BOOKS | Review: Tales of a Monstrous Heart by Jennifer Delaney

Name: Tales of a Monstrous Heart (Tales of a Monstrous Heart #1)

Author: Jennifer Delaney

Publisher: Gollancz

Date published: August 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, gothic, academia

Pages: 468

Rating: 4/5

Be careful of the dark and those that call it friend.
Katherine Woodrow is Fey, and all she wants is to graduate from the Institute of Magic. But when the prejudiced mortal council threaten her position at the institute, she is left with only one option: accept a Mage Partnership with the elusive Lord Blackthorn.
Emrys Blackthorn is a riddle Kat is fearful of solving. The mysterious, cursed war hero with his stormy eyes and unpredictable ways leaves Kat with more questions than answers. What she does know is that she is irresistibly drawn to him... No matter how forbidden it might be.
When a string of murders and fey disappearances herald the return of dark magic, Kat and Emrys are thrown into a world of ancient books that hide hideous monsters, dark fiends who play with nightmares and mortal men who wish nothing more than to see them both burn.
But what haunts them both are secrets even ghosts dare not whisper, while insidious shadows lick their teeth and sharpen their claws, waiting for the moment that all tales will come to light - even the monstrous ones. 

- From Goodreads. 

This book had a wonderfully intense atmosphere, it was very gothic, with a lot of sinister details. I thought the world-building and magic system were fascinating and the magic especially made for some thrilling moments.

Katherine and Emrys were both intriguing characters and I think their dynamic was very compelling and it was exciting to follow their relationship and see it grow and change as they got closer. Both of them had their secrets and mysteries, so it was interesting to see them decide if they could trust each other and tell each other the truth.

My only real problem with the book was that it felt like it could have used another round of editing. There were some quite easy to spot grammar mistakes, but it was more that it felt like some descriptions and explanations of events were hard to understand, and I also could not always follow why characters were unhappy with each other or how they had reached certain conclusions. It seemed like with a little more time spent on the editing, these bumps in the story could have been smoothed out. 

Overall though, I still enjoyed the book and found myself speeding through it quite quickly. I was eager to find out how the mysteries unravelled and I was invested in the romance. I will definitely be picking up the next book. I would recommend this if you like Howl's Moving Castle, Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, and stories with sentient houses and dark, gothic romance. 

BOOKS | Review: The Book of Gold by Ruth Frances Long

Name: The Book of Gold (The Feral Gods #1)

Author: Ruth Frances Long 

Publisher: Hodderscape

Date published: November 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, historical, romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5

There's only one thing notorious thief Lyta loves more than a big her little brother, Kit. But when Kit is arrested for producing seditious pamphlets, he stands to lose not only his printing press, but possibly his life.
In exchange for her brother's freedom, Lyta strikes a daring bargain with the king - she will steal the infamous Book of a mysterious manuscript reputed to be hiding vast magical power within.
It's just the kind of challenge Lyta relishes, but she didn't bargain for a secretive scholar, her brother's interference, or the return of handsome and brooding Captain Sylvian Chant, once her lover and partner in crime, now an incorruptible royal bodyguard...

- From Goodreads. 

The story of this book was a great adventure, it almost didn't give you a moment to catch your breath! It had a very fun heist plot line, and a wonderful collection of characters to form the heist crew.

I enjoyed that as the story went on there continued to be mysteries and twists and surprises in the plot, it definitely kept me on my toes. Ben's storyline was fascinating with his connection to the gods, and I thought the way his relationship developed with Kit was very sweet.

Meanwhile Sylvian and Lyta's second-chance romance was intense in a great way, with so much tension and both of them struggling to come to terms with their past and yet still caring for each other so much. Sylvian's backstory of what had happened to him while he and Lyta had been apart was so compelling and heartbreaking.

I think the only problem I had with the book was Lyta being stubborn to the point where it became a bit frustrating at times. I don't mind when characters have flaws and aren't perfect of course, as it makes them more realistic and sometimes quite relatable, but it's also great to see them grow and change and Lyta's parts of the book could be difficult to read when you thought she was learning and had come to a realisation about something but then she would go back to thinking or acting the same way she did at the beginning of the book. I only felt this frustration a few times throughout the book though and most of the time I still liked her as much as the other characters.

Overall, this was a thrilling and intriguing book and I will definitely be reading the next one as I am curious to find out what will happen with all the characters and especially with Lyta and Sylvian's relationship. 

BOOKS | Review: Labyrinth's Heart by M.A. Carrick

Name: Labyrinth's Heart (Rook & Rose #3)

Author: M.A. Carrick

Publisher: Orbit

Date published: August 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy

Pages: 632

Rating: 5/5 

May you see the face and not the mask.
Ren came to Nadežra with a plan. She would pose as the long-lost daughter of the noble house Traementis. She would secure a fortune for herself and her sister. And she would vanish without a backward glance. She ought to have known that in the city of dreams, nothing is ever so simple.
Now, she is Ren, con-artist and thief. But she is also Renata, the celebrated Traementis heir. She is Arenza, the mysterious pattern-reader and political rebel. And she is the Black Rose, a vigilante who fights alongside the legendary Rook.
Even with the help of Grey Serrado and Derossi Vargo, it is too many masks for one person to wear. And as the dark magic the three of them helped unleash builds to storm that could tear the very fabric of the city apart, it's only a matter of time before one of the masks slips - and everything comes crashing down around them.

- From Goodreads. 

This was a really fantastic third and final book in the Rook & Rose trilogy. It really kept up the tension and surprises right to the end and the ending wrapped up everything perfectly. With each book I've thought I knew what we were leading towards for the climax, but usually what I think is going to happen at the end happens halfway through and then the book takes you on a completely unexpected journey! It made things very exciting!

The books also did a great job of having a new villain or challenge for the characters in each one, while still following the overall arc of the series plot. It kept things refreshing while also making sure each book flowed well into the next.

I loved that the themes that had slowly been developing over the first two books really got explored in this final book and came to conclusions that felt very thoughtful. The story really showed that you can choose your own family and find people who really love and understand you, no matter where you come from or what struggles you faced in your past. It showed that you can find strength and courage even when everything around you seems terrifying and hopeless. I think it balanced the different roles of friendship, romance, and family really well and I felt it was really emotional at the end.

I think each character got their moment to shine and that was impressive considering how large the cast was by the end. I loved Ren and Grey even more with each book and I felt the ending they got really was right for them and and made me really happy.

Overall, this was a wonderful book and excellent conclusion to the series. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy the incredibly detailed world building of Samantha Shannon's books, and the intricate politics of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison and the complicated but also loveable characters of both. I think this will certainly become a favourite series of all time for me! 

BOOKS | Review: The Liar's Knot by M.A. Carrick

Name: The Liar's Knot (Rook & Rose #2)

Author: M.A. Carrick

Publisher: Orbit

Date published: December 2021

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 639

Rating: 5/5

Trust is the thread that binds us... and the rope that hangs us.
In Nadezra, peace is as tenuous as a single thread. The ruthless House Indestor has been destroyed, but darkness still weaves through the city’s filthy back alleys and jewel-bright gardens, seen by those who know where to look.
Derossi Vargo has always known. He has sacrificed more than anyone imagines to carve himself a position of power among the nobility, hiding a will of steel behind a velvet smile. He'll be damned if he lets anyone threaten what he's built.
Grey Serrado knows all too well. Bent under the yoke of too many burdens, he fights to protect the city’s most vulnerable. Sooner or later, that fight will demand more than he can give.
And Ren, daughter of no clan, knows best of all. Caught in a knot of lies, torn between her heritage and her aristocratic masquerade, she relies on her gift for reading pattern to survive. And it shows her the web of corruption that traps her city.
But all three have yet to discover just how far that web stretches. And in the end, it will take more than knives to cut themselves free...

- From Goodreads. 

This was an excellent second book in this trilogy. It did not suffer at all from the problem some middle books have where the action and intensity dips, in fact it felt like enough happened that this could have been a final book in a series! It definitely met the expectations set by the first book and I'll be excited to find out how things wrap up in the third!

I think all the character development was done very well in this book. Each character had a different personal journey but they still all linked to each other's stories, and even the smaller side characters had good development. I still cared about each main character and became even more deeply invested in them.

I enjoyed that we got more romance in this book with a couple of different relationships, I think the main romance was paced perfectly and felt like it meant a lot to the characters involved. It was very lovely and sweet and I cared a lot about their happiness together.

The character of the Rook was still very enigmatic even as we came to know more about them. It was fun to see how different characters interacted with them and how everyone was curious to solve the mystery of who they were. They had a great part to play in the story and I'm intrigued to see how that will continue in the next book.

The mysteries of the plot were still very fascinating in this book and it was thrilling to see how it all came to a conclusion at the end, I was pretty anxious to see how all the characters made it out of the situation at the end!

Obviously I loved this book just as much as the first and I will definitely be moving right onto the third and final book! I'm certainly nervous to see how it resolves and how it ends for each character, but I am sure it will be a thrilling adventure! 

 

BOOKS | Review: The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick

Name: The Mask of Mirrors (Rook & Rose #1)

Author: M.A. Carrick 

Publisher: Orbit

Date published: January 2021

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy

Pages: 643

Rating: 5/5

Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.
Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadežra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister's future.
But as she's drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled... with Ren at their heart.

- From Goodreads. 

This was an incredible book. It had a bit of a slow start, but it was good to have some time to slowly get to know the characters and setting, as it was quite an intricate world with a lot of detail to take in. Once we got to about halfway through, the plot started to get more intense and action-packed and it was a struggle to put the book down at all as it became even more intriguing and exciting.

There were a lot of fascinating mysteries, and it was interesting to see how all the threads of the plot came to intertwine and how the different mysteries were connected. The mystery of who the Rook could be was especially intriguing and I loved following Ren as she tried to figure it out.

Ren was a great character to follow in general, she was very clever and resourceful and also also had a good heart, I really loved the bond she had with Tess and it was great to see how much they cared about each other.

Captain Serrado was another favourite character for me, his backstory and his conflicted feelings about his position were really compelling and I was always excited to see more from his perspective.

This really was a fantastic story and I will be excited to continue on and find out what happens in the next book! 

BOOKS | Review: Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

Name: Dragonfall (Dragon Scales #1)

Author: L.R. Lam

Publisher: Hodderscape

Date published: May 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, dragons, romance

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5

Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the 'gods' remember, and they do not forgive.
Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact's magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.
The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely - body, mind, and soul - and then kill them.
Yet the closer the two become, the greater the risk both their worlds will shatter.

- From Goodreads. 

This did have a bit of a slow start and took a little time to get into because there was a lot of explanation of the world and its history. It was necessary to understand the story, but it felt a little clunky at the beginning and some of the descriptions were difficult to picture in my head. However things did begin to move along more smoothly as the story went on and I soon found myself more invested and intrigued by the plot.

It was a very exciting plot, I couldn't tell exactly what was going to happen and it all felt very unique. The world-building also felt very new and it was fascinating to explore. I also liked the way the characters discussed gender and how we got different perspectives on how they felt about it.

Arcady and Everen's relationship was interesting and I will be curious to see how it develops in the next book, as they began to build a foundation in this book but did not really have the chance to explore any romance because of their situation and how neither of them could really be truthful with each other and could not really be on the same side. I'm looking forward to seeing how that changes.

Although it did have a slow start, I ended up really enjoying this book and I am very much looking forward to reading the second one. I would also like to read more from L.R. Lam in general as I'm curious to see what their other books are like. I'd definitely recommend giving this book a try if you are looking for a unique dragon story! 

BOOKS | Review: The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton

Name: The Geographer's Map to Romance (Love's Academic #2)

Author: India Holton

Publisher: Penguin Books

Date published: April 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, romance, fantasy, historical

Pages: 354

Rating: 5/5

 

Professor Elodie Tarrant is an expert in magical disasters. Nothing fazes her - except her own personal disaster, that is: Professor Gabriel Tarrant, the grumpy, unfriendly man she married for convenience a year ago, whom she secretly loves.
Gabriel is also an expert in magical disasters. And nothing fazes him either - except the walking, talking tornado that is his wife. They’ve been estranged since shortly after their wedding day, but that hasn’t stopped him from stoically pining for her.
When magic erupts in a small Welsh village, Elodie and Gabriel are accidentally both assigned to the case. With the fate of the country in their hands, they face perilous conditions like explosions, domesticated goats, and only one bed.
These geography professors are lost. But can they find their way into each other’s hearts - and save the day?

- From Goodreads. 

This book was as absolutely delightful as the first one. India Holton just has such a brilliant way of writing, the humour in this series has been so excellent, I laughed out loud at multiple scenes! She also just has such a wonderful way of writing romance, leaning into clichés and tropes, keeping it fun and lighthearted, but also letting you get swept away with lovely sweet romantic moments that really show you the connection and feelings between the characters.

I loved how the author continued the world building in this book, the magical creatures, specifically birds, were so creative in the last book, and the way the magic of the world was expanded in this book into the magic of the land and nature was so inventive too! I'm so curious to see how it's further explored in the next book.

Elodie and Gabriel were such wonderful characters, I thought the story of how they, amusingly, became inconveniently married was so unique and it was so interesting to see how they viewed things from their different perspectives and how they eventually realised how they'd both been seeing things differently, it was written so perfectly. They were so loveable and I really adored their relationship.

Of course I will be reading the next book, I cannot get enough of this world, the characters and how India Holton writes these romances, it's all such perfection.