5/5 Stars: Nettle & Bone

This was my first encounter with T. Kingfisher, and it certainly opened the floodgates! After enjoying this book so much, I quickly dove into several others by her. The premise of a “chicken possessed by a demon” immediately hooked me, and I couldn’t resist picking it up.

“How did you get a demon in your chicken?”
“The usual way. Couldn’t put it in the rooster. That’s how you get basilisks.”

I was not disappointed at all.

T. Kingfisher has a unique talent for crafting vibrant worlds that come alive on the page. Her characters are equally memorable. Take Bonedog, for instance—if you’ve read the book, you know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t, I urge you to dive in! It was genuinely a pleasure to read, and I don’t often say that.

The story centers around Marra, the third-born daughter on a quest to rescue her sister, who has been married off to a truly terrible person. The first-born sister was married to the same prince, and let’s just say things didn’t go well for her. Marra’s journey is filled with twists and turns, and she encounters a Dust Wife along the way (no spoilers here, but trust me, that’s when things get really intriguing).

I’m thrilled that I discovered T. Kingfisher’s work. You can expect to see more reviews from me in the coming months, as I’m eager to share my thoughts on her other captivating stories. Each one has been a delight, and I’m excited to explore even more of her imaginative worlds.

5/5 stars

4/5 Stars: The Wicked King

This is my first full read of 2024 – there were a bunch of DNF books on my list, which I’ll write about a bit later, but this is the first one I just couldn’t put down.

This is the second book in the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, and I was absolutely ready to continue the story of Jude, and her family. The book moved away from some of the teenage drama that we saw in the first (I was personally glad to see this) and into more politics – which I personally found refreshing.

This is one of those rare books where I couldn’t actually tell you what I thought the twists and turns of the plot would be or where they would end up – which is probably why I found it so fascinating, it has been a long time since a book enticed me in quite that way. Jude has done some growing up – she’s stronger, but she maintains her sense of loyalty at the same time.

Make sure you read the first book to the series before this one, they don’t work as stand alone books and brace your heart.

4/5 stars

4.5/5 Stars: The Cruel Prince

This one caught me by surprise. I know it released back in 2018, but I had obviously been living under a rock and hadn’t heard about it. While browsing a book outlet store I stumbled into it, saw a few friends had read it (and they had positive reviews) so I decided to give it a whirl. It did take me a bit to get into, the setting felt a bit young for me personally (they’re a bunch of kids at school, there’s some bullying going on, everyone sort of rubbed me the wrong way – but I pushed through this).

The writing is fantastic. Holly Black easily pulled me into her world, and I enjoyed every second of it. I appreciated the darker / more sinister side of the fairy tale realm where it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. I did have a difficult time connecting with the protagonist at the start (Jude) but by the end of the book I felt like I understood her better, and could see her growth as a character enough that I purchased the rest of the trilogy.

A few TW for the book would have been appreciated, as it does deal with some heavy subjects such as murder, sexual abuse, suicide, physical abuse.

I’ve always been a fan of political intrigue in my fantasy books, and I feel like Holly Black did a great job with this one. Highly recommended.

4.5/5 stars

5/5 Star Review: Bookshops & Bonedust

I enjoyed reading Legends & Lattes, but I found the writing in this book had a much better flow, and it was easier for me to fall into the story. There’s a bit of romance, a little action, and of course who can forget Satchel. I’m obviously biased because the entire story takes place around books and a bookshop and everything about it just speaks to me on a personal level.

It’s such a pleasure to read these comfy cozy fantasy books. If I need a break from some heavier reads, Travis Baldree is an author I would absolutely lean towards. It may not be for everyone, you have to enjoy those light fluffy reads but I think if you go in not expecting too much, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

5/5 stars

5/5 Stars: Cassiel’s Servant, by Jacqueline Carey

As soon as I found out Jacqueline Carey would be returning to the world of Terre d’Ange, and this time from the perspective of Joscelin – I knew I was going to buy the book, and I was pretty confident that it would be a 5 star rating from me.

Even though many (many) years have gone by since I read Kushiel’s Dart, I was instantly brought right back, and I loved every second. I felt the story worked as a stand alone for those who were maybe not familiar with the story, but since it had been so long since I read the books, it also worked fantastic for me. If you are a newcomer to the series, I do suggest you pick up Kushiel’s Dart (if you enjoyed Cassiel’s Servant) so you can get acquainted with Phedre, as my rose coloured glasses consider that single book her best work.

I (as always) read it too quickly, even though I tried to savor it. Jacqueline Carey is a talented author who can write in numerous genres, but the ones that involve the Kushiel universe are some of her best (in my opinion).

5/5

5/5 Stars: The Ivory Tomb, by Melissa Caruso

Wow. What a fantastic end to this trilogy.

I was a huge fan of the first two books, and the third did not fail to disappoint. It’s an epic fantasy tale with lots of tropes, but I didn’t mind them in the least, the author used them well. We learn more about the Dark Days, and watch the development of the relationship between Ryx and Severin. There’s a lot of action, the book was over before I knew it.

Highly recommended, I enjoyed them so much that I’ll be looking into other books that Melissa has written, if they’re anything like these then they’re sure to be winners.

5/5 stars

5/5 Stars: The Quicksilver Court, by Melissa Caruso

This is the 2nd book in a trilogy that follows Ryxander and the Rookery through an incredible adventure. Demons are walking the world, and Ryx and the Rookery have to come up with a plan to get everything under control.

I don’t want to give heavy spoilers, but WOW I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!

This book was fantastic. I was so excited to read it, and I’m incredibly pleased that the 3rd one is already out and I’ve already started reading that one immediately after because I had to know. The reader learns a great deal about Ryx, there’s some fantastic character development, and I love Melissa’s take on demons.

Melissa is a wordsmith, and her books are easy to read, but her characters are complex and that’s probably one of the things I like most about them. Yes, there are tropes, but the writing is so well done that I had no issues with them. Well done, another fantastic epic fantasy read.

5/5 stars

5/5 Stars: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Oh goodness. What can I say about this book.

The world has been all but destroyed, and the people who are left are dumped into an enormous survival style game that is being broadcast for aliens. Carl and his cat (Donut, also known as GC, BWR, NW Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk) are two of the characters trapped in this new ‘game’ and the key is survival.

I loved everything about this book – but it is quite over the top with violence, which might not appeal to everyone. The thing is, it’s SO over the top, that you can easily liken it to a video game, and it makes you feel a little bit better. As you get to the end of this first book you suddenly realize just how in-depth the story actually is, and yes, I most certainly will be reading the second one. Highly recommended, this is the book that I never knew I wanted to read.

5/5 stars

5/5 Stars: Sylvanas, by Christie Golden

I’m a huge World of Warcraft fan, but I’ve never taken the time to get into the lore on a deeper level before, and I have not read any of the prior books. Since I had knowledge of lore through the game, that wasn’t such a big deal.

I absolutely loved this book. I have to admit, I’m a pretty big Sylvanas fangirl, and Christie Golden did an amazing job with bringing this character to life and making her (dare I say) human. It didn’t let her (Sylvanas) off the hook for anything, but I left with a new understanding and appreciation. My only issue with it is that the first 75% of the book is beautiful, painful, and reads as a detailed biography, but the remaining 25% where it gets back into the video game happenings read different, and it was a bit jarring and noticeable. I didn’t enjoy the later half of the book nearly as much.

Still, I’m incredibly glad I picked it up and certainly look forward to reading more of the Warcraft world in the future.

5/5 stars

4/5 Stars: Legends & Lattes, by Travis Baldree

I picked up this book back in March on the recommendation of a friend, and I’m so glad I did. I didn’t intend on binge reading, but it was fantastic and exactly what I was looking for at the end of the day. The book had just enough action to keep me turning pages, and at a time where stress is everywhere, I felt like I could let go and relax a bit into Travis’ world. For a debut novel, Travis hit it out of the park, and I can’t wait to see where this takes him next.

We follow the story of Viv, an orc barbarian, who is trying to give up her heated battle forged ways and open a coffee shop. She (of course) comes up against trials and tribulations, and makes (and loses) some friends along the way. If you’re a fan of high fantasy worlds but want to see a lighter side, I highly recommend giving it a read.

4/5 Stars