House of Eclipses by. Casey L. Bond | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: House of Eclipses

Author: Casey L. Bond

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 378

Publication Date: 8/13/21

Categories: Fantasy, Romance

Capture his heart.
Steal his crown.

Noor is the unwanted, unloved third born of the Aten, chosen vessel of the sun goddess, Sol. While she has no chance at inheriting her father’s title, what she truly longs for is peace from his unrelenting hatred. Hope builds that she may finally be able to claim that reprieve when a missive arrives from the House of the Moon.

The new Lumin, chosen of the moon god, Lumos, seeks to broker peace with the Kingdom of Helios for the first time in ages. He envisions open trade routes and an end to archaic rivalries. His dedication to this cause extends to visions of a union between the two families by marrying one of Aten’s daughters, if one of the matches is a fit.

Driven by his own twisted agenda, Noor’s father is willing to sacrifice his daughters as pawns to steal the crown for him to further his despotic reign, pitting sister against sister in a brutal battle for power. But Noor must come out the victor, either by capturing the Lumin’s heart or stealing his crown. For whomever wears the crown of moonlight, holds the power of the moon itself. With such strength at her command, she could finally defeat her tyrannical father.

Yet this endeavor cannot be accomplished without great sacrifice. As Noor learns more about Lumin Caelum, guilt over her betrayal consumes her, burning hot as the sun itself. If only he wasn’t kind, and selfless, and exactly what she wanted. If only she had greater dominion over her heart…

Can Noor carry out her plan and end her father’s vile reign? Or will unlikely alliances allow a new day to dawn?

First off, it was the book cover that enticed me into reading this book!

This is the first Casey L. Bond book I have read and now I’m curious to read her other works. I found the story and world building unique with its inspiration being the sun and the moon. People of Helios, are sun worshippers. As for the Lumin, they worship the moon of course because it is all they see. There is a whole mythology/back story as to why the sun and moon stopped revolving which makes the story even more intriguing. I loved learning about both cultures.

Noor’s father, the leader of their kingdom is a horrible, power hungry man. He sets up a plan to have one of his daughters marry the Lumin and steal their moon crown. The owner would rule the world. Growing up with an abusive father and sisters that didn’t love her, made Noor into someone who was desperate to own the crown herself. She is an Atena (basically a princess) and a third daughter. Her father for some reason we don’t know until way later, hates her the most.

Noor is a resilient character, who is fearful of the father that abuses her but very defiant towards him as well. She’s strong, confident and knows she is beautiful, but she is also honest and kind. Of course I wanted Caelum to pick her over her scheming sister. Caelum is a nice, handsome, good guy. His family and people love him. I liked his brother, Beron, a lot because he had a more playful personality and he is a Wolven shapeshifter, which made him more interesting.

I thought the romance between Noor and Caelum was sweet. He has to choose between the two sisters but it was obvious who he favored and at times Noor gave mixed signals – which is to be expected since she and her sister are there to do her dad’s bidding. Love was the last thing on Noor’s mind, plus, she hasn’t really been around people with healthy relationships – love was no part of her plan when she knew deep down inside, she could have power instead. But I liked how she and Caelum got to know each other and eventually fell in love.

Triggers: abuse, violence

Noor’s father is a hateful man – maybe he wasn’t always that way but the way he was with his daughters is horrible. And then there are Noor’s sisters, Zarina and Citali, both trying to please their father because they are abused in their own ways as well but I am very interested to see what happens to Citali. Yes she was evil and irritating at times but now we know why she was that way and I’d like to see if there is some redeeming quality in her. Plus, I need to see what happens to her and Beron!

It’s a cliffhanger ending. But here’s the thing – the ending of the book has a “To be continued” and Chapter 1 of House of Wolves (book two) and let me just say…I’m ready for it!

I wasn’t a fan at first of Caelum having to choose between two sisters, because that would only cause even more drama between the them. But it was obvious who he was smitten with from the beginning.

The world building is great but a lot of the story is of Noor and Citali traveling to Lumin and getting to know Caelum and the Lumin’s ways. There isn’t much action until the end but I still enjoyed it.

Why you should read it:

unique world building
sweet romance, happy ending, Noor gets Power and her man 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
sister drama

Why you might not want to read it:

abusive father
cliffhanger ending

My Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure if this would hold my attention but the world building sucked me in – I was intrigued. Noor’s family drama made me keep on reading. I kept wondering how she was going to get out of it and if she would get her happy ending. Plus Caelum is a good man from a nice family and Noor deserved happiness. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to book two which I can tell will be spicy because of Citali’s temper and Beron’s frustration with her already! I look forward to reading book two.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The Boundless by. Anna Bright | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: The Boundless ( The Beholder, #2)

Author: Anna Bright

Format: Hardcover (own)

Pages: 491

Publication Date: 6/9/20

Publisher: HarperTeen

Categories: Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Political Intrigue

When Selah found true love with Prince Torden of Norway, she never imagined she’d have to leave him behind. All because the Beholder’s true mission was a secret Selah’s crew didn’t trust her to keep: transporting weapons to the rebels fighting against the brutal tsarytsya, whose shadow looms over their next port of Shvartsval’d. A place Selah hoped she’d never go.

But gone is the girl who departed Potomac filled with fear. With a stockpile of weapons belowdecks and her heart hanging in the balance, Selah is determined to see the Beholder’s quest to its end.

This has been sitting on my shelf for a good year. I bought it during the pandemic on clearance and only picked it up to read now. The covers for this duology are really beautiful. Now the story itself is very interesting – I did enjoy the first book in the series, The Beholder, although it was a like mix of fairytales, historical fantasy and the bachelorette combined! Fascinating mix right? Well in this conclusion, Selah had found her true love… or has she? And can she finally help her crew do what they had planned to do (without her knowing) and finally go home?

I’m glad Selah had different challenges in this one – other than having guys fall for her and trying to decide who she loves. I mean…yes I can see that being a problem since she has to wed, but with everything else going on – she has bigger problems to fix. And Selah gets into it with Baba Yaga herself – a cold hearted killer who has taken a liking to Selah.

Obviously Selah found her true love in Torden – but why was Lang now a prospect? Out of sight, out of mind? Come one Selah – I wasn’t happy with Selah about this but I like Lang a lot. Or I like how he doesn’t cave into her demands. The secondary character came shining through in this one. Cobie is awesome and so loyal, Selah is so lucky to have her. I also loved seeing more of Anya as well. Aleksei surprised me and had some growth so that was promising.

I think the fairy tale infusion is what kept me reading. I love the reference to the 12 Dancing Princesses and of course Hangel and Gretel. thought the world of Baba Yaga was appropriately, cold, harsh and scary. Selah went through a lot being imprisoned there with her friends but it was good to see her rise to all the challenges.

Triggers: violence, abuse

My biggest issue with this book and it’s definitely a me problem is that Selah and Lang have a moment. I don’t remember her being with Torden much – I know she fell for him hard but honestly, I was liking the friction/attraction she was having with Lang. But she doesn’t deserve him – how did she get mad at HIM for not being right there to rescue her when he was helping the tribes and doing other things in the fight/rescue mission. I mean…🙄. I’m glad she now knows what she wants is someone selfishly in love with her (Torden) but come on…to be mad at Lang about that? He deserves a happy ending, poor guy.

Why you should read it:

if you liked The Beholder – definitely pick this one up
it mixes fairy tales and historical fiction, fun world building
if you are team Torden then you will love this one

Why you might not want to read it:

if you are team Lang haha – like me
not into love triangles
not into Selah flip flopping between boys

My Thoughts:

Selah – you boy crazy teenager, you! She was so frustrating haha but young and hey I remember being unsure about a guy. What I really like about this series is the creativity with the mix of fairy tales and historical fiction. I thought it worked in a strange way (they travel by wooden ship but have radios…🤔). Overall I was entertained by this series, I just didn’t like who Selah ended up with but I guess he was the best choice for her.

📚

We Free the Stars | Book Review

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

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

Author: Hafsah Faizal

Format: Hardcover (own)

Pages: 592

Publication Date: 1/19/21

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Catalog: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Duology

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

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

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

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

Trigger: grief, violence, emotional and physical abuse

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

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

♥️ ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book ~

Unravel the Dusk (The Blood of Stars, #2) | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: Unravel the Dust (The Blood of Stars, #2)

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Format: Hardcover (own)

Pages: 354

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy

Maia Tamarin’s journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. The boy she loves is gone, and she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor’s bride-to-be to keep the peace.

But the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within. Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red, losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It’s only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, but she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.

YA fantasy readers will love the sizzling forbidden romance, mystery, and intrigue of Unravel the Dusk.

Aesthetics ~ both covers for this duology are gorgeous. I love how the first book was bluish tones and this one is red.
I appreciate Maia’s battle with the demon inside her because we all have our own demons we fight daily. So I like how motivational the story is.
This story is darker than Spin the Stars, which was filled with political intrigue. In Unravel the Dusk, Maia is fighting a demon, Ewan is gone, and war is breaking out. This book is action packed.
Great writing and world-building as usual, it’s what I loved about the first book and it continues here, just with a darker tone. The magic is back but now Maia is dealing with the consequences of it from book one.

Oh how I wished I loved this more, but I didn’t. I couldn’t even get into the story, it took me two weeks to finish. Mind you one of those weeks were a very stressful election week in the USA and I gave up reading but I was hoping this book would help me escape from that stress and it did not. I didn’t expect Maia’s journey to get so dark and lonely, but it makes sense since she touched the demon.
I wanted more of Edan and Maia but that comes late into the book. But I really wanted him beside her helping her in the beginning. 😒
This might be a case of me needing to re-read this book when I’m in the right mood. Even though this book fell flat for me personally, I still am excited to read what this author with be writing next!

I didn’t love Unravel the Dusk as much as I did Spin the Stars, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good duology. Overall, it’s a series about a girl who rises up in a man’s world, tries to help her family and then ends up helping her country. It’s action packed, the message is inspirational and the book covers are gorgeous. I look forward to reading more from this author.

💙 ~ Yolanda

ARC Review | Vow of Thieves

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Vow of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #2)

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: August 6, 2019

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Suspense

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

Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them―the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor’s Watch will be a kingdom, and the two of them will meet all challenges side by side, together at last.

But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and in their rush to return to Tor’s Watch, just outside the fortress walls, they are violently attacked and torn apart―and each is thrust into their own new hell.

Unsure whether the other is alive or dead, Kazi and Jase must keep their wits among their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies. And all the while, Death watches and waits.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

This book wrecked me but in a good way! I had anxiety, heart palpitations and I even cried a few times! Was I expecting any of that? NO.

Vow of Thieves continues right after the last chapter and harrowing cliff-hanger from Dance of Thieves. Kazi and Jase return to Tor’s Watch and what greets them is unexpected. From then on, it was non-stop worrying and praying on my part. The world-building is lush as usual and the story is written so well I was wondering if Kazi would get out of this alive. After all she had been through, Kazi needed to make it out alive, she deserved some happiness.

At each turn something thwarted Kazi, but this girl has a brain on her like no other. And her fighting skills are just so good, she’s my hero. I love her heart, her penchant for riddles, her skill for thievery, the survival instincts she’s honed because of her past and her will to not die when it seems like hope is lost, “die tomorrow“. Kazi inspires me.

Jase and Kazi together are a dream team. Their love is deep but not so consuming that they can’t do things without one another. They weren’t even together in a good chunk of the book, but in spirit, they were pushing one another to keep going. It was all the things I love in a romance between two characters. They are strong together as a couple, but strong also even torn apart. I was swooning all over their relationship, their teasing and banter. I love them. Speaking of this duo – the book once again is told in dual POV. The story flows so well between the two characters and builds up tension where it should.

Then there is the supporting cast who is always outstanding. The villain was unpredictable, devious, obsessive, and cunning. Some of my favorite characters reappear in this book, Kazi’s best friends Wren and Synové. These three young ladies make a fierce trio. We also see cameos from characters in Mary E. Pearson other series, The Remnant Chronicles which made me want to reread the series again!

I could go on and on about this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything. It is perfection in my eyes. I’ve read very few duologies, but I notice that it’s becoming the trend and personally I’m starting to love it more than trilogies. It keeps the story-telling tight, whereas a trilogy sometimes is one book too long, with a weak finish. If duologies are written like this Dance of Thieves series, then sign me up for more of them!

I fell in love with Kazi, her friends, Jase and his crazy, loving family. It ended beautifully. I hope this isn’t the last story in the Remnant world. I want more adventures set in this world or any world that Mary E. Pearson creates. Vow of Thieves is the perfect sequel to an epic series.

Get it here: Amazon

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Book Review: All The Wandering Light (Even The Darkest Stars Book 2)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Heather Fawcett

Format: Hard Cover

Pages: 432

Categories: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Magic, Witches, Stars, Demons

Book Blurb:

After the terrifying events on Mount Raksha, the witches have returned, and River has betrayed Kamzin to regain his dark powers. The witches’ next step: march on the Three Cities and take over the Empire—led by River’s brother, Esha.

If Kamzin is to save Azmiri and prevent the destruction of the Empire, she must find a star that fell in the Ash Mountains to the north. Fallen stars have immense power, and if Kamzin and Lusha can find the star, they can use its magic to protect their homeland. To get there, Kamzin has allied with Azar-at, the dangerous and deceptive fire demon, who can grant her great power—in exchange for pieces of her soul. But River wants the star too, and as their paths collide in dangerous and unexpected ways, Kamzin must wrestle with both her guilt and her conflicted feelings for the person who betrayed her.

Facing dark magic, a perilous journey, and a standoff against the witches, can Kamzin, Lusha, and Tem find the star and save their Empire?

MY REVIEW

The adventure continues in this sequel to Even the Darkest Stars but with less mountaineering. Lusha, Kamzin’s older sister who is a seer, is with her every step of the way on this journey. She strives to remind Kamzin to make the right decisions regarding the task ahead – finding a fallen star and bringing it to the Emperor to bind the witches’ power again. I never quite took a liking to Lusha – she’s so hard on Kamzin and hardly ever lets up. Tem is also with them, using his shamanic skills to protect them as best he can.

“Some truths aren’t meant to be found, even by the most determined explorers.”
All the Wandering Light by. Heather Fawcett

This story was told through a few different perspectives: Kamzin and River obviously but at one point there was a few chapters told through Mara. Not sure if Mara’s perspective was needed though, he became a non-issue in the end. Mingma, the ghost also made a cameo and then he was gone! His time was brief in the book but so impactful, Kamzin needed to hear from an explorer who didn’t succeed in his mission, because sometimes that’s just life.

“Choosing to lock yourself up in a life that doesn’t suit you is its own sort of death, wouldn’t you say?”
All the Wandering Light by. Heather Fawcett

The beginning was slow but I understand why – we get to learn more of River’s story. We meet his brothers, and learn about River’s family history. With the binding spell gone, it seems River is the most powerful witch in the Kingdom, but he never wanted power, in essence all he wanted was freedom. His romance with Kamzin doesn’t show up really until the very end, talk about a slow burn romance! They really did put the issues of the Empire before the lovey-dovey stuff.

I really love the action scenes in the end, witches lunging out of the wall? Give me more! That was the one thing about this book that gave me a slight pause. I was trudging through the beginning, then at the end I was reading so fast through the action and all of a sudden it was over! 🤔 The author did wrap things up nicely in the end but can there be more stories to be told in this world? Oh – most definitely.

What I adored about this series is the magical entities. I fell in love with the familiars, Ragtooth and Biter. I loved the demons in this story too. And yes to the witches, ghosts and pet-like dragons! Also, what about that falling star? I adored her – I wanted to put her in my pocket and keep her forever – she gave me giddy feelings. The writing is beautiful and drew me into this world filled with lore and magic.

I enjoyed this series very much. I could totally envision myself wearing kinnika bells around my neck (I figured I’d be a shaman instead of an explorer) with my own feisty wing-demon. Fire-demons stay away from me though, I might be too tempted by them!