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aliciasrealm's reviews
433 reviews
Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift
4.0
Dual POV, arranged marriage, a rivalry, and mistaken identities - this book is such a fun young adult read! The world draws inspiration from Indian/South Asian culture, presenting in aspects such as clothes, food, and the words used to cast spells.*
I loved the investigation aspect, which had Adraa and Jatin reluctantly teaming up to find out who is stealing firelight. The writing is engaging with modern dialogue and the bickering between Adraa and Jatin is quite entertaining. The magic system is interesting, especially how it affects Adraa, and I loved all the cool spells and different fortes.
Adraa is a great character; she has agency, she's tough, and she cares about her people. Jatin is an excellent match for her and I love them as a couple! I'm excited to read the next book.
*While the world draws inspiration from Indian/South Asian culture, the Author's Note indicates that this is not an OwnVoices story.
I loved the investigation aspect, which had Adraa and Jatin reluctantly teaming up to find out who is stealing firelight. The writing is engaging with modern dialogue and the bickering between Adraa and Jatin is quite entertaining. The magic system is interesting, especially how it affects Adraa, and I loved all the cool spells and different fortes.
Adraa is a great character; she has agency, she's tough, and she cares about her people. Jatin is an excellent match for her and I love them as a couple! I'm excited to read the next book.
*While the world draws inspiration from Indian/South Asian culture, the Author's Note indicates that this is not an OwnVoices story.
Godslayers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
4.0
Godslayers, like its predecessor, features lots of mecha battles and Gearbreakers trying to thwart Godolia's plans. Sona is now back in the hands of Godolia and wrestling with the effects of Corruption. She is no longer piloting a Windup so her chapters focus more on her inner turmoil. She also develops a strong connection to the new Zenith leader, Enyo.
While Eris is desperate to retrieve Sona, she also has to work with Jenny to pull off their plan to infiltrate the new Windup Pilot program. I loved that Jenny had more presence in this book, and how the sisters work together more.
Unfortunately, Godslayers felt disjointed and difficult to follow at times. There is a scene where a main character is gravely injured and the aftermath felt completely glossed over.
I was disappointed that Eris's Gearbreaker crew has less page time than in the previous book. Instead of fleshing out the Gearbreakers, there are instead many new characters. I also didn't enjoy how much time was spent on Enyo. Honestly, I hate Enyo and the way Sona was weirdly obsessed with him.
I admit that I did not enjoy this one as much as the first book, but I was here for the Sona/Eris romance and I did get that even if it was watered down by Enyo's presence.
While Eris is desperate to retrieve Sona, she also has to work with Jenny to pull off their plan to infiltrate the new Windup Pilot program. I loved that Jenny had more presence in this book, and how the sisters work together more.
Unfortunately, Godslayers felt disjointed and difficult to follow at times. There is a scene where a main character is gravely injured and the aftermath felt completely glossed over.
I was disappointed that Eris's Gearbreaker crew has less page time than in the previous book. Instead of fleshing out the Gearbreakers, there are instead many new characters. I also didn't enjoy how much time was spent on Enyo. Honestly, I hate Enyo and the way Sona was weirdly obsessed with him.
I admit that I did not enjoy this one as much as the first book, but I was here for the Sona/Eris romance and I did get that even if it was watered down by Enyo's presence.
Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee, Fonda Lee
adventurous
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Jun is a very likeable protagonist, especially as an underdog determined to prove himself. Being a teenager, he's a little hotheaded at times but has a good heart. Jun's choices drive his journey and I loved following his growth throughout the story as well as the relationships he develops with other characters.
While this falls into the fantasy genre, it's really more wuxia: the story focuses on martial arts and the Guardian Tournament, and as Jun isn't breathmarked most fights do not involve special abilities. I really enjoyed Jun's martial arts training and the Dragon's Breath element. Every fight was well detailed and easy to visualize, and despite their being so many fights each one was differentiated based on each opponent's style and weapons.
The story is well paced, ramping up when the tournament begins, and entirely engrossing. The world building is fantastic, with an intriguing history, dragon lore, and an impending war that impacts every aspect of the story. I'm incredibly excited to find out what happens next!
If you enjoyed The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu or The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter, you will love this one!
Thank you St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the digital copy of Breath of the Dragon.
While this falls into the fantasy genre, it's really more wuxia: the story focuses on martial arts and the Guardian Tournament, and as Jun isn't breathmarked most fights do not involve special abilities. I really enjoyed Jun's martial arts training and the Dragon's Breath element. Every fight was well detailed and easy to visualize, and despite their being so many fights each one was differentiated based on each opponent's style and weapons.
The story is well paced, ramping up when the tournament begins, and entirely engrossing. The world building is fantastic, with an intriguing history, dragon lore, and an impending war that impacts every aspect of the story. I'm incredibly excited to find out what happens next!
If you enjoyed The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu or The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter, you will love this one!
Thank you St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the digital copy of Breath of the Dragon.
Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
3.0
A unique premise involving Blood Workers, people with vampire-like abilities, with plenty of political intrigue, romance, and investigation of a string of murders. Unfortunately, this book ultimately missed the mark for me.
Mistress of Lies felt heavier on the political schemes than on the fantasy elements and I felt that the whole concept of blood magic wasn't explored enough. There are some bigger uses like extending a user's lifespan, healing, and even changing one's body, but not much about how people use this magic in their everyday life. Blood Workers are also not vampires in the traditional sense (they don't have issues with sunlight, for example, and they also don't seem to *need* blood to survive) so I'm not sure why they are referred to as vampires in the book description. They are basically just people who can use blood to do magic.
I am lukewarm on the romance, which involves a legitimate love triangle where there is attraction on all sides. The polyamorous situation didn't work for me because I didn't like the power inbalance between two of the characters, and with the third I didn't quite get his appeal. I did appreciate that this seems to be a queer normative society.
The novel explored racism, as Shan and Isaac navigate their Tagalan heritage (fantasy version of Filipino) in the kingdom of Aeravin where they are viewed as lesser. The novel also addresses class struggle as the unblooded are lower class citizens with no representation in government while the Blood Workers have all the power. This all weaves into the whole murder mystery plot, but that investigation fell by the wayside for the majority of the book. I'm not sure that I feel compelled to read further, assuming there will be sequels.
Mistress of Lies felt heavier on the political schemes than on the fantasy elements and I felt that the whole concept of blood magic wasn't explored enough. There are some bigger uses like extending a user's lifespan, healing, and even changing one's body, but not much about how people use this magic in their everyday life. Blood Workers are also not vampires in the traditional sense (they don't have issues with sunlight, for example, and they also don't seem to *need* blood to survive) so I'm not sure why they are referred to as vampires in the book description. They are basically just people who can use blood to do magic.
I am lukewarm on the romance, which involves a legitimate love triangle where there is attraction on all sides. The polyamorous situation didn't work for me because I didn't like the power inbalance between two of the characters, and with the third I didn't quite get his appeal. I did appreciate that this seems to be a queer normative society.
The novel explored racism, as Shan and Isaac navigate their Tagalan heritage (fantasy version of Filipino) in the kingdom of Aeravin where they are viewed as lesser. The novel also addresses class struggle as the unblooded are lower class citizens with no representation in government while the Blood Workers have all the power. This all weaves into the whole murder mystery plot, but that investigation fell by the wayside for the majority of the book. I'm not sure that I feel compelled to read further, assuming there will be sequels.
Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
4.0
I loved the David and Goliath theme of this book, with a ragtag group of teenagers called Gearbreakers trying to take down giant mechs called Windups. It was easy to envision the scale of the Windups and there's tons of action as the teens take them down from the inside. There are high stakes and dangerous missions that kept me on the edge of my seat.
The dual POV chapters demonstrated a stark contrast between Sona, the cybernetically enhanced Windup Pilot, and Eris, the Gearbreaker known as Frostbringer. The evolution of their relationship from enemies to a tentative friendship to something more was a slow build, with gutwrenching setbacks. While there is sapphic attraction been Sona and Eris, the romance is minimal. It also feels important to note that at the beginning of the novel, Eris is in a romantic relationship with one of her male crew members.
The found family aspect was done well, leaving me very attached to the side characters who made up Eris's crew. I especially loved Xander, and each of the crew members have their own relationship arc with Sona as they have to decide whether or not to trust her.
Despite being such a long book, the world building was painted in broad strokes, with a high level overview of how Godolia came to be. The story is much more focused on the city-nation of Godolia, the Windup Academy, and somewhat on the Badlands, but otherwise doesn't address much outside of these two places. This didn't bother me and I felt that there was enough context provided for the story.
The dual POV chapters demonstrated a stark contrast between Sona, the cybernetically enhanced Windup Pilot, and Eris, the Gearbreaker known as Frostbringer. The evolution of their relationship from enemies to a tentative friendship to something more was a slow build, with gutwrenching setbacks. While there is sapphic attraction been Sona and Eris, the romance is minimal. It also feels important to note that at the beginning of the novel, Eris is in a romantic relationship with one of her male crew members.
The found family aspect was done well, leaving me very attached to the side characters who made up Eris's crew. I especially loved Xander, and each of the crew members have their own relationship arc with Sona as they have to decide whether or not to trust her.
Despite being such a long book, the world building was painted in broad strokes, with a high level overview of how Godolia came to be. The story is much more focused on the city-nation of Godolia, the Windup Academy, and somewhat on the Badlands, but otherwise doesn't address much outside of these two places. This didn't bother me and I felt that there was enough context provided for the story.
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
3.5
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars. I was expecting this story to be a love letter to books and tea and was disappointed. The whole setup of the shop felt skimmed over, condensed into paragraphs with unnamed townfolk and laborers doing most of the work. There were few descriptions or discussions of the tea and baked goods. Reyna goes to a shop to buy tea, but I'm not sure how or where they acquired things like tea kettles, tea cups, or plates for their customers. Occasionally we get brief descriptions of the tea or food, but it felt lackluster. The presence of a bookshop ≠ cozy fantasy.
The plot was more focused on the dragon issue and the Queen. Given the amount of action and the high stakes, this didn't feel like a cozy novel. Reyna's choice to leave her post is considered treason, which could have deadly consequences if she's discovered. There is a dragon problem that threatens the town. There are multiple life threatening situations where people are injured. Both women spend a lot of the book being incapacitated in some way, with one being hurt or sick while the other has to take care of them.
The relationship was also more tumultuous than I'd expect for a "cozy" novel, especially one described as "steeped in love." Both women are insecure and feel as though they don't deserve the other, they bicker often, and they don't always communicate well. They each do things without discussing it with the other first, which leads to issues. Reyna is often worried that Kianthe is going to leave her. There are often minor conflicts between them. I wanted more stability and sweetness, but they just weren't there yet.
I was also hoping for more development in the relationship with the townfolk, but that was similarly neglected. I didn't really fall in love with any of the side characters (aside from the griffin and the horse).
The plot was more focused on the dragon issue and the Queen. Given the amount of action and the high stakes, this didn't feel like a cozy novel. Reyna's choice to leave her post is considered treason, which could have deadly consequences if she's discovered. There is a dragon problem that threatens the town. There are multiple life threatening situations where people are injured. Both women spend a lot of the book being incapacitated in some way, with one being hurt or sick while the other has to take care of them.
The relationship was also more tumultuous than I'd expect for a "cozy" novel, especially one described as "steeped in love." Both women are insecure and feel as though they don't deserve the other, they bicker often, and they don't always communicate well. They each do things without discussing it with the other first, which leads to issues. Reyna is often worried that Kianthe is going to leave her. There are often minor conflicts between them. I wanted more stability and sweetness, but they just weren't there yet.
I was also hoping for more development in the relationship with the townfolk, but that was similarly neglected. I didn't really fall in love with any of the side characters (aside from the griffin and the horse).