“This is the story of two very different princesses- one who lost her rose, and one who gained her thorns.”

I really adored this book. This was the first chunky book of my time in quarantine, and it definitely took a while for me to get through it (the writing is very poetic and descriptive; also I got distracted by painting a lot) but every time I dived in, it was magical!

The synopsis describes this as a Princess and the Pea-inspired retelling, but there’s allusions to other classic fairytales, most notably Rapunzel! Howard crafted a world perfect for the typical fairytale setting, but it takes such a unique spin with so many different details that it seems brand new! I loved the two different kingdoms of Eldoria and Nerezeth. Using the Ashen Ravine as sort of their in-between was fascinating, and I loved all the magic.

“They were beautiful: light and dark, side by side, scarred yet lovely, representative of the two heavenly entities that once shared the skies but were torn apart.”

The real magic of this book lies in its characters. OH MAN I LOVED THE CHARACTERS SO MUCH. Stain (AKA Lyra) was such a enchanting protagonist, and she was a bright spot throughout this (at times) dark book. I loved how her gentle nature also came with a side that wasn’t afraid to fight for herself. Lyra’s relationship with both Crony and Luce was one of the highlights of the book. Their family dynamic was so heartwarming and sweet and I loved every moment! Crony and Luce are both fantastic characters in their own right. Seriously, I love them both so much. I enjoyed both of their backstories and the magical properties each possessed. They worked so well not only with each other, but also with Lyra. FOUND FAMILY FTW.

Vesper was incredible as well. At the end he was a frickin’ ICON and I stan him for life. I was pleasantly surprised by how the prophecy plot unfolded, and I really enjoyed that Vesper was able to piece things together so quickly to avoid any confusion or miscommunication at the end. I love Vesper and Lyra together and how well they complement each other! I thought the storyline surrounding Scorch was FANTASTIC and really took the story in a direction I wasn’t expecting. It was super creative and fit perfectly and I adored it so much.

The side characters were great! Even MORE character appreciation because there’s just so many! The creatures from the Ravine and the Market were super entertaining. Selena and Cyprian were both fabulous and I liked their interactions with Lyra and Vesper, respectively. Griselda, Lustacia and the other sisters were perfectly horrible, and I hated them so much. Everyone is just perfect and I can’t believe so many wonderful characters fit seamlessly into one book.

So many things to love about this one. The writing is beautiful, the characters are outstanding, and the magic is enthralling. Definitely a retelling I would recommend! Even though I enjoyed this one so much, I don’t think I’ll be picking up the Splintered series after reading some not-great reviews. But I will definitely be looking out for new books that AG Howard puts out! Yay for fantastic retellings!!!

e-ARC provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
“You can’t scare it with a little rain and wind. Eventually, you and that crow are going to have to spill blood.”

WOW. This was AMAZING. It’s gonna be a struggle to accurately express my emotions about this book without spoilers, but I’m gonna do my best!

I’ll admit that I was a bit underwhelmed by The Storm Crow, but I was interested enough in the world and the characters that I knew I wanted to read this sequel. And WOW, it was SO MUCH BETTER than the first book! I was hooked from the beginning; the plot moved at a great pace and it was filled with action, romance, betrayal, and friendship!

I liked Thia in the first book, but I loved her in this one. I thought she totally grew into her leadership role and it was easy to root for her throughout. Sometimes battle politics in a fantasy book can be grating, but I was super invested in all of that here! It never felt slow, it all built up to the battle at the end and totally paid off. Characters that are just wholly good and will do anything to save their friends are just really great characters. Also, her battle with depression is still very much a battle in this book, and it’s awesome to get some more representation of that. To see her constantly struggle with it but still manage to get sh*t done is inspiring.

The side characters are also amazing! Res is super adorable and really steals the show in this book. It was so fun to see him grow into his powers! I looooved the idea of having different trainers help him with different crow powers. Kiva is always at Thia’s side to argue with her when needed (and sometimes when NOT needed, like let’s all calm down, Kiva) and Caliza was great again. Elkona was a definite favorite, and I’m so pleased with how her relationship with Thia played out! ERICEN, LOVE YOU BUD. He was fantastic in this book. I gravitated towards him a lot in the first book and his overall character arc was great.

The romance was a definite highlight and it had just the right amount of everything. I thought everything romance-wise was handled perfectly and I’m so happy! I really don’t want to give any spoilers so all I’ll say is: MY SHIP PREVAILED. I HAD FAITH AND I WAS REWARDED AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE. NICE!!!!!!!

I’m so over the moon with how great this was! I thought the ending was fantastic and I’m 100 percent happy with every single character’s ending! Will definitely be buying a copy of this as soon as it hits shelves (I mean, look at that cover, it’s gorgeous) Out July 7th!

4.5!!

2.5 stars.
"He was born a monster, he will die a monster, and monsters do not get to have friends."

What is happening. If I could sum up this book in one word, it would be frustration. I started with a 3-star rating, but after writing this review I realized that was too frickin' generous. There's so much I want to talk about, so let's dive right in.

After really enjoying Truthwitch, my main problem with Windwitch was that all the characters I loved were separated (with Iseult and Aeduan being the one exception and bright spot of the book). I hoped that this book would be different, but it actually only got worse. This book just felt like one loooong struggle. Towards the middle, I was getting so annoyed with how slow-going everything was that I started skimming just so I could get through it faster. There's a lot of points I want to cover, so I'll break it down.

What I liked:
Iseult, Iseult, Iseult. Iseult SAVED this book for me. If it wasn't for her, I would have DNF'd this so fast. She has definitely become my favorite character in this series, and her plotline remains one of the most interesting and cohesive. Her relationship with Aeduan was once again the highlight of the book, but I also really enjoyed seeing her interact with Owl!

Aeduan-- with this being his book, I was expecting to finally get some backstory, and boy did we! It was definitely tragic to hear about his childhood, and more about how he views himself and his own powers. It's so funny to see him and Iseult act as pseudo-parents to Owl, and to also see him navigate his feelings for Iseult. I also really enjoyed his interactions with Lizl!

Leopold...? Yes, Leopold! Prince Leopold returns to the fray and my god, does he make an entrance. I LOVE HIM. His friendship with Iseult was another bright spot and I'm so happy about where he ended this book (wow, can you tell that all the good things have to do with Iseult? Coincidence, I THINK NOT). I really really hope he remains a prominent character in the next one, because he is a delight.

The final 10 percent. I started this book and said, OK I better get some reunions FAST. Like, 50% is my limit, but I need something by 30% or I'll die. And then... I had to wait 90. EFFIN'. PERCENT. Oh my god. It had me hyped though. There was A LOT happening at once, and though some reunions were FLEETING AS F***, it still ended on a... kinda-sorta bright spot? Who knows anymore.

What I disliked:
Plotline. What are we even working towards anymore? I have no idea what the end goal of this series is. I feel like we might've been going somewhere in Truthwitch, but I've lost all sense of what the endgame is. To defeat the Fury? Esme? The Raider King? THE ROOK KING? There's so many effing villains/maybe-villains that I have NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING. Help me.

POVs. Aside from Iseult/Aeduan, all the other perspectives just felt like trudging through mud. Even Safi, whom I love, was hard to be interested in. I don't know what she's doing, besides making a Truthstone and protecting Vaness. She just felt rooted in place. Merik was stuck somewhere, too, but all of his chapters were confusing because NOTHING IS BEING EXPLAINED CORRECTLY. I like Vivia, but by the end I was just skimming her chapters. The random chapters in Stix's perspective were weird and confusing as well.

Worldbuilding. It might've been a nice footnote that we would have needed to read the Sightwitch novella to even have a semblance of WHAT THE F IS HAPPENING. We kept talking about and going through magical doors and not explaining what they are or what they mean or where they came from. I cannot tell you anything about how the doors work. Literally, nothing. The monks, Evrane, the Origin Wells, the treaty, the Rook King-- all things that are there, and have significance, but I don't know WHAT. I feel like there's so many intricate pieces going on that nothing is fully having an impact. It's all just confusion.

The ending. I feel as if all the characters have spent the last two books walking in place. Nothing has happened? Everything has been leading up to Safi and Iseult reuniting, but... what has happened between then? Everyone has just been running around to random places, or stuck in a random place that I don't even know what the point of it all has been. The only thing that has signigicantly progressed is some character relationships. That's it. Ugh. It's all just so baffling.

Overall, I'm just really let down by this series. It started out strong but it's only gotten more convoluted as we've gone on. I'm in it solely for the characters, but even that isn't looking too promising at the moment. I will still give the next book a chance, but if it's more of the same, I'm not sure I'll continue on-- though the ending of this HAS to be a good sign... right? RIGHT?!?!?

After LOVING The Shadows Between Us earlier this month, I decided that I wanted to tackle more of Levenseller’s work and this was first on my list! I listened to the first half on audio while doing a puzzle and then finished the rest on my Kindle app. I thought it really picked up in the middle and I was thoroughly entertained! I really liked Alosa, she was sassy and funny and smart and she was a super fun narrator. I didn’t love this as much as TSBU, nor was the romance up to par, but I will definitely be reading the next book!

ARC provided by the author. All opinions are my own.
"'It's quite clever, actually. Yuki does have a flair for the dramatic, in case you hadn't noticed.'
Oh, she'd noticed."

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of the first book in this series, Below, last year and LOVED it, so when I was offered the chance to get the sequel, I jumped on it the first chance I got! Not only is the cover stunning, but THIS BOOK WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST! I'm a bit sad that I finished the entire thing in two sittings the day after I received it, cuz now I gotta wait for the next book :'(

One of the most appealing parts of Below were the characters, and that was no less true in Night. I would say that this book is more character-driven than the first installment, which resulted in less action when compared to the events in the Labyrinth, but I'm a complete sucker for character development and domestic moments so I was LIVING FOR THIS. The worldbuilding was expanded so much and it was all really interesting. I loved learning more about the different Unua tribes and the history of the North! We learned so much about myths that played super important roles, and I really enjoyed reading about the First Man, the Raven and the Sea Mother!

"Apaay wondered what he saw and if it was the same thing she did: someone who wasn't ready to give up yet, but who didn't know how to step away from the edge."

Back to the amazing characters! I loved Apaay's bravery and resilience in the first book and she's an awesome narrator. In this sequel, she's definitely struggling following her time spent in Yuki's labyrinth and she constantly battles depression throughout the book, though it's never named as such. I thought it was depicted really well, and I'm happy to see more depression representation, especially after just reading The Crow Rider, in which depression also affects the main character! It's inspiring to see Apaay work against her demons (hah, pun intended) and by the end of the book, she's stronger than ever. I just love her a lot.

SPEAKING OF DEMONS, the Face Stealer was on a whole 'nother level in this book. He almost seemed like a different person altogether, and it was amaaaaazing. We got to see a completely different side of him and learn so much about his life and his motivations. His relationship with Apaay is SO GREAT and I'm obsessed with them. It's so frickin' entertaining to see them interact and be vulnerable and ugh it's so good. They reached a really great place by the end of the book and I can't waaaaait to see where it goes from here.

Side characters became even more abundant, and they were awesome! Ila was back with her own POV chapters, too! I loved her in the first book, and though her friendship with Apaay was different, it was nice to see her grow into herself and become a stronger person. I'm really excited about the revelations we've learned about her! Kaan and Ro were fantastic additions as well, and I'm interested in Talimaq's role going forward.

Overall, I'm super happy with this book. I really enjoy the plot, the great worldbuilding and all the twist and turns of the characters. This has definitely become one of my favorite ongoing series, and I am seriously looking forward to the next book, though I'll be waiting awhile. I think it's an supremely-underrated series, but I'll be for sure recommending it to all my book friends! Make sure to snag your copy when it releases on October 8th!