The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart

The Gods Below is a new series from the author of The Drowning Empire Trilogy. 

Synopsis

Two sisters become separated by a magical barrier, each joining opposing factions. A young clan member tries to save her family’s standing and livelihood. Another embarks on a dangerous journey to save his friend. All set in a world where ecological instability is rampant and magical gems provide godlike strength. 

Review of The Gods Below

I loved The Drowning Empire Trilogy, so I thought this would be another great series from the same author. This book had a good start, but it seemed to drag on and on. It felt like an overlong introduction. 

The characters were not as well sketched as in the other trilogy. One character is supposed to be a honed weapon in both body and mind, with the ability to change her persona as the situation demands. But I don’t think that translated onto the page all that well. Hakara and one of the gods had the best character development. 

The magic system involving the gems was fairly unique but seemed a bit ineffective. One punch to the stomach and it’s over for the magic user. 

I’m curious to see where this story will go, so I’ll probably still read the next instalment. 

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Expected Publication: 3 September 2024

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

Thanks to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. 

Mistress of Lies by K. M. Enright

Mistress of Lies had an intriguing start but suffered from a case of telling and not showing. 

Synopsis

The book opens with Blood Worker Shan LeClaire committing patricide. She’s out for revenge and to rebuild her family’s reputation after her father squandered it. Then there’s Samuel, an unblooded, with a dark power who does his best to stay under the radar. However, when Samuel comes across a body horrifically murdered, he is pulled into an investigation of the murder alongside Shan. 

Review of Mistress of Lies

I thought I would love this debut fantasy, but it did not work for me. 

The pacing was a bit inconsistent. It dragged in the middle, and the ending was a whirlwind. I was not a fan of the direction it took. 

The plot also seemed to be stretched too thin. There are a lot of side plots and not enough time to develop them all. The murder investigation often takes a back seat to everything else happening with the MCs and their love triangle.

The biggest letdown for me was the telling and not showing part of this novel. The reader is told that Shan is brilliant, but many of her choices are not well thought out or all that sneaky. When it comes to Samuel and his struggles, the reader is informed that he is progressing, but that occurs off-page. It would have been nice to witness his actual progression. 

As for the love triangle, I didn’t see the appeal of one of the love interests.

While this book didn’t work for me, it might work better for you.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Expected Publication: 13 August 2024

Thanks to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. 

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley by Shelley Wood

The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley spans a century following Kit’s life and scientific developments.

Synopsis

Kit McKinley was born on February 29, 1916. She ages one year for every four. It follows various POVs from WWI to the present day. Once Kit is a bit older, the reader also gets her perspective.

Living an exceedingly long life seems like it would be extraordinary; however, this book portrays how difficult that would be for the individual and everyone in their life.

Review of The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley

This book is character-focused and has short chapters. It is slowly paced but easy to get through, given the brevity of the chapters. The parts leading up to WWII were some of the most tense and terrifying.

The characters are well-developed and memorable. The author makes the reader feel everything the characters do.

This book discusses eugenics, science, and the suffragette movement.

If you like historical fiction with a twist, I highly recommend picking up this heartfelt novel.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Expected Publication: 06 August 2024

Thank you to Union Square and Co. for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean

The Phoenix Keeper is a cozy fantasy novel that follows the day-to-day life of an earnest zookeeper.

Synopsis

Since childhood, Aila has wanted to be a caretaker for the dwindling population of magical phoenixes. Now that her dream is a reality, Aila is determined to revive the zoo’s breeding program after their sister zoo suffers a tragic heist. Throw in some romance, and Aila has her work cut out for her.

Review of The Phoenix Keeper

This book is easily one of my favourite reads of the year. If you enjoyed the day-to-day aspects of Legends and Lattes, you’ll enjoy this novel as well.

It is a character-focused novel with a slow plot, but it never feels boring. It has delightful characters and a sweet queer romance. Aila is a lovable character who experiences social anxiety and would rather spend time with her birds and best friend.

The writing is engaging from the first page. The pace picks up near the end, bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion. It is predictable but immensely enjoyable and heartwarming, nonetheless.

I will snatch up whatever the author publishes next.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Expected Publication: 13 August 2024

Thank you to Orbit for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten

The Hemlock Queen suffers from middle book syndrome.

Synopsis

It begins shortly after the events in The Foxglove King, with the three main characters suddenly in positions of power.

Review of The Hemlock Queen

This book was extremely slow in its pacing. I don’t mind slowly-paced books if it’s building up to a big climax or if it focuses on character development, but not much of either happened here. Lore was very much a passive participant compared to book one. She wanted to take a back seat and be taken care of, but the way it was presented didn’t make for a compelling read.

The romance was also a slow burn. The spice is mild. For a romantasy, it’s very light on the romance.

The political challenges didn’t seem as pressing as the conflict between the three main characters. I think this book was spread too thinly by trying to touch on political challenges, court intrigue, religious history, internal conflict, and the love triangle. None of them felt particularly urgent, but some were repetitive. Focusing on a few conflicts would have tightened the plot.

As with the first book, every time Gabe appeared, the focus was on his singular eye. At one point, his eyeball was referenced four times in one page. It started to grate after a while. Everyone else glares, stares, or pierces with their eyes, but Gabe does it with “his one eye.” After two books, surely you can trust the reader to remember this information. I don’t understand why it’s constantly mentioned.

Unless the next book gets rave reviews, I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.

However, YA readers looking to try adult fantasy might enjoy this series as this could serve as a bridge between the two.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Publication Date: 9 April 2024

Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers

The City of Stardust has spades of beautiful, whimsical writing but lacks character development and world-building.

Synopsis

A hundred-years-old curse has forced the Everly family to give up one of their most talented from each generation. When Violet Everly was a child, her mother, Marianne, set out to break the curse, leaving Violet in the care of her uncles.

The family’s tormentor, Penelope, allows Violet’s uncles ten years to find Marianne, or she will take Violet in her place. When their time is nearly up, it’s a mad dash to find Marianne and finally put an end to it all.

Review of The City of Stardust

This fantasy novel has a contemporary setting and multiple POVs.

While this book started strong, it eventually lost my interest. The writing is beautiful and whimsical, but the characterizations and world-building were underdeveloped. Ambrose and Penelope had the most substance to them.

I like books with a bit of a romance/love story, but this one fell flat. Both parties were fairly bland.

The ending made it worth the read, so this is getting a solid three stars.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Available Now.

Thank you to Orbit/Redhook for providing me with a finished copy to review.

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

A Feather So Black is a new fae romantasy series from Lyra Selene.

Synopsis

A bloody war resulted in the Fair Folk stealing twelve young girls, including the queen’s daughter, cursed to be swans by day. In her place, they left a changeling named Fia, who shares an uncanny resemblance to the queen’s daughter.

Now, Fia is the queen’s spy, and she embarks on a quest to break the curse that imprisons the princess. Rogan, the princess’s betrothed and Fia’s childhood friend, will accompany her.

Review of A Feather So Black

This fantasy romance is slowly paced and follows Fia’s POV. It’s a bit spicy, but there’s a nice balance between creating character dynamics first without rushing things.

I wasn’t expecting any humour in this novel, so it was a welcome surprise. Corra added some fun levity into the mix.

I’m giving this first book a 3.5-star rating. It would have been higher if not for the slow pacing. Not a lot happens until the last 150 pages or so. Still, I will likely pick up the next instalment.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Expected Publication: 12 March 2024

Thanks to Orbit for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

Wandering Stars is the poignant follow-up novel to Tommy Orange’s There There.

Synopsis

This generational novel follows two timelines: what happened after the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the aftermath of a shooting at a powwow in 2018.

Review of Wandering Stars

There are lots of discussions on religion and trauma, including generational trauma. It examines how Richard Henry Pratt tried to “kill the Indian, save the man” when he founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

I struggled with TT due to the number of POVs and the writing style. It had a lot of characters and not that many pages to get acquainted with all of them. However, this book has slightly fewer POVs, which allows a closer understanding of each one.

I can appreciate the stunning quality of Tommy Orange’s writing style, but personally, I struggle with texts that are heavily introspective and which feature minimal dialogue. The contemporary timeline has slightly more dialogue than the historical sections. Still, I think this will be a five-star read for many people.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Now Available.

Thank you to McClelland & Stewart for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson

An Education in Malice was a solid vampire novel, but it left me wanting more.

Synopsis

Laura Sheridan begins her first year of study at Saint Perpetua’s College. There, she meets the beautiful and mercurial Carmilla, who soon becomes her academic rival. Both girls vie for the approval of their exacting professor, De Lefontaine. Things devolve and get bloody as Laura and Carmilla enter De Lefontaine’s private world.

Review of An Education in Malice

Like A Dowry of Blood, this is a seductive vampire novel. However, this one is loosely inspired by the classic vampire novel Carmilla, which predates Stoker’s Dracula. It is a sapphic romance with dual POVs.

I loved Dowry, so I thought this book would be just as gripping, but unfortunately, I just kept waiting for something to happen. I mean things were happening but not with the razor sharp tension or depth of the previous book.

I was just left wanting more – more character depth and a deeper look at the themes, i.e., unequal power dynamics and obsession. Still, this is a quick and solid read if you want a story of vampires mixed with dark academia. It has a moody and beguiling feel to it from the first page.

The author conveniently provides a list of content warnings.

I’m a sucker for a good vampire story, so I’ll definitely pick up the author’s next book if it has them.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️.5

Expected Publication: 13 February 2024

Thank you to Orbit for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.

Coming to Find You by Jane Corry

The blurb for Coming to Find You makes no mention of a second timeline focusing on WWII. I’d probably have passed on this arc had I known about it.

Synopsis

After a sensational trial which sent her stepbrother to prison for a double murder, Nancy flees to the Cornish countryside to escape the prying eyes of the public and media.

The second timeline occurs at the start of WWII and has the same setting.

Review of Coming to Find You

The writing style of this book didn’t work for me. The writing was very plain, with little introspection or description. The antagonist was a caricature of a bad guy. It seemed like two different authors wrote this novel.

Oddly, the past timeline had better character development and was slightly more compelling. However, I was expecting a tense thriller, not historical fiction.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Expected Publication: 19 December 2023

Thank you to the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

For regular reading updates, check out my Goodreads profile.

For past reviews, click here.