The Song Rising

***

3/5

The Song Rising is the enjoyable third book in the Bone Season series. It was slower paced and I felt less was going on in the first half of the book but it did really pick up near the end where I didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed the adventure, twists, political manoeuvring, and romance that was in this book. One thing this book did better than the previous two was the world building as it was so much better as we got to see more of the UK and hear about the difficulties faced in other countries.

Paige is such a great character as we the reader really feel the tremendous stress she is under with her new responsibilities as Underqueen and the odds of her winning this battle ever decreasing. She is also a good character we feel her belief that she is a failure, and willingness to do whatever she can for her people. There are so many side characters in this series, from Warden to Nick, Eliza and Maria, with so many more in-between, and I believe that there will be more interesting characters to come in the future. I really like the character of Jaxon as he is a really complex and interesting personality.

I really enjoyed the ending of this book and with the story going in a direction I was not expecting I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book. I would recommend The Song Rising to fans of the first two books in this series, The Bone Season and The Mime Order.

Successor's Promise

****

4/5

Successor’s Promise is the very good third book in the Millennium’s Rule series but I felt it was not as engaging as the first two novels. However, it was amazingly written with brilliant world building. It had action, political intrigue, romance and magic. On the other hand, I felt like that the structure of the first two books didn’t work this well in this one as Rielle and Tyen interacted more and their stories were so interlaced that I just wanted to know what the other person was doing or thinking.

I understand the conflict Tyen felt in this book but I did wish he would either pick a side or talk about his problems with someone rather than constantly beat himself up. Rielle has grown so much more in confidence in this book but this means she has become less trusting and more protective. Qall was not my favourite character as for the first half of the book he stubbornly did not seem to understand how seriousness of the situation he was in, but he was also a bit mysterious as he was the only character that we could not see his thoughts or feelings.

While this book was not my favourite in the Millennium’s Rule series I did enjoy it, and am looking forward to reading the final book, Maker’s Curse. I would recommend Successor’s Promise to fans of the first two books in this series or other works by Trudi Canavan. 

Invictus

****

4/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Children’s Group for giving me this book to review.

Invictus is a very enjoyable YA sci-fi novel which is similar to firefly if it had time travel. It is full of action, adventure, mystery and romances which did not take over the plot. This book is jam-packed with twists and turns and I did not expect the revelation about Eliot at all. I love all of the crew as, while Far is the main character, they all contribute massively to the tone and plot of the story.

Far is confident, sassy and daring but is very protecting and caring of his crew. The three other members of the crew are Gram, who is logical, quiet and intelligent, Imogen, who is fun and sweet, and Priya, who is passionate and resourceful. Eliot is such a mystery as we are not sure if she is trustworthy or not but it is clear that she is hurting.

I really liked this book and am planning on reading more books by Graudin, especially if they are as good as this one. I would recommend Invictus to fans of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and St Mary’s Chronicles by Jodi Taylor.

The River Witch

****

4/5

Thanks to Helena Rookwood for giving me this book to review.

The River Witch is a very enjoyable fantasy novel set in the distant future. It is fast paced and an easy read but it was a bit slow to start and find its story. It has adventure and a story full of mystery which I hope we discover more about in future books. It has a hint of upcoming romance but it could also develop into a good friendship and I am looking forward to finding out.

Tabitha is naïve as she trusts everyone and wants a life full of adventure and magic like the stories her mother told her. Lysander is my favourite as he is conflicted and, unlike Tabitha, mysterious as we do not know much about his past and what his real motives are. I also liked the water sprites Ani, Corida and Bellat as they were childish, excitable and impulsive.

This book is the start of a 13-book series and I am looking forward to reading them, especially the next book The Iron Court. I would recommend The River Witch to those who like the sound of a fantasy novel set in the unique setting of future Britain.

Season of Wind

****

4/5

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

Season of Wind is the second book in the Clockwork Gods Chronicles and I really enjoyed it. It was very fast paced, and full of action and deception. While I guessed the main plot twist it was still a fun light book and I enjoyed reading about all of the characters.

Janet is determined to protect her friends and save Silvia but also feels way over her head as she gets more involved in the Gods war. I wish Itazura was in this book more as he was my favourite character from the first book and the story seemed to be lacking something with him not in it. However, the other gods made up for it was I really liked the bander and family feeling between Laetatia, Meroquio, and Kova.

This is a very fun story and I am looking forward to reading the next book in The Clockwork Gods Chronicles. I would recommend Season of Wind to fans of the first book Hour of Mischief.