BOOKS | Review: The Novice by Trudi Canavan

Name: The Novice (The Black Magician trilogy #2)

Author: Trudi Canavan 

Publisher: Orbit

Date published: Originally 2004, Illumicrate edition 2023

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, adventure

Pages: 581

Rating: 5/5

This review contains minor spoilers.

Imardin is a city of dark intrigues and deadly politics, where those who wield magic wield power. Into this established order has blundered a young street-girl with extraordinary magical gifts. Adopted by the Magicians' Guild, her life is changed forever - but for better or for worse?
Sonea knew that she'd face a tough time training within the Magicians' Guild but she little realised the level of animosity she would face from her fellow novices. The sons and daughters of the most powerful families in the realm, her classmates seem determined to see her fail - at whatever cost. But in accepting the protection of the guild's high lord, Sonea may have embraced an even bleaker fate. For High Lord Akkarin harbours a secret that is far darker than his magician's robes.

- Goodreads.

This book had a very exciting storyline, I got more and more invested as the story went on as the mysteries were all very intriguing and I found the last few chapters especially thrilling! I can't wait to read the next book and find out what happens.

The descriptions were all very well written, I could always picture each scene easily and what was happening in each one was clear. The descriptions of the scenery were always lovely, and especially interesting as we got to travel to different countries in this book through one of the perspectives and it was fun to see what the other places in the world were like and how they differed from the setting of the first book.

I was not sure I would enjoy both perspectives but I found both really compelling. Dannyl's travels and discoveries were fascinating to read about and I thought the way he discovered new things about himself and realised the effects of what had happened to him at the Guild in the past was all very well done and I really felt the emotions he was going through. I also really loved Tayend who he travelled with, he was such a sweet character and the relationship that slowly began to develop between them was wonderful. I hope we will seem more of them together in the next book.

Sonea's perspective was also interestig to read as she figured out how to navigate life in the guild and deal with the judgement from everone there, especially Regin who was well written to be absolutely awful! I definitely admired Sonea for taking everything that was done to her and learning to be stronger and not giving up. I am looking forward to seeing more of her journey in the third book.

The mysterious High Lord was also very compelling in this book and it was exciting to see more of him and learn a little bit more about him, and to see the mystery deepen as even more questions about him were raised. I will also be curious to see what the dynamic between him and Sonea is like in the next book and how it changes.

Obviously I really enjoyed this book and am very excited to continue onto the next one! I was nervous it might not live up to the first one and I might not love it as much, but it did not let me down and it was definitely just as good!

BOOKS | Review: Under the Oak Tree Vol. 1 by Suji Kim

Name: Under the Oak Tree (Under the Oak Tree Novels #1)

Author: Suji Kim

Publisher: Inklore

Date published: November 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 484

Rating: 4/5

This review contains minor spoilers.

Lady Maximilian is the daughter of the powerful Duke Croyso, but she is rarely allowed outside her family’s sprawling castle for fear that her stutter will tarnish their noble name. When she is forced to marry Sir Riftan, a lowborn knight caught in one of her father’s schemes, Maxi doesn’t dare hope for happiness, let alone love. Her stumbling communication and his gruff manner sour their relationship before it can begin, and Riftan leaves without a word the morning after their vows are exchanged.
Now, three years after their disastrous wedding night, Riftan has returned as a war hero. To Maxi’s surprise, despite rumors that he was offered marriage to Princess Agnes, a beautiful and renowned sorceress, Riftan still wants Maxi for his wife. And when he comes to claim her, his longing becomes a desire that bewilders Maxi, even as she is overcome by the scorching heat that Riftan’s presence ignites within her. As she learns to navigate the intricacies of her new life, Maxi will find herself and her courage, and discover that she is anything but powerless.

- From Goodreads.

I can see why some people may find the beginning of this book tough to get past as Maxi and Riftan do have a difficult beginning to their relationship. Maxi is very shy and insecure, and because of her sheltered upbringing and the abuse she suffered from her father, she doesn't know or understand much about the world, or marriage. Riftan meanwhile is quite domineering and can be quick to temper, somewhat because of his role as the knights' commander. I was hesitant whether I would enjoy this at first because there is some very dubious consent in their intimacy at the beginning partly because of Maxi's lack of knowledge and her belief that she needs to complete her wifely duties, so it might be best to avoid this book if that would be hard for you to read.

However it was compelling to see them both grow from that point. Although Maxi still struggled a lot with her insecurity, she did find a little more confidence in herself and learnt that she could do more than she realised, and that people could treat her kindly and she could fine somewhere to call home. Riftan learnt to be gentle with her and clearly wanted to treat her well. They had an interesting dynamic and I will be interested to see them learn and grow together in future volumes.

There were plenty of other interesting characters too, the servants at the castle were all likeable and it was fascinating to learn about the hierarchy of the knights and the different dynamics between them. 

There was also some great worldbuilding. The politics between the kingdoms, the royalty and lords of each one, and it was exciting to read about all the different fantasy creatures that lived in the land, and the knights' fights with them.

As already mentioned, I probably would not recommend this if you do not like to read anything with issues of consent or abuse, as Maxi's abuse from her father (both physical and mental) is also a part of the story and described multiple times in detail. But otherwise I found the story to be quite easy to get through and I became quite invested in the characters and especially enjoyed following Maxi as the main character and I am looking forward to reading the next volume to see what happens next in her story.

BOOKS | Review: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Name: Bride (Bride #1)

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Sphere

Date published: February 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, romance, fantasy, paranormal 

Pages: 399

Rating: 3/5

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast - again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold an historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange. Again.
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It's clear from the way he tracks Misery's every movement that he doesn't trust her. If only he knew how right he was...
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what's hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory... alone with the wolf.

- Goodreads.

This was quite a fun book, it was easy to read and the writing style was enjoyable with a likeable narrative voice and an entertaining sense of humour.

I don't read a lot of paranormal stories or stories that are fantasy but set in a contemporary setting, but I enjoyed the premise of this story and it was interesting to learn about the world and discover the interactions between humans, vampires and werewolves and how the politics between them worked.

I think there were a lot of interesting characters, and I enjoyed the tension between Misery and Lowe. I think the author did a good job of creating the chemistry between them and the moments of them getting to know each other and opening up and becoming vulnerable were quite sweet, I think the only problem I had was that sometimes they assumed a lot or were quite stubborn about believing something when the truth seemed pretty obvious, at least from a reader's persepective, and occasionally I didn't understand their motivation and why they did some things, but mostly they did explain why a character might feel a certain way or why they might take a certain action, even if it could be frustrating.

I think it would depend on the storyline of what happened next, but I would consider reading sequels to this book, and since I enjoyed her writing style I would read one of Ali Hazelwood's other books to see if I enjoyed something she wrote set in another world or genre. This one was a lot of fun, it was just understanding the characters at some points that was the main problem for me.

BOOKS | Review: Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Name: Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment duology #2)

Author: Rebecca Ross

Publisher: Magpie

Date published: January 2024

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, romance, historical

Pages: 420

Rating: 5/5

Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.
Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together... the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.

- Goodreads.

This was a brilliant follow up to Divine Rivals, I think it gave the story a satisfying conclusion and was just as thrilling to read as the first book. 

Iris and Roman's story was still wonderfully romantic, they wrote so beautifully to each other and when they could see each other in person it felt like such a beautiful moment.

It was good to see more of the side characters that were introduced in the first book and see more of their personalities, and we were introduced to new characters who were also just as fascinating and fun to get to know. Everyone felt very well rounded and real, and in general all the characters were well written.

We learnt more about the magic and the gods in this book and I felt that continued to be a fascinating and inventive part of the world building. It really added to how compelling the plot was and how it kept you wanting to read more.

The emotional moments were also very well done. I was very invested in what happened to all of the characters and their relationships to each other and I was anxious to see how things ended for them all. There were painful and sad momennts that definitely got to me, but they all felt right for the story and were balanced well with happier and more hopeful moments.

Overall it was a really wonderful book and duology in general. It had such loveable characters and a really exciting plot. I will definitely try more books from the author and I would definitely recommend if you love historical fantasy and stories involving letter writing.

Books | Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Name: The Spellshop

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Publisher: Tor

Date published: July 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, romance, fantasy, cosy

Pages: 376

Rating: 5/5

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy - and very handsome - neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks - the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.

- Goodreads.

This was a truly delightful and heartwarming story. It made me so happy to read and I read it so quickly as I did not want to put it down.

The world was so magical and full of all sorts of different creatures, it made the story a lot of fun to read.

The characters were so loveable and I loved that Kiela really found a family amongst them on the island. The fact that she had a talking spider plant as a companion was just brilliant and made for a lot of funny moments.

The romance was just perfect. The love interest was so lovely and sweet and I loved how much he respected and admired Kiela. The two of them had a few awkward moments but I loved that they always tried to help and understand each other and respected each others' boundaries.

Kiela was a wonderful main character and I really enjoyed the journey she went on throughout the story. She was an introvert and found dealing with people difficult, which was understandable after being alone for so long as she had been, and it was lovely to see her finding friends and a group of people who understood her and watched out for her. 

It was such a cute book, definitely a very well done cosy fantasy, and I will be looking forward to any further books from Sarah Beth Durst that are like this.

Books | Review: The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

Name: The Hurricane Wars (The Hurricane Wars #1)

Author: Thea Guanzon 

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Date published: October 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 472

Rating: 3/5

All Talasyn has ever known are the Hurricane Wars. An orphan of the struggle, she uses the power of light to fight for her people against the Night Empire.
All Alaric has ever known is darkness. The son of the Night Emperor and their deadliest weapon, he wields terrifying shadow magic to crush the rebellion.
Then he sees Talasyn, his sworn enemy burning bright across the battlefield. The moment they clash their lives are changed forever.
Now a greater threat is rising and only they can stop it.
The coming storm threatens to destroy everything. If they don’t destroy each other first...

- Goodreads.

There was a lot of exposition and explanation of the world and storyline at the beginning of the book that did make it slower to get through, and although it did get better once we got into the flow of the story, I did find that in general there was a lot more telling than showing and it could have been balanced better. There was also the problem that when there were action scenes or other complicated descriptions of what was happening, it was sometimes hard to picture or understand so sometimes it could be confusing.

However, there were some good descriptions and I thought the setting and the world were all very creative and interesting to learn about. The way the magic worked and the ships that were used in the war were very inventive concepts.

Even though I did think the exposition could have been done better, the plot was still interesting to follow and I was always curious to find out what would happen next, and I am definitely curious enough to read the next book.

I did like the characters and mostly understood them, but did find them frustrating sometimes. I think especially with the main character Talasyn, her actions did not always make sense to me.

While this book definitely had its flaws, it was still an interesting story with a lot of potential and I can imagine the sequel will be quite exciting.

BOOKS | Review: Blood Solace by Vela Roth

Name: Blood Solace (Blood Grace series #2)

Author: Vela Roth

Publisher: Five Thorns Press

Date published: February 2022

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 614

Rating: 4/5

Lio is out of time. He must reunite with Cassia, his beloved Grace, before his Craving for her blood becomes fatal to him. But the Queens of the Hesperines have closed the border between Orthros and Tenebra with their magic, and he and Cassia are trapped on opposites sides. He must make his own way back to her. He, Orthros’s youngest ambassador, must move his fellow immortal Hesperines from their ancient, unchanging course.
Cassia has made herself the King of Tenebra’s worst enemy. Her father has no idea it is she who secretly sabotages his every attempt at alliance with the Mage Orders of Cordium. But the king and the mages will stop at nothing to make war upon the Hesperines, and Cassia’s own clandestine war can only secure peace for Lio’s people for so long. To truly protect the Hesperine she loves and his kind, she is prepared to take matters into her own hands as never before and make the greatest sacrifice of all.
When a new threat from Cordium descends upon Tenebra, Lio knows Cassia’s life is in as much danger as his own. Can they work together once more across the distance between them? Can they resurrect their broken partnership, which once proved both their peoples’ salvation? And if they rescue Orthros and Tenebra, can they still rescue each other? 

- Goodreads.

This was a great follow up to the first book, it expanded the world more and it was interesting to learn more about the Hesperines' home and what life was like there. I think the world building was as excellent as the first book, there are so many details and the history behind it all is written with such depth. It felt like a real world and I am looking forward to finding out more about it in the future books.

It was wonderful to see more of Lio and Cassia's development, they are lovely characters to follow and see grow, and I liked to see how they handled things apart and then together and it will be great to see their relationship develop over the rest of the series.

The only problem I had with the book was the pacing, I still enjoyed the story a lot, but it felt more like a build up to future books, rather than a complete story arc that stood on its own. Plenty of things happened in the book but it seemed like a lot more happened at the beginning than at the end so I felt like I was expecting more to happen. I definitely was not bored but it was surprising. The first book was also longer than this one, so I wouldn't have minded if this one had been longer to allow for more of a climax at the end.

Apart from that, I really enjoyed this book and how it continued the story from the first one. It's just really enjoyable to follow these characters and their interactions and see what choices they will make as they are all fascinating and well rounded people. I'm really curious to see what happens in the next books and how all the different threads are resolved.