Synopsis

When Saphira opened up her café for baby dragons and their humans, she wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult to keep the fires burning. It turns out, young dragons are not the best magical animals to keep in a café, and replacing all that burnt furniture is costing Saphira more than she can afford from selling dragon-roasted coffee.

Aiden is a local gardener, and local heart-throb, more interested in his plants than actually spending time with his disobedient baby dragon. When Aiden walks into Saphira’s café, he has a genius idea – he’ll ask Saphira to train his baby dragon, and he’ll pay her enough to keep the café afloat.

Saphira’s happy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t seem to do anything but irritate the grumpy-but-gorgeous Aiden, except that everywhere she goes, she finds him there. But can this dragon café owner turn her fortunes around, and maybe find love along the way?

Review

This was pretty cute. I listened to it on audio, which overall was a good experience. The male narrator did have some long pauses in weird spots sometimes but other than that, they both felt like a really good fit for their characters and I’m hoping to listen to the rest of the series as well (though I now realize as I’m typing this that those might have different narrators since they’ll have different characters).

I really enjoyed both MCs and their stories and personalities. They felt like a really good fit for each other and I like how they slowly danced around each other before finally getting together. Their communication especially was a nice surprise because there were things that many books would’ve dragged out until the end but that were resolved so nicely for them as they got to know each other. I appreciate couples that can communicate.

The plot is where I think this book was a little weak sometimes. While the romance was cute and I enjoyed the ups and downs of owning the cafe and training a baby dragon, there were some aspects that just seemed more dramatic than necessary. There would be a big build-up but actually reaching the goal wouldn’t match that same energy. I did like how the feelings of the fMC changed once she reached the final one because it fit in well with her maturity, but overall they would make a big deal about things that weren’t actually that hard to fix.

The world building was cute and fun, but I hope we get to hear a bit more about the other mythical creatures eventually too. It also felt like there were a lot of things squeezed into what sounded a rather small area of the world (a valley) that made me feel like they should all be on top of each other more rather than the way they seemed so cleanly separated.

Overall, this was a cute romance with some funny and some serious moments that were well-placed. The cozy feeling worked well for the story and the characters were fun to cheer for. While it wasn’t Oh My God Amazing and could need some more development, I did enjoy listening to this during my road trip and it had a good mix of fun things that I’m happy to return to for round two once the next book releases.

Synopsis

For fans of The Silent Patient and Gone Girl, a razor-sharp and Hitchcock-inspired psychological thriller about two ordinary women who make a dangerous pact to take revenge for each other after being pushed to the brink.

One dark evening on New York City’s Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you.

In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded. She’s attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there?

Review

This was pretty neat. I don’t read a lot of thrillers so sometimes it’s harder for me to guess what’s going to happen in them than in other genres. This book had a pretty satisfying mixture of WTF moments (I literally said it out loud three times within five chapters at one point), unexpected reveals, and satisfying expected reveals.

The characters were all pretty interesting and I immediately started guessing what might happen to them later on. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was completely wrong. In a good way though, since I don’t want everything to be super predictable.

It took me a little bit to really get into it at first. The crimes that this book started out with are really sad and fed into my intrusive thoughts in an uncomfortable way. That’s why I could only do a couple of chapters a day at first, which made it hard for me to get fully invested right away. That also fueled my support for the revenge plot though. And once the drama really started to unfold, I was all in. The WTF moments just kept happening and twists were revealed that threw all my theories to the wind so I had to continue as quickly as possible to find out what would happen next.

The ending was pretty satisfying to me overall. I wasn’t sure how all the POVs would converge eventually but once that was revealed, I was so intrigued. I liked how the story ended for each character, though I did wish to have a little more info on one specifically. That one’s development shocked me the most and while I really enjoyed how that POV ended, I also wanted to know more about their motivations.

While I don’t think thrillers will be a super regular addition to my TBR, I do want to have more here and there to shake things up. A fellow reviewer is reading one by this same author right now so I’ll be keeping an eye out for their review!

Synopsis

An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren Johansson has always believed he’ll be reunited with his loved ones after death in an eternal hereafter. Then, he dies. Soren wakes to find himself cast by a God he has never heard of into a Hell whose dimensions he can barely grasp: a vast library he can only escape from by finding the book that contains the story of his life.

In this haunting existential novella, author, philosopher, and ecologist Steven L. Peck explores a subversive vision of eternity, taking the reader on a journey through the afterlife of a world where everything everyone believed in turns out to be wrong.

Review

I’m honestly not sure how to rate this or what to think about it. It was interesting but also left so much unanswered. I like endings that aren’t perfectly wrapped up, that leave some questions, but this one barely even attempted to answer anything. But that’s also not entirely a negative either.

We got a glimpse into an individual’s finite eternity (you’ll know what I mean if you read the book) and it was both really interesting as well as entirely frustrating. It was neat to see the variety of things people were doing in that existence and I can’t say I was surprised what the author came up with, both the positive and the negative. Human nature always seems to come to similar conclusions in experiences like that.

I really enjoyed the writing itself. It felt very smooth and was easy to get lost in. My favorite kind of writing is the one I don’t think about as I read, where I can just focus on the story itself completely. That’s what makes me want to read more from this author. Between this story feeling unique to me and the writing, I am very curious about more.

But there are also so many more things I wish I knew about this book. Was the demon at the start lying? Is everyone’s hell there this finite eternity where it’s almost impossible to complete their task? And more questions that would be too spoilery because I don’t think you should know more before going into this book.

As I’m writing this review, my feelings are beginning to settle for this book. I’m definitely glad I read it, I enjoyed the writing style, and the world creates was very neat, so it was an overall positive experience. The negative is just that I wanted so much more! Though I’m not sure whether getting more would’ve actually improved the book because would it be as memorable if all my questions would’ve been answered or is the not knowing what makes it stand out?

Synopsis

The spirits of the dead do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as ravenous, hungry spirits. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who whisper about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being whose extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, Artemisia discovers that facing this hidden evil might require her to betray everything she believes—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.

Review

I was very hesitant about starting this book but since it was a monthly buddy read with some good friends, I gave it a try anyways. And I’m really glad I did! I was hesitant because it’s marketed as YA and those are so often just not for me anymore. I also saw it described as horror but for me personally it felt like a normal fantasy book rather than horror.

I really enjoyed the character development and the world. The story had good depth too. Some things were more predictable while others were fun surprises, but they were all handled pretty well even if I did expect them. I also enjoyed some of the misleading and twists and how everything was resolved. There were some small details that were a little questionable but they didn’t really affect my overall enjoyment very much. My standout favorite part was the main spirit of the story. He was absolutely hilarious and added some great levity.

While it does have potential for continuation, I personally hope this stays a standalone. I like how it ended with some loose threads but the big questions answered. I personally like it when it’s not all neat and tidy at the end. I’m really happy I gave this book a try and already have another of requested at the library from the same author.

Synopsis

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most – Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares – each other?

Review

I’m so glad I finally read this and that I already have the second one ready. It came highly recommended and I can understand why my friend enjoyed it a lot.

There aren’t a lot of books where I enjoy the romance and the world building and the plot. One always seems to be great at the expense of the other. And while this romance wasn’t perfect either, I still enjoyed seeing them find each other. I do wish it had involved less lying (even by omission) and think that their feelings weren’t as well-developed as they could’ve been. They had reasons to dislike each other and I liked seeing how they worked their way around that, but their obsession for each other was a bit quick for me and I would’ve appreciated more communication between them.

The world building was great though. It did take me a little bit to understand some aspects of it, but I enjoy having fantasy worlds that also have more tech than the average fantasy book seems to have. I don’t think everything needs to be explained to see how they can coexist and that was done well here. It just felt right in this world.

One of the highlights of the book for me were the side characters. Those so often get left behind in stories but here they really shone. Duckers could’ve easily been a character I’d hate but I somehow found him hilarious and the nimkilim added great comic relief as well. They just always seemed to have the perfect lines right when a breather was needed.

The two MCs were fun as well. I liked how different they were but you could also see why they’d work well together. Rather than an opposites attract situation, they complemented each other well and it was satisfying to see how they worked that out.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot that’s not related to the romance. It did feel that it took a bit to get going, but it was fun to see hints here and there once you realized what was happening. It was a great way to tie together the world building and the characters and their histories. I really enjoyed it. The ending overall was a bit dramatic and employed a trope that I don’t usually enjoy, but here it did feel like a good fit rather than an excuse to undo something significant.

I’m really looking forward to the next book and am glad the wait for the third one won’t be too long either.

The Many Shades of Midnight

Synopsis

Isyr. Stronger, brighter, more beautiful than other metals. Once the most desirable thing in Ellasia, now it is priceless, the pure Isyrium needed to produce it mined to exhaustion. What’s left is controlled by the powerful mining syndicates, and such is the demand for their Isyrium that even kings do their bidding. Yet just as the beauty of Isyr hides a deadly secret, so too do the syndicates.

A terrifying enemy is spreading a plague across the land, a sickness that kills or transforms everything it touches. Unable to contain the outbreaks, the king of Lankara recalls from exile his former friend and military commander, Alyas-Raine Sera, a man who has spent years fighting syndicate expansion and whose resentment over his exile makes him an unpredictable, dangerous ally in the power struggle between the rulers of Ellasia and the mining companies.

Attached to the embassy sent to recall Alyas, apprentice surgeon Brivar finds his skills and loyalty tested as his service to his new patron uncovers secrets about Isyr and the plague that link it to the mining of Isyrium – and threaten the life of the man it is his duty to safeguard.

In their own separate ways, Alyas and Brivar must take on the might of the syndicates and confront the greed, murder, betrayal and impossible choices of a crisis that has been decades in the making – and the price of their failure could be everyone and everything.

In Midnight’s Shadow

Synopsis

They took everything, even his name. Now he has nothing left to lose.

Fifteen years before the events in The Many Shades of Midnight, Alyas-Raine Sera was betrayed and exiled by a man he thought of as a brother.

Driven by a need for answers and desire for revenge, Alyas dedicates his life to opposing those responsible—his former king and the mining syndicates that control him. But with syndicate greed growing worse by the year, and disaster on the horizon, spiralling events will eventually lead him to a small mining town in Flaeres and a chilling encounter that will change everything.

Spanning the years of exile through to the immediate aftermath of the novel, this collection of seven stories reveals the pivotal events that shape the man who will reshape the world.

Links

Author website: https://www.andeira.net

Cover artist – Jeff Brown: https://www.jeffbrowngraphics.com

The Many Shades of Midnight

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68757150-the-many-shades-of-midnight

Books2read: books2read.com/u/brev8w

In Midnight’s Shadow

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210474353-in-midnight-s-shadow

Books2read: https://books2read.com/u/4jMPAk

Such fantastic covers, aren’t they?? And I’ve even got the full images to share with you so enjoy! I’m in love with these and they make me so excited to get back to this series!

Synopsis

Set in rural Armenia in the aftermath of war, Narine Abgaryan’s haunting short stories show people finding hope and purpose again.

Named “one of Europe’s most exciting authors” by the Guardian, Narine Abgaryan has written a dozen books which have collectively sold over 1.35 million copies. To Go On Living comes directly from her experiences coming of age during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the early 1990s.

Set in an Armenian mountain village, thirty-one linked short stories trace the interconnected lives of villagers tending to their everyday tasks, engaging in quotidian squabbles, and celebrating small joys against a breathtaking landscape. Yet the setting, suspended in time and space, belies unspeakable tragedy: every character contends with an unbearable burden of loss. The war rages largely off the book’s pages, appearing only in fragmented flashbacks. Abgaryan’s stories focus on how the survivors work, both as individuals and as a community, to find a way forward. Written in Abgaryan’s signature style that weaves elements of Armenian folk tradition into her prose, these stories of community, courage, and resilience celebrate human life, where humor, love and hope prevail in unthinkable circumstances.

Narine Abgaryan’s stories shed fresh light on this forgotten corner of the world. “Humanity is in dire need of hope, of kind stories,” she told the Guardian. She’s given them to us here.

Review

To Go On Living took me a little while to get into due to some formatting issues with the original ARC, but thankfully the publisher was kind enough to send me a second copy that worked much better and allowed me to enjoy the interconnectedness of these stories more. On their own, each story showcased the tragedies that war can inflict on people, both instantly and longterm. At times, it was a very depressing book (naturally for that theme) and reading too many of its stories at once sometimes felt like it took away from each individual one, making it feel like monotone and repetitive here and there, but I still am really glad I read it. It’s easy to live in a country that isn’t directly affected by war in such a visceral way and I find it important to remind people (including myself) that not everyone enjoys that privilege.

I honestly thought this was a nonfiction book until right before writing this review. I probably was aware of it being fiction when I first accepted it, but it must’ve flown my mind by the time I got started reading. The characters felt so real to me that I still struggle to believe they are fictional. This wasn’t the story of one person and how their life changed or how they learned something important. It wasn’t a self-help book that taught me one of life’s big secrets (though it still contained multiple lessons we could all learn from). No, this was a collection of short stories that were all connected through the people they were about and the struggles that the war ravaging through their homes caused. It wasn’t a story about a big adventure where the protagonist vanquished the big evil and returned home a hero. It was about villagers that had come to this town or left it, some to return while others could not, before, during, and after the atrocities that occurred in their area. It was about how they turned towards each other or into themselves, what they were willing to do to continue on, to go on living.

While this might’ve been a fictional short story collection, you can feel that the author has personal experience with such tragedy in the way she made these characters come alive. She was named one of Europe’s most exciting authors by the Guardian, and I am definitely interested in reading more from her.

Synopsis

Mission: Impossible meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in this fun and fast-paced spy-fi adventure series featuring a tough yet conflicted secret agent, cloak and dagger intrigue, and a charming cast of alien characters.

When galactic danger calls, Agent Lilline Renault answers.

Strange signals pulse from an icy planet in a remote star system. Enter Lilline Renault, GAM-OPs secret agent extraordinaire. To ordinary citizens she’s Keely Larkin, an adventure company guide with a flair for the daring and a penchant for writing trite poetry.

When a terrifying link between high-tech entertainment and ancient cosmic forces rises, Lilline leaps into action. Verses flow as she rockets through space, dons cunning disguises, and infiltrates enemy territory with an arsenal of secret gadgets. To solve the mystery behind a dastardly plan means beating a mastermind at his own game. Lilline will need her best weapon to stand a fighting chance: her instinct.

Each Agent Renault Adventure is a standalone story – start anywhere in this award-winning series.

Review

This was a reread for me because I slacked about writing a review the first time around and because I thought it’d be fun to start over again before continuing the series. I do have to say that I switched from the audiobook to the ebook towards the end and am glad to have done so, because the narrator’s voice for the general narration of the story wasn’t my favorite. She is very monotone, which led to me being easily distracted by other things and sometimes missing some of the details. Her voices are great though. That part I really enjoyed! I just wish some of the emotions I heard in them had been reflected in the narration of the story itself too.

I’m a sucker for world building in scifi books and that was really fun here. Lately, I’ve especially liked stories that feature digital entertainment and worlds to live in recently, so this book fit into that as well and used it in a cool way. I liked the variety of races, the various strengths and weaknesses that were used in different ways throughout the story, though I would’ve liked to dive a little more deeply into learning about them.

The characters were interesting and I enjoyed learning about them. While poetry isn’t really my thing and I didn’t care too much for those aspects on their own (thought I do wonder if part of that was the narrator’s lack of emotion for some of the poems?), I did like that the MC had something unrelated to her job that was so important to her. It definitely added another layer to her character so she wasn’t just this super spy that was only passionate about her job.

I can’t always comment on writing style when I listen to a book because I admit that it just doesn’t stand out to me as much then, but since I switched to the ebook here, I’m happy to say that it felt really smooth and easy to read. While the plot did feel a little predictable here and there, overall I enjoyed it and the pages at the end just melted away. I was done in no time because I was so glued to the story then. The only thing that stood out was the use of second person in some of the chapters. I’m not 100% sure I understand the need for it and it threw me off a bit sometimes. Nevertheless though, I enjoyed myself and am looking forward to continuing with the series.

Synopsis

The Hallow serum was once sacred to the Auld Bloods. Used to gain access to their lost ancestral powers, now it is regulated and administered by the powerful Providence Company. Evolved from the echelons of the Auld Church, the company exists to maintain the balance between faith, science and politics.

But keeping the peace between humans and Auld Bloods isn’t easy. Taking Hallow comes at a price. Providence Company Assessor Cam must deal with backstreet bootleggers, burnt-out addicts and floating nuns that won’t stay on the ground.

When a string of Auld Blood deaths appear to have been caused by a corrupted batch of Hallow, Cam begins to suspect all may not be as it seems. Bodies are piling up. Someone is hiding something, and the consequences are becoming monstrous.

Review

I waited way too long to read this book, but what a fun way to start the spooky month off. I really enjoyed myself despite some criticism that usually makes me rate books 3 stars at the most. But I enjoyed its strengths so much that I had to give it a higher rating.

Where it lacked for me a bit was the emotional department. If you’ve followed my reviews for a while, you know that I’m all about the emotions. I want to feel something while I’m reading, whether that’s happiness, love, sadness, or fear. I need it to have that depth to really connect with the book usually. While this book had the outlines of the kinds of emotions I like for this type of story and character, it didn’t have quite the depth I am looking for. We found out interesting things about the MC to keep me hooked throughout, but that did make me less attached to him and the supporting characters than I’d like.

Thankfully though, I really enjoyed the plot and setting enough to make me excited about the book anyways. It was so easy for me to picture where this took part or what the characters looked like. I also found the politics and plot really interesting. While some of it was a little predictable (not in a bad way though; I do like some things to play out a certain way that makes sense for the story), other things were really fun reveals. There was a fun variety of characters too and I enjoyed their roles throughout the story.

I struggle to find standalones I really like and while this wasn’t the perfect fit for me either, it still is one of my favorite fantasy standalones so far. I love the author’s other series and will always pick up the next book to see what she’ll surprise me with next.

Synopsis

Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.

Review

Sorcery and Small Magics was a really fun read that I finished in two sittings (granted, one of those was a 9 hour flight but still). I liked the writing a lot and it felt like such a quick and easy read. It read so smoothly that I barely noticed the time going by.

I’m honestly a little surprised I liked the narrator of this story as much as I did. He’s a bit annoying sometimes, which doesn’t usually work for me, but here he felt like a well developed character that wasn’t defined by just that and I enjoyed following along. Stories like this are often told from two POVs so we can get both perspectives in a forced proximity/rivals setting, but I enjoyed having only one this time so we never knew for sure how the other person felt about everything. I also liked that we were in the head of the more privileged character and got to see how he changed over time as his world view expanded.

I found the world building incredibly interesting. It was slightly discomforting sometimes when the creatures of the Wilderlands were described but that added to the awe as well. It was interesting to read a story that felt somewhat cozy most of the time, yet still had such unsettling details. They grew more and more in importance as the story progressed, which I enjoyed a lot.

My only big gripe is that I wasn’t quite convinced by the emotions that supposedly happened. Finding out the nature of the accidental spell they used was interesting but I often felt like we were told more about what was being felt rather than shown in an organic way. I understand it was supposed to be subtle but I think in this case there was too much subtlety on the reader’s side of things. The envy, anger, nervousness, and other similar feelings felt more genuinely woven into the story.

I didn’t realize this was going to be a series until I finished the book, but I really liked how the arc of this specific one concluded. The fantasy aspect felt like a well-rounded story overall that can stand on its own, but I’m also eager to see where these characters are going in terms of careers and their own personal feelings.