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OVERALL ENJOYED.
BLOG || INSTA
I feel really conflicted about this book. It took me longer than usual to get through and I really did enjoy it, but I didn’t love how the ending went down which kinda bummed the book overall.
The world building was really cool. I love that it was set in Romania! That is unique and vastly different than a lot of YA books and thought it was great. The world building was well done and I felt like I was running all over the countryside with Theo and Huck. They really went on an adventure and that wasn’t stagnant in the slightest.
What I did realize after finishing this book was that I am not [as big of a] fan of second chance romances where they grew up together. I didn’t get all the feels for them that I was hoping. Their banter and interactions were sweet and funny so I still shipped them overall. I was happy things worked out enough in the end. They had decent chemistry but I hated the nickname Banshee (and he would not stop calling her that).
What annoyed me with the ending was the transition to caring more about her Father than Huck. I get that the premise was about family, BUT Y’ALL, we spent the entire book reconnecting with Huck and looking for her Dad (where Theo continually talked about how annoyed and upset she was with him). Then, she leaves Huck in his moment of need to find her Dad, and I don’t know. Since she talked up not liking him, I frankly didn’t care that much what happened to him. There was an interesting twist involving Theo that was creepy and accurate for a novel set around Vlad the Impaler.
I did like the dialogue and writing style. The addition of the history from the region was very interesting. Bennett must have done a lot of research to make it as accurate as possible (with creative choices for the book). I do enjoy her style and look forward to reading more books from her.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult historical fiction + fantasy
- Language: some strong language
- Romance: a few kisses
- Violence: poison, dark magic, scythes, losing a finger
Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own. Release date, page length, etc. subject to change before publication.
BLOG || INSTA
I feel really conflicted about this book. It took me longer than usual to get through and I really did enjoy it, but I didn’t love how the ending went down which kinda bummed the book overall.
The world building was really cool. I love that it was set in Romania! That is unique and vastly different than a lot of YA books and thought it was great. The world building was well done and I felt like I was running all over the countryside with Theo and Huck. They really went on an adventure and that wasn’t stagnant in the slightest.
What I did realize after finishing this book was that I am not [as big of a] fan of second chance romances where they grew up together. I didn’t get all the feels for them that I was hoping. Their banter and interactions were sweet and funny so I still shipped them overall. I was happy things worked out enough in the end. They had decent chemistry but I hated the nickname Banshee (and he would not stop calling her that).
What annoyed me with the ending was the transition to caring more about her Father than Huck. I get that the premise was about family, BUT Y’ALL, we spent the entire book reconnecting with Huck and looking for her Dad (where Theo continually talked about how annoyed and upset she was with him). Then, she leaves Huck in his moment of need to find her Dad, and I don’t know. Since she talked up not liking him, I frankly didn’t care that much what happened to him. There was an interesting twist involving Theo that was creepy and accurate for a novel set around Vlad the Impaler.
I did like the dialogue and writing style. The addition of the history from the region was very interesting. Bennett must have done a lot of research to make it as accurate as possible (with creative choices for the book). I do enjoy her style and look forward to reading more books from her.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult historical fiction + fantasy
- Language: some strong language
- Romance: a few kisses
- Violence: poison, dark magic, scythes, losing a finger
Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own. Release date, page length, etc. subject to change before publication.
I LOVE THIS SERIES
re-read 2019
RE-READ WAS SO WORTH IT.
BLOG || INSTA
I listened to this on Audible with narration by Justine Eyre. I really loved it on audio and thought the voices and accents were great. Highly recommend in this format.
Oooooh I missed this book, Ooooooh I missed these characters and this romance that still felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest when I finished it.
THIS OTP Y’ALL. Kestrel and Arin are all mine. I can’t get enough and love the absolute slow, angsty burn they give off the entire book. Coming from two different sides in their world they have a lot to conquer to realize they want each other. They slowly build from a tentative friendship to a passion-filled moment where the pieces start to fall into place. I love that the power dynamic flips between the two and we get to see how each responds to their struggles. While still fighting for their country, Kestrel and Arin realize they have started to fight for each other too.
Sneaky politicking and schemes abound in this entire series, but I love seeing the start-up in TWCurse. There’s a glimpse of the players laying out plans and putting others into action that really build over the books. I love the sharp mind Kestrel has to flush out and strategize. It’s even cooler how their game, Bite and Sting, has its own roll in the books.
So much action. I love how things are constantly fluctuating from slower, quiet moments to big, WHAT WILL HAPPEN moments. I found myself this time (it’s been 3 years since I’ve read it), still guessing a bit and LOVING IT. I generally knew what was going to happen, yet, when a book can provide the feels a second time around, you know it’s good.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy (focus on romance)
- Language: none
- Romance: a few passionate kisses
- Violence: battles/skirmishes, duels, poison, swords
re-read 2019
RE-READ WAS SO WORTH IT.
BLOG || INSTA
I listened to this on Audible with narration by Justine Eyre. I really loved it on audio and thought the voices and accents were great. Highly recommend in this format.
Oooooh I missed this book, Ooooooh I missed these characters and this romance that still felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest when I finished it.
THIS OTP Y’ALL. Kestrel and Arin are all mine. I can’t get enough and love the absolute slow, angsty burn they give off the entire book. Coming from two different sides in their world they have a lot to conquer to realize they want each other. They slowly build from a tentative friendship to a passion-filled moment where the pieces start to fall into place. I love that the power dynamic flips between the two and we get to see how each responds to their struggles. While still fighting for their country, Kestrel and Arin realize they have started to fight for each other too.
Sneaky politicking and schemes abound in this entire series, but I love seeing the start-up in TWCurse. There’s a glimpse of the players laying out plans and putting others into action that really build over the books. I love the sharp mind Kestrel has to flush out and strategize. It’s even cooler how their game, Bite and Sting, has its own roll in the books.
So much action. I love how things are constantly fluctuating from slower, quiet moments to big, WHAT WILL HAPPEN moments. I found myself this time (it’s been 3 years since I’ve read it), still guessing a bit and LOVING IT. I generally knew what was going to happen, yet, when a book can provide the feels a second time around, you know it’s good.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy (focus on romance)
- Language: none
- Romance: a few passionate kisses
- Violence: battles/skirmishes, duels, poison, swords
JUST PLOWING THROUGH THIS SERIES.
BLOG || INSTA
I’ve been listening to the later books on audio and the narrator does voices for everyone and it’s so fun! Really liking this format.
Book three brought it better than book two. YAY.
I love meeting so many new characters! Each book has had a new layer of mythology plus the addition of characters to back it up. It’s great meeting other kids and gods and really rounding out the story as a whole.
There’s more adventure and we see Percy have to handle the situation without Annabeth (which of course, has many ups and downs). I missed Annabeth though! I lover her intelligent, slightly snarky, but golden-hearted self. Her connection with others and ability to help those around her willingly makes her a forever favorite. The chemistry between Percy and Annabeth (and I’m not even meaning romantically) is easy to love and I am fully behind this friendship before anything.
I do have hope that Luke is heading for redemption. I think in this series it would be a great character arc for him to realize his faux pas and be able to come back to the fold. There were some other character moments I didn’t see coming! I’m curious how that will play out in the next book with different people going different ways. No matter, this series is fun and engaging.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult/middle grade fantasy + mythology
- Language: none
- Romance: none
- Violence: some, never gory, all creatures “disappear” rather than die a bloody death
BLOG || INSTA
I’ve been listening to the later books on audio and the narrator does voices for everyone and it’s so fun! Really liking this format.
Book three brought it better than book two. YAY.
I love meeting so many new characters! Each book has had a new layer of mythology plus the addition of characters to back it up. It’s great meeting other kids and gods and really rounding out the story as a whole.
There’s more adventure and we see Percy have to handle the situation without Annabeth (which of course, has many ups and downs). I missed Annabeth though! I lover her intelligent, slightly snarky, but golden-hearted self. Her connection with others and ability to help those around her willingly makes her a forever favorite. The chemistry between Percy and Annabeth (and I’m not even meaning romantically) is easy to love and I am fully behind this friendship before anything.
I do have hope that Luke is heading for redemption. I think in this series it would be a great character arc for him to realize his faux pas and be able to come back to the fold. There were some other character moments I didn’t see coming! I’m curious how that will play out in the next book with different people going different ways. No matter, this series is fun and engaging.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult/middle grade fantasy + mythology
- Language: none
- Romance: none
- Violence: some, never gory, all creatures “disappear” rather than die a bloody death
A FANTASTIC SOPHOMORE BOOK.
BLOG || INSTA
I initially went into this book a little nervous because I was iffy on her first book, An Enchantment of Ravens. I LOVED this book so much more! Oh I’m so happy I picked this up, it was an easy 4 stars to give (which yes, still means I enjoyed it!).
One of my previous issues was that the writing was too flowery for me personally. I don’t need a page describing a tree for me to feel like I’m there. This book really cut back on that, but still built an amazing setting and world. It was such a relief. The way the grimoires were crazy clever. I loved the idea of the books being able to come to life and having their own personalities.
The sass from Nathaniel was on point. I love a good cheeky sorcerer as much as the next fantasy reader. The relationship between Elisabeth and Nathaniel was a great slow-er burn. I never felt like it was rushed and actually wondered at times when it was coming back on screen. This was another big step-up from book one. They had great chemistry and it was easy to ship them.
I could have used a little less of Silas *shrugs*. At times I felt he was a bigger piece of the book than Elisabeth was and she’s the main POV. I’m cheering for her, and I don’t want the focus to continually be on a side character. I did like his arc and thought he was the perfect dose of a creepy, good-at-his-core, demon. Those are hard to find.
Elisabeth was a great character. She had emotions, ambitions and went out and did what needed to be done. I appreciate that she didn’t wait around to move the plot forward and took matters into her own hands. She was brave and strong, and I would definitely love to be her friend.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: some kisses, an almost love scene (clothing is beginning to be removed), make-outs
- Violence: magic, poison, explosions, swords, murder
BLOG || INSTA
I initially went into this book a little nervous because I was iffy on her first book, An Enchantment of Ravens. I LOVED this book so much more! Oh I’m so happy I picked this up, it was an easy 4 stars to give (which yes, still means I enjoyed it!).
One of my previous issues was that the writing was too flowery for me personally. I don’t need a page describing a tree for me to feel like I’m there. This book really cut back on that, but still built an amazing setting and world. It was such a relief. The way the grimoires were crazy clever. I loved the idea of the books being able to come to life and having their own personalities.
The sass from Nathaniel was on point. I love a good cheeky sorcerer as much as the next fantasy reader. The relationship between Elisabeth and Nathaniel was a great slow-er burn. I never felt like it was rushed and actually wondered at times when it was coming back on screen. This was another big step-up from book one. They had great chemistry and it was easy to ship them.
I could have used a little less of Silas *shrugs*. At times I felt he was a bigger piece of the book than Elisabeth was and she’s the main POV. I’m cheering for her, and I don’t want the focus to continually be on a side character. I did like his arc and thought he was the perfect dose of a creepy, good-at-his-core, demon. Those are hard to find.
Elisabeth was a great character. She had emotions, ambitions and went out and did what needed to be done. I appreciate that she didn’t wait around to move the plot forward and took matters into her own hands. She was brave and strong, and I would definitely love to be her friend.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: some kisses, an almost love scene (clothing is beginning to be removed), make-outs
- Violence: magic, poison, explosions, swords, murder
NOW I’M GETTING INVESTED.
BLOG || INSTA
I find it rare to come across a short fantasy book (less than 300 pages). I’m loving that this are this short because it’s a good break from big daunting fantasy books.
Alanna is someone I think we can all cheer for. I love continuing to watch her grow and become a powerful woman in her own right. She makes her own decisions and has her own convictions about how she wants her life to go and I applaud her for trying to attain those goals.
Yes, things could be overall fleshed out more. That’s the downfall to shorter reads. This has a lot of focus on just Alanna. A lot of information is thrown into casual conversation without any backstory. I occasionally was confused as to why things happened but, I like focusing on Alanna and what she’s going through rather than what everyone else is doing. This is a rare case of me being able to overlook these matters.
Her kinda sort-of-ish love connection is intriguing. I like that Alanna is choosing who she wants to be with on her own volition (but also you said you didn’t want to be with anyone…so….?). It’s good and fine and all, but I’m not sure they’re endgame. I think it would be interesting if she actually ended up with no one and she originally intended. WE’LL SEE.
The villain still makes me laugh. He’s not evil enough for me and since Alanna keeps besting him, there’s not a push and pull of issues between them.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: some kisses, mentions of spending the night with each other, but no actual depictions of those nights
- Violence: swords, poison, magic, kidnapping, murder, battle skirmishes
BLOG || INSTA
I find it rare to come across a short fantasy book (less than 300 pages). I’m loving that this are this short because it’s a good break from big daunting fantasy books.
Alanna is someone I think we can all cheer for. I love continuing to watch her grow and become a powerful woman in her own right. She makes her own decisions and has her own convictions about how she wants her life to go and I applaud her for trying to attain those goals.
Yes, things could be overall fleshed out more. That’s the downfall to shorter reads. This has a lot of focus on just Alanna. A lot of information is thrown into casual conversation without any backstory. I occasionally was confused as to why things happened but, I like focusing on Alanna and what she’s going through rather than what everyone else is doing. This is a rare case of me being able to overlook these matters.
Her kinda sort-of-ish love connection is intriguing. I like that Alanna is choosing who she wants to be with on her own volition (but also you said you didn’t want to be with anyone…so….?). It’s good and fine and all, but I’m not sure they’re endgame. I think it would be interesting if she actually ended up with no one and she originally intended. WE’LL SEE.
The villain still makes me laugh. He’s not evil enough for me and since Alanna keeps besting him, there’s not a push and pull of issues between them.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: some kisses, mentions of spending the night with each other, but no actual depictions of those nights
- Violence: swords, poison, magic, kidnapping, murder, battle skirmishes
Reread June 2022: Dude. I'm still in shock by that cliffhanger. This book amps the romance in the BEST DANG WAYS.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT KIND OF CLIFFHANGER?!
BLOG || INSTA
THAT WAS THE BIGGEST CLIFFHANGER I HAVE EVER READ. At least I think so, it’s the most recent one in my memory that had me literally buy the next book (YAY KINDLE) at that moment and read the first chapter to make sure I had a handle on what happened.
I’M NOT OKAY.
This book drew me in, loved me, THEN BROKE ME. I am so hooked by this series now.
The focus here is the love story. And I know that not everyone loves stories like that and I understand, but for me? ALL DAYYYYYY. I love love. Anywho, Aldrik and Vhalla just broke into my top five OTPs. I absolutely can’t get enough of their interactions and I was pretty sure this slow burn was going to be the end of me. It was slowww and so well built. By the time I actually got a kiss scene I squealed. That’s all I wanted y’all. Some declarations and some kissing. YES.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT KIND OF CLIFFHANGER?!
BLOG || INSTA
THAT WAS THE BIGGEST CLIFFHANGER I HAVE EVER READ. At least I think so, it’s the most recent one in my memory that had me literally buy the next book (YAY KINDLE) at that moment and read the first chapter to make sure I had a handle on what happened.
I’M NOT OKAY.
This book drew me in, loved me, THEN BROKE ME. I am so hooked by this series now.
The focus here is the love story. And I know that not everyone loves stories like that and I understand, but for me? ALL DAYYYYYY. I love love. Anywho, Aldrik and Vhalla just broke into my top five OTPs. I absolutely can’t get enough of their interactions and I was pretty sure this slow burn was going to be the end of me. It was slowww and so well built. By the time I actually got a kiss scene I squealed. That’s all I wanted y’all. Some declarations and some kissing. YES.
“My Vhalla, my lady, my love.”
There’s a lot more going on than this relationship (but am I honestly paying that much attention? Okay, not as much as I should). I am loving the politics of finding out more about the Emperor. His character is a bit of an enigma still. I want to know all the reasons he’s really trying to conquer the lands around him.
All of these side characters are amazing. I am devastated by some choices Kova made for them, but I will prevail. It’s too great of writing for me to be that upset. Everyone is easy to love (or hate) and I feel connected to the story through all of them. I love the roles everyone is playing and can’t wait to see those continue.
This book surprisingly takes place over a couple of weeks on the way to the battle. I didn’t even realize this because I was so focused on everyone else. I was entranced by this book and I’m pretty confident that Elise Kova is going to be an auto-buy author by the end of this.
HERE FOR IT ALL Y’ALL.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy (focus on romance)
- Language: none (or maybe one word, but so little I didn’t notice)
- Romance: some kisses/make-outs, sleeping in the same bed but actually sleeping, no sex scenes
- Violence: knives, swords, a bit bloody, elemental magic, murder, loss of loved ones, poison
GETTING BETTER & BETTER.
BLOG || INSTA
This installment was my favorite yet, another simple quick read that I devoured in a day.
I love the world that Ritter has built. And each book has added another piece to the world itself. We get to see new locations, adventures and characters that only add to the book.
Jackaby is so fun to watch. He has some of the best small talk and one-liners and seeing him have some feelings?! YES. It’s also great that we got some back-story on him and I like this new layer it added to his character. My favorite is that this book is heavy on the friendship. And while I love romance, when a friendship is done so well you don’t even notice it’s awesome. Abigail and Jackaby have a great relationship and genuinely care for each other, what a great duo.
Charlie and Abigail took a much bigger backseat than in the previous books. Almost as if it might have been best to not even have a romance component for Abigail (unless it all comes together in book four, to be determined). I think they’re SO CUTE, but since I wish we had more of them it’s hard to love this romance wholly.
What I realized in this third book was that so much from the beginning of this series is pulling through to the finale. There’s been a lot of build-up and slowly peeling away the layers to create what I know will be an amazing finale. I love how nuanced some of these aspects have been and how it’s all falling into place.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult supernatural fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: a kiss or two
- Violence: murder, vampires, physical, some magical
BLOG || INSTA
This installment was my favorite yet, another simple quick read that I devoured in a day.
I love the world that Ritter has built. And each book has added another piece to the world itself. We get to see new locations, adventures and characters that only add to the book.
Jackaby is so fun to watch. He has some of the best small talk and one-liners and seeing him have some feelings?! YES. It’s also great that we got some back-story on him and I like this new layer it added to his character. My favorite is that this book is heavy on the friendship. And while I love romance, when a friendship is done so well you don’t even notice it’s awesome. Abigail and Jackaby have a great relationship and genuinely care for each other, what a great duo.
Charlie and Abigail took a much bigger backseat than in the previous books. Almost as if it might have been best to not even have a romance component for Abigail (unless it all comes together in book four, to be determined). I think they’re SO CUTE, but since I wish we had more of them it’s hard to love this romance wholly.
What I realized in this third book was that so much from the beginning of this series is pulling through to the finale. There’s been a lot of build-up and slowly peeling away the layers to create what I know will be an amazing finale. I love how nuanced some of these aspects have been and how it’s all falling into place.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult supernatural fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: a kiss or two
- Violence: murder, vampires, physical, some magical
Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Teen/Inkyard Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.
REALLY FEELIN’ THIS.
BLOG || INSTA
Oh wow. I am so excited I received an ARC for this because it was fantastic!
At first, I was worried. I didn’t realize this was a duology (once I checked this, it also quickly got better and made more sense). It took about 40% of the way through the book to get Nor off her home island, Varenia. I still think too much time was spent there, but it seems it was being used to really build a background for Nor and her family/lifestyle.
Once off the island and in Ilara, things start really going down. I was all for one of the princes because I imagined him as this rough bad guy who has a soft side that would slowly come out. HOT DANG, I was wrong. I kept flipping pages trying to see if we would get a redemption for him, and it still hasn’t happened. I thought I would be frustrated with this, but instead…I am here for it. Own your evil. He’s an amazing villain that I know has many more layers that I can’t wait to see in book two.
Nor’s love interest is growing on me. Since I wasn’t for him at first I had pushed him to the side for a bit until it was clear what was brewing between the two. I love the mystery and intrigue behind him as well. There’s so much to still learn. We got plenty in this book and it felt like it left just the right amount out for further solving the puzzle of the princes of Ilara.
I really loved Nor as our main character. She grew on me over the story. I liked that she had such a tight sister bond with Zadie and that that never wavered. Family continually remained important to her. Nor was sneaky, a bit impulsive, and full of love for those close to her. I am behind her as a heroine for Varenia.
I thought the pacing at times was slow, but things continually picked up. It made this hard to put down and I was always wondering what would happen next. The ending was left open, but not in a CLIFFHANGER kind of way.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: very little light language
- Romance: a few kisses, occasionally a little passionate
- Violence: poison, torture, blood-letting, swords, knives, near-drownings, throwing people off of cliffs, murder
REALLY FEELIN’ THIS.
BLOG || INSTA
Oh wow. I am so excited I received an ARC for this because it was fantastic!
At first, I was worried. I didn’t realize this was a duology (once I checked this, it also quickly got better and made more sense). It took about 40% of the way through the book to get Nor off her home island, Varenia. I still think too much time was spent there, but it seems it was being used to really build a background for Nor and her family/lifestyle.
Once off the island and in Ilara, things start really going down. I was all for one of the princes because I imagined him as this rough bad guy who has a soft side that would slowly come out. HOT DANG, I was wrong. I kept flipping pages trying to see if we would get a redemption for him, and it still hasn’t happened. I thought I would be frustrated with this, but instead…I am here for it. Own your evil. He’s an amazing villain that I know has many more layers that I can’t wait to see in book two.
Nor’s love interest is growing on me. Since I wasn’t for him at first I had pushed him to the side for a bit until it was clear what was brewing between the two. I love the mystery and intrigue behind him as well. There’s so much to still learn. We got plenty in this book and it felt like it left just the right amount out for further solving the puzzle of the princes of Ilara.
I really loved Nor as our main character. She grew on me over the story. I liked that she had such a tight sister bond with Zadie and that that never wavered. Family continually remained important to her. Nor was sneaky, a bit impulsive, and full of love for those close to her. I am behind her as a heroine for Varenia.
I thought the pacing at times was slow, but things continually picked up. It made this hard to put down and I was always wondering what would happen next. The ending was left open, but not in a CLIFFHANGER kind of way.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: very little light language
- Romance: a few kisses, occasionally a little passionate
- Violence: poison, torture, blood-letting, swords, knives, near-drownings, throwing people off of cliffs, murder
JUST MOVING RIGHT ALONG THROUGH THESE BOOKS!
BLOG || INSTA
Another fun, quick read. I am loving the audio books! It’s amazing how quick they go by when you’re listening.
This one took a bit of a different turn with following Annabeth on a quest! I initially loved this idea and was here for it, but her teen jealousy streak with Rachel kinda annoyed me. I’m still confident that Annabeth & Percy are endgame so the addition of Rachel was a bit superfluous. I’m curious how this plays out in the last book.
I also thought Grover was over staying his welcome too. I LOVE his character, but since his story line is so different it might have been good as its own novella or something, I’m not sure.
I do love the friendships between everyone. Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Tyson (with occasional additions of Rachel and Nico) are who I want to cheer for and be friends with myself. They have such a tight bond and care deeply for one another. I love that this read has its focus there. It’s a nice change of pace from the romances I generally read.
The labyrinth was SO COOL. I thought it was fun and inventive and a great change of location. This book needed a better edge and the maze gave it. You never knew quite where they would end up and there were so many mini adventures along the way.
This build-up for the final battle has me on my toes. WHAT HAPPENS. I have a handful of thoughts and preferences to what happens, but no idea what is actually coming. I know this last book is going to be the best one.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult/middle-grade urban fantasy + mythology
- Language: none
- Romance: a kiss
- Violence: some, but never very bloody/full of gore
BLOG || INSTA
Another fun, quick read. I am loving the audio books! It’s amazing how quick they go by when you’re listening.
This one took a bit of a different turn with following Annabeth on a quest! I initially loved this idea and was here for it, but her teen jealousy streak with Rachel kinda annoyed me. I’m still confident that Annabeth & Percy are endgame so the addition of Rachel was a bit superfluous. I’m curious how this plays out in the last book.
I also thought Grover was over staying his welcome too. I LOVE his character, but since his story line is so different it might have been good as its own novella or something, I’m not sure.
I do love the friendships between everyone. Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Tyson (with occasional additions of Rachel and Nico) are who I want to cheer for and be friends with myself. They have such a tight bond and care deeply for one another. I love that this read has its focus there. It’s a nice change of pace from the romances I generally read.
The labyrinth was SO COOL. I thought it was fun and inventive and a great change of location. This book needed a better edge and the maze gave it. You never knew quite where they would end up and there were so many mini adventures along the way.
This build-up for the final battle has me on my toes. WHAT HAPPENS. I have a handful of thoughts and preferences to what happens, but no idea what is actually coming. I know this last book is going to be the best one.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult/middle-grade urban fantasy + mythology
- Language: none
- Romance: a kiss
- Violence: some, but never very bloody/full of gore
WHY. WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY?
BLOG || INSTA
From the summary alone, I knew I was going to be destroyed by this book. And I was unfortunately right, but it hurt even worse. I sat there numb after, not knowing what I was supposed to do next. How do we go on?
I love this series so much. All of these characters are absolutely stunning. Everyone has back story, desires, strengths and weaknesses, EVERYTHING. I love each one of them in their own ways. Even the antagonists have stories and reasons. It makes this push and pull so intriguing and well thought out. There’s a lot of political movements, battles, and quiet moments.
In previous reviews I mentioned that I felt it was missing a touch of romance. THIS GAVE IT TO ME. It just needed a little and this was the perfect amount. I saw some new relationships blossom (and I AM HERE FOR IT) that were tender and precious to watch. I saw some relationships strengthen and hold fast to one another in the darkest moments. I unfortunately saw some relationships ripped from my hands as I pleaded to the bookish gods to give them ONE MORE MOMENT. *walks away from review*
*deep breath*
Okay, I’m back. I clearly am still struggling with that conclusion. Age of War does not mess around and the loss that occurred throughout this book was devastating. I’m really invested in these characters y’all.
And while I love them, the world building and magic system bring it all together. This world is vast and I feel I’m only scratching the surface. It’s utterly stunning. I think the magic system is clever and actually makes sense (I know we’ve all read magic books when we sit there saying “what….?”). There’s reasoning and explanations for why things are the way they are (regardless if it should or will remain that way).
This series is fantastic and I will recommend it ALL DAY.
Overall audience notes:
- High fantasy
- Language: b*tch used two or three times
- Romance: a few kisses
- Violence: swords, elemental magic, poison, arrows, demons, physical
- Trigger warnings: suicide ideation
BLOG || INSTA
From the summary alone, I knew I was going to be destroyed by this book. And I was unfortunately right, but it hurt even worse. I sat there numb after, not knowing what I was supposed to do next. How do we go on?
I love this series so much. All of these characters are absolutely stunning. Everyone has back story, desires, strengths and weaknesses, EVERYTHING. I love each one of them in their own ways. Even the antagonists have stories and reasons. It makes this push and pull so intriguing and well thought out. There’s a lot of political movements, battles, and quiet moments.
In previous reviews I mentioned that I felt it was missing a touch of romance. THIS GAVE IT TO ME. It just needed a little and this was the perfect amount. I saw some new relationships blossom (and I AM HERE FOR IT) that were tender and precious to watch. I saw some relationships strengthen and hold fast to one another in the darkest moments. I unfortunately saw some relationships ripped from my hands as I pleaded to the bookish gods to give them ONE MORE MOMENT. *walks away from review*
*deep breath*
Okay, I’m back. I clearly am still struggling with that conclusion. Age of War does not mess around and the loss that occurred throughout this book was devastating. I’m really invested in these characters y’all.
And while I love them, the world building and magic system bring it all together. This world is vast and I feel I’m only scratching the surface. It’s utterly stunning. I think the magic system is clever and actually makes sense (I know we’ve all read magic books when we sit there saying “what….?”). There’s reasoning and explanations for why things are the way they are (regardless if it should or will remain that way).
This series is fantastic and I will recommend it ALL DAY.
Overall audience notes:
- High fantasy
- Language: b*tch used two or three times
- Romance: a few kisses
- Violence: swords, elemental magic, poison, arrows, demons, physical
- Trigger warnings: suicide ideation