I want to start by saying I buddy read this with Dini @ Dinipandareads. We were both excited for this one since we loved Six Crimson Cranes! It’s also going to be tough to talk about this without some spoilers for Six Crimson Cranes. If you have not read that one then please do not read this review *yet.*

Dragon’s Promise starts off right where Six Crimson Cranes ends. Shiori and Seryu are going to the kingdom of Dragons to give the King the pearl. Of course, things never go according to plan and everyone has their agendas. The thing with this whole part of the book is that it’s completely rushed over. I felt like it was unnecessary and disconnected from the story. It pains me to say this because I loved the actual aspect of the world below and all the dragons. I just felt more confused than anything. It causes some drama that wasn’t needed and didn’t quite make sense.

My biggest issue with this book the whole thing has terrible pacing. The beginning is pretty amazing, even if it feels like a different story. After we leave the dragon world it lags and lulls a lot. There’s a huge middle chunk of this book that slowed things down for me and pulled me out of the story. Then we hit the last 35% of the book and BAM everything is happening. There’s another issue that I had here. There are so many things going on and so many different storylines that it was hard to follow. Once we get to a point, I thought it was over. Nope, there was even more and it felt disconnected from the previous storyline.

I loved Shiori’s relationship with her brothers. I loved seeing how far they have come from the beginning of Six Crimson Cranes. They had a lot of touching moments and I loved that. I was a little annoyed by the fact that Shiori is still treating her dad like crap. Now hear me out… He’s been through a lot and he’s feared for all his kids’ lives throughout two books. The thing is, Shiori has no respect for that. She is constantly lying and scheming and then just saying, “I’m sorry.” As a parent, this drove me insane!

The romance was something else that I enjoyed in this book. I still love Takkan so much and his dedication to Shiori. I thought some of their moments were sweet and touching. Seriously, Takkan is just my favorite character in this series, okay?! With that being said, there were all kinds of signs pointing to a love triangle in this book. From the first book and a good chunk in this one, it kind of felt that way. I don’t know if she intended it to be that way or not. The fact that there are even hints to one kind of annoyed me. I hate love triangles so much and it just adds unnecessary drama.

Even though it kind of broke up the pacing for me, I loved the history we get about Raikama. I think it gave a lot of closure to many characters. It was a nice glimpse into the past to learn what made her act the way she did!

Overall, I did like this read but it was a bit of a let down. Honestly, with another chunk of chapters to the first book, it could have been a great standalone. There were so many elements that didn’t flow together with stagnant pacing. Sometimes it felt like I was reading a completely different storyline. I loved the romance between Shiori and Takkan! The relationship between her and her brothers were also touching. If you read SCC and loved it then I think you will still like this. It’s just not on the same level but it was still enjoyable.

Many Thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for providing an e-arc for review. 

 

What an amazing heist that captivated me from the very beginning! The writing in this book is so engrossing and it kept me hooked the entire way.

Clara Johnson has a past that we don’t know of right away. We know that she was jailed but that’s all we know. She’s come a long way and has become indebted to an Enigma. She’s working off her debt when she notices that people are going missing and becoming “afflicted.” This is a historical fiction set in 1920’s Washington D.C. When her Enigma asks her to get a certain object for her and she will wipe away her “trick” then chaos ensues. Clara ends up finding a team with charms that can help her out.

There’s a lot of magic, myth, and history that are blended. It makes for such a fascinating read with high entertainment. The crew that Clara ends up with is the best part of this book! They all have something very unique to give and I love how they formed a little family. If you are a fan of “found family” trope then you will love this one. There are so many cool elements and genres to this book but it also has romance. There is a romance and it’s kind of a slow burn but fits perfectly. I never felt that it was rushed or forced. It felt very believable and natural.

Another aspect that I enjoyed are the in-between chapters. Throughout the book, we get glimpses into the past when it comes to Clara and her crew. We learn about their history and how they ended up asking for a charm/trick from an Enigma. It was very fascinating and I loved getting glimpses about every one of them. Zara, who is an albino, was one of my favorite characters. She brought so much fun and spunk to this book! I think she really pushed Clara to get out of her head and her comfort zone, which I appreciated. We all need friends like that!

Overall, I enjoyed this book! I think this will be a book that many will love. If the genres are not your particular vibe then the friendships and characters are worth the read! Seriously, they are amazing and I became so invested in them. When it comes to most heists, plans usually go array. It was what kept this so interesting, seeing how they would rally. I highly recommend this one!

Many thanks to Orbit Books and Redhook for providing me with an arc to review! 

 

I want to thank Julie for buddy reading this with me. We both enjoyed this tremendously! I am so glad I was able to read this with someone. This book was amazing and exceeded my expectations! We both flew through this book! I just couldn’t put it down and found all kinds of ways to try and fit in reading time. I got sucked into this story rather quickly.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is one of the most unique books that I’ve ever read. Honestly, it’s so hard to even explain to you what this is about. There are so many different genres mixed into this one book! There are a lot of zombies, part western, part romance, and kind of a mystery. It makes for one of the most beautiful blends and Bannen executed it so perfectly! There is a heavier romance leaning but I am not complaining at all.

Mercy is an undertaker, who has become overwhelmed, but she’s trying to keep the business afloat. Her patience is running really thin and she doesn’t have time to deal with grouchy marshals. Here comes Hart, who is a big grouch and a demigod. They both were short with each other one day and it starts a long feud. It’s just a big misunderstanding on both sides but it gives for a lot of great banter that makes you laugh out loud!

The romance in this book is fire. It was the best part of this book. I didn’t realize it was so heavily romance focused. I’m not complaining though because it was just perfect. The letters in this book just made me so happy. I used to write letters with my husband in High School and college when we were 2.5 hours away. I treasure those and there just is something so special about letters! I loved this aspect very much. I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and this did not disappoint, at all. Gosh, I just loved Hart and Mercy so much. There was a lot of spice in this too, which I didn’t expect!

There’s a side queer romance that I was invested in too. I loved watching that grow and those two characters brought a lot of fun and much-needed lightness to the story. There are relationships on both sides that I loved. Mercy’s family was the best and I enjoyed getting to know all of them too. I love how they all seem so self-involved but then can come together when they need to. Sometimes, I think that’s a pretty normal thing with families.

I was not expecting to be on such an emotional rollercoaster with this one! Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun and light at times, like many romances. There are a lot of deeper things going on and times that it got dark. Are there some predictable things? Yes, I think most romances are. The great thing about this is that it felt so real and my emotions experienced all of it.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book! It will be a top book of the year for me. I loved every minute of this and I think that Bannen created a very unique and crazy world that I was glad to be a part of. Hart and Mercy are characters and a romance that will stay with me for a very long time. I urge you all to give this one a chance and pick it up!

Many thanks to Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC for review! 

 
You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black




3.5 stars rounded up

I would like to start by saying that Science Fiction is not my typical genre. This one sounded so fun from the blurb that I wanted to give it a shot. I’m coming around to more Sci-Fi. This was definitely a fun Space Opera, and I enjoyed myself for the most part. Even though, I didn’t fall completely in love with this, I think it’s worth the read. Especially, if you love any of these aspects already!

I loved the idea of humans and mechs coming together to try and fight a big enemy. It was such an interesting take on the end of the world. The aspect of adding music to communicate with them was also really cool. I do wish we would have gotten a little more of that. I felt like it took a bit of a sideline. There are a lot of things that were side-lined for the relationship.

The biggest problem and negative about this book is the relationship. I have never or will ever be a fan of instant love. I just can’t do it and I don’t buy it. Can people come together when they are faced with their end days- yes! I would think that to be heavily encouraged. Do people fall instantly in love with a night together that didn’t even go that great? I’m sorry, but no. Then this book focuses so heavily on this romance and how all this is keeping them from sleeping together. I’m pretty sure if I was faced with saving the world, a person I met the day before, would be the last thing on my mind. There’s a lot more to it but I just couldn’t connect with this relationship. I found that a lot of this book was in Arden’s POV more than Gus’s. I also wanted more of Gus’s past trauma because we barely touch it and then the subject is changed.

The relationship that I thought had much more depth and I enjoyed was Ardent and his agent. She was funny and Ardent wouldn’t have made it far without her. I’m hoping that we see a lot more of her in the future. I think that White did an excellent job with representation in this book. I will admit, it took me a minute to figure out that Ardent was nonbinary.

The world-building is cool and I think he did a great job describing all the Vanguards (mechas). The plot is complicated and it did take me longer than usual because I’m not a typical Sci-Fi reader. Although, there are times that the pacing was slow just because it was slow.

I loved the addition of the gang at the end. White does know how to write some cool characters! I would have enjoyed this much more if we would have been introduced to them sooner. Even though the ending was a bit anti-climatic, I think there’s a lot of great setup for the next book.

Overall, I didn’t love this as much as I was hoping I would. I did have some fun and laugh-out-loud moments. I thought the characters were cool and the world-building. The music aspect was also a cool tough but I wish it would have been explored a little more. I do think a lot of people will enjoy this one. It’s fun and a bit crazy!

Many thanks to Orbit for providing me with an ARC. Thoughts and opinions are my own!