Evermore

**

2/5

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

Evermore is the sequel to Everless, and while it is fast paced and I wanted to know what happening next, I was disappointed with it. I was not a fan of the romance as it developed way too fast and I ended up rolling my eyes at most of it as it takes up a lot of the story and Jules’s thoughts. I felt the world building was not good as it seemed like everywhere they needed to go was only a couple of hours horse ride away and everything seemed convenient and shallow as they would go from one point to another with no depth or sense of discovery.

Jules is way too impulsive and puts herself in danger almost constantly but she is desperate to find the truth and discover a way to stop Caro. Liam is a good character who is intelligent and has a thirst for knowledge. However, all of the characters, both new and old, felt flat and I didn’t care much about them.

I was underwhelmed by this book but I am hopeful that I will enjoy what Holland writes next. I would recommend Evermore only to those who loved the first book Everless.

Nightblood

***

3/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me this book to review.

Nightblood is the good final book in the Frostblood saga. It has good pacing and I felt it had more world building than the previous books especially as the gods and goddesses feature even more in this book. However, I felt there should be have been a little less romance drama and more story drama.

I was not a fan of Ruby in this book, I know she was not in complete control of her actions but she never helped herself and seemed to be enjoying causing the drama rather than talking to people and trying to mitigate it. Arcus is still serious and feels responsible for everyone but he did come across as very possessive and I can see why people are not a fan of him. I had the opposite problem with Kai, he was too cocky and blasé when they were trying to save the world and too interested in Ruby romantically when everyone should really be focusing on the main issues.

While I did have problems with all of the drama in this book, I still enjoyed it and I am looking forward to reading what Blake writes next. I would recommend Nightblood to fans of the first two books in the Frostblood Saga.

Sea of Strangers

**

2/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me this book to review.

I struggled to connect with Sea of Strangers, despite me enjoying the first book Island of Exiles. This book is a dark fantasy world which has complex cultures and lots of diversity, however, it is very slow paced. I might not have liked this book as much is it has been a while since I have read Island of Exiles and I had trouble remembering what had happened and who everyone was.

Khya seems to have become a natural leader and I have always been a fan of Tessen, so these two were the highlight of the book.

Unfortunately, I just didn’t click with Sea of Strangers but I seem to be in the minority so if you enjoyed the first book, I would recommend you read this sequel.

The Last Namsara

***

3/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me this book to review.

The Last Namsara is an enjoyable fantasy novel with dragons, action and forbidden romance. This world was complex and the story had a unique twist I did not see coming.

Asha is fearless but is also carrying around a lot of guilt and wants to prove that she is not wicked like people think. I much preferred Torwin, compared to Asha as he fights for what he wants, sees the true value of things and does not give up. However, while I like both Asha and Torwin, I was not a fan of their romance, as there was too bigger difference in the power within the relationship and I could not understand why he liked her. The other characters could have had more development as I felt I didn’t know them that well and I hope we get to know them better in the next book.

While it was not perfect it was a good debut book and I am looking forward to reading the next book The Caged Queen. I would recommend The Last Namsara to fans of The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski and Dragon Trails by Ava Richardson.

Hero at the Fall

****

4/5

Hero at the Fall is the really good final book in the Rebel of the Sands Trilogy, which is action packed and fast paced. This book has a lot of twists and I really enjoyed the world building. I love the relationships in this book, but especially the platonic friendships as they were really well written. There are a few deaths in this book but there was one which really got me as I loved that character.

Amani has matured a lot since the first book but she still doesn’t believe she is a good leader as she doubts herself and is always listening to the negative thoughts in her head. Jin was a bit better in this book as he doesn’t flee at the first sign of trouble but he does come across as jealous and aggressive when it comes to Amani but with a couple of chapters set from his POV I did understand him a bit more. All of the other characters were brilliant, even those who are the bad guys, as everyone felt like a real person with their own motivations and beliefs.

The ending of this book was brilliant and it was good seeing what happened to the characters in the future. I would recommend Hero at the Fall to fans of the first two books in the trilogy, Rebel of the Sands and Traitor to the Throne.

Traitor of the Throne

***

3/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for giving me this book to review.

Traitor to the Throne is the enjoyable second book in the Rebel of the Sands trilogy but I did not like it as much as the first book. The main problem I had was that a important story point happened between the two books and it was key to so many of the characters motivations, that it would have been so useful to have included it in a prologue so people know what happened. This book is more political than the previous book but it was still good as we get to see more of the Sultan and how he truly believes he is what is best for his country.

Amani is still brave and sassy but she is not as impulsive or selfish as she was before because she thinks more about her actions and how they affect not just her but those she cares about. Jin is hardly in this book which was disappointing as I don’t like the troupe of separating couples in the second book to add drama. The characters from the first book are back but I loved the new characters as they add something new to the story but especially Sam as he is cheeky and charming.

While not as good as the first book I still really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading Hero at the Fall. I would recommend Traitor to the Throne to fans of the first book, Rebel of the Sands.