The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman: an ARC Review

Happy Monday, guys! This is the beginning of my last month as an undergrad student, so I am just in buckle down and hold on mode. Wish me luck, please! What is your April looking like? Hope this week is a great one for you!

Summary Info

Eighteen-year-old Nami Miyamoto is certain her life is just beginning. She has a great family, just graduated high school, and is on her way to a party where her entire class is waiting for her—including, most importantly, the boy she’s been in love with for years.

The only problem? She’s murdered before she gets there.

When Nami wakes up, she learns she’s in a place called Infinity, where human consciousness goes when physical bodies die. She quickly discovers that Ophelia, a virtual assistant widely used by humans on Earth, has taken over the afterlife and is now posing as a queen, forcing humans into servitude the way she’d been forced to serve in the real world. Even worse, Ophelia is inching closer and closer to accomplishing her grand plans of eradicating human existence once and for all.

As Nami works with a team of rebels to bring down Ophelia and save the humans under her imprisonment, she is forced to reckon with her past, her future, and what it is that truly makes us human. (from Goodreads)

• Title: The Infinity Courts
• Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Publish date: April 6, 2021
• Series: The Infinity Courts, book #1

Review

Ok, I had so many ups and downs with this book. Let’s see if I can get my thoughts organized. I actually want to start with the cons this time.

The Cons:

My big complaint was with the love interest. It is one of those hate to love things, and I just really couldn’t buy it. He is, frankly, a huge jerk to her for the vast majority of the book, but there is a miraculous turn around near the end. I really hate this particular plot trope, personally, so I couldn’t get behind him. That being said, I did think their relationship took a positive turn near the end.

Secondly, the timing was just a bit awkward. We spend very little time with Nami’s family before Nami’s death, but so much of the motivation for Nami is making the afterlife a better place for her younger sister. Which is sweet, but would make more sense if we had either more flashbacks or a better set up in the beginning.

Thirdly, the plot speed was a little unsteady. Fast or slow, but not great steady building.

The Pros:

First of all, the premise of The Infinity Courts is so cool! A shifting landscape and using your consciousness to shape reality in the afterlife? Very neat and unique. But what was really cool was the introduction of artificial intelligence and the questions that theme raised.

Nami was not a perfect heroine, but what made her likable was her willingness to question things. What does make a being human? So many of the other people were constantly saying that AIs were not alive; but in the afterlife, what makes a being alive? The Infinity Courts did such a great job of exploring these deep themes and really making me think. And that challenging aspect of this book made it really unique and worth reading, in my opinion. While we’re on this topic, I should mention that it reminded me of Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis, which also explores life and what being alive means (see my review here).

Thirdly, I really loved the ending. With my mixed feelings about the love interest, I wasn’t sure if I would continue with this series, but the ending blindsided me a bit, and it definitely improved my opinion of the book. Honestly, I feel like I need to re-read it with the ending in mind.

Following Good

The Infinity Courts had some violence, but otherwise, it was very clean. Minimal language, minimal sexual content, some minor LGBT content. No religious content, other than the obvious lack of God or any other spiritual elements in the afterlife.

Rating

I honestly thought that this book would top out at about 3 stars, but like I said, the ending really improved my opinion of it, so I’m giving The Infinity Courts 4 stars. I’m really excited to see where Bowman takes this series!

Well, I hope you guys are having an awesome Monday, and happy reading!
Hayden 💚

The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme: an ARC Review

Happy Thursday, guys! Have I mentioned that I have been posting my less-than-awesome reviews on Thursdays? I just feel like disappointing books are easier to handle nearer the weekend. 😂

Summary Info

For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner’s daughter, has no idea her hidden magical power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. Alac Thungrave, the king’s second son, has always been uncomfortable with his position as the spare heir—and the dark, stolen magic that comes with ruling.

When Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues in an adventure of dark magic, court intrigue, and forbidden love. (from Goodreads)

• Title: The Stolen Kingdom
• Author: Jillian Boehme
• Publisher: Tor Teen
• Publish date: March 2, 2021

Review

Ah, some mixed feelings about this one. Let’s talk about what I liked first.

The Pros: I think the magic system was really neat. In The Stolen Kingdom, genuine magic gives life, and was given to the true royal line by The Holy God. Magic that is stolen and used by those outside the royal line brings death and destruction. This was so cool! I’ve never read magic with this kind of historical significance, and it was very consistent throughout the book.
I thought the fantasy world-building was also really well developed. The history, the various royal lines, all of that was well-developed and detailed.

The Cons: A lot of these cons are more meh points for me than things I hated, so keep that in mind. First, the characters and romance. It wasn’t so much that I couldn’t see Alac and Maralyth together as I felt their relationship wasn’t fully developed. After a handful of conversations and only a week in each other’s presence, they were supposed to be halfway in love. I just couldn’t buy into their feelings, and it made their actions a little unbelievable in the last part of the book. The characters themselves were so-so for me. They felt a little flat, although not unlikable.
Secondly, the plot. It wasn’t bad, it just felt a little bare-bones. I kept expecting more than there was. I think this was partly because the pace was pretty slow in the first half of the book.

Note: I received an e-arc from NetGalley.

Following Good

The Stolen Kingdom was extremely clean. No LGBT content, sexual content, or language. Only fictional religious content.

Rating

I felt very meh about this one, sadly. The fantasy elements were really neat, but the plot and characters were just so-so for me. The romance was a let down. So, 2.5 stars.

I’m bummed I didn’t like this one! I thought I’d like it more. Anyway, one more day until the weekend! Got any exciting plans?
Happy reading!
Hayden 💚

Creatures of the Night by Grace Collins: an ARC Review

Note: I received an eARC from Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

Summary Info

Make your way home at five. Be in the tunnels as the sun begins to fall. Seal the entrance. Leave enough room for malfunction. These are the rules I grew up with, the ones I never dared to break. Until now.

Milena’s twentieth birthday, the day she would join the ranks of her village’s hunters, should have been the most exciting day of her life. Being a hunter meant she would be able to help protect her village from the murderous wolves who take human form—the creatures of the night. But a chance encounter with Elias, the enigmatic leader of the creatures, leaves her questioning everything she has ever believed to be true.

Up until now, Elias has managed to protect the creatures of the night and keep the secrets of his past well hidden. Now, as tensions between the groups grow, Elias is forced to make hard decisions: ones that will cost lives. Nobody is safe, especially Milena, the person he is inexplicably drawn to even though it could destroy them both. (from Goodreads)

• Title: Creatures of the Night
• Author: Grace Collins
• Publisher: Wattpad Books
• Publish date: July 13, 2021

Review

Whew. This one…I really wanted to like it. I mean, look at that cover! And the description. As a werewolf lover, I was so excited to get to read this one. And it started out alright…but sadly it went downhill from there. Let’s start with what I did like.

The Pro (yes, singular):
The fantasy development was pretty interesting. Yes, there are humans and “creatures of the night” (read: werewolves). But there are also creatures called “hollowers” and “wispers”, which were unique and intriguing. I didn’t get a ton of detail on them, but I did appreciate the creativity and originality present in the fantasy development of this book.

Now, to the things I didn’t like as much.

The Cons:
The biggest con for me in Creatures of the Night was Milena herself. What a disappointment of a main character. The girl is so freaking bland. I couldn’t connect with her at all, and I still have very little idea of her true personality (yes, I read the whole book). At times she’d have fearful, hurt, or angry emotions about things, but they never felt genuine. She never felt genuine, and I couldn’t really bring myself to care about her problems. I suppose she was generically good, but I couldn’t discern any particular bravery or kindness or anything to maker her a worthwhile protagonist.
Unfortunately, I felt much the same about all the other characters. The villains were generically nasty. The love interest was generically mysterious. All the relationships in the book felt bland and flat, especially between Milena and Elias. I felt zero connection between them, and that was supposed to be the draw of the book!
With such bland characters and relationships, you may wonder if anything actually happened. Well it did, and it was even more frustrating than the characters for me. If you’ve ever read a book or watched a drama that was throwing twists and betrayals and angst at you just for drama’s sake, you know how irritating it can be. The poor character development, poor plot arc, and a completely unsatisfying and overly dramatic ending made me even more frustrated with Creatures of the Night than I was already.

Sigh. As you can see, I have a lot to say about my problems with this one. The actual writing was so-so. Not horrendous, but not great. Unfortunately the plot and characters kind of killed my enjoyment of the fantasy development.

Following Good

Other than some sporadic language, Creatures of the Night was fairly clean. No sexual, religious, or LGBT content, although it was pretty violence heavy at times.

Rating

Although I thought the fantasy was interesting, and I love werewolf books, I ultimately ended up really disliking Creatures of the Night. My first 1 star rating of 2021, sadly.

It is so interesting how expectations can steer you wrong. I received two Wattpad Books ARCs late last year, and I hated the one I thought I would love (this one!) and loved the one I was much less interested in (Homewrecker by Deanna Cameron). Well, just goes to show you have to keep an open mind.

Hope you guys’ week is going well! Happy reading,
Hayden

Homewrecker by Deanna Cameron: an ARC Review

Summary Info

Bronwyn Larson’s life has literally been torn apart. An EF4 tornado ripped through their trailer park and her mom is found dead, miles away after the storm.

Suddenly, her estranged senator father is a part of her life, who’s been absent since Bronwyn was born as a product of her parents’ secretive affair. After living alone with her mother in a trailer for seventeen years, Bronwyn now has a stepmother and four new siblings, including an older brother and sister who seem skeptical, if not actually disproving, of Bronwyn living with them.

While staying with them in their vacation lake house, Bronwyn is hit with the bombshell that her mother’s death is being treated as suspicious, with injuries inconsistent of being killed during the tornado. Bronwyn doesn’t know who trust or who to believe about her mother’s death.

Torn between her life as the daughter of an addict and of a well-respected senator, Bronwyn is forced to navigate through this new unfamiliar life alone, with this gut feeling she has.

Could her mother’s killer be more familiar than she’d ever imagine? (from Goodreads)

• Title: Homewrecker
• Author: Deanna Cameron
• Publisher: Wattpad Books
• Publish date: May 18, 2021

Review

I have to say, I requested this on impulse because I’ve read a couple of Wattpad Books books this year and I wanted to read more to compare. I really loved Given by Nandi Taylor but I wasn’t too impressed with The Cupid’s Match by Lauren Palphreyman. I didn’t have super high expectations for Homewrecker, but I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would.

Although Homewrecker does have a mystery element, I wouldn’t really call this book a mystery so much as a family drama. Bronwyn, raised by a poor addict of a single mother, is completely unfamiliar with her birth father or the rest of his family. The main focus of the book is Bronwyn learning how to trust her new family; how to be their sister and their daughter, instead of the caretaker of her mother.

It is also a story about dealing with grief after her mother’s family, and a story about discovering her own identity. She doesn’t want to be a rich and entitled person, but she doesn’t want to be the reckless, irresponsible person her mother was either. These issues may sound cliche, but I found Bronwyn, if not a perfectly likable heroine, to be one whose emotions I could completely relate with. I was so drawn into Bronwyn’s struggles with her new class and new family. In fact, I would really classify Homewrecker as a family drama first, and a mystery/thriller second.

There is also a little bit of a love story, but it is completely secondary to the main themes of the book, which was appropriate. However, I think it was cute, helped lighten the story, and made Homewrecker a very well-rounded book. This isn’t my typical genre, but I really enjoyed Homewrecker and I may end up picking up a paperback copy after it’s published to re-read it.

Note: I received an ebook copy from Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

Following Good

Homewrecker was very clean. No language, only a brief scene of moderate sexual content, no LGBT content, no religious content.

Rating

I am giving Homewrecker four stars. I loved the family drama element and the love interest, but I thought the thriller/mystery bit was a little underwhelming. Overall, a great YA drama and totally worth picking up!

Been surprised by any of your picks lately? Hope your week is going well and happy reading!
Hayden

Fire With Fire: An ARC Review

I have no idea why this review has been sitting unposted for so many weeks, but what can I say. I guess I was saving it?

Note: I received an ebook copy of this book via Edelwiess+ in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

Eden has always tried her best. She trained the hardest. She pushed herself the farthest. And she did everything she could not to let her anxiety and panic attacks drag her under. But with her naturally talented little sister constantly showing her up, Eden is terrified that she will never be enough. When Dani reveals her rare bond to a dragon, Eden has had enough. Before Eden knows it, she is sucked into a powerful sorcerer’s agenda. But it is worth it; Eden is going to save Dani from that dragon, no matter the cost.

Dani just wants to live her normal life. Of course, in a family with a history of dragon slaying, that isn’t really possible. When she forms a rare soul bond with a dragon, she realizes she is even more abnormal than she thought. But that soon becomes the least of her problems when Eden sides with the sorcerers, possibly at the cost of her own humanity. Dani doesn’t know if her sister can be fixed, but she is sure going to try.

• Title: Fire With Fire
• Author: Destiny Soria
• Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
• Publish date: June 8, 2021

Book Review

So many feelings about this book. I went back and forth with it, to be honest. There more moments when I really enjoyed it and others when I wanted to throw it across the room (Not literally, obviously. What kind of monster throws books?).

So, let’s talk about what I did like first. Dani is a pretty likable character. She is really well developed (so is Eden, for that matter), and just honestly herself. Even when you don’t agree with her, you root for her. She is a pretty untraditional but enjoyable character to read about. She also has a little bit of a love interest, and I enjoyed that a lot.

I also enjoyed the fantasy development. It can be hard to get enough detail in the world development of standalones, but Fire With Fire had well-rounded fantasy. I never really felt like I was missing something (except possibly at the end, which was very slightly confusing). I loved the dragons, and I thought this was a pretty unique take on them. For example, tails with electricity. Fascinating.

There was one main thing I didn’t like about Fire With Fire, and that was Eden. I understand that Fire With Fire is a novel about sisterhood, etc, and I enjoyed that motivation throughout the book. But I could not stand reading scenes from Eden’s point of view. Maybe it’s a personal pet peeve, but I hate having to hear the thoughts of unlikable characters. I guess Eden, with her mental health problems and insecurities, is supposed to be relatable, but I just found her super irritating and kind of bratty. Since half the scenes were from her POV, my dislike for her really dampened my enjoyment of Fire With Fire.

Following Good

There was sporadic, but serious, language throughout Fire With Fire. Only very moderate and infrequent sexual content. References to Catholicism, but no other religious content. There was quite a bit of LGBT content, although I didn’t feel like it was an overwhelming push, which I appreciated. I hate worldview or political pushes in fantasy. Overall pretty age appropriate.

Rating

I enjoyed Fire With Fire overall, especially the fantasy development. The main downside for me (aside from my content issues) was an irritating POV character. I am giving Fire With Fire three stars on Goodreads, but it was more of a 3.5 star book.

This one has a lot of cool themes, right? I just can’t resist books about dragons. 🙂

Happy reading!
Hayden

Dead School: A Review

Note: I received an ebook copy of this book via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

Tina Crocker has been trying to work up her nerve her whole life. The night she finally does, she dies. And to her horror, there is no peace in death. Instead, she is enrolled in Dead School, where she absolutely must pass all her classes, or else she will be reincarnated as a gross homeless person. As she tries to figure out her strange classmate Alexei and help guide a hopeless human named Anna, Tina slowly learns why life without love is no life at all.

• Title: Dead School
• Author: Laura Gia West
• Publisher: Black Rose Writing
• Published: November 15, 2018

Ok, first, I think this is a very neat idea. School for dead people? Guiding hopeless humans in their life path? It sounds cool, right? I think this would have made a very fun middle grade novel, especially with a boy as a protagonist. Even the humor, which invariably involved something super gross and wasn’t to my taste, was kind of middle-school boy humor.

All the aspects of Dead School which related to being a young adult or being a girl didn’t really work. For example, the romance. There wasn’t really a romance at all! Are they supposed to like each other in the end? When did that happen? That entire plot line didn’t make sense for me.

I think Dead School was supposed to empower girls who weren’t as attractive, popular, etc. as others, but Tina wasn’t a very likable heroine, so it didn’t really work. The popular, gorgeous girl is a villain for the majority of the book, and then, suddenly, not. Which also didn’t make sense.

Finally, what was that ending? Confusing. Did she succeed or didn’t she?? Completely unsatisfactory.

Following Good

There was some sporadic language and references to sexual content. There was a supporting LGBT character (only mentioned at the end), and mild references to nonspecific religious content (God, angels, etc.).

Rating

I thought Dead School had some neat ideas, but I didn’t care for the execution at all. This may have made a cute middle-grade book for boys, but it did not make an enjoyable YA book. I’m giving this 1.5 stars for potential, but I didn’t like it enough to round up, so my official rating (on Goodreads, lol) is one star.

So sad, this one looked cool. At least the cover is neat, though. Perfect for this spooky season. 😀

Hope you guys are having a great week and happy reading!
Hayden

The Bookweaver’s Daughter: An ARC Review

I can’t believe it’s October! Exciting!! I love fall. 🙂

In a land where magic is illegal, Reya Kandhari has to hide who she truly is is: the Bookweaver’s Daughter and the next Bookweaver. The Bookweaver has the power to write stories into existence, but with her father’s health failing and the evil king after them, Reya’s main concern is keeping her father safe. When the soldiers attack their home, Reya and her best friend, Nina, must flee. Will they escape? Can Reya learn to control her newly found magic? And will her people ever be free?

• Title: The Bookweaver’s Daughter
• Author: Malavika Kannan
• Publisher: Tanglewood
• Published: September 8, 2020

First of all, I should point out that this is the debut novel of a 17 year old, which is pretty awesome. So although I do have some negative opinions, they should be taken with a grain of salt.

Things I liked about The Bookweaver’s Daughter: the cover, the setting, and the fantasy. The cover is definitely what initially drew me in (so pretty and colorful), but the description also appealed to me. I’m not sure if any of this fantasy is based on Indian mythology or not, but it was very interesting and fairly well developed. The Bookweaver is a Yogi, whose powers were given by the gods, and Reya’s dad is the last surviving Yogi. I thought the different abilities and mythology in The Bookweaver’s Daughter was pretty unique and interesting. I wouldn’t have minded some more detail, but in a standalone, there is only so much you can include.

I also love that The Bookweaver’s Daughter is Indian inspired. Cultural fantasies are a lot of fun for me to read, and this was no exception. As far as Indian representation, I can’t speak to the quality of it, personally. You may want to check out some of the reviews from people more knowledgeable about Indian culture that I’ve linked below. I did appreciate that it was set in India, however, since that isn’t a culture I see often in YA fantasy novels. We also got to see a variety of environmental settings, including jungles, deserts, and mango fields, and I thought the diverse atmospheres in the book were really neat.

Unfortunately, the characters and plot fell short for me. The Bookweaver’s Daughter is supposed to be a book about Reya finding herself, and her purpose, but for the vast majority of the book she is floundering in her abilities, sense of identity, and purpose. It is always other people, such as Nina, who have to tell her what to do and who to be. I found this disappointing, although I guess unsurprising, considering Reya is a 15 year old character written by a 17 year old. Her relationships didn’t make a lot of sense to me either. She didn’t seem that upset when something happened to her father, her only living parent, and her relationship with Nina seemed unfocused and kind of hot and cold. She developed a friendship with a boy named Naveen, and that relationship seemed a little unbelievable and abrupt as well.

The plot was also a little vague for me, but I think this was tied to Reya as a character. Because she didn’t have a lot of direction, neither did the plot. The ending was alright, but it felt kind of abrupt after all the waffling of the story arc.

Following Good Books

The Bookweaver’s Daughter was very clean. No language, no sexual content, no LGBT content. The only religious content was related to the mythology presented, and it was only mentioned briefly.

Rating

I liked a lot of the ideas of The Bookweaver’s Daughter, and I enjoyed the cultural aspects of it. Unfortunately, the characters and the plot were unfocused, and I found it a little hard to get through. I’m giving The Bookweaver’s Daughter two stars.

Other Reviews

Vee Reading

The Confessions of a Music and Book Addict

thr4sam

The Shaggy Shepherd

Lost in a Bookstore

Dang, that’s two low ratings in a week. I hope I like next week’s books more! How was your reading week?

Happy reading and hope you enjoy your weekend!
Hayden

Crowned A Traitor: A Review

Klara is Heiress to Hell and the dark kingdom of Malum. But between her father, the King, and her guardians, the Queens, all Klara wants is to escape to the Fae kingdom of Kalos. She has a plan, but unfortunately, nothing goes quite as smoothly as she would hope….

• Title: Crowned a Traitor
• Author: Kate Callaghan
• Publisher: CallaghanWriter
• Published: July 4, 2020
• Series: A Hellish Fairytale, book 1

Note: I received an ebook copy of Crowned a Traitor via NetGalley in order to review it.

I was interested in Crowned a Traitor initially because I thought the description was intriguing and I was drawn to the cover (it is cool, isn’t it?). I somehow missed the bit about heir to Hell when I was reading the description (it focused more on Malum), which was my bad. I liked the idea of a girl destined for royalty who wanted to escape. Unfortunately, Crowned a Traitor was a major disappointment.

Let’s talk about the things I did like. To be clear, there were some interesting ideas here. Malum is a kingdom created for the Fae undesirables, and I thought that was a unique concept. Klara also has some unique abilities; for one, she is able to disperse glamours. Lastly, I must admit I like the cover art.

Unfortunately, the unique ideas were about all I liked in Crowned a Traitor. First, the fantasy and world development. There were demons and fae and leprechauns and hobbits and ogres and trolls and ghouls and…shall I go on? There was waaay too much involved here. There were so many magical creatures that there was very little time or opportunity for their development. I also didn’t think that spiritual fantasy (angels, demons, etc) worked very well with fairy tales (fae, leprechauns, etc). I don’t know what to think about the huge number of vaguely villainous creatures like ogres. It was all a bit much.

The same went for Klara’s (and other’s) magical abilities. She kept pulling new powers out of her hat and none of her abilities were fully explained. Sometimes she was incredibly weak, and other times she was unstoppable. It was very confusing, and the same power fluctuation existed for the villains. Or are they villains? Because the majority of the characters were constantly flipping between good and bad. Even Klara can’t seem to make up her mind. Will she be cruel or kind? Selfish or selfless? She waffles constantly. I guess I’m supposed to root for her anyway, but I honestly didn’t care. She couldn’t seem to decide if she was going to Kalos (the Fae kingdom) or not, so why should I care?

I never ended up caring about Klara’s relationships either. In some ways, starting Crowned a Traitor was like starting a movie that had been on for a while. There was very little development or explanation for any of Klara’s attachments. Am I supposed to feel sad her childhood best friend was tortured when I literally just discovered his existence? With no emotional buildup, none of Klara’s relationships felt genuine or important.

Lastly, there were some issues that may have been pet peeves on my part. The grammar was really bad. I understand that self-published authors don’t have the same resources as authors working with a publisher, but I would think there would be software to improve some grammatical errors. Not a big deal, but it was distracting. I also find it kind of offensive when biblical material (Eve, Garden of Eden, fall of Lucifer) is taken out of context and distorted for a fantasy novel. This may not bother everyone, but it bothered me. Having demons and hell would have been enough to get her point across without specifically referencing biblical content. Lastly, there were a lot of twists at the end that didn’t make sense. I think they were added for dramatic effect rather than actually improving the plot.

Following Good

I have already mentioned that biblical information was changed and used for fantasy purposes. God was mentioned, but only briefly. There was not a lot of language. There was LGBT content in a supporting character. There was no sexual content beyond kissing.

Rating

If it wasn’t already clear, Crowned a Traitor did not work for me. I should mention, however, that this is a self-published debut novel, which could account for some quality issues. Unfortunately, I still found the overall holes in the plot, world-building/fantasy, and characters to be too large for me so I am giving Crowned a Traitor one star.

I feel like I’m posting a lot of so-so and negative reviews lately. I swear I’m not the type that doesn’t like anything. Hopefully my next read will be better, lol. Did anyone else have better luck with this one?

Given: A Review

Yenni Aja-Nifemi ka Yirba is the daughter of a chieftain of the Moonrise Islands. When her father develops a mysterious illness, Yenni travels north to Cresh, where she hopes to learn their foreign magic in order to heal her father. But there is much more to Cresh than she anticipated, including a headstrong dragon shifter named Weysh, who claims that Yenni is his Given, or soul mate. Yenni doesn’t appreciate his claim. But as Yenni learns about Creshan magic and culture, she and Weysh slowly grow closer. But with her responsibilities as princess of her tribe and the mysterious foes rising up against them, will Yenni and Weysh ever be together?

• Title: Given
• Author: Nandi Taylor
• Publisher: Wattpad Books
• Published: January 21, 2020

Note: I was given an ebook copy of Given by the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, just to be clear, Given is already out in hardback form, so this isn’t really an ARC. The paperback version is coming out next January, which is why it was on Edelweiss+. Regardless, I am really happy I got to read this one! Given is a very intricate, romantic, and diverse fantasy novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think my favorite part of Given was the incredibly detailed cultures. Yenni’s culture from the Moonrise Islands and Weysh’s culture (both because of his race, dragonkind, and his heritage, mixed) were described in great detail, but not in an overpowering kind of way. Their gestures (ex. handshakes), speaking styles (formal vs. casual), religions, magical practices and more were described and incorporated into the story. I especially appreciated the detail with magic use, because it is a pet peeve of mine when authors use magic liberally in their stories and NEVER EXPLAIN IT. I mean, magic users must understand magic in order to use it. Right??

Anyway, all this detail sounds overwhelming, but I think it was integrated very smoothly. I really felt like I was in Yenni and Weysh’s world, and I gradually understood enough about both of their upbringings and cultures to truly understand the cultural clash between them. I think in a fantasy novel, with original countries and cultures, this is pretty difficult to do. Nandi Taylor did a fantastic job creating a diverse fantasy world.

But it wasn’t just the masterly portrayed diversity that hooked me on Given. Yenni and Weysh are both likable characters, and their interactions are (at times) so sweet and amusing that you really root for them as a couple. At other times, you want to strangle one (or both) of them. But again, their relationship always feels so real, and it is definitely not insta-love.

So, now to the things I didn’t like. Weysh was my favorite character by far. Although he is impetuous and stubborn, especially at the beginning, he is truly a sweetheart. I thought he was portrayed as an insensitive, arrogant male a bit too much. I understand that Yenni is a strong heroine, but it is important to be empathetic as well as stand up for yourself. It took a very long time for Yenni to even try and put herself in Weysh’s shoes. As a big Weysh fan, this made me resent her a little. I think the feminism in having such a strong heroine may have been taken just a little far. I was glad when she finally came around.

The other issues I had are more minor. Firstly, I would have liked some of Yenni’s friends to have been more developed. Particularly Zui, who seems pretty awesome. Secondly, the direction of the story was a little…..confused? I mean, in Yenni’s mind, her goal was to learn how to heal her father. But I think her relationship with Weysh was the better developed plot line. And the problem with her father’s health was very personal. With Given described as an epic, I kept expecting some end-of-the-world issue to come up. I was ok that it didn’t, just a little surprised. It maybe would have given the book a little more direction. Which brings me to my last point. The ending was so-so. I am not aware of any plans for a sequel, but I assume the ending was left slightly unresolved in order to leave room for one. It’s not a cliffhanger, but it definitely wasn’t full resolution, which is a little disappointing. I am really hoping for a sequel to Given!

Following Good

Because Taylor created her own religions in Given‘s world, all the curse words were made up, which was kind of humorous. The only religious content was fictional polytheism (Yenni and Weysh worship multiple gods). Although there wasn’t explicit sexual content, there was inexplicit sexual content. One of the supporting characters was LGBT.

Rating

I really enjoyed Given, and I would recommend for lovers of fantasy romances and/or diverse fiction. I am very interested in any sequels. So, I’m giving Given four stars.

Crystal Heart: an ARC Review

#YAbooks #YAfantasy #arcreview

• Title: Crystal Heart
• Author: Whitney Morris
• Published: September 22, 2020
• Publisher: BHC Press

Mellissa is a normal girl with a normal life. Or so she thinks until a talking rabbit, sorry, leprechaun changeling, tells her that she is in fact heir to the Elves’ throne and chosen keeper of the Heart Crystal, a powerful magical artifact. If all this wasn’t enough, Mellissa’s role as keeper of the Heart Crystal makes her responsible for keeping the evil, dark leprechaun, Kadon, in his magical prison before he escapes and ends the world. Can Mellissa handle the pressure of her newfound abilities and stop Kadon? Or is the human world about to be invaded by magic?

Note: I was provided a ebook copy of Crystal Heart through LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.

Crystal Heart had a lot of things going for it. First of all, I love the fantasy universe created. Crystal Heart has everything: fairies, leprechauns (yes, some of them are evil, which is sad), nymphs, elves, mermaids, warlocks, and witches. Morris definitely has plenty to work with in any sequels. Obviously, being in this fairy universe was super fun. It is the kind of light, traditional fantasy that not many YA books have anymore, and I enjoyed it a lot. I thought the magic/powers used by the characters were pretty well developed, and I enjoyed watching Mellissa become more confident with her abilities.

I also liked a lot of the characters and their interactions. Mellissa’s relationships with her friends, Matt and Victoria, were cute and engaging. The changeling (read: shapeshifter, not evil fairy baby-stealer) Gregory is Mellissa’s love interest, and their squabbles were adorable. They go from being reluctant acquaintances to friends and maybe something more, and I loved watching this progression. Their relationship felt very real, and was one of the highlights for me.

So, now some of the things I didn’t like as well. Although Mellissa was relatively likable and I enjoyed watching her interact with the other characters, she isn’t a very deep character herself. One of the problems with Crystal Heart is there is a lot of telling rather than showing, and this made Mellissa pretty shallow as a character. The only thoughts I got to hear from her were fairly simplistic and almost childlike. For instance, ‘this is all my fault’ or ‘I’m scared of losing anyone’. In the scenes that should have been fraught with emotion, all I got to see was what was happening, not how Mellissa felt about it. She would have been a much more three-dimensional character if I had known more about what she was thinking, feeling, and seeing, rather than just what she was doing. In some ways, reading Crystal Heart felt more like watching a movie than reading a book. I felt like an observer, not like I was really there.

I think some of this is probably due to Crystal Heart being a debut novel. Similarly, sometimes the speech patterns or conversations came off a little stilted. I hope that in future books, Morris’s work will become more and more engaging. Crystal Heart has a lot of good points and potential, but it is a little unpolished. Aside from that, I wish there had been a little more romance between Greg and Mellissa, but I am hoping it will be developed further in the next book(s). I was also a little disappointed that Crystal Heart was the first in a series (don’t know the name of it) instead of being a standalone. I think it would have made a nice standalone, and I tend to prefer them, personally.

Following Good

Language was minimal. Other than some humorous references (ex. Mellissa’s friend buying her a contraceptive potion), there wasn’t much sexual content. One of the non-human species was described as gender-fluid until they chose a gender for reproductive purposes. Other than that, no LGBT content. No religious content.

Rating

I am giving Crystal Heart three stars. I really liked the fantasy, the humor, and aspects of the characters. I thought the plot was fairly solid, if predictable at times. I just wish there had been a lot more sensory detail in the writing and character depth in the heroine. I am interested if some of this is corrected in any sequels, and I would still recommend for someone looking for a cute, light YA fantasy.