Trials of Magic

**

2/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Black Moon Books for giving me this book to review.

Trails of magic is a paranormal book full of magic and sisters who have different personalities and their relationship with each other. However, this book did not capture my attention and I struggled to care about the story. Aurie is responsible, caring and determined to be the best. Pi is reckless, shrewd and more outgoing than her sister. While I can see why people enjoyed Trials of Magic I just did not seem to connect with the story or characters.

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.

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.

Ascendant

**

2/5

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

Ascendant was an interesting if unoriginal story idea which was much darker than I was expecting, the problem I had with this book was that I could not care about the main character Sybelle as she felt lifeless and made decisions which I could never do. I just really struggled with Ascendant and I could not get into it and DNF at 42%.

Dragon's Heart

**

2/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Buoni Amici Press for giving me this book to review.

Dragon’s Heart started really interestingly with forbidden romances and different races, however, by the end I didn’t care about the characters as there was not enough world building and the story didn’t grab me. I was not a fan of Killian or Serena by the end of the book as I felt they made irritating decisions and behaved really inconsistently. I could not get on with this book as I could not connect with the characters.

Tess of the Road

**

2/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for giving me this book to review.

Tess of the Road is a companion novel to Seraphina, but I did not grab me like that book. I think my main problem with this book was that was really slow paced, and it isn’t what I want in an adventure fantasy novel. I like to escape into a book and leave the realistic things in the real world, but this book was not an easy read as it is emotionally draining, which meant this book was more about Tess learning to accept the past and herself and less about having a fun adventure.

Tess is an interesting character and at some points I liked her with her stubbornness but also how emotionally damaged she was, but at other times she seemed so selfish, spiteful and unable to compromise that I just could not connect with her.

While I DNF Tess of the Road at 44% I would still recommend it to those who enjoyed Seraphina but are looking for a book about self-discovery rather than adventure.

Music and the Tree who Loved Her

**

2/5

Thanks to Netgalley and J A Bennett for giving me this book to review.

Music and the Tree Who Loved Her is a fantasy novel with dragons but it did not hold my interest. The book is well written, but it seemed at the expense of world building and character development. The characters did not do much for me as they all seemed a bit bland except maybe Prince Green which might have developed into a well-developed character. This book wasn’t for me and I had to DNF it at 36%.

Our Dark Stars

**

2/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Blaze Publishing for giving me this book to review

Our Dark Stars is an OK sci-fi story which was fun, but it was predictable and not really that unique. Will is reckless and ambitious but also the most complex character as his mock side fights with his human half. Talia in the past was obviously caring and kind but for the majority of the book she acts so privileged and unlikeable. While not a bad book and certainly fun, it didn’t click with me, but I would recommend Our Dark Stars to fans of YA sci-fi novels.

Flame in the Mist

**

2/5

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

Flame in the Mist is an ok fantasy book but it did not hold my interest and I found it forgettable. I didn’t like the romance as it really came across as Stockholm Syndrome as she fell for someone she believes tried to kill her and killed her friends, which is a massive turn off in romances for me. The world building, especially the magic was not explained well at all and even by the end of the story there were lots of unexplained parts.

With Mariko, I wish Ahdieh has shown not told us how smart, resourceful, and observant she is, as I saw hardly any of them qualities in her during this book. The rest of the characters I didn’t really care about them apart from Kenshin, who I understood his motives and his loyalty towards his family.

I was indifferent towards this book which is disappointing as I was looking forward to it.

Wintersong

***

2/5

Thanks to Titan and Goodreads for giving me this book to review.

Wintersong is a OK book, which I think I would have liked it better if I had watched Labyrinth. The first half of the book was fast paced but it slowed down in the second half, however, it was well written.

I did not get on with Leisl as while we are often told how selfless she is, she is actually very whinny, self-centred and jealous. The Goblin King was OK but nothing like I expected him to be, instead of charming and manipulating he is insecure. The romance was unsettling from both Elizabeth and The Goblin King. The Goblin King kidnapping your sister to get you is a big turn off, and Elizabeth pressuring The King for sex all the time was repelling as would we be comfortable and accepting of this behaviour if the genders were switched.

Ultimately, I could not get on with Wintersong and DNF at 75%

The Tower Must Fall

**

2/5

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

The Tower Must Fall had an interesting premise and had lots of fairytales mentioned. However, the story was slow paced and the writing felt a bit jumpy. Marek was easy going, clumsy and naïve but also a dreamer and is dedicated. Eyno was not comfortable in her own skin and was looking for redemption. The Tower Must Fall was an OK book with an interesting story and a lot of unanswered questions.

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%

Blood, Ink & Fire

**

2/5

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

Blood, Ink & Fire is a dystopia novel with a really interesting concept. However, I really struggled with this book for three main reasons; it lacks world building, it pacing as really slow, and uninteresting characters.

Noelle feels like she is different and that she does not fit in anywhere apart from with her best friend John, however, I didn’t care about her or what was happening to her. All of the other characters lacked depth and was not described well, for example I did not realise that John was blind until quite a while after meeting him.

Really interesting story idea but I felt it failed to deliver and I DNF at 25%.

The Alchemists of Loom

**

2 Stars/5

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

The Alchemists of Loom is a steampunk fantasy novel which had the potential to be an interesting and original story but I couldn’t get into it. The book did not explain things very well and was slow paced.

The thing I did not like most about this book is that I did not care about the characters and was not emotionally in what was happening to them. Ari is tough and unlike most main heroines she knows who she is and what she is capable of. Cvareh is mysterious, prideful and loyal. Florence is the nicest of the characters as she is smart and optimistic.

I wanted to like The Alchemists of Loom as I have heard a lot of positive things about Kova’s other series, Air Awakens. However, I could not get on with this book and DNF at 47%.

Rhodi's Light

**

2 Stars/5

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

Rhodi’s Light has an interesting story idea but I found it severely lacked world building. I could not tell if this book was a fantasy or dystopian novel as it had magic and swords but also cars and phones, which made it a confusing read. It also didn’t grab me as I was not at all curious about what was going to happen next.

I felt sorry for Dylan but mostly I didn’t really like her as she was a brat, immature and not at all likeable, I preferred her brother Devin. I didn’t care both of those and their masters Tavana and Talidin, especially Talidin who a day after learning that Dylan and Devin’s parents died in a car crash drives them around fast and very recklessly.

It had potential but I was just too confused with the lack of world building and DNF at 39%.

Azurite

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Megan Dent Nagle or giving this book to review.

Zora has been denied the right to be heir to the Samarian throne by her mother Queen Evangeline. Zora loves her country and the people but she is sent to Cara to be married off, but on the journey she discovers she can wield Ithillium. Will she be able to master her ability in time to save the country she loves from her own mother?

Azurite is a good story idea but I struggled with it, but this may be because I had a lot going on when I was reading it. I found it hard to figure out what was happening and why, and I feel there should not have been as many POVs as there was.

The characters are not the most compelling or complex, as while I felt sorry for Zora and how her mother treated her, I felt that it was too forced. I liked Milo and how his character was not who I was expecting him to be.

I found Azurite hard to get into and I DNF at 48% but I think I struggled with it because I was distracted by the ‘real world’ while reading it and I might want to give it another go sometime.

Dragonfriend

**

2 Stars/5

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

Lia’s life changes forever when the traitor Ra’aba takes over her adoptive fahter’s throne and pushes her of the side of a dragonship. She would have fallen to her death if it hadn’t been for Flicker, a green dragonet who saved her and then treated her wounds. She is desperate to return home so that she can defeat Ra’aba and restore the king to the Onyx throne but what will happen when the dragons find out that she has been recovering on their island?

Dragonfriend is a fantasy novel which started strong but soon got confusing and the pace was slow. I felt that there were too many plot points going on at once and I was unsure what I should be focusing on.

Lia is brave and protective but I didn’t really care about her or what happened to her adoptive family and I was really unsure why she was standing up for her abusive parent. Flicker was a cute character who was fun and adorable but also had a very big ego and could be annoying.

I felt Dragonfriend had potential but I could not get into it and DNF at 42%.

Firebolt

**

2 Stars/5

Elena has been on the run all of her life with her father, even though she has no idea why, that is until a dragon kills her father. She wakes up in a mystical land called Paegeia, and is soon enrolled in a new school where she meets lots of new people, including those who are able to change into dragons. Elena is struggling to learn everything she needs to be able to understand this new world she finds herself in, and with a long thought dead sorcerer back and Elena has to find a way to save her new home.

Firebolt was an OK book which in some points I found entertaining but mostly I found it to be predictable, forgettable and the story didn’t pick up until near the end. It felt too teenage for me and had too much school drama and the relationships, both romantic and non-romantic developed way too quickly.

I felt Elena was very immature for a 16 year old, for example blushing whenever anyone mentioned sex, and gets over the death of her father and arriving in this new world too quickly and I just generally was not a fan of her. However, I did like some of the secondary characters, like her two friends Becky and Sammy. On the other hand the boys irritated me as Lucian was too perfect and his relationship with Elena seems very superficial. Blake was mysterious and a jerk and I do not get why so many people like his character.

I have heard that the following books go downhill and I am not sure I want to carry one with The Dragonian series. 

Tinder Stricken

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Heidi C Vlach for giving me this book to review.

On Tselaya Mountain, all humans transform in to animals as they age. In her forties, Esha is unmarried, alone and is struggling to gather enough money for her retirement before she is more goat than human. When a wild phoenix steals her expensive heirloom, the khukuri knife, she seeks help from Atarangi, a diplomat with speaks with animals. They have to climb the mountains to reach the phoenix’s territory and are hopeful they can convince it to give Esha’s knife back but why would a phoenix want her heirloom?

Tinder Stricken is an OK fantasy with an interesting story concept, with people who turn into animals as they grow older and that eating certain foods can let a person speak another language or to animals. Even though it is a story of self-discovery and not judging others, I struggled getting into it and for a shortish novel it look me a while to read.

Esha has had to struggle for everything is her adult life and she is lonely, but during the story she becomes more accepting with the help of the other characters especially Atarangi. However, I did find it hard to connect with the other characters in this novel.

I really struggled with Tinder Stricken but I have a feeling that had more to with me than this book.

The Demon's Grave

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to E. M. MacCallum for giving me this book to review.

Nora’s life is turned upside down when she and her friends go on a weekend getaway in a remote Victorian house. When they open a door on the third floor, they enter an unfamiliar world called The Demon’s Grave and to escape they must complete 6 nightmarish challenges, but those who fail will never leave. With the demon knowing about her past and her sister, Nora is not sure whether is this is real or all in her mind.

The Demon’s Grave is an OK book but I felt it was too much of a horror novel for me which meant I found it very hard to get into. Nora is a character who is struggling with a lot of issues but like with most of the characters I felt she was underdeveloped. This dark horror story was not for me but I would recommend to fans of this genre.