Cogling

***

3/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Curiosity Quills Press for giving me this book to review.

Cogling is fast paced and each chapter ended on a small cliff-hanger which made me want to read just a bit more. This book had action, romance and adventure but it is also predictable and need more world building. However, the tone changed about two thirds way through the book as while it is a YA book it became more adult in its violence and romance.

Edna is kind, caring and naïve but also courageous and stubborn. Ike is secretive, resourceful and charming. There are a few secondary characters like Harrison, Rachel and Hilda.

I found the ending rushed and I would recommend Cogling to fans of YA steampunk books.

Demon Princess

***

3/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Weapenry Co-Op for giving me this book to review.

I liked Demon Princess as it was an easy fun read and straight forward if a bit forgettable. I liked that there was not cliché love triangle as there could have been. This book needs more world building and the timeline should be clearer as it felt like days had passed not months. Characters needed to be more fleshed out so we got to know them better, especially Adriana’s brother and father.

Adriana is spoiled and sheltered, but also intelligent, observant and full of willpower. Keldrin is a kind and caring good guy who is considerate and helpful. Aldric is mean snivelling and ambitious to the extent that he does not care who he hurts.

I enjoyed Demon Princess and would recommend it to fans of Cassandra Clare.

Into the Storm

***

3/5

Thanks to Shelby K Morrison for giving me this book to review.

Into the Storm is the enjoyable third book in the Legend of the Liberator series. It was well written and had a good story but it did not grab me as much as the first book. I’m glad that the romance that has been hinted at for the first 2 books has finally happened but I felt it was full of angst and really showed the characters age.

Aia makes so many mistakes in this book as she lets others push her around and she does not turn to or rely on the people closest to her who she trusts. Cole feels useless and not able to be helpful and I was not a fan of his jealousy. Elle was an interesting new character and I liked how her feelings were conflicted and I understood her anger.

This book ends on a cliff-hanger and I am looking forward to reading the next book. I would recommend Into the Storm to fans of the first two books in this series, From the Ashes and Among the Flames.

Smells like Weeia Spirit

***

3/5

Thanks to Elle Boca for giving me this book to review.

Smells like Weeia Spirit is a fun paranormal crime series with a bit of romance and action. This book was fairly predictable apart from one incident which truly surprised me and it was brave and unexpected from Elle to do this.

Danni is dedicated, intelligent and she is finally getting a hang of living in Paris and being ignored by her boss. Sebastian is the same as ever handsome and loyal, and Iaen is the perfect balance to Danni and they are a really good couple.

I am enjoying this series and am looking forward to reading more of Danni’s adventures in Paris. I would recommend Smells like Weeia Spirit to fans of the first 2 Weeia Marshals books and those who enjoyed the Weeia series.

Child of the Empire

***

3/5

Thanks to Michaelbrent Collings for giving me this book to review.

Child of the Empire is a very enjoyable fantasy novel which has a slight steampunk feel to it. Even though the main protagonist is a teenager this book can easily be read by adults as it is not full of angst. This book has lots of twists but the first half of the book has more world building and the second half is more action packed.

Sword wants to feel like she belongs, but she is also naïve and trusting. There are a lot of other character in this book including kind Garden, protective Armour, surly Arrow, enigmatic Wind and Cloud, and secretive Devar. The bad guys were a bit too evil for me, as I prefer when I can understand their motives rather than them being evil for evils sake.

The ending was a bit rushed but I am looking forward to reading the next book Child of Sorrows. I would recommend Child of the Empire to fans of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

The Vale of Ghosts

**

2/5

Thanks to Jeffrey Aaron Miller for giving me this book to review.

The Vale of Ghosts is an OK book but did not capture me and was slow paced. Ann is curious and reckless but is also is likeable and relatable. This book is not bad and I hope sometime to come back to The Vale of Ghosts as I think my feeling of this book had more to do with what was going on in my life than the book but I DNF at 35%

The Boy with Words

***

3/5

Thanks to C. E. Wilson for giving me this book to review.

The Boys with Words is an enjoyable book with plot twists, especially one major one near the beginning, and mystery. The romance was sweet but I did not enjoy it that much as it was not practical and I was not a fan of how it ended. There was a lot of missing plot points and unanswered questions such as with shade and the dictatorship.

White is inquisitive and stubborn but also can be distant and got frustrated easily. Kes is accepting, nice and rational but he is not very tactful and over protective. Would have liked to learn more about Salt, Pepper and Shade as I felt their stories had unanswered questions.

I felt that the ending was too open-ended and I would have liked it concluded a bit more fully. I would recommend The Boy with Words to fans of C. E. Wilson’s other books.

Briette

***

3/5

Briette is the fourth book in The Nine Princesses Novella series and is the darkest of them so far. I struggled to get into it at the beginning mainly because me and Briette are totally different people. This book had lots of twists but I did miss the romance in this book, but then again it wouldn’t have fitted Briette’s character. I was surprised that the thief story line was not mentioned in this book. Briette is a rational character, who is calculating, logical and a perfectionist. I am looking forward to the next book about Lacey and I would recommend Briette to fans of The Nine Prinesses series.

One Wish Away

***

3/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Weapenry Co-Op for giving me this book to review.

One Wish Away is an enjoyable and fast paced paranormal book. While some parts of the book were light, I found it was much darker than I was expected. I found this story very predictable especially as most of the story twists where mentioned in the synopsis.

Marielle struggles with trust issues and has a fear of abandonment and because of this she can be emotionally distant, but she is also selfless and kind. Faris is cocky, sensitive and emotional but he is a bit too protective and it is almost creepy.

This is an enjoyable book and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I would recommend One Wish Away to fans of YA paranormal romance novels like Smokeless Fire by Samantha Young.

Edenhart's Rivalry

***

3/5

Thanks to J N Tomczak for giving me this book to review.

Edenhart’s Rivalry is an enjoyable book which typical fantasy elements with a battle against evil, destiny and mythical creatures. It is a book two halves, one in Edenhart and the other in Rimscour. It is slow paced but is very descriptive and had a plot twist in the middle of the book that I was not expecting.

I really struggled to connect with Aurora at the start as she seemed to be more worried about people’s expectations than being a good leader to her people but she grew more confident and became a stronger person. There are a lot of other characters which I really liked including supportive and stubborn Percy, wise Mitas, caring Red and mysterious Tristan.

I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the next book in the series The Great Siege. I would recommend Edenhart’s rivalry to fans of YA fantasy books.