A Court of Silver Flames – A Book Review

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other’s arms.

When the premise of A Court of Silver Flames was initially announced, it stalled me in my tracks. Nesta’s bottled rage and brutal nature seemed senseless to me for a lot of the original trilogy, and I didn’t know how invested I was to read a 600-something-page book all about her. 

In saying that… Sarah J. Maas quickly lured me into this story with her seductive narrative and the exploration of a more fragile Nesta’s, fleshing out some of the insurmountable trauma she’s faced in her time as a fae and as a human girl. Simultaneously, hooking me with winning characterisation and an unexpected redemption arc. (Because when do I not love those?) 

Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin – A Book Review

”We’re natural enemies, Reid. You’ll always be a witch hunter. I’ll always be a witch. And we’ll always bring each other pain.”

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.

When it came out a year ago, Serpent & Dove was a welcome addition to the Fantasy Romance genre for me. I devoured it overnight and was really looking forward to reading this sequel and once again revisiting Reid and Lou’s deliciously angsty and banter filled romance. Unfortunately, the the excitement I had when I picked this book up quickly deflated and was instead replaced with bitter disappointment that can be surmised by this series becoming a trilogy instead of just staying a duology as originally intended.

Beach Read by Emily Henry – A Book Review

Here’s the thing about writing Happily Ever Afters: it helps if you believe in them.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Beach Read, much like it’s name, is not at all what I anticipated it to be. Neither did I anticipate loving this book as hardly as I came too when I read the first couple of chapters. It crept up on me slowly as I became more entwined with January and Gus, much like they become entwined with one another and slowly, fall in love. 

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse – A Book Review

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.

Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel to the rez to unravel clues from ancient legends, trade favors with tricksters, and battle dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.

 

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Magdalena Hoskie’s talents are a little unconventional. An unhealthy amount of bloodlust and years spent under the tutelage of an immortal warrior has taught her how to be hard, fast and merciless. It makes her the perfect warrior to fight ancient monsters – but she doesn’t want to be anybodies hero. In fact, the most interesting part about Trail of Lightning is that she’s struggling to reconcile with the monstrous part of herself. 

House of Blood and Earth By Sarah J. Maas – A Book Review

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

House of Blood and Earth’s pages held a lot of what Sarah J. Maas is known for – femme fatale characters, hot supernatural beings and brooding mythical males. Some people are probably rolling their eyes already, however I think there’s something to be said for writing what you know. And despite a really rough beginning with a lot of info dumping, House of Blood and Earth turned out to be a really charming story, where friendship was at the centre of it all.