#Review - The Curse and the Prince by Day Leitao #YA #Fantasy

Series: Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #2
Format: Kindle, 312 pages
Release Date: January 14, 2021
Publisher: Sparkly Wave
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

A troubled prince. 
A deadly curse. 
A mysterious cup.
And the power to save or doom the kingdom.  

Of course things didn’t go as planned at the Royal Games. When do things go as planned? 

Now Zora is on the run, and has to join a disgraced prince in order to retrieve a powerful magical artifact that might undo her valley’s curse. For the first time in her life, she has real hope for her people.  

Problem is, for the second time in her life, she’s falling for someone she shouldn’t. Finding a hidden object is hard enough on its own, she could do without the heart palpitations and lack of air. And she could certainly focus better without the constant memory of his lips on hers, his arms around her… Gaah! See? How can she avoid pursuers and decipher enigmatic writings when her brain has been turned to mush? Painful, hopeless mush. 

But the real trouble is that there’s more than one curse in the kingdom. And not enough objects or time to get rid of them all.  

The Curse and the Prince is the second installment in author Day Leitao's Kingdom of Curses and Shadows. This story revolves around Zora, Larzen, Griffin, and Riadne. As the story begins, Zora and Griffin, sentenced to death for treason by a jaded King Kiran, journey to find the blood cup in the hopes of breaking curses that plague Griffin and the Dark Valley. Their first stop just happens to be the Dark Valley where this story began. With Zora being the alleged champion since she jumped in front of Griffin and saved him, his hopes and future no lay within her hands.

The Dark Valley is home to shadow creatures. People in the village leave their lights on, they don't use any covers, skirts, or even tables because it creates shadows, and the creatures can be born in these shadows. (4) different types of shadows exist: Humans with gray skin, claws, and sharp teeth; 4 legged wolves that are fast and dangerous; spiders the size of an apple with sharp pincers and deadly poison; and balls which are round and small like a spider or large as a human. Zora's arrival isn't exactly a pleasant one. 

After all, she cheated her way into the Royal Games by taking the place of her former ex who has a very long memory. It is said that a cursed son with be the undoing of the Kingdom. Will that be Griffin? What's worse for Griffin is that there is also a magical contract that says only the winner of the Games can find the Blood Cup. As Zora and Griffin search for the cup, Larzen and Riadne remain behind and face their own obstacles. 

We are also introduced to a new character in Tris who has been caged in a mountain by Riadne's brother Lukas who you will eventually meet in this story. Riadne has what you might call siren capabilities. Her voice sways people into doing her bidding. Except for Kiran who seems to be immune. For that matter. Larzen doesn't allow himself to get caught up in her web and seems to put Riadne's plans of getting rid of all three brothers on hold. We learn some of the history and legends behind the curse on Zora's beloved Dark Valley and Griffin's curse.  

One of the more twisted aspects of this story is that Larzen goes from the evil creep who wanted to use Zora to do his bidding, to almost a hero of a sort. Tris and Lukas are introduced and really don't play a very large part in the story. I think there should have been more story in Dark Valley, but there's no crying in reviewing. Especially when there's a cliffhanger ending that seems to be a good and bad thing for Zora and the world itself.  Zora is still sassy and a powerful heroine who can fight without a man doing the fighting for her. 

I mean, yes, she's had years training with a sword in order to survive, so why do people take her for granted? She's small and female. Zora, Griffin, Larzen, and Riadne all go through so much throughout the novel, and it’s interesting to see their characters grow and change.

Note to readers: You can thank Day for putting a much needed summary in the back of the book. 

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#Review - Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller #YA #Fantasy

Series: Bladesmith # 1
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

In the first book in Tricia Levenseller's exciting new YA fantasy duology, a teenage blacksmith with social anxiety is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she's ever made.

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power.

Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims' secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees.

Joined by a distractedly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder or a way to destroy it entirely. 

Blade of Secrets is the first installment in author Tricia Levenseller's Bladesmith duology. Eighteen-year-old Ziva Tellion prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her. She is known for being the only magical smitty in existence and her Zivan blades are legendary. People come from all over the world seeking out her weapons. The bulk of her customers are mercenaries, sellswords, and fighters for hire. But things are going to quickly change for Ziva and her younger sister. Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord named Kymora Avedin. Kymora was once the King's General and now has her own army. She is powerful and deadly. After Ziva sees a gorgeous man walking by her shop, she ends up putting her emotions into the broadsword she built.  

She ends up creating a Sword of Secrets. The most powerful magical sword ever known. One of the many sword’s magical abilities is that with a drop of blood, the sword and the swordbearer will know your secrets and your intent. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister, Temra, and leaves everything behind. Joined by a Kellyn Derinor, a mercenary, motivated by the money Ziva can pay and the offer of a custom weapon, and a young scholar named Petrik with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a way to destroy it entirely. The problem is that nobody betrays Kymora and gets away with it. 

So, the four end up hightailing it from place to place trying to stay away from the high bounties placed on Ziva's head. Ziva will do anything to protect Temra. This is a bit of a quest novel, except they are trying to outrun someone rather than find something. A lot of the book is spent as the four main characters are on the road, trying to find someplace safe to stay, as well as discover some way that Ziva might be able to destroy or hide her powerful weapon. It is also a beautiful thing seeing how the sisters get along. Temra is a free spirit, social butterfly and well able to protect herself and Ziva with both blade and her wits. She has always been at the forefront trying to protect her older sister who raised them after their parents were murdered. 

Ziva's social anxiety is presented very authentically throughout the book. It’s not a feature of the story, and yet it does effect every part of the book. It’s a very powerful part of the book and the way Ziva thinks, reacts and guards herself is a genuine reflection of her anxiety. Ziva's conflict/affection for Kellyn is something new for Ziva. Even though they start out at odds and often argue, as they journey together, Ziva learns a little more about his motives and history and continually surprises herself with how her feelings change towards Kellyn. I dare say that there are two romances in this book and it will be interesting to see if either pans out. 

The good and the bad. 1. The book ends on a cliffhanger. 2. This is only a duology which means that we shouldn't have to wait 2 years to find out a resolution to Ziva's story and what happens next.

 

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#Review - The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni #YA #Fantasy

Series: The Prison Healer # 1
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: April 13, 2021
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Dark Fantasy

Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer.

When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals.

Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: “Don’t let her die. We are coming.” Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.

But no one has ever survived.

With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva’s heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can’t escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun.

 

The Prison Healer, by author Lynette Noni, is the first installment in the authors Prison Healer trilogy. 10 years ago, at the age of 7, Kiva Meridan and her father were arrested and sent to Zalindov Prison for treason. Her father was the prison healer until he died which meant that Kiva took his place. Kiva is considered to be loyal to Warden Rooke which makes her a traitor, a spy, an informant, and other not so nice names in the eyes of the prisoners as well as the guards. She's not trusted by the prison rebels led by Cresta who takes every chance she can get to make Ziva's life miserable.

 

Even though there's no such evidence in the book, Kiva has been abused in the past. She's literally got the scars to prove it and the guards truly believe that she's a honey pot for the Warden. Being the prison healer has been her saving grace. She has survived as many around her have perished due to the awful conditions and brutal prison guards. Being sent to Zalindov is a death sentence. Nobody has ever escaped, or attempted to break in to rescue someone within the prison. All condemned of all the surrounding kingdoms are sent here.

 

When a new prisoner named Jaren arrives, Kiva finds that things start changing. Jaren isn't like the rest of the inmates. He seems to be from a high standing family. What's even more curious is that there is a new female guard, Naari, who seems to have Kiva's best interest at heart as well as a connection to Jaren. She also has a young boy named Tipp who does odds and ends for her. Tipp was born in the prison and thus is being protected by Kiva as a promise to his mother. Then a woman known as the Rebel Queen arrives at the prison and Ziva is ordered to make sure she lives.

 

Tilda Corentine, aka the Rebel Queen, has been sentenced by the Royal family to face the Trial by Ordeal, a series of elemental challenges reserved for the worst of criminals. If they succeed, they prove their innocence and walk free of the prison. If they fail, they’re already dead. In the 10 years since she's been here, Kiva has allegedly been sending and receiving messages to what appears to be her family that somehow managed to escape. Out of the blue, a message arrives telling Kiva not to let Tilda die, that they are coming. 

 

With impossible chances of survival, Kiva takes on Tilda's sentencing as the older woman is in no state to do it herself. If she manages to survive the four step trial, she could earn her freedom. To make matters more twisted, something is happening within the prison that is killing the prisoners. Kiva has no clue what is happening and each time she gets closer to an answer, nothing makes any sense. There's no way I am going to go any further in my review for fear of spoiling the rest of the book. I will say this, I do urge you to read this book. 

 

It's an exceptionally good story with a group of four characters that come together in the time of need. I liked Kiva. She's doing whatever she can to be the best healer she can be and indeed her resources whilst obviously limited added a lot to help set the scene. It is fair to say that there are a few characters who are not what they seem which should have given me a heads up that the ending will blow my mind. It did. I can't even fathom what happened without putting out glaring spoilers that will shock anyone who reads it. I am glad that the author and publisher don't plan to drag out this trilogy for 3 years. Instead, The Gilded Cage will release this fall, and the finale will release in the Spring of 2022. 

Chapter One

Looking down at the boy strapped to the metal table before her, Kiva Meridan leaned in close and whispered, “Take a deep breath.”
Before he could blink, she braced his wrist and stabbed the tip of her white-hot blade into the back of his hand. He screamed and thrashed against her—they always did—but she tightened her grip and continued carving three deep lines into his flesh, forming a Z.
A single character to identify him as a prisoner at Zalindov.
The wound would heal, but the scar would remain forever.
Kiva worked as fast as she could and only eased her grip once the carving was complete. She repressed the urge to tell him that the worst had passed. While barely a teenager, he was still old enough to discern the truth from lies. He belonged to Zalindov now, the metal band around his wrist labeling him as inmate H67L129. There was nothing good in his future—lying would do him no favors.
After smearing ballico sap across his bleeding flesh to stave off infection, then dusting it with pepperoot ash to ease his pain, Kiva wrapped his hand in a scrap of linen. She quietly warned him to keep it dry and clean for the next three days, all too aware that it would be impossible if he was allocated work in the tunnels, on the farms, or in the quarry.
“Hold still, I’m nearly done,” Kiva said, swapping her blade for a pair of shears. They were speckled with rust, but the edges were sharp enough to cut through steel.
The boy was shaking, fear dilating his pupils, his skin pale.
Kiva didn’t offer him any reassurances, not while the armed woman standing at the door to the infirmary watched her every move. Usually she was given a degree of privacy, working without the added pressure of the guards’ cold, keen eyes. But after the riot last week, they were on edge, monitoring everyone closely—even those like Kiva who were considered loyal to the Warden of Zalindov, a traitor to her fellow prisoners. An informant. A spy.
No one loathed Kiva more than she did herself, but she couldn’t regret her choices, regardless of the cost.
Ignoring the whimpers now coming from the boy as she moved toward his head, Kiva began to hack at his hair in short, sharp motions. She remembered her own arrival at the prison a decade earlier, the humiliating process of being stripped down, scrubbed, and shorn. She’d left the infirmary with raw skin and no hair, an itchy gray tunic and matching pants her only possessions. Despite all she’d been through at Zalindov, those early hours of degradation were some of the worst she could recall. Thinking about them now had her own scar giving a pang of recollected pain, drawing her eyes to the band she wore beneath it. N18K442—her identification number—was etched into the metal, a constant reminder that she was nothing and no one, that saying or doing the wrong thing, even looking at the wrong person at the wrong time, could mean her death.
Zalindov showed no mercy, not even to the innocent.
Especially not to the innocent.
Kiva had been barely seven years old when she’d first arrived, but her age hadn’t protected her from the brutality of prison life. She more than anyone knew that her breaths were numbered. No one survived Zalindov. It was only a matter of time before she joined the multitudes who had gone before her.
She was lucky, she knew, compared to many. Those assigned to the hard labor rarely lasted six months. A year, at most. But she’d never had to suffer through such debilitating work. In the early weeks after her arrival, Kiva had been allocated a job in the entrance block, where she’d sorted through the clothes and possessions taken from new inmates. Later, when a different position had needed filling—due to a lethal outbreak that took hundreds of lives—she was sent to the workrooms and tasked with cleaning and repairing the guards’ uniforms. Her fingers had bled and blistered from the unending laundry and needlecraft, but even then, she’d had little reason to complain, comparatively.
Kiva had been dreading the order for her to join the laborers, but the summons never came. Instead, after saving the life of a guard with a blood infection by advising him to use a poultice she’d seen her father make countless times, she had earned herself a place in the infirmary as a healer. Nearly two years later, the only other inmate working in the infirmary was executed for smuggling angeldust to desperate prisoners, leaving the then twelve-year-old Kiva to step into his role. With it came the responsibility of carving Zalindov’s symbol into the new arrivals, something that, to this day, Kiva despised. However, she knew that if she refused to mark them, both she and the new prisoners would suffer the wrath of the guards. She’d learned that early on—and bore the scars on her back as a reminder. She would have been flogged to death had there been anyone skilled enough to replace her at the time. Now, however, there were others who could take up her mantle.
She was expendable, just like everyone else at Zalindov.
The boy’s hair was a choppy mess when Kiva finally set the shears aside and reached for the razor. Sometimes it was enough to just cut away the tangles; other times, new arrivals came with matted, lice-infested locks, and it was best to shave it all off, rather than risk a plague of the small beasts spreading around the compound.
“Don’t worry, it’ll grow back,” Kiva said gently, thinking of her own hair, black as night, that had been shorn upon her arrival yet now fell well down her back.
Despite her attempted comfort, the boy continued trembling, making it harder for her to avoid grazing him as she swiped the razor over his scalp.
Kiva wanted to tell him what he would face once he left the infirmary, but even if the guard hadn’t been watching closely from the doorway, she knew that wasn’t her place. New prisoners were partnered with another inmate for their first few days, and it was that person’s responsibility to offer an introduction to Zalindov, to share warnings and reveal ways to stay alive. If, of course, that was desired. Some people arrived wanting to die, their hope already crumbled before they stepped through the iron gates and into the soulless limestone walls.
Kiva hoped this boy still had some fight left in him. He would need it to get through all that was coming.
“Done,” she said, lowering the razor and stepping around to face him. He looked younger without his hair, all wide eyes, hollowed cheeks, and protruding ears. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
The boy stared at her as if she were one move away from slitting his throat. It was a look she was used to, especially from new arrivals. They didn’t know she was one of them, a slave to Zalindov’s whim. If he lived long enough, he would find his way to her again and discover the truth: that she was on his side and would help him in any way she could. Just like she helped all the others, inasmuch as she could.
“Finished?” called the guard at the door.
Kiva’s hand tightened around the razor before she forced her fingers to relax. The last thing she needed was for the guard to sense any spark of rebellion in her.
Impassive and submissive—that was how she survived.
Many of the prisoners mocked her for it, especially those who had never needed her care. Zalindov’s Bitch, some of them called her. The Heartless Carver, others hissed when she walked by. But the worst, perhaps, was the Princess of Death. She couldn’t blame them for seeing her that way, and that was why she hated it the most. The truth was, many prisoners who entered the infirmary never came out again, and that was on her.
“Healer?” the guard called again, this time more forcefully. “Are you finished?”
Kiva gave a short nod, and the armed woman left her spot at the door and ventured into the room.
Female guards were a rarity at Zalindov. For every twenty men, there was perhaps one woman, and they seldom remained at the prison long before seeking posts elsewhere. This guard was new, someone Kiva had noticed for the first time a few days ago, her watchful amber eyes cool and detached in her youthful face. Her skin was two shades lighter than the blackest black, indicating that she hailed from Jiirva or perhaps Hadris, both kingdoms renowned for their skilled warriors. Her hair was cropped close to her scalp, and from one ear dangled a jade tooth earring. That wasn’t smart; someone could easily rip it out. Then again, she carried herself with a quiet confidence, her dark guard uniform—a long-sleeved leather tunic, pants, gloves, and boots—barely concealing the wiry muscles beneath. It would be a rare prisoner who was willing to mess with this young woman, and any who did would likely find themselves on a one-way trip to the morgue.
Swallowing at the thought, Kiva stepped backwards as the guard approached, giving the boy an encouraging squeeze of his shoulder as she moved past. He flinched so violently that she immediately regretted it.
“I’ll just”—Kiva indicated the pile of discarded clothes that the boy had worn before changing into his gray prison garb—“take these to the entrance block for sorting.”
This time it was the guard who nodded, before setting her amber eyes on the boy and ordering, “Come.”
The scent of his fear permeated the air as he rose on wobbling legs, cradling his wounded hand with the other, and followed the guard from the room.
He didn’t look back.
They never did.
Kiva waited until she was certain she was alone before she moved. Her motions were quick and practiced, but with a frantic urgency, her eyes flicking to and from the door with awareness that if she was caught, then she was dead. The Warden had other informants within the prison; he might favor Kiva, but that wouldn’t keep her from punishment—or execution.
As she rifled through the pile of clothes, her nose wrinkled at the unpleasant smells of long travel and poor hygiene. She ignored the touch of something wet on her hand, the mold and mud and other things she’d rather not identify. She was searching for something. Searching, searching, searching.
She ran her fingers down the boy’s pants but found nothing, so she moved to his linen shirt. It was threadbare, some places ripped and others patched up. Kiva inspected all the stitching, but still there was nothing, and she began to lose heart. But then she reached for his weathered boots, and there it was. Slipped down the damaged, gaping seam of the left boot was a small piece of folded parchment.
With shaking fingers, Kiva unfolded it and read the coded words contained within.
Kiva released a whoosh of air, her shoulders drooping with relief as she mentally translated the code: We are safe. Stay alive. We will come.
It had been three months since Kiva had last heard from her family. Three months of checking the clothing of new, oblivious prisoners, hoping for any scrap of information from the outside world. If not for the charity of the stablemaster, Raz, she would have had no means of communicating with those she loved most. He risked his life to sneak the notes through Zalindov’s walls to her, and despite their rarity—and brevity—they meant the world to Kiva.
We are safe. Stay alive. We will come.
The same eight words and other similar offerings had arrived sporadically over the last decade, always when Kiva needed to hear them the most.
We are safe. Stay alive. We will come.
The middle part was easier said than done, but Kiva would do as she was told, certain her family would one day fulfill their promise to come for her. No matter how many times they wrote the words, no matter how long she’d already waited, she held on to their declaration, repeating it over and over in her mind: We will come. We will come. We will come.
One day, she would be with her family again. One day, she would be free of Zalindov, a prisoner no longer.
For ten years, she had been waiting for that day.
But every week that passed, her hope dwindled more and more.

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#Review - Stormbreak by Natalie C. Parker #YA #Fantasy

Series: Seafire (#3)
Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
Release Date: February 9, 2021
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

In this epic conclusion to the Seafire trilogy, which Booklist called “Mad Max by way of Davy Jones,” Caledonia Styx will risk everything—her heart, her crew, and even her life—to defeat Lir and take back the Bullet Seas once and for all.

Aric Athair is dead. But the fight for the Bullet Seas is far from over. Caledonia’s nemesis, Lir—the one responsible for destroying her family—has seized control of the warlord’s army.

Caledonia and her crew have fled to Cloudbreak to prepare for an all-out war. And they are not the only ones. Rogue ships and even a few defecting Bullets show up to join their fight. But Lir always seems to be one step ahead of Caledonia, anticipating her every more as he secures the seas for himself.

With the fight growing desperate, Caledonia is forced to make an unlikely and unsteady alliance with a new enemy. It’s a gamble that could cost her everything, but with the fate of the seas in her hands, Caledonia will do whatever it takes to win the war.

 

 

“‘We fight together.’ ‘Or not at all.’”

Stormbreak is the third and final installment in author Natalie C. Parker's Seafire trilogy. Events of this book, pick up shortly after the ending to Steel Tide. The prologue is from Lir’s point of view. It's a clear insight into his character and his ambitions before his first encounter with Caledonia Styk which put them on a path towards a final solution. The same Caledonia who lost her family, including her own brother Donnally, to Aric, Lir and the Bullets and their drug called Silt. While Caledonia, who is the leader of the rebellion, has been trying to put together an alliance on Cloudbreak, Lir makes his move to consolidate his power now that Aric is dead.

When Lir's people launch a surprise attack Cloudbreak, Caledonia once again finds that she's being hunted and needs to find a way to turn the tide to her favor. Caledonia wonders how she can protect her crew and struggles with the idea that taking innocent lives makes her no better than Lir. Under pressure to do something heroic, Caledonia makes an alliance with a surviving Fiveson named Tassos and his people who control the Net which keeps people from leaving the Bullet Sea. Caledonia puts everything on the line to end the Lir and Bullet Fleet.

In the end, Caledonia is forced to take innocent lives, as well as putting her crew in harm’s way in order to get over the hurdle to defeating Lir and his Bullets. Throughout the series, Caledonia’s character slowly progresses from cautious captain to bold fighter. The thing that remains consistent is Caledonia’s close bonds with her crew which includes Amina, Sledge, Pine, Hime, Nettle, Pisces, and Oran. I would have loved to see more of a solid resolution between Caledonia and her brother. Donnally's actions in this book are both shocking and surprising and I won't tell you why. 

Here is my recommendation: If you are able to, read the books back to back. That way you can remember names of key characters, yes even secondary characters and why they are important to Caledonia as well as Pisces. Stormbreak focuses heavily on Caledonia and her battle and struggles to fix the world while not becoming the people who caused the mess in the first place. This is a world that was destroyed by weapons of mass destruction. Weapons that Caledonia considers using on Lir and his people. Caledonia likes to believe that the key to winning is Mercy, but many times that Mercy tends to blow up in her face.

Cala's relationship with Oren is a nice side plot. But Caledonia's own personal health kept putting their relationship in jeopardy by not saying three little words. I think the ending was okay. I seem to be the only one who realizes that everyone seems to get their own happy ending except for Caledonia who likely has a severe case of PTSD. I'm not saying the ending was bad, just wanted more. There's a large number of F/F relationships win minor exceptions. A few characters are bisexual.

There is a darker theme to this series as well. Drug usage.
Everything is tightly controlled by the Bullets, and the Bullets themselves are controlled by Silt, a highly addictive drug. Bullets are fed a steady diet of Silt from childhood and are told, “From Silt comes strength,” but that strength is an illusion for they are actually slaves who often prefer to remain such rather than suffer through the agony of withdrawal in order experience true freedom. One of Caledonia's early goals is to get as many Bullets off Silt as she can while looking for a way to completely destroy the Bale Blosum the drug is made from.

 

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#Review - Soul of Cinder by Bree Barton #YA #Fantasy

Series: Heart of Thorns # 3
Format: Hardcover, 496 pages
Release Date:  January 12, 2021
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

In the dramatic conclusion to Bree Barton’s fiercely feminist teen fantasy trilogy, a trail of flames forces the sisters Mia, Pilar, and Angelyne to the river kingdom for a final homecoming as Prince Quin attempts to take back the throne.

The Twisted Sisters are coming home.

Prince Quin has returned to the river kingdom, ready to spearhead a rebellion and reclaim the throne. He vows to destroy Mia, Pilar, and Angelyne if they oppose him—even if he must use his newfound magic to set the world aflame.

Across the four kingdoms, the elements have been tipped askew. Volcanoes erupt, glaciers collapse, and cities sink into the western sands. After losing Angie, Mia and Pilar journey to the glass kingdom to seek help, though soon their fragile bonds of sisterhood begin to fray. Mia’s sensations are creeping back, and with them, a deep and searing grief. Pilar, terrified of being broken, once again seeks comfort in her fists. But when they hear rumors of a misty island that promises to erase all pain, they suddenly find themselves with an answer—if they are willing to pay the cost.

As tensions mount, the sisters are drawn back to the river kingdom for a final reckoning with the boy they each loved. The shattering conclusion to Bree Barton’s Heart of Thorns trilogy challenges why we grieve, whom we love—and how to mend a broken heart.

 

"Perhaps, in the end, the greatest love stories are not about our lovers. They are the stories of how we learned to love ourselves."

Soul of Cinder, by author Bree Barton, is the third and final installment in the authors' Heart of Thorns trilogy. This story revolves around three key characters: Mia Rose, Pilar d'Aqila, and Quin Killian. The final book brings readers to new worlds—the glass kingdom, the House of Shadows, an island called a “final resting place,” but after all the journeying, Mia, Pilar, and Quin, will return to the river kingdom, where it all began in Heart of Thorns, for a final showdown in home territory.

If you've read Tears of Frost, and I certainly hope you have, you know that events at the end of the book left questions as to whether or not Quin or Angelyne survived the destruction of the Ice Kingdom. Well, apparently I just spoiled it for you, since they did. But Mia and Pilar, who are not aware of that fact until much later in the book, are aching from the losses even though Angelyne went evil and caused a whole lot of harm to many, many people. In fact, thanks to her, across the four kingdoms, the elements have been tipped askew. Volcanoes erupt, glaciers collapse, and cities sink into the western sands.

Quin, who is very much alive and discovered that he has magic, truly believes that the Twisted Sisters (Mia, Pilar, and Angelyne) betrayed him. He is now on the war path wanting to get revenge on the sisters. He even sends them a letter demanding that they return to Kaer Killian so that a final resolution can be determined. Quin, who was been abused by Angelyne, fell for Mia, and in a moment of lust, had a moment with Pilar, has his own issues to deal with. First, his entire family is gone. Second, the people don't want Quin to return as King. 

Third, his former lover Tobias has joined with a rebellion group called the Embers who really would be happy if he never returned. Quin who was a weak boy, a scorned son, a manipulated lover and pawn, needs to step up and become a leading man or what's the point of staying alive? Meanwhile, while traveling with Nelladine to Pembuk, the glass kingdom, in order to speak with the Shadowess, Mia and Pilar are coming to grips with being half-sisters as well as the thought of losing both Angelyne and Quin as well as Mia's mother. 

Mia hopes she can regain her feelings and sensations, and for Pilar to come to terms with the horrific suffering she has faced, and the fact that Mia is her sister. Mia and Pilar's relationship is not one of comfort and happiness, but bitterness and blame. Mia has a whole lot of regrets and blames herself or not seeing Angelyne's plots even though they lived together for most of their lives. She failed to understand magic, she failed to understand why her mother left her behind for an entirely new family in the Ice Kingdom, she failed to understand why Angelyne wanted her dead so badly. 

She rediscovers her feelings, little by little, and wants to care for anyone and help those suffering, though this doesn't always turn out well for her. Mia realizes that she can't fix anyone but herself. She truly believes that everything she touches she destroys. Her journey to the House of Shadows doesn't lead her to happiness or answers to her lack of feeling. Instead, she ends up on an island where people who want to forget about everything. A surprise awaits her there. Can her surprise break her out of her funk in time to help Pilar and Quin? 

Pilar had no clue she had two sisters, if she did, things may have been different. She may have even found time to know her father the legendary hunter. Even though Mia saw what happened to Pilar in the Hall of Reflections and seems to want to fix everything, she can't. Pilar finds her own way in this story and it's not all that comfortable. There are elements who don't want her to succeed and others who absolutely think she makes a wonderful teacher to the children of the House of Shadows. For most of the story, the House of Shadows actually makes things worse for her before she and Mia have to face off against Quin.

In many ways, this story comes full circle from the first installment with Mia and Quin realizing there is a way forward and long as they can forgive themselves. One of the more interesting aspects of this story is Angelyne's own redemption on the Isle of Forgetting. Didn't see that coming. The sister bond was messy, complicated, and heartbreaking but it makes it more realistic that way. It was very intriguing to see Pilar & Mia Rose's relationship evolve throughout the entire trilogy. As you progress through the story, you feel the characters are finally resolving their deeply-rooted issues and getting some closure. The author managed to beautifully craft a conclusion. 

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#Review - Namesake by Adrienne Young #YA #Fantasy

Series: Fable (#2)
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: March 16, 2021
Publisher: Wednesday Books    
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

Filled with action, emotion, and lyrical writing, New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with the final book in the captivating Fable duology.

Trader. Fighter. Survivor.

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

With the Marigold ship free of her father, Fable and its crew were set to start over. That freedom is short-lived when she becomes a pawn in a notorious thug’s scheme. In order to get to her intended destination she must help him to secure a partnership with Holland, a powerful gem trader who is more than she seems.

As Fable descends deeper into a world of betrayal and deception she learns that her mother was keeping secrets, and those secrets are now putting the people Fable cares about in danger. If Fable is going to save them then she must risk everything, including the boy she loves and the home she has finally found.

 

Namesake is the second and final installment in author Adrienne Young's Fable duology. The story picks up a little bit after the ending of Fable. If you've read Fable, you know that our heroine, Fable, was blindsided by a notorious foe of her fathers in an attempt to use her as a pawn in a complex power game. Her desperation to escape is only hardened by the perceived betrayal she feels at realizing the ship's Navigator is none other than her father's second-hand from her childhood.

Onboard in the Luna, Fable doesn't have a friend. The crew wants to kill her and the man she thought was a friend has betrayed her and Saint. Worse, she has no clue if West knows what happened to her. Fable is given an ultimatum by Zola. She must dredge for her freedom or die. Then, things get worse when her own nemesis, Koy, is brought about on Jevali to help dredge for gems. Fable remembers very well the last time the time of them met face to face. Can Fable survive against someone eager to kill her? 

In between leaving Jeval, where Fable spent 4 years begging and scraping in order to survive, and arriving in Bastian, Fable has a few incidents that will leave her reeling and eager to find a way out from under Zola and his crew. After a stopover in Sagsay Holm, Fable hears a rumor that someone is going port to port setting fires to ships looking for Fable. This news gives Fable hopes that either West or Saint has finally figured out who stole her away, and that they are on the way to help her.

Once she's in Bastian though, everything changes when she begins to understand that her mother had plenty of secrets that she kept to herself. Including, Holland, the grandmother she never knew about who is a shark just like her father. There are some twists and surprises that happen in Bastian and with Holland, Fable, West, and Saint that I'll skip over since they contain spoilers and will ruin the surprise for those who will one day read this final installment.

I think the most interesting dynamics of this story ends up being the relationship between Saint and Fable. Saint is conniving bastard at times and his past decisions regarding Fable were atrocious and apparently calculating. Everything he does in these two installments is perfectly tailored to play the long game of increasing his power. Saint, however, more than makes up for his past with some remarkable gamesmanship putting his adversaries in difficult situation. 

There are some curious similarities between Isolde and Fable. Both were was stubborn, beautiful and a talented gem mages. West is bloody brilliant. He's such a harsh character, one who seems certain of the worst at every turn, but he adores Fable and goes to great lengths to save her. West's crew members have become family to Fable. They don't see her as Saint's daughter or just another dredger, but part of a family unit that has it's ups and downs and everything else in between. 

Overall, it is very rare that we get a sequel released so soon after the first book by a major publisher. I have to say thank you to the author and the publisher for thinking ahead with everything going on in this world.

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#Review - Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland #YA #Contemporary #Fantasy

Series: Havenfall (#2)
Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Contemporary

Bestselling author Sara Holland continues her blockbuster contemporary fantasy series about the Inn at Havenfall with this unforgettable sequel.

Maddie thought her problems were over. She saved the Inn at Havenfall—a sanctuary between magical worlds—from the evil Silver Prince. Her uncle the Innkeeper is recovering from a mysterious spell that left him not quite human. And there are still a few weeks of summer left to spend with her more-than-friend Brekken.

But there’s more work to be done to protect the Inn—Maddie must put an end to the black-market trading of magical objects and open the Inn’s doors to the once feared land of shapeshifters. 

As she tries to accomplish both seemingly impossible tasks, Maddie uncovers secrets that could change everything. What if saving everyone means destroying the only home she’s known?

This next breathtaking fantasy from the bestselling author of Everless is perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Holly Black.

 

Phoenix Flame is the second installment in author Sara Holland's Havenfall duology. Phoenix Flame picks up just days after where Havenfall ended for readers. Maddie Morrow may have saved the Inn at Havenfall, (a sanctuary between magical worlds deep in the mountains of Colorado), from the treachery of the Silver Prince, but it was only the beginning of a longer game with deadlier consequences. The good news is that her uncle Marcus, the Innkeeper, is finally awake, and his regained control over the Inn. 

The bad news is that her new friend Taya was pushed through the now closed door to Solaria with no way of retrieving her. Maddie knows that there's more work to be done to protect the place her family has run for centuries. The peace accords between Fiordenkill, Byrn, and Haven seem to being going well, but one mistake could be costly. Maddie focuses her attention on the Solarians who were kidnapped like her own adopted brother Nate. Maddie uncovers family secrets that could change everything. Maddie believes that her mother’s past my hold the key to stopping the soul trading that has plagued the realms. 

 

After visiting with her mother in prison, it becomes clear that Maddie needs find a man named Cadius. In order to do so, she must travel to Fiordenkill where Humans can't survive for long. With a little help from her friends, Graylin and Brekken, Maddie arrives in Fiordenkill in disguise. Maddie hopes to further disrupt the black-market trade of soul-bound silver as well as finding something called the Phoenix Flame which legend says it can be used to travel between realms. Soon thereafter, she runs into someone who she thought was dead. (Spoiler: Her brother Nahteran).

 

Once again Maddie is meant to make some hard choices, and yet, those around her have to pay the price. What's worse is that the Silver Prince isn't finished yet, and makes a move that nobody could see coming. What's baffling for me is that Maddie found out that she had magic but barely uses it except for one particular scene. What's the point of having magic and not using it? The plot is interesting, with a few twists and turns and decent character development. But the world-building and description continues to leave something to be desired except for the beginning of the book.  

 

I know that Phoenix Flame is meant to be the end of this duology, but there is still so much that feels unfinished. I’m conflicted about the ending as well as the epilogue that features Taya and Nahteran aka Maddie's brother. For those who are wondering about the labels for this book, it's because Maddie is bisexual. She lives her life and just happens to be bisexual. The book is not super romance heavy, but when she talks about her crushes one is a guy and one is a girl.

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