Gypsy Madden's Blog, page 8
September 15, 2021
Book Review: Loving the Monster Within
Loving the Monster Within by Cassidy K. O’Connor
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Penny works as a counselor at a shelter for abused women. During her breaks, she goes up to the roof and talks her problems out to the large stone gargoyle perched there, who she affectionately named Frank. Her problems range from wishing justice for the women she counsels, to bemoaning her string of failed dates. One of her dates though turns up as a threat to one of the women and children at the shelter, a superhero vigilante with wings appears to save them. The gargoyle has come to life, claiming to be a cursed man born several centuries ago and he feels drawn to Penny.
Comments: When I picked this up, it didn’t really dawn on me that so much of this would focus on her time at the abused women’s shelter and harp on how much injustice there was at seeing the men get off free. The book reads something like the 90s cartoon Disney’s Gargoyles, specifically Asald sounds like Goliath, except in this book we don’t have to deal with him having to return to being a statue once he gains humanity. I love that his playing mysterious vigilante sounded so much like being a superhero (I’ve been hungering to find more superhero books that aren’t just all about the men characters or just have token females in them). Penny bemoaning her status of not getting sex and hungering for it was just awkward on all of the occasions she mentions it. We don’t see much of the town itself, since the story stays rather locked in the shelter, Pen’s apartment, and the restaurant. I was just sort of assuming the city was probably supposed to be New York, like in the Disney cartoon. I did love the fish out of water concept of Asald trying to get used to the modern world. And with him still holding onto his medieval concepts, it leads to interesting drama moments. And I did love that he had character history and a story behind him becoming a gargoyle and how his past wasn’t as perfect as it could have been and that he was a flawed character with things to get over. I love that in a book market of practically nothing but vampires and werewolves, gargoyles are a breath of fresh air.
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Penny works as a counselor at a shelter for abused women. During her breaks, she goes up to the roof and talks her problems out to the large stone gargoyle perched there, who she affectionately named Frank. Her problems range from wishing justice for the women she counsels, to bemoaning her string of failed dates. One of her dates though turns up as a threat to one of the women and children at the shelter, a superhero vigilante with wings appears to save them. The gargoyle has come to life, claiming to be a cursed man born several centuries ago and he feels drawn to Penny.
Comments: When I picked this up, it didn’t really dawn on me that so much of this would focus on her time at the abused women’s shelter and harp on how much injustice there was at seeing the men get off free. The book reads something like the 90s cartoon Disney’s Gargoyles, specifically Asald sounds like Goliath, except in this book we don’t have to deal with him having to return to being a statue once he gains humanity. I love that his playing mysterious vigilante sounded so much like being a superhero (I’ve been hungering to find more superhero books that aren’t just all about the men characters or just have token females in them). Penny bemoaning her status of not getting sex and hungering for it was just awkward on all of the occasions she mentions it. We don’t see much of the town itself, since the story stays rather locked in the shelter, Pen’s apartment, and the restaurant. I was just sort of assuming the city was probably supposed to be New York, like in the Disney cartoon. I did love the fish out of water concept of Asald trying to get used to the modern world. And with him still holding onto his medieval concepts, it leads to interesting drama moments. And I did love that he had character history and a story behind him becoming a gargoyle and how his past wasn’t as perfect as it could have been and that he was a flawed character with things to get over. I love that in a book market of practically nothing but vampires and werewolves, gargoyles are a breath of fresh air.
September 14, 2021
Book Review: Dragon Fairest (Dragon Ever After - Book 1)
Dragon Fairest (Dragon Ever After - Book 1) by Amberlyn Holland
4 stars
Category: Adult
Summary: Jack and his treasure-hunting mercenary team encounter a young woman on the run. They know what it like to have a price on their heads, so they hide her, agreeing to take her to the coast so she can escape to the neighboring kingdom called the Sea Clan. The girl on the run is Princess Kynara who, according to the queen, tried to take over the throne. But according to the princess, the evil grey enchantress Veila, escaped her magical prison, because Kynara had grown curious with magic and accidentally released her. Her brothers fell into the enchantress’s clutches, when they rescued Kyn and parents were enveloped in the deadly curse that Kynara unleashed to unsuccessfully drive back Veila. Jack knows he shouldn’t help Kynara since he had been successfully hiding from Veila all these years and Veila still wants his blood to make her even more powerful.
Comments: Did my summary sound confused? Probably not as much as I was reading the story. It does try to framework Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, but the plot is so very tangled and overly complicated. I had picked up Book 2 before this since the Cinderella plotline on that one had me intrigued. But I realized I was missing the key scene of the downfall of the Ardell kingdom and what happened to the king and queen and why the brothers were on the run, etc and just who Jelverck was and who the grey enchantress was and who the baron was (I’m still not certain who he was). So, I picked up the prequel to see if the key scene was in that one. Wasn’t in that one either. That was a story of the first meeting of the king and queen as young people and a quick introduction to Veila and Jelverck, long before Kynara and her brothers were born. So, I was happy to pick this up, looking forward to seeing that key scene play out. Nope. It’s told by Kynara in her own words as something that happened shortly prior to the beginning of this book. We really needed to see that scene as it happened. And the character of Kynara is incredibly frustrating and irritating. For instance, her curiosity with magic was what lead to the fall of her kingdom. Does she shy away from magic? No. Does she realize she might need to actually learn more about magic before she touches it again? No. Does she learn anything from her mistake? No, because she’s convinced that it wasn’t the fault of the magic, or even her own fault. She’s actually insistent on continuing to use magic. When Jack tells her he hates magic, does she abstain from using it around him. No. She pointedly uses it on him. Does she feel any remorse about that later? No. It boggles the mind of just how ignorant and obtuse she is and how she doesn’t learn from her mistakes to grow as a character. What doesn’t work in this is the initial falling in love of the two main characters. There’s this scene where they were arguing, and then they suddenly kiss, awkwardly out of the blue, and then they’re in love. It’s like there’s a logic bridge missing here. Jack is a worthy hero. He’s reluctant at times, and yet protective, he wants to stay alive, and still do what’s right. He also wants to keep his secrets for his and the safety of everyone else, but he also wants to keep his friends close. But on the flip side, there were times I wanted to knock him over the head for why he was so centered on the girl when there was no real reason for him to be. Let’s address the group of dwarves, I mean werewolves. The problem is that there might have been too many to really flesh each of them out, which results in them being interchangeable without anything distinguishable between them or differing personalities to differentiate them, and as a whole I was uninterested in them since they seemed like standard PNR werewolves. So, I wasn’t tempted to try to seek out their individually starring books. I still love seeing Jelverck. His character has so much depth and emotion to him, and I’m rather dying to see him in a book of his own since he has the largest redemption arc and the longest way to come out of all of them, making him far more interesting than all of the brothers and wolves combined. When I reached the end of this book and it set up for one further down the road, I realized just how forcedly orchestrated it felt that there would be three unmarried princesses of a neighboring kingdom and three unattached princes in Ardell. Too convenient. And the tag line for the book lies. Our on the run princess is very much a damsel-in-distress.
4 stars
Category: Adult
Summary: Jack and his treasure-hunting mercenary team encounter a young woman on the run. They know what it like to have a price on their heads, so they hide her, agreeing to take her to the coast so she can escape to the neighboring kingdom called the Sea Clan. The girl on the run is Princess Kynara who, according to the queen, tried to take over the throne. But according to the princess, the evil grey enchantress Veila, escaped her magical prison, because Kynara had grown curious with magic and accidentally released her. Her brothers fell into the enchantress’s clutches, when they rescued Kyn and parents were enveloped in the deadly curse that Kynara unleashed to unsuccessfully drive back Veila. Jack knows he shouldn’t help Kynara since he had been successfully hiding from Veila all these years and Veila still wants his blood to make her even more powerful.
Comments: Did my summary sound confused? Probably not as much as I was reading the story. It does try to framework Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, but the plot is so very tangled and overly complicated. I had picked up Book 2 before this since the Cinderella plotline on that one had me intrigued. But I realized I was missing the key scene of the downfall of the Ardell kingdom and what happened to the king and queen and why the brothers were on the run, etc and just who Jelverck was and who the grey enchantress was and who the baron was (I’m still not certain who he was). So, I picked up the prequel to see if the key scene was in that one. Wasn’t in that one either. That was a story of the first meeting of the king and queen as young people and a quick introduction to Veila and Jelverck, long before Kynara and her brothers were born. So, I was happy to pick this up, looking forward to seeing that key scene play out. Nope. It’s told by Kynara in her own words as something that happened shortly prior to the beginning of this book. We really needed to see that scene as it happened. And the character of Kynara is incredibly frustrating and irritating. For instance, her curiosity with magic was what lead to the fall of her kingdom. Does she shy away from magic? No. Does she realize she might need to actually learn more about magic before she touches it again? No. Does she learn anything from her mistake? No, because she’s convinced that it wasn’t the fault of the magic, or even her own fault. She’s actually insistent on continuing to use magic. When Jack tells her he hates magic, does she abstain from using it around him. No. She pointedly uses it on him. Does she feel any remorse about that later? No. It boggles the mind of just how ignorant and obtuse she is and how she doesn’t learn from her mistakes to grow as a character. What doesn’t work in this is the initial falling in love of the two main characters. There’s this scene where they were arguing, and then they suddenly kiss, awkwardly out of the blue, and then they’re in love. It’s like there’s a logic bridge missing here. Jack is a worthy hero. He’s reluctant at times, and yet protective, he wants to stay alive, and still do what’s right. He also wants to keep his secrets for his and the safety of everyone else, but he also wants to keep his friends close. But on the flip side, there were times I wanted to knock him over the head for why he was so centered on the girl when there was no real reason for him to be. Let’s address the group of dwarves, I mean werewolves. The problem is that there might have been too many to really flesh each of them out, which results in them being interchangeable without anything distinguishable between them or differing personalities to differentiate them, and as a whole I was uninterested in them since they seemed like standard PNR werewolves. So, I wasn’t tempted to try to seek out their individually starring books. I still love seeing Jelverck. His character has so much depth and emotion to him, and I’m rather dying to see him in a book of his own since he has the largest redemption arc and the longest way to come out of all of them, making him far more interesting than all of the brothers and wolves combined. When I reached the end of this book and it set up for one further down the road, I realized just how forcedly orchestrated it felt that there would be three unmarried princesses of a neighboring kingdom and three unattached princes in Ardell. Too convenient. And the tag line for the book lies. Our on the run princess is very much a damsel-in-distress.
September 12, 2021
Book Review: Tame the Spark (Mirrorside - prequel)
Tame the Spark (Mirrorside – prequel) by Jessica Lynch
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length. I obtained a free copy via Prolific Works. Currently free on Amazon.
Summary: Elizabeth comes from a wealthy family and is engaged to the son of one of the father’s business partners to help solidify his power and marry well. Though she’s ambivalent about Charles (though he’s in love with her), she’s determined to fulfill her duty and marry him. She’s approached by a mysterious white-haired man who suggests to her that her destiny is greater than her arranged marriage. Intrigued, she meets with him, only to have him abduct her and take her to a different world, where he tells her that she is Hera reborn and he is Zeus and couldn’t take seeing her about to marry another man and that he needs her to restore balance to this other world because all of the magic is being reborn to Earth instead of there. But she has seen him with prostitutes, and Hera remembers all of his infidelities in the past, and isn’t interested in setting herself up for more heartbreak.
Comments: I loved that this story wasn’t set in the modern world. It felt like it was set somewhere between Victorians and 20s, in the point where women didn’t have much in the way of rights, so Elizabeth was waffling between her duty to marrying and doing what her parents which felt rather Regency, alongside her own independence of wanting more than a loveless marriage (though it didn’t entirely feel like it was set in Regency since there was an absence of companions/chaperones and servants). It was focused on the relationship more than anything else, and not so much on the mythology or fantasy aspects, other than the duality of legendary characters residing in them. The whole crux of the situation of the world being out of balance was very vague and that the old ways were dying, also very vague. There was nothing concretely pointed at as being wrong with the world, so I didn’t really grasp the whole concept of it being imperative that they bring the mythologic characters back to life and back into their past relationships. I also didn’t really grasp why it was so important that they be together, other than his claiming that he was stronger with her by his side, but other than that vague concept, he didn’t really have anything else to bolster that idea. And looking back on it, there wasn’t really anything romantic between the two characters other than their shared past and his flirtiness. It was mostly selling her on the idea of being with him again, but without the philandering. There didn’t seem to be any real reason to it.
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length. I obtained a free copy via Prolific Works. Currently free on Amazon.
Summary: Elizabeth comes from a wealthy family and is engaged to the son of one of the father’s business partners to help solidify his power and marry well. Though she’s ambivalent about Charles (though he’s in love with her), she’s determined to fulfill her duty and marry him. She’s approached by a mysterious white-haired man who suggests to her that her destiny is greater than her arranged marriage. Intrigued, she meets with him, only to have him abduct her and take her to a different world, where he tells her that she is Hera reborn and he is Zeus and couldn’t take seeing her about to marry another man and that he needs her to restore balance to this other world because all of the magic is being reborn to Earth instead of there. But she has seen him with prostitutes, and Hera remembers all of his infidelities in the past, and isn’t interested in setting herself up for more heartbreak.
Comments: I loved that this story wasn’t set in the modern world. It felt like it was set somewhere between Victorians and 20s, in the point where women didn’t have much in the way of rights, so Elizabeth was waffling between her duty to marrying and doing what her parents which felt rather Regency, alongside her own independence of wanting more than a loveless marriage (though it didn’t entirely feel like it was set in Regency since there was an absence of companions/chaperones and servants). It was focused on the relationship more than anything else, and not so much on the mythology or fantasy aspects, other than the duality of legendary characters residing in them. The whole crux of the situation of the world being out of balance was very vague and that the old ways were dying, also very vague. There was nothing concretely pointed at as being wrong with the world, so I didn’t really grasp the whole concept of it being imperative that they bring the mythologic characters back to life and back into their past relationships. I also didn’t really grasp why it was so important that they be together, other than his claiming that he was stronger with her by his side, but other than that vague concept, he didn’t really have anything else to bolster that idea. And looking back on it, there wasn’t really anything romantic between the two characters other than their shared past and his flirtiness. It was mostly selling her on the idea of being with him again, but without the philandering. There didn’t seem to be any real reason to it.
September 10, 2021
Book Review: Jade (The Book of Decon series - spin-off novella)
Jade (The Book of Decon series – spin-off novella) by Joseph Lallo
5 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: I read this as included in the Epic (Fourteen Books of Fantasy) Anthology.
Summary: Jade Rinton is orphaned after a house fire claims the lives of everyone in her family. But being one of the chosen blessed with good luck, she miraculously escapes the fire. The greedy neighbor who took her in, throws her to the dragon hiding in a nearby cave system under the pretense of ending the drought plaguing their village, though he really just wants to take her prosperous family farmland. The dragon, however was hiding nearby to keep a watch over Jade as her guardian. Jade talks Halfax the dragon into taking her with him far away and becoming her new family.
Comments: This is set long after the Book of Decon series, with the characters from the main series mentioned in this as legends and ancestors with Jade being a descendant of Myranda Celeste. This is a heart-warming tale of a girl and her dragon best friend. This book is wonderfully absent of shifters and the dragon is no more than what he appears to be, a talking dragon. It reminded me a bit of Dragon Heart or a gender/age switch of Eragon. I loved watching Jade growing up from child to young woman and being raised by the dragon with both of them teaching each other, and Jade having to discover quite a bit on her own. She saves him just as much as he saves her. There are some complications along the way and mis-understandings and the dragon being a grouchy, reluctant dragon, but it is fun seeing him grow to love Jade as being more than just his charge, but as almost his daughter. The girl is headstrong, even as a child, determined, knows what she wants, and won’t take no even from a dragon and her endearing cheerfulness. I will say that this book does feel a whole lot longer than 105 pages (probably more like the 170 that Smashwords says it is) as it follows the life of Jade and the dragon over the decades. My only quibble with this book was really the elf bad guy. He was rather one-dimensional for a villain without any real reason as to why he kept trying to off Jade, other than needing to get rid of the chosen to make his evil plan work, whatever it was. You could practically imagine him twirling a moustache as he expounded on his history of trying to off Jade. I still have no idea who he actually was other than a mysterious, evil elf guy responsible for all the bad things in Jade’s life (admittedly I haven’t read any other books in the Book of Decon series). This story is followed up with the novella Halfax, with the dragon from this book going on to protect Jade’s daughter.
5 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: I read this as included in the Epic (Fourteen Books of Fantasy) Anthology.
Summary: Jade Rinton is orphaned after a house fire claims the lives of everyone in her family. But being one of the chosen blessed with good luck, she miraculously escapes the fire. The greedy neighbor who took her in, throws her to the dragon hiding in a nearby cave system under the pretense of ending the drought plaguing their village, though he really just wants to take her prosperous family farmland. The dragon, however was hiding nearby to keep a watch over Jade as her guardian. Jade talks Halfax the dragon into taking her with him far away and becoming her new family.
Comments: This is set long after the Book of Decon series, with the characters from the main series mentioned in this as legends and ancestors with Jade being a descendant of Myranda Celeste. This is a heart-warming tale of a girl and her dragon best friend. This book is wonderfully absent of shifters and the dragon is no more than what he appears to be, a talking dragon. It reminded me a bit of Dragon Heart or a gender/age switch of Eragon. I loved watching Jade growing up from child to young woman and being raised by the dragon with both of them teaching each other, and Jade having to discover quite a bit on her own. She saves him just as much as he saves her. There are some complications along the way and mis-understandings and the dragon being a grouchy, reluctant dragon, but it is fun seeing him grow to love Jade as being more than just his charge, but as almost his daughter. The girl is headstrong, even as a child, determined, knows what she wants, and won’t take no even from a dragon and her endearing cheerfulness. I will say that this book does feel a whole lot longer than 105 pages (probably more like the 170 that Smashwords says it is) as it follows the life of Jade and the dragon over the decades. My only quibble with this book was really the elf bad guy. He was rather one-dimensional for a villain without any real reason as to why he kept trying to off Jade, other than needing to get rid of the chosen to make his evil plan work, whatever it was. You could practically imagine him twirling a moustache as he expounded on his history of trying to off Jade. I still have no idea who he actually was other than a mysterious, evil elf guy responsible for all the bad things in Jade’s life (admittedly I haven’t read any other books in the Book of Decon series). This story is followed up with the novella Halfax, with the dragon from this book going on to protect Jade’s daughter.
September 1, 2021
Book Review: Vale of Semuin
Vale of Semuin by Eric Edstrom
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length. I read this as included in the Beneath the Waves anthology.
Fascinating short tale in the Starside series starring Wenton Sigh, the father of Wen and Kila (the star of the Starside series). While ranging in the mountains, he encounters a young girl waiting by a lake who tells him the spirit of the lake Semuin, is her mother. According to legend, Semuin, the spirit of the lake, enchants men into her waters and kills them. The spirit of the lake does indeed appear and offers him a deal. Being entranced by the spirit’s beauty and charmed by the little girl, Wenton jumps on the offer to help the lake spirit.
The story doesn’t endear me to Wenton who seemed rather selfish, not interested in his own son (I feel sorry for the kid. His mother is dead, his father is out in the mountains, who’s raising him?), and superficially drawn to the spirit’s beauty. It did give me insight into who he was, since he’s gone in the main series and Kila and Wen refer to him all the time. There were moments where this felt a bit author indulgent and the story definitely doesn’t follow a straight path once rather convoluted time travel gets involved. It did introduce Cayne, the knife that Kila carries, and even adds to Kila’s background to make her more than just a basic girl and a suggestion for the origin of her power in the books (though it seems like all the girls in indie books these days have a hidden magical background. Same old, same old). Each time I pick up anything in this series, I keep wishing for more on Wen, Kila’s brother. He seems rather passed over each time with a rather rotten deal of being a damsel-in-distress with his rheumatic cough. I was bored with the politics among the many gods in this book and still rather confused with the detailed religious world in this and all the different practices which feel like it’s just there to add filler without the characters actually actively using it (like the Sensuals. Never really figured out what/who that is or what the purpose of it was).
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length. I read this as included in the Beneath the Waves anthology.
Fascinating short tale in the Starside series starring Wenton Sigh, the father of Wen and Kila (the star of the Starside series). While ranging in the mountains, he encounters a young girl waiting by a lake who tells him the spirit of the lake Semuin, is her mother. According to legend, Semuin, the spirit of the lake, enchants men into her waters and kills them. The spirit of the lake does indeed appear and offers him a deal. Being entranced by the spirit’s beauty and charmed by the little girl, Wenton jumps on the offer to help the lake spirit.
The story doesn’t endear me to Wenton who seemed rather selfish, not interested in his own son (I feel sorry for the kid. His mother is dead, his father is out in the mountains, who’s raising him?), and superficially drawn to the spirit’s beauty. It did give me insight into who he was, since he’s gone in the main series and Kila and Wen refer to him all the time. There were moments where this felt a bit author indulgent and the story definitely doesn’t follow a straight path once rather convoluted time travel gets involved. It did introduce Cayne, the knife that Kila carries, and even adds to Kila’s background to make her more than just a basic girl and a suggestion for the origin of her power in the books (though it seems like all the girls in indie books these days have a hidden magical background. Same old, same old). Each time I pick up anything in this series, I keep wishing for more on Wen, Kila’s brother. He seems rather passed over each time with a rather rotten deal of being a damsel-in-distress with his rheumatic cough. I was bored with the politics among the many gods in this book and still rather confused with the detailed religious world in this and all the different practices which feel like it’s just there to add filler without the characters actually actively using it (like the Sensuals. Never really figured out what/who that is or what the purpose of it was).
August 19, 2021
Book Review: The Mad King's Gold
The Mad King’s Gold by Emma Hamm
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: I obtained this via Bookfunnel. Novella-length
Summary: (Retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale). After getting picked up as a witch by the king’s guards because of her father’s drunken boasting, Iona is imprisoned in a room filled with straw. Intrigued by the mention of a witch in the mad king’s castle, leprechaun Declan finds Iona and is smitten with her golden hair and jewel-like looks. But as a fairie he can’t just save her, a deal must be struck. For a kiss, he spins all the straw in the room into gold. But, of course, the greedy mad king isn’t appeased with just a room of gold. And Iona knows that if she doesn’t get Declan to help her escape the castle, she will be executed once he gets tired of spinning gold for her, or even worse, she could be trapped in the castle, a prisoner forever.
Comments: I loved the idea of Declan being a leprechaun. Rumpel from Once Upon a Time certainly had the mannerisms of a leprechaun, but he wasn’t technically one. It does make so much sense though, since the story has always had gold at its heart. I loved this story. You don’t know how long I’ve been searching for a story where Rumpelstiltskin gets the girl. The only one that came close before this was a reverse gender retelling. I fell in love with the idea after Once Upon a Time where he loved the girl, but she was a gold digger who ended up with the prince after Rumpel had put in all the hard work into helping her. It’s irking each time to see his hard work just treated like nothing just because it was a business arrangement. Most of the time, the prince is a greedy jerk, and the girl still ends up with him because everyone wants a prince. The romance in this is an interesting thing with each of them doubting the other. He knows the girl needs his power, while she’s convinced he doesn’t really care for her and is just doing it because it amuses him and he’ll tire of her quickly. It’s such a fun thing to see each of them make discoveries about themselves and their feelings.
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: I obtained this via Bookfunnel. Novella-length
Summary: (Retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale). After getting picked up as a witch by the king’s guards because of her father’s drunken boasting, Iona is imprisoned in a room filled with straw. Intrigued by the mention of a witch in the mad king’s castle, leprechaun Declan finds Iona and is smitten with her golden hair and jewel-like looks. But as a fairie he can’t just save her, a deal must be struck. For a kiss, he spins all the straw in the room into gold. But, of course, the greedy mad king isn’t appeased with just a room of gold. And Iona knows that if she doesn’t get Declan to help her escape the castle, she will be executed once he gets tired of spinning gold for her, or even worse, she could be trapped in the castle, a prisoner forever.
Comments: I loved the idea of Declan being a leprechaun. Rumpel from Once Upon a Time certainly had the mannerisms of a leprechaun, but he wasn’t technically one. It does make so much sense though, since the story has always had gold at its heart. I loved this story. You don’t know how long I’ve been searching for a story where Rumpelstiltskin gets the girl. The only one that came close before this was a reverse gender retelling. I fell in love with the idea after Once Upon a Time where he loved the girl, but she was a gold digger who ended up with the prince after Rumpel had put in all the hard work into helping her. It’s irking each time to see his hard work just treated like nothing just because it was a business arrangement. Most of the time, the prince is a greedy jerk, and the girl still ends up with him because everyone wants a prince. The romance in this is an interesting thing with each of them doubting the other. He knows the girl needs his power, while she’s convinced he doesn’t really care for her and is just doing it because it amuses him and he’ll tire of her quickly. It’s such a fun thing to see each of them make discoveries about themselves and their feelings.
Book Review: The Sword and the Star (Carnival of Fae 0.5)
The Sword and the Star (Carnival of Fae 0.5) by Helena Rookwood
4 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: Novella-length
Summary: In the land of Terentia, old Fae traditions are still upheld since many of its inhabitants descend directly from them, though most of the Fae left ages ago. Davorin, the crown prince of the House of Cups, knows he is the most powerful of the Fae descendants with his power of darkness, trumping even his siblings’ power of fire, though he lacks control over it. As crown prince, he is expected to inherit the throne and marry Alaeanna who has shape shifting power, who he hates. His brother Lachlan wants both of those things for himself. Suddenly Prince Kristian from the House of Swords arrives at the palace, under the guise of wanting to explore the world and broaden his horizons. The king is suspicious and instructs Davorin to watch the prince, and root out any political secrets he might be plotting. But it seems Prince Kristian only has eyes for their Fae heritage, and specifically a magical bowl, housed in their main temple.
Comments: So, I was reading along with the knowledge that this ties in to the Prince and the Poisoner series, which I read the first book of. And I was scratching my head at the beginning, wondering if this was the prince from the first book. It’s been over a year since I read that first book and for the life of me I couldn’t remember the names of any of the characters other than Lira. I had to track down my own review, where I had written down the prince’s name as Kristian. If I remember correctly, Davorin shows up a couple of times bullying and threatening Kristian and Lira, but beyond that doesn’t have much part in the book, which really doesn’t answer the cliffhang in this of does he end up sentenced to Alaeanna or not, who really is an odious character. I was also trying to remember if Elaria was the princess in the first book since I didn't write down her name at any point (she's not). This story really does paint Kristian in a whole different light. In the other book, he was almost likeable, though rather cowardly. In this one, he’s self-serving, unscrupulous, and totally doesn’t care about causing an international incident or taking what isn’t his to take, or who’s toes he steps over, and who he double-crosses or strings along, so long as he gets what he wants. This one actually shows Davorin in a decent light, though he was a complete villain, and down-right dangerous in the first book. I did like that it did answer the question of how the bowl got to where it was in the first book and why it was there which was never mentioned in the first book, and Kristian’s motives, which I was having a hard time figuring out in the first book. Thankfully the made-up swear words don’t crop up much in this novella. In the first book they were rather constant and like nails on chalkboard each time. In this story, I cringed each time they did crop up (followed by a snicker. I mean, really, I kept seeing dindo as dildo.) Though I’m seeing a common thread of scheming to take the throne or power in this series. There’s the rivalry of Davorin and Lachlan in this book, and in the Book one, there’s Eirick scheming against Kristian, who are apparently close in this story. I did like Elaria and Davorin’s other brother, who I do hope we get to see more of eventually. It does feel like the world here is overly complicated. I mean, House of cups, house of swords, temple of stars, and we also have the kingdom names and I really didn’t see what the difference was between Terentia and Attalya since they seem to be used interchangeably.
4 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: Novella-length
Summary: In the land of Terentia, old Fae traditions are still upheld since many of its inhabitants descend directly from them, though most of the Fae left ages ago. Davorin, the crown prince of the House of Cups, knows he is the most powerful of the Fae descendants with his power of darkness, trumping even his siblings’ power of fire, though he lacks control over it. As crown prince, he is expected to inherit the throne and marry Alaeanna who has shape shifting power, who he hates. His brother Lachlan wants both of those things for himself. Suddenly Prince Kristian from the House of Swords arrives at the palace, under the guise of wanting to explore the world and broaden his horizons. The king is suspicious and instructs Davorin to watch the prince, and root out any political secrets he might be plotting. But it seems Prince Kristian only has eyes for their Fae heritage, and specifically a magical bowl, housed in their main temple.
Comments: So, I was reading along with the knowledge that this ties in to the Prince and the Poisoner series, which I read the first book of. And I was scratching my head at the beginning, wondering if this was the prince from the first book. It’s been over a year since I read that first book and for the life of me I couldn’t remember the names of any of the characters other than Lira. I had to track down my own review, where I had written down the prince’s name as Kristian. If I remember correctly, Davorin shows up a couple of times bullying and threatening Kristian and Lira, but beyond that doesn’t have much part in the book, which really doesn’t answer the cliffhang in this of does he end up sentenced to Alaeanna or not, who really is an odious character. I was also trying to remember if Elaria was the princess in the first book since I didn't write down her name at any point (she's not). This story really does paint Kristian in a whole different light. In the other book, he was almost likeable, though rather cowardly. In this one, he’s self-serving, unscrupulous, and totally doesn’t care about causing an international incident or taking what isn’t his to take, or who’s toes he steps over, and who he double-crosses or strings along, so long as he gets what he wants. This one actually shows Davorin in a decent light, though he was a complete villain, and down-right dangerous in the first book. I did like that it did answer the question of how the bowl got to where it was in the first book and why it was there which was never mentioned in the first book, and Kristian’s motives, which I was having a hard time figuring out in the first book. Thankfully the made-up swear words don’t crop up much in this novella. In the first book they were rather constant and like nails on chalkboard each time. In this story, I cringed each time they did crop up (followed by a snicker. I mean, really, I kept seeing dindo as dildo.) Though I’m seeing a common thread of scheming to take the throne or power in this series. There’s the rivalry of Davorin and Lachlan in this book, and in the Book one, there’s Eirick scheming against Kristian, who are apparently close in this story. I did like Elaria and Davorin’s other brother, who I do hope we get to see more of eventually. It does feel like the world here is overly complicated. I mean, House of cups, house of swords, temple of stars, and we also have the kingdom names and I really didn’t see what the difference was between Terentia and Attalya since they seem to be used interchangeably.
August 18, 2021
Book Review: White Heart: The Prophecy (The Blackened Souls Series - Book 1)
White Heart: The Prophecy (The Blackened Souls Series – Book 1) by Destiny Hawkins
4 stars
Category: Young Adult
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Once the dark elves and the light elves were one race, but hundreds of years later, war divides them, and pulling other races, such as dwarves, ents, and giant eagles, into the war with them to take sides. Princess Calen, the youngest daughter of the dark elf king has always felt she hasn’t measured up to her elder brothers. But the one bright spot in her life is visiting the dungeons to see Takana Telerie, the champion of the light elves. Even under the grunge and grime of the dungeons, Calen thought Takana was beautiful. Together they had a friendship, that prompted Calen to defy her parents and smuggle the keys into the dungeon to free Takana. Through the years, they kept in touch sending messages through Takana’s magical birds. Takana insists that Calen is tied to a legendary prophecy about a woman with both dark and light within her destined to bring the two races back together again.
Comments: This is marketed as LGBT, and the relationship between Calen and Takana is a beautiful thing, full of magic as Takana conjures butterflies and birds to see the smile on Calen’s face. And Calen, who always thought of herself as not measuring up, proves how heroic she can be to save Takana. While I didn’t really latch on to Calen, our main heroine, who felt like she wasn’t entirely defined. It felt like her character was in flux, which it was since it views her at multiple times in her life, spending time following her when she’s a child, and then 13, and then at 16. I think her personality wasn’t colorful enough for my tastes to make her stand out. Takana was relatively undefined, too. She was beautiful to Calen, I didn’t really go for the shorn hair on one side, and courageous on a battlefield, though she didn’t seem all that warlike or strong at all in the dungeons. I loved Calen’s two brothers, Seri and Nerul. Seri was kind, and doted on his sister and brother, willing to stand up to the parents for them and supported his sister. And Nerul felt like he was fleshed out with his emotional baggage of a lost loved one and having to fill the shoes of his father as heir, and I loved that he did love his sister, though he was reserved. (So often when people write reserved characters, it means they don’t show any emotion and just become flat and one-dimensional. I’m glad that’s not the case in this story.) Besides, the romance, and time spent at the palace getting to know Calen’s family over the years, a large chunk of the book is also spent on the battlefield as Calen finally is deemed skilled enough to march with the army. Since I don’t feel attached to Calen or Takana, I don’t really feel the urge to continue the story, even with it ending on a cliffhanger, to lead into the next section of the serial. Speaking of which, it’s been 3 years since this section was published and there’s no second book. So, beware, cliffhanger and presumably no second book.
4 stars
Category: Young Adult
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Once the dark elves and the light elves were one race, but hundreds of years later, war divides them, and pulling other races, such as dwarves, ents, and giant eagles, into the war with them to take sides. Princess Calen, the youngest daughter of the dark elf king has always felt she hasn’t measured up to her elder brothers. But the one bright spot in her life is visiting the dungeons to see Takana Telerie, the champion of the light elves. Even under the grunge and grime of the dungeons, Calen thought Takana was beautiful. Together they had a friendship, that prompted Calen to defy her parents and smuggle the keys into the dungeon to free Takana. Through the years, they kept in touch sending messages through Takana’s magical birds. Takana insists that Calen is tied to a legendary prophecy about a woman with both dark and light within her destined to bring the two races back together again.
Comments: This is marketed as LGBT, and the relationship between Calen and Takana is a beautiful thing, full of magic as Takana conjures butterflies and birds to see the smile on Calen’s face. And Calen, who always thought of herself as not measuring up, proves how heroic she can be to save Takana. While I didn’t really latch on to Calen, our main heroine, who felt like she wasn’t entirely defined. It felt like her character was in flux, which it was since it views her at multiple times in her life, spending time following her when she’s a child, and then 13, and then at 16. I think her personality wasn’t colorful enough for my tastes to make her stand out. Takana was relatively undefined, too. She was beautiful to Calen, I didn’t really go for the shorn hair on one side, and courageous on a battlefield, though she didn’t seem all that warlike or strong at all in the dungeons. I loved Calen’s two brothers, Seri and Nerul. Seri was kind, and doted on his sister and brother, willing to stand up to the parents for them and supported his sister. And Nerul felt like he was fleshed out with his emotional baggage of a lost loved one and having to fill the shoes of his father as heir, and I loved that he did love his sister, though he was reserved. (So often when people write reserved characters, it means they don’t show any emotion and just become flat and one-dimensional. I’m glad that’s not the case in this story.) Besides, the romance, and time spent at the palace getting to know Calen’s family over the years, a large chunk of the book is also spent on the battlefield as Calen finally is deemed skilled enough to march with the army. Since I don’t feel attached to Calen or Takana, I don’t really feel the urge to continue the story, even with it ending on a cliffhanger, to lead into the next section of the serial. Speaking of which, it’s been 3 years since this section was published and there’s no second book. So, beware, cliffhanger and presumably no second book.
August 13, 2021
Book Review: Fatal Heir (Fatal Series - Book 1)
Fatal Heir (The Fatal Series – Book 1) by L.C. Ireland
5 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: I read this as included in the Reverie collection.
Summary: Don is an average teenage farm boy, who is rather vain, and loves his family dearly, and had a huge crush on Mel who lives with his family. His family farm is on the very outer reaches of the kingdom, so they aren’t plagued by the deadmen as much as in the more urban settlements. But two special things about Don are that he has someone who always comes to his rescue, an odd man with a crutch who floats in the air and he can see the spirits of dead people. When a seer, touches Don, she sees death about him, and announces to the authorities that he is Izayik Delaron, the doomed prince who will bring death to them all. When the nearby lords and king try to capture and kill him, they make a rebel hero of him, spurring an uprising and forcing him to go on the run, with Rath, his protector, and Mel. He tangles with an imposter wanting the power of being the missing prince, to the capitol overrun by deadmen in search of what happened to his parents, to awakening an angel, and unraveling the mystery of why deadmen roam the country.
Comments: This was a fun coming-of-age adventure that went in so many different directions during its journey it’s hard to touch on it all. There was time spent on Don’s childhood, as he tried to prove to others that he wasn’t crazy that a man kept coming to his rescue. So, he kept doing more daring feats, putting himself into dangers to he could get the rescue, as only a cocky kid can. And there was his teenage adoration of Mel and the love of his large family. I loved that he grew up as a character and learned things along the way. Like what death really was. And just what Rath coming to his rescue really meant and what it cost Rath each time. I loved that he wasn’t the smartest person, and really was an ignorant idiot at times, showing off his farm boy background, and that just because he had this revealed history, all it did was give him some attributes, but his background was what really shaped his personality. He was also self-loathing, and guilt-riddled, though with a very vain streak. His personality reminded me a lot of Harry Dresden from the Jim Butcher books, with the dry humor and a bit of a blunt object. He’s a bit like Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, raised on a farm, and then thrown into a journey into a larger world with the sudden knowledge that he has an important heritage, and that heritage might not be a good one. This has plenty of magic, from Don’s ability to see and commune with the dead spirits, to enchanted armor forged by an angel, to Rath’s magical powers. And this doesn’t stay put, it goes on the epic road trip from Don’s small town to the former capitol now overrun by the dead. And I loved that it had more than one token girl in their quest party. They actually had 3 in their group at times, and none of them were there just to be drooled over or serve as damsel-in-distress (that was Don’s role at times). It did irk me that no one was really questioning it right from the start of why there are deadmen around. They had just accepted it as a thing in their world. It took close to the end for light to be shed on that point. Though this book is a “book one” it comes to a conclusion (though with enough room that the series could pick up again with the characters). And after finishing this one, I would certainly be interested in continuing on with the series, but sadly there aren’t any further books out.
5 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: I read this as included in the Reverie collection.
Summary: Don is an average teenage farm boy, who is rather vain, and loves his family dearly, and had a huge crush on Mel who lives with his family. His family farm is on the very outer reaches of the kingdom, so they aren’t plagued by the deadmen as much as in the more urban settlements. But two special things about Don are that he has someone who always comes to his rescue, an odd man with a crutch who floats in the air and he can see the spirits of dead people. When a seer, touches Don, she sees death about him, and announces to the authorities that he is Izayik Delaron, the doomed prince who will bring death to them all. When the nearby lords and king try to capture and kill him, they make a rebel hero of him, spurring an uprising and forcing him to go on the run, with Rath, his protector, and Mel. He tangles with an imposter wanting the power of being the missing prince, to the capitol overrun by deadmen in search of what happened to his parents, to awakening an angel, and unraveling the mystery of why deadmen roam the country.
Comments: This was a fun coming-of-age adventure that went in so many different directions during its journey it’s hard to touch on it all. There was time spent on Don’s childhood, as he tried to prove to others that he wasn’t crazy that a man kept coming to his rescue. So, he kept doing more daring feats, putting himself into dangers to he could get the rescue, as only a cocky kid can. And there was his teenage adoration of Mel and the love of his large family. I loved that he grew up as a character and learned things along the way. Like what death really was. And just what Rath coming to his rescue really meant and what it cost Rath each time. I loved that he wasn’t the smartest person, and really was an ignorant idiot at times, showing off his farm boy background, and that just because he had this revealed history, all it did was give him some attributes, but his background was what really shaped his personality. He was also self-loathing, and guilt-riddled, though with a very vain streak. His personality reminded me a lot of Harry Dresden from the Jim Butcher books, with the dry humor and a bit of a blunt object. He’s a bit like Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, raised on a farm, and then thrown into a journey into a larger world with the sudden knowledge that he has an important heritage, and that heritage might not be a good one. This has plenty of magic, from Don’s ability to see and commune with the dead spirits, to enchanted armor forged by an angel, to Rath’s magical powers. And this doesn’t stay put, it goes on the epic road trip from Don’s small town to the former capitol now overrun by the dead. And I loved that it had more than one token girl in their quest party. They actually had 3 in their group at times, and none of them were there just to be drooled over or serve as damsel-in-distress (that was Don’s role at times). It did irk me that no one was really questioning it right from the start of why there are deadmen around. They had just accepted it as a thing in their world. It took close to the end for light to be shed on that point. Though this book is a “book one” it comes to a conclusion (though with enough room that the series could pick up again with the characters). And after finishing this one, I would certainly be interested in continuing on with the series, but sadly there aren’t any further books out.
August 11, 2021
Book Review: Goldheart (The Andari Chronicles - Book 2)
Goldheart (The Andari Chronicles – Book 2) by Kenley Davidson
5 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: I read this as included in The Andari Chronicles Box Set 1.
Summary: On the heels of the death of her father, and her mill and house falling into debt, Elaine goes to check out a job proposal from a wealthy businessman. She realizes he asks the impossible. He asks her to paint his greatest treasure, his wife Serena, but not as the dying corpse that she has wasted away into currently, but as the incomparable beauty that she was years ago. Having never met Serena in the past, Elaine has no idea what she looked like previously. But Torbert Melling won’t take no for an answer and locks Elaine away in his attic until she does what he hired her for.
Comments: This is a wonderful retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin story. Though there was no actual magic in this, the magic is really within her paintings, which she creates fully on her own. (I also wouldn’t call this a period drama since it didn’t spend any time really on any of the things usually found in the period dramas -like class differences, courtship, manners, lifestyle, clothes). I loved that she really didn’t rely on the Rumpelstiltskin character to perform the feat for her. And I loved Elaine in general. Maybe I saw a bit of myself in her, since I was an art major in school. I loved that she lost herself in her work, forgetting to eat and sleep, casting her dreams, and nightmares, and worries into her paintings. I loved that her servants and staff looked upon her as their child to take care of, and make certain she ate meals. I loved that because of her wanting to spend all of her time painting, she had become a recluse, a shut in, not liking the crowded world outside. And I couldn’t help but feel for her when she got trapped in the situation with Melling who held all of her debts and threatened to completely take her home away, which would put not only her out on the streets, but her servants, and staff as well. So, to save them, she felt obligated to do the impossible task he set for her. But the Melling mansion holds other secrets, and she finds a friendship with Will, posing as a valet, who tries to help her as much as he can. The woman on the front cover of this book is presumably Serena, the woman Elaine was ordered to paint, as she would have looked in her youth. The gold dress makes an appearance, but it isn’t actually physically worn at any point, except in the portrait (though that’s not what the portrait looked like). This can be read as a stand-alone (I haven’t read the first book in this series yet, but I followed this fine), but there are apparently interlocking elements into the other books (apparently Blaise makes a reappearance in Book 6, which I definitely must pick up).
5 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: I read this as included in The Andari Chronicles Box Set 1.
Summary: On the heels of the death of her father, and her mill and house falling into debt, Elaine goes to check out a job proposal from a wealthy businessman. She realizes he asks the impossible. He asks her to paint his greatest treasure, his wife Serena, but not as the dying corpse that she has wasted away into currently, but as the incomparable beauty that she was years ago. Having never met Serena in the past, Elaine has no idea what she looked like previously. But Torbert Melling won’t take no for an answer and locks Elaine away in his attic until she does what he hired her for.
Comments: This is a wonderful retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin story. Though there was no actual magic in this, the magic is really within her paintings, which she creates fully on her own. (I also wouldn’t call this a period drama since it didn’t spend any time really on any of the things usually found in the period dramas -like class differences, courtship, manners, lifestyle, clothes). I loved that she really didn’t rely on the Rumpelstiltskin character to perform the feat for her. And I loved Elaine in general. Maybe I saw a bit of myself in her, since I was an art major in school. I loved that she lost herself in her work, forgetting to eat and sleep, casting her dreams, and nightmares, and worries into her paintings. I loved that her servants and staff looked upon her as their child to take care of, and make certain she ate meals. I loved that because of her wanting to spend all of her time painting, she had become a recluse, a shut in, not liking the crowded world outside. And I couldn’t help but feel for her when she got trapped in the situation with Melling who held all of her debts and threatened to completely take her home away, which would put not only her out on the streets, but her servants, and staff as well. So, to save them, she felt obligated to do the impossible task he set for her. But the Melling mansion holds other secrets, and she finds a friendship with Will, posing as a valet, who tries to help her as much as he can. The woman on the front cover of this book is presumably Serena, the woman Elaine was ordered to paint, as she would have looked in her youth. The gold dress makes an appearance, but it isn’t actually physically worn at any point, except in the portrait (though that’s not what the portrait looked like). This can be read as a stand-alone (I haven’t read the first book in this series yet, but I followed this fine), but there are apparently interlocking elements into the other books (apparently Blaise makes a reappearance in Book 6, which I definitely must pick up).
