BOOKS | Review: Radiance by Grace Draven

 Name: Radiance (Wraith Kings series #1)

Author: Grace Draven

Publisher: Independently published

Date published: 2014

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 296

Rating: 5/5

The Prince of no value

Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.

The noblewoman of no importance

Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn’t just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she’s known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.

Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.

- From Goodreads.

Radiance was a really wonderful read, it had me engaged from beginning to end and made me really happy to read. 

The romance was addictive and unusual. I do not think I have ever read a story where the couple finds each other ugly at first and it made for some really amusing moments, and was a good way for their relationship to start with friendship and develop into more in a believable way. I loved the way they talked to each other, and were quite honest with each other from the beginning and saw each other as equals. I really rooted for them as individual characters and together in a relationship too.

The world building was interesting to read about, and I liked how the author created the different cultures and how the people from the different kingdoms were so different from each other but could get along and find similarities between them too.

Along with that, the side characters were well developed too, especially Lord Serovek Pangion, who I thought had a very well layered personality and was a great addition to the story, and Anhuset, who was always enjoyable to read and a very fierce character.

The author built up the plot well, including enough action to keep things thrilling but also including a lot of scenes between Brishen and Ildiko that developed their relationship and made the romance intriguing. All of this lead towards an exciting climax that made for a great conclusion to the story and set up for what could be some fascinating stories set in this world in future books.

Overall, this was a really great book and it made me look forward to reading more of Grace Draven's work in the future. It was a marvellous love story that I really enjoyed and will read again many times. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fantasy romance with a unique premise. 

BOOKS | Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury

This edition published: 2020

Genre: Fiction, young/new adult, fantasy, romance, fairy tales, retellings

Pages: 432

Rating: 2/5

Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

- From Goodreads.

A Court of Thorns and Roses had a promising start, a really great atmosphere, some very interesting characters and world building details, and a good premise (I find it difficult to resist a Beauty and the Beast retelling), but I felt let down by some parts of it that will probably mean I will not feel motivated enough to continue with the series, despite the things I did like about the book and the reasons why I could see it was so popular.

I really did enjoy the atmosphere, the way that Maas built up the world with her description was great, especially at the beginning of the book. Tamlin's estate and the surrounding lands were described particularly beautifully and I was able to fall in love with his home just like Feyre did.

I also really liked some of the characters, specifically Tamlin and Lucien, and the way they were written in most of their scenes, and I thought their backstories were interesting. Unfortunately, apart from a few background characters, there were not many more characters that I found to be likeable.

In relation to that, I did have a little trouble connecting to Feyre. While I did like her sometimes and occasionally really felt for her, I felt like something was stopping me from reacting really emotionally to her, which meant I could not get as lost in the story as I would have liked to.

My rating of the book would probably have been higher if it were not for the last part of the story, which I felt took a strange turn and did not connect well to the rest of the book for me. While for most of the book I had enjoyed Feyre and Tamlin's romance, in this part something seemed missing from it which made the challenges they had to face at the end and the sacrifices that had to be made fall a little flat. There was also a lot of explanation in this part of the story, a lot of backstory, just a bit too much exposition that left me a little lost, I could not quite keep track of it all. I also felt like the characters did not act quite like they would in that situation and there were just a few things that happened that did not make sense to me. One character's actions were explained away as if they had justifiable reasons for what they did, but I felt like they had gone too far and crossed a line and it should have been better addressed.

Overall, while A Court of Thorns and Roses began well, although it was not perfect, it was fun to read with an enjoyable romance and some exciting intrigue, however the ending became too frustrating and out of place and ruined the pacing of the story for me and I felt it was not the ending I wanted for the book. I do not think I will be reading on with this series as the first book left me with too much disappointment, but I would not discourage others from trying it if they want a faerie romance with some mystery and think it might be for them. 

BOOKS | Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Name: Uprooted

Author: Naomi Novik

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Date published: November 2020

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, romance, fairy tales, retellings

Rating: 4/5

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

- From Goodreads.

While Uprooted was not quite what I expected, it was definitely an excellent book. I was always curious to know what happened next and was unable to predict the plot, which was certainly thrilling and filled with action.

I loved the ideas and the worldbuilding in the story, the atmosphere of the Tower and the Wood were both created well and were fascinating to read about. The creatures in the Wood were so sinister and awful but also creative and impressive. The magic too was very interesting to read about, especially how magic could work differently for different people, and how Naomi Novik described that.

I enjoyed the relationship between the Dragon and Agnieszka. They were both such interesting characters, very different, which made for a very enjoyable to read dynamic and development of their characters. I really liked that Agnieszka was messy and learnt a lot through trial and error, it made her very relatable and loveable, and I enjoyed how the Dragon grudgingly began to accept that the way that she did things could work too. I would have liked to read a few more moments between them, a few more deeper conversations, to really feel that the arch of their relationship had been completely fulfilled throughout the story, but overall I really loved their parts of the book.

Overall, this was such a wonderful dark fairy tale style story with a brilliant hint of romance and  surprisingly fast-paced plot with plenty of action, but I would have liked to see a little more of the Dragon, and of the development of his relationship with Agnieszka.

UNBOXING | Illumicrate Collections: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Ever since I read and loved Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer, I have wanted to read her Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, and Illumicrate's tenth anniversary edition seemed the perfect way to start collecting the series and reading! It was a wonderful box to open up and I was delighted by every item.

Foiled print, artwork by Merwild.

Angel and devil book ends, designed by Noverantale.

A door between worlds book tin, artwork by Rosie Thorns.

Fluttering dreams mug, artwork by Rosie Thorns.

Soul thurible, designed by Illumicrate.

Wishbone enamel pin, designed by Stacey McEvoy-Caunt.

Smoke and bone book sleeve, artwork by Monolime, quote design by Chatty Nora.

Exclusive tenth anniversary signed hardback edition of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, with illustration on the cover by Peter Strain, and artwork on the reverse of the dust jacket by Jim Di Bartolo.

I was really happy with the quality and inventiveness of each item in this box, Illumicrate always impresses me with their special edition boxes, as every time they have quite creative and beautiful items. The book in this box was especially beautiful and I am very glad to have it on my shelf. 

Did you get this box? What did you think? Let me know in the comments! If you would like to find out more about Illumicrate, you can find their website here.

BOOKS | Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

 Name: Ruin and Rising

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Square Fish

Date published: June 2017

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

Pages: 417

Rating: 4/5

This review contains major spoilers.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for. 

- From Goodreads.

The continued worldbuilding in Ruin and Rising was inventive and I was always fascinated to learn more about the world. The descriptions of setting and places and the technology and architecture was always interesting to read. I thought the author was very creative when inventing new parts of her world.

I loved the power struggle between Alina and the Darkling, how their interactions played out and built up in tension. Their relationship was written so well and was so engaging to read. The build up over the three books of the war between them really came to a point in this book and was very satisfying to read.

Something else I liked was that Alina made firm friends and made herself a sort of found family within her allies. It was something more light within the darker moments of the book, and I enjoyed reading about it.

However, I still did not really enjoy Alina's relationship with Mal, although he had improved from the last book, I still did not feel the desire for them to be together and thought they might have been better as friends. I did not like that Mal often seemed to make decisions for her, Alina should have been able to make more decisions for herself. Often it felt like she was pulled and pushed around when she should have had more opportunities to make her own choices. The emphasis on their relationship made it feel like Alina deciding what she would do after everything was over depended on who she would end up with, which cheapened the grander story and themes slightly, and I think it would have been better if the decision was more about what she wanted to be after the war and what kind of life she might make for herself. I would not have minded if she did end up with someone romantically, but with Mal it just felt a little forced. 

I also did not like that Alina was still made to feel like her power was bad, even when it meant so much to her. I liked that she had great power, and although I knew it was important that she did not go too far with it, I did not like the black and white nature of the implication that she would either become a villain like the Darkling or become powerless, there did not seem to be much chance for her to find a place somewhere in between.

It did not make sense to me that Mal was the third amplifier. The other amplifiers were great mythical creatures, so the fact that a person was one just felt strange and out of place. Although it was explained, it still felt like a circle had not been completed properly. Perhaps he could have had the ability to amplify, like how one of the Darkling's skills was to amplify other people's power, but it just did not fit for me that Mal was supposed to be an amplifier like the other creatures. Maybe I am biased because I am not fond of Mal as a character or love interest, but it still just seemed like it should have been the firebird to me. I did not really enjoy the way the story focused on the amplifiers generally in the book, as I found the other aspects of the story more interesting. Aspects like the dynamic between Alina and the Darkling, Alina developing as a character, resisting the pull towards the dark and learning to use her power, coming into her own, learning from people like the Darkling and Nikolai, but learning to make the most of her own strengths too, to become a wise, powerful and good person on her own, and I wish Leigh Bardugo had focused more on those. The story should have been about Alina, and I felt like towards the end it focused too much on Mal when it did not feel like it was meant to be his story.

While I did not like everything that happened and was not satisfied with every part of the ending, it was still enjoyable to read, the writing style was exciting, the plot made for a very addictive story, and I would probably happily read the book and series as a whole again. The ending was well-plotted and while I was not completely happy with how everything wrapped up, did not like everything that happened and would have liked some things to be done differently, it was clearly planned out well and well written. 

BOOKS | Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Name: Siege and Storm

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Square Fish

Date published: June 2017

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

Pages: 435

Rating: 4/5

This review contains mild spoilers.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

- From Goodreads.

Siege and Storm was a great continuation of the story started in Shadow and Bone. The worldbuilding continued to be fascinating to read, the world felt very real and it was easy to become immersed in it. I think Leigh Bardugo has done a great job of creating a world that I will continue to be excited to read stories about.

One thing I did not enjoy about the story was Alina and Mal's relationship. Alina often felt inadequate when she was with Mal, and seemed to believe she was not good enough for him. I could not really understand or root for their relationship when I felt like Alina always felt worse about herself when she was with him, and when he often slipped into bad behaviour and got angry with her for things that were not her fault, or were out of her control. He did have some good qualities and of course he was not a truly evil person, but I just could not enjoy their relationship when it seemed like she would be happier by herself or with someone else. 

It also did not sit right with me that Mal did not like Alina's power. While it was good he did not want her to lose control or to become too greedy, it seemed like her power was just as much a part of her as any other part, and if he did not like it then he did not really love her. Using her power made her healthier and happier, and when he acted like it was a bad thing that she used it and enjoyed using it, it just made him seem envious and unsupportive and it did not help me like him. It made Alina physically unwell to deny that part of her, her powers, and when she accepted that part of herself and loved it, all Mal wanted was for it to be gone. He wanted her to go back to being the girl she was at the start, but she was not happy back then. She was good at being a leader and using her powers, but he wanted to take that away from her. I understood that he was struggling to find his place, but he could not seem to feel happy for her when she was happy, and it just made him seem too selfish. Alina often felt bad for how Mal felt at the palace, but she had gone to the palace to try and fix things and do good by leading the Grisha, and it seemed like he had never felt bad whenever she had felt out of place or like she did not belong. It just never seemed like their relationship was balanced or equal.

It just kept feeling like Mal and Alina were meant to go on different paths in life and like they were not meant to end up together. They argued so much and never seemed to come to an understanding. Ultimately, all this meant that I just could not love Mal like Alina apparently did, so I could not root for their relationship, and that was really the one thing in the book that fell flat for me. 

However, I did enjoy reading Alina's relationships with other characters, the interactions and dialogue were written well, and I especially enjoyed the moments between her and Genya, her and Sturmhond, and her dynamic with the Darkling continued to be engaging and thrilling.

I enjoyed the way Alina's struggle with the dark was written, how she was sometimes overcome by her powers, how it was shown that she was affected by what had happened between her and the Darkling and what had happened on the Fold. I think it felt very real that she was not completely fine after everything that had happened to her so far and Leigh Bardugo wrote that in a very compelling way that made Alina feel very relatable and strong to get through everything that she did. I really think the author played well with the idea of Alina struggling with a slippery slope into darkness, how she could easily go the same way as the Darkling, descending slowly into the desire for power. But her struggle with that and her determination to fight against it was what showed her strength and good heart.

I really enjoyed the middle of the book, the political manoeuvres, Alina learning how to lead and work with people, and her discussions with Nikolai. I thought it was all very intriguing and very enjoyable to read. The ending was also very thrilling, incredible and epic, and left me eager to read Ruin and Rising. 

BOOKS | Review: The Missing of Clairdelune by Christelle Dabos

 Name: The Missing of Clairdelune

Author: Christelle Dabos (translated from French to English by Hildegarde Serle)

Publisher: Europa Editions

Date published: 2020

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

Pages: 512

Rating: 5/5

When Ophelia is promoted to Vice-storyteller by Farouk, the ancestral Spirit of Pole, she finds herself unexpectedly thrust into the public spotlight. Her gift - the ability to read the secret history of objects - is now known by all, and there can be no greater threat to the nefarious denizens of her icy adopted home than this.

Beneath the golden rafters of Pole's capitol, she discovers that the only person she may be able to trust is Thorn, her enigmatic and emotionally distant fiancé. As one influential courtier after another disappears, Ophelia again finds herself unintentionally implicated in an investigation that will lead her to see beyond Pole's many illusions to the heart of a formidable truth.

- From Goodreads.

I enjoyed how The Missing of Clairdelune continued to build on the world that had been introduced in A Winter's Promise, the first book in The Mirror Visitor series. It added detail to what we already knew whilst also introducing us to new places and people.

The plot was once again exciting and intriguing, with a fascinating mystery to solve that had a satisfying resolution while also leaving open some plot lines for the next book. 

I loved how this book continued to develop the relationship between Ophelia and Thorn, how they slowly began to know and understand each other a little better, especially towards the end when Ophelia began to show how she was starting to know Thorn better than anyone else did, recognising his mannerisms, understanding his habits, and realising his motives, even if she did not always realise how well she was beginning to know him.

I also enjoyed how Ophelia's relationships with other people continued to develop, how she strengthened her friendships and even some familial relationships. She also continued to develop as a character, becoming more sure of herself and bring out the best parts of herself. She is a very loveable, kind-hearted character and I was glad she began to not let herself be underestimated.

The book had a thrilling climax and ending, which was completely unpredictable and had me invested with every moment. It has me really excited to read the next book to see what happens after that ending and how the story continues for Ophelia and Thorn.