All posts in Fantasy

Crooked Kingdom

By Brookelorren on Leave a Comment
Crooked Kingdom cover

After finishing Six of Crows, I immediately wanted to read Leigh Bardugo’s sequel, Crooked Kingdom. The first book of the duology ended in a cliffhanger and I didn’t want to go for too long without finding out the ending. Fortunately, I already had a copy. I was not disappointed in how this duology turned out, and I definitely plan on reading the next Grisha Verse book, King of Scars, in the future (I’ve already pre-ordered her first adult book, Ninth House, which comes out October 1st).

Because Crooked Kingdom is the second book in a duology, expect spoilers in this review.

Inej has been taken and all the plans that Kaz and his crew had to become wealthy beyond imagination… went up in smoke. Not only does Kaz want to get Inej back… he also wants to find a way to enact revenge upon Jan Van Eck. Maybe he’ll be able to find a way to get wealthy in the process.

What Makes This Book Amazing

I thought this book was great and I can’t really think of anything I didn’t like about it (okay, I wasn’t a fan of the prologue). However, there are a lot of things I can say that I loved.

Setting: the setting in this universe = author goals. I just love how this universe has a rich setting. Every location in this world has a unique culture, climate, foods, and history. Ms. Bardugo brings it to life in a magnificent way.

Characters: over the course of Crooked Kingdom, we’re able to learn more about these characters and what makes them tick. They all have demons that come from events in their pasts, and we get to learn more about them. We learn more about their families. This was as well done as the setting.

Incorporation of the previous Grisha Verse books: even though this book is set in a different part of the world, I love how the previous Grisha Verse books were incorporated into this one. Crooked Kingdom even incorporates some of the old characters; as readers, we have inside knowledge that the characters initially don’t have.

The plot and ending: I love how these characters solve the problems at hand and bounce back from their setbacks. I also love how the characters (mostly) get their happily ever after. Now I want to read more from them!

Conclusion

I highly recommend this book, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll be reading most of Leigh Bardugo’s books in the future. I do recommend reading this book after reading the original Grisha Verse books and Six of Crows. You’ll definitely get more out of this series if you read them in this order. If you start with Six of Crows, it’ll still be good, but the worldbuilding will be more awesome if you start with the original books.

Six of Crows

By Brookelorren on 2 Comments
Six of Crows cover

Last year, after I started really getting into this book blog, it seemed like everybody was talking about the Six of Crows duology. I was even in the bookstore and almost got it. But I waited until I read the Grisha Verse Trilogy first. It was worth the wait, because both series are amazing, but they both are part of the same world. I listened to this on audiobook.

Ketterdam is a dangerous place to be. There are slavers that will capture Grisha (and other people) around here. Money is their god and the wealthy have all the power. It’s into this world that we are introduced to Kaz Brekker and his group of gangster friends.

A new drug has been discovered: jurda parem. This drug can make grisha do amazing things, but it is highly addictive and will shorten the grisha’s lifespan. Kaz has been given the opportunity to earn an incredible amount of money if he can just do the impossible: capture it’s creator, Bul Yul-Bayur, from the impenetrable Ice Court. It’s a dangerous job, but if anybody is going to do it, Kaz and his crew can.

What I Loved

Worldbuilding: I loved everything about this book, but one of the things I loved about this book was the amazing worldbuilding. It’s obvious that many of the cultures in this world were inspired by real cultures, but as the characters travel though the world, you can sense that all these little details were well thought out. The characters have favorite foods, the lands have different climates, and even the different people groups have different senses of morality. I also love how this world builds on the Grisha Verse universe. There is the occasional mention of the Ravkan civil war (from the original trilogy) or even Sankta Alina.

The characters in Six of Crows are amazing and well thought out as well. They each have their own histories and motivations, but we don’t get to learn about it right away. Their pasts bring demons into their present, which causes them to act the way they do.

I kept wanting to read more of this book. The plot was fast-paced, and not everything went exactly according to plan (which happens in so much of life). I kept wanting to root for these characters, and the cliffhanger at the end made me want to read the next book (which I did).

Conclusion

You definitely want to read Six of Crows if you like fantasy books with great worldbuilding and amazing characters. While you can read this book without reading the Grisha Verse books too, I recommend that you do, because it just adds depth and meaning to this story. I highly recommend you add this to your TBR.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

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Court of Thorns and Roses cover

After hearing about this book for quite a while, I finally read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I didn’t know what to expect at first (I just knew that I liked the Throne of Glass series and this was her other series) but I found that I liked it. And I realized that this story was something of a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I enjoyed it and I plan on reading the next books in the series at some point.

Feyre is a girl living in the forest, keeping her family from starving. She was a better girl than me, because when her sisters ask for money for things, she gives them more than they deserve. If it were me out there hunting all day, and my ungrateful sisters were asking for money, I’d give them just what they needed, and then I’d tell them to go do something to earn it if they wanted anything more. Even her father is practically useless, although I at least feel bad for him since he had an injury.

One day, while hunting in the woods, she kills a wolf. It’s a ginormous wolf, and she thinks it might be magical, but in her mind, it might be either her or him. This sets off a chain of events that forces her to live in a magical estate over in fae-land. Now she worries for her family (whom she’s afraid might have died without her) but she does have a pretty sweet life otherwise. As a reader, I’m wondering “why?” but it’s explained later in the book.

Despite her rags to riches story, all is not well in the land of the fae. There is a curse that threatens to spill over into the human lands and hurt her family. Feyre must do what she can to save her family… and the fae male that she has grown to… love? You’ll have to read the book to find out more.

What I Liked

A Court of Thorns and Roses has a lot going for it. There’s magic, and I couldn’t help but root for the girl who had been slaving away for her family for so long and finally gets to live a good life. Feyre is a brave and clever girl who is willing to fight for what she wants. The writing was good, as all Sarah J. Maas books are.

What I Found to be ‘Meh’

I can’t say I disliked anything about this books, but there were things I liked less. Although Feyre was clever, strong-willed, and brave, there were some times when she would be extremely unwise. Yes, I can see how she would miss her family and worry about them, but she does some things that are incredibly unwise at the beginning, and part of me wanted to strangle her. Maybe I just couldn’t understand how someone with such a useless family would be so attached to them. She doesn’t listen to counsel at times, even when she should know better.

Conclusion

I definitely plan on reading more books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.  I decided to get A Court of Mist and Fury on audiobook; the next books in this series are a little longer and I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to find time to read the next books in the series otherwise.  While SJM might not be an author that I often feel like I have to read the next book now about, I do enjoy her stories and I want to find out what happens next.

Storm and Fury

By Brookelorren on 2 Comments
Storm and Fury cover

I’ve been interested in reading something by Jennifer L. Armentrout for quite a while, and I was fortunate enough to be approved for an ARC of Storm and Fury (thank you Netgalley). I later found out that it’s in a world that is already pre-established, but it’s readable anyway. This is the first book in The Harbinger series, and I really enjoyed it.

Trinity is special. How special? She has her own guardian assigned to her. She lives on a compound in modern-day West Virginia with gargoyles known as Wardens. She’s not exactly human, even though most of the wardens she lives with thinks she is. Even though she’s special, she feels like an outsider a lot of the time. While everyone around her is free to live their lives and find love, Trinity lives with people that aren’t really allowed to fraternize with her.

Except one day, she meets Zayne. He’s gorgeous, and even though he’s a warden too, there’s something different about him. Zayne arrives at her compound with a group visiting from Washington, D.C. After Trinity’s compound is attacked, she has to work with him to make things right. Will sparks end up flying? You’ll just have to read the book!

There was a lot to enjoy about this book. For one thing, I love the main character, Trinity. She’s this badass warrior, but she’s unsure of herself. She second guesses herself around Zayne. She’s nosy. And she has an eye condition that causes her to trip over things a lot (Ms. Armentrout stated in the acknowledgements that she has this eye condition). I couldn’t help but like her and want good things for her.

In this world, like the real world, things aren’t always black and white. Not everybody is 100% good, and not everybody is 100% bad. I liked that.

While reading this book, there were always questions that needed to be answered. Who was Trinity’s father? Who are behind the attacks? Plus, there’s a big twist at the end which I wasn’t expecting.

If you’ve read The Dark Elements series (which I haven’t) then you’ll probably know some of the backstory which eventually Trinity learns, and you’ll see some familiar characters. Since I haven’t read this series yet, it was all new to me.

Overall, I loved this series and plan on reading more books by this author. Obsidian is on my summer TBR, and when the second book in this series comes out, I plan to read it as well.

Royalty (Fangirling on Friday)

By Brookelorren on 4 Comments
Fangirling on Friday

It’s Friday again! That means (looks at watch) I only have three more weeks until I get to work from home and do this writing/blogging/homeschooling thing full time! Woo! I’m excited for that, but for now, we have Fangirling on Friday, hosted by Books in the Skye! Today we’re talking about royalty.

Cruel Prince Cover

One of my favorite series involving royalty at the moment happens to be The Cruel Prince. They’re not exactly the poster child for great royal families, but if you’ve read history (and I tend to like history a lot) then you probably see that royalty in real life isn’t a whole lot like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Except for the bad things that happen to them. So having a messed up royal house maybe is a prerequisite for being royalty? I absolutely love Jude and Cardan, and am looking forward to The Queen of Nothing. They postponed Chain of Gold until next March, but they moved up the final Folk of the Air book to (I think) the same week that Chain of Gold originally was supposed to come out, so at least I get to read this one this year at least!

Four Dead Queens cover

Of course, what would a post on royalty be without talk about queens? I absolutely loved Four Dead Queens. Quadara is a unique country that has not one, but four queens… and no king.

But something is going on and someone is offing the queens. Dun dun DUN! Why? Will they catch the killer? This story was quite unique and I didn’t really guess the twist to this book. I’d love to see more books by this author.

Heartless cover

I don’t mention Heartless by Marissa Meyer all that often, but it was one of the first books I reviewed on this blog. This is the story of The Queen of Hearts before she becomes the queen in wonderland. You just have to feel sorry for her, because all she wants to do is bake, and her parents expect her to marry the king instead. And she falls in love with someone as well (that isn’t the king).

So there you go: three books about royalty that I really liked. What are some books revolving around royalty that you like? Mother’s Day is coming up (in the US, at least) and we’ll be talking about favorite mothers next week. Eep! A lot of my favorite characters have lost their mothers! Forget favorites… maybe I’ll just write about characters whose mothers aren’t dead or evil! If I can find a few of them.

Storm Glass

By Brookelorren on 4 Comments
Storm Glass cover

Storm Glass is the first book in The Harbinger Series by Jeff Wheeler. I was fortunate enough to get it for free when it was on audiobook. It was so enjoyable that I ended up purchasing later books in the series when they were on sale as part of Amazon’s Kindle Monthly deals. I recommend this book.

Cettie is an orphan girl living in a dystopian universe. In the land where she lives, the wealthy live in mansions in the sky, while the poor live in terrible conditions in the cites below. Her life is changed when a wealthy admiral tries to adopt her.

You might think that this would be the happy end where everybody sings Kumbaya and lives happily ever after. If that was, this would be a really short book. Instead, Cettie finds out that not everybody in the wealthy sky mansions are rooting for her. In addition, the wealthy people don’t find everything to be rosy either. As you read the book, you will discover that even for the wealthy, life can be precarious.

In another sky mansion, Sera Fitzempress isn’t impressing her parents, and she doesn’t think the way her father would like her to. She asks too many questions. Sera might one day rule the entire country; her parents want to make sure that she’s trained properly… they don’t want her to disrupt the status quo that doesn’t really do anybody justice.

I enjoyed this story. Sera’s chapters weren’t as exciting as Cettie’s at first, but towards the end, it really helped to set up how incredibly corrupt this country is, and… resolving everything that’s wrong with this place is going to be a very tricky knot to untie. I definitely want to continue reading this story at some point to find out what happens.

Storm Glass has an imaginative setting. Instead of science, people study “mysteries.” The mysteries govern everything from the law to why the mansions float in the sky. Cettie discovers that she has a talent for the mysteries, which comes in handy towards the end of the book (and beyond).

There are several intriguing characters in Storm Glass. Cettie and Sera, the main female characters, are interesting (and they finally meet towards the end of the book). Both have to deal with villains who almost ruin their lives. There are also adult figures in the books that eventually help them overcome the villains. A lot of YA books don’t have parental figures in the books (although in this book Cettie is 12 so I wouldn’t expect her to be completely on her own).

I plan to finish reading the rest of the books in The Harbinger series at some point in the future. I’d like to find out more about the mysteries of this universe.

The Tiger at Midnight

By Brookelorren on 2 Comments
Tiger at Midnight Cover

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala was one of my most anticipated books of the season. It looked like exactly the kind of book that I’d give five stars to. Amazon says it’s “perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Renée Ahdieh.” Check. Ms. Teerdhala said that Legend was one of its comp titles. Double check. Perhaps this book was a little overhyped in my mind, because while it was good, it ended up only being a four-star book in my mind.

The land has a magical illness. The lands of Jansa and Dharka have historically been ruled by two different people with magical bloodlines, who periodically have to perform some sort of ritual to keep the land fertile and lush. The balance of power has been upset in recent years, and famine is starting to spread over the land. Esha, also known as the Viper, is part of a rebel group that is attempting to restore that balance. Kunal, the nephew of the general, has been trained as a child to uphold the government in power.

When the general is killed, Kunal has to find the Viper. He ends up finding something that could be even more deadly: the truth.

What I Liked

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. The setting was great. It had this whole medieval Indian vibe that was unique and interesting. The book had political intrigue. You’re not quite sure who is good and who is bad, and I was surprised at the end. The cat and mouse game that Esha and Kunal played, where Kunal would catch Esha and then she’d escape, was fun.

What Was Just… Okay

There are some books that just drag you in at the start with their beautiful writing. This may be why The Tiger at Midnight did not quite get the five stars I thought it would get: it lacked the magical quality I was hoping it would have. While it had so many other things going for it, it was lacking right here.

The only other thing that I could have been better was the realism in Esha and Kunal’s relationship. Kunal chases her over the countryside, catches her, and then she escapes. She leaves him a note, and they seem to have an attraction to each other. It’s cute, but not realistic? Especially as this scenario happens more than once. Then, after it’s obvious they are both attracted to each other, they get to one point in the book where they could spend more time with each other but don’t?

Conclusion

I definitely plan on reading the other books in The Tiger at Midnight trilogy when they come out. This is Swati Teerdhala’s debut, and I’ve seen other authors blossom when their sophomore and beyond books come out. The story itself is good, and I do want to find out what happens next. Probably the biggest thing that this book suffered from was how amazing the books this one was compared to were, and how difficult it would have been to live up to them.

Four Dead Queens

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Four Dead Queens cover

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte had a lot of hype surrounding it in the year leading to its release. Look at it! It has such a pretty cover! I pre-ordered it and read it as soon as I could get my hands on it. It was well worth the wait, and I named it my favorite book of February in that Fangirling on Friday post.

The queendom of Quadara is divided into four sections, each known for one trait, and each quadrant ruled by one queen. You would think it would be cool to be a queen, but no. Every queen has to live by very strict rules in order to supposedly help them govern better.

But then, something happens. Keralie, a thief, discovers that the queens have been killed, and she has been betrayed. She ends up partnering with a boy named Varin in order to find out who did it. Things are not as they seem though. As I read this book, there were several points where I wasn’t sure what was going on, but there is a logical explanation for everything that occurs and it ended nicely.

What I Liked

I really liked Four Dead Queens. The worldbuilding was quite unique. I thought I was going to be confused by the different quadrants and different queens, but I was able to follow everything just fine.

The characters had different stories. They all wanted something, and sometimes what they wanted was conflicting. Even the queens had things they were hiding. The book was light on romance, but that’s to be expected: the book takes place over a very short span of time, and you can’t expect people to fall in love that quickly.

As I read the book, I kept asking “how is this going to be resolved?” As I started approaching the end and the answers still hadn’t arrived, I was worried that things would end badly, but fortunately, the book ends on a satisfactory note.

Downsides?

The very first page of the book, where all the rules that queens have to follow are listed, was not all that exciting. I didn’t have any context at that point and didn’t really get it. If I reread this book, it will make more sense, but on your first read-through, it’s a little confusing.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for an exciting young adult book fantasy mystery, you might like Four Dead Queens. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Ruin and Rising is More Rising Than Ruin

By Brookelorren on 2 Comments
Ruin and Rising cover

While reading Siege and Storm, I was so happy to find out that Ruin and Rising was available at my library! I loved the first two books of this series and wanted to find out what happened.

This isn’t exactly part of the story, but the dedication of this book was so sad. It was dedicated to Ms. Bardugo’s dad: “Sometimes our heroes don’t make it to the end.”

Since this is the third book in the series, there will be spoilers for the first two books.

The actual story begins underground. Alina is the Sun Summoner, and hordes of people see her as a saint. As a sun summoner, Alina doesn’t do so well being cooped up in the dark. And the Apparat is keeping her friend Mal away from her. Even though she’s the celebrity, Alina is more like a prisoner. As a prisoner, she has to find a way to break herself out. Along with the rest of her friends.

Once above ground, Alina and the group have to avoid the Darkling, as well as the forces at war that would do her harm. Fortunately, she ends up meeting up with Nikolai, and they make plans for the future. Nikolai still thinks that Alina should be his queen, even though that’s not really where her heart lies. First things first though: they have to find the third amplifier.

On their journey to find the third amplifier, they discover some heartbreaking news (which I will not share here). They also learn about Mal’s ancestry, and why he is such an amazing tracker. Mal’s family is not the only bit of interesting backstory that we discover in this book.

All of this leads to the final showdown. I can’t say what’s going to happen, but I will say that the ending (for me) was incredibly sweet. I know that some people have a different opinion as to how Ruin and Rising should have ended, but it was the ending I would have liked. If I ever write fanfiction about this book, it won’t be fix-it fiction, because it ended on a satisfying note.

Overall, I loved Ruin and Rising, and started reading Six of Crows (on audiobook) shortly afterwards. This series made me love Leigh Bardugo’s writing, and I even pre-ordered Ninth House, her next book, which comes out in the fall.

Siege and Storm

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Siege and Storm cover

Siege and Storm is the second book in the Grisha Verse trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been thinking about reading these books for months, and I finally got around to it.

Since this is the second book in a trilogy, there may be spoilers for the first book in this review.

Alina and Mal are on the run from the Darkling. Even though this isn’t exactly the perfect life, they seem to be content. But this temporary respite is not to last. Because they get caught.

The Darkling’s forces now want another amplifier for Alina: Rusalye, a sea creature that inhabits the north. It’s a good thing that Mal happens to be the best tracker out there, because it keeps The Darkling from killing him (that, and the fact that he can use him against Alina). They end up tracking down the sea creature, but then things take an unexpected turn.

Siege and Storm forces Alina to think about who she is and what she wants. She’s the most powerful Grisha ever, and perhaps she is the only person that can stop the Darkling. Unfortunately, as she gains power, Alina wants more of it. Will this thirst for power push her away from Mal? The ambitious prince of Ravka, who is a new character in this book, thinks that because she is so powerful, Alina should be with him. Neither Alina nor Mal want that, do they? It feels as if forces are pushing him away and they are destined to be apart. It made me so sad.

“I have loved you all my life, Mal,” I whispered through my tears. “There is no end to our story.”

p. 416

I did not know the ending to this trilogy prior to reading this book. Quotes like this made me so sad, because I wanted these lifelong friends to end up together and… it didn’t seem like they were meant to be.

I loved this book and read it in two days. I loved these characters, I loved the setting. Funny, there is a minor character named Privyet in the book. Privyet (привет) means “hello” in Russian, so when they called the character that for the first time, I thought they were saying hello instead of saying the character’s name. The plot kept me wanting more, and the book ended with a bang.

Siege and Storm was a great book, and I absolutely love Leigh Bardugo’s writing. I recommend this series to people that like to read fantasy books, especially if you enjoy the whole Russian vibe like I do. I’ve already finished the rest of this series, listened to Six of Crows on audiobook, plan to read the rest of her books, and have pre-ordered her new book (out on October 1st like Rebel and The End and Other Beginnings), Ninth House. Even though I waited far too long to start reading her books, I’m definitely going to keep on reading them as long as she keeps writing.