#Review - What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge #YA #Fantasy

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

From the New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty comes a darkly romantic and subversive new standalone fantasy twist loosely inspired by the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.

A rich and romantic new standalone fantasy perfect for fans of These Violent Delights and The Shadow Queen.

Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep—and silencing the kingdom's gods.

Born with a miraculous gift, Lia's destiny is to kill Ruven and wake the royals. But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god—or die.

To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her.

As discord grows between the old and new guards, the queen sends Lia and Prince Araunn, her betrothed, on a pilgrimage to awaken the gods. But the old gods are more dangerous than Lia ever knew—and Ruven may offer her only hope of survival.

As the two work together, Lia learns that they're more alike than she expected. And with tensions rising, Lia must choose between what she was raised to believe and what she knows is right—and between the prince she is bound to by duty...and the boy she killed.

Rosamund Hodge's What Monstrous Gods could be the author's personal journey to address her conflict with her faith. From Cruel Beauty, a re-imagined Beauty and the Beast, to Gilded Ashes, a re-imagined Cinderella, to Crimson Bound, a re-imagined Little Red Riding Hood, and Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, a re-imagined Romeo and Juliet, all the way through this latest book, Rosamund is building a brand as an author who reinvents classic tales—and does it extremely well. 

Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep—and silencing the kingdom's gods. 17-year-old Lia Kurenava has grown up an orphan, raised by nuns in a world where the royal family has been deep in an enchanted sleep for hundreds of years. It's Lia's destiny to breach the enchanted hedge circling the palace and break the curse, unleashing a new golden age for Runakhia. 

But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now, she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god—or die. To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her. As discord grows between the old and new guards, the queen sends Lia and Prince Araunn, her betrothed, on a pilgrimage to awaken the gods. But the old gods are more dangerous than Lia ever knew—and Ruven may offer her only hope of survival. As the two work together, Lia learns that they're more alike than she expected. 

And with tensions rising, Lia must choose between what she was raised to believe and what she knows is right—and between the prince she is bound to by duty...and the boy she killed. Rosamund infuses the classic story with fresh twists including sorcery, a fascinating pantheon of gods, a lush and courtly setting, and a romance that will take your breath away. While the story takes its initial inspiration from Sleeping Beauty, it then spins off into something gloriously dark, romantic, and thought-provoking—in short, something that only Rosamund Hodge could write. 

Readers love a great enemies-to-lovers romance—and this is one for the books! Lia is a complex protagonist who deals with timeless universal challenges that will resonate with teen readers, such as questioning authority and the faith one has been brought up to believe in and carving out your own path in life. While the old world prayed to a pantheon of Gods, this new world believes in something else entirely. Ruven may not be a POV co-lead, but he is a major play nonetheless. He is in every way Lia’s foil. What she considers blasphemy, he considers truth, and vice versa. In a curious twist, the author states that she likened this story to Kylo Ren and Rey in The Last Jedi. 

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#Review - Endless Water, Starless Sky by Rosamund Hodge #YALit #Fantasy

Series: Bright Smoke, Cold Fire #2
Format: E-Galley, 448 pages
Release Date: July 24, 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy

Sabriel meets Romeo & Juliet in this romantic and thrilling sequel to Bright Smoke, Cold Fire—from the author of Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound.

In the last days of the world, the walls of Viyara are still falling, and the dead are rising faster than ever. Juliet is trapped—ordered by Lord Ineo of the Mahyanai to sacrifice the remaining members of her family, the Catresou, to stave off the end of the world.

Though they’re certain his plan is useless, Juliet and her former friend Runajo must comply with Lord Ineo’s wishes—unless they can discover a different, darker path to protecting Viyara. Romeo is tortured—finally aware that his true love is alive, he is at once elated and devastated, for his actions led directly to the destruction of her clan.

The only way to redemption is to offer his life to the Catresou to protect them and support them...even if it means dying to do so. When Romeo’s and Juliet’s paths converge once again, only a journey into Death will offer answers, and the key to saving them all—but is it a journey any of them will survive?

 

 

"Death will parlay with those who unlock the gate, pass the reapers, and come to meet her."

Endless Water, Starless Sky is the second and apparent finale to author Rosamund Hodge's Bright Smoke, Cold Fire duology. With its heartbreaking and shocking finale, Bright Smoke, Cold Fire left readers wanting more—and anxiously awaiting the release of this conclusion to the series. This is Romeo & Juliet like you’ve never seen it before. This new series reimagines Shakespeare’s story of feuding families and doomed lovers in a city threatened by necromancers and protected by “the Juliet,” a girl born in every generation with powerful magic.

 

As darkly romantic and epic as ever—Rosamund imbues the classic Shakespeare play with an atmospheric, fantastical mythology. With a dark and treacherous journey into the land of the dead, Endless Water, Starless Sky is perfect for readers who love the epic journeys and immersive world building in Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series. This is a story that alternates mainly between Romeo Mahyanai, Juliet Catresco, and Runajo Mahyanai, but there are parts for Paris Catresco as well.

 

Juliet is the one girl in her generation born with incredible fighting skills to punish the enemies of her clan. Over the course of the series, Juliet has put her dangerous combat skills to use, taking down anyone in her path. With Juliet bound to Runajo, she has to do whatever the head of the family wants, including standing by why her own family is annihilated. The necromancer wants to open the gates to the dead and destroy Viyara, the last apparent human city still standing in a world that once again faces ultimate destruction. The story really does spend more time with Juliet than any other character, and I think that's absolutely acceptable. It is Juliet who has to travel to the land of the Dead and face Death herself in what may be the most interesting and twisted part of the entire story.

Meanwhile, Romeo is a fugitive and is also presumed to be dead by Juliet. Romeo chooses to put his loyalty into helping the rival Castresou family stay alive, and rescue those who have already been captured and are now on the brink of being sacrificed. Romeo has no idea that Juliet is the living key that can open the land of the dead and therefore allow the dead to walk freely, but with a twist, he is key to stopping the Ruining from destroying his city and everyone he loves. The dead are refusing to die. They rise again as after 3 days as Revenants; mindless and hungry for the living.

 

Runajo is a former member of the Sisterhood who was disavowed after saving Juliet from the land of the dead. She now is expected to be Juliet's Guardian and lead her as her family head desires. But, Runajo is also a character who is deeply in love with a girl, who loves a boy, who loves a girl, and therefore must try to help another boy the pair consider part of their family. Runajo spends most of the book searching high and low for answers in how to help her people stay alive, and how to rebuild the wall that is sure to fall regardless of the number of blood sacrifices that are offered.

 

There are two other characters who stand out besides the three already named: Paris Catresou, and Vai, the girl who must be a boy for her families sake and is the leader of the King of Cats who live in the lower sector. She is also a champion duelist who may even rival Juliet's skills. I mention the two because there has been a connection between them since the previous book. Vai now fights to get Paris back, while also fighting to keep her people alive, while Paris has been controlled by the Necromancer. He should have been Juliet's Guardian, but things went to hell in a hand basket quickly.

 

With its Shakespearean inspiration, the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is dark, gorgeous, and unbreakable. Readers will love seeing this deep and everlasting romance—and the characters who will do anything for each other. Romeo in book 1 was a lovesick fool, and he remains a fool in this book, but he also gains a family, fights for things other than Juliet. Heck, for most of this series, they aren't even together! The ending to me was a bit on the strange side, and I am all for a bit of strange in our lives to unlock the same ole same old that we normally get in the YA Fantasy Genre.

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#Friday Review - Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge #YALit #Fantasy #Retellings @rosamundhodge @BalzerandBray

Series: Bright Smoke, Cold Fire Duology
Format: Hardcover, 448 pages 
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retellings

Sabriel meets Romeo and Juliet in this stunning and atmospheric novel from the author of Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound.

When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.

The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou, share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on the Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.

Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding the Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.

Mahyanai Runajo only wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.

Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. 

Author Rosamund Hodge's Bright Smoke, Cold Fire is the first part of a two part duology. As the synopsis indicates, her prior works include Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound. Hodge takes her own artistic impressions of Romeo and Juliet and creates a strange journey by adding necromancers, zombies, reapers, and a strong villain who holds all the cards. Then she puts them all inside a walled city called Viyara, where the last remaining survivors of the Ruining have found shelter. Hodge then interweaves her story through the narratives of Mahyanai Runajo and Paris Catresou, while Romeo and Juliet are side characters.

Even though they are side characters, there are several flash back chapters that give the readers pause to understand how they ended up meeting, and how things got to the point where the story picks up. This book takes several different storylines, and gives them their own life and narratives. In the beginning of things, Romeo kills Tybalt, Juliet's guardian. Juliet, who has fallen for Romeo, is supposed to return the favor by killing Romeo. But, of course, that isn't exactly what happens. Instead, Juliet tries to bind Romeo as her guardian, and the attempt goes horribly wrong.

Instead of Romeo being bound to Juliet, he is now bound to Paris Catresou, who is supposed to be Juliet's new guardian now that Tybalt is dead. Meanwhile, The Sisters of Thorn have been keeping the walls up with blood sacrifices that have become more regular than they used to. For Runajo, her only desire is to save the city even if it means her own life. Everything else, including being a rebel against her own sisters and trying to find access to the Sunken Library where she hopes to find answers, is just icing on the cake. After Runajo grabs Juliet before she can cross over, she becomes The Juliet's de-facto guardian. 

I must say that if you love twisted stories, then you will love the hell out of this story. I am more of a fan of Runajo's than any other character in this book. She's got a plan. The plan may not go exactly as she expected, but at least she does have a plan. She may fight dirty at times, but again, she really wants Viyara to survive. If the only way to do that is to use unconventional means, including using The Juliet, so be it. I can't say I liked Paris. He's is just not very bright at most times. The part that I did like was his bromance with Romeo, and meeting the King of Cats named Vai. I shall not spoil that, but I am a fan of Vai's as well. I could grow to like Juliet in time. I prefer the ruthless Juliet to any other version. 

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#Review - Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge (YA #Fantasy)

Published by: Balzer + Bray
Released: May 5, 2015
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Format: E-galley, 448 pages
Genre: YA, Fantasy

When Rachelle was fifteen, she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

Crimson Bound is Rosamund Hodge's retelling of Little Red Riding Hood mixed with a bit of The Girl Without Hands. At 15, Rachelle Brinon was an apprentice woodwife under her Aunt Leonie when she wandered into the woods and met a strange man. (Is it the big bad wolf, you ask?) Returning again and again, said man turns out to be a Forestborn who marks her. Once a human is marked by a forest born, he or she has 3 days to either kill someone and become a bloodborn, or die. Upon killing someone, the mark becomes Crimson, which leads the bearer down the path to becoming a forestborn, and losing all touch with humanity.

Rachelle made a heart breaking choice to who she would kill, now, 3 years later, she is a bloodborn. She works as a bloodhound at the mercy of the King Philippe killing woodborn creatures that stalk humans. She also becomes guardian to the King's bastard son Armand. But, Rachelle is still haunted by her memories of what she did 3 years ago. She's driven to find a way to defeat the evil Devourer who is fated to return, but in order to do so, she must find Tyr and Zisa's legendary swords Joyeuse (Charlemagne's personal sword) and Durendal (Sword of Charlemagne's paladin Roland).

Armand is the part of the story that I compare to The Girl Without Hands. Unlike Rachelle, Armand refused to make a choice after being marked, and lost his hands in the process. Armand now wears silver prosthetics and is considered a hero to the people. Rachelle, of course, truly believes he is a liar since NOBODY survives being marked by a Forestborn. But, Armand also has a talent for seeing the Forest everywhere which might lead Rachelle into finding the legendary swords. Unlikely enemies, become unlikely allies.

One might ask themselves where the comparisons with Little Red Riding Hood came from. One could say that the so called Devourer was the big bad wolf. Or, one could say that Rachelle's forestborn who marked her was the evil wolf. There is also the fact that Rachelle wears a red coat embroidered with the black "fleur-de-lis" indicating that she's a member of the Royal Order of Penitents, or Kings' bloodhounds. Before that, she wore a red cloak with charms to protect her from the forest.

I do believe that publishers and authors have made a pact with the devil in regards to putting twisted, unwanted, and unnecessary love triangles in books just to irritate me and a whole lot of others. I did admire the little twist that Hodge puts into the story which stopped me cold, and made me go back to the beginning for clues as to how I could have missed it. I really think that Rachelle is the anti-heroine which I don't mind at all. She's fierce, she's badass, but she's also fallible which got her into this situation in the first place.

Hodge has a world building creativity about her that is fantastic. You can't expect the same ole thing from her time and time again. You can expect originality right from the start along with some interesting characters. But, the weak link to this story is that it moves kind of slow. The point is that Rachelle can't miraculously find the swords, defeat the villains, and live happily ever after. She has to work her way through difficult challenges, and temptations. That is who Rachelle is. 

**I received this book for free from (Balzer & Bray/Harperteen) via (Edelweiss) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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