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Shadow and Bone Review

Full disclosure: I have already read the Six of Crows duology, and I thought that I’d be disappointed reading this compared to those books. Boy, was I wrong!

First off: the Darkling. Because I am a junkie for all characters with that dark and brooding look in their eyes, I love what was done with him for the first half, and color me impressed by his arc for the second half of the story.

Bardugo has twisted the trope of the “YA bad boy love interest” very nicely here. I won’t say anymore for the sake of avoiding major spoilers.

But one other note about him, or rather, the performance of him. I listened to this via the audiobook narrated by Lauren Fortgang (who did an incredible job). Her performance of the Darkling was spot-on, and that alone made me grateful I picked up the audio version of Shadow and Bone. Other characters felt just as distinct.

But I would be remiss if I just talked about the Darkling!

From the start, I was already familiar with the world of Grisha, and to a lesser extent, the country of Ravka (I’m a little more fluent in Kerch, you see).

But I think the worldbuilding is done in a way that, even for someone who hasn’t read a book in the Grishaverse, readers wouldn’t be overwhelmed by information on the variations of Grisha powers or Fjerdan-Ravkan politics, for example. There’s a huge world that Bardugo is keeping under wraps, but it doesn’t feel at all overwhelming.

This is the fastest I’ve read a book recently. It is well-paced, exciting, and a perfect fit for anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy.

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My 3 Favorite Things about Fantasy

Granted, not all fantasy has these elements, and those stories are still enjoyable. But across the board, here are my favorite things to see in fantasy books.

1. The places are made of Magic

A dimension made of tangible magic, a land where it’s always summer, spring, winter or fall, a tower guarded by a skeleton queen and her army. I would have never gone to these places without fantasy books.

I love immersing myself in a setting seeping with magic. Fantasy authors have incredible creativity when it comes to the places they take us in pages. When I’m somewhere in a book that I could never even dreamed of, that’s when I get lost in a story.

2. Epic plots

The only thing I love more than big books is big series. And big series often have a single plot thread (accompanied by smaller plot threads) of epic proportions.

Winter’s not coming until the sixth book. The hobbits don’t get to Mordor until The Return of the King. Voldemort isn’t defeated until book seven.

Sure, he almost kills Harry a few times in the preceding books, but that’s part of the fun (er, not for Harry, I suppose).

I’ll take an overarching problem with a dramatic crescendo every time. It’s just incredibly satisfying reading the big, explosive end to something that’s been brewing for months or years (or decades, in the case of A Song of Ice and Fire).

3. Multiple POV characters

Although I have plenty of favorite books featuring a single narrator, I have to admit that I love those stories with multiple POV characters. Luckily, fantasy is filled with such stories.

Done well, it can add depth to the main protagonist’s story, create suspense when characters pursue independent agendas, and spice up the action. I love occupying a different headspace within the same book, especially when the perspective change gives new meaning to the story.

In short, I crave valuable point-of-view changes. That’s my jam.

What do you like best about reading fantasy? Sound off below!

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Serpent & Dove Review

Serpent & Dove, Shelby Mahurin. Photo by Joy Lewis, 2020.

I love a book that sends me back to its early pages, feverishly thumbing through for the hint that I didn’t take 200 pages ago. Shelby Mahurin’s Serpent & Dove is one of these books.

Lou and Reid’s relationship was wonderful to watch as it unfolded, and the conflict between them was riveting. A witch and a witch-hunter have been forced into a marriage to save both their skins. But what one doesn’t know about the other will be the undoing of this fragile bond.

Serpent & Dove has what every enemies-to-lovers romance should have: snark, heartbreak, redemption, chemistry, and an oath to kill the other!

I devoured Serpent & Dove in a matter of days. Once I read halfway through, I could hardly put the book down. I can’t wait to get my hands on Blood & Honey, the second book in Mahurin’s series.

Without a doubt, it’s one of the best fantasy books I’ve read this year.

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A Curse So Dark and Lonely Review

A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is, at once, classic and modern, heartbreaking and hope-inspiring, and dark yet full of an inner light.

Kemmerer has spun a fantastic twist on the classic beauty and the beast tale where the beauty is NOT the beautiful girl chosen for the prince, the beast is on a fast-track to destroying his own kingdom, and breaking the curse won’t save everyone.

I admire Harper for her incredible spirit and heart, and Prince Rhen is a great deuteragonist to set off their differences in character. Despite his flaws (and the boy has some, let me tell you), I felt for him and came to love this beast-princeling.

The last third of the book ramped up the action and stakes to the highest degree. The set up for book 2 is magical, and the ending took me entirely by surprise.

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The Shadows Between Us Review

Alessandra’s not the most typical of young adult protagonists. She’s vain, ambitious to a fault, and perhaps even evil. In her own words, she’s a murderess (this is not a spoiler, as it’s revealed on page one!).

She’s great. And lots of other readers feel the same. How?

Tricia Levenseller’s The Shadows Between Us is, in the most succinct way I can phrase it, an ode to every underestimated woman and girl out there.

While at first glance, Alessandra’s plan might put off some for its cold-blooded nature, I found myself quickly rooting for her.

Her plan?

Seduce the king.Marry him.Kill him for his power.

Just who is Alessandra Stathos?

She’s the second daughter of a father desperate for a high bride-price, a father all too ready to sell off his second-born to any man with a title and moderately wealthy estate.

In this kingdom, women are not permitted bed partners before marriage. As widows, they must observe mourning for a full year following their husband’s death (mourning here meaning they must always wear black and cannot remarry). Only the eldest daughter of a family is permitted to be seen at social gatherings. When she is wed off, the second eldest is free to do so, etc.

Alessandra has some changes to the law in mind for when she seizes power from the fabled Shadow King.

The only problem with this? The Shadow King wields a shadow magic that makes killing him–let alone seducing him–near impossible.

But Alessandra’s nothing if not determined.

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The Hundredth Queen Review

In something that feels like a cross between The Handmaid’s Tale and the best of historic epic fantasy, The Hundredth Queen deserves the talk.

Emily R. King weaves her fantasy world with
pieces of Sumerian religion, the “outcast” magic-user narrative, and themes of
sisterhood and patriarchy. These elements, combined with a message of rising
against injustice, all create a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The young orphan Kalinda has been chosen by the ruler of the Tarachand Empire, the brutal Rajah Tarek, to be his hundredth wife. But in order to secure her position, she must duel his courtesans in a fight to the death, as required by the gods.

And while untapped magical powers would
otherwise be advantageous, Rajah Tarek has been systematically hunting and killing
the last of these magic users in search of a forbidden book. For, the tyrant Tarek
wants more than his hundredth wife…

One of my favorite parts of this book was King’s concept of sister warriors. Though they have been on opposing sides, the wives and courtesans are bound by their shared experiences in combat. Kalinda’s strength is represented not only by her ability in battle, but also in her compassion toward others, even for those who have looked down on her.

In many ways, THQ examined what it means to be strong and what it means to lead.

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