Search

Rainy Day's Books, Video Games and Other Writings

Open Search
Category

fantasy

Book Review: A Song to Drown Rivers

Rating: 4 stars

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds.

Her beauty hides a deadly purpose. Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.

Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.

Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

I received a digital copy of this book through the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review.

A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully woven tragedy. From beginning to end, I enjoyed reading Xishi’s story as she went to the Wu kingdom to seduce their king and cause their kingdom to fall. I enjoyed reading about the Wu and Yue kingdoms and getting insight into what her world is like.

As someone who normally doesn’t enjoy historical fiction, I enjoyed this book a lot. I enjoyed Xishi’s character in this story as I felt like as she was learning all she needed to know to survive in the Wu kingdom, she was realizing how powerful her beauty could be. I also felt like as her story went on, she was developing into a wonderful character and someone I wanted to see get the happy ending she deserved.

What I also enjoyed reading this book was seeing Xishi’s relationships with her best friend Zhengdan and the Wu kingdom’s king Fuchai she was to seduce. I loved her friendship with her best friend as Zhengdan was the type of friend if I were in this situation that I’d want by my side. She’s smart, both with her tongue and blade, and their interactions throughout the story were great to read. I definitely found myself sad at how their friendship comes to an end here, but after what happens leading up to it, I also wasn’t all that surprised either as I felt like Xishi was going to experience loss at some point during the story. What I enjoyed about Xishi’s relationship with Fuchai is that there ends up being more to him than expected. In the beginning of A Song to Drown Rivers, Xishi mentions some of the things about the Wu king that she’d heard, and I feel like its discovered that most of what she heard about him isn’t quite true. If anything, I feel like most of the actions he took regarding his kingdom were due to the influence of his advisor Wu Zixu and I felt like he didn’t particularly care about running the Wu kingdom. And I feel like I enjoyed his relationship with Xishi a lot more than her relationship with Fanli as I felt like I could see what all he would do for her to make her happy. I also felt like I could feel his love for her as I was reading this book and I also felt like a part of her cared for him just as much too with how she felt at the end when she realized what would happen as the result of her betrayal. Even though I knew the odds were extremely slim, a part of me actually hoped she’d stay with Fuchai as I felt like they could’ve had a wonderful life together, politics of war aside.

What I didn’t particularly care for in A Song to Drown Rivers was her relationship with Fanli. Her relationship with Fanli didn’t feel all that real to me because I felt like she liked him due to him saving her life at the beginning of the book when they first met. I also just didn’t really see the connection between the two of them as I felt like Fanli was just too calm and serious due to the nature of his job of being the advisor to the Yue king that you rarely see his walls come down or see him express emotion. There are moments here and there where he does, but you don’t really see them often enough. What probably doesn’t help with this is that you don’t see them together enough which I feel like didn’t help me see their connection to each other. I feel like if they had been given more time in the book together, I would’ve had a much easier time seeing their relationship for what it was described to be. Don’t get me wrong, I liked his character. I just didn’t imagine the relationship between them and saw him more like a father figure.

What I also didn’t like was how tragic A Song to Drown Rivers gets. I enjoyed the book overall but wasn’t expecting so much sadness to occur. Though maybe a part of me did expect it when I realized Fuchai wasn’t at all what I expected his character to be like as that had me wondering if there was more going on that as a reader I wasn’t privy to. It made me question Xishi’s mission and whether she should trust the king of her kingdom or if she should stay in the Wu kingdom and stay with Fuchai. I also just felt like none of the characters deserved the fate they were given as I felt like Fuchai and Xishi both deserved a happier ending even if Xishi was with Fanli instead of him.

But in the end, I enjoyed reading A Song to Drown Rivers despite how tragic the story gets and highly recommend it. I consider it one of the best reads I’ve had in 2024 so far and can’t wait for its release in October this year as I definitely want to get my own copy of this book once it’s published.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my review of A Song to Drown Rivers! If you enjoyed my review of this book, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below or check out another one of my blog posts.    

1

Book Review: Live and Let Lionel (Another Zodiac Academy Novella)

Rating: 4 stars

This is a bonus content novella to celebrate the series coming to a close and contains 100k words of bonus content from the Zodiac Academy Series.

Savage – a short story about Hail and Merissa Vega’s love story

The Shimmering Springs – that night Caleb and Seth did or didn’t kiss…

The moment Geraldine first saw the twins.

Seth on the Moon – one Werewolf’s wanderings on the moon.

Night – that time the twins met the Ruthless Boys – with a never before published chapter!

Orion ‘blue’ alternate POV – BRAND NEW

Orion ‘Fairy Fair’ alternate POV

Darius ‘throne room’ alternate POV

Darius ‘Stars’ alternate POV – BRAND NEW

Featuring the never before seen map of Solaria!

Each chapter is introduced by Lionel Acrux, looking back on how his enemies have thwarted him and how he overcame their insufferable rebellion – BRAND NEW

I know I read several Zodiac Academy novellas last year (see reviews of Origins of An Academy Bullyand the post I did here on The Big A.S.S. Party and Seth on the Moon). So when I heard about this one that released this February, I knew I had to read it. Live and Let Lionel is a novella featuring the narration of everyone’s favorite evil villain in the series, Lionel Acrux as he talks about those rebelling against him and reflects on his own shortcomings during the events leading up to the latest book in the Zodiac Academy series, Sorrow and Starlight. This book is a bonus novella that’s been written in celebration of the series coming to a close with the release of the last book in the series Restless Stars, which is set to release on April 23rd this year.

When I heard about this novella’s release, I was excited to read it for a number of reasons. I was curious to see how Lionel Acrux’s narrative was going to go at the beginning of each of the stories, I was excited to read more Zodiac Academy content, and I was happy to be back in the Zodiac Academy world again.

And let me tell you, Lionel Acrux didn’t disappoint. Hearing his narrative before reading each of these was amusing because of how clueless he was with regards to some of the things going on, including things happening with his own son. While he’s not a bad guy I would ever want to personally cross paths with, he’s very well-written and I enjoyed hearing his thoughts about those thwarting his plans. 

While I’m at the point where I’m ready for the final book in this series to be published, I’m also happy to get any content I can get about the characters in this world. This novella was no exception because I enjoyed reading all of the stories within its pages, even the one I’ve already read before (yes, I’m talking about you Seth on the Moon). It was nice seeing all of these characters again and seeing alternative perspectives from my favorite characters. Some of my favorites just to list a few were the Shimmering Springs, Orion ‘Blue’ Alternative POV, Orion ‘Fairy Fair’ Alternative POV, Darius ‘Throne Room’ Alternative POV, and Seth’s POV of the last chapter in Sorrow and Starlight. I enjoyed each of these stories because they featured several of my favorite characters and loved some of the hilarity that ensued in some of them.

What I didn’t enjoy about Live and Let Lionel with some of the stories is that I feel like I didn’t get enough story with the characters in them. Savage and Night are the ones that come to mind for me the most because while I enjoy the characters in both these stories, I felt like there just wasn’t enough for me. With Savage the issue I had was that I didn’t want to see just the moment that Hail and Melissa Vega’s love story started. I wanted to see what happened following and I don’t mean the stuff I already know from reading the series. I wanted to see their relationship develop into how its portrayed in Beyond the Veil. With Night, my issue is that the meeting between the characters from the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac and the Vega twins felt a little awkward to me. I can’t explain it exactly, but it just felt strange to me, almost like the Vega twins had met the whole group before and was just coming over to hang out with everyone. I think what probably didn’t help was that I couldn’t tell completely when this meeting of these characters was supposed to have taken place during the Zodiac Academy series. I know they had probably already met Dante before at this point because of him being a Dragon shifter and there are little hints regarding events that are in the series that’ve apparently already happened. But otherwise, I couldn’t sense exactly when Tory and Darcy had met them. And that bothered me while I was reading the story because I felt like I needed to know when exactly this meeting had taken place.

Overall though, I enjoyed reading this novella as it was a good way to bring me back into the Zodiac Academy world right before the release of the final book in the series. In fact, it has me contemplating on if I want to read all of the books in the series one final time before the release of Restless Stars, or if I want to wait until this last book has come out and then read the series again from the beginning. Regardless of what I do though, I recommend those who’ve enjoyed reading the Zodiac Academy series and want more content before the final book comes out to read this as I feel like anyone who’s enjoyed the series and wants to read more of this world will enjoy this novella.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my review of Live and Let Lionel! If you enjoyed my review of this book, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below or check out another one of my blog posts.          

0

Book Review: Nightshade Trilogy

So I decided with this trilogy since I’ve finished reading all three that I would just do one blog post reviewing all three of them in order and talk about my thoughts on each book. So without any further introductions, below are my reviews of the Nightshade trilogy.

Nightshade (Nightshade #1)

Rating: 3 stars

Calla is the alpha female of a shape-shifting wolf pack. She is destined to marry Ren Laroche, the pack’s alpha male. Together, they would rule their pack together, guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But then, Calla saves a beautiful human boy, who captures her heart. Calla begins to question everything – her fate, her existence, and her world and the orders the Keepers have asked her to follow. She will have to make a choice. But will she follow her heart if it means losing everything, including her own life?

So what I have to say about Nightshade is that I do enjoy it as a whole. However, there are some aspects to this first book in the trilogy that I hated, which is why my rating isn’t quite as high. But before I get into any of that, let me talk about what I like about this book.

I really enjoyed the world building that takes place in this book. You learn there’s packs of wolves, but they are known as Guardians as they were created as protectors of Keepers, the ones who give the Guardians orders and are basically in charge of their lives. In this trilogy, you learn about how the Guardians first came into existence and what their role is in protecting the Keepers. And I really enjoyed it because you get to see how the dynamic plays out between these two groups from Calla’s perspective when she’s attending school. I also enjoyed seeing the dynamic between Calla’s pack, Nightshade and Ren’s pack Banes when the two of them decide to begin the process of getting the packs together before their nuptials. I felt like it gave me as a reader insight into what life with a pack of wolves would look like in these books. I also enjoyed it too honestly because of wolves being my favorite animal and reading a trilogy that has my favorite animal in them.  

I also enjoyed most of the characters in this book. In particular, I enjoyed seeing Calla’s relationship with Shay and Ren as well as the members of the pack. What I enjoyed about her relationship with these two guys was how different they were. So with Shay, you initially believe he’s an outsider to the world Calla has grown up in. However, you quickly realize he actually has a whole lot to do with the world she’s been a part of since birth. You also see Calla do a whole lot of rule breaking when it comes to Shay throughout the book with regards to what she’s allowed to do as a Guardian. From saving Shay’s life in the beginning to reading a book that talks about the true history of the Guardians and Keepers, Calla does a whole lot of things she’s not supposed to since she first meets Shay, things that not only put her pack in jeopardy but if discovered could turn her whole world upside down. Then there’s Ren, the alpha of the Banes and the man Calla has been chosen to marry in order to bring their two packs together. He comes across as confident, a leader and charming. I enjoyed seeing him and Calla’s relationship develop as I felt like I could see how much he truly cares about Calla. I also enjoyed their relationship because I could see the chemistry between the two of them in the interactions they had. What I enjoyed about Calla’s dynamic with the two packs was how well when her and Ren joined them together they all seemed to get along. They worked really well as a team, and I was interested to see how their dynamic would continue to develop.

So with Nightshade what I struggled with when reading was the double standards when it came to Ren and Calla with regards to their relationship. What I mean is that Calla was expected before their wedding to basically save herself for Ren for their wedding day. As a female alpha, she was basically expected to not participate in any intimacy with him before their wedding or anyone. Ren, however, as a male alpha, didn’t have such expectations placed on him. In fact, Calla mentions him having dated several of the girls at their school and that was seen as being okay since he’s an alpha male. And even though Calla is also an alpha, she gets told by her mother in this book that if an alpha male wants something from her, she’s to accept it even if she belongs to another. So even though Calla is supposed to be an alpha to her pack, she’s only one in name. And these double standards played a prominent role through this book so much that I couldn’t give this book a higher rating than 3 stars because I hated them so much. Overall, I enjoyed reading Nightshade though and can’t wait to share my thoughts on the next book in the trilogy, Wolfsbane.

Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2)

Rating: 3 stars

Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer–one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack–and the man–she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

What I enjoyed when reading Wolfsbane was the continued world building that Nightshade did a wonderful job of starting the foundation on. In this book, you get the full story behind the Searchers who are seen as the enemies of the Keepers and find out the truth of their role in Calla’s world. We are introduced to their group and get to see their hideout and meet a cast of characters I found I immediately liked. A lot of this book involves explaining what’s going on to Calla so that she and Shay can help the Searchers in their quest, and I was perfectly fine with it because it gave me a wonderful idea of what was going on. I also enjoyed getting to see the Searcher’s hideout and finding out what role each of their members I was introduced to played.  

I also enjoyed how quickly the plot moves in Wolfsbane. After the events in Nightshade, everything in Calla’s world with regards to her pack has completely changed and Calla will need the help of the Searchers in order to rescue her pack and Ren. I enjoyed this plot because Calla and Shay were working with the group of people Calla had once considered her enemies in order to save those she loved. And it was nice to learn more about their world while planning their rescue of Calla’s pack as I felt like I learned a lot about the Searchers here that I didn’t already know.

I will say though that although I did enjoy reading Wolfsbane immensely due to the world building and what I learned about the Searchers, there’s several aspects of the story I wasn’t quite pleased with. Mainly that I felt like I was gaining more insight into Ren’s character without knowing it even though he was largely absent from this book in the trilogy until the end of it. I didn’t like that Ren wasn’t in this book all that much because I found that I didn’t like Shay’s relationship with Calla quite as much as I originally had when reading Nightshade. I think a big part of it was me struggling to see their attraction for each other but also because of how much Shay was actually starting to annoy me. I don’t know if a large part of it is because of him being the Scion and ever since he gets labeled that here, his character doesn’t go through any sort of development or because of how little support he shows in Calla going to save her pack. He basically writes off the members of her pack as being a casualty of war and is annoyed that they are spending any time going to save them, even though most of the members of her pack he has a wonderful relationship with. I know part of it is because of him not wanting Calla to put her life in jeopardy, but I feel like he was being selfish and showing he didn’t care about her pack who she sees as like family to her. And that made me annoyed with him here because I don’t see why he couldn’t have just supported her considering how much she’s done for him since they met. I also feel like what also played a role in me feeling this way is that I don’t think I enjoy insta-love with characters all that much as I don’t feel like you get as much chemistry between the characters in the relationship and you don’t get a full picture as to why they’re attracted to each other, which I feel like became a problem for me when reading this book as I found myself not understanding Calla’s attraction to Shay.  

What I also didn’t enjoy in Wolfsbane was that I felt like a lot of characters get killed off for no reason. I found this happened through out the book when Calla and the Searchers made their rescue attempts of her pack as during both attempts, characters were killed off that I don’t feel like should’ve been. Especially when as the reader you find out one of the characters killed off is related to someone else in the story and that what that character has been told about their parents is a complete lie. I found this character being killed off in particular bothered me because they were never given the chance to get to know/develop a relationship with their child and I feel like this character actually could’ve played a more critical role in the story instead of being introduced in this book and then killed off a little later. Overall though, I did still enjoy reading Wolfsbane despite these two issues I had with it and was excited to see how this trilogy would come to an end in Bloodrose.

Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)

Rating: 3 stars

Calla has always welcomed war.

But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is. In this remarkable final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, international bestselling author Andrea Cremer crafts a dynamic novel with twists and turns that will keep you breathless until its final pages.

As a whole, what I enjoy about Bloodrose is the pacing of the story with the action. I enjoyed how quickly the story moves along as everyone works together to collect all of the pieces of the Cross in the final fight against Bosque Mar. This action kept me engaged in wanting to find out what would happen next in this final installment in the trilogy as I wanted to know how this war would finally end. I also enjoyed the final fight because you get to see everyone working together to take down their enemies and there was a lot of action during it that I enjoyed getting a front row seat to. There are some aspects to the final battle I didn’t enjoy as well, but I’ll get into that a little later here.

What I also enjoyed in this book was Ren’s return. In Wolfsbane, you find out so much about his character even though you don’t see him again until the end of the book when Calla and the Searchers save her pack. And the way things end with him and Calla in that book made me wonder what was going to happen at the beginning of Bloodrose as its predecessor ends with her going to save him and convince him to join her and the Searchers. I also enjoyed seeing him return because you saw a little bit more of his relationship with Calla and you get to see his relationship with Adne begin.

In general, I also enjoyed seeing the relationships between the side characters of the story, particularly Ethan and Sabine and Connor and Adne. I enjoyed both of these relationships because I wasn’t expecting to really read too much about either of them but was happy that Andrea Cremer gave some of the other characters’ relationships that I could read about. I also enjoyed them because while I didn’t particularly care for Sabine too much when I first read Nighshade, once I’m given her backstory, I find myself liking her more and wanting happiness for her in these books. And what she ends up doing at the end for Calla’s brother really warmed me up for her even more because I knew that was probably a tough choice for her to have to make.

Now to get into the aspects of Bloodrose I didn’t enjoy. One aspect of the story I didn’t particularly care for here was the continued love triangle between Calla, Shay, and Ren. Mostly because even though I didn’t want to admit it, I knew who she was going to choose since I started reading this trilogy. I didn’t want to admit it to myself because she still seemed uncertain in this book who she wanted to be with so I found myself hopeful that she might make a different choice. But nope, she chooses the guy I felt like she had the least chemistry with out of the two and then to make things worse, she never tells the other guy that she’s made her decision. She also spends very little time with him in this book as well, which disappointed me because I was looking forward to seeing more of him and their relationship even though I knew she wasn’t going to choose him because I found their chemistry and interactions together so enjoyable to read. And then to make things even worse here, Cremer kills him off during the fighting and very little grief is actually shown by Calla and everyone regarding his death. Also the guy she does end up choosing shows more concern that his competition’s death will change the way Calla feels about him instead of being concerned that Calla is okay. But when he died, I cried because I felt like he wasn’t given a fair shot in this trilogy at all. He went through a lot of development in these books only to end up dead in the end when I felt like he should’ve been given the chance to live. Even if Cremer had him with someone else, I would’ve preferred that happening here over him dying the way he does, not knowing that Calla isn’t going to choose him.

What I also didn’t particularly care for with regards to Bloodrose is how this trilogy ends. I like the full circle aspect of it as once the rift is sealed, the Keeper’s magic can no longer be used for these purposes again and the Guardians will revert to their true selves. But everything else with it I wasn’t too pleased about, mostly because I feel like there’s so many loose ends that don’t get tied up here. One example that comes to mind would be if the rift were to open and Bosque Mar returned. With the way this book ends, Shay would be no help whatsoever here. Also don’t necessarily know what would happen here if that were to happen. Another loose end that doesn’t get tied up is now that the war is over, what the current state of their world is. Because Keepers still see the Searchers as their enemies and the Guardians that weren’t helping out the Searchers would more than likely be confused since they can no longer shift back and forth between forms. I believe some of the Keepers were sucked into the rift along with Bosque Mar but wonder about the ones that weren’t what’s going to happen with them. Also with the Searchers, since they’ve now accomplished their main mission, what will they be doing next. I feel like all of these are valid things that this book didn’t address that I feel like it should’ve and that made me not enjoy the way this book ended and this book in the trilogy overall.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the Nighshade trilogy as a whole, even though there was something in each book in the trilogy I didn’t particularly care for that made me not like the book as much as I wanted. I found each of these books intrigued me enough to continue reading to find out what would happen next, enjoyed seeing the dynamic in the love triangle between Calla, Shay, and Ren until I didn’t, enjoyed the overall story and lore as I felt like there was a lot that happened that interested me and made me fascinated with the world I was reading about and enjoyed getting to know these characters and their story. I know there are other books that the author has written that pertain to this world (a prequel series and what looks like a series that takes place after this trilogy) that I might consider giving a read just because of how much I enjoyed this trilogy. But with the way things ended in Bloodrose, I feel like I need a break from these books right now before I pick up other books by this author in this world.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my review of the Nightshade trilogy! If you enjoyed my review of this trilogy, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below.

0

Book Review: A Place for Vanishing

Rating: 4 stars

A teen girl and her family return to her mother’s childhood home, only to discover that the house’s strange beauty may disguise a sinister past, in this contemporary gothic horror from the author of What We Harvest.

The house was supposed to be a fresh start. That’s what Libby’s mom said. And after Libby’s recent bipolar III diagnosis and the tragedy that preceded it, Libby knows she and her family need to find a new normal.

But Libby’s new home turns out to be anything but normal. Scores of bugs haunt its winding halls, towering stained-glass windows feature strange, insectile designs, and the garden teems with impossibly blue roses. And then there are the rumors. The locals, including the mysterious boy next door, tell stories about disappearances tied to the house, stretching back over a century to its first owners. Owners who supposedly hosted legendary masked séances on its grounds.

Libby’s mom refuses to hear anything that could derail their family’s perfect new beginning, but Libby knows better. The house is keeping secrets from her, and something tells her that the key to unlocking them lies in the eerie, bug-shaped masks hidden throughout the property.

We all wear masks—to hide our imperfections, to make us stronger and braver. But if Libby keeps hers on for too long, she might just lose herself—and everyone she loves.

This book was an interesting read to me as I wasn’t expecting this story to get as dark as it does. A Place for Vanishing has a lot of unique aspects to its story. There’s the house, which has a very dark history with the mystery of why people who live in the home never come out. The story behind these disappearances is very grim, not for the faint of heart and Ann Fraistat does a wonderful job painting a picture in intricate detail behind the history of the house. There’s also the characters in the story, from Libby with her bipolar III diagnosis, her younger sister Vivi and a neighbor a few houses down named Flynn who has a surprising connection to the house in more ways than one. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the characters in the story. But as I kept reading, I found I enjoyed learning more about them as they explored the house and investigated the mystery behind the masks.  

When I initially started reading this book, I struggled as the beginning is very slow moving with building the plot and story. But as the story continues, it goes from slow moving to the plot picking up in ways I didn’t expect. I found this slow build in A Place for Vanishing I actually didn’t mind as the many twists and turns that occurred made up for the slow start. I think what helped was the horror elements throughout. Even though I don’t get scared easily, I found myself at times horrified by the turn of events in this book and continued reading to find out if things would get better. I’m not scared of bugs in the least but believe that if I had the experiences the characters had in this book, I definitely would become scared of them. And the house itself had enough intrigue that made me continue reading to find out what secrets this house had to hide.

Another aspect of A Place for Vanishing I enjoyed was seeing Libby’s character development. She goes from being the character in the story where her mother and sister Vivi had to be careful around because of her condition and the events that lead to them moving into the house to being the person who saves them all from a terrible fate. She goes through so much development in this book, and I enjoyed the way her personal struggles with her health were portrayed. While I don’t personally know anyone with bipolar III, it was great to see mental health representation in this book while everyone in the story is going through a terribly traumatic ordeal. And I love that she’s the one who ends up saving everyone in the story. I also enjoyed seeing the beginning of her relationship with Flynn and that this book didn’t heavily focus on as much as what was going on in the house.

Overall I enjoyed reading A Place for Vanishing as the author did a wonderful job setting the scene for the horrific events to come. While the story started off with a really slow start, once it picked up I had a hard time putting this one down. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys reading horror as this book will give you some chills. However, anyone who doesn’t enjoy reading about characters dealing with mental health issues and books that mention suicide, doesn’t like horror, and is very easily creeped out by bugs, I would highly steer clear of this book as you more than likely won’t enjoy it quite as much.

Thank you so much for reading my review of A Place for Vanishing! If you liked this post, please check out other posts on my blog and leave your thoughts in the comments below.

0

Book Review: Bad Luck Charm (Witch City #1)

Rating: 4 stars

Gwendolyn Goode lives a charmed life.

As owner of an occult shop in downtown Salem, Massachusetts she’s accustomed to all things odd and otherworldly. But when a bloody animal sacrifice is left as a warning outside her place of business, the police seem to think Gwen might be the target of some truly evil-doers. Suddenly, her sunny existence is riddled with danger in the form of crazed pagans, rogue employees, and nefarious henchmen. And there’s only one man who can protect her until the storm passes…

Graham Graves has no time for witchy nonsense.

Not in his love life, and definitely not in his line of work. Despite the ever-present oddities of his hometown, the private investigator and acclaimed police consultant prides himself on staying objective in every case that comes across his desk. That all changes when Gwendolyn — a woman who gets under his skin like no other — finds herself in the crosshairs of dangerous criminals. Graham is determined to make her safe, even if her presence tests his steely resolve. But as their mutual dislike sizzles into unexpected attraction… he becomes even more determined to make her something else: his.

Bad Luck Charm is a total standalone romance of 450+ pages, featuring cameos from a fortune-telling parrot, a modern day pirate, and a coven of well-meaning octogenarians. With characters that leap off the page and plenty of spooky twists and turns to keep you guessing, fans of Johnson’s previous Boston Love Story series in particular will adore this blend of heat, humor, and suspense.

From beginning to end, Bad Luck Charm was a good first read for 2024 for me. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next as Gwen and Graham’s relationship continued to build up and Gwen found herself at the center of otherworldly trouble. I both enjoyed seeing the dynamic of her relationship with Graham and finding out what was going to happen next with the magical evil doers. I also felt like it was an easy-going cozy read, which made me continue to delve into it to see what would happen next.

What I enjoyed about Gwen’s relationship with Graham was learning more about how she first met him during her childhood and how her feelings for him developed into what they became in this book. I also loved seeing her develop as their story went on. When I first started reading this book, I was initially annoyed with how Gwen handled relationships. How she kept anyone who tried to get close to her (minus her closest friend in Bad Luck Charm, Florence) at arm’s length or would run away when it came to relationships with men becoming serious. It wasn’t until her character reveals more of her background regarding her upbringing with a mother who didn’t care too much about her that why her character was this way made sense. Yes, there were times when I found it extremely annoying as I felt like she let any argument she and Graham had ruin any good moments they had together. But once she finally let him into her life, I saw some progression from her, which I was glad for.   

What I also enjoyed about Bad Luck Charm was the magical elements to it that were there. From Gwen owning an occult store to all the spooky mysteries that start surrounding her life once the sacrificed animal is found outside her store, I found myself hooked and wanting to find out what would happen next. I also found it interesting what Gwen found out about her aunt with regards to these happenings and was disappointed that she didn’t do anymore digging into the information she learned. I enjoyed it because Gwen was the type of protagonist who looked into things when her life started taking off instead of leaving everything alone or for Graham to handle. While I didn’t particularly care for all the decisions she made, I understood what she was looking to do.

What I also liked about Bad Luck Charm was that it wasn’t just a book about magic. There was also some romance too, which I actually enjoyed a lot more than I was expecting. I don’t know if its because I liked seeing Gwen continue to develop or enjoyed seeing the chemistry between her and Graham, but I felt like it was what I needed. And it made me continue to read to find out what would happen next.        

I also enjoyed the other characters in the story aside from Gwen and Graham as well. I enjoyed seeing Gwen and Florence’s friendship as you could see how much Gwen really trusted her best friend. I also enjoyed Agatha, Sally, Desmond and Cade as well as characters because I enjoyed learning more about them and seeing their individual relationship with Gwen. With everything that happened, it was interesting having a variety of characters in this book that weren’t the main protagonists but that had a role in her life during the events in this book.   

What I didn’t enjoy about Bad Luck Charm was how predictable it could be at times. In particular, I found a lot of the overall plot in the story surrounding the happenings of Gwen’s life to be predictable. I wasn’t too surprised when it was revealed who was responsible for the animal sacrifices as I felt like it was hinted at during the story when Gwen was brought into questioning by Detective Cade Hightower for the second time. And I actually found myself sad about it because the person responsible for all of the bad things that were happening in Gwen’s life was someone in this book that I enjoyed as a character. So much that I was hoping someone else would end up being responsible even though I knew the chances of that were pretty slim.  

Overall though, this book was quite an enjoyable read for me and was sad when it ended. Good news though is that the author of Bad Luck Charm has another book that will be coming out this month that also takes place in the same world as this one called At Last Sight that follows the story of Detective Cade Hightower and a character that was introduced in the epilogue. So I’m hoping with this new book that even though it will no longer be following Gwen and Graham’s story, we’ll get to see how they’re doing through the characters this book will be focusing on as I enjoyed this book so much that I can’t wait to read this new story too.      

1

Book Review: A Curse of Shadows and Ice

Rating: 3.5 stars

From USA Today Bestselling Author Catharina Maura comes a Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring a cursed emperor, a princess who possesses forbidden magic, and a marriage that could save them all.

Princess Arabella of Althea is left no choice when Felix Osiris, the Shadow Emperor, threatens to overthrow her country unless she agrees to marry him.

When she learns his empire is cursed and she’s destined to set them free, they come to an agreement: help him minimize the curse’s effect on his people, and he’ll let her go.

As Felix teaches Arabella how to control her forbidden and volatile magic, her feelings for him turn from hatred to passion… and she realizes that she must break the curse, or she’ll lose him forever.

Anyone who knows me very well knows Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales. So anytime I hear about a retelling of that tale, it piques my interest and I find myself wanting to read it to see what it’s like. A Curse of Shadows and Ice was an enjoyable and simple retelling of this classic where instead of Felix being cursed by an enchantress, his own mother curses him and his people.

What I enjoyed about this retelling is the storyline in this book. I feel like it follows the overall story of the fairytale but is also different enough to be a story of its own. What makes it unique from the fairytale is both of the main character’s ability to use magic. I especially enjoyed the way magic is incorporated in this book as the main elements and how we learn alongside Arabella whenever she comes into her abilities and realizes her powers aren’t something she should fear. I also enjoyed seeing her character go through a lot of development through her powers and her realizing that what she was raised to think made her cursed actually was more a gift when given the chance to actually master her powers.  

I also enjoyed with A Curse of Shadows and Ice how similar it is to Beauty and the Beast as well. But at the same time, there are still some differences within the similarities too. The similarities I read that I enjoyed seeing had to do with the curse itself. In particular, Felix’s home was enchanted to get those who inhabited it anything they needed even when they didn’t have that particular need at the time. Also how the curse impacted the inhabitants of those who lived in his kingdom and Felix himself. While I definitely felt for them, it was nice to see how much Felix cared about those who are a part of his kingdom and see him doing what he can to minimize the curse’s effects on them. What I enjoyed about seeing how the curse impacted Felix was how he wasn’t physically turned into a beast accept whenever he was away from his kingdom for too long. It was also interesting to see how using magic to protect themselves from the curses’ effects worked.

Another aspect to this retelling I enjoyed was the chapters being from the perspectives of both Felix and Arabella and seeing their relationship with each other develop. What I enjoyed about having these two points of view was getting the chance to understand both of these characters and seeing their perspectives on what was going on. I especially enjoyed the chapters from Felix’s point of view because I could see how much this curse weighed heavily on him and how badly he wanted to break it. What I also loved about these two perspectives is seeing how much both these characters started to slowly develop feelings for each other. I especially enjoyed that they both mutually agreed to give each other a chance instead of it being where they right away developed feelings for each other. Then once they decided to work with each other, I felt like things fell into place with them both realizing how much they really cared about the other person. I feel like a big part of it was Arabella realizing that everything she heard about Felix prior to their marriage wasn’t true and that there was more to him than she expected. And just seeing how their relationship throughout the book developed was wonderful.

If I had any criticisms for A Curse of Shadows and Ice it would be the pacing of the book and the ending. While I did enjoy reading this retelling, there were definitely times where the pacing of the book felt off. It started off intriguing me but there were also a lot of slow moments with the plot when there wasn’t a whole lot happening with the characters. Then it picked up again close to the end of the book when things with the curse started going wrong and Arabella had no choice but to leave. While I enjoyed what I was reading and didn’t mind it too much, it definitely made me at times feel like there needed to be more with the story that wasn’t there. I feel like this also goes hand in hand with the ending because it kind’ve felt predictable to me. I felt like I had a pretty good idea how the curse was going to be broken, but it felt almost too neat to me how it happened. And like there were some loose ends that weren’t tied up as well. I don’t know if its because I wanted more in the story with the ending than I received, such as finding out once the curse was broken how Arabella’s people in Althea reacted when told the truth about Felix the Shadow Emperor.

Despite these criticisms, however, I enjoyed reading A Curse of Shadows and Ice. It was an enjoyable retelling of Beauty and the Beast to me. I highly recommend it to anyone else who also enjoys retellings of that fairytale along with anyone who enjoys stories with elements of fantasy and romance.   

0

Book Review: Beyond the Veil (Zodiac Academy #8.5)

Rating: 3.5 stars

The stars called us.

The Veil closed at our backs.

And now death holds us in its clutches.

We were torn from life before our time, a Savage King, his queen, a betrayed son, a wronged brother, a scorned wife and so many more. We watch those we left behind as they struggle against the grip of the stars, the answers to so many of their questions within our grasp and yet out of their reach.

But what if we could find a way to answer their pleas? What if we could find a way to help them from this side of the divide? And what price would such a thing come at?

*This is a bridging book which takes place beyond The Veil (in the land of the dead) during the events of book 8 in the Zodiac Academy series. It should be read after book 8 to avoid spoilers for that book and holds the answer to what takes place for the characters who are held within the clutches of death by this point in the story, as well as vital clues to the conclusion of this epic series.*

This bridge book in the Zodiac Academy series was released on June 30th, and since I’ve been enjoying reading this series, I knew I’d be reading it. And I’m glad to say I did. Beyond the Veil takes place in tangent with its predecessor Sorrow and Starlight, but to me does a much better job at storytelling the events that take place.

What I enjoyed about reading this book was getting introduced to some characters from the series we never would’ve met if this book hadn’t been written. I enjoyed getting introduced to characters who were already dead that we’d heard about from the series and getting to see them watch their loved ones that are still alive. I enjoyed it because I found it interesting, getting to see their relationships with each other and seeing how they reacted to their family member’s choices as well as seeing them trying to help their loved ones even after death. Seeing Darius and Hail’s relationship, for example, was something I didn’t know I needed until I read this book, but I loved every second of their banter with each other.   

What I also enjoyed about Beyond the Veil was getting story/information we didn’t get from its predecessor that would’ve been helpful to know. I’m referring to the story with regard to the Guild Stones that get mentioned in the series, but that we didn’t know too much about. I felt like in this book we learned a lot more about them, and enjoyed the narrative I received talking about them as I felt like I was given information that helped explain a plot point in Sorrow and Starlight that I feel like wasn’t thoroughly explained.

Another component to this bridge book I enjoyed was seeing character’s reactions to events that took place in the eighth book. I especially loved the chapters with Darius when Tory is looking to bring him back from death and some of the things she does to get the information she needs to make it possible. I also enjoyed seeing Darius witness a moment during Caleb and Seth’s relationship because I found it really amusing. Along with those moments with Darius, I loved seeing Hail and Merissa when watching over Darcy and Gabriel because you can see how much love they have for their children and see how much they want to help them even when unable to. 

While I did enjoy reading this book, there were some things about it I didn’t enjoy as well. What I wasn’t fond of here was that I felt like a lot of the book was just its predecessor, just told from the perspectives of those who were already dead. Besides the Guild Stones information, there wasn’t too much here story wise that added to what I already read in the eighth book in the series. Yes, there was some information I didn’t know, like discovering how those beyond the Veil attempted to help their loved ones whenever something went horribly wrong but other than that, this book was pretty much the same as Sorrow and Starlight, just not as long and drawn out. I honestly feel like the authors could’ve combined the eighth book and this bridge book but taken out the unnecessary point of views and kept the story and content we needed instead of writing two separate books that are the same, minus points of view and content we didn’t get from the eighth book.

I think another thing I don’t like with this book (though this is probably more a gripe with the series itself, not just this book in it) is that we aren’t closer to a conclusion in this series. Yes, I’ve been enjoying reading this series and the world of Solaria. But I think I’m starting to get to the point where I’m ready to see how this series is going to end. While this series is interesting and I love the characters and magic in it, I feel like its also starting to drag on a lot longer than it needs to and am ready to see how the next book, which is supposed to be the last book in the series, ties everything together.  

Overall, I did enjoy reading Beyond the Veil because it was interesting to read from the perspective of characters who had already passed on. I found the characters we hadn’t met before enjoyable to get to know and I loved learning more about the Guild Stones because I feel like they are definitely going to play a vital role in the conclusion to this series. I also enjoyed seeing these character’s reactions to events that took place in Sorrow and Starlight because you can see how much they support those they’ve left behind. My biggest gripe is just that this book wasn’t necessarily needed, even though I enjoyed reading it and that I feel like I’m getting to the point where I’m ready to see the conclusion to the Zodiac Academy series despite how much I’ve been enjoying reading these books. So good read, but ready to see how the authors are going to tie everything together in the next book whenever it releases.

3

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑