Review: Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Blood and Ash #1

Publication date: May 25th, 2021

Pages: 496

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

A Maiden...

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy's life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty...

The entire kingdom's future rests on Poppy's shoulders, something she's not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom...

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

Available at:

Story:

This is one of those books that you get spoiled for you easily as time goes by. Luckily I didn't retain a lot of what I may have seen on TikTok since the book released so I was able to give the story a fair shake. I always like to find a comparison so that anyone who is curious about the book has a reference point but this one was unlike any that come to mind for me. You have a race war essentially set in a fantasy world where two groups have pushed the narrative that they are the right side and the other the wrong for so long that the truth becomes unknown entirely. Vampires are prevalent but what kind? The ones that burn in the sunlight? The ones who are ravenous blood fiends? Perhaps the ones who have the intoxicating bite that makes their victims experience pleasure over pain? Yes to all three but they are all different races instead of being one singular breed of vampire. That is what I found fascinating about the story. Blood seemed to be at the forefront of every single person's mind (except for the poor clueless humans) but at varying degrees. There were those lost to their bloodlust who were more animal than human, others who were ever thirsty to the point of bad decisions in need of hiding, and those who had a well established system of feeding that harmed very little. But which one fell into which category between the Ascended, the Craven, and the Atlantians? I found the plot and the setting of the story to be fascinating. Leaving the character's completely out of it, I think it was a story that unlike any I had read before and that is almost an impossibility for me these days. It is a romantasy rooted in war, love, and the pursuit of the truth at any costs. 

Character(s):

• Poppy - When she was first introduced as the Maiden and I saw how subservient she was with most of the Ascended, I was worried she was going to be another powderpuff character that was going to need to be saved at every turn. But that opinion evaporated the first time I saw Poppy fight. She was not a victim. She was not submissive. She was a force to be reckoned with and someone who could take care of herself if she needed to. She didn't want the future that had been laid out before her. She just wanted to live a life of pleasure and fun and substance. She was not permitted to have a life and that only made her crave it more. I loved her banter with Hawke and how she was willing to throw a punch at his face at the first chance she got. Hawke never failed to comment on how violent she was and I loved that about her. She was a feral tiger disguised as a house cat. I loved everything about her character.

• Hawke - The cocky attitude on this one! Hell's bells, he was so sure of himself to the point of driving me just as crazy as he did Poppy. There was always something about him that I didn't entirely trust but I liked how he treated Poppy and hoped for the best. The twist in this book that features his character makes all the sense in the world but it still broke my heart. I wanted to throw a punch at him alongside Poppy but at the same time I couldn't help but absolutely adore his character. I am rooting for him even as he continues to try to win Poppy over. But I have a feeling that we have only cracked the surface of who he is to become.

Writing:

I have read a number of Jennifer L. Armentrout's books and her writing never ceases to amaze me. She has a way of drawing her readers in and painting a world of fantasy that feels entirely immersive. In "From Blood and Ash" we see her creating a society of different races of vampires and how they battle for supremacy. Between the banter of the characters, the world building, and the uniquely individual world she created, I can't find a single thing to complain about with her writing.

Overall:

I am angry with myself for putting off reading this book for so long. It has sat on my shelf staring at me for a while. The world building was brilliant, the characters were charismatic, and the love story was sensational. I can't wait to read the next book in the series and become even more immersed in Poppy and Hawke's world even more.

Review: Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

Series: The Shards of Magic #1

Publication date: November 12th, 2024

Pages: 464
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

In the underground Fae realm, only the strongest and most ruthless have power--but a young human woman forced into a life of servitude is about to change everything.

Kenna Heron is best known in her village for being a little wild--some say half feral--but she'll need every ounce of that ferocity to survive captivity in the cruel Fae court.

Trapped as a servant in the faeries' underground kingdom of Mistei, Kenna must help her new mistress undertake six deadly trials, one for each branch of magic: Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood. If she succeeds, her mistress will gain immortality and become the heir to Earth House. If she doesn't, the punishment is death--for both mistress and servant.

With no ally but a sentient dagger of mysterious origins, Kenna must face monsters, magic, and grueling physical tests. But worse dangers wait underground, and soon Kenna gets caught up in a secret rebellion against the inventively sadistic faerie king. When her feelings for the rebellion's leader turn passionate, Kenna must decide if she's willing to risk her life for a better world and a chance at happiness.

Surviving the trials and overthrowing a tyrant king will take cunning, courage, and an iron will... but even that may not be enough.

Available at:

Story:

I am always a sucker for a story that has a house system that reminds of me Harry Potter's houses. This book was no exception. It had houses based off the Fae house's elements: Earth, Fire, Void, Light, Illusion, and Blood. I loved watching Kenna put aside her own fear of the unknown and dive head first into the ritual that her best friend was going on to the Fae kingdom. Her character was made of stronger things than any other character in the cast. She was willing to put her life at risk for the people she cared about and tried to walk the razor's edge of remaining loyal to her house but also to her heart even if she may be trusting the wrong people. The rebellion seemed like it was falling apart as more and more fae and underfae were killed when found in connection with it. I liked the ACOTAR-esque live triangle even if I have to say I was a hundred percent Team Rhys--er, I mean Kellan, from the start. The author was able to make her world something that was never lacking in mysteries and wonders. I ate up every single aspect that Kenna uncovered throughout the story. I don't think there is anything that he author could have done to make any of it any better because it was already so thoroughly thought out that I can't offer any advice on changes.

Character(s):

There are a lot of characters in the story but I will stick to the main protagonists.

• Kenna - She was the strongest female protagonist I have seen in years of reading. She was able to mitigate her new life as a servant of Earth house where she was expected to help her mistress pass her immortality trials without anyone finding out or be killed. While hanging in there with her mistress, Lara, she also caught the eye of the Fire Prince who wanted her to help him plot a rebellion against the Fae's tyrannical king, Osric. And then on top of that she was meant to pass along information to the Void Prince who seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with the Fire Prince Kenna is growing closer and closer to. Kenna had a lot of people all depending on her while also threatening her well-being. Add in her grief over the loss of her best friend and her new life amongst the Fae she is astoundingly strong. She came from nothing but found a way to roll with the punches and keep herself alive despite it all. Hopefully her strong morals and willingness to see past social ranks will rub off on the stobby Fae.

• Drustan - The egomaniac Fire Prince who wants to lead a rebellion against the king and needs Kenna's help. I wanted to like him. I wanted to root for the couple. They seemed into each other but there was something about Drustan that reminded me of Tamsyn in ACOTAR. How the character could go from sweet and charming to completely cold and willing to step over anyone he needed to to get where he wanted... I was not a fan of any of that. I had a strong feeling that Kenna was investing far too much of her heart and Drustan was going to break it. He was one of the characters where you are meant to feel questionably about him, otherwise a love triangle would never be intriguing.

• Kellan - Tall, dark and handsome with a stoic tone and a dangerous smirk. He becomes Kenna's shadow despite him demanding she finds things out for him and report back. He seems to always know what Kenna is going to bring to him and that makes me think that the only reason he is even involving her is because it gives him an excuse to be around her. I think she interests him and I think that just means he has really good taste. I would like to see her with Kellan over Drustan to be honest. Darkness for her own savior mentality. Opposites that become harmony. 

Writing:

I can't find anything wrong with the way, Sarah Hawley wrote. If anything I was awed by how spectacular her vocabulary was. To be able to actually find words that I don't recognize with the amount of reading I do made me enjoy it even more. She exacted a perfect balance of comedy, drama, action, and romance that weaved a tapestry around me as a reader and thoroughly engulfed me. I almost wish there were some typos or questionable story structure that I could harp on so I didn't continue to only be able to come up with compliments for the author. 

Overall:

I feel like I keep stumbling across absolute stellar reads without even trying. The amount of 5-star reads I have had recently have been impressive and this book is amongst those others. The setting, the storytelling, the characters, the factors of the world created, the drama, heartbreak, love, and heat was almost too much good for one book. I was overwhelmed with the tapestry of the Shards of Magic's first book and cannot wait to read the next one.

 

Review: All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

Publication date: January 30th, 2024

Pages: 606

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

The people we lose take a part of us with them... but they leave a part of themselves with us too.

Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn't going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn't supposed to be.

But after breaking up with her longtime, famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.

Only Tobias Rhodes didn't rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.

Available at:

Story:

Mariana Zapata has a way of creating these worlds that seem so utterly unique from any of her books but they all have the same comedic timing and easy flow that makes them obviously one of her works. Watching a young woman try to pick up the pieces after a breakup and try to rekindle the connection she had with her deceased mother while dealing with a silver fox that wants away from her as quickly as possible embodies the perfect balance of grumpy/sunshine romance. The beatific little down that Aurora finds herself in after a life of living in the shadows of her rockstar boyfriend was perfect for her and set the foundation for a light and fluffy romance novel with a little bit of mournful edge that makes a reader laugh between the tears soaking their cheeks. I had a little bit of trouble figuring out the ghosts from Aurora's past suddenly coming around when she finds her footing within her new home. I feel like the reasons for their sudden appearances was a little shaky and it made me feel like the author was trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole. They needed to be there to add drama but the reasoning the author chose for their appearances was a little unusual. It caused me to side-eye the plot points for a moment or ten. If the connection between Aurora and Tobias wasn't so absolutely droolworthy the rating of the story might have suffered for that reason alone. I have read a few of Zapata's stories and I know how tightly she can wind the knots of a good plot, this one seems like it could easily unravel and that makes one a bit off kilter the entire time they are reading.

Character(s):

• Aurora - I liked how carefree and indulgent the character seemed to be. She was about as sunny a sunshine character as you could get. Not many things got her down and when they did it was like the storm clouds had settled over the entire fictional world. There were points where I was able to see the heart of Aurora and it was beautiful to witness. She was such a genuine character that even when she did something wrong I was desperately trying to make excuses for her so that I didn't have to admit that the character had messed up. Aurora felt like the best friend everyone hopes to have at least once in her life.

• Tobias - I knew he was meant to be the grumpy man that Aurora had to earn the trust of to get to open up but, boy, did Tobias make it difficult for her to understand what he was feeling for her and accept that his sallow expressions were products of her doing. He had been hurt in the past and made quick judgments of Aurora that I could understand, but when he was being nasty to her for no reason except that she existed I wanted to watch her find someone better. He didn't deserve the sunshine that Zapata had created! He was being a grade-A asshole! But... the softer moments he had made him potentially salvageable. I was dying for them to get together and his grumpy attitude was ruining things for me. I was frustrated! But he eventually worked his way to where he needed to be emotionally. 

Writing:

There were a few moments within the writing that I found to be a little oddly written but overall I think it accomplished what it was supposed to. Like I said before about some of the reasoning using for some of the antagonists was a little weak but that wasn't in the practical sense of the writing. Instead I found Zapata was able to write in a way that a reader could relax into and not have to exert their brains too much to follow the dialog and story. With adulting the way it is sometimes it's nice to have books you can shut your chaotic brain off and just relax into a lightly humor story of growth and finding love where you least expect it.

Overall:

I will always have a soft spot for a male lead that is a silver fox. So often the main characters are Hollywood level handsome instead of the classically rugged appearance. That coupled with a female main character who is tough as nails but hides it easily behind effervescent smiles and a big heart. This was a great light read that would go well with a warm cup of coffee and a cozy blanket while sitting out on the porch. 

Review: Come Closer by Sara Gran

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Publication date: July 1st, 2003

Pages: 196

Spice: N/A

Synopsis:

Demonic possession or psychic break? One of Esquire's Top 50 horror novels of all time delves deep into the terrifying consequences of losing control.

"A perfect horror novel." -- Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World

A current, unidentifiable noise in her apartment. A memo to her boss that's replaced by obscene insults. Amanda--a successful architect in a happy marriage--finds her life going off kilter by degrees. She starts smoking again, and one night for no reason, without even the knowledge that she's doing it, she burns her husband with a cigarette. At night she dreams of a beautiful woman with pointed teeth on the shore of a blood-red sea.

The new voice in Amanda's head, the one that tells her to steal things and talk to strange men in bars, is strange and frightening, and Amanda struggles to wrest back control of her life. A book on demon possession suggests that the figure on the shore could be the demon Naamah, known to scholars of the Kabbalah as the second wife of Adam, who stole into his dreams and tricked him into fathering her child. Whatever the case, as the violence of her erratic behavior increases, Amanda knows that she must act to put her life right, or see it destroyed.

Available at:

Story:

It has been a while since I have read a good old fashion demon possession horror book. The story is centered on the main character who discounts and dismisses any of the odd things that seem to be taking over her life. She can't seem to figure out what may be happening until she is firmly in the thick of it. While I liked the overall story of the book, I think there were structural problems that may have benefitted the book more. Such as, what was the cause of the situation she found her in? Was a demon just hanging out and waiting to be allowed in? An invisible demon lurking on the corner of a sidewalk poking at anyone who walks by until they fit just as well as Cinderella's shoe? That doesn't quite make sense to me. Add to that the fact that he main character seemed to have already had encounters with the demon at a young age. So what happened between then and the current time? It just felt like there was a lot of details left out that left me puzzled. I won't go further into detail so as not to spoil it. I was not a huge fan of the book. It was far too short and it had this feeling of hopelessness all the way through. 

Character(s):

• Amanda - She took her own naivety to the extreme. There were things that were happening to her on the daily basis that a normal person would be like, "wait a damned minute". But Amanda seemed to just push them to the side. Hell, even when she started to believe that maybe something was going on her inaction was infuriating. Overall, she was a very infuriating character. There wasn't a lot about her that was redeemable or likeable. She buried her head in the sand and ruined her life without ever lifting a finger. At the end of things, I didn't feel an iota of sympathy for her

• Edward - Talk about a stick-your-head-in-the-sand type. I had a feeling that Edward was shadier than he presented himself as from the beginning. Those long hours at the office had my suspicion antenna buzzing. But, he also never cared to try to understand why Amanda had the sudden change in behavior? No quandaries as to where the easy-going wife went? No attempt to support her and seek help? Maybe if she hadn't been so alone in her marriage she may not have had such grandiose experiences. He was stogy, commanding, and neglectful.   

Writing:

I was surprised to find so many spelling and grammar errors throughout the book. With it having gone through a publishing company I would have thought it'd read a fair bit better than the indie books that I have read a lot of the time. The language that the author used was interesting and intelligent, it was just a little odd. There were words that were doubled up at least four times that I recall. I have seen so many "and and" and "but but" and "has has" that I almost quit the book right then and there. However, the book was recommended by my book club so I had to see it through. I am not sure if the book I read was an older edition and those things were changed but I would hope that the book got a few face lifts since it was published. 

Overall: 

I didn't like the characters. The story was incongruent and lacked a lot of the details that would have made it better. And the writing seemed to be more focused on inserting unknown vocabulary words to be looked up by the readers rather than being looked over better to fix any mistakes. I think the book's story has been done time and time again and that not even pushing for the characters to resolve their issues could save my interest level. If I hadn't been trying to read it to completion to give my book club my thorough thoughts on the book, I would have likely DNFed it. It was not for me. I was disappointed.

Review: A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

Series: A Fire in the Sky #1

Publication date: September 24th, 2024

Pages: 336
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns tot he high-stakes, sweeping world of dragons, romance, and drama first evoked in her bestselling young adult Firelight series, in a brand-new epic adult romantasy series.

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous... especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it's her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere in this world of high fantasy intrigue. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard... though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn's world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and enter a forced marriage with the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she's ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion--and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride... but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors--secrets buried so deep even she doesn't know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets about her hidden powers emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead... it is only sleeping. And in this epic fantasy romance, it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

Available at:

Story: 

It is truly hard to look at a story about dragons and not immediately feel like you're forced to compare it to the likes of How to Train Your Dragon. But lucky enough this book could not be compared for long if at all. This is not a story about someone finding a dragon and making friends with it. It is a story about a girl who is used to pain and ridicule even as she sits in the lap of luxury. She finds out there is more to her than meets the eye and she has to come to terms what that means when she starts to fall for the barbarian lord that was her husband through her family's treachery. I could not get enough of the story. I gobbled the book up in two days and was fascinated by the world the author created for her characters. There was no telling who Tamsyn could trust from one turn of the page to the next. It was obvious that Fell cared about her but to the detriment of himself? That was something that was pretty unsteady through the whole book. I love books where there is history attached to a people or mythical creature and it turns out that there may be more to the story than first realized. That something got lost in translation and now it was the main characters' jobs to find out what happened and why. Add in that dragons are just awesome and the author did a fine job of wrapping me up tightly in her story's web.

Character(s):

• Tamsyn - I loved this girl with the fire of a red dragon's breath. I saw something in her that was so similar to myself. I, too, will shoulder pain and agony for the people I care for even when it may be misguided. Granted, I am not beaten but I still feel that protective instinct that was placed upon Tamsyn. I couldn't get enough of how strong she was. She was not the type of girl who was going to curl up in a ball and weep at her misfortunes. No, she would keep going even if it meant getting saddle sores the likes of which nobody ever knew. She may not have wanted the life she was given but she would try to make the best of it. I hope in the next books that I get to see the warrior lurking just under her skin.
  
  
• Fell - He was a little harder to love than Tamsyn. You see him as this gruff and battle beaten barbarian guard who comes into Tamsyn's life making demands of her family that nobody of his position had ever demanded before. He pushes for exactly what he got and then had the nerve to be upset that he was tricked. Then to become cold towards Tamsyn when she was a literal whipping girl for the royals? I wanted to throttle him myself. I did enjoy watching him grow though. He started out as a meathead warrior and slowly but surely you got glimpses of his heart. He grew on me a lot. 
  
  
• Stig - I wanted to like Stig. But from the beginning I felt like he wanted things from Tamsyn that she was just not willing to give. She was a whipping girl below the Captain of the Guard's station and it felt like he kind of lorded that over her even if it may not have been too obvious. I feel like he wanted what he wanted and, as the spoiled brat he was raised to be, he was going to get it. He was ignorant and pushy to the point where I wished a dragon would happen along and turn him into the main course. If I don't see more of him in the future books (I am sure I will) I'd be very happy.
  

Writing:

The story was written with such whimsy that there could have been errors in grammar and writing over and over and I'd have not cared a bit. There were even words that I learned that tickled my brain in just the right way. I have read a lot of books in my time, so my vocabulary is already fairly extensive. To find words I had not ever heard before and have them actually flow in the sentence instead of just feeling like the author was trying to be pompous was expertly done by Sophie Jordan. There is a royal air every time Tamsyn is the main character giving her perspective. Stig has a similar haughty tone which contracts well with the more brusque feel of Fell's parts. I don't know how the author did it but she managed to capture the characters perfectly and write to their characters every time they were the main focus.

Overall:

It is hard for me to give much critique for the book. There were moments where the description got heavy and I started to lose focus on what was happening but those situations were few and far between. I think Jordan managed to capture my heart, beguile my mind, and titillate my hunger for more. I cannot wait to read the next book and see what next happens for Tamsyn, Fell, and (regrettably) Stig.