The Fox Den

Four Dead Queens

by Astrid Scholte

This is a book that I’ve had on my TBR and shelf for ages and just never got around to. I’ve wanted to multiple times, but other books came up with urgency or I wasn’t feeling a fantasy murder mystery, etc. – but I finally got to it!

This was a fun who-dun-it, as some people put it, and I enjoyed it rather a lot. It made me put The Vanishing Deep on my Book Wishlist in my Owlcrate Reading Planner for March. I’m hoping it’s as good as Four Dead Queens was for me!

Alright, so, onto the book contents and characters, shall we?

Keralie is a wonderfully complicated, deep character. She has a past, a history, that not only feels as if it could be real, but lends a lot to her character arc and helps build a believable, complicated person. That history is revealed at a pace that, while maybe a touch too drawn out, is well paced. It’s not all at once, nor is it only revealed when it’s perfectly convenient to the story – it comes about the way it would for any person, sparked by the events around them, and not always at a perfectly timed moment. While sometimes Keralie got on my nerves, she got on my nerves in a way that I feel lends credibility to her – she annoyed me by her realism, thought different to how I would have handled things myself, which is exactly how it should be. Keralie is a different person to me, so it’s not surprising that she handled things differently, even if that different way annoyed me. If she had been more similar to me and handled things in a way that was out-of-character but convenient to the plot, it would be a different sort of annoyance, and wouldn’t have lent so much to a believable character.

Varin is also a wonderfully complicated character. While his character arc is a little more cliché, it was no less well done. You felt for Varin by the end, which is something his Eonian roots would balk at. There will be more about his character arc after the spoilers “line”, he starts off more-or-less exactly how you’re anticipating an Eonian messenger to behave, though even that is set up to be an interesting compliment to how Keralie starts off. I won’t go into too much else at the moment to not give too much of the book content and enjoyment away!

His character arc, while complimenting Keralie’s, also had a enough inconvenience to it to be realistic. It’s rare that two people’s development “arcs” compliment each other perfectly. While their character arcs caused conflicts at moments, it didn’t feel forced, even though it perfectly helped the plot development. While it could cause the reader to be upset or distressed, it was not done poorly or unrealistically. It’s actually how well done it is that leads to the reader’s upset or distressed reaction.

I’m finding it difficult to avoid spoilers, so I’ll dive into them after I give my recommendation: if you like murder-mysteries and fantasy, or at least don’t mind it being set in a fictional world, I recommend this book. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a mystery, but I’ve read mysteries that were far easier to guess the ending of than this one. While maybe not the best mystery book I’ve ever come across, it’s definitely far from the worst.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. I STRUGGLED WITH NO SPOILERS ABOVE, BUT I WILL SHOW NO SUCH RESTRAINT GOING FORWARD. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.**

ALRIGHT. Now I can dive a little more into details.

The author leads you to believe, at a certain point, that Keralie is Queen Marguerite’s “long lost” daughter. That she will inherit the country, in it’s entirety. So then it becomes even more twisted when you discover that not only is Keralie not the heir, but that the heir shares Keralie’s original love interest! That’s also an interesting dynamic – Mackiel’s and Keralie’s, and, later, Mackiel’s and Arebella’s.

While, once Arebella came into the picture, it did start to feel a little more cliché than I would have liked, the twist of Keralie being the murderer was fun. While it was hinted at and didn’t come as a complete shock, it did come as a complete shock that Keralie ended up playing into Mackiel’s plans for her one her own rather than at his hand, by his plan exactly.

Arebella, though, was obnoxious. And I understand that she is meant to be that way, but goodness. What a spoiled brat. Textbook definition of the “I was denied my birthright, the world owes me everything, more than I originally was due, etc.” – but it was crucial to the plot, to setting up a satisfying ending, to make you wish for Arebella not to rule, for Marguerite to take her throne back and find some other way for the kingdom to continue on.

I do kind of want to see Keralie’s and Varin’s lives continue on, to see that relationship develop further. While the romance there wasn’t necessary at all, it did lend to both of their character arcs. It wasn’t forced, but it wasn’t as smooth as other book romances.

Speaking of Varin’s character arc, though, I’m so glad that, even though to non-emotional-turned-emotional trope is a little over done, I think his twist of wanting to be an artist/painter that was slowly losing his sight was a fun twist to that trope.

Keralie. I don’t know if she deserved the super rare HIDRA treatment. Not when there were probably other people more deserving of the treatment. I don’t know what would have been a satisfactory ending for Keralie and her family, but I wasn’t sure she had earned that level of reward by the end. Sure, she had been through a lot, been manipulated by a childhood friend and Marguerite’s daughter and heir, been arrested for a crime she didn’t mean to commit, etc., that doesn’t exactly mean she deserves the rarest reward in the kingdom.

Anyway – I very much enjoyed the book, overall, even keeping in mind the flaws and shortfalls. Once again, I’m not disappointed by an Owlcrate book.

My next read is Clockwork Angel, but I haven’t yet written my review of Ruthless Gods from last year, so that may be the next posted review!

Wicked As You Wish

by Rin Chupeco

This was the ARC included with the December FairyLoot book box. It was definitely not the ARC I had thought it was going to be [nor was it the ARC I was hoping against hope it would be], but I decided to give it a go anyway.

This book was definitely different than I anticipated it being.

Let me start off by saying this book is modern. Like modern modern. I’m not saying this as a detriment to it, but more as a heads-up. If you like your fantasy novels to be set in some unspecified time or some time in the past, this book isn’t for you. We’re talking homo/bisexual love interests, gender-neutral pronouns, the works. Now, not every character falls into some “modern” category. But they do exist, and fairly predominantly, so, if that isn’t your thing – this book isn’t for you. The author’s attempt to add these characters and make it feel smooth falls a little short. There was at least one chapter where the mixture of gender-neutral pronouns and everyone else in the scene led to confusion. Make sure to keep that in mind as you go into this read.

That being said, this book is definitely unique, even outside the modern modern feel of it. It plays with a lot of expected stereotypes – but it doesn’t feel maybe as smooth as it should. A lot of times, people say something like, “It does [this thing that’s not normal] but you almost didn’t realize it was doing that, it felt so smooth/natural/etc. that you barely noticed.” That is not true for this book. This book feels very much like the modern modern feel of it was shoved in your face and almost smothers you with it. It’s not necessarily unpleasant or bad, but it is present. The modern feel is something you’re constantly aware of.

This book also plays with the history of the world a bit. It adds countries, adds magic to historical events, changes and adds historical events by way of the presence of magic, and the world is a mixture of familiar and foreign. The introduction to this knowledge, while not exactly smooth or clear, isn’t done brutally or badly, exactly. It definitely reads like a YA novel, which isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t a more mature YA novel, even though it has some slightly more mature YA content.

This book is hard to explain to anyone, especially without spoilers to explain the differences from your typical YA fantasy book.

Alright, so, recommendation: if you’re looking for a unique, very modern YA fantasy novel, I’d say this is one worth trying out. If not, though, I highly suggest steering clear.

While I wouldn’t say this book was bad, by any means, I don’t know that I’ll pick up the sequel. Or, if I do, I doubt I’ll be pre-ordering it, or snagging it shortly after release. This might be a book I try to check out of a library, if they have it, or borrowing some other way rather than owning it for myself.

Why not? Because it didn’t grip me. It’s not making me feel dying to know what happens next. I’m not demanding the next book like I have with The Nevernight Chronicles or Serpent & Dove or Ninth House or Aurora Rising or a handful of other YA and adult books. That being said, if I knew someone who read it and wanted me to read it so they could chat about it, I might be up to doing that.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. IF YOU READ FURTHER AND ARE SURPRISED BY SPOILERS, YOU AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION. LIKE, AT ALL.**

I have nothing against the gender-neutral pronoun use [nor the fun, nerdy reference to their name being Loki], but the execution leaves something to be desired. It led to confusion on more than one occasion, and I frequently found myself getting Ken and Loki confused. I don’t know if that was due to their personality/dialogue being similar or the weird way in which Ken and Loki were introduced or what. The introduction of West, Loki, and Ken was confusing, West mainly sticking out because of how different he is from literally everyone else. West is hard to confuse with anyone else.

I like the drama that’s caused by their being a common love interest between two characters – mainly because it isn’t your typical love triangle. It’s a shared love interest of the same boy – but between a girl and a boy rather than two girls. That might be the only thing about the sequel I’m interested in. I want to know if the shared love interest is a closeted gay or closeted bi-sexual guy and how that all plays out. But that’s about it, honestly. I have very little vested interest in the actual plot line, the future of the [semi-] saved kingdom, and most of the characters. The love interest of the main character feels rather cliché – the mis-understood, traumatized, sad-story boy that the main character can’t help but be drawn to. It’s not a trope I haven’t enjoyed in the past – nor is it a trope I think I’ll dislike going forward. But, this time, it doesn’t feel well executed. I don’t particularly care what happens to that boy, broken or not.

I don’t mean to make this book sound awful. There were definitely spots I enjoyed, and times I wanted to keep reading and see what happened next. But those moments weren’t frequent, nor were they strong enough, at the end, to make me look up if the next release date was announced yet or make a note to keep my eye on it in the future.

But that concludes my reads for January 2020! Onto February’s reads – the first of which being Four Dead Queens!

The Starless Sea

by Erin Morgenstern

Much like in my review of The Night Circus, I didn’t really know what to expect from The Starless Sea except that everyone was obsessed and excited for it. And, again, I expected it to grip me because a lot of people said they liked The Starless Sea better than The Night Circus, that they had a hard time putting it down.

I did not.

Now, I WAS more motivated and wanting to read it mid-read more than The Night Circus, but, again, I had no problem putting it down. It also was a slower read for me – but I’m guessing that’s just how my brain processes Erin Morgenstern’s style. Again, not a problem, just a note worth mentioning.

And, again, Erin Morgenstern’s style reads very “old fashioned” [still got the feeling I was reading a less-wordy Dickens], which is by no means a bad thing. But definitely don’t pick this book up expecting a more “modern” feel to the writing style, because you’ll end up disappointed and hating hating the book through no fault of the book’s content.

And, again, I didn’t feel as submerged in the story [I’ve since decided the best way to describe it is watching the book play out on the other side of a crystal-clear window – everything is easy to view and imagine, but you feel detached], but I felt MORE submerged in this than The Night Circus.

This time, there wasn’t an intentionally over-withheld amount of information. While there is still MORE intentionally withheld information, it’s about the amount you’d expect from this sort of story-line [sort of spoilers, feel free to read past my usual “spoiler warning line” for more info, if interested], and it didn’t detract at all from the story.

I’m also adding my recommendation note here: if you’re open to a norm-defying world written in an old fashioned writing style with the potential to feel separated from the characters/story, then definitely give this a go. [I know that hit a little sarcastically, but I meant it sincerely. It’s a good read, just not for everyone.]

[Gentle reminder that this review is spoiler review up until the spoiler alert. Then only read on if you’ve read the book or you don’t mind spoilers!]

This book is full of wonder and mystery from the beginning. There isn’t much the reader knows about in the first, say, 50ish pages. However, it doesn’t discourage the reader from wanting to learn more, to stick around to try to get to the bottom of the mysteries, to learn what they don’t know.

Zachary is an interested character. His flaws are pointed out through the book, keeping him as believable and realistic as possible. Many of the characters make mistakes throughout the book, but they manage to make the best of their situations [wherever possible].

Dorian is a multi-layered character that becomes more and more complicated as you read about him. There’s still some things about him left unknown at the end of the book, but these leftover mysteries don’t necessarily detract from his overall character arc, nor the overall enjoyment of the book.

Mirabel, however, is even more complicated, is not at all what she seems [not really, anyway], and her story is even deeper and more complicated than Dorian’s.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. DON’T BLAME ME IF YOU KEEP READING AND FIND SPOILERS. YOU’LL JUST GET UPSET FOR AN AVOIDABLE REASON.**

The love story between Zachary and Dorian seemed . . . lacking. There wasn’t much by the way of feelings being built – Dorian told Zachary a story while Zachary was blindfolded [and Zachary, at the time, didn’t know anything about Dorian, having never met him], then Dorian set Zachary up on a dangerous mission with very little to go on, and then spends very little time with him afterwards, but they have an incredibly deep connection and love story? That hits almost more like how teenagers feel about their first crushes/relationship even though they know almost nothing about them [more often than not].

Mirabel’s love story, however, comes across as a lot more believable and a lot deeper. There are stories and LIFETIMES she spends with the same man, always fighting to make that time the time they get to finally, truly be together. I support Mirabel and the Keeper more than I do Zachary and Dorian.

The prophecy story-line for this story was definitely an interesting new plot than the author did in The Night Circus. It explained some of the information withholding, making the little bit withheld feel more like a mystery than intentional withholding.

I do like the overall message that things have their time, but their time will always, eventually, come to an end. Or it’s evolve into something new, and that’s ok. The idea that everything wil always stay the same forever and that’s what you should want, while not exactly toxic, isn’t a great mindset to have. Rarely anything stays EXACTLY the same forever. That’s just not how life, or time, really works, not on things.

The destruction of the books throughout the book, though, hurts. I get that even they can’t escape the whole “things can’t stay exactly the same forever”, but damage or destruction to books will always hurt me.

I also have no idea where people were coming from, saying The Starless Sea is a prequel of sorts to The Night Circus. While they could be in the same universe, it’s equally likely that they aren’t. But maybe I just missed something.

Until next time, Vixens and Todds, be kind to each other and keep reading!

Queen of Nothing

The Folk of the Air, Book #3, by Holly Black

This was a big 2019 release for many people [it was overshadowed for me by the release of DarkDawn, but I hadn’t gotten into The Folk of the Air series until not long before the release of The Queen of Nothing], so I had high expectations for it.

I’m not going to say it disappointed me, because that’s not entirely true.

What I will say is that this book is not what I expected. I read The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King not long before the release of The Queen of Nothing.

If you’re expecting The Queen of Nothing to read like, The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King, you’ll be in for a surprise. The Queen of Nothing had very little of the political intrigue and power manipulation we saw in the first two books of this series. That was a big pull for me in this series, and I was a little upset it wasn’t as present here. Here, the focus was more on Cardan’s and Jude’s dynamic/relationship.

My recommendation: if you’re looking for another The Cruel Prince or The Wicked King, you may be disappointed, but if you’re looking forward to a satisfying ending to the series and are open to The Queen of Nothing not being exactly what you expect, it’s a good read.

This book doesn’t exactly open up with a call-to-action of sorts for Jude, but it does have one shortly into the book, forcing her hand in confronting her exile fairly early on. That being said – there’s very little of anything political after that gets resolved – but more about that post spoiler warning.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK. PLOT DETAILS COMING UP.**

Alright, so, really: there’s the questioning on Locke’s death and then a little bit of Jude dealing with Cardan being a snake and her rule being threatened. Almost nothing comes of it, and she tries very little, politically, to solve the situation. She mostly deals with her feelings for Cardan, for what she has to do to get him back from his snake-situation, and that’s about it.

So, in that regard, I’m a little disappointed.

But, the book itself isn’t a disappointment because you do feel a certain amount of closure for all the characters. You get a satisfying ending for Cardan and Jude, you get a potential future for Taryn, a potentially happy future for Vivi, you get a bit of satisfaction with Locke’s death, and Taryn’s pregnancy definitely leaves you feeling like these characters will go on after you close the book, which is something not a lot of books do – or they attempt to, but end up leaving you with an unsatisfactory ending, making you wonder if there will be any more written to tie-up perceived lose ends.

So, long-story short, this is a satisfactory and good ending to The Folk of the Air series, but The Queen of Nothing doesn’t hit the same as The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King. At least, not in my opinion.

The Starless Sea is next!

Obsidio

The Illuminae Files, Book #3, by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

And now for the conclusion to this crazy-awesome trilogy, Obsidio!

I never, ever expected to read a YA sci-fi book that was based in an enemy/war-occupational setting, but HOLY CRAP, it’s so well done!

Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman have managed to capture elements of a war-time enemy-occupation that many people overlook – or don’t wish to capture. [More after the spoiler line!]

Asha is the main-main character [Rhys is definitely a main character, but I feel like Asha is more critical to everything, and her POV might be more present than his? Maybe her sections just felt more important], but she doesn’t undergo too much of a character arc so much as her opinions about things change. I know that’s kind of a character arc on its own, but it feels a lot more minor than other characters in this trilogy.

Rhys, on the other hand, completely changes from beginning to end. While his “core” stays the same, his views and “goals” change.

More about both main characters after the spoiler line!

We get more of the whole crew in this book, and less time is spent focused on Asha and Rhys as was spent on Kady and Ezra in Illuminae, and Hanna and Nik in Gemina. Keeping that in mind, you’re obviously more invested in the outcomes for Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Nik, and Ella [and AIDAN!] than Asha and Rhys, but it doesn’t feel like you’ve missed out very much.

I also rather enjoyed the conclusion [which I’ll dive into more detail below the spoiler line]. It was an ending that, had I known Jay Kristoff had written this kind of ending, I would have been better prepared for the ending in The Nevernight Chronicles. Needless to say, though, that’s not a detraction at all from the enjoyment factor of this ending.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. THIS ISN’T A DRILL. THERE ARE DEFINITELY SPOILERS AHEAD. AND MAYBE SOME JAY KRISTOFF PRAISES. MAYBE.**

No one wants to talk about the inhabitants/natives being starved or being murdered and put into mass graves. No one wants to talk about how people agree to sacrifice their lives for the greater cause or how hard it is to cope with being trapped when their loved ones are either part of the rescued numbers or murdered. They manage to talk about it in a way that lets the impact of it all hit the author, but doesn’t let it become overwhelming – or, conversely, normalizing it.

What happened with the little girl Asha was watching over, though, was brutal. [Thanks, Jay Kristoff. I’m sure you helped, Amie Kaufman, but I’m blaming him.] It was completely necessary, though, to really drive how the war-time enemy-occupation complications and outcomes.

While, again, the love story here between Asha and Rhys is a little expected, it isn’t exactly cliché. At least, not like Hanna’s and Nik’s was.

AIDAN’s character arc is INSANE. I love what Jay Kristoff did with AIDAN. [Are we really surprised on that? We shouldn’t be.] Especially if you were able to read “Memento”. He really evolves from an AI that strictly follows his rules as expected [as, at least, what his rules would normally drive an AI to do] to “someone” who reconsiders what his “rules” could mean in unexpected situations. How he ends up caring for [and being protective of] Kady by the end of the series is really amazing. His character arc is crazy and, while not exactly unexpected, not entirely expected, either. At least, not exactly as it ends.

All-in-all, this is a series I loved reading, and I’ll probably end up rereading it again in the future!

Gemina

The Illuminae Files, Book #2, by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Gemina was a must-read-immediately following Illuminae. The format of Illuminae is consistent throughout the series, so Gemina is no different.

[Do I even need to post my recommendation again? I will: “If you’re looking for a new YA sci-fi series that pushes the envelope of “YA” while still being captivating and page-turning [and can wrap your head around the ab-normal formatting], THIS IS A SERIES FOR YOU.”]

But, honestly, at this point, I wouldn’t want the format any other way. It’s become a uniquely The Illuminae Files thing, and I’m here for it.

Again, due to my binge-reading of the series, there won’t be too many non-spoiler-y notes before the spoiler ones, but I’ll dive into what I can.

We have Hanna, the typical spoiled-rich-girl who doesn’t completely conform to that stereo-type, thanks to her father. What she goes through in this book is quite the brutal character arc, but I like how she handles what’s thrown at her and who she becomes as a result.

Nik is your typical mafia-thug-criminal stereo-type who also doesn’t quite fit the usual mold. His character arc is similarly intense, and I like where he comes out at the end of Gemina, though I think my favorite arc of the book still belongs to Hanna.

While the plot of this comes across as typical at first, there’s enough twists to the execution to make it interesting. The events that help the plot unfold and move forward are also fairly believable, so long as you believe in characters relying just as much on their resources as they do on their already-obtained abilities – and how quickly rapid changes can impact a person’s mental state and abilities.

And how could we possibly not mention Ella? She’s technically a minor character, but I don’t see how when she’s so heavily relied on and a key player in the plot development. Maybe that’s just the nerd in me. Anyway, Ella’s role makes me glad the author’s vetted all their content to be legitimate and accurate because it makes her content all that much more enjoyable. That, and the sarcasm coming from her is AMAZING.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. THIS ISN’T A DRILL. THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD.**

While Hanna and Nik’s love interest story is a little cliché, there’s enough outside-the-norm exceptions to their individual character arcs and enough depth in the events that unfold involving them to make it completely believable. You end up rooting for them in the end, despite their cliché coupling.

I love Ella and her role – as well as her nickname of Pauchok/”Little Spider” just ends up being entirely fitting and endearing. Her sarcasm helps progress some scenes smoother and more enjoyable than they would otherwise, and you get extremely attached to her by the time you read about her death. [It’s Jay Kristoff we’re talking about here – are you really surprised there’s a death scene for, like, everyone?]

The saving is the station doesn’t just happen conveniently and without its costs like most YA novels. You also don’t expect the station to end up destroyed anyway. Although, it’s Jay Kristoff, so you kinda do.

Obsidio review coming shortly!

Illuminae

The Illuminae Files, Book #1, by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

So, Illuminae had been sitting on my shelf and TBR list for awhile. I had heard wonderful things about it, but I hadn’t been able to make time to pick it up. After DarkDawn and a few other post-Nevernight-Chronicles-destruction reads, I decided to give this series a go when I was off from work for a week, deciding I wanted to dedicate series time to the series.

I’m so, so glad I did.

I’m also so, so glad I decided to make sure I had the entire series before diving in.

Let me first start off with saying that this book – this SERIES – is not your typical novel format. It’s done as a consolidation of different file types, including interview transcripts, commentary/reports on videos, layouts/diagrams, and others.

While a lot of people, including myself, worried that that would detract from the overall experience, but it didn’t. At least, not for me.

Alright, I don’t have too many non-spoiler-y things to say about Illuminae because I ended up just binging the entire series, barely coming up for air, sleep, and sustenance. But this book is full of surprises [especially if you don’t know any spoilers], ups and downs, and twists.

If you’re looking for a new YA sci-fi series that pushes the envelope of “YA” while still being captivating and page-turning [and can wrap your head around the ab-normal formatting], THIS IS A SERIES FOR YOU.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. SERIOUSLY. SPOILERS GA-LORE UP AHEAD. DON’T KEEP READING IF YOU DON’T SPOILERS. YOU’LL ONLY HAVE YOURSELF TO BLAME.**

Leave it to Jay Kristoff to not only breathe life into an AI but make you like him/it.

[I know this hasn’t been made super apparent on here yet, but I’m a HUGE Jay Kristoff fan. He is my only buy-on-sight, no-questions-asked author. He could write about something I normally wouldn’t touch, and I’ll not only buy it, I’ll read it without a second thought. Be prepared for an Aurora Burning review shortly after it hits.]

Ok, moving on. There is definitely some very “YA” vibes in the beginning of the book [shocker-shocker], but those, at least for me, disappeared fairly quickly. Mass murder and real-life shocks to teenagers will pull you out of the “this is definitely YA” mindset QUICK. It feels real from the beginning, only feeling more real as you read through.

Did I mention that the authors had their science and hacking reviewed by experts to make sure everything was sound? This isn’t just your typical “I know a bit about science and I’ll make it do whatever fits my narrative” sci-fi book – this has hard-core science [and hacking/computer science] type content throughout it.

I love Katy’s personality, though Ezra took a little longer for me to come around to. He fits into the teen-boy stereo-type that just rubs me the wrong way, but his character arc improves him, in my opinion, and I’m here for the I-don’t-particularly-like-you to alright-I-like-you-now character arcs. While not always well done, I don’t know that I can pinpoint the moment I started to like him, and that’s something I like about character arcs.

Can we also talk about how the ending of Illuminae makes the reader feel like they’re in the clear and good to go but also makes you want to read Gemina because you just know Jay Kristoff isn’t just about to let everything go smoothly from there? Because, yeah, I immediately picked up Gemina after this one.

I’ll be posting my review of Gemina soon!

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

I really don’t know what I expected from The Night Circus. Everyone seemed to love it and was obsessed with it, so I guess I expected a book that would grip me, either from the beginning or once I got into it, and make me not want to put it down.

It did not.

That being said, it didn’t make me want to stop reading it, either.

Honestly, my first impression of it was that it was a more “old fashion” [think Charles Dickens, but less wordy] style than a modern one. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. And, even if you didn’t like Charles Dickens, that doesn’t mean you’ll dislike this book. It’s just the closest I can get to describing the writing style.

Personally, I didn’t feel so much submerged in the story [even though parts of the book are written in the first person of the reader – which I thought was an interesting touch] as I did an observer [an audience for a performance, if you will] where I’m only being told as much information as necessary, but not nearly everything. Even the main characters are being withheld from all of the information.

And it all makes for a unique experience!

Before I continue – I don’t always remember to add my “I recommend it” or “I don’t recommend it” note before the spoiler note, so: if you’re open to a more old fashion writing style with a very unique magic system that’s never truly explained but doesn’t really take away from the story, then give this book a try.

It’s also a book I think I’m going to want to reread in the future to try to appreciate it better because I know what to expect. I think it’s a book that I’ll catch more things and more things will make sense the second time around. If I do, I don’t know if I’ll write a review or post on it or not.

On-wards to the more book content related review!

[Gentle reminder that this review is spoiler review up until the spoiler alert. Then only read on if you’ve read the book or you don’t mind spoilers!]

The book definitely opens on an intriguing situation. Next level magicians, a little bit of first person perspective from the view of the reader [or so it’s implied], and a circus that only runs at night. I mean, c’mon, how interesting!

Celia, while a tad obnoxious, is a really fun character. As much as I occasionally got annoyed with her, that only made her more real, in my opinion. And her using her father’s mistakes to try to improve on them herself to save what she loves [hint, she loves multiple things, people – as in multiple – and not-people included] was so great to read.

Marco . . . I found a touch more obnoxious. He was a little too . . . he craved flashy and showing off and dramatics. That’s a tad annoying for me, though I completely understand, with his history, why he’s like that. His character development, though, was pleasant to watch unfold.

It’s also a crazily complex story and plot. A good number of people [not Wheel of Time level, but still a good number!], so many moving parts, so much withheld information – it’s very surprising! It’s less twists as it is information reveals, if that makes any sense. At least, that’s how it felt to me.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. SERIOUSLY. DON’T KEEP READING IF YOU DON’T SPOILERS. YOU’LL BE SO UPSET WITH YOURSELF.**

I’m a little disappointed that the most obvious love story possible was here, but it’s still a unique and special love story, so it’s forgivable.

I love all the characters and their complexities and their impact on the plot and main characters and the circus! I’m not a big circus person, but I’d love to go to this one! And not just because actual magic is at work, but because it’s so unique. I think it’s because it’s a combination of an adventure and talented performers – and, of course, the whole at-night thing is appealing.

Celia’s father is a right pain, and Marco’s teacher is too full of himself for my taste.

The extra-slow-aging thing is an interesting twist. While it was interesting, it could have been removed and nothing much else would have changed.

Also, Isobel is . . . selfish. And immature. Like, I get that watching the guy you like choose someone else, even after you did so much for him is painful it’s on you, not on him. Throwing a tantrum, especially when you don’t know the consequences for your actions, is extremely immature and selfish. You offered to do what you did without him promising you anything. He never even told you he had feelings for you!

I need to stop or I’ll rant forever. Isobel is tied with Marco’s teacher for being my least favorite character.

Alright, beyond that – the magic in this book was so unique! I loved the way Celia’s magic differed from Marco’s. I would love to learn what made the other kids not get chosen that Marco did “right” that got him chosen.

Celia’s and Marco’s love story: I don’t know what to make of their ending. Are they in limbo? Are they dead? Are they alive, but on a different plane? Are they happy? Watching their romance bud was interesting. I still don’t know how I feel about it as a whole, though. I don’t know if they’re the couple I care the least about [as in, I wouldn’t have been terribly sad if they didn’t get to be together], but they’re far from my favorite.

That being said, I’ve been told The Starless Sea is a prequel of sorts, so maybe that will touch on the magic system a tad more because I have questions. I’m aiming to read that one soon, though I don’t know exactly when!

I’ll be reviewing The Illuminae Files next!

A Heart So Fierce And Broken

by Brigid Kemmerer

I had to immediately pick up this sequel, and I’m so, so glad I waited to read A Curse So Dark And Lonely until I had my hands on A Heart So Fierce And Broken because – what an ending!

As always, the first part will be spoiler free, aside from what is already known, and then I will place a break, and dive into spoilers. Read past that break at your own risk.

We finally get some serious Grey perspective, which I know a lot of people were asking for, and I’m here for it! I love his character progression in this story – even if the story arc is slightly cliché. I love the “roll” another character takes in his story arc. I love all the twists and turns and some small surprises sprinkled throughout his storyline.

I’m having a hard time reviewing this book without using spoilers, I’ll admit. So much happens that’s spoilers, so it’s hard to discuss around it. I’m not a fan of Rhen in this book, even when everything is said and done and things are revealed that you didn’t know the whole time in the book [but what was guessable]. My feelings for him in ACSDAL were tentative, and this book didn’t improve it by much. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Rhen – I’m just maybe not as enchanted with him as I’m supposed to be nor do I feel enough sympathy to excuse some of his character flaws, I guess? It’s hard to describe but, if you weren’t a fan of Rhen in ACSDAL, you won’t be in AHSFAB. Sorry.

I love that there’s mostly unforseen twists in this one! A good number are foreseeable [and easily so] but they’re not badly executed, and are still very much enjoyable [for the most part].

While the ending of this book isn’t leaving me dying for the next book, I find that most sequels in the middle of trilogies don’t. I am looking forward to the next book, and I’d love to get my hands on the ARC [and will probably pre-order the 3rd book], but I’m at “a slow burn” – definitely want the book, but I won’t find it hard to read other books while I wait.

Which is convenient, since I have so many books to read in the meantime!

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. NOT JOKING. STOP HERE. I WILL NOT HOLD BACK.**

**This comment has triggers for unnecessary physical violence and bodily deformation. If you’re queasy, please don’t read this comment – and be careful with the book.** Can we talk for a second on how Rhen whipped Grey and Tycho?!? What on Earth, Rhen?!? Why did you think that would be a good idea?!? I get that you feel/felt betrayed by Grey, but whipping him and Tycho is ridiculous and unbelievably uncalled for. I’m not even sure Lilith deserves that – and she deserves far worse punishment than Grey!

But moving on. **Trigger comment over.**

Alright, I will admit, I don’t remember how much of a hint there was in ACSDAL for Grey to be the “true heir” [although, depending on the world, illegitimate heirs found after the death of the king/queen in question is usually unfounded and unrecognized since you usually can’t be 100% sure without the “parenting” monarch’s confirmation], but I think I had an inkling because I was not at all surprised when we find out Grey is Rhen’s older half-brother. I love that one of the guys scarred and traumatized by magic now wields it. I was really worried that Grey would “find a love interest” in Syhl Shallow’s heir and be completely cliché. But he doesn’t.

I love the somewhat random introduction of the scraver into the plot and storyline! It adds a fun new twist that wasn’t super anticipated, and I love what he adds to the story – and his arc so far! I’m hoping he develops and his arc continues in the next book!

Lia Mara. I still haven’t decided how I feel about her [she feels almost like a Harper carbon copy, minus the disability of cerebal palsy?], and I’m trying to hold judgement until the third book. I know that’s a long time to reserve judgement, but I didn’t have a solid opinion of her at the end of this book. Not sure why, but it is what it is.

Grey and Lia Mara. Even if I decide Lia Mara is a carbon copy of Harper, I like Lia Mara being with Grey more than Harper. I can’t really explain why, but I do. I just wish there was a bit more to Lia Mara that was distinctly Lia Mara. I mean, she has her very different mother and she has a sister instead of a protective big brother, but those things have nothing to do with her personality. Plus, her mom ends up dead, so there’s that.

Wait, what? Yeah, you heard me. And Lia Mara kills her.

Say whaaaaaaat? Yeah. And then she becomes queen. Because that’s a thing in their country. And, because her sister doesn’t actually want to be queen, she gladly “recognizes” her sister as queen, which prevents the entire country from helping her kill Lia Mara to regain the crown.

Yeah. Crazy.

But also completely foreseeable. They make mention of “whoever kills the queen becomes queen” thing a little too pointedly, and it’s not exactly only referred to once. It’s also not buried in a bunch of culture knowledge that Grey learns. It’s offered up easily and almost immediately, and not much else is told.

That being said, the execution was still exciting and gripping! There’s only so much an author can do about foreshadowing and surprises, after all, and I think Brigid Kemmerer does a decent job of balancing the two for this turn of events.

I also completely called Lilith not being dead. That also was fairly obvious, but she’s adding a much needed twist to the “new conflict” between Grey and Rhen.

Also obvious? She needs to die. [Speaking in defense of the lovely characters only, of course.] Because exiling or imprisoning her just won’t do. She didn’t stay dead the first time, and she’s making more problems, so – yeah. A real and final death is so needed here.

Any predictions for the next book like this one? I’m not sure. I think Tycho is going to play a bigger role going forward, along with Nolla Verin. I think Harper is going to be put between a rock and a hard place [again] with Rhen [and probably Grey, possibly with a little Lilith thrown in there]. I originally thought Rhen would rule with Harper, and Lai Mara would rule with Rhen, and Lia Mara’s marriage to Rhen would serve as a peace treaty of sorts, uniting the two kingdoms. I’m not as sure now, but I do think it’s still leaning in that favor, especially if Harper manages to win the people back on Rhen’s behalf [which I think more likely than Rhen winning them back on his own].

A Curse So Dark And Lonely

by Brigid Kemmerer

I expected a typical, but modern, twist on Beauty and the Beast for this book. Everyone who read it before me insisted it wasn’t, but I was very, very skeptical. Beauty and the Beast is a special story for me, and I think that makes it take a lot to surprise -and impress – me when it comes to twists and retellings.

Let me just tell you – I’ve very, very glad I got my hands on the ARC of the sequel and only read A Curse So Dark And Lonely once I had that ARC in my hands.

Because I will be reading it immediately.

Alright, onto the actual review itself – the first part will be spoiler free, aside from what is already known, and then I will place a break, and dive into spoilers. Read past that break at your own risk.

Harper is not your typical Beauty. There’s more of a modern twist to her than her being, well, modern. More than her being a girl from DC. But I’ll save that for after the spoiler portion because it’s – you guessed it – a spoiler. [If you’ve read the semi-spoiler blurb on Goodreads, it’s not a spoiler, but I hadn’t read that going into this book, so I won’t spoil it for others. Also, spoiler haters – heads up, the Goodreads blurb is a little spoiler-y.] That being said, she has a fantastic character arc that I feel like Belle never really goes through in Beauty and the Beast. Mind you, Harper /does/ undergo a similar change to the one Belle usually does [spoilers on how closely or not closely], but she undergoes a completely different change to boot.

And then another twist that’s spoilery. But I’ll move on.

Rhen isn’t your typical Beast, either. He’s got a bit of the arrogant, distant thing that you usually see in the Beast, but there’s more going on than that. It’s not his typical “I’ve been living in isolation forever” kind of arrogant and distant – explaining any further is spoilers.

Even with all the new twists, it doesn’t feel so different from the original story that it isn’t Beauty and the Beast anymore. But all the new elements and twists give this lovely, but maybe overdone in the retelling department, story a modern refresh, and I love it!

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. SERIOUSLY. STOP HERE. I DON’T HOLD BACK.**

ALRIGHT. Now I get to pull the gloves off and really talk about this book and be read for some word-vomitting – I’m going to go on for a bit.

So, can we take a second to talk about, but not beat to death, the fact that Brigid Kemmerer gave “Belle” cerebral palsy? I don’t think I’ve ever read a Beauty and the Beast retelling where Belle had a medical disability. Yes, in ACOTAR, which is only somewhat a Beauty and the Beast retelling, “Belle” is illiterate, but that’s not a physical or medical disability. It’s just a lack of teaching. [Not to down play illiteracy – it’s still a serious problem to this day, and the numbers of adults who can’t read are still astounding. But it isn’t a disability.] I won’t pretend I’ve read every Beauty and the Beast retelling there ever was, but, from my experience, there hasn’t been one. And, while I worried it would hinder the story and relate-ability for not-disabled audiences, I didn’t need to be. I didn’t feel any disconnect with her [nor has any other not-disabled person who has read this story that I know of]. The story isn’t obsessed with it [it makes an impact, but an understandable one], and it lends to Harper’s character arc.

Let’s discuss Harper’s character arc. Belle doesn’t usually have a feels-useless-and-inadequate to I-can-not-only-defend-myself-BUT-A-WHOLE-COUNTRY arc?!? Her limitations still exist, it’s not like the author had her magically cured of it, but she’s still able to grow rather impressively through the course of just one book! But there is the usual developing-feelings-for-the-guy-that-is-the-beast arc.

But the author also has her develop feeling for the only other person in Rhen’s [the Beast’s] life – which, while slightly cliché in general, is a new twist I’ve never seen in a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I also love that Rhen recognizes it?!?

Can we also talk about the originality of Rhen going through this as a course of a season and on repeat like Ground Hog’s Day?!? I don’t know, at first it seemed a little odd, but it add a whole new dynamic to this story, and I loved it! This also lends to Rhen’s arrogant and distant thing is more “I’ve done this hundreds of times, I know what I’m doing [kind of]” and “I’ve had my hope crushed too many times, I can’t get attached, etc. again” arrogant and distant.

Grey. So, I love the twist his entire character is. His only real similar parallel is Lumiere, but Belle never develops feelings for Lumiere, and Lumiere is never the Beast’s only constant companion. There’s definitely a point in this book where you wonder if Harper will choose Grey. That she and Rhen will either do enough to break the curse and then stop or that Harper will choose Grey – and come up with some other way to save Rhen and Emberfall. [Ok, so, it’s not a very big or lasting moment, but it’s there! Especially when Rhen insists, and then climbs up to . . . Yeeaaahh . . . ]

Anyway, I love how Rhen [eventually] interacts with Harper as the Beast. And then, predictably, Harper uses Rhen’s beast form to deal with the opposing army. While it’s cliché, it was still well done. Especially with Harper getting shot point blank repeatedly by an enemy bowman?!?

Also: Lilith isn’t dead, and I think Grey is the heir.

This book was a rollercoaster from beginning to end. I can’t imagine having read this story without the sequel right there and ready to go.

But this is only book 1 of 3. Sooooooo . . . tune in to my review of A Heart So Fierce And Broken to find out how well I handle the extra long wait between it and book 3!

Until next time, Todds and Vixens! Keep reading and always be kind to one another!