5/5 starsSYNOPSIS: A young pilot risks everything to save his best friend--the man he trusts most and might even love--only to learn that he's secretly the heir to a brutal galactic empire. Ettian Nassun's life was shattered when the merciless Umber Empire invaded. He's spent seven years putting himself back together under its rule, joining an Umber military academy and becoming the best pilot in his class. Even better, he's met Gal Veres--his exasperating and infuriatingly enticing roommate who's made the Academy feel like a new home. But when dozens of classmates spring an assassination plot on Gal, a devastating secret comes to light: Gal is the heir to the Umber Empire. Ettian barely manages to save his best friend and flee the compromised Academy unscathed, rattled both that Gal stands to inherit the empire that broke him and that there are still people willing to fight back against Umber rule. As they piece together a way to deliver Gal safely to his throne, Ettian finds himself torn in half by an impossible choice. Does he save the man who's won his heart and trust that Gal's goodness could transform the empire? Or does he throw his lot in with the brewing rebellion and fight to take back what's rightfully theirs? REVIEW: Bonds of Brass has been on my radar for a while now and as soon as I saw the cover and the synopsis I knew it was going to be one of my most anticipated reads of the year... which is why it was so frustrating when my order took so long to come that I ended up buying the audio version too only to have the book show up the next day haha. (The narration, by the way, is very well done in the audiobook version so if you're into listening to your books then definitely check that out). Once I'd finally managed to start the book I didn't appreciate the need to stop for essentials such as food and sleep. I mean, c'mon. This is a sci fi book with heavy Star Wars vibes, it has a potential friends to lovers relationship where bed sharing is not only a trope that is used with great delight, but also is less "there's only one bed," and more "there's two beds but I want to sleep close to you." So you can maybe see why sleep and food kind of went off the radar for me haha. Now, from an objective POV Bonds of Brass is incredibly well written. The characters are diverse and layered. The worldbuilding is well done and deep as sci fi world building kind of has to be in order to make a great background to the plot. Taking of which, the plot was great. It was twisty and turny and while I did guess the big twist it was still satisfying, and though it didn't play out in the way I had hoped it would, it still left me desperate for the second book. From a Lauren POV however it does do the thing at the end that I hate, which is introduce a huge cliffhanger. And, like, without getting into too much detail, you know as you have the cliffhangers that are like "well darn! Wonder what's gonna happen now!" and then the cliffhangers which have you shaking your first at the sky asking for revenge like "WHY GOD WHY?" well for me this was definitely the second. I can't give you any more context because to do so would be to ruin it a bit, and also because when you read and get to the end I want you to suffer like me haha. Basically, overall, Bonds of Brass was a delight. I had high expectations from the start and it managed to hit them, which isn't always the case with hyped up books. The one thing that I wasn't a fan of was the ending but that's because on a personal level I just hate cliffhangers, as much as I can appreciate why they're used. If I take a step back and try to be objective about it you'd find me rolling around on the floor, clutching the book and screeching for a day straight because hot DAMN did that ending smash it out of the park in a very exciting way that spells very good, very tense things for book two...
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Things have not been going well for Henry Milch. After a Saturday night clubbing in his beloved West Hollywood, he took one pill too many and ended up banished to northern lower Michigan to live on a farm with his ultra-conservative grandmother. It was that or rehab. While working a part-time job for the local land conservancy he stumbles across a dead body in the snow—as if things couldn’t get worse. But then things take a turn for the better, there’s a reward for information leading the man’s killer. All Henry has to do is find the murderer, claim the reward and he can go back to his real life in L.A. 3/5 StarsI received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher and author for this opportunity! The first half of TLTSTOHM (I... refuse to write that title out every single time I mention it so I'm shortening it down haha) was funny, intriguing and enjoyable. The second half dragged a little more. The main character is... a little unlikable, but in a likable way, if that makes any sense. Like he isn't a great person, he's in denial about some stuff, and while his character arc does develop, it's quite late in the book when it happens and it does so in a way that makes it clear that this is just the first stepping stone in the series. I think the second book in the series is going to be a lot better than the first, especially if we see some struggle of morality and of Henry trying to be a better person. (On the other hand I did find myself snorting like a surprised horse every now and again while I read because of some of his comments. I do kind of like it when the protagonist is morally grey and Henry could just about fit into that category). In terms of plot TLTSTOHM is a little weak. As much as in the first part I wanted to know what happened, by the time we got the the half way marker I was a little bored. The story isn't realistic but I don't really care about that, I enjoy suspending my belief, but the plot didn't pack the punch that a murder mystery should in my opinion. There also isn't any romance sub plot, which I found myself missing, but it is also nice to find a book with a gay character where the focus isn't on his love life too. Overall, a quick enjoyable read which falls a little flat in places but is still fun. I look forward to where the author takes the series, and I have hopes that the second book will make improvements on the first! Recommended for fans of snarky protagonists who aren't very nice people. This is a double review! I reviewed Crown of Feathers but only posted it on Goodreads as it was before I made my blog, so I'm posting that on here, and then reviewing Heart of Flames also! I had a sister, once… In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart. I promised her the throne would not come between us. Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks. But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled. Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all. Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken. Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy about love’s incredible power to save—or to destroy. Interspersed throughout is the story of Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Rider queen, who would rather see her empire burn than fall into her sister’s hands. Crown of Feathers4/5 Stars** Spoiler Alert ** Crown of Feathers is a strong start to what is shaping up to be a delightful trilogy with a very interesting concept. I love novels where humans have special bonds with animals especially magical animals like dragons and the like so this was right down my street. It is told in multiple POV chapters which I usually don’t like as a personal preference of mine but I'm so glad that it was done this way because otherwise I never would have got a look into my favourite character's head in the way that I did. Of the POVs we see Sev was by far my favourite. I wasn’t really taken with Tristan, he was nice and all, just boring. The other one is the main character, Veronyka, who I liked even if there were moments when she frustrated me. Her relationship with her sister, Val, was particularly interesting and fraught with tension and I can't wait to see how things progress. As I said before, Sev was definitely my favourite. His budding relationships with Trix and Kade were fantastically written and out of all the characters I think his arc shows the most character growth. And the chemistry he has with Kade? Off the charts and so well written. It's so nice to see some LGBTQ representation in fantasy books where the character being gay isn't a big issue. I did feel like the POV chapters were a bit unbalanced. Veronyka is the main character so she is the most featured, but because there are multiple POVs it kind of feels like it's also trying to be an ensemble cast at the same time, which doesn't work with the amount of focus on Veronyka. (Lauren from the future is happy to tell you that having read Heart of Flames, this is fixed to an extent, I don't know if we actually saw more of Sev or if it just felt that way, but it felt more balanced overall). Heart of Flames4.5/5 Stars** Spoiler Alert ** Heart of Flames is an absolute brick of a book with cover art as beautiful as the art on Crown of Feathers. There are over 600 pages of action, tension and worldbuilding. I gave this a 4.5 because I enjoyed almost every aspect about the book apart from one, but we'll get to that later. First of all, I liked Tristan a lot more in this book than I did in the first. He's grown up and grown on me quite a bit which is very relieving because I was kind of dreading reading his POVs. I loved that Eliott was given POV chapters too, it helped to get more in his head and understand his motivations for his actions in the first book, and also to see as he started to make amends and bond with Sparrow (who, by the way, is literally one of the best child characters I've come across). I also really liked the part that Val played in the story, although the ending makes me very nervous. It was frustrating to see Veronyka and her go back and forth in what felt like the same dance multiple times but as a character I find her enchanting (I have a thing for bad bad lady characters, so sue me). It was so interesting to find out more about her background, how she and her sister interacted, and I loved seeing more of her old crew. The worldbuilding is, as always, great. And of course, the best part about this book was Sev and his continued (and working) efforts to worm his way into my heart as the best character in the entire series. His relationship with Kade started to blossom, his courage continued to grow, and just when I was ready to shout for joy he made a hard, but right, decision which left him and Kade seperated again. I absolutely love slow burn romances. I love them. When they're done right, as this one was with all the build up and will they won't they, it's the best thing. This leads me onto the thing I wasn't so keen on. It's not the biggest issue ever but I'm really not a fan of the relationship between Veronyka and Tristan. It just feels a bit?? I'm not sure. I didn't have any problems with it in the first book, even though I wasn't exactly a big Tristan fan, but something about it just doesn't sit right with me in this one. It might be because I hate the fact that he prioritises Veronyka over his existing group so easily. One of the characters in the books even points it out himself. I'm a really big fan of the found family trope so I feel like this book missed out on having their phoenix troop be their own little family. I would have liked to see Tristan respecting his fellow riders a bit more, especially as his position as their leader and especially considering that yes sure Veronyka is cool and all but some of these other people have been training a hell of a lot longer than her, and it must feel to them like she just waltzed in, lied to everyone and then kind of took over all of Tristan's attention. Overall though, I can't wait for the third book and for Sev and Kade's reunion. I want to find out what the discovery at the end means for everyone, I want to see Kade do that thing that he was going to do with that thing he was given (it's a big spoiler okay, even I can't give that away so easily haha), I want to know what happens with Sev and Tristan and I want... you know what? I want Sparrow to be a phoenix rider haha, that's my final want. Ten Books I Bought Because of Cover Lust
what books have you bought just because they look pretty or badass?Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable world. A world where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly vines and seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don't get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will. Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He knows the first rule of survival is that you don't venture beyond the walls. What he doesn't know is - what happens when you aren't given a choice? Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Book of Koli is a very unique take on a dystopian world where the world itself is out to get it's human inhabitants. I found the premise refreshing and intriguing, the cast diverse and the plot full of potential, given that this is the start of a trilogy. I did, however, struggle a little with the way the book is written, as it is done in a style quite unlike anything I've read before. On the one hand this is great, I do like to experience new ways of writing, but on the other sometimes it felt like I had to push myself through the pages because my brain was rebelling a little in the process. This isn't a case of the book not being well written or good. I think it was both of those things, but I just don't think it's for me. I did love Monono to the moon and back, but by the end of it she was the only real thing that kept me going. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys dystopia novels that incorporate nature and technology in really cool ways.edit. |
Reviewer26. Capricorn. INFP. Hufflepuff. Archives
October 2020
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