Tag: book

‘Wild Reverence’ by Rebecca Ross Book Review

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★★★★★

“To be a lone goddess surrounded by men, devastated from battle, was dangerous. For men are like enthralls; they are drawn to shining, quicksilvered things, keen to tame them.”

Rebecca Ross plunges the reader deep into a world of gods, salt sworn oaths, and deadly rivalries. I felt enchanted by her writing from the very first chapter. Starting off from when the young goddess Matilda is but a child, she weaves us through the goddess’s life, giving us small tastes of what may befall her in the chapters to come. The pantheon of gods and goddesses, Underlings and Skywards, are fascinating and entirely unique. Ross has crafted a world entirely of her own. The magic system is enchanting and immersive. 

This is a love story that spans across worlds, building upon itself as the story unfolds. Their love feels entirely natural and yet not of this world. I devoured these pages, eager for more of Matilda’s life as she grew into her power and into her destiny. 

For anyone who did not connect with the Divine Rivals series, I urge you to pick this one up. The plot alone will enthrall you, followed by the dynamic characters, and the pacing. Incredible story, I can’t wait to read what Ross does next. 

“This is the beginning of the end, I thought. If heatless gods can be made soft by such love, we are all doomed.”

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Saturday Books for the early review copy. 

‘The Bridge Kingdom’ A Review

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★★★★☆

I had vaguely heard of The Bridge Kingdom prior to picking it up on a whim this month, but never knew the story or had any particular impression of it. I gobbled up this story fairly quickly and the more I sit with it, the more I find how much I enjoyed it. As I said, I knew absolutely nothing about this before I picked it up. And this may be in the top fantasy romance books (“romantasy” as the kids say) I’ve read in the past few years.

The first chapter sucked me into the story and had me wanting more, it lost me for a few chapters in the beginning, but quickly picked back up with many fun twists and turns throughout the story. I found myself needing to read more before I went to bed. This was some of the best political fantasy writing I’ve read in a while as well.

The trade and economic policy was interesting and I was not expecting this bridge to be so interesting. Although, I did get lost a few times with all the different kingdoms and their differing dynamics, why did they all have to have such similar names!

The main character felt like a classic fantasy heroine, empowered, strong, “armed to to the teeth,” but also falls head over heels for the love interest and realigns her worldview. I yearn for characters with a little more gumption, a little more intrigue to their character, because at this point they all seem to blend together into these strong female warriors. So at times her character was a bit flat, except for her one fatal flaw, that almost takes her a few times throughout. I liked the slow burn to this, it was much closer to an enemies-to-lovers storyline than other novels, although this was more assassin-to-lover.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series and seeing where the story goes from there.

“Taproot: A Story About a Ghost and a Gardener” by Keezy Young, Book Review

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★ ★ ★

Taproot is a cute graphic novel, perfect for fans of “The Tea Dragon Society” or “Sheets.”
The art style and soothing color palette is exactly what you need on a cozy weekend afternoon, looking for some sweet queer love between a gardener and a ghost. The two main characters and the cast of side characters paint a picture of comfortable existence in their word where a gardener becomes an accidental necromancer. 

The mood shifts about halfway through with the introduction of a few slightly darker elements, but not to worry, the story continues on with a careless breeze and pops of humor throughout. The ending will leave you wondering what’s next in store of these characters. 

While I enjoyed the story, some of the dialogue felt a little stiff and juvenile, and the plot had a few too many almost endings for my taste. It’s difficult to tell if the characters are 14 or 25 years old. And there isn’t quite a climax, more like the first half is one story, followed by some short stories. 

Overall, it was a pleasant and cozy read, great to slip back into reading after a longer break.

By the Book by Amanda Sellet

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★ ★ ★ ★

I received an e-ARC for review on Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.

This book was absolutely sweet and heartwarming! I finished it within a day and it was everything that I needed. The characters were dynamic and I loved all the different kinds of relationships present throughout the story. The banter between the protagonist and the love interesting was on fire! Super cute and fast read, I can’t wait to read more from Amanda Sellet.

My only concern with “By the Book” is if you don’t want to be spoiled about the ending of MANY popular and classic romantic novels, read with caution. This book is filled with spoilers to major twists and ending to classic romantic literature. I didn’t mind it at all, but I know others may. Just be aware!

I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre

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★ ★ ★ ★

I received an e-ARC for review on Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.

I finished this book so quickly! It was easy to dive into the plot and find the characters lives. I loved the bisexual and lesbian representation in this! I don’t think there were any tropes or stereotypes throughout which really made me happy. The characters had a lot of valuable and big conversations, but there was never too much weight put on those conversations. There were a lot of minor plot twists that kept me intrigued but it never felt over the top. The whole plot was realistic and believable, which I think aided the book overall. The book was very balanced in the young adult genre, the characters were naïve in some aspects, as would be expected, but grew throughout and became more dynamic.

I just wish the ending had given a little more romance! But still a super cute, fun, and emotional read.

Coffee Days, Whiskey Nights by Cyrus Parker

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★ ★ ★ ★

I received an e-ARC for review on Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.

The hook for this poetry collection is: “A lot can happen between the first sip of coffee and the last taste of whiskey.” And damn if that’s not true.

There is an enchanting juxtaposition between the early mornings with a strong cup of coffee jolting your senses and then the late evening with a glass of whiskey dulling your surroundings. That is where this poetry collection lives. Cyrus Parker discusses the darkest and most beautiful parts of humanity.

I particularly enjoyed the section on 4 o’clock in the morning, “this desperate longing to hear everything there is to be said before the hour is up because five o’clock is for the living…it’s for realizing that in order to live, you must first survive.”

Some poetry collections are more for the artist than for the reader, many of them actually. And I think as readers we sometimes forget that writers write for themselves. The write to be seen in the world, they write to cope, and they write to feel. Some collections aren’t meant for the satisfaction of others. I felt that in this collection. While I connected to many of the poems throughout, there were others where I felt Cyrus Parker speaking to the reader as if in an empty room. And that’s okay too.

I’ll leave this review with some words from this collection that meant a lot more to me than I expected them to:

“i make my morning coffee the long way; the slow way, to force myself to simply be.”

Cyrus Parler

The Avant-Guards by Usdin, Hayes, & Nalty

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★★★★★

I LOVED this graphic novel! I ate it up sometime in the middle of the night, in one sitting. I love the diversity presented in this story in the ethnicities of the characters as well as the characters’ personalities.

Charlie is a transfer student to Georgia O’Keefe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, she’s a former basketball star who has stepped away from the sport. Liv, a drama student with basketball aspirations coaxes Charlie to join her newly formed ragtag team as the school’s first basketball team.

The representation in this story is so important and is just one story among many more that is diversifying the shelves of readers and reviewers. It felt real. I have read other graphic novels in which the characters feel more like characters in a story rather than real people dealing with real things.

I love the connections that grow throughout the story arc. Although I would’ve loved for it to be longer, I think the length plays very well with where the story left off. It left off with the suspense and want for more issues in the future. And as always I appreciate the cover images in the back of the novel, beautiful work!

The beginnings of romance in this story make me giddy and excited. I’m so ready to read volume two. I have only positive feed back for this lovely story and I look forward to reading more work from author Carly Usdin and artist Noah Hayes in the future.

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

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★★★★★

I was so honored to be placed on the street team for this book and the following books (TWO MORE BOOKS, BECAUSE ITS A TRILOGY NOW). 

I sped through this book, the world building is so in-depth, you can feel your surroundings and know the history of it. The world building isn’t cataloged and explained through it, but is woven throughout the story, with little excerpts of history books, explanations by characters, and dialogue.

I feel for these characters and am so glad that Nicki Pau Preto is taking her time with the story development and with character arcs. These characters have a journey to go on and it’s not rushed.

I can’t wait to see what happens in the following books and to be on this journey!

Here is an excerpt of the sequel Heart of Flames!