conclusion to a creative story about a curse that turned humans into wolves. Izzy goes from a princess to a powerful Gwylis, to someone who realizes what really matters to her in the end. The main characters go through so many experiences in this book, they truly were Unleashed. Overall I enjoyed this series and if you like stories about wolves, you may enjoy this one as well.

🐺 ~ Yolanda