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lisashelves's Reviews (976)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for gifting me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first in a brand-new series that takes place in the Caraval world! This time, we follow Evangeline after she strikes a deal with Jacks. It is a story about bad decisions, broken hearts and unrequired love.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Caraval series, so when I heard about more books in the same world, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Bonus: we follow one of my favourite characters!
The magical atmosphere that I loved so much in the Caraval series really shown through! With the world expanding to the North there was so much room for more, and it definitely delivered! I think this might be my favourite book out of the four! I just didn’t want this story to end, and especially with the ending that was written! It left me gasping for more pages which weren’t there!
Evangeline is an amazing character who I fell for from the very first page! She is kind and brave. Her imagination and her love and believe in fairy tales are just amazing albeit a bit naïve in the beginning. I also loved how she interacted with Jacks. Jacks has been a favourite of mine for a long time. I just love a good villain/morally-grey character like him. He’s everything and more; shady, secretive, wicked and just has this vibe that makes me love him and root for him and everything! I don’t care if he’s bad, I want him to have it all haha.
The twists and turns in this story were all done so extremely well! You don’t really see the twist coming, other than that you get a feeling something is about to happen. They left me gasping and in shock in the best ways.
I would’ve liked to see what more the story could’ve brought me as a reader if it wasn’t classed as YA but NA. I can understand the Caraval series being YA, but Jacks feels more intense and maybe NA would suit him and the story a bit better.
Overall, it was an amazing book that I enjoyed from start to finish! I can’t wait to see what more the world and the characters will bring.
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for gifting me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first in a brand-new series that takes place in the Caraval world! This time, we follow Evangeline after she strikes a deal with Jacks. It is a story about bad decisions, broken hearts and unrequired love.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Caraval series, so when I heard about more books in the same world, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Bonus: we follow one of my favourite characters!
The magical atmosphere that I loved so much in the Caraval series really shown through! With the world expanding to the North there was so much room for more, and it definitely delivered! I think this might be my favourite book out of the four! I just didn’t want this story to end, and especially with the ending that was written! It left me gasping for more pages which weren’t there!
Evangeline is an amazing character who I fell for from the very first page! She is kind and brave. Her imagination and her love and believe in fairy tales are just amazing albeit a bit naïve in the beginning. I also loved how she interacted with Jacks. Jacks has been a favourite of mine for a long time. I just love a good villain/morally-grey character like him. He’s everything and more; shady, secretive, wicked and just has this vibe that makes me love him and root for him and everything! I don’t care if he’s bad, I want him to have it all haha.
The twists and turns in this story were all done so extremely well! You don’t really see the twist coming, other than that you get a feeling something is about to happen. They left me gasping and in shock in the best ways.
I would’ve liked to see what more the story could’ve brought me as a reader if it wasn’t classed as YA but NA. I can understand the Caraval series being YA, but Jacks feels more intense and maybe NA would suit him and the story a bit better.
Overall, it was an amazing book that I enjoyed from start to finish! I can’t wait to see what more the world and the characters will bring.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
The Hawthorne Legacy is the sequel to The Inheritance Games and starts directly after the end of the first book where Avery found out why she was brought into the will and inherited the Hawthorne fortune.
When I first read The Inheritance Games last year I fell in love with the prose, the characters and all the mystery and puzzles. As someone who loves puzzles, I enjoy them being written in such a clever way into the story. Trying to figure the solutions out myself before they’re revealed truly is a delight!
I’m having a bit of a déjà vu reading this book though. Last year I finished The Inheritance Games and I did not know it was going to get a sequel. Imagine my shock when I finished that book and the very last page said: “Look out for the sequel coming Autumn 2021”. I finally got my hands on the sequel and just when I finished that book, I truly believed that the duology was done. Then came the bomb of the cover reveal for the third…
If you enjoyed The Inheritance Games, you’ll really enjoy this book. It is much of the same, as it is fast-paced, full of mystery and puzzles Avery and the boys try to solve and set in the same house. The way these books are written is honestly addicting. You can’t stop reading and I kept turning page on page just to find out what the solution really was or which puzzles they were going to get next.
Avery gets a bit surer of herself in this book. Still not used to the amounts of money she inherited and everything that comes with it. I liked how she became less dependent on the rest. The Hawthorne boys are all a bit the same as in the first book, so not much character growth there. Still, they were super fun characters with really fitted the story and all in their own way.
The love triangle was still present unfortunately, but it was a bit less potent in comparison to the first book. Also, Avery finally choses one of the boys so with the knowledge a third book is coming the love triangle is out of the window!
The twists and reveals in this book, much like the first, completely blew my mind! Some things I predicted, believed were true and in the end, I was still proven wrong! Those kinds of twists I enjoy the most! Also, that ending…
Overall, I really loved reading this fun, fast-paced, mystery book! I can’t wait to see what the final book in the series will bring next year!
The Hawthorne Legacy is the sequel to The Inheritance Games and starts directly after the end of the first book where Avery found out why she was brought into the will and inherited the Hawthorne fortune.
When I first read The Inheritance Games last year I fell in love with the prose, the characters and all the mystery and puzzles. As someone who loves puzzles, I enjoy them being written in such a clever way into the story. Trying to figure the solutions out myself before they’re revealed truly is a delight!
I’m having a bit of a déjà vu reading this book though. Last year I finished The Inheritance Games and I did not know it was going to get a sequel. Imagine my shock when I finished that book and the very last page said: “Look out for the sequel coming Autumn 2021”. I finally got my hands on the sequel and just when I finished that book, I truly believed that the duology was done. Then came the bomb of the cover reveal for the third…
If you enjoyed The Inheritance Games, you’ll really enjoy this book. It is much of the same, as it is fast-paced, full of mystery and puzzles Avery and the boys try to solve and set in the same house. The way these books are written is honestly addicting. You can’t stop reading and I kept turning page on page just to find out what the solution really was or which puzzles they were going to get next.
Avery gets a bit surer of herself in this book. Still not used to the amounts of money she inherited and everything that comes with it. I liked how she became less dependent on the rest. The Hawthorne boys are all a bit the same as in the first book, so not much character growth there. Still, they were super fun characters with really fitted the story and all in their own way.
The love triangle was still present unfortunately, but it was a bit less potent in comparison to the first book. Also, Avery finally choses one of the boys so with the knowledge a third book is coming the love triangle is out of the window!
The twists and reveals in this book, much like the first, completely blew my mind! Some things I predicted, believed were true and in the end, I was still proven wrong! Those kinds of twists I enjoy the most! Also, that ending…
Overall, I really loved reading this fun, fast-paced, mystery book! I can’t wait to see what the final book in the series will bring next year!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Year of the Reaper is a story about Cas, who has survived three years in prison while everyone thought him death, who returns to his home where the royal court currently lives. When an assassin targets those close to the queen, Cas is swept up in trying to find them.
I absolutely loved this story, from the very first page until the end! The world building is super detailed, in a way that takes your breath away. Without any information dumps the world slowly comes to live when reading the pages in a brilliant way.
There are subtle supernatural elements and the mystery of who the assassin is, trying to figure that one out is really engaging. You want to find out as well, which made the story addicting and hard to put down. Towards the ending, there are some jaw-dropping plot twists! I absolutely loved the reveals and never even saw them coming!
The characters are so complex, but not in a way that they are hard to understand, relate to or follow. Cass especially, was such a strong and powerful character. His strength is something I truly admired while reading. Knowing what he went through and reading how he deals with everything truly speaks of the power and strength of his character. Those sorts of characters can’t be easy to write or think of, and then executing it perfectly like done in this book is a just as hard. I also just loved how Lena was like the opposite of Cass and how their characters balanced each other out. It made for a great dynamic between to two!
The relationships within this book are something else. The friendship between Cass and Lena is super sweet, but the teasing and bickering make the scenes with them just as fun to read. Also, I just love how they first met! The brotherly love between Cass and Ventillas is just as heartwarming to read as the family bond between Lena, Rayan and Jehan and the friendship between Ventillas and Rayan. All the relationships are unique in their own ways.
The war and the plague that are in this story remind me so much of the situation we’re in right now. We might not be fighting against other countries, but for almost two years we have been fighting against the Corona virus, doing everything to beat it, so the world can return to how it was before. Reading this book, with the current situation in the world, gave me so much hope. They had been fighting for 52 years, battling against a deadly plague and still, they could smile, fell in love, found their happiness despite all the sadness. It truly was powerful and hopeful to read, as I strongly believe and know we will be able to beat this to and find our own happiness.
Overall, it was an amazing story about friendship, family and the strength of humans. I would’ve loved to see much more of these characters and this world.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Year of the Reaper is a story about Cas, who has survived three years in prison while everyone thought him death, who returns to his home where the royal court currently lives. When an assassin targets those close to the queen, Cas is swept up in trying to find them.
I absolutely loved this story, from the very first page until the end! The world building is super detailed, in a way that takes your breath away. Without any information dumps the world slowly comes to live when reading the pages in a brilliant way.
There are subtle supernatural elements and the mystery of who the assassin is, trying to figure that one out is really engaging. You want to find out as well, which made the story addicting and hard to put down. Towards the ending, there are some jaw-dropping plot twists! I absolutely loved the reveals and never even saw them coming!
The characters are so complex, but not in a way that they are hard to understand, relate to or follow. Cass especially, was such a strong and powerful character. His strength is something I truly admired while reading. Knowing what he went through and reading how he deals with everything truly speaks of the power and strength of his character. Those sorts of characters can’t be easy to write or think of, and then executing it perfectly like done in this book is a just as hard. I also just loved how Lena was like the opposite of Cass and how their characters balanced each other out. It made for a great dynamic between to two!
The relationships within this book are something else. The friendship between Cass and Lena is super sweet, but the teasing and bickering make the scenes with them just as fun to read. Also, I just love how they first met! The brotherly love between Cass and Ventillas is just as heartwarming to read as the family bond between Lena, Rayan and Jehan and the friendship between Ventillas and Rayan. All the relationships are unique in their own ways.
The war and the plague that are in this story remind me so much of the situation we’re in right now. We might not be fighting against other countries, but for almost two years we have been fighting against the Corona virus, doing everything to beat it, so the world can return to how it was before. Reading this book, with the current situation in the world, gave me so much hope. They had been fighting for 52 years, battling against a deadly plague and still, they could smile, fell in love, found their happiness despite all the sadness. It truly was powerful and hopeful to read, as I strongly believe and know we will be able to beat this to and find our own happiness.
Overall, it was an amazing story about friendship, family and the strength of humans. I would’ve loved to see much more of these characters and this world.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 3 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
Court of Dragons is a story about Wren, who’s family is attacked on her wedding day. When she’s captured by the elves, she gets a choice: marriage or death.
The book is relatively short and reads very easily. Before noticing it, I had already read half of the book while thinking I wasn’t that far yet.
I liked the worldbuilding and the premise of the book, but it could’ve been a bit more detailed. A lot is left to the imaginary and especially when you see the map at the beginning of the book, I expected a bit more. The fact that only two places shown on the map are mentioned or visited shows the potential for worldbuilding in future books as well. I’m also anticipating more of the dragons in future books, as they weren’t as present as I would’ve thought with the title and cover.
I liked the characters. Wren was fierce and fought for what she believed in, which I admired. I do think she acted a bit rash sometimes. Arrik wasn’t really someone I got a good grip on. I feel like we’ve only seen the surface, but because of this he fell a bit flat. I hope we get to know his character more in dept in the future.
While it was off to a very good start, with a nice opening that introduced you to the world and the characters, the ending was really, really fast. I kind of had a feeling it was going to be like that. Around 25% Wren and Arrik meet, around 82% they come to an understanding and then the ending was quite surprising but felt a bit rushed. I would’ve liked it if the ending was given a bit more thought and was a bit more paced. I was a really big fan of the fighting scenes in the beginning, as they’re written in a way that’s easy to follow while what’s happening is absolute chaos.
Even though the ending was fast-paced, it did come with a twist I hadn’t seen coming, which I like. I also liked how Wren and Arrik weren’t rushed in a relationship at the very end of the book after they came to an understanding as happens in so many other books. It gives their relationship room to grow in a believable way. Honestly, it really is a good example of slow burn.
Overall, I really liked it and it has a lot of potential, so I’m looking forward to the sequel.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
Court of Dragons is a story about Wren, who’s family is attacked on her wedding day. When she’s captured by the elves, she gets a choice: marriage or death.
The book is relatively short and reads very easily. Before noticing it, I had already read half of the book while thinking I wasn’t that far yet.
I liked the worldbuilding and the premise of the book, but it could’ve been a bit more detailed. A lot is left to the imaginary and especially when you see the map at the beginning of the book, I expected a bit more. The fact that only two places shown on the map are mentioned or visited shows the potential for worldbuilding in future books as well. I’m also anticipating more of the dragons in future books, as they weren’t as present as I would’ve thought with the title and cover.
I liked the characters. Wren was fierce and fought for what she believed in, which I admired. I do think she acted a bit rash sometimes. Arrik wasn’t really someone I got a good grip on. I feel like we’ve only seen the surface, but because of this he fell a bit flat. I hope we get to know his character more in dept in the future.
While it was off to a very good start, with a nice opening that introduced you to the world and the characters, the ending was really, really fast. I kind of had a feeling it was going to be like that. Around 25% Wren and Arrik meet, around 82% they come to an understanding and then the ending was quite surprising but felt a bit rushed. I would’ve liked it if the ending was given a bit more thought and was a bit more paced. I was a really big fan of the fighting scenes in the beginning, as they’re written in a way that’s easy to follow while what’s happening is absolute chaos.
Even though the ending was fast-paced, it did come with a twist I hadn’t seen coming, which I like. I also liked how Wren and Arrik weren’t rushed in a relationship at the very end of the book after they came to an understanding as happens in so many other books. It gives their relationship room to grow in a believable way. Honestly, it really is a good example of slow burn.
Overall, I really liked it and it has a lot of potential, so I’m looking forward to the sequel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 4 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
A Light in the Sky is a story about Aluma, a girl who has always dreamed of becoming an aerial warrior astride an Empyrean Steed. When her father is tragically injured, she gets the chance to compete to become everything she has ever dreamed of.
As someone who has loved horses for as long as she can remember, I’m always looking for a good story which involves horses! Put wings on those horses and it’s even better, so I couldn’t wait to start reading this book.
This story has a bit of an old-school YA vibe. It actually reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson as far as the vibe goes. Both books are kind of straight forward with worldbuilding, characters and the way the story is going. While it was predictable, I still enjoyed it quite a lot.
I also liked how the plot was just straight forward and fast-paced. You don’t spend forever on the tournament or anything which could make a story boring or dragged out.
Aluma seemed really young to me and thus a bit rash and naïve in her actions sometimes. I actually wanted to scream a lot of times to get her head in the game hehe. Other characters I really enjoyed, although I had a hard time with their complex names. I would’ve liked for the secondary characters to be a little more developed/detailed.
I loved the relationship Aluma has with her father! While not much of him is seen in the book, he has a powerful presence since the beginning. As far as the romantic relationships went, I wasn’t really a fan. In general, I’m not a fan of love triangles because most of the time they aren’t really done well or just super cringy. The love triangle in this book falls in the last category unfortunately even though it is a classic one. I hope in the second book that will resolve itself.
The ending seemed a bit abrupt after everything that happened before. Overall, the missions the cast went on were a bit immature and hasty in general but the ending one was the cherry on top. Especially with the way the magic was brought forward and used. It seemed a bit convenient and I still don't grasp the whole concept of "light" and "dark".
Overall, I really enjoyed this story with its pegasi and magic and look forward to future books in the series.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
A Light in the Sky is a story about Aluma, a girl who has always dreamed of becoming an aerial warrior astride an Empyrean Steed. When her father is tragically injured, she gets the chance to compete to become everything she has ever dreamed of.
As someone who has loved horses for as long as she can remember, I’m always looking for a good story which involves horses! Put wings on those horses and it’s even better, so I couldn’t wait to start reading this book.
This story has a bit of an old-school YA vibe. It actually reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson as far as the vibe goes. Both books are kind of straight forward with worldbuilding, characters and the way the story is going. While it was predictable, I still enjoyed it quite a lot.
I also liked how the plot was just straight forward and fast-paced. You don’t spend forever on the tournament or anything which could make a story boring or dragged out.
Aluma seemed really young to me and thus a bit rash and naïve in her actions sometimes. I actually wanted to scream a lot of times to get her head in the game hehe. Other characters I really enjoyed, although I had a hard time with their complex names. I would’ve liked for the secondary characters to be a little more developed/detailed.
I loved the relationship Aluma has with her father! While not much of him is seen in the book, he has a powerful presence since the beginning. As far as the romantic relationships went, I wasn’t really a fan. In general, I’m not a fan of love triangles because most of the time they aren’t really done well or just super cringy. The love triangle in this book falls in the last category unfortunately even though it is a classic one. I hope in the second book that will resolve itself.
The ending seemed a bit abrupt after everything that happened before. Overall, the missions the cast went on were a bit immature and hasty in general but the ending one was the cherry on top. Especially with the way the magic was brought forward and used. It seemed a bit convenient and I still don't grasp the whole concept of "light" and "dark".
Overall, I really enjoyed this story with its pegasi and magic and look forward to future books in the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
A Land of Never After is a Peter Pan retelling, in which Wendy gets stuck in Neverland and can’t get out. In a dark and dangerous place where you only survive if you kill, Wendy is desperate to find a way out.
This is definitely a darker retelling than I first imagined. What I really liked about this story is what it did with the original story. It took the main elements from the original tale and truly shaped it into something unique. Maybe it's more like a story inspired by Peter Pan than a retelling. Even though it’s an adult retelling, the characters aren’t really aged up but were similar aged as in the original tale. While I liked that, often the characters, mainly Wendy and Peter, didn’t act like their age. They felt older in everything they did.
The story was very short and fast-paced. I like the plot and the direction the author took the story, but because it was short a lot fell a bit flat. Some events that happened seemed rushed and I think it would’ve been better if it was more detailed or not as rushed. The characters-building also wasn’t really as developed as I would’ve liked. Especially since some of the background stories made me really curious. I was a fan of Wendy though in how she is portrayed as a strong heroine, but it took almost till the end of the book for me to warm up to her.
Another point where the book missed the mark a bit was in something that was mentioned in the blurb. It says “a dark retelling with an LGBT twist”. It mentions LGBT so I had some expectations, but didn’t really read anything like I expected I would. I liked the LGBT take on Peter, but I would’ve thought more would be written in the LGBT plotline instead of only mentions of it.
Overall, it was a unique take on the story of Peter Pan, which makes me curious about the second book in the series, where I hope the story will be more detailed.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
A Land of Never After is a Peter Pan retelling, in which Wendy gets stuck in Neverland and can’t get out. In a dark and dangerous place where you only survive if you kill, Wendy is desperate to find a way out.
This is definitely a darker retelling than I first imagined. What I really liked about this story is what it did with the original story. It took the main elements from the original tale and truly shaped it into something unique. Maybe it's more like a story inspired by Peter Pan than a retelling. Even though it’s an adult retelling, the characters aren’t really aged up but were similar aged as in the original tale. While I liked that, often the characters, mainly Wendy and Peter, didn’t act like their age. They felt older in everything they did.
The story was very short and fast-paced. I like the plot and the direction the author took the story, but because it was short a lot fell a bit flat. Some events that happened seemed rushed and I think it would’ve been better if it was more detailed or not as rushed. The characters-building also wasn’t really as developed as I would’ve liked. Especially since some of the background stories made me really curious. I was a fan of Wendy though in how she is portrayed as a strong heroine, but it took almost till the end of the book for me to warm up to her.
Another point where the book missed the mark a bit was in something that was mentioned in the blurb. It says “a dark retelling with an LGBT twist”. It mentions LGBT so I had some expectations, but didn’t really read anything like I expected I would. I liked the LGBT take on Peter, but I would’ve thought more would be written in the LGBT plotline instead of only mentions of it.
Overall, it was a unique take on the story of Peter Pan, which makes me curious about the second book in the series, where I hope the story will be more detailed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Our Violent Ends is the sequel to These Violent Delights, a Romeo and Juliet inspired story set in 1927 Shanghai.
My Review of These Violent Delights
I absolutely loved the first book and couldn’t wait to read the sequel the moment I got approved for an eARC! The atmosphere, the setting, time and period in this book was everything. If you loved the first book, this one will blow your mind!
The scheming and the mystery solving is a bit like in the first book, but less present. They have much more on their plates now with the Nationalists and Communists almost at their doors. Because of this, it doesn’t seem like the same is happening as in the first. A lot more focus is on the politics and thus it has a very different feel to it in the best possible way. With the switching POV’s the storytelling was very effective in showing you every side of the story and understanding what was going on in every corner of Shanghai.
Roma and Juliette are both very much like in the first book, but with much more at stake some of their personality shines a bit more. Both are still cunning, calculating, confident and intelligent, but much more do you see the love they have and what lengths they’re willing to go to protect those they love. I was a bit sad that Rosalind and Kathleen were a bit less present in this book, but have hope to see more of them in the next book. I absolutely loved the character arcs of Marshall and Benedikt!! I adore those two! Also, I loved seeing more of Alisa in this book. Most shocking almost was that I felt bad for Tyler in this book…
Honestly, I was super invested in all the characters and kept holding my breath every time something was happening. Loving all the characters also made reading about the relationships and friendships fill me with wonderful joy. The romance was just *chef’s kiss* and I think I liked the friendship between Juliette and Marshall the most of all friendships, it was just precious.
Soo much happened in this book, the twists that I did definitely not see coming and that ending… I full-on sobbed reading it! I can’t really put into words what it made me feel. It is almost like I went on a rollercoaster ride and felt every possible emotion known while reading this book and the ending was just a big fat crashlanding!
Overall, I absolutely loved everything about this book! It felt like more than a retelling, creating a new narrative with wonderful characters and a beautiful and heartbreaking plot.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Our Violent Ends is the sequel to These Violent Delights, a Romeo and Juliet inspired story set in 1927 Shanghai.
My Review of These Violent Delights
I absolutely loved the first book and couldn’t wait to read the sequel the moment I got approved for an eARC! The atmosphere, the setting, time and period in this book was everything. If you loved the first book, this one will blow your mind!
The scheming and the mystery solving is a bit like in the first book, but less present. They have much more on their plates now with the Nationalists and Communists almost at their doors. Because of this, it doesn’t seem like the same is happening as in the first. A lot more focus is on the politics and thus it has a very different feel to it in the best possible way. With the switching POV’s the storytelling was very effective in showing you every side of the story and understanding what was going on in every corner of Shanghai.
Roma and Juliette are both very much like in the first book, but with much more at stake some of their personality shines a bit more. Both are still cunning, calculating, confident and intelligent, but much more do you see the love they have and what lengths they’re willing to go to protect those they love. I was a bit sad that Rosalind and Kathleen were a bit less present in this book, but have hope to see more of them in the next book. I absolutely loved the character arcs of Marshall and Benedikt!! I adore those two! Also, I loved seeing more of Alisa in this book. Most shocking almost was that I felt bad for Tyler in this book…
Honestly, I was super invested in all the characters and kept holding my breath every time something was happening. Loving all the characters also made reading about the relationships and friendships fill me with wonderful joy. The romance was just *chef’s kiss* and I think I liked the friendship between Juliette and Marshall the most of all friendships, it was just precious.
Soo much happened in this book, the twists that I did definitely not see coming and that ending… I full-on sobbed reading it! I can’t really put into words what it made me feel. It is almost like I went on a rollercoaster ride and felt every possible emotion known while reading this book and the ending was just a big fat crashlanding!
Overall, I absolutely loved everything about this book! It felt like more than a retelling, creating a new narrative with wonderful characters and a beautiful and heartbreaking plot.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Jade Fire Gold is a story inspired by Chinese mythology about Ahn, a fugitive trying to get the money to feed her and her grandmother, and Atlan, the rightful heir to the Dragon Throne who everyone believes died years ago.
The book started of strong, right from the very first page, grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until I finished this! I absolutely loved every second of reading this book and honestly can’t wait for the final copy to be on my shelves once it comes out! It was one of my most anticipated releases this year and didn’t disappoint!
The setting and world-building were written in a way that they seemed so vivid to me, I could clearly picture it all. The Chinese mythology blended so well with the political scheming and the fantasy setting. The magic system created, while not super unique, fitted perfectly and was very easy to understand.
The plot written was really good! It was written in a way that kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. It was fast paced, but not in a way that seemed hurried. It had the perfect balance between the action paced scenes and the journeying scenes. The twist were ones that I didn’t see coming and they left me gasping in shock! Just the way I like best when twists are revealed in books.
I loved the group of characters we meet in this book! Ahn, a peasant girl who would do anything to save her grandmother. I loved reading how she grew from someone who knew almost nothing to someone who grows into her power and accepts herself. She was very likeable and sometimes did some questionable thing, but then I remembered she was 16. Atlan, the prince out for vengeance reminded me a lot of Zuko from Avatar! He would do anything to right what was done to his family and his resolve and determination were inspiring. Also, his dynamics with Ahn, the constant bickering, I was there for it! The side characters all were amazing on their own. Tang Wei was such a sarcastic fun person, Tai Shun was super likable and I wanted to give him the world. Linxi and Leiye were amazing in their own. All the characters really found each other and complemented each other’s personalities. Their relationships developed into a found family, and I loved it.
The prologue written has me really hopeful for a sequel or short story/novella to be released sometime in the future! I truly want to go back to these amazing characters, I’m not ready to say goodbye to them yet!
Overall, an amazing book with a great blend of Chinese mythology, a gorgeous setting and wonderful character.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Jade Fire Gold is a story inspired by Chinese mythology about Ahn, a fugitive trying to get the money to feed her and her grandmother, and Atlan, the rightful heir to the Dragon Throne who everyone believes died years ago.
The book started of strong, right from the very first page, grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until I finished this! I absolutely loved every second of reading this book and honestly can’t wait for the final copy to be on my shelves once it comes out! It was one of my most anticipated releases this year and didn’t disappoint!
The setting and world-building were written in a way that they seemed so vivid to me, I could clearly picture it all. The Chinese mythology blended so well with the political scheming and the fantasy setting. The magic system created, while not super unique, fitted perfectly and was very easy to understand.
The plot written was really good! It was written in a way that kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. It was fast paced, but not in a way that seemed hurried. It had the perfect balance between the action paced scenes and the journeying scenes. The twist were ones that I didn’t see coming and they left me gasping in shock! Just the way I like best when twists are revealed in books.
I loved the group of characters we meet in this book! Ahn, a peasant girl who would do anything to save her grandmother. I loved reading how she grew from someone who knew almost nothing to someone who grows into her power and accepts herself. She was very likeable and sometimes did some questionable thing, but then I remembered she was 16. Atlan, the prince out for vengeance reminded me a lot of Zuko from Avatar! He would do anything to right what was done to his family and his resolve and determination were inspiring. Also, his dynamics with Ahn, the constant bickering, I was there for it! The side characters all were amazing on their own. Tang Wei was such a sarcastic fun person, Tai Shun was super likable and I wanted to give him the world. Linxi and Leiye were amazing in their own. All the characters really found each other and complemented each other’s personalities. Their relationships developed into a found family, and I loved it.
The prologue written has me really hopeful for a sequel or short story/novella to be released sometime in the future! I truly want to go back to these amazing characters, I’m not ready to say goodbye to them yet!
Overall, an amazing book with a great blend of Chinese mythology, a gorgeous setting and wonderful character.