Ghostsmith by. Nicki Pau Preto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Ghostsmith (House of the Dead, #2)

Author: Nicki Pau Preto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 8/13/24

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Series, Paranormal, Romance

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

Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this action-packed finale to the House of the Dead Duology, Wren and her friends put everything they know to the test as they battle the living and the undead to save their world.Wren is still reeling from the revelation that the mother she thought was dead is actually the Corpse Queen, a ghostsmith with the terrifying power to control the undead. It was Wren’s own mother who created the iron revenants—an army of near unbeatable undead soldiers. When the iron revenants attack, no one in the Dominions will have the strength to stand in their way.

Now Wren, Leo, and Julian find themselves once more in the Breach, this time on the run from Wren’s father, who is determined to secure more power for himself and the House of Bone. The three are desperate to stop the upcoming war, but working together is easier said than done with Julian still furious about Wren double-crossing him. And to make matters worse, Wren is plagued by powerful new abilities that force her to reassess everything she knows about being a bonesmith.

When Wren’s long-lost twin brother shows up and vows to help her destroy the well of magic that feeds the iron revenants, she must decide if trusting him is worth potentially playing right into their mother’s hands. After all, the dead might be dangerous, but it’s the living who can betray you.

Content Warning: violence, death, war, evil parents

+ Once I got this arc I read it right away because I loved Bonesmith. The world-building in this book is consistent and it widens up now that we meet Hawke, who is Wren’s brother. He’s lived a very different life from Wren where he is help making the revenants as Wren is on the opposite end trying to kill them. We get more information about their horrible mother, Ravenna.

+ I like how this story keeps moving forward with action, betrayal and the conclusion. I think it’s a great duology!

+ The story has a lot of things going on with Ravenna’s plans to rule with her undead army, Julian and Wren trying to forgive one another, Prince Leo trying prove himself, and Hawke coming to terms how his mother is not a good person and Wren might be the only sane family member he has. I loved that the romance didn’t overtake the story – I like how Julian and Wren eventually work things out in the end. I also liked Hawke and Wren’s story – it was hard to trust Hawke, but he’s got some issues to work out with himself and his mother. They eventually team up together and I love that for them.

+ And how can I not mention Leo who is as charming as ever and brought the humor in the story where it needed it since it’s kind of a dark read.

~ I honestly love how tightly edited this duology is and it wasn’t too long! But I do wish there was more time for Hawke and Wren to get to know one another. I was surprised at how fast Wren forgave Hawke but it did show how Hawke was basically abused and controlled by Ravenna. Still, I wish the siblings had more time to get to know one another.

My Thoughts:

I appreciate how nicely this story actually moved. I loved the action which kept me interested in the story. It’s a dark story about the undead but I also liked the discussion about the dead – one side thinking they need to be set free, and the other that thinks the dead wants to be close to the living. Wren’s mother is an awful person but I’m glad despite having two horrible parents she turned out to be a fighter who was on the right side of things. The characters are great, the romance was just enough, and it’s a great conclusion to the duology!

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Bonesmith by. Nicki Pau Preto | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

ARC Review | Heart of Flames ⭐️⭐️💫

Book Review: Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers, #1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Girl with No Reflection by. Keshe Chow | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Girl with No Reflection

Author: Keshe Chow

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 496

Publication Date: 8/6/24

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Chinese Mythology

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

Princess Ying Yue believed in love … once upon a time.

Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial palace: whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.

Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights upon its surface. And when, on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway, she is pulled into a mirror world.

This realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. Unlike his real-world counterpart, the Mirror Prince is kind and compassionate, and before long Ying falls in love—the kind of love she always dreamed of.

But there is darkness in this new world, too.

It turns out the two worlds have a long and blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in the future of them both. And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was already too late.

Content Warning: violence, death, profanity

When I first started reading this I was surprised and thought I was maybe reading a horror story but it isn’t! I honestly wouldn’t have minded if it was. Ying is about the marry a prince but she’s not feeling like he cares about her and keeps her trapped in a room except for the times she is allowed to be out. A way to escape this marriage is in front of her – literally. In the mirror!

I thought this was such an interesting story and one that is a little bit creepy because what do you mean there is a whole world inside a mirror and your clone is basically living there? Ying finds out though that not everything is so great on the other side of the mirror. There are monsters, there are untrustworthy mirror-people, and now she has to find a way to close the portal in the mirror or else these monsters will take over the real world. And why does it have to be her? Because there is a prophecy and she is the chosen one.

The romance was enemies to lovers but there is a love triangle, which I thought was messy but very entertaining. I felt like Ying was falling too fast for a guy in the mirror!

Speaking of Ying, there were times I found my eyes rolling because of her behavior and actions. She’s falling fast for a Mirror-Prince yet on the other side of the mirror she hated the real Prince and fought with him every chance she got even when it wasn’t called for. And then the prophecy said Ying is the fish who will close the mirror portal, but I didn’t know why a fish? Maybe because water is reflective? Anyway there’s even dragons in this book. Yeah it gets wild by the end, but I just went with it.

My Thoughts:

In summary…

Reflections are not so nice, Ying is the Fish-the one in the prophecy to close the mirror portal, there is a war, and fights with mythical monsters. There are even dragons in this story! The romance is a love triangle between Ying, a Mirror-Prince and the real Prince. Ying did get on my nerves at some points, but overall the story was still pretty entertaining. I look forward to reading more books from this author!

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All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Fedel | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: All Roads Lead to Rome

Author: Sabrina Fedel

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 6/18/24

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Fake Dating, Social Media, Italy, Contemporary

When the daughter of a diplomat fake dates a Scottish celebrity in Italy, she soon finds herself living her own Roman Holiday until the feelings get real and the paparazzi’s knives come out.

Introverted, slightly anxious Astoria “Story” Herriot knows everything about Rome—her mom’s an attorney here and the two of them are living la dolce vita… at least until Story’s off to college in the fall.

But when Story is in the wrong gelato shop at the right time, she’s swept up in a fake dating scheme with Scottish heartthrob, Luca Kinnaird, to protect his relationship with a pop princess. There’s something in it for her, too—Luca promises to help fund a scholarship in her dad’s memory. Soon she’s showing Luca the best cafés, sightseeing at the Mouth of Truth, and picnicking at the ruins of the Abbey of Santa Maria del Piano. Story’s travel guide skills are 10/10, but what she knows about being a celebrity—or having feelings for one? Zero.

Pretending to be Luca’s guide—then his girlfriend—gets the paparazzi’s attention . . . and what’s true and what’s fake gets blurry as their different worlds crash together. Sophisticated, hot, rich, and with the most charming accent ever, Luca is full of surprises. And maybe, too, is Story’s perfectly planned future.

It’s a fairy-tale romance in the Eternal City…will it have a fairy tale ending?

Content Warning: bullying, mentions of drug abuse, drug use

I borrowed this book because of the book cover! It’s so summery and vibrant and I was in the mood for a summer read since we are in the season for it. This did not disappoint!

Astoria “Story”, is a diplomat kid – meaning she has lived in many different cities around the world with her mom. She’s not the popular kid at her very small school. She has only two friends in the current city that they live in, Rome, Italy. But Story is fairly independent and keeps busy with volunteering and exploring this wonderful city. One day she gets caught in a situation and agrees to become a fake girlfriend for a famous person – but it’s a challenge to navigate the online world as she gets put into the spotlight. She’s hiding from paparazzi, or making opportunities with Luca to let them get the perfect shot and all because she wants to help him out and get something out of it for herself.

My favorite thing about this story was the setting of Rome, Italy and all the places and food we get introduced to. Story is fairly good at learning and speaking Italian so it was nice to have that in the book as well. The romance is a fake dating romance, kind of a slow burner, but I found it super sweet and it was cute seeing them become friends and then in the end into something more. I loved seeing Story make friends with Luca’s best friend and opening up her world more because for a good part of the beginning she is closed off to socializing. Personality wise, she keeps to herself, and isn’t into the party scene but I thought she did really good faking it and hanging out with Luca and his friends. There is a lot of growth for her throughout the book.

The only things that threw me off sometimes is Luca because he is Scottish and I am so unfamiliar with Scottish words. So the first few Scottish words the character says made me confused. But I loved when they visited Scotland and we get a chance to learn more about Luca because for most of the story he is just a very famous ladies man it seems. But there is much more to him!

My Final Thoughts:

This was such a fun and cute romance. I loved everything about this story from the fake dating, seeing Story and Luca grow from strangers, to friends to lovers. And having it set in Rome, Italy just makes it even better! If you are looking for a summer pool/beach read, definitely try this one out. I look forward to reading more from this author.

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Castle of the Cursed by. Romina Garber | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Castle of the Cursed

Author: Romina Garber

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 7/30/24

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller, Fantasy, Mystery, Gothic, Paranormal, Romance

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!

A delicious and dark gothic romance from bestselling author Romina Garber!

THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…

After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.

Content Warning: violence, kidnapping, death, loss of a parent, depression, grief

+ The gothic vibes in this book is nice. Estela moves in with her estranged aunt who lives in a Spanish castle called la Sombra. It’s dark, it’s falling apart, it’s old and she feels like someone is watching her. The town around la Sombra, feeds into the lore of the castle and the families that have lived there, almost like they are the rulers of the town. Estela learns about her family’s dark past and I thought where the story took me was quite unexpected.

+ Estela feels like an unreliable narrator at first because things that have happened in her life without a normal explanation. Also, because of her parents death – she’s being treated for PTSD and she doesn’t at times trust her own memories so I thought that made more engaged in the story because I didn’t know where it would be heading. I thought her growth and journey was strong though.

+ I did like the twists in the story, especially the ones I wasn’t expecting. There is a whole theme of family in this story that I thought was done well, especially when it’s about family secrets and there is a lot that Estela uncovers about her family, good and bad.

~ There is a paranormal romance in this story. Sebastián is a dark presence in the castle that is trapped and only Estela can see him. She finds out that he’s a vampire which even more fantastic given the gothic atmosphere of the book and I love paranormal romance. But I didn’t love the romance in this one. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them, even though there were heated moments, it fell kind of flat to me. It’s a bit too insta-love for me especially for someone like Estela going through so much trauma. I wish there was more build-up to their attraction.

My Thoughts:

I like how this book took me on an unexpected, twisty, and mysterious journey with Estela who is overcoming some difficult things like grief and trauma. I thought the gothic vibes were great and la Sombra was definitely creepy but I felt like I needed more from the story and wish the romance wasn’t so insta-love.

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The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Mirror of Beasts (Silver in the Bone, #2)

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 576

Publication Date: 7/30/24

Publisher: Hachette Children’s Group

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Series, King Arthur, Romance

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

Thank you to Hachette Children’s Group for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

With the dream of Avalon in ruins, Tamsin and her friends are all that stands in the way of Lord Death’s plans to unleash the horrors of Anwnn on the world of the living. As the Wild Hunt carves a bloody path across continents, Tamsin is mustering allies, tracking down powerful artifacts, and traversing into new otherlands in search of a way to stop him.

Legend tells of a “Mirror of Beasts,” powerful enough to trap even Lord Death in its accursed glass, but the mirror is not all that it seems. Tamsin must confront her own darkest secrets if she hopes to tap the mirror’s strength to defeat her enemies.

Arthurian legend bleeds into contemporary action, and scars of the past are torn open anew by a starcrossed love that refuses to go quietly. This riveting conclusion to the Silver in the Bone duology will hold you in its thrall until the very last page.

Content Warning: violence, death

This story throws you right in after the events that happened in Silver in the Bone. It is action filled and for the most part moves at a quick pace. There are quests and the found family trope really brings these characters together. I enjoyed everything that was going on between Tamsin and her friends, Tamsin and Emrys, Tamsin and Cabell her brother who has had a hell of a journey being on the opposite sides of things. They all had stuff to work out and they do so with all this chaos going on.

The story about King Arthur and Excalibur being the basis for this adventure is really cool too. I like that there were some surprises I wasn’t expecting. I loved the romance storyline with Tamsin and Emrys, who have a ways to come back to trusting one another again but they work through it eventually!

I do think this book was long but it makes sense since it’s a duology and there were some things to wrap up. I wonder if it would have been better as a trilogy though? Not sure but I was losing some steam to read it at 75% into the book. There might have been too many characters for me to follow, not the main ones but the sorceresses that are new. I also thought Lord Death was a funny name for a villain, but he was not a funny guy at all – I hated that Cabell was working for him.

My Thoughts:

Overall, I was entertained with this conclusion to the duology! I think it’s a great end to the series that centers on found family. The action and quests really move this story along and the romance is resolved for Emrys and Tamsin which I’m happy about. If you liked Silver in the Bone, I think you’ll also enjoy this one!

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Other Books By This Author:

Silver in the Bone by. Alexandra Bracken | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Lore by. Alexandra Bracken | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Magic Fierce & Bright by. Hemant Nayak | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Magic Fierce & Bright

Author: Hemant Nayak

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 7/9/24

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Magic, 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 & Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A young technomancer teams up with a handsome thief to save her sister in this propulsive, magic-filled young adult fantasy that is perfect for fans of Gearbreakers and Iron Widow .

Adya wants nothing more than to be left alone. Content to be loyal to no one but herself in the isolated jungles of South India, she dreams only of finding her lost sister, Priya, and making enough money to take care of their family. It’s too bad that her rare ability to wake electric machines—using the magic that wiped them out five centuries ago—also makes her a coveted political pawn. Everyone seems to believe that her technomancy can help them win the endless war for control over the magic’s supernatural source.

These senseless power struggles mean little to Adya. But when her enemies dangle news of her sister before her, she’s all too quick to leap at the chance to bring Priya home—even if it means teaming up with a rakish, disreputable thief in order to do it. With the threat of invasion looming ever larger on the horizon, Adya must reconcile the kind of person she is with the kind of person she wants to be and untangle the web of intrigue, conspiracy, and deceit that threatens to take all of India down with it.

Content Warning: violence, death

+ The world building in this one is very unique. It’s a mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, in India. There is technomancy which is about magic and machines, which I thought was neat but maybe a better explanation of how this world came to be would have been helpful.

+ Adya is the main character and she’s gifted with technomancy. And she’s really connected to her sentient Yamaha motorbike, it’s like a friend to her which I thought was cool. I’d say she is very brave and loves her family. Her family is gone, except for her brother and maybe a sister, who she hasn’t given up hope on finding. Dsouza is her rival but we learn he’s more than a thief or renegade or whatever dangerous guy he’s portraying. I’d say there is some rivalry flirting going on between them but it’s not a focus at all. I think the two of them were fun together.

+ This story has a lot of action and violence that I wasn’t expecting. I think it made the story move fast. There was mention of Indian mythological creatures like the naga, drongo and yaksha.

~ The reader gets thrown into the story which made it hard to get my bearings at first. I would have liked more history about this world and what happened. I could grasp that Britain was trying to invade India but I don’t know why and at first I thought this was taking place in the past but then realized it was in the future since they had modern things.

~ Would have loved to connect more to the characters.

My Thoughts:

I thought this was an interesting and unique story because of the technomancy and sentient motorbike. Adya is an interesting character who can make machines magical. The Indian mythology added a lot to the story to make it more fascinating. I do feel like I didn’t quite connect to the characters but the story did move fast because it had so much action, sometimes very brutal. I think if you are into India, rebellion, sci-fi, magic and dystopia, this one may interest you.

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Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Dungeons and Drama

Author: Kristy Boyce

Format: paperback (borrowed)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 1/9/24

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!

Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can’t waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan’s Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she would’ve thought…

Content Warning:

Riley is a theater kid who loves musicals and for punishment she is forced to work at her dad’s game shop. A boy from her high school who she’s never talked to named, Nathan also works at the store and she goes from a girl singing musicals to learning how to play Dungeons and Dragons with him and his friends. Riley working at the shop is not quite the punishment after awhile as she forges a growing bond with her dad and make a lot of new friends.

This is a fun young adult story, perfect for teen readers. I adored Riley and her best friend, Hoshiko and also Riley’s relationship with her mother. I enjoyed seeing her open her world and learn more about her dad’s love for gaming! I have minimal knowledge of D&D but I know enough from my husband and son about the game and it was cool to see how Riley learns and joins the game.

The fake dating was super cute!

My Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this one! I feel like the book cover captures this book so correctly. It’s sweet, funny and heart-warming. It’s filled with theater kids and gaming kids and when the two worlds combine it’s so much fun!

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The Calculation of You and Me by. Serena Kaylor | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Calculation of You and Me

Author: Serena Kaylor

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 6/18/24

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Neurodivergent, Romance

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!

A calculus nerd enlists her surly classmate’s help to win back her ex-boyfriend, but when sparks start to fly, she realizes there’s no algorithm for falling in love.

Marlowe Thompson understands a lot of things. She understands that calculus isn’t overwhelmingly beautiful to everyone, and that it typically kills the mood when you try to talk Python coding over beer pong. She understands people were surprised when golden boy Josh asked her out and she went from weird, math-obsessed Marlowe to half of their school’s couple goals. Unfortunately, Marlowe was surprised when Josh dumped her because he’d prefer a girlfriend who was more romantic. One with emotional depth.

But Marlowe has never failed anything in her life, and she isn’t about to start now. When she’s paired with Ashton Hayes for an English project, his black clothing and moody eyeliner cause a bit of a systems overload, and the dissonant sounds of his rock band make her brain itch. But when she discovers Ash’s hidden stash of love songs, Marlowe makes a desperate deal to unleash her inner romantic heroine: if Ash will agree to help her write some love letters, she’ll calculate the perfect data analytics formula to make Ash’s band go viral.

As the semester heats up with yearning love notes and late nights spent with a boy who escapes any box her brain tries to put him in, Marlowe starts to question if there’s really a set solution to love. Could a girl who has never met a problem she couldn’t solve have gotten the math so massively wrong?

Content Warning:

Marlowe is neurodivergent, and for someone who struggles with social cues and expressing feelings, she was doing pretty good. She had the most popular boy in school as her boyfriend, and she was part of the “in” crowd. That is…until her boyfriend breaks up with her and her routine for the past two years is upended.

I thought this was such a cute romance. Marlowe is all about numbers and mushrooms, she’s analytical and her ex complained she wasn’t romantic enough. Yes, she had the golden-haired, perfect Southern boy, jock as her boyfriend but then she gets paired up with the dark-haired boy, Ash, who is in a band and has a lip ring. Her world is turned upside down and I loved seeing it happen! I love the opposites attract trope especially between a boy with a bad rep and a smart girl. But the thing is – Marlowe can’t let go of her routine, she wants Josh back and tries to learn to be more romantic to win him back. Marlowe and Ash help each other out but they fall in love with each other in the process.

There are some really great side characters in this story. I love her two best friends who are as unique as she is but I love how they had her back no matter what. Marlowe wanted Josh back, and even if they hated the idea, they tried to help her make it happen. They gave her space to make her mistakes and learn from them without judging her and that was so cool. I also enjoyed learning about Marlowe’s family dynamics too which play a part in how she feels about relationships.

My Thoughts:

This was such a cute, slow burn, teenage romance that has great side characters, a main character who has growth, and even a grand gesture! The romance progression is so good with Ash helping her get Josh back, to Marlowe realizing she didn’t want Josh back at all but Ash instead. I enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

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Fate of the Sun King by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Fate of the Sun King (Artefacts or Ouranos, #3)

Author: Nisha J. Tuli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 556

Publication Date: 6/4/24

Publisher: Forever

Categories: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Series

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

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

The highly anticipated third installment of the steamy Artefacts of Ouranos series journeys deeper into the glittering fae world as Lor puts both her life and her heart on the line in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance.

With the Heart Crown now in her possession, Lor must navigate the dangers of being an heir on the run, knowing more than one power-hungry ruler is after her blood. When she returns to Aphelion to unlock her magic and recover her family’s legacy, it becomes clearer than ever that all that’s gold doesn’t sparkle. No stranger to battles, she continues to fight her attraction to the Aurora Prince, understanding this might be the one she finally loses.
As the past mixes with the present, Lor uncovers the truth about the Artefacts and their role in shaping her destiny. Now, her future hangs in the balance, leaving her closer than ever to getting everything she’s ever wanted… or losing it all forever.

Content Warning:

So I thought this would be the last book in the series but I am wrong. It’s the third book and there was a lot going on with flashbacks happening from the present to the past and vice versa.

I did like that Lor and Nadir’s slow burn finally picked up steam and they are committed to one another now. Thank goodness because I don’t think I could wait for another book to see if they got together or not.

Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood to be patient and process everything going on but the flashbacks were taking me out of the story. I do think the story did progress, especially at the end. I did like seeing Lor’s siblings more in this story. The world-building is good, I just wasn’t in the mood to dive into it I think or it was too slow for me at some parts. Everything does pick up at the end but then of course, there is a sudden cliff-hanger.

My Thoughts:

I think it’s good to wait for the last book and then you can binge the series.

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Heavenbreaker by. Sara Wolf | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Heavenbreaker (#1)

Author: Sara Wolf

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 5/21/24

Categories: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Series

Bravery isn’t what you do. It’s what you endure.

The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die. With my dagger in his back.

He didn’t see it coming. Didn’t anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother—on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station’s starving, commoner rubbish.

Now there’s nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them.

Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker—one of the few enormous machines left over from the War—and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.

Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary—even if it’s someone I care about. Even if it’s someone I’m falling for.

Only I’m not alone. Not anymore.

Because there’s something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something…more.

And it won’t be stopped.

Content Warning: grief, violence, murder

This is one of my most anticipated books this year and I bought the hardcover because it’s really gorgeous with the sprayed edges. Now, I did go into this book with a little bit of caution because it’s a space opera and I sometimes love that genre or I just don’t connect. With this book, my feelings landed in the middle.

I love the violent and full of rage main character, Synali. Yes, she should be angry that someone killed her mother and almost killed her. Yes, she should be raging against the injustice of the wealthy houses who don’t do anything to help the poor – she grew up poor and had to do all kinds of things to survive. And yes, she wants to take down her father’s house even if she dies trying.

I found the world-building really creative and I was hooked in the beginning of the story. There is a futuristic jousting tournament every year where riders, ride a steed – but the steed is not a horse. It’s a huge (compared to a tall tower), alien like robotic body of some sort – even in my own mind, I had a hard time imagining it and was wishing this was a graphic novel. Anyway, the rider, rides the steed into the biggest jousting tournament of the year and the winner gets a favor from the king. Synali, is not a rider but she’s chosen to become one for a house that is not her own, all for the goal of revenge and hopefully destruction. The world that is created is really fantastic and there is a lot of history to learn about these steeds and what happened to Earth.

The secondary characters are very interesting like Dravik who has an ulterior motive and we don’t totally know how much of a villain he is yet but Synali is working with him because they both have the same goal in mind. Mirelle, who is Synali’s cousin and enemy, is an interesting character that shows us a little bit of what Synali longed for in a family. Synali sees what could have been if she wasn’t born a bastard. Rax, is her rival but so opposite in nature to her rage, yet Synali hasn’t scratched the surface of him yet. I think there is so much more to learn about all of these characters and I hope we get to see that develop in book two.

Some things that maybe disconnected me from the story? The sci-fi elements, because sci-fi does that to me haha, but I pushed through. The writing – and I usually like her writing because it’s straight to the point but this one was too much being straight to the point at times. The chapters are short, and sometimes the sentences are too, which for the most part I understand because Synali is just walking rage, no feelings except for mostly rage and grief for her mother. The short chapters does help move the story quickly though.

The romance between Synali and Rax has so much potential to be an amazing enemies to lovers but I felt like there wasn’t much emotion between either of because Synali is all about revenge and Rax is all about winning to survive his situation.

My Final Thoughts:

I read this book in one day because I was riveted by the world-building and Synali’s character. I felt like my attention waned a bit as I was rushing through to the end but maybe because I was hoping the romance would develop more but it’s definitely not the main focus of this story. I had my issues here and there with the story but it’s because I’m not a big sci-fi reader. Overall, I was entertained and I’m looking forward to book two and hoping for more development in some of the characters and their relationships.