The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme sweeps its readers away in a tale of magic, murder, and the quest to heal the land.

When Maralyth learns she's the rightful heir to a long lost throne, she is less than thrilled to give up her old life for it, but she is given no choice when her family is threatened. Reluctantly she assumes the mantle of a lord's daughter to infiltrate the palace and assume the throne once the current ruling family is killed. This doesn't sit right with Maralyth and it's rare that the consequences of a coup are explored within YA. Boehme constantly reminds her readers of the bloodshed that comes with this sort of transition, even if it is to install a better government.

As a whole, Boehme's cast of characters captured my imagination. Maralyth was fun, her strong moral compass and doubts over the coup built up her character throughout her story, while her interactions with others were enjoyable. Alac was also a fun counterpart, he's dynamic and his relationship with his family's magic is at the centre of his character arc. However, few secondary characters stood out. The antagonists are quickly taken care of as they arise, Alac's personal guard revolved entirely around the prince making him rather flat, while the rebelling lord was predictable and taken care of all too easily.

I enjoyed the, it was well paced and dynamic. At no point did I feel it drag, and I was happily surprised by how well the ending wrapped everything up, without coming off as cheesy. Boehme's strength here is her characters, and their inner conflicts drive the book, so it's delightful that they play so well off the action.

Overall I enjoyed A Stolen Kingdom. This character driven fantasy was neatly packaged in a single book without leaving me wanting.

Actual rating: 3.5
'Songs of Insurrection' by JC Kang was a fun read.
I found Kang's story to be captivating. The beginning was a bit slow as the alternating POVs and settings were a bit confusing but once I got my bearings, the book really sucked me in. The first character we meet is Kaiya, a princess who longs to master the ancient art of song magic and escape her suitors. She's a quietly rebellious character, who is deeply kind, repeatedly risking her life to help those around her. At sixteen, her insecurities are stark in the text, but that only lends authenticity to her character.
Next we meet Tian and Jie, two members of a legendary team of spies. Always operating from the shadows, they set out to uncover the rebellious plot being hatches against the kingdom. Tian is Kaiya's exiled childhood friend, who's distance from the palace weighs on him. While he's excellent with numbers and discerning patterns, his personality isn't expanded much beyond that so I hope that's a feature in the sequel. Jie is a half elf who will do whatever it takes to keep the country safe. Though she gets less chapters than the others, I found her to be a dynamic character that really pushed the story along. I found Kang's background characters to be equally as compelling. My favourite example were Kaiya's guards who appear as little more than strawmen around her but actually have a personality when away from her, the first f which we see in Jie's chapter.

The world was also particularly fascinating. Heavily influenced by DnD, the story is set in an East Asian inspired setting, with particular attention to every ethnicity involved. Particularly, Kang places great emphasis on royal protocol. He describes many aspects in minute detail, as it governs Kaiya's every move. While it was confusing to keep track of everything at first (I'll admit, I'm not used to this much court detail in my fantasy books), I was grateful when it became a pretty big plot point.

As far as the plot, I enjoyed it, though not as much as Kang's characters. The beginning is a big slow, but it picks up quickly with a fast pace that doesn't let up before the end. I enjoyed knowing the whole story through the different POVs, and it made everything easier to follow (especially given how clueless Kaiya's is at first).

All in all, a good book. I will likely be picking up the sequel as the ending left me very curious.

All The Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter is a hauntingly beautiful tale about a woman out to get everything she's owed.

Miren is a firecracker of a character. She's presented as a naïve and sheltered girl by everyone around her, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Once the audience gets to know her, she's resourceful, cunning, kind and so deeply hurt. She's wary of others but that doesn't stop her from respecting and treating them right, whether they be human or creature. Her self reflections were my favourite aspect of her character as she recognises how flawed she is and seeks to be better throughout the book. She is best embodied by this quote, because all she's ever wanted in life was the choice:

‘I don’t need you,’ I say, ‘I want you. That should be enough. That should be better because it means I’ve made a choice.

As the story is told in 1st person POV, we only get to experience other characters through Miren. Despite her wariness, they come off as rounded, full of lives that don't revolve around her which adds a richness to the book.

A.G. Slatter does a wonderful job with establishing the world. Inspired by Irish folklore, it blends myths and reality in a perfect balance where the creatures and the magic are just part of every day life, as is their prosecution. While all women are gifted with magic of some sort, the rising fears of the church mean they need to keep it under wraps lest they be the next target. This worry isn't every present, but it's obvious enough to add a layer of dread to the world. Since few of the creatures are benevolent, Miren's world is a dark and dreary place that lends itself perfectly to Slatter's gothic setting.

The plot here revolves around Miren's desire to find her parents, only to stumble upon one family mystery after the next. Throughout her journey, she only gleans bits and pieces of her past until the very end, which keeps the audience on edge too. The plot is occasionally interrupted by the O'Malley fairytales, which only serve to give more backstory to the world. They didn't overwhelm the story, nor did they create jarring breaks.
Overall it was satisfying, though in my opinion the weakest element since it pales in comparison with the world and the writing.

Slatter enchants her audience with her writing. All the Murmuring Bones is told very much like a fairytale. There are omission, repetitions, small time skips, but Slatter weaves all that together in a way that caught me completely off guard because they work seamlessly with the story. More than anything, it's her writing that sets the atmosphere and it never falters. This is my favourite aspect of the book; even though it's easy to breeze through, the structure forced me to slow down and truly appreciate what Slatter had created.

All The Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter was a stunning book. This was my first true foray into the gothic genre and I've come out with a deep appreciation for it.

8/4/2021 Update: in light of revelations that Jess Corban is a pen name for Jessie Minassian, I will be removing my rating as I do not support the author's beliefs when it comes to conversion therapy.

Growing up, Reina always wanted to be an Alexia and protect Nedé but her grandmother has other plans for her when she nominates her to be the next monarch. Pitted against four other women, Reina suddenly has to navigate the political elite and show the Matriarch she's the best candidate.

In the late 21st century, Tristan Pierce established Nedé as a safe haven for women. The men are gentled from birth while women are allowed to pursue a life free of fear and oppression. In order to assure this, Nedé's men are unable to grow much hair and muscle, making them weak and short lived.

Shortly after birth, they are separated from their mothers and raised to be servants. They are only allowed to perform society's menial tasks while being forbidden from forming any sort of relationship with the women around them. Corban does a brilliant job describing men's lives under this regime, which rightly makes certain passages uncomfortable to get through.
Even Reina, who grew up on a more tolerant farm where the men are allowed to have names, doesn't question this subjugation until later on in the novel.

Reina was an interesting character. I found her grating in the beginning as she dismissed her family's chosen careers but I was happy to see her grow out of that. As she learns more about those destinies, and her family in particular she not only comes to appreciate them, but they help fuel her determination to change Nedé for the better.

She also started out very naïve. While she maintained a secret friendship with a gentle, she still held firm to Nedé's constitution, until the selection process challenged her core beliefs.
I appreciated that Corban didn't make Reina a rebel from the beginning. Given the setting, it's expected that Reina would agree with the status quo, which makes her rebellion all the more poignant.

A Gentle Tyranny was fun well balanced. Once the selection begins, the book flowed well and I had no trouble getting through it. I liked that Reina is slow to change her ideas as it's hard to rebel against one's upbringing from one day to the next, and this was reflected in the book.

My one complaint is that I don’t think Corban developed her world enough. Some of the secondary characters are lacking, whereas the worldbuilding is confusing at times, particularly when it comes to the Brutes. As this is the first book in a series, there's more than enough potential to grow and I look forward to seeing what Corban does in the sequel.

A Gentle Tyranny by Jess Corban was an interesting study in what a matriarchal dystopia could look like. Corban's character arcs are well crafted and the slow build of a rebellion fits Reina's mindset. The lack of a romantic element was a welcome surprise as well, even if I do like the hints of a future relationship.

This book is for older readers as it contains violence and on-page depictions of executions.

This review can also be found on Bookstacked: https://bookstacked.com/reviews/book-reviews/raybearer-review-jordan-ifueko/

When we meet Tarisai, she’s a child, and we follow her as she grows up, first in Burkina House and then at the various palaces. Her lonely childhood makes her long for the family she finds in her council. However, The Lady’s wish haunts her and she goes to extremes to free herself from it. This journey of self discovery is complicated and heart wrenching, but makes her strength all the more obvious.

Ifueko subverts the usual YA tropes of love or friendship being enough to break magical bonds to give us a fresh take on a hero’s journey. A particular detail I loved about Tarisai was how her journey was represented by her hair. At first, it’s gathered in braids that tighten the more she follows the rigid rules of palace life. As her character develops, her hairstyle also changes, further reflecting her development.

Ifueko also takes care with her secondary characters. Tarisai’s council siblings lend her strength and complement her personality. Sanjeet and Dayo in particular are calm presences in her life that anchor her. Kirah is a fierce friend, ready to drop everything to help Tarisai. However, I would’ve liked to get to know the other council members as well as Sanjeet, Dayo and Kirah.

I found The Lady to be a formidable villain. She’s an imposing figure — one that takes up most of Tarisai’s life even when she’s not present. Learning her reasons and history only makes her more complex.

Ifueko’s writing, like every aspect of her novel, is breathtaking. Her lyrical prose reflects the importance of having a voice, without bogging the text down so much that it’s unpleasant. She also incorporates frequently used YA tropes in her subplots, only to subvert them later on, which kept me on my toes throughout.

In terms of plot, there are two distinct parts in Raybearer. The first part of the book is slower, both because of the rich worldbuilding, and the fact that we’re essentially skipping through Tarisai’s life growing up. However, the plot takes off midway through, with a quickening pace that lasts up until the climax. Personally, I welcomed the pace of the first part as it allowed me to understand the world and get to know the characters well.

A central theme of the book is culture, specifically belonging to one. The empire is divided into provinces and one representative from each is invited to be on the emperor’s council. During official outings, they wear patterns and cloth from their province to show this. Midway through the book, there is a push to unite the people under a single culture in order to strengthen the bonds between provinces. However, the different cultures end up quashed instead of celebrated. The empire’s cloth is cheaper and therefore a more attractive option, while children who receive an “empire” name are given a stipend. The council representatives are dressed similarly, and finally the protests are stifled with violence. The uniformization of the empire in this manner echoes attempts to erase African heritage during colonial times.

Another theme is tradition. Ifueko’s world places incredible importance on oral traditions and histories with griots, traditional West African story tellers, being central to plot development and certain subplots.

This is where the audiobook format comes out on top in my opinion. Joniece Abbott-Pratt’s narration pays particular attention to the sounds and rhythm of the text during the passages of oral history. She also takes care with each character’s voice and accent, which served to make the experience even more immersive.

I loved Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko. It blew me away on every level and I cannot wait to read the sequel.