Abbie Lynn Smith's Blog, page 4

Book Review: Born Magic by S. Lawrence

I was given a free copy of this novel in a giveaway, so I had no idea what it was about when I received it.

The first thing I noticed was how short it was. I usually read books that are at least 300 pages, so I was shocked to see this one was less than 200. Either way, I was glad to have a quick read on hand.

This story had so much potential. I can't really give too much of an opinion on it because while it was relatively free of grammar and spelling errors, this definitely felt like a polished first draft.

The genre is dystopian/fantasy/reverse harem romance. I usually really enjoy odd mashups like this, but I felt like the author may have missed the mark.

There were so many things that were glossed over, like the main character's village being burned to the ground. The entire story took place over maybe the course of a week? While reverse harem's aren't usually my jam, the premise promised one queen to rule over them all and five pirates that loved her.

I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately it felt forced and super rushed. If you're looking for a quick read, this definitely has that, but I doubt I'll read any further in the series.

Abbie

Book Review: The City of Dusk by Tara Sim

This is another one of my Fairyloot reads. I didn't know what to expect going into this one, only that it was adult and fantasy.

This book felt like a cross between Game of Thrones and Throne of Glass.

There are five important families in this. You have the king, then the four families that are gifted with natural magic. Each of those families are descended from the gods. Their powers range from necromancy, to darkness, to light, to elemental.

This book is really long. I'll admit, there were parts where I didn't really want to keep picking it up, but I knew I had to finish it. That's not to say that it was bad, just that I felt like maybe the plot could have been pared down a little to make it a more enjoyable experience.

I've read in a few places that this reads more like YA than adult, and I have to agree. While it did have some dark themes, some of the things you'd expect on the page (namely, romance and sex scenes), weren't there.

The story has a pretty intriguing plot with a lot of fun, magic-filled action sequences. I felt a little let down by the premise not being fulfilled in the end of the novel.

I know this is really vague, but I felt like the blurb provided with the book provides a good summary of the plot, so I've included it below:

Set in a gorgeous world of bone and shadow magic, of vengeful gods and defiant chosen ones, The City of Dusk is the first in a dark epic fantasy trilogy that follows the four heirs of four noble houses—each gifted with a divine power—as they form a tenuous alliance to keep their kingdom from descending into a realm-shattering war.

The Four Realms—Life, Death, Light, and Darkness—all converge on the city of dusk. For each realm there is a god, and for each god there is an heir.

But the gods have withdrawn their favor from the once vibrant and thriving city. And without it, all the realms are dying.

Unwilling to stand by and watch the destruction, the four heirs—Risha, a necromancer struggling to keep the peace; Angelica, an elementalist with her eyes set on the throne; Taesia, a shadow-wielding rogue with rebellion in her heart; and Nik, a soldier who struggles to see the light— will sacrifice everything to save the city.

But their defiance will cost them dearly.

All in all, this first novel really felt like more of a setup than being able to stand on its own. I can't say whether I'll continue it, but if you're looking for a heavy fantasy filled novel with action and political intrigue, check this out!

Abbie

Book Review: Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

A friend recommended this book. After reading The Bridge Kingdom series, I wanted to read more. Jensen is fantastic at writing male protagonists, so I was really excited to see what happened with this one.

I'm not huge on pirate stories, but I definitely started this one at the right time. The moment I first started reading it, I got sucked in. I LOVED that the main character, Teriana, was a person of color, serving as first mate to her mother, the leader of a pirate ship. The love interest, Marcus, is a soldier in the empire's army.

There were a ton of Roman references, which I really enjoyed. I like seeing authors take elements from historical cultures and building them into new worlds.

Marcus is being blackmailed by a very powerful man. So much that he has to influence his unit to vote for the man in the elections to put him in charge.

Teriana has a friend who lives on shore. The girl finds out she's being given to a man to be his wife, and Teriana tells her something she isn't supposed to: outside the empire, there are other lands. The empire has taken control of the known world. They think nothing lies beyond the endless oceans. To help her friend, Teriana gives her a way to contact her so she can leave.

This, of course, doesn't end well.

Upon learning this information from Teriana's friend, the empire begins taking out the Maarins, including Teriana's. To spare her people from further torture, she agrees to give away the secrets she's held.

Teriana and Marcus go together to the Dark Shores.

While the main characters were considered Adult by age, the book really read like YA. I'm not totally complaining. It was good, but I really missed the level of heat that's in The Bridge Kingdom. The climax of the story felt a little anti-climactic, but it definitely wont stop me from reading further.

Abbie

Book Review: The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

This was another novel that came in a book subscription. I absolutely loved the cover and sprayed edges.

I grew up adoring Aladdin. A lot of that had to do with Robin Williams's genie. But, I loved the story of the lamp. I've always intended to read Arabian Nights.

This novel begins where we meet Loulie, The Midnight Merchant. She's known for procuring illegal, magical items and selling them to the highest bidder. Loulie was orphaned as a young girl, when her wandering tribe was murdered and she was the only one left behind. She only survived because a djinn, who ends up sticking with her as a bodyguard.

Once gaining the sultan's attention, Loulie saves one of the prince's lives. The sultan then charges her with obtaining the famed lamp, and the djinn that lives within it.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it had fantastic Arab representation. I really felt like I could visualize the culture, from the food references, to the clothing, to the way of life.

As has been my complaint with several reads lately, I found the lack of romance a bit dull. There were hints of it in a couple of places, but it really wasn't romance at all. I'm hopeful that the next novel will bring that forward, because that truly was the only thing missing.

Abbie

Book Review: Book of Night by Holly Black

This came in my Fairyloot subscription. I really enjoyed The Cruel Prince, so I was hopeful this book would be just as good.

This book was an entirely different genre and type for Black. It's more of an urban fantasy story. Where somewhere in the eighties-ish, someone discovered that shadows could actually have magic. What followed was a litany of seedy enterprises, all with the purpose of gaining power and sway by the use of shadows.

The main character, Charlie Hall, is a badass. She's trying to make better choices, go straight, do things the right way. Even if she spent most of her formative years as a thief and con artist. She has a relatively quiet life. She works at a bar, lives with her younger sister and boyfriend, and ends up sucked into bigger plots.

One of the most interesting things is the shadows.

It has become an enterprise where people personalize their shadows, steal others shadows, and use their shadows to do magic.

It turns out, Charlie's shadow is only beginning its quickening, much to her younger sister's chagrin.

While at work, Charlie is attacked because she's managed to get herself caught up in the search of a missing book. Somehow, her boyfriend shows up, murders the guy, and disposes of his body. Her shy, quiet boyfriend who she rarely sees any emotion from. She chalks it up to his shadow, but, really, there's so much more.

My only real complaint was the lack of romance. Whereas Cruel Prince was full of heat and longing, I really wished we could have seen that more with Charlie and Vince.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and can't wait to see how she wraps it up in book two!

Abbie

Book Review: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

"They" say never judge a book by its cover. But this one was so pretty I couldn't help myself.

I've been getting away from YA for a while now. Mainly because I write adult romance. I've really been trying to keep in the genre I write. However, the premise of this one seemed really interesting.

The first thing that stuck out to me when reading this one was the trigger warning. The entire premise of the book is based on girls being given to the king as concubines for a year. The author made sure to express that sexual assault was a heavy theme in the book. In getting that warning, I was able to prepare myself for the content.

Overall, this book was fantastic. I'd forgotten that I bought it because it was LGBTQ+.

The main character, Lei, is forcibly removed from her village and taken to the capital, where she is to join eight other girls that have been specially chosen as the king's paper concubines. There are different classes in this world. Paper being human and valued far less than the other classes.

Lei, being the ninth girl in this group that was only supposed to be eight, is treated differently by several of the girls. But, there are a few that she gets along with. As she adjusts to her time in the capital as a paper girl, time passes. The king calls for the girls by sending a slip of paper with their name on it.

Lei is the last one called. The king wines and dines her, then he attempts to have his way. She manages to knock him off kilter and escapes. This is a grave error that won't be overlooked.

While all of this is going on, Lei falls for one of the other girls, Wren. Mysterious and beautiful, Wren sneaks out at night. What Lei discovers is that Wren is the last of her race and was sent here to kill the king.

Overall, this was a fantastically written LGBTQ+ story that had me immediately ordering book two!

Abbie

Book Review: The Inadequate Heir by Danielle L. Jensen

I pre-ordered this book months ago so I could get the special pre-order incentive, which was a six chapter bonus starring Lara and Aren from the first two novels of The Bridge Kingdom series.

The Inadequate Heir runs almost concurrently from about midway through The Bridge Kingdom and spans to the end of The Traitor Queen.

Keris is Lara's brother. And the crown prince of Maridrina. Both things that he hates.

Keris has always bucked the system that seems against him. He didn't take part in ruling the kingdom--figuring that either one of his older brothers would live to rule, or he'd be killed before he could take the throne.

When, by some strange twist of fate, Keris runs across a mysterious Valcottan woman one night in the city, he becomes intrigued by her sharp tongue and clever mind. The two of them swap ideals, give each other intel, and fall for one another never knowing who the other really is.

If you've read Traitor Queen, you know the gist of Keris and Zarrah. Or at least you think you do. In truth, their story is far, far deeper than what happens in the first two novels in the series.

One thing that I absolutely loved was that Jensen ratched up the heat in this one! Not that the prior two weren't great (I thoroughly enjoyed them), but I really felt like there was little payoff. That is not the case here.

I have always had a love for Romeo & Juliet esque romances, and this story doesn't disappoint. While we know the overall world plots and things happening amongst the world, getting to dive in and see how Keris fell in love with Zarrah was incredible.

And.... Jensen left it on a cliffhanger. I'm dying to read the next!

Abbie

Book Review: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Earlier this year, I signed up for Fairyloot's adult book box. I was super excited to see what kinds of books they would send out. First up is The Atlas Six, which fit the month's theme of dark academia.

Admittedly, I have never read anything in this genre. I began reading The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, but didn't get very far. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one.

This story begins when the mysterious Atlas appears at Libby's university graduation with an offer she can't refuse. Her rival, Nico, is given the same offer. The two have been at each others' throats for years. They have the same magical gifts and each tries to outdo the other. So when the offer is presented, Libby can't let Nico get one up on her.

The proposal is simple. Six initiates enter, spending a year learning under the Society--a group that maintains the lost library of Alexandria--but only five make it to initiation.

It is an interesting premise. From there, we are introduced to the other four--Tristan, Parisa, Reina, and Callum. Each have their own unique gifts. The six of them are to live in a manor house, learning about the mysteries of the universe.

What's more is that they learn the truth about initiation: one of the must die.

This novel had a very interesting premise. I'm sure that for those who enjoy dark academia, this was a great novel. There's intrigue and mystery. Magic and mayhem. But it lacked one crucial thing for me: romance.

Oh sure, there's some flirting and sex on the page, but it's definitely not up to my personal preferences. The story remains wholly political as each of the six tries to find their place within this group of initiates while also seeking out knowledge and furthering their own gifts.

Again, for someone who is a fan of the genre, I think they'd really like it. As for me? Well, the ending felt like it was just leading into a sequel with very little pay off. Will I read the next one? Maybe. But I'm not dying to get my hands on it.

Abbie

Book Review: Praise by Sara Cate

Y'all. Do you ever read something that absolutely shocks you in the best way possible?

A friend told me about Praise by Sara Cate. She outlined the premise of the story, what tropes it featured, and that she was so surprised by how well done it was. One thing I love to see in books is kink representation, but in a lot of ways, it's not quite done right.

Let me tell you. Praise is worth every. bit. of. the hype.

Charlie has to go to her ex-boyfriend's father's house to get her half of the deposit from their apartment. Emerson, her ex's dad, is a super rich dude who has made his millions in providing a place for people to explore their deepest inner fantasies. He's just about given up on finding the right woman.

His office is empty when Charlie walks in so she waits. When he arrives, he thinks she's one the girls sent from his service to be his submissive. "Aren't you supposed to be kneeling?" Charlie is like... what? But she does it. He praises her, and she finds herself surprisingly enjoying it.

This is such a fun meet cute. From there, Emerson gives Charlie a job and shenanigans ensue. I have to say, this is one of the best written books I have ever read including a praise kink. I could tell that the author really did the work to make sure the relationship was portrayed as healthy. There are so many little moments through this that melted my heart.

I cannot recommend this one enough if you're looking for a praise kink, bdsm friendly romance novel. I literally read this in less than a day.

Abbie

Book Review: Murder for the Modern Girl by Kendall Kulper

An author I followed on Instagram read an advanced copy of this novel, and since I'm working on a paranormal romance series set in New Orleans during Prohibition, I definitely wanted to sink my teeth into it!

There's something about the glamor and art deco of the 1920s that I absolutely adore. Pair that with a murderous angel, and I'm sold.

This novel starts with Ruby, high society daughter of Chicago's attorney, as she's in a bar, plotting to murder a man. The premise is great. We learn early on that Ruby can read minds, which is how she picks her victims. Not in a stalky-serial-killer way, but rather as an avenging angel. She only kills men that are already plotting to do the same to women.

Enter Guy. He's got a special gift as well. Though he's working in relative obscurity as a janitor in a lab, Guy is working there to get close to the one person that might be able to help him figure out his power: transformation. Guy can change his features, his size, his voice. He can completely become a new person.

Their paths collide unexpectedly, and what follows is a tale of murder, mayhem, and sweet romance.

This novel had a very YA feel to it, even though the main characters were adult ages. That was pretty much my only complaint. If anyone has any suggestions on 1920s flapper romances, please toss them my way!

Abbie