** 3.5 stars **

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DARN YOU, BOOK 2 SYNDROME.

Y’all, why. Don’t get me wrong, I’m buying the third book because crap will hit the fan since nothing happened in this book. I now fully expect (I know, should be keeping expectations low) the final installment to be a worthy tale since there is going to be a loooot to cover in 500+ pages.

I rarely know if an author has to make more books than they planned, or if it was originally intended to be a certain length, but really. This could’ve been a duology.

Some things I did enjoy: watching Adrian and Nova flirt, the action in the very last section of the book, the simple scenes

Oh em gee, stuff I struggled with: THE MISSING ACTION , the push on the love story, rather than the rest of the plot, disappointing characters

The third book,I desperately hope, will be a real page turner. There were some scenes I completely expected to happen that fell through, that we all know HAVE TO HAPPEN AT SOME POINT.

Overall audience notes:
– Young adult fantasy, sci-fi
– No language
– Violence ranges based on prodigies ability
– Love is mostly teenage flirting, one kiss scene that is barely detailed

...WHOA.

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I’m not even quite sure where to begin because this book was a lot. In a horribly poignant, sad, but seriously a good book, way.

The author does a great job of withholding the fullness of the story as you go along. I read this in a handful of hours because I was completely enthralled with Sadie and her story. Mixing in the radio personality was a unique twist that allowed more character access to Sadie’s past while she was hurtling forward to her goal.

I truly sat there after I finished not knowing my feelings. They were everywhere. I was angry, confused, distraught, and wanting a different ending (I’m also not even sure what exactly happened at the ending, anyone else? AHH.) And while that sounds like I didn’t enjoy this, it’s not that at all. Summers created such a world of emotions, that while on the negative scale, was a beautifully heart-breaking well written book.

Emotional exploration was at the forefront. Struggling through the raw waves of grief, exhaustion, denial, anger, and betrayal of a young girl coping with her sister’s murder and so so much more.

The main theme is very adult, and very tough to read about. I felt panicked for Sadie the majority of the time wondering if West (the radio personality) would figure out her story fast enough to get to her. And if even Sadie herself would survive her own journey to find the killer.

“…I can’t take another dead girl.”

Overall audience notes:
– Young adult, but definitely leans towards adult
– Trigger warning themes: sexual abuse of children (throughout the entirety of the novel)
– A lot of explicit language
– Violence

JUST WHAT I NEEDED.

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This was exactly what I expected this book to be and exactly what I felt like reading! A solid fantasy romance that was unique in its own ways.

First of all, Brishen and Ildiko? They don’t hate each other. Yes, forced to marry, but both of them are actually decent creatures who decided to make the best of a situation they didn’t choose. Refreshing to say the least.

It’s nothing new for the genre or ground-breaking in anyway, but I was craving a solid romantic fantasy that I could drift away into for a bit and this delivered. Some pieces of the story aren’t fully fleshed out (the magic system, the other kingdom, etc.). It didn’t detract from the story though enough to be an issue.

Overall audience notes:
– Fantasy romance
– Minor, barely there language
– Detailed love scenes
– Violence (arrows, knives, torture)

**3.5 stars**

I AM A BAG OF MIXED EMOTIONS.

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I’m not sure how I feel. On the one hand, yes, solid ending, made sense, okay cool. On the other hand…no, not quite what I was going for, am I happy about this? I’m not sure. I think I’m satisfied?

The writing, world-building and folklore surrounding Sparrow was unique. I liked the the way the current Sparrow flowed with the town 200 years ago. While totally unfortunate this secluded location is still swamped in the Swan Sisters, it made for a good story.

It’s a quick read that kept me busy. I did see the plot twist from about ten miles away, but that didn’t deter me. Instead, I was enough in the dark about the resolve of the story as a whole I surged on to the finale.

Marguerite, Aurora, and Hazel [the Swan Sisters] are really the main characters. They have clear personalities and a bond that you couldn’t help but understand. Hazel broke my heart a few times over with her personal struggles. The story flashes backward every few chapters tying in the modern tale with how the girls became who they are today. Everything fit in smoothly and I never felt lost.

I did struggle with the twist because there was such a repetitive “everything is a secret, I can’t spill my secret” nature. It would have come off better in my opinion to actually be a little more blind-sided (thus, upping the mystery factor). I started getting frustrated that Bo and Penny wouldn’t just talk to each other. Not everything has to be hidden!

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy/paranormal [witches], but set in contemporary Oregon
- A love scene or two that are very glossed over, not descriptive; some kissing, etc.
- Some expletive language
- Minor violence (drownings)

**truly some indeterminate number between 3 and 4**

I'M AS INDECISIVE AS HENRIETTA AT THIS POINT.

No, but really, please visit this review. There's a wonderful rant on how I feel towards this book.

I think it’s been a long time since I have been so razzled on what my rating should be (and how the review should go) as a whole. I ended up deciding to have an indeterminate number because depending on the day my opinion seems to change. I have so many thoughts over this book. [If you’ve read this, comment/send e-mail! I’m curious what you thought of it].

First of all, I’ve probably mentioned this before…I rarely ever enjoy a love triangle; it’s probably my most hated trope. And in this case, it was a love…square? I think that’s what we’re calling it.

There were some twists in this book, THAT WE SO COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. Alright, I’m really referring to one I am struggling to accept as a good piece of the story, but there were a few others that weren’t fun either okay? I saw them as a push to complete character arcs that had already burned to ashes in the first place, and adding such tid-bits only frazzled me more.

I felt like I was reading a hodge-podge of about a hundred different books I’ve read just this year. I kept realizing what books she was drawing aspects from over and over again. And don't even get me started about "the chosen one" sections of this book. *simmering rage*

It may seem like I hated this book, but in this weird way I can't even figure out, it made it a decent book too. The writing is enjoyable and the concept as a whole is different. The execution was flat our poor. I think most people will LOVE it or HATE it.

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult, Victorian-era fantasy/historical fiction
- No language (a feminine derogatory comment is made though)
- Violence (mostly in the forms of magic; fire, wind, etc.)
- One love scene, a little descriptive; some kisses and plenty of declarations of love for everyone

WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD OF THIS SERIES TIL NOW?!

Y’all I was loving everything this book was putting out. It did begin slow and dragged through some sections, but the tale it set up for the next three books…I am SO EXCITED.

Raisa is a strong female character who is the sassy princess heir I need. She is a lover of flirting with the boys, but who can blame her? Got some endgame choices to decide upon. I love that she refuses to set aside her ideals to be a better Queen and refusing to marry “just because”. Raisa holds her own and is a smart fun character to watch.

I have a soft spot of reformed characters. Han gives the story some edge, but his heart is in the right place. His sections do drag more than Raisa’s, but his story line built over time. The plot twists involving Hanson did surprise me. I had surmised most information, but now I’m wondering where this all ends.

Raisa and Han are endgame though…right? If not, I have already chosen wrong which may affect my view points later on, we’ll see. They’re quite a few suitors (on both sides) that haven’t formed defined love triangles, so I’m still on board. Though, I do love Amon. He’s a precious cinnamon roll who I want love forever. DON’T BETRAY ME AMON. BUT ALSO, FIND HAPPINESS PLEASE. K, thanks.

This story progressively gets faster and more convoluted. The side characters are throwing so much into the mix that I’m sitting here debating who’s good, bad, or just in the book for fun.

It was somewhat silly that these kids are 16-ish and so grown-up. Han was a previous streetlord, Raisa is taking on tasks befitting someone older, and is already trying to be married off. And the same goes for side characters. Though, the world is built in the concept of children as adults, so it’s not glaring if you’re okay with that concept.


Overall audience notes:

Young adult fantasy
No language
Handful of kisses, nothing more
Violence (burnings, knives, pummelings, magic)

GOOD FOR WHAT IT IS.

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I really enjoyed devouring this book! Though, based off of the description you might believe it to be historical fiction based. While yes, the places, people, and other things are in history, the entire story is essentially fantasy.

Pike did a lot of research and wrote a great Note about the book at the end. It helped me understand her decisions in how she chose to take the book. Lets face it, there really isn’t a way for us to know if Langoureth had a lover on the side, if she truly loved her husband, what her relationship was like with her family, etc. So the author had to make a lot of choices in how to write her story. All in all, if you go into this wanting a fantasy with romance, duty, war and plenty more I think you’ll really enjoy it as I did! If you’re seeking more historical with language, and the time period you might be a little disappointed (as I have noticed in other reviews).

Langoureth is a work in progress as a Queen (as she is not Queen at this time). I only gathered the pieces of her growing up, so I believe further books will really let her shine. She’s strong willed and makes difficult choices to protect her family and her faith.

Overall audience notes:
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy, based off of historical people
- No language, except for one very derogatory word used once
- Lots of blood, gore, and death
- A few love scenes, a little steamy and descriptive

OFFICIALLY A SANDERSON FAN.
Note: I listened to this on Audbile (with Michael Kramer as narrator); it was well done and an easy listen!

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I’ve been really weary of reading anything Sanderson, NOT because I ever heard anything bad, but I was weirdly concerned that it was so loved that I would not enjoy it myself. I stand here today saying [so far]: I am wrong!

This was a great introduction to the Cosmere (Sanderson’s world; there’s a handful of series you can start from, but this is most often cited as the best option). The world building is intense and fulfilling. He’s known for his lengthy books, and I can see why. There is such an effort to how he portrays the universe and I loved it all.

Can I just say, I died when Elend and Vin met? I’m sorry, total goals to find a man reading books and then throw some witty banter in there and I swooned. I definitely laughed out loud listening to them. I could not even handle their cute, soft, amusing interactions. If they aren’t endgame, you won’t be seeing another Sanderson book in by TBR.

Also, y’all, these magic laws are intricate. What’s great is the author really spends time explaining them (not in a boring, skim the paragraphs way either). I can sit here and still remember what most of the metals are AND what they do. This is truly an epic fantasy with a lot of pieces to hold the Final Empire together.

Overall audience notes:
- Epic fantasy
- No language
- A kiss (all “romance” scenes are the aforementioned lively conversations)
- Lots of violence, some detailed and gory

3.5 stars*

*Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in the review are completely my own. Thank you for the opportunity to read Romanov! Publication date, length, etc. subject to change.


HISTORICALLY MAGICAL.

Second note: some of this may seem like a spoiler, but Brandes does a wonderful job of intertwining history WITH the magical pieces. Anything I bring up historically, really did happen and shouldn't be a surprise at all. 

I think [know] I let myself get too hyped about this and was a little disappointed overall. It was still a good standalone that had the historic story as the basis with magic woven in so well that I was intrigued from the start! Some kinks left me wanting more.

I read this digitally, so let's see...it took til 54% through the book to FINALLY GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. I know we're in exile, but I was dying to see something else in my mind. There wasn't a lot of world building. I felt that I was expected to know what Russia and these other places looked like already so I missed out on the detailing of it all.

What I found really interesting was how Brandes gave the Romanov's such humanity. History dictates that this 300+ year old royal line was all kinds of crazy cruel (and that's putting it lightly). Now, I only know so much, this last group with Nicholas II as tsar could have been a more decent family than I'm aware of. It made me stop and think that all in all, this was a family. And this family was brutally murdered without trial.

This gave the whole family a lot more depth as "characters". They prayed together, were sincere to their captors, and were only wanting to be released somewhere together. Anastasia was fiercely loyal and protective of her brood. There was a huge emphasis on forgiveness from her character. This ideal repeatedly comes up as she struggles (rightly so) accepting her new fate. 

My biggest loss was the magic system. I have no idea how it works. Very little was ever explained. There's spell masters, spell ink, some can use it, some can't, how is it made, can anyone be a spell master, how does this spell work, SOMEONE HELP ME. I am so confused. Since this was the fantasy portion of the book I was looking for a more detailed story-line of why magic was the target of the Red Army in the first place. 

I am frazzled with one piece of the ending and booed at my book when it happened, but besides that this was the best ending for this book. And I mean that in a good way! Since it follows history, there's an assumption of what could've happened. I thought it was sweet and hopeful that fates cards were dealt differently for the Romanov's than what history served them.

One of my favorite parts of books are the Notes from the author (yes, I totally read those). When fully explained, they can really enhance the book! There was a wonderful explanation of what was true, what wasn't, and why she made certain creative decisions. It honestly made me like the book even more. I was totally surprised about some pieces actually being true! It helped me better understand the plot and the addition of some characters. 

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult historical fiction/fantasy
- No language
- A little love story that leads to a kiss or two
- Violence: y'all there is a lot so everyone is aware, it is the Russian Revolution and historically on point; plenty of blood and fairly detailed
- Trigger warnings: contemplation of suicide, gun violence