Back of Book: 

Haunting. Spirited. Christmas. 

Ebenezer Scrooge is not a very nice man. He is selfish and mean to employees and his family. He doesn't understand the meaning of Christmas at all. 

Then three ghosts appear, haunting Scrooge. One shows him Christmas past. One shows him Christmas present. And one shows him an eerie Christmas future, 

Now Scrooge has one last chance to turn his life around... before it's too late. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Historical 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟 

For the last couple of years I've been meaning to read this one, but I never got around to it. This year, I forced "A Christmas Carol" to be on my priority list for December reading and it finally happened. 

"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens is a classic novella that needs no introduction. We all know about Ebenezer Scrooge with his distaste for anything Christmas and his iconic Bah Humbugs! But when the ghost of his business partner, Marley, arrives along with some other phantoms, Scrooge's perception on the holiday and life as a whole changes. 

Personally, I feel "A Christmas Carol" is one of those things that one gets oversaturated with in the month of December on a yearly basis. Therefore, nothing about the novel felt new or exciting, which may be part of the reason that I didn't enjoy it all that much. It is still a good story and a fast read that also has many lessons to relay to the reader (if you haven't heard them all a million times). 

Overall, I feel that "A Christmas Carol" is one of those classics that almost every avid reader decides to tackle. It's a quick one, so therefore I still found it entertaining enough. However, if this book would have been longer, I feel like it would have dragged and been a super boring read. I'm still new to reading books centered around Christmas, so maybe I'm a bit of a Scrooge myself. It's a quick novel to whip one into the holiday spirit especially if one is feeling like a bit of a Grinch or a Scrooge themselves. I'd say it's worth reading, but I'm not going to overhype this one. It was fine. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Back of Book: 

A sharp-witted, high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, evil wizards and a garlic festival–all at once. Perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, K. J. Parker and Travis Baldree.

It’s bad enough waking up in a half-destroyed evil wizard’s workshop with no eyebrows, no memories, and no idea how long you have before the Dread Lord Whomever shows up to murder you horribly and then turn your skull into a goblet or something.

It’s a lot worse when you realize that Dread Lord Whomever is… you.

Gav isn’t really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed.

But as he realizes that nothing–from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess–is quite what it seems, Gav must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he’ll have to answer the hardest question of all–who does he want to be?

Dread Lord Gavrax has had better weeks. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Mystery 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

A comedic farce that picks on all the classic fantasy tropes and spins them on their head. 

Waking up with no memories of who you are is taxing enough. It gets even worse when you wake up in a creepy castle with a princess in your dungeon, a staff full of goblins, and a room filled with magical texts that seem to imply that you are a dark lord. As Gav tries to unravel all the mysteries that are hidden within the confines of his missing memories, he becomes disgusted with himself and decides that maybe it wouldn't hurt to be a little more good. 

I had pretty high expectations going into this one. I must say, it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be, but I still found myself laughing aloud quite frequently. This book truly read like an improv skit in which the main actor doesn't know what role he is playing and gradually has to piece everything together without giving away that he doesn't know what is going on. This leads to many humorous encounters, which makes for an enjoyable read. 

This book is such a cozy fantasy read with a hint of darkness. I think the fact that this book follows a dark lord gives this book some interesting tension that many cozy fantasy books lack. Gav is also trying to hide his amnesia from everyone around him, which meant that there are high stakes present throughout the entire book, which had me intrigued to see how everything would go down in the end. 

The themes that "Dreadful" explores are actually quite deep, which I suppose is fair in a farce. My favorite is how this book talks about changing for the better and being your true self despite what everyone else expects from you. Gav, Eliasha, and Valevna (as well as other characters) embrace the characteristics that the world thinks they should. Gav wears all black, decorates with grotesque decor, and punishes his prisoners by doing things such as turning them into chickens. Eliasha is the youngest princess of her kingdom that happens to be a bit plainer than others and she goes to great lengths to make herself prettier and daintier to be a more "proper princess." Valvena is a seductive sorceress with Morgan le Fay vibes. Not only does she have to try harder as a woman in the dark lord industry, but people also assume that she gets her power through seduction. Rather than fight the narrative, all three characters go with the norm; at least for the beginning of the book. As the story progresses, they all take charge of their own narratives, which is something that all of us can aspire for. 

Overall, I was quite satisfied with my reading experience of "Dreadful." It is a fun fantasy farce featuring quirky characters, witty banter, and a slight mystery element that keeps the pages turning. It is a bit of a slower read, but it was nice to slow down my reading pace for a few days. I am looking forward to adding Caitlin Rozakis' name to my list of adult cozy fantasy authors that I can turn to whenever I'm in the mood for a cozy good time! 

Back of Book: 

There is a distinct hint of Armageddon in the air. According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (recorded, thankfully, in 1655, before she blew up her entire village and all its inhabitants, who had gathered to watch her burn), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse are revving up their mighty hogs and hitting the road, and the world's last two remaining witch-finders are getting ready to fight the good fight, armed with awkwardly antiquated instructions and stick pins. Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring... Right. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan.

Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—each of whom has lived among Earth's mortals for many millennia and has grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not particularly looking forward to the coming Rapture. If Crowley and Aziraphale are going to stop it from happening, they've got to find and kill the Antichrist (which is a shame, as he's a really nice kid). There's just one glitch: someone seems to have misplaced him....

First published in 1990, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's brilliantly dark and screamingly funny take on humankind's final judgment is back—and just in time—in a new hardcover edition (which includes an introduction by the authors, comments by each about the other, and answers to some still-burning questions about their wildly popular collaborative effort) that the devout and the damned alike will surely cherish until the end of all things.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟 

"Good Omens" wasn't quite what I expected it to be. Don't get me wrong, it screamed Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It just dragged more than any of their other books that I have read.

I really enjoyed the parts that were in Crowley and Aziraphale's perspectives. Those two were an absolute riot and had some of the most ridiculous scenes. I also didn't mind the witch hunting side-story, because that's what tied Agnes Nutter into the tale. Everything else though, was just kind of boring to me. Not that it was bad to read, but it wasn't the most exciting. I must admit, some of it was super relevant to the story, though.

Overall, this book an off-the-wall read that was still quite enjoyable to read. There was just sections I found rather irrelevant and kept it from being one of my favorites.

Back of Book: 

Step into the House of the Beast in this dark fantasy debut from The Legend of Korra graphic novel illustrator Michelle Wong, about a young woman who strikes a deal with a mysterious and alluring god to seek revenge on her aristocratic family—featuring illustrations throughout by the author.

Born out of wedlock and shunned by society, Alma learned to make her peace with solitude, so long as she had her mother by her side. When her mother becomes gravely ill, Alma discovers a clue about her estranged father and writes a message begging for help. Little does she know that she is a bastard of House Avera, one of the four noble families that serve the gods and are imbued with their powers—and her father is a vessel of the Dread Beast, the most frightening god of all, a harbinger of death.

In a desperate exchange for her mother’s medicine, Alma agrees to sacrifice her left arm to the Beast in a ceremony that will bind her forever to the House and its deity. Regardless, her mother soon passes, leaving Alma trapped inside the Avera’s grand estate, despised by her relatives and nothing but a pawn in her father’s schemes.

Now vengeance is the only thing that keeps Alma going. That, and the strange connection she has with her god—a monster who is constantly by her side, an eldritch being taking the form of a beautiful prince with starlit hair that only she can see. He tells Alma that she has been chosen to bring change upon their world, and with his help, Alma plots a perilous journey to destroy the House that stole everything from her.

A gripping fantasy novel marked by divine rituals, intense combat, and twisted romance, House of the Beast is a tale of revenge, resilience, and the power of love to see us through the darkness. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Horror | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A dark fantasy with chilling illustrations that dives headfirst into umbral horror and isn't afraid to showcase the dirtier side of humanity.

Alma is a young girl that was born out of wedlock who now finds it difficult to make friends due to this fact. Alma has tried her hardest to do good for her mother, but darkness lurks inside of her. When Alma's mother grows ill, Alma secretly contacts her estranged father in the hopes that he'll help them out. Rather than giving her mother the care she needs, Zander Avera shows up and brusquely takes Alma back to the dangerous Avera Estate. The Avera family worship the dark god known as the Beast. Now that she's in the Beast's home, Alma learns that she has a stronger connection to the Beast than any that have come before her. Not only can she commune with him directly, but she can see him and his presence never leaves her. With Aster (the Beast) by her side, Alma never feels alone anymore. After Alma's mother succumbs to her illness due to her father's negligence, she swears to get revenge against Zander for all the ways that he has wronged her. With her path set, Alma and Aster will set out to do everything in their power to make Zander Avera pay.

Usually, this is the type of book that I avoid like the plague. It's a dark fantasy with a dangerous entity who also holds the heart of a young girl. If this one would have been set in a forest, I probably would have barfed. Luckily, this one takes place in the beautifully gothic and grotesque House of the Beast also known as the Avera Estate. Despite my initial concerns, I ended up absolutely adoring this story and the magical way that Alma and Aster's story unfolds.

This one is quite a chonky book and it changes so much in nature that it's a bit hard to summarize all the moving pieces. There are four sections and each one is so vastly different. The prelude showcases Alma as a young girl as she meets Aster and learns about her true heritage. Part I jumps eight years into the future and shows just how strong Alma has grown as she prepares to face the trials that will prove her worth to her family and set of her plan for revenge. Part II showcases Alma on the Umbral Plane actually competing in the trials. And Part III reveals all the secrets that one has be waiting to learn and wraps up the loose ends nicely. The first half and the second half of this book are so fundamentally different. In the first section, Alma faces the disdain of her Avera family and must work with Aster to grow her powers. Part II on the other hand has her fighting wicked creatures that may just give me nightmares for days. The stakes definitely rise, but I can say with conviction that I found both sections of this book equally fascinating. Watching Alma learn to harmonize with Aster and attempt to seek her revenge is a captivating story that will not leave my head any time soon.

The lore itself in this world is pretty insane, which is something I love in an epic fantasy. Essentially, there is a mythical continent by the name of Kugara that is split up into four factions that each follow a different god. House Avera, which resides in the west, worships the Beast and are known for being skilled warriors that are attuned with death. To the North is Goldmercy, a land that excels with technology and worships the Tinkerer. In the east lies House Metia who are known for their magical prowess. And finally, to the south we have Sorrowsend which houses the followers of the Weeping Lady and are known for their affinity for healing magic. The depth to this lore is amazing not just due to its gods and magical system, but also the history imbedded into Kugara itself. I'm not going to talk about it too much due to spoilers, but man, is it trippy.

Alma is serious and mature, which is no surprise after all she's gone through. Quite frankly, she is so severely traumatized that it is depressing. Her mother died when she was just entering the double digits, her father's entire family treats her like trash, and everyone thinks she is crazy because she's constantly talking to Aster (who can only be seen and heard by her). She's certainly had a rough start, and it only gets worse as she works to challenge her family and take down her father. Alma really just wants to be loved and feel cared for, but it turns out that is way too hard in this cruel world. She does eventually learn to trust and finds some close allies, but man is it a losing battle most of the time.

Aster, on the other hand, is a puckish being with smiles for days. He also has a dark nature (I mean, he is the god of death, after all), but his overall vibe is pretty lighthearted and laidback. His nonchalance toward death is a giant red flag, not gonna lie. He's the type of character that I can't help but get attached to, even if I've never laid my eyes on anyone more suspicious than him. I could tell that this kid also had some serious trauma that helped him relate to Alma so strongly, but it takes a long time for any of it to be revealed. And man has this kid gone through a lot. (I know he's an umbral being who has been alive for millennia, but it's hard not to think of him as a lost boy regardless.)

The romance between these two was certainly... interesting. I mean, these two obviously care about each other more than anything else in the world. However, Aster is an umbral being which definitely complicates some things. Alma knows this, so she tries to keep her heart shackled, though that doesn't usually end up working in the long run. I found it interesting to watch these two's dynamic shift and warp overtime. I honestly can't say with certainty how I feel about them in the long term, but their relationship was very touching and brought me to tears in the end.

I am so hit or miss when it comes to dark fantasy. I'm pretty squeamish and don't love dwelling on the dark side, but this one was done so well! I think consuming this a few chapters a day was definitely the right way to keep my mental health in check. I feel if I would have tried to read this one fast, I would have found myself getting really depressed at the overarching story, supremely disturbed by all the dark events, and absolutely traumatized by how many creepy slug-like creatures are contained within this book's pages. However, reading a few chapters a day made this story perfectly palatable and had me excited to be returning to Kugara day after day.

The themes in this one are also fire. I mean, it talks about sacrifice, learning to trust, forgiveness and so many other important messages. I always find it impressive when a story so dark can be filled with so much hope and be truly inspiring at the same time.

I almost forgot to mention this, but the ending made me cry. It's definitely not an ending that would destroy most people, but it is entirely bittersweet. Similar to how I thought events would go in the end, but there was one pivotal thing that didn't occur that I was surprised by.

Overall, "House of the Beast" is a stellar dark fantasy with a hint of romance and a healthy helping of revenge. I was surprised by how invested I became in Alma and Aster's story and how deeply I cared about their journey. I tend to not love dark fantasies that tie young women with umbral dark gods, but I found this one to pull on my emotions in all the right ways. The lore of Kugara is so deep and I can't help but appreciate just how far back the history stretches. I was truly touched by this book and was greatly impressed with how invested I was in this novel.

Back of Book: 

A pair of con artist demon exorcists scam the nation's wealthiest... until one of them is possessed for real. 

Colton and Lucian make a living conning the desperate with fake exorcisms—Lucian is the charm, Colton the trick, and together, they’ve turned deception into survival. Their work is dangerous, their romance even riskier, but they’ve always found a way to stay ahead.

Until Lucian is truly possessed.

A powerful demon takes hold, twisting his body into something unnatural, horrific, wrong—and no priest, no con, no desperate lie can fix it. With time running out and Lucian slipping further away, Colton has no choice but to learn real magic, break every rule, and attempt the impossible.

Because if he fails, Lucian won’t just be lost. He’ll be something else entirely. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Paranormal | Romance | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

A dark romantasy featuring a grouchy exorcist, a charming noble, a little piggy, and a demon that just may be the death of them all. 

Colton is a poor man living in the Iron District that can barely scrape by as a fake exorcist. Shortly after inheriting a pig from his latest gig, he is discovered by Lord Lucian Belmont, a member of one of the most prestigious families in the Ivory District. Scared that Lucian is going to turn him in, Colton reluctantly agrees to team up with him and perform exorcisms for the wealthy. Unfortunately for them, the rich have dark secrets. Colton and Lucian find themselves in some pretty dangerous situations before long. Luckily, they make a pretty penny for themselves, but how could their days as fake exorcists not come back to haunt them in ways they never could have imagined? 

I have such complicated feelings with this book. On one hand, I really enjoyed Lucian and Colton as characters, and their romance was stellar. But there are so many things about this book that I just can't get behind. It's disturbingly dark, the magic/lore of this land is hardly devoloped, and the ending went around itself in circles like ten times, which was insanely frustrating. I feel it will be hard to discuss this one thoroughly without spoiling anything, but I will try my darndest to do so. I think the best way to discuss my feelings with this one is to go in chronological order, so I'll start from the beginning. 

This book starts with Colton on his own performing his duties as an exorcist. He acquires a cute little pig (who is later named Marbles) and spends most of his free time drinking to his heart's content. That is when Lucian finds him and demands that Colton uses his skills as an exorcist to help him with his schemes. The two then set out to pull off elaborate scams against the dastardliest of nobles and make a fortune for themselves along the way. This was honestly my favorite part of the book, even though most of the gigs seemed to be taken straight out of a horror movie. However, watching two grown men scam a bunch of rich monsters out of their fortunes was pretty entertaining. 

This is also the part of the book where Colton and Lucian are falling in love with one another. The banter between these two is rock solid and the way that these two shamelessly flirt with one another was very entertaining. The romance between these two men was clearly a highlight of this book. If this relationship hadn't been penned so well, this book would have been truly awful. As it is, it is great seeing these two grow closer as they get into more and more dangerous scenarios together. 

The second segment of the book takes a completely different turn, though it still deals with exorcism. If you want to avoid any talk of spoilers in the latter half of this book pleas skip to the paragraph that starts with "After repeating itself a few times." Now that those who don't want to know anything about the nature of the second half of this book are gone, we can continue. In the latter segment, Lucian is possessed by an actual demon by the name of Lucier. This leads to many scenes with Colton being tortured, raped, and pushed around by a demon from the literal depths of Hell. This is obviously not the easiest stuff to palate, but I was invested enough in Colton and Lucian's endeavors to want to know how they escaped this unfortunate situation. 

Skip forward a bit and a giant exorcism happens for real to rid Lucian's body of the dastardly creature. After a giant fight scene goes down, I was convinced that the book was going to end in a matter of pages. However, that was not the case and the author decided for some reason that their characters as well as the reader had to suffer through even more demon torture, and that a happy ending would be too hard to obtain for Colton and Lucian. This leads to another few more hours of content that gave the same vibe as the earlier stuff that we had just read, which I found insanely frustrating. 

After repeating itself a few times, the author decides to finally let the book end. I was super bored by the fact that events that had previously occurred in this novel for some reason had to happen again in a pretty similar fashion. It made for an even more dramatic fight scene at the end, but this seriously wasn't worth all the pain. 

And the ending? Goodness, it was so lackluster. It did have a hopeful and sort of happy tone by the end, but I seriously don't know why the author felt they needed to drag this story out as long as they did. This book had a very natural spot to end, and for some reason, the author chose to drag it out, which led to boredom and repetitiveness. I'll stop griping about this and just say that the very ending of the book was okay, but nothing spectacular.

Another thing that bothered me was how most of the characters and conflicts seemed to really only be used as plot devices. Things such as Colton's pet pig and both of our main characters substance abuse issues were only brought up when they benefited the plot. Which, I know, that's how books work, but the author should know that most readers are overly invested in this pig and that shoving people's abuse issues to the wayside never feels anything but crunchy. 

I feel that the distinct differences between the Iron District, which are the slummy lands that the poor people reside in, and the Ivory District, which is the rich's domain, was the strongest part of the worldbuilding. The world in this one only seems to have a hint of magic and the time period felt pretty ambiguous to me. This didn't detract from my reading experience too much, but I did spend a decent amount of time, trying to figure out the exact nature of this world. 

Also, one final complaint before I go. How does the title or the cover tie into literally anything? I am so highly confused by them both and desperately want some insight on this. 

Despite all my gripes, I still found myself highly intrigued by Colton and Lucian's story. I still enjoyed my time with this book, even though more things bothered me about it than didn't. Yes, I spent most of this review complaining, but that doesn't mean I found this book to be complete garbage either. 

Overall, "The Lavender Blade" was an intriguing dark romantasy novel brimming with sharp wit and dry humor. Colton and Lucian's misadventures as exorcists had me coming back for more time and time again, despite the dark and gruesome nature of this book that wasn't my cup of tea. However, I really wish the false ending of this book would have been the real ending, because I found the last fourth or so of this book to be insanely repetitive. This tale is a very interesting take on exorcism and demonic possession, but it was way too dark for me stomach easily. The world was also a tad disjointed, but I stayed along for the entire ride because I seriously appreciate Colton and Lucian as characters and their romance hooked me early on. 

Audiobook Note: The narrator, Nicholas Boulton, did such a phenomenal job of bringing this story to life. I fear without the audiobook, it would have taken me months to make my way through this story. They play Colton's grouchy nature and Lucian's flirty, over the top way both equally well; I truly adore how they brought these characters to life. Boulton is also British, which made me want to turn on this audiobook time after time, even if I wasn't quite prepared for all the bloodshed and torture that was to come. Boulton truly nailed this performance, and I hope to listen to more of his work in the future. 

Incidentally, the next audiobook I started, "Falling" by Christian Lauren, also has Nicholas Boulton as a narrator. I thought the voice sounded familiar, but the odds of that are actually astronomical. This is truly hilarious, but it's cool that I was reunited with his voice so soon. 

Back of Book: 

Aimless and adrift at 26, postgrad Alicia goes on a modern-day quest to save the world's waters after meeting the Jamaican goddess River Mumma. 

Alicia has been out of grad school for months. She has no career prospects and lives with her mom, who won’t stop texting her macabre news stories and reminders to pick up items from the grocery store.

Then, one evening, the Jamaican water deity, River Mumma, appears to Alicia, telling her that she has twenty-four hours to scour the city for her missing comb.

Alicia doesn’t understand why River Mumma would choose her. She can’t remember all the legends her relatives told her, unlike her retail co-worker Heaven, who can reel off Jamaican folklore by heart. She doesn’t know if her childhood visions have returned, or why she feels a strange connection to her other co-worker Mars. But when the trio are chased down by malevolent spirits called duppies, they realize their tenuous bonds to each other may be their only lifelines. With the clock ticking, Alicia’s quest through the city broadens into a journey through time—to find herself and what the river carries.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Contemporary 

Review: 🌟🌟 

Upon learning that I won "River Mumma" in a giveaway, I was super excited to read it. I mean, an urban fantasy that dives into Jamaican mythology? Sign me up! Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me in many ways. 

Let's start with the positives. I really liked learning a bit about Jamaican mythology. I have never read anything about it, so learning about the River Mumma and duppies was super cool. The interconnected ties between Alicia's and Mars' families was also neat, and I am glad that Alicia connected so heavily to her family and wanted to make her family proud. Beyond that though, the book didn't have much going for it, in my opinion. 

I think the biggest problem for me was the writing style. There was a whole bunch of slang that felt out of place, the characters swore often for pretty much no reason, and the dialog in general felt unnatural. I appreciated how the Jamaican accent was woven into certain characters, but when the rich rapper used the word "sus," that was the final straw for me. This book is an adult book, so the amount of swearing isn't unacceptable, but personally, I just thought the characters could have been a bit more eloquent with their feelings at times by using their words in a different way. 

Another thing that bothered me about this one, was how I couldn't connect with any of the characters. I found Alicia, Heaven, and Mars to be unlikable, and the fact that none of them were friends before the quest started made the trio seem a bit off. They only had a single day to complete their quest and I understand that you would become reluctant allies (and eventually friends) in a situation like that, but I found it a bit odd nonetheless. 

Also, the quest that Alicia and her friends are sent on had potential to be a pretty fun adventure, but it ended up going around in circles in a rather boring way. Rather than have major obstacles, they had to walk from one place to another, because the object they were looking for had been moved. The group had two main things from keeping them from acquiring their goal: big city traffic and Jamaican monsters called duppies. Don't get me wrong, these things are most definitely both obstacles, but I feel that the quest overall didn't have much urgency despite the time limit. I must admit though, all of the duppies were incredibly terrifying, especially the Three-Foot Horse. That thing will actually be giving me nightmares. 

Overall, "River Mumma" is a story with a solid premise that just didn't work for me due to the writing style, the lack of urgency, and the fact that I didn't connect to any of the characters. I am quite sad that this one let my hopes down, but it does have me greatly intrigued about Jamaican folklore and mythology and excited to read any other books that tackle these subjects. 

Back of Book: 

Catch a fallen star...

Tristan Thorn promised to bring back a fallen star. So he sets out on a journey to fulfill the request of his beloved, the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester—and stumbles into the enchanted realm that lies beyond the wall of his English country town. Rich with adventure and magic, Stardust is one of master storyteller Neil Gaiman's most beloved tales, and the inspiration for the hit movie.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Back of Book: 

From World Fantasy Award-winning author Fonda Lee comes Untethered Sky, an epic fantasy fable about the pursuit of obsession at all costs.

Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single, overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family.

Ester’s path leads her to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Novella 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

In a dangerous relationship, a young woman must work in tandem with her roc  to kill the infamous manticores that ravage the kingdom. 

After her family is killed by the ruthless beasts known as manticores, Ester is left with nothing but the need for vengeance against the monster that tore her world apart. There's only one thing that can kill a manticore, and that is the fantastical rocs, giant birds that happen to be the world's apex killers. Before Ester can kill manticores though, she has to raise a young roc by the name of Zahra. Raising an apex predator comes with its fair share of challenges, but Ester is willing to do whatever it takes to find justice for her family and protect the people of her ream from suffering from the same pain that she has to live with. 

I may have read this book super slowly, but I did end up enjoying it quite a bit. I listened to this one as an audiobook, which tends to slow down the pace I read a book at. The writing style is quite storyteller-esque in this one, so it felt really nice to have the narrator tell Ester's story to me. Also, I totally would have mispronounced literally every name in this book, so that was an added bonus of listening to the audio version of this tale. 

The majority of this book follows Ester as she raises Zahra from a fledgling into a full-time hunter. Not the most action packed book, but it was fun to follow Ester's day to day struggles with trying to control an animal that is know for being a lethal killer. The bond she forges with another ruhker by the name of Darius was also an interesting part of this book. They both live for their rocs, and are quite obsessive when it comes to training and caring for them. 

I didn't expect the ending of this book to be so intense, or filled with that much heartbreak. Ester and Darius go through so much at the end of this novella, especially when you take into account how long they have worked in raising these birds. It's interesting how they are both so obsessive and passionate about their work as ruhkers, but it is, in a way, their own sort of hell, too. The very last page really highlighted this sentiment for me. 

Overall, I found "Untethered Sky" to be an enjoyable read. The life of the ruhkers were filled with so much danger and excitement; I really came to enjoy their world by the end. Ester and Darius may not have been my favorite characters ever, but the emotional journeys they go through are heartbreaking and I found myself rooting for them both in the end, despite everything that happens. I haven't read many novellas, but this one seemed pretty solid. It was a bit slow going, but I enjoyed it very much. 

Back of Book: 

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟 

A "Beauty and the Beast" retelling steeped in folklore featuring a clumsy witch and a moody dragon. 

The beginning of this one is quite slow and not filled with that much action, but surprisingly, that was the part I enjoyed the most. Agnieszka lives in a small village as close to the cursed Woods as anyone would dare. Despite the danger looming nearby, nothing ever happens due to the Dragon's protection. No one knows quite how or what he's up to except that every ten years he takes a local girl from the village. This year, Agnieszka and her best friend Kasia are of age. Agnieszka knows that she is about to loose her strong, brave friend. She isn't wrong, but not because the Dragon picks Kasia. No, the Dragon chooses her. 

The first half of the novel follows Agnieszka as she adapts to living in the Dragon's castle and her endeavors to learn how to do magic. I really enjoyed learning about the magic system in the world and the fact that Agnieszka's magical ability is so based in music is pretty cool. The Dragon is a bit of a jerk, but I feel this reflected "the Beast" part of the retelling and I found that he would have been an interesting companion to be captured by. I enjoyed seeing the banter and reluctant alliance between the two of them, and found the beginning part of the book to be quite fun despite its slow pace. 

The second half features Agnieszka going to the capital and learning more about the mysterious Woods that encompass her village. I like the folklore that the woods is based on, but I wasn't overall thrilled by the overarching story line. There was quite a few fight/action scenes in the second half, which had me drifting away from what was happening. Agnieszka grew quite a bit throughout this book, which was nice to see and honestly, so did the Dragon. I found the ending scene between Agnieszka and Sarkan to be sweet, but their romantic relationship throughout the book was rather underwhelming. 

Overall, I found this book to be very in the middle. Nothing was extremely awesome about it, but nothing was super terrible either. It was a bit slow and some parts were incredibly boring, but the world was interesting enough. Neither Agnieszka or the Dragon were that cool of characters, but I still enjoyed seeing their friendship grow in the beginning of this book. I found the second half to be a bit chaotic and overwhelming. I think that this is a book worth reading, but for me, I don't think I would have liked it as much if it wouldn't have been a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling. I would recommend to those who love traditional fairy tale worlds embellished with folk lore and magic.