This reminded me a bit of Emily Wilde. We follow the story of a young woman who wants to be a scholar but is restricted by her sex. After her marriageThis reminded me a bit of Emily Wilde. We follow the story of a young woman who wants to be a scholar but is restricted by her sex. After her marriage she can finally follow her dream and study dragons but of course nothing goes to plan.
I liked this but I felt the pacing and the emotion were a bit restricted. But since this is only the beginning of Isabella's story I think I might continue....more
This was a charming story with a charming romance at the center of it. There was actual development between the characters and personal growth for theThis was a charming story with a charming romance at the center of it. There was actual development between the characters and personal growth for them seperately.
The mystery that was driving the plot was fun but nothing too exciting but it served the story well.
And I'm so happy that this is a story about people in their 30s where I can actually believe all the things that already happened to them. I wish more fanatsy books would focus on characters that are not 18 anymore....more
Jenseits der goldenen Brücke hatte eine spannende Grundpremisse und ich fand die Welt und die einhergehende Magie ziemlich interessant.
Unsere Haup3.5*
Jenseits der goldenen Brücke hatte eine spannende Grundpremisse und ich fand die Welt und die einhergehende Magie ziemlich interessant.
Unsere Hauptcharakterin Amaia war charismatisch und sympatisch und ihre Beziehungen mit den verschiedenen Nebencharakteren haben Sinn ergeben, auch wenn sie teilweise etwas ausführlicher hätten dargestellt werden können.
Der männliche Hauptcharakter war der klassische tall, dark and brooding Typ und hat diese Klischees auch erfolgreich bedient. Nichtsdestotrotz hatten die beiden Chemie miteinander und das hat alles ganz gut funktioniert.
Ich hätte mir an manchen Stellen etwas mehr zwischenmenschliche Entwicklung gewünscht und ein bisschen mehr erzählerische Überraschung, aber insgesamt war das ein sehr unterhaltsames Buch....more
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for the ARC.
The Raven Scholar is the first book in a new trilogy. We follow Neema Kraa, the emperor'sThank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for the ARC.
The Raven Scholar is the first book in a new trilogy. We follow Neema Kraa, the emperor's High Scholar, who gets chosen to solve a murder all while there is a competition between seven contenders for the the throne of Orrun.
This is a fascinating mix of courtly intrigue, murder mystery, deadly competition and mystical beings that seem to have more influence on the world and its people than they might have thought. There is even a small amount of romance, but it's very much not the focus.
Neema is a great character to follow. She is witty, higly intelligent and ressourceful. And even though she is our main focus, we get different perspectives throught the narrative.
The audiobook is narrated by Daphne Kouma and she does a wonderful job. She gives Neema life and is very good at making every voice distinct and easily distinguishable. It was a joy listening to her.
The audiobook also uses musical cues between the different parts of the story, which makes it easy to follow.
I can't wait for the next book in this trilogy. I loved this so much!...more
I really enjoyed this story about a young woman who starts to work for the koldunya Baba Zima trying to find a way to save her family that has been taI really enjoyed this story about a young woman who starts to work for the koldunya Baba Zima trying to find a way to save her family that has been taken by a mysterious sleeping curse.
It's full of magic, folklore, great and well-crafted female characters and a gripping mystery that keeps you reading.
If you like Spinning Silver or The Winternight Trilogy this might be for you....more
Thanks to Netgalley, Del Rey and Elise Kova for the ARC.
Arcana Academy is the first book in a new fantasy series by Elise Kova.
The book is set in4.5*
Thanks to Netgalley, Del Rey and Elise Kova for the ARC.
Arcana Academy is the first book in a new fantasy series by Elise Kova.
The book is set in world where magic is wielded through tarot cards and where only the royal family and the nobles of the land have the right to use this magic. We follow Clara, a young woman who has been imprisoned for a year for illegally using tarot magic but who is freed by the second prince and headmaster of the magic school, Arcana Academy. Clara becomes a student there and tries to find answers about her past, her family, her abilities and why prince Kaelis who imprisoned her, freed her and what he wants with her.
I love a book set at a magic school and Arcana Academy doesn't disappoint. The magic is fascinating and the way it is used made for exciting action. Clara already knows how to use her magic so the story doesn't need to info dump everything at the beginning but gradually makes the reader more familiar with the world and its rules. The world-building itself was concentrated on the school and the city it's in with a few mentions of the world outside. I feel that there is much more to explore here and I hope that we will see more of it in the future.
Since this is categorised as a romantasy, there is romance in this book. The balance between plot and romance was very evenly distributed, which I appreciated. And the romance plot itself is also very intriguing. It's more of a slow burn with great chemistry between the leads.
My only point of contention would be the side characters. There were quite a few and all of them were quite intriguing but I felt that I didn't really get to know any of them in a satisfying way and there is a lot of potential to expand on their respective stories.
Nevertheless, the ending was quite explosive and left at a very interesting point that I can't wait for the next book in the series....more
This was a really poignant portrayal of a marriage between two people that had been together for so long that they lost themselves and didn't really kThis was a really poignant portrayal of a marriage between two people that had been together for so long that they lost themselves and didn't really know how to find each other again.
I relly enjoy Nathan Hill's writing. It's a bit episodic and likes to go on tangents but never loses the focus on the main story. There are many philosophical topics raised and discussed but the books biggest strength is in the relationship between these two deeply flawed people. They felt very real for me since I'm about their age and at a similar point in life.
I didn't love this quite as much as The Nix but I still had a wonderful time. Can't wait for what Hill comes out with next.
Grave Empire is the first book in a new trilogy by Richard Swan. Set in the same world as his last tri4.5*
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the e-arc.
Grave Empire is the first book in a new trilogy by Richard Swan. Set in the same world as his last trilogy, starting with The Justice Of Kings, we follow the plot a few hundred years later.
Something strange is happening in the afterlife. We follow three different POVs - Renata Rainer, an assistant ambassador to the Stygion, a mere-people attuned to the magic in the world, Peter Kleist a young soldier fighting on the farthest front for his country's expansion interests, and Count van Oldenburg, a senator whose interests in the arcane make him interested in finding out what is going on.
I loved the story in this. I was hooked by the mystery of what was going on and the horrors that the characters experience. This is really fantasy horror with quite detailed descriptions of violence and bodily wounds but also atmospheric horrors.
I also enjoyed reading the different POVs. Not only were the characters interesting and complex with different goals and agendas but not necessarily easy to root for, it made the scope of the narrative so much more vast and gave a very detailed view of the world with its different races and people.
The writing drew me in as it did with The Justice Of Kings. It takes its time to explain things and trusts the reader to follow along.
And even though this is a first book in a trilogy, it ends quite satisfactorily with the arc of the book completed but enough open questions that I look forward to continuing this series.
My only qualm is that it it took its time a bit to get really going. But once it did, I couldn't put it down.
I really loved this and eagerly await the next book....more
This second book focused more on Morgans relationships with the people in her life and how these relationships forced her to make decisions that shapeThis second book focused more on Morgans relationships with the people in her life and how these relationships forced her to make decisions that shaped her future and the futures of everyone around her.
Morgan is a fascinating character that is frustrating at times and incredible at others.
I'm very much looking forward to what comes next....more
*Thanks to Netgalley, Vaughan Woods Publishing and Jacquelyn Benson for an advanced audio review copy*
Tomb of the Sun King is the second book in the R*Thanks to Netgalley, Vaughan Woods Publishing and Jacquelyn Benson for an advanced audio review copy*
Tomb of the Sun King is the second book in the Raiders of the Arcana series by Jacquelyn Benson. We still follow Ellie and Adam as they arrive in Egypt to warn Ellie's brother Neil of the shadowy organisation that is trying to find magical artifacts and use them for nefarious purposes. And it seems their next goal is connected to Neil's excavation in Saqqara.
With the new location come new and old characters that get more spotlight in this second book. No only is Neilp art of the team, but also Ellie's friend Constance and Neil's foreman Sayyid. This opens up the narrative quite a bit and since they all bring their own strengths and flaws to the table, the book makes for a very engaging read.
After the first book dove into mesoamerican history, the second concentrates completely on Egyptian history and makes it its own. I loved the different historical sites and figures.
The audiobook is narrated by Alex Picard - just like Empire of Shadows. She does a great job of using different accents and voices so that it's always easy to differentiate between the various characters. I read the first book physically and felt that the second book was even better with the narration. It added so much feeling and emotion to the story and the characters and made everything come to life.
In the end, I loved this book as much as the first one - maybe even a little bit more since I really enjoyed the characters that were added. This series is perfect for fans of The Mummy or Indiana Jones - especially with this second book. And you can't go wrong with the audiobook. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series since it promises another great adventure....more
**spoiler alert** After absolutely loving the first two books, I was convinced that I would love this installment too. Unfortunately, a lot of the thi**spoiler alert** After absolutely loving the first two books, I was convinced that I would love this installment too. Unfortunately, a lot of the things that made the first entries so strong were sadly absent here.
First of all, all the characters are in different spots at the beginning and it mostly stays that way for half the book. Instead, Bree spends her time with completely new characters that were fine but were only there so she had someone to interact with.
Alice spent the whole book in a coma and Sel didn't have much more page-time than her. I guess, since Nick was missing for most of the second book, Sel had to be gone in this book to keep the love triangle alive, but Nick is a much less interesting character and love interest and it frustrated me that there was so much focus on the pairing.
And then we had the memory loss. I hate this trope so much! Even though it wasn't a total loss since she could remember the moments just not the people it felt like lazy writing. The only purpose served by this was that Bree could be with Nick again since she forgot about her feelings for Sel and this felt so unneccessary to me.
The plot was also kind of meandering. I never really understood Bree's motivation to get the crown for the Shadow King. There could have probably been a better way to save the Root girls than to give your greatest enemy all his power back.
The ending was quite explosive and I'm looking forward to what happens next, but this book was kind of disappointing....more
After being a bit frustrated with Sword of Kaigen, I was very pleasantly surprised by Blood Over Bright Haven. This was a strong story set in a well-dAfter being a bit frustrated with Sword of Kaigen, I was very pleasantly surprised by Blood Over Bright Haven. This was a strong story set in a well-developed world with intriguing and at times difficult characters and a narrative that asks big questions and tries to answer them.
There are many parallels to our current world, which made this feel even more relevant. And the last few chapters elevated this for me. They felt very real and true to the characters and their respective arcs.
This book had a lot of elements that I really liked but I'm not sure that it reached it's full potential.
The main character is engaging and easy t3.5*
This book had a lot of elements that I really liked but I'm not sure that it reached it's full potential.
The main character is engaging and easy to root for. The magic is nothing new or exciting but still well implemented. There are a few side characters that I really loved and would love to see more from.
The ending left on a satisfying note and I think I'm going to pick up the next book.
But in the end, I wasn't wowed by the story and it rarely gripped me....more
This second installment of the series started off a bit slow and for quite a while not much was happening. There was the conspiracy plot that I didn'tThis second installment of the series started off a bit slow and for quite a while not much was happening. There was the conspiracy plot that I didn't find too exciting, Lin's part with her being the goddess which was a lot more interesting and then a bit of romantic entanglement.
The problem with the romances in this series is that they are not really well developed. I did not understand why anyone had feelings for anybody else and if they gave in to these feelings it didn't feel earned. There was even a slight hint of the possibility of another love interest for one of the main characters which I would find much more interesting but I'm not sure if the author would go there.
But after quite a bit of meandering plot the ending elevated this to a 4 star read. There were genuine suprises and everyone ended up in a position much more intersting that what had happened before which makes me quite excited for the next book....more
This is a story that isn't neccessarily anything new with on sunshine character believing in love and trying to convince the other grumpy one to belieThis is a story that isn't neccessarily anything new with on sunshine character believing in love and trying to convince the other grumpy one to believe in it too.
Still, there was a lot to like here. The banter was good, the characters were interesting and most importantly, had great chemistry. Some plot points felt a bit over the top but it kind of worked.
Ironically, I wished there would have been a bit more romance in this. There were a few scenes but they felt a bit half-baked at times.
But I had fun reading this and will probably pick up other books by this author....more
This was a great sequel that I loved even more than the first book. The Mask of Mirrors spent so much time establishing the world, the characters and This was a great sequel that I loved even more than the first book. The Mask of Mirrors spent so much time establishing the world, the characters and the intricate politics that The Liar's Knot uses this foundation to expand on all of these parts.
The pacing again is very well done. The story is a great mixture of politics and magic. The characters and their relationships gain a lot more depth and there were quite a few moments that suprised me.
I rarely binge-read series anymore but with this trilogy I will definitely pick up the third book immediately afterwards. ...more
I had a feeling that I was going to like this, but it was even better than I had hoped!
I feel like so many fantasy books nowadays rush through storyliI had a feeling that I was going to like this, but it was even better than I had hoped!
I feel like so many fantasy books nowadays rush through storylines and world-building to get to a certain point quicker, but The Mask of Mirrors took its time to establish not only the intricate world-building and the political machinations but also the characters. I was gripped and really enjoyed the many layers the world and its people had.
The pacing was also very well done, since it's not a short book and there isn't much action happening.
I'm going to pick up the second book immediately....more
Loading...
