Thank you to Fierce Reads and Marie Lu for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Marie Lu’s spy romance is thrilling and impossible to put down! 

 

Lu gets creative with “Stars and Smoke,” drawing inspiration from famous celebrity secret agents throughout American history. In her fictional world, Winter Young is a global pop phenomenon that has been breaking records left and right. His rising star status catches the eye of the Panacea group—a private company hired out by the CIA to infiltrate criminal tycoon Eli Morrison’s security. Sydney Cossette, Panacea’s youngest spy, is chosen to be Winter’s partner while he charm’s Morrison’s daughter at her birthday party. She reluctantly shows him the ropes while pretending to be his bodyguard. But when things go wrong and their target becomes the lesser of two evils, they realize that something far more sinister is at play. 

 

Lu goes to great lengths to immerse the reader in the high stakes environment associated with the Panacea group, which I appreciated. She creates cool gadgets for her characters, going into detail about what role they play in their mission, and walks the reader through Winter and Sydney’s necessary training. 

 

I also absolutely loved being able to read from alternating perspectives! Winter and Sydney’s backstories made my heart ache, though I should have anticipated the feeling because Lu’s words often bring tears to my eyes. In Winter’s case, all he wants is to be loved after living his whole life believing that he is unwanted. Sydney wants to put the years of abuse behind her and find the place where she belongs. Both characters seemed to be lost souls unsure of their place in the world until they met each other. I loved watching the two barely tolerate each other at the beginning of the novel, bickering the first chance they could get. However, the more they fought, the harder they fell for each other and their forbidden romance tugged at my heartstrings. 

 

I cannot wait for Sydney and Winter to reunite in the next serial standalone! 

Thank you to Gallery / Saga Press and Chloe Gong for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Gong makes a name for herself as an adult fantasy writer with her explosive debut “Immortal Longings.” 

 

As with her other works, Gong draws inspiration for her novel from Shakespeare—specifically from his play “Antony and Cleopatra” in this instance. Her fictional world encompassing the kingdom of Talin’s capital twin cities, San-Er, closely resembles Kowloon Walled City— an ungoverned and lawless territory that was once the most crowded place on Earth. Though the walled city was demolished in real life, Gong keeps its memory alive in her writing through her intricate world-building and descriptive prose. 

 

Gong completely leans into the fantasy genre with “Immortal Longings,” which I thoroughly enjoyed. She establishes that those who have a strong qui are able to jump between bodies. This ability is crucial to the people of San-Er’s survival, as the twin cities have high rates of prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse. Additionally, jumping is beneficial to those competing in the King’s Games—a series of games hosted by the monarch of Talon where 88 citizens fight to the death to win unimaginable riches. The reader is able to alternate between the perspectives of two of the king’s players: Princess Calla Tuoleimi and Anton Makusa. 

 

Princess Calla is a fierce cat lady who rocks bangs and leather jackets. She killed her own parents (the former rulers of Er) to bring down the monarchy, is no stranger around a sword, and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. After years of hiding, she enters the games in secret, dead set on finishing the job she started by killing King Kasa—the ruler of San. Her chance meeting with Anton, however, throws a wrench in her plans. 

 

Anton is a master jumper who was exiled from his life as an aristocrat. If he wins, he hopes to use the winnings to pay off the debt he owes to the hospital for keeping his childhood love alive while she is in a coma. While she is the one to give Anton’s life direction, Calla is the one to give it purpose. 

 

On their own, Calla and Anton were merely surviving, but together, in their unexpected alliance, they find a way to live. The spark that develops between them reaches a fever pitch leading up to Gong’s first steamy scene, which is as violent as it is delightful. 

 

Aside from Calla and Anton’s points-of-view, Gong supplies the reader with chapters written from August, Pampi, and Yilas’ viewpoints. Through them, we learn of every betrayal, deception, and ruse. Despite this and knowing in advance that “Antony and Cleopatra” is a Shakespearean tragedy, nothing could have prepared me for the whiplash I experienced at the end of “Immortal Longings.” I’m afraid my heart won’t stop pounding until I get book two of the “Flesh and False Gods” series in my hands. 

Review: Ahdieh’s retelling of “The Arabian Nights” is made magical by her prose. 

 

Unfortunately, I did not love this book as much as I would’ve had I read it in middle school. As someone early in their twenties, I found myself getting frequently frustrated by the rash decisions made by Shahrzad (Shazi)—the novel’s sixteen-year-old protagonist—and how quickly she abandoned her revenge plot even though I likely would have had the same impulsive behavior at that age.  

 

I also had trouble investing in the romantic relationship between Shazi and Khalid (her love interest and the Caliph of Khorasan) because it developed too quickly for my tastes and did not seem believable as a result. Shazi claimed to hate him so much because of the women he killed, his difficult personality, and the numerous secrets he kept from her, but then fell for him at a moment’s notice citing his dashing appearance. Both characters presented many red flags, Shazi especially for initiating strange sexual encounters that I could not wrap my brain around. 

 

While their romantic connection forms almost instantly, the novel’s main conflict does not present itself until the very end, which is frustrating. I did, however, enjoy Ahdieh’s beautiful, immersive prose. She uses language that is reminiscent of her source material to build a world with magic and deadly curses that the reader explores through alternating points-of-view. 

Review: Mafi’s first book in her new fantasy trilogy is breathtaking! 

 

“This Woven Kingdom” alternates between the viewpoints of Alizeh (the long lost heir to a Jinn Kingdom living as a servant) and Kamran (the crown Prince of Ardunia). Both characters lead wildly different lives because of their status in society, which allows the reader to see Ardunia at its best and worst. 

 

Alizeh and Kamran’s chance meeting sparks a forbidden attraction that reaches a fever pitch as the novel progresses. Their shared moments were few and far between, but had an addictive quality to them that kept me engaged and eager to keep reading. The knife to the throat passages paired with Mafi’s lyrical and descriptive prose is magic on the page. 

 

Another aspect of the novel that made it so captivating is how Mafi weaves elements of Persian mythology into her world-building. At the novel’s outset she establishes Ardunia as a powerful empire populated by Jinn (humanoids that possess strength, speed, and rapid healing abilities) and humans. Only Kamran knows that the empire is at risk of falling because of water scarcity and Alizeh’s existence. These threats to the throne nicely set up two of the novel’s main conflicts: the war over water with the neighboring empire of Tulan and the hunt for the Jinn prophesied to bring Ardunia to its knees. Both conflicts work well with the tropes Mafi incorporates in her writing (forbidden love and enemies to lovers) and intrigued me as a reader. 

Review: Borison’s small town romance is the perfect holiday read! 

 

“Lovelight Farms” is told from the perspective of Stella Bloom, the owner of a Christmas tree farm. But Stella’s magical winter wonderland is on the brink of foreclosure due to the financial hits it has taken. In an effort to save the place she has loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest hosted by instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James hoping to win the $100,000 cash prize and new customers with the publicity. To appeal to Evelyn St. James and her audience, Stella lies on her application, saying she owns the farm with her boyfriend, who is nonexistent. Luckily, Luka Peters, her best friend, comes to the rescue and agrees to play the part. 

 

Borison does a great job familiarizing the reader with the inner workings of Luka and Stella’s nearly decade old friendship. Through Stella’s perspective, the reader is given access to their first meeting, the routine they share, and pivotal moments over the years they hold dear. Even though Stella’s messiness contrasts Luka’s tidiness, their differing personalities perfectly compliment each other. 

 

I love how Borison slowly captures Stella and Luka’s natural development from friends to lovers on the page with hand holding, cuddling, kissing and the activities that eventually take place in the bedroom. Their efforts to prioritize each other’s presence in each other’s lives over the romantic relationship they are exploring is endearing…they truly do not want to lose each other which is a deep-rooted fear reflective of their pasts. 

 

I cannot wait to explore the other relationships that form between the secondary characters introduced in “Lovelight Farms” in later books in the series. 

Review: Zhao’s Chinese fantasy novel “Song of Silver, Flame Like Night” is every bit as epic as it is lyrical! 

 

“Song of Silver, Flame Like Night” alternates between the perspectives of Lan, a songgirl, and Zen, one of the few surviving practitioners of the Last Kingdom. The two are brought together by fate at a teahouse in Haak’gong, a city colonized by the Elantian regime. Lan discovers that Zen is the only one that is able to see the mark on her arm left by her mother before she was killed—the mark of practitioner with a powerful ability that the Elantians seek to destroy. With danger lurking everywhere, Lan and Zen escape to the only remaining school of practitioning in hopes of finding the answers they seek to the secrets buried within. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the origin of Lan and Zen’s secrets whilst occupying their minds. Their distinct voices and their flaws made them all the more compelling and contributed to my love for the relationship that bloomed between them. 

 

Another aspect of the novel I appreciated is Zhao’s world-building. It is absolutely phenomenal! She immerses the reader in her world by providing rich descriptions of the land, detailing important elements of Hin culture, and dedicating an entire section of the preface to the history of the Last Kingdom leading up to the Elantian conquest. 

 

Zhao’s complex magic system compliments the world she establishes. She draws from the mythology and folklore of ancient China to inspire the way of the practitioners (magicians in a sense). In her fictional tale, practitioners draw qi from the natural world and channel it into Seals that have certain functions, which I found fascinating. The most skilled practitioners draw from both yīn and yáng energies, the two halves of all qi, to stay balanced. Demonic practitioners, however, wield qi consisting largely of yīn energies and bind demons to themselves to borrow their power. 

 

The Elantians have magic of their own that matches that of the practitioners and make them formidable foes. They are able to harness the power of metal to create their magic. Bronzes and Coppers have the ability to wield only a single metal to do their bidding whereas Alloys have the ability to work multiple metals. 

 

The end of “Song of Silver, Flame Like Night” is devastating and powerful in equal measure. I cannot wait to see where Zhao takes her readers in book two of this magical duology!

Review: Bardugo’s adult fantasy debut is masterfully written. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed how the novel alternates between both Alex and Darlington’s perspectives. The longer I occupied their minds and uncovered their flaws, motivations, and fears, the more I grew attached to them as a result. 

 

Additionally, I appreciated how Bardugo organizes “Ninth House”’s timeline by idea instead of by chronological order of events, which was a breath of fresh air. I was constantly on my toes as each chapter haphazardly moved backward and forward in time, caught off guard by the clever plot twists and shocking reveals in connection with the fantastical murder mystery storyline. 

 

What made Bardugo’s novel even more enjoyable was her world-building. Much of the novel takes place in the New Haven area, specifically on Yale’s campus. Bardugo does a fantastic job immersing the reader in Yale’s atmosphere by providing detailed descriptions of the campus architecture, drawing the reader’s attention to defining landmarks, and weaving in the institution’s history. Her magic system is entirely unique and revolves around Yale’s many secret societies. Built on Nexus’ of power, the fictional Lethe House is meant to regulate their activities. Different abilities are attributed to each of the nine houses (illusions, elemental magic, shapeshifting, necromancy, portal magic, divination by use of reading entrails, etc.) and I loved trying to figure out what role each house played in the murder plot. 

 

This book easily made my favorites list! I cannot wait to get my hands on “Hell Bent” and get my Darlington fix!

Review: Kiera Cass certainly toys with hearts in her first dual pov standalone! 

“A Thousand Heartbeats” alternates between Princess Annika and Lennox’s perspectives. As a member of the Kadier royal family, Annika lives a life controlled by her duty to her country. As a solider of the Dahrainian army, Lennox lives a life driven by the hope that he will one day reclaim the land that Kadier stole from his people. When Annika and Lennox’s worlds collide, heartstrings become entangled despite the fierce rivalry between their kingdoms. The more they fight their deeply rooted feelings for each other, the more they realize that love truly is stronger than hate.

Admittedly I was intimidated by the length of “A Thousand Heartbeats” (seeing that it is twice the size of Cass’ usual books), but the short chapters paired with the compelling plot twists and incorporation of some of my favorite tropes (namely enemies-to-lovers and forbidden love) kept me engaged throughout the novel’s entirety.

Another aspect of “A Thousand Heartbeats” that I enjoyed was Cass’ world-building. She immerses the reader in Kadier’s rich history through Annika’s celebration of Founder’s day—a day in which the country’s citizens take part in a fox chase and a painted stone hunt. In a similar fashion, Cass paints a picture of Dahrain by exposing the reader to Matraleit—a holiday centered around love and the first wedding of the first people to walk the earth. 

My only gripe with this novel is that Cass borrows plot points from her other publications and weaves them into “A Thousand Heartbeats,” making the storyline predictable. However, this issue will not impact first time readers of Cass’ body of work and did not diminish my love for Cass’ storytelling. 

Review: Grace’s debut novel brings the heat! 

“Icebreaker” alternates between the perspectives of Anastasia (Stassie) Allen and Nathan Hawkins, who are both very competitive when it comes to their respective sports on the ice (figure skating and hockey). Reading from the viewpoints of both characters allowed me to occupy their minds and truly discover when they stopped seeing each other as enemies and instead as lovers. 

Receiving such intimate access to their thoughts also allows the reader to fully realize the extent of the struggles that the characters grapple with. For instance, Stassie struggles with an eating disorder stemming from a diet imposed upon her by her toxic pairs skating partner. Her partner’s behavior negatively impacts her mental health, but she does not suffer in silence. Instead, she raises awareness for readers and becomes a mental health advocate by actively attending therapy sessions, being vocal about how she is feeling, and asking for help when she needs it. I appreciate Grace for handling such sensitive subject matters with care and providing accurate representation for readers. 

Another aspect of the novel I enjoyed is how Stassie’s stubborn and determined nature perfectly compliments Nathan fun-loving spirit, making them the ultimate comfort couple! They support each other, want each other to succeed, and would do anything to make each other happy. I could practically feel their chemistry radiating off the page, which made it all the harder to recover from their absence after reading the final page. 

My only word of caution to those reading this review is to not be deceived by the discreet cover… its contents are steamy. The mature scenes were a bit too numerous for my tastes, but that did not stop Stassie and Nathan from getting my heart in a chokehold!

Thank you Riveted by Simon Teen and Chloe Gong for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

MAJOR FOUL LADY FORTUNE SPOILERS AHEAD

Review:  Gong delivers on her promise of domestic fluff in this captivating novella collection! 

 

“Last Violent Call” picks up during the events that transpire in “Foul Lady Fortune.” Both novellas seamlessly interrelate with Gong’s other works as well as each other. 

 

“A Foul Thing” (the first novella) alternates between the perspectives of Roma and Juliette, who miraculously survived the explosion that brought “Our Violent Ends” to a close. Now in their mid twenties, the two have established themselves as the head of an underground weapons ring in Zhouzhuang using secret identities. When a series of deaths that bare striking resemblance to those that died of the madness occur in nearby towns, Roma and Juliette have to sacrifice their peaceful, quiet life in the country for the greater good. 

 

I absolutely LOVED reuniting with my favorite characters from Gong’s “These Violent Delights” duology. Roma and Juliette deserve every happiness together. Seeing the two cook, admire each other, navigate their new lives together, and save each other from their own nightmares without threat to their lives brought literal tears to my eyes. Their every interaction is so beautifully written and incredibly adorable. 

 

Just months after the events of "A Foul Thing" and "Foul Lady Fortune," "This Foul Murder" (the second novella) centers around Benedikt and Marshall. Called upon by Roma and Juliette to find Lourens, a gifted scientist, Benedikt and Marshall settle in for their week long ride aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. Their plans to stick to their tight schedule are ruined when a passenger gets murdered in the dead of night. In a race against time, Benedikt and Marshal take on the case to keep the train moving. The more the mystery unravels, the more they realize that the murderer has ties to their own mission. 

 

“This Foul Murder” leans into the Agatha Christie/classic murder mystery formula, which I absolutely loved! The shocking plot twists paired with the return of two characters I hold near and dear to my heart made for an entertaining read. I especially enjoyed learning about Benedikt and Marshall’s lives post “Our Violent Ends” and seeing their romance thrive years later! 

 

“Last Violent Call” beautifully sets up Gong’s untitled “Foul Lady Fortune” #2. I cannot wait for the chaos that is bound to unfold when worlds collide in my most anticipated read of 2023. Rosalind is in for the biggest surprise of her life.