The first thing I heard about this book was that it wasn’t very good. But I’m a romance reader and so I care not a fig fancy for others’ opinions of my reading preferences. It didn’t hurt that my love for vampires was (and still is) so tremendously strong that any qualms I had were quickly squashed. When it became clear to me that the heroine would be gifted with a vampire hero, I launched … Continue reading Keeper Shelf: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness →
CW: child harm, threatened rape, bloody violence How do I love thee, let me count the ways. Specifically, there are six ways in which I love you, Poison Study. Reason, the first: Yelena Yelena is a badass. She survives cruel General Brazell’s torturous “children’s home” by killing her torturer, the General’s son Reyad. Of course, Brazell is now all aboard the SS Vengeance, destination: Yelena. But Yelena has an unlikely hero in The Rules. More … Continue reading Keeper Shelf: Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder →
Perhaps unsurprisingly, after reading House of Earth and Blood, I posit that the best barometer of whether or not you will enjoy this book is whether or not you have enjoyed Sarah J. Maas’ other books. All the hallmarks of Maas are here: a beautiful, semi-outcast heroine hiding an incredible power; a super-powerful, much older hero with a dark past; a jam-packed cast of intriguing secondary characters; loads of snarky and sassy dialogue, and nonstop, … Continue reading House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas →
Daughter of the Sun is the second book in the Tales of Inthya series, but it stands alone, and does not overlap at all with The Queen of Ieflaria. It is a simple, sweet story about the power of kindness to inspire love and change. Orsina is a Paladin of the God Iolar, whose mission is to fight evil and in particular to banish Chaos Gods, who enthrall their worshippers and lead them into destructive … Continue reading Daughter of the Sun by Effie Calvin →
Promise of Darkness is a fantasy romance that intrigued me with its Gothic elements and excellent worldbuilding. The tone of the novel shifted midway leaving its Gothic premise behind for something more fantasy-adventure driven. While that shift felt abrupt and pulled me out of the novel momentarily, I was so invested in the plot it was fairly easy to jump back in. I will warn readers that this book ends with a HFN not a … Continue reading Promise of Darkness by Bec McMaster →
By Wingèd Chair is a young adult coming-of-age fantasy romance novel which plays with the Robin Hood story and takes it in some interesting new directions. Set in a fantasy world that has both medieval European and Victorian steampunk elements, the backdrop to the story is the unjust rule of Duke John, who has somehow disposed of his elder brother and now rules the country with the aid of the Sheriff and his Peacekeepers, who … Continue reading By Wingèd Chair by Kendra Merritt →
Here’s what was going through my head when I finished this book: wow woah wow woah wow woah wow woah wow!! In a good way. I’ve been majorly excited about this book since June when I saw the beautiful cover and read these words in the synopsis: “an impossible love between two girls—one human, one Made—whose romance could be the beginning of a revolution.” This book features SO many things that are right in my … Continue reading Crier’s War by Nina Varela →
In Kill the Queen Jennifer Estep introduced readers to a fantasy world that was immersive and blissfully lacking in info-dump. It featured female gladiators, political machinations, and an underdog heroine. I really enjoyed Kill the Queen, so I was delighted to find that I loved the sequel Protect the Prince even more. It’s a blend of fantasy-adventure, romance and mystery, and I devoured it in a single day. You do need to read Kill the … Continue reading Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep →
CW/TW: Self-harm and torture Kingdom of Exiles is the first book in a brand new fantasy romance series. The cool-as-heck, magical beast premise delivers and though there is definitely a romance, I will warn it’s a slow, slow burn. Leena Edenfrell is an exiled beast charmer, but she hopes to return home after taming a Myad. A Myad is a big ol’ winged cat that requires the blood of a murderer to be tamed. It … Continue reading Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau →
Crazy Cupid Love is an interesting fantasy/paranormal romance that will definitely appeal to mythology nerds. There’s a friends to lovers romance, an adorable beta hero (who gifts the heroine with Dunkaroos), and a whodunnit. While neither the romance nor the mystery were incredibly strong, the world and the surrounding mythologies could lead to some wonderful future books. Eliza Herman is a descendant of Cupid and exists in a modern world, specifically California, where people turn to … Continue reading Crazy Cupid Love by Amanda Heger →
This is a difficult book to grade. I finished it because I wanted to see what happened. At the same time, I was easily distracted while reading because I got bored being told everything. I was curious about the rules of the magic and the roles of difference characters, but I was also really uneasy and at times repulsed by the portrayal of those characters. Some existed without connection to context or larger meaning, even … Continue reading Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge →
