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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved worth. Likes Charlotte, but found her a little tiresome but had to remind myself she was young, inexperienced and dealing with the loss of her brother . Love the tortured, strait laced Luc and although frustrating I am happy he didn’t abandon ship as soon as Charlotte arrived, it makes sense for him to struggle! I hate when characters go against their traits at the drop of a hat just for an easy story.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rogers’s fantasy reminded me of Dumas’s classic: The Three Musketeers
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
The novel features perfect fantasy, thrill, suspense and action. I was hooked from the first page and didn’t want to put it down for a second.
The uncertainty, especially in the middle, made me eager to see what would become of guardians’ hearts and when the villain would be exposed. Although, it was pretty obvious who the villain was, the crucial point was that the public wasn’t aware of the villain.
Next, the fantasy and the world building was so rich. The concept seemed new and intriguing to me. I want to share so much about it but I fear I’ll end up giving a spoiler here. The action scenes were nicely portrayed.
Regarding the characters, I think they had depth, including the villain. Charlotte’s character is especially well-depicted. Despite losing so much, she remained steadfast and resilient, albeit emotional. I believe these qualities made her a perfect character.
About Luc, he was a gentleman to some extent if only he could have freed himself fully from the clutches of darkness. But still it was nice to see him trying at least.
Guardian Worth was also a nice character. He taught Charlotte so much and was a perfect mentor. The villain also had a sad story. Overall, in my opinion, the novel conveys a message of remaining optimistic and not succumbing to fear or hopelessness.
The novel ended on a cliffhanger. I’m so excited to see what will happen in the next book. This is the first book in the duology, and it’s already out.
The uncertainty, especially in the middle, made me eager to see what would become of guardians’ hearts and when the villain would be exposed. Although, it was pretty obvious who the villain was, the crucial point was that the public wasn’t aware of the villain.
Next, the fantasy and the world building was so rich. The concept seemed new and intriguing to me. I want to share so much about it but I fear I’ll end up giving a spoiler here. The action scenes were nicely portrayed.
Regarding the characters, I think they had depth, including the villain. Charlotte’s character is especially well-depicted. Despite losing so much, she remained steadfast and resilient, albeit emotional. I believe these qualities made her a perfect character.
About Luc, he was a gentleman to some extent if only he could have freed himself fully from the clutches of darkness. But still it was nice to see him trying at least.
Guardian Worth was also a nice character. He taught Charlotte so much and was a perfect mentor. The villain also had a sad story. Overall, in my opinion, the novel conveys a message of remaining optimistic and not succumbing to fear or hopelessness.
The novel ended on a cliffhanger. I’m so excited to see what will happen in the next book. This is the first book in the duology, and it’s already out.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is a YA romantasy. The MMC and FMC come to life on the pages. The magic system is interesting and I enjoy the herbalism that goes into the scarecrows. I would like to see a bit more of the world in the next installment but there is enough in it for this story. This is a great debut novel and I cannot wait to see what Erica comes up with next.
# Lady of Steel and Straw
# 6/25/2024 ~ 6/28/2024
# 5.0 / 5.0
# Lady of Steel and Straw
# 6/25/2024 ~ 6/28/2024
# 5.0 / 5.0
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Lady of Steel and Straw
by Erica Ivy Rodgers
YA Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Peachtree
Pub Date: June 4, 2024
Ages: 15+
Charlotte Sand has the gift to calm the restless dead, the same gift her grandmother has, but what she wishes is to become the partner of the lavender Guardian, instead her older brother gets that honor when the Guardian wakes after the ten years of exile the Guardians were punished with for failing to stop the murder of the King and Queen of Tristain is over.
But when a royal edict declares that the Guardians are no longer needed and orders Charlotte's older brother to deliver the heart of the immortal Guardian, (spoiler).
In the capital, rumors of wraiths, which were what the Guardians protected the people from, are appearing in the kingdom and something is tormenting the Prince of Tristain, and as he gets closer to sitting on the throne, the more frequent the torments become.
It took me a few tries to get into this story because I would doze off, but once things started to fall into place, and become somewhat different than other books, it started to go at a decent pace. It was an interesting concept of putting 'hearts' into scarecrows, but I think there needs to be a little bit more depth about the scarecrows and their hearts also. It's explained but a little more detail/history would make them more relatable/supernatural.
The blurb claims this to be inspired by The Three Musketeers, but I'm not making that connection because honestly, I see more of pirates or Zorro, but that just could be me. (Plus, there's not an overabundance of swordplay.) And the who/what/why was a little too simple.
The romance between Charlotte and Luc is ehh, but the connection between her and her Guardian is questionable. There was one interaction that made me question. And I'm not a big fan of Charlotte. I knew right away she was going to be 'spoiler'... And she kept doing it, but when she had her epiphany, it was lame. It needed more character reflection.
Because of a little bit of content, I don't think this is suitable for readers under 15.
I will be looking for the next book, but I hope within those pages more of this world will be revealed, with history and depth.
3 Stars
by Erica Ivy Rodgers
YA Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Peachtree
Pub Date: June 4, 2024
Ages: 15+
Charlotte Sand has the gift to calm the restless dead, the same gift her grandmother has, but what she wishes is to become the partner of the lavender Guardian, instead her older brother gets that honor when the Guardian wakes after the ten years of exile the Guardians were punished with for failing to stop the murder of the King and Queen of Tristain is over.
But when a royal edict declares that the Guardians are no longer needed and orders Charlotte's older brother to deliver the heart of the immortal Guardian, (spoiler).
In the capital, rumors of wraiths, which were what the Guardians protected the people from, are appearing in the kingdom and something is tormenting the Prince of Tristain, and as he gets closer to sitting on the throne, the more frequent the torments become.
It took me a few tries to get into this story because I would doze off, but once things started to fall into place, and become somewhat different than other books, it started to go at a decent pace. It was an interesting concept of putting 'hearts' into scarecrows, but I think there needs to be a little bit more depth about the scarecrows and their hearts also. It's explained but a little more detail/history would make them more relatable/supernatural.
The blurb claims this to be inspired by The Three Musketeers, but I'm not making that connection because honestly, I see more of pirates or Zorro, but that just could be me. (Plus, there's not an overabundance of swordplay.) And the who/what/why was a little too simple.
The romance between Charlotte and Luc is ehh, but the connection between her and her Guardian is questionable. There was one interaction that made me question. And I'm not a big fan of Charlotte. I knew right away she was going to be 'spoiler'... And she kept doing it, but when she had her epiphany, it was lame. It needed more character reflection.
Because of a little bit of content, I don't think this is suitable for readers under 15.
I will be looking for the next book, but I hope within those pages more of this world will be revealed, with history and depth.
3 Stars
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This has everything you might want in a YA epic fantasy: the feisty heroine struggling to control her emotions; an attractive, tormented antagonist with whom she shares a strange connection; a historic assassination shrouded in mystery which has led to an unjust system to fight against; and a unique magic system involving spirits of light and darkness that are difficult to control. If you love immersing yourself into a rich fantasy world, this is the next series you want to start.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This epic first book in a young adult duology introduces us to a kingdom caught between the old gods and the new, with a magic system full of wraiths, necromancy, and herbal scarecrow guardians who only wake for the worthy across the centuries. If you love a headstrong if reckless heroine and a devout, rule-following enemy who’s obsessed with her, action-packed battles, treason, found family, and gruesome magic-wielding, you’ll love this debut YA fantasy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
This was sold to me as a Three Musketeers inspired fantasy.
I wanted to like this more than I did. The concept was and is very interesting but the execution wasn't there. I wanted more in-depth world building. I had little to no investment in the main characters, which took me out of it.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this more than I did. The concept was and is very interesting but the execution wasn't there. I wanted more in-depth world building. I had little to no investment in the main characters, which took me out of it.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.