Source: Netgalley, thank you to the publisher!TL;DR: Though this didn't make a lot of sense it was still interesting enough for me to read through. I'm also unsure as to the audience for this, a YA tone with very dark moments Plot: A very weak red witch becomes very powerful and is caught up between... Continue Reading →
The Stars Undying by Emery Lord
Source: NetGalley & owned - Thank you to the publisher TL;DR: I feel so bland on this. Meandering, with what should have been stellar themes and ideas. But little to no connection for the reader. Plot: Supposedly a Julius Caesar and Cleopatra inspired story, it's the story of a civil war, turned assassination/revenge story. Things... Continue Reading →
A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow
Source: NetGalley - I love you Orbit, Thank you!TL;DR: A difficult read but worth it in every way. A little Lord of the Rings, a lot of vikings, and a fantastic female lead. Plot: Think Lord of the Rings, without a ring, and the main character is a female Gandalf in a Viking world.Characters: I... Continue Reading →
The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught
Source: NetGalley, Thank you to the publisher!!TL;DR: Cute and Cozy. I'd recommend this for younger readers (I don't think older readers would get a ton out of this). Plot: A very easy and cute quest to fetch mushrooms turns into a bit more for these two friendsCharacters: Hadley and Juniper were our main PoVs and... Continue Reading →
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
Source: Netgalley - Many thanks to the publisher!TL;DR: A worthy follow-up to A Dowry in Blood. Even with a slightly predictable ending I really enjoyed this. Plot: The classic Carmilla remixed. Laura and Carmilla are rivals in a poetry course, it was believable and engrossing.Characters: Really loved these over the top and flawed characters (though... Continue Reading →
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
Source: Netgalley - Many thanks to the publisher!!TL;DR: Dark and gloomy, but beautiful and fast paced. A dangerous ride, I definitely recommend for dark fantasy fans. Plot: Veris is sent into the North Woods, an enchanted place, to find two lost children. It's a dark time.Characters: Veris is our main PoV and we stay pretty... Continue Reading →
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
Source: Tachyon Press - Thank you so much for the arc!!TL;DR: A OG Romantasy in my opinion. A fantasy that focuses on the idea of love, in it’s myriad of forms, and a powerful woman. Loved this one. Plot: Sybel gets caught between the boy she raised, the man she loves and the wars of... Continue Reading →
The Princess Protection Program by Alex London
Source: Netgalley - Many thank to the publisher!!TL;DR: An unexpectedly fun little fairy tale twist. Look forward to princesses with attitude and fair godmothers who hate their jobs. Plot: Rosamund must figure out this new place she's in and why, and figure out how to escape the Uponatimes. It has some unexpected twists along the... Continue Reading →
Jubilee by Stephen K. Stanford
Source: Netgalley - Thank you so much to the publisher!Tl;DR: This was a big miss for me. Simple writing, a bit of a nonsense plot, and overly sexualized women. No thanks. Plot: All over the place. Perhaps if we'd taken time to break things down and move slowly this could be a good series? But... Continue Reading →
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Source: Netgalley - Thank you so much to the publisher for reaching out to me!TL;DR: Such a slow build but I really think it was worth it. A Holmesian mystery with lots of fantasy and plant magic/science! Plot: This was slow. It started with a single gruesome murder and evolved to a bigger, empire risking... Continue Reading →