Book Review: Gilded

Genre: YA Fairytale Retelling Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

YES, YES, YES!!! Okay, I am not going to lie, I was not a huge fan of Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer. My faith was a little shaken when I didn’t get the chills I normally do while reading her books. However, Gilded has reinstated a motto we can all live by: In Marissa we trust!

In case you don’t already know, Gilded is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I attended a virtual event where Marissa discussed the book, and she explained that she felt as though the original fairytale went astray by having the girl end up with the Erlking. So, in her amazing retelling, the Erlking is the villain, and Serilda ends up with someone else (I won’t spoil it).

This novel had the classic Marissa Meyer feel to it. If you haven’t read anything by her before, then maybe you won’t know what I’m talking about, but if you know, you know! Serilda’s backstory was well thought out. Basically, she was cursed by the god of storytelling, which causes her to, spin stories, or lie. I thought Meyer did a great job at really incorporating this part of Serilda into her personality. It truly affects her life in every aspect, and defines who she is.

Additionally, the plot was enticing in that it felt drawn out, but in a good way. Sometimes I feel like some retellings don’t build off the original plot, so events occur in quick succession and the book barely feels like an expansion on the original story, but the plot in Gilded develops over 400 pages, and I couldn’t put it down!

Finally, the romance! I am not a huge romance reader, but Marissa Meyer writes books that have the perfect amount of romance for me! She is so skilled at developing them in a way that feels natural, even if the romance is a little rushed. It was absolutely adorable, and I cannot wait to see how Serilda’s relationship develops in book 2!

Overall, I thank the universe that Instant Karma seems to have been a fluke (possibly on my end because rom com isn’t my favorite genre)! I know this is selfish, but I hope Marissa Meyer continues writing fairytale retellings because no one does it quite like she does!

Book Review: Greed in the Gilded Age

Genre: Nonfiction Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very rarely do I use the word “perfect” to describe a book, but Greed in the Gilded Age by William Elliott Hazelgrove certainly comes close! A very special thank you to William for sending me a signed copy of this wonderful book! I can’t wait to read your next book!

Greed in the Gilded Age describes the story of Cassie Chadwick, aka Elizabeth Bigley, who pulled off multiple outrageous cons in the late 1800s and early 1900s, amounting in about $2 million of stolen money, which is equivalent to over $60 million today.

I absolutely loved everything about this book! First off, the story is extremely compelling on its own, but we all know that even nonfiction is not objective, and Hazelgrove tells Chadwick’s story in a captivating and enchanting way.

Perhaps the detail I appreciated most in the story is Hazelgrove’s depiction of Cassie. Yes, she is certainly a con artist and criminal, but in a time where there was a very narrow margin between legitimately wealthy people and criminals, the narrative truly makes readers question where Cassie actually falls on that continuum. Criminal? More than likely. But also clearly brilliant and innovative.

The way in which Hazelgrove tells the story leaves the reader wondering, “Was Cassie really wrong for trying to make something of her life?” We can obviously see that she crossed some lines, but when her actions are juxtaposed by those of Andrew Carnegie, we start to wonder what it is that morphs someone from legitimate to criminal. By the end of the novel, I felt as though Cassie partially got what she deserved, but I was also left with a somewhat mystical admiration of her too.

Additionally, Hazelgrove frequently referenced women’s positions in society at the time Cassie lived. This aspect is vital to the story, as many of us cannot comprehend some of the gender differences between then and now. I was also quite happy that Hazelgrove makes small suggestions that point towards sexism linked to Cassie’s case. For instance, the way in which many people assumed a man must have been helping Cassie, or the likelihood that many of the parties involved did not want to give an accurate depiction of what happened, purely out of embarrassment from being duped by a woman. These details were not only key to the overall narrative, they also gave women credit where credit was due, which is not the case with all nonfiction authors.

Finally, Hazelgrove frequently provided context to other events going on during Cassie’s life. Some nonfiction books treat their topics as though they exist in a vacuum, which is detrimental to conveying a complete understanding to the readers. However, Hazelgrove does the opposite, and provides relevant and interesting information about events that occurred during Chadwick’s life. From background information on Andrew Carnegie, to information about the Wright brothers, to details about Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. Hazelgrove gave such a comprehensive narration of Cassie Chadwick’s life, and it would not have been so complete without the additional information he provided.

Overall, the story of Cassie Chadwick’s life is interesting on its own, but William Hazelgrove has given it new depth through his thoroughness and talent with situating a story in history. I am never hesitant to admit that I’m quite picky when it comes to reading nonfiction, simply because nonfiction can become boring in the wrong hands. History is an important treasure that we should all treat as valuable, and some nonfiction authors simply don’t seem to have the passion to convey that value to readers. On the opposite end of that spectrum we have authors like William Elliott Hazelgrove, who clearly make it a point to convey the value of history in any narrative they tell. I may be a picky reader, but Hazelgrove certainly has one lifelong reader in me!

Book Review: Sands of Arawiya Duology

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We Hunt the Flame and We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal have been on my TBR for a long time (probably since their release dates)! I finally got around to reading them in December, and they were pretty great!

I will preface my review by saying that, if you don’t enjoy slow paced books, then these books probably aren’t for you. While I enjoyed the story, I found myself having to push through at some points. However, if you’re looking for an interesting plot and complex characters, I highly recommend this duology!

Basically, We Hunt the Flame starts off with Zafira, the hunter, who risks the Arz woods to keep her village fed. She is the only person who has gone into the Arz and returned alive and sane. When the mysterious silver witch offers her a way to bring magic back to Arawiya, Zafira cannot resist. On the other hand, the Sultan’s son, Nasir, aka The Prince of Death, is sent on the same mission, but for the purpose of forever ridding the world of magic.

First of all, Faizal did exceptionally well with writing a compelling plot across both books. I find that a lot of duologies have somewhat of an identity crisis and oftentimes lose sight of the plot, or simply have boring plots. That was not the case with either of these books. The ending of We Hunt the Flame was both satisfying, and also paved the way for the events in We Free the Stars. Honestly, I have nothing negative to say about the storyline!

Additionally, I really enjoyed the characters! Faizal calls them a zumra, which means squad or gang in Arabic, and that was honestly a perfect description. These books certainly fit the found family trope that so many of us booklovers crave!

I wouldn’t necessarily say that the characters were likeable, in a sense that they had likeable personality traits, but they were likeable in their authenticity and general mannerisms. Zafira is a bit grouchy, but carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. I loved the way her character is initially juxtaposed to Nasir’s character in the first book, and then the second book focuses on their similarities.

Likewise, when I first picked up We Hunt the Flame, I was not sure how I was going to root for a character like Nasir, who was portrayed as ruthless and heartless, but he certainly grows on you! I also adored most of the supporting characters, especially Kifah and Lana.

Overall, I have to agree with the majority and admit that Hafsah Faizal is an immensely talented author! If you’ve been putting off We Hunt the Flame, do yourself a favor and pick it up now! I can’t wait to see what Faizal has in store for us with her next book, A Tempest of Tea!

Book Review: The Atlas Six

Genre: Adult Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The first 80% of this book was like looking at a lake and imagining its great depths, only to step into 2 inches of water… The Atlas Six by Oliva Blake had so much potential, but didn’t even come close to achieving that potential until the last 20% of the book. So, 3 stars for the last 20%, but probably 2 stars for the first 80%.

Essentially, the book is about a secret Society that has access to the Alexandrian library. Every 10 years six candidates are chosen; 5 will be initiated and 1 is eliminated after a year of study. The novel follows the six candidates, and their adventures during their first year of study. I was extremely excited to read this book because a lot of captivating fantasy novels are YA, and these characters are in their 20s and 30s, but in the end, I mostly felt let down.

My first issue with the book is the premise of six candidates, and one will be eliminated. If you’ve ever read any kind of fantasy book where someone is mysteriously eliminated, you already know what’s supposed to happen… So, when Blake revealed, what I assume was supposed to be a plot twist, I certainly saw it coming. You probably see it coming, and you haven’t even read the book yet!

That being said, I will admit that, in the last 20%, there were some minor twists that were less expected. It was still partially predictable, but Blake put a spin on the reasoning behind the twist that was definitely unexpected in my opinion.

In addition, the characters were objectively well-developed, but somehow lacked personal connection. On paper, the characters are interesting, but I just wasn’t feeling it as a reader. I will say that the connections between the characters were probably more compelling than the characters themselves.

Likewise, sexual relations between characters is a significant part of the book. I would say that sexual desire can be an effective tool to convey deeper messages in novels, but I felt like a lot of the plot was lost to sex in the first half of the book. I generally don’t read a ton of books with sex scenes, and the ones in The Atlas Six were pretty mild in my opinion, but I felt like the plot was hyper-focused on sex, which was disappointing, and quite frankly, a bit boring.

Finally, Blake incorporates philosophy into the novel, but I feel conflicted about how successful that endeavor was. In the first 80% of the book, interesting philosophical ideas are introduced, such as free will, our experiences of reality, and recreating reality. However, other than simply stating these ideas, they weren’t really explored in depth. I will concede that recreating reality was explored in the last 20% of the book, but I felt like it was useless to have philosophical ideas in the book without really diving into them.

Also, a little pet peeve, because I was a philosophy major in college: two of the characters discuss The Trolley Problem, which is a widely popular philosophical thought experiment. I was kind of livid because Blake completely missed the point of the thought experiment. The original problem is that you are standing at a lever that can switch the track that a trolley is on. If you do nothing, the trolley will kill five people tied to the track, but if you switch the lever, it will kill one person on the other track.

I know I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent here, but the whole idea of the thought experiment is to raise the question of whether it is morally permissible to actively kill one person in order to save more people. There is no right or wrong answer, but Blake does not use the thought experiment as intended. In the book one character asks another if they would kill one to save five, but the major issue here is that the person being asked is one of the five people. This effectively makes the thought experiment moot because someone would clearly have a different perspective if they were one of the five that would be killed.

Anyway, the last 20% of the book was interesting enough that I will probably read the next book. However, if I could go back in time, and simply not read The Atlas Six to begin with, I probably would. While there were some redeeming factors, it was largely disappointing as a whole.

Book Review: Our Violent Ends

Genre: YA Historical Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Okay, so if you didn’t read my review of These Violent Delights, I recommend reading that first, and also don’t read this review if you don’t want to be spoiled for book 1! If you didn’t already know, I was not a big fan of These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong, but the plot was interesting enough that I wanted to know what happened, so I did end up reading Our Violent Ends in December. As a whole, I enjoyed book 2 way more than book 1!

Our Violent Ends picks up roughly where we left off in These Violent Delights: The threat of monsters looms over the city, Roma hates Juliette again because she “killed” Marshall, and Juliette is keeping Marshall hidden in a safe house after faking his death.

I think the main aspect that improved my opinion of the duology is that Our Violent Ends was more face paced and action packed in my opinion. The first book felt like I read 350 pages waiting for something to happen, but events start unfolding quickly in book 2.

Additionally, I really liked the whole purposeful misunderstanding surrounding Marshall. Many YA books become annoying when one character is unnecessarily keeping a secret from others that could literally solve all the problems in the book if they were just honest. However, this deceit was clever because it was truly necessary to protect Juliette from Tyler, and telling the truth wouldn’t have solved the whole monster ordeal.

Finally, I must admit that I was glad to have less bugs mentioned in this book. I wouldn’t say that I have a phobia or anything, but I certainly found myself scratching my head during book 1. The monsters kind of evolve in book 2, and I appreciated that turn in events.

Overall, Our Violent Ends sincerely redeemed my opinion of the duology. If I were to based my opinion solely off of book 1, I probably wouldn’t read anything else by Chloe Gong, but after reading book 2, I’m curious to see what else she will create!

Book Review: Myracles in the Void

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was so bizarre, but in an oddly satisfying way! If you are looking for a book that’s a bit different from many fantasy novels that are popular right now, then this is the book for you!

Basically, the novel is about Gai, and his younger sister, Lynd. Gai and Lynd live in a place called Hop, which is basically a very small town that floats in the middle of the ocean, which was constructed to be a port city, but is now run down. When Lynd mysteriously vanishes after touching a red spryt, Gai will do anything to find her and fix their family. However, on his adventures he learns that fixing his family may not be as simple as he first thought.

This book was so refreshing! If you’re like me, and you read a lot of fantasy, sometimes the books are good, but you can’t help but to feel as though you’ve read the story before. Don’t get me wrong, I love classic, well-written fantasy tropes, but sometimes the plot feels so expected. Myracles in the Void was entirely unexpected!

I will admit that it took me a minute to get into the book. The main characters have a very odd dialect, which became endearing by the end of the novel. The complexity of the plot was so well thought out, and even though the book was a little slow paced at times, I felt as though there were so many mini adventures within it, that I never found myself bored.

Furthermore, I literally could not put the book down as the plot unfolded. Wes Dyson did a stunning job at creating a connection between the reader and the characters. One minute I felt like I barely knew Gai and Lynd, and the next I felt like I could have enjoyed a meal with them on Hop.

While the fantasy aspects of the novel are unique and enticing, the book truly shines with Gai’s character development and the messages Dyson incorporates throughout the book. I think so many people can relate both to desperately wanting to fix something like Gai, but also feeling broken at times like Lynd. The author created a bridge between these two contradictive, human feelings, showing that it is okay for us to be broken, and that we have the strength to move forward from that too.

Honestly, I could go on for days about this wonderful book! The themes of friendship, communication, mental health, family, and unity were so strong throughout the book. I personally think many people can write fantasy novels, but few authors have the talent and skill to integrate messages that we can all grow from into a beautiful story. Myracles in the Void is one of those rare books that pulls it off flawlessly!

Book Review: Reclaim the Stars

Genre: YA SciFi/Fantasy Anthology Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Reclaim the Stars is definitely the best anthology I’ve read in a long time, if not my favorite anthology of all time! If you don’t already know, Reclaim the Stars is a collection of 17 YA SciFi and Fantasy short stories that all share the common theme of the Latin American diaspora (The dispersion of Latin Americans from their homelands). This anthology was so refreshing, and every single story adds more depth and novelty to the overall book.

Typically, I rate anthologies by giving a rating for each story and taking the overall average, however with Reclaim the Stars, I added another 1/2 star because the conceptualization of the anthology, and the overall organization were clearly well thought out. The book is divided into 3 main sections: “To the Stars” (SciFi), “The Magical Now” (Present Day Fantasy), and “Other Times, Other Realms” (Historical Fantasy). I thought the way the stories were organized really contributed to the overall flow of the book. I generally have a hard time finishing anthologies because I start and stop after each story, but with this one, I could seamlessly jump into the next one!

Normally, I mention some of my favorite and least favorite stories when I review anthologies, but there was literally only one story that I rated below 3 stars, so I would not have room to mention all of my favorites.

My favorite from the SciFi section was “Reign of Diamonds” by A.M. McLemore. It is about two princesses who must fight one another to the death, but they were secretly in love. The MC is determined to kill the other after having her heart broken, but things are not as simple as they appear. The ending for this one was absolutely perfect in my opinion!

From the Present Day Fantasy section, my favorite was “Creatures of Kings” by Circe Moskowitz. I won’t spoil anything, but the premise of the story is that the MC and her mother literally cannot die. There was a bit of a plot twist (which is harder to pull of in a short story), that I really loved!

Lastly, from the Historical Fantasy section, my favorite was “Tame the Wicked Night” by Zoraida Córdova. This was the longest story in the anthology, and it left me wanting more! It is about a boy who has magical powers that allows him to grow plants. When he rejects the offer of marriage with royalty, he is sent on a quest. The ending of this one gave me chills!

While those are my top 3, pretty much all of the other stories were outstanding too! There were so many great stories that not only show the authors’ creativity in creating worlds, but also have a wide representation in the MCs’ experiences, and identities. There is so much representation in this book! Polyamorous rep, nonbinary rep, sapphic rep, and so much more! I live for books like this! Overall, this is definitely a book you don’t want to miss out on!

Book Review: Warrior of the Wild

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m starting to believe that Tricia Levenseller literally cannot disappoint me with her wonderful writing! I finally got around to reading one of her older books, Warrior of the Wild, and once again I’m in love!

In Rasmira’s world everyone faces a trial at the age of 18 to prove that they are ready to enter their profession. Rasmira, who wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a warrior, and eventually the leader of her village, is ready for her trial. Unexpectedly, she fails her trial in an astonishing way, and she is faced with a horrible punishment. She is banished from her village unless she can complete an impossible task. Rasmira quickly learns that there is more to the wild than she thought.

Rasmira is yet another one of Levenseller’s characters that I absolutely love. She is overall just a likeable person and her general mistrust of people is relatable and surprisingly endearing. She is the definition of a strong female protagonist!

My favorite thing about Tricia Levenseller’s books is that I lose myself in the story, and this book was no exception. I truly felt like I was experiencing the story right alongside Rasmira!

If you know me well, you know that my favorite books have shorter reviews because I simply can’t convey the wonder of the book through my words. This is certainly one of those books, so I hope go discover Rasmira’s world for yourself! If you enjoy adventure, cute love stories, and quests, you will love this book!

Book Review: The Language of Trees

Genre: YA Portal Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

I was so excited to read the sequel to The Land with the Two Moons by Marcia Soligo, especially after that ending! I must say, The Language of Trees was even better than the first book in my opinion!

Once again Marcia wrote a poetic and beautifully composed story. That is one of my favorite aspects of these books, that the writing is profound and fluid. For this reason, among others, I truly thing these books could, and should, become modern portal fantasy classics. While I liked The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis has nothing on Marcia Soligo!

Additionally, I really enjoyed revisiting so many of the characters I came to love in the first novel. Belenos is my favorite, but Olivia and Trevor are also very fun to read about. I found Olivia’s development from the first book extremely compelling. She grows so much from where we left off with the last book, and it is endearing to watch her on her journey through life.

Another aspect of the novel that I enjoyed was the development of the magic system. We get to see more of Olivia’s magic, and Tartae’s magic, and I thoroughly loved that development! A magic system can make or break a book, and I think the magic system in The Language of Trees adds so much to the storyline, and also adds more depth to the characters, and to Tartae itself.

I will be the first to admit that I usually prefer standalones or duologies, but the ending of this book has me craving a third one! I will be anxiously awaiting the publication of the third book, and in the mean time, I hope many people get a chance to experience the magic of Tartae that grips your attention and warms your heart!

Book Review: The Kindred

OMG!!! My heart just about stopped when I saw The Kindred by Alechia Dow on NetGalley. Dow’s debut novel, The Sound of Stars, was absolutely phenomenal, and I knew all her books would be instant buys for me! I have to say, I loved The Kindred just as much as The Sound of Stars!

In the system of Monchuri everyone is paired with a Kindred at birth; someone who is connected to your every thought, feeling, and belief. The Kindred program was intended to create equality among everyone, leaving no person’s voice go unheard, but Joy knows better than anyone that inequality is not gone. Joy’s Kindred was a mistake; she was never meant to be paired with Duke Felix, but she can’t imagine her life without him. Unfortunately, she knows she can never be with him. When the threat of the Third Chaos threatens their world, Joy and Felix go on an adventure that brings their true feelings to light, and that could change everything.

This book is absolutely everything you could ever ask for! First off, I adored the fact that it is connected to The Sound of Stars. We even see a couple characters from Dow’s debut novel in The Kindred!

I certainly don’t have enough words to describe how amazing this book is, but it is truly a work of art. Dow has an unparalleled talent for writing stories that bring prejudices to light, encourage us to accept ourselves for who we are, and inspire humanity to be better than we have been in the past. She flawlessly uses aliens and other worlds to reveal hard realities of our own world. Perhaps the greatest aspect of her books is that Dow clearly believes humanity has the ability to change.

Honestly, if everyone read The Kindred, I think our world would be changed for the better. There is no conceivable way that someone could read either of Dow’s books and not be moved.

Additionally, Felix and Joy are the cutest! It was refreshing to read a story where the boy admits his feelings for the girl first. Joy was unsure, but full of sunshine at the same time, and her character felt so genuine. Similarly, I sincerely, yet maybe unrealistically, hope that Alechia Dow continues to write stories about demi, plus sized, Black girls! She does an outstanding job at incorporating the importance of Joy’s identity into the story, while also showing her simply living life.

If you’re still not sure about reading The Kindred, trust me when I say, you need this book in your life!

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