Heart of Fire

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Heart of Fire is a 2020 young adult science fiction novel by Jessica Roe. It was self-published by the author and released in March 2020. The novel can be purchased from Amazon here.

The novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and follows a teenager named Talin. A year prior to the start of the novel, aliens, the Jhenn, invaded Earth and killed two thirds of the population. The day of the invasion Talin developed a strange power that makes her a threat to the hostile force. After she and her friend Nat are attacked, Talin is taken by the resistance and offered the chance to fight. While facing new enemies and meeting new allies, Talin begins to learn new things about herself, her heart and her powers which may change the course of the war.

Talin is the main character of the story. While I liked her character overall, because she was feisty, she asked a lot of questions and didn't let people walked all over her, sometimes, she could be a bit too much. There were a few scenes where comments she made were supposed to be funny, but they didn't really work and I found it more annoying than anything else. While she got on my nerves at times, I enjoyed her overall journey as she joined the resistance and learned how to become a warrior. Nat, Talin's best friend, can be described almost in the exact same way as Talin can. She's a little less confrontational and their strong friendship helped bring a sense of realism to the story, but there's not a lot I can really say about Nat. Upon being taken by the resistance, Talin meets both David and Makail. David is a human soldier who becomes a friend of Talin's, while Makail is a member of the Vorstoffen, an alien race from the same planet as the Jhenn who are helping the humans mount a resistance. Makail begins as Talin's trainer as she learns to use and control her powers and is rather cold and no-nonsense when first introduced. This novel doesn't have a "main" antagonist, as the Jhenn collectively are the enemy, but the closest thing to a "bad guy" seen in this book is the Jhenn Uren who attacks Talin early in the story and shows up again at the climax.

One thing that I enjoyed about this book is that it's not mainly about the war against the Jhenn. The war is an underecurrent with all of the events that are taking place, but it's not the main focus of the story. The focus is instead on Talin, her learning to control her powers and life within the resistance. Some of this is done to develop the romance in the story, but it was refreshing to read a book about an alien invasion that focused less on the battles themselves. I also appreciated this because the reader got to see Talin fail. She had to struggle, she had to learn and adapt. I don't like books where a character learns how to sword-fight in three pages or masters a power in a single chapter. The character dynamics that develop between Talin and some less-than-friendly members of the resistance are also great. The fact that there were a number of people who didn't fully trust Talin because of her powers, who didn't like her, while still being on the same side as her was unexpected and I liked it. I also enjoyed the fact that, while the Jhenn are the main antagonists, they weren't working alone. Other humans were helping them. A lot of alien invasion stories don't show humanity itself being divided about the invaders. Last, but not least, Talin's powers were unique. Some Vorstoffen characters had abilities that were a little more standard for science fiction or fantasy, but her powers and the way they were displayed  were used creatively in the story.

This novel is very character-driven, and as a result, there isn't a lot of plot taking place. I liked see characters grow closer and improve as people, but as a result, the pacing is a bit weird. Like many character-driven stories, there is a fast-paced beginning, a slow middle and a fast-paced end. While this isn't my favorite type of pacing, it worked for this story. A big part of this story is the romance, and budding love triangle between Talin, David and Makail. I don't really like love triangles, however it doesn't actually become a love triangle because one character realizes the relationship wouldn't work. If this becomes a series, I hope it stays that way. I also felt like the romance itself was kind of predictable. I'm not mad about it, but it felt worth mentioning. My final and my biggest issue with this book has to do with the climax. This novel does discuss and depict torture, but it's not unnecessarily graphic. My problem is that the physical torture turns into threats of sexual assault and I have a problem when sexual assault is made into a plot device. It makes me very uncomfortable and as a result, I lost some of the enjoyment I had while reading.

 Heart of Fire is a pretty good book. It's a quick read with a lot of good character moments and a unique story to tell. The journey that the characters go on over the course of the story is both engaging and at time exciting. It's a great character-driven science fiction story. The romance wasn't to my taste, but I'm not a romance person. I struggled with the pacing and a few tropes/plot devices used in the climax. On the whole, however, Id' recommend the book to young sci-fi fans. I hope this author continues the series, as there's clearly a lot more story to tell.

Rating: 3.3 Stars

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Sea Witch

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Sea Witch is a 2018 young adult fantasy novel by Sarah Henning. It’s the first book in the Sea Witch series. The novel is a retelling of The Little Mermaid. It can be purchased here from Amazon or here from Bookshop.org

The novel follows a teenager named Evie, an outcast in her small fishing town. Since the death of her best friend Anna, she’s been overcome by guilt. After her other friend, Crown Prince Niklas, nearly drowns, she spots a girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appear on the shore. The girls befriend one another, but her new friend harbors secrets of her own. In order to help her new friend stay, Evie must make a sacrifice and the price is higher than she ever could’ve imagined.

The novel has four characters worth discussing: Evie, Niklas, Annamette, the girl Evie meets early on in the story who reminds her of Anna, and Iker, Niklas’s cousin. Evie is the main character and narrator. She begins the story as an outcast in her village, both because she’s seen as unworthly of Nik’s friendship, since she’s a fisherman’s daughter, and because many blame her for Anna’s death by drowning a few years before the story starts. She also hides the fact that she’s a witch from the unaccepting town. Her arc is about finding her place in the village and coming to terms with Anna’s death. Annamette is the mysterious stranger who comes to the village, looking remarkably like Anna, with a secret. Her characterization, unfortunately, wasn’t consistent throughout the novel. The way she’s written for the first half to two-thirds of the book doesn’t make sense with the way she’s written in the last third. There was potential for the two very different sides of her to work, but the character the reader is first introduced to isn’t given enough depth or nuance to make such a change work well. Niklas and Iker are the love interests for Annamette and Evie respectively. I can’t really say much about either of them, because they are pretty much the same character, with Iker being slightly more skeptical of Annamette and her story. While I did enjoy these characters, I wouldn’t say that this book has especially strong characters or character work.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style. She did an excellent job of setting a scene and keeping my attention focused on what was happening. The story itself feels very atmospheric and during the course of reading, I could see how deeply infused the sea was within the story. The inclusion of so much from Danish history was appreciated and gave the story a feeling of being more grounded in reality. I chose to read this book because I wanted to read a book about mermaids, and this book delivered. I enjoyed the mermaids, the magic and how it all fit together in the narrative. The conclusion was by far my favorite part of the novel. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the overall pacing of this book, the ending really tied all of the elements together and fulfilled what the author set out to create with this story. As mentioned above, this novel is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but this isn’t Ariel’s story, it’s Ursula’s. Henning did a spectacular job of creating a compelling and believable villain origin story. Also, and this one is the least important aspect of this review, the cover art is gorgeous and I want to see more by this artist.

While I enjoyed the writing itself and the ending of the novel, there are a few criticisms that I have. My biggest issue with this book is the pacing. The plot moves incredibly slowly for the first two-thirds. There’s a lot of focus on the culture and traditions of Evie’s village and discussing maritime practices, which wasn’t very interesting to me and I ended up skimming those parts to get back to the main plot. There are flashbacks to Anna’s death, spread throughout the book, focusing on a few different characters and their actions on that day. While I don’t have an issue with flashbacks, some of them felt unnecessary. The last criticism I have is in regards to foreshadowing. The novel’s antagonist isn’t shown to have ulterior motives or even that they can’t be trusted until very close to the end of the story. If there had been some suspicious behavior, or moments that stuck with me as odd, then the reveal would’ve worked better. As it stands, the antagonist’s goal, when compared to their actions before the “big reveal”, don’t fit together the way that they should. As a result, the plot overall isn’t as coherent as it could’ve been.

Sea Witch was not quite the book I was expecting it to be. I enjoyed the magic and the writing itself, but the pacing and some of the characterization didn’t quite work for me. As a villain origin story, this is good one, not great, but not terrible. The conclusion is by far the strongest part of the novel overall, and I wish the author had taken more risks earlier on to match the excitement of the climax. I haven’t decided if I will read the second book in the series yet. If anyone is thinking of reading this novel, I would recommend it, but caution that it’s not quite the story they think it is.

Rating: 3.4 Stars

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Before The Broken Star

Before the Broken Star is a 2019 young adult science fiction novel by Emily R. King. The novel was published by Skyscape and is the first book in The Evermore Chronicles. The novel is a fusion of steampunk and fantasy.

Before the Broken Star follows Everley Donovan, the sole survivor of her family's slaughter. She's been living on borrowed time due to a clockwork heart and seeks to avenge her family by killing Killian Markham, her family's murderer, before her time runs out. Her quest for vengeance leads her to a penal colony on the far side of the world. On the island, family secrets are buried and Everley finds her destiny is entangled with Markham's redemption, as the man may not be who he seems.

This book was somewhat of a mixed bag for me. I love a good revenge story and the ideas mentioned in the blurb were intriguing. This book references folk lore and in-universe myths frequently, and I enjoyed reading those myths and stories. There's an idea of there being seven distinct worlds and reading the snippets about each world was interesting to me. The science enthusiast in me enjoyed the steampunk parts of the story, mainly focused on Everley's artificial heart. I enjoyed piecing together the truth about what happened to Everley's family.  Descriptions of the environment really captured my imagination and I liked reading about the land and wonder of the island Everley wound up on. The action scenes were also somewhat enjoyable. King created a very interesting "hook" for the second novel in the series.

While I enjoyed the aspects mentioned above, if I were to make a pro-con list about this novel, there would be more cons than pros. The characterization is fairly inconsistent. This applies to everyone from Everley herself, to Jamison, the man she's forced to marry, to Markham, the villain of the story. People's behaviors and motives seemed to change at the drop of a hat.  None of the characters are relatable or easy for the reader to connect with. Very little in the story surprised me, because it's hard for someone to act "out of character" when they don't have consistent characterization. The plot of the novel is rather weak. Characters move from one plot point to another solely as the result of someone saying they need to do a certain thing or go to a certain place. Aside from Markham, none of the characters seem to have any agency. The revenge story itself gets sidelined for quite a bit in place of a generic quest.

The two biggest flaws with Before the Broken Star are pacing and the inability to build tension. The pacing for this novel is kind of all over the place. Everley sailing to the island seems to take up just as much of the book as the quest she's forced to go on with Markham. The journey itself doesn't seem to have any kind of urgency involved in it and it feels like it takes ages for anything exciting or important to the plot to happen. Some key revelations in the story take place too early to be satisfying. Later in the story, those same revelations could've been okay plot twists, but they happened too early and didn't really add anything to the story at that point. The ending also felt weird and contrived, with a last minute "gotcha" moment to set up the second book. As for stakes, there was a chance to make the ending of this novel very high-stakes. The reader is told very early on that Everley's heart will give out eventually and could give out at any moment. Unfortunately, the author didn't use this set-up as an opportunity to raise the stakes within the story, so the fact that Everley's heart could give out seemed like a missed opportunity and bringing so much attention to it felt odd. This book felt a lot like a novel that wasn't sure what it was supposed to be.

Before the Broken Star didn't really impress me. The ideas were there and the author had plenty of opportunity to create an interesting story, but failed to deliver. The novel suffered from poor pacing and not really knowing what it wanted to be about. The author has a very unique style and knows how to create a scene, but struggles to weave together a compelling plot. I don't think I'll be reading the second novel in the series.

Rating: 1.5 Stars

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The Unblessed Child

The Unblessed Child is a 2020 young adult fantasy novel by R.J. Kaldanis. It was self-published by the author in February of 2020. It is the author’s debut novel and the first book in The Blessed Chronicles. I was provided with an advanced copy of the novel by Netgalley for review purposes.

The novel takes place in a world where there are two types of people, the blessed, who can wield one of the four elements, and the unblessed, who cannot. The novel follows Aardriyah, an unblessed girl who has been raised to believe she’s unwanted and unimportant, compared to her siblings. Shortly before she turns 19, she begins having strange, vivid nightmares of beasts and worlds beyond what anyone could imagine. She soon finds herself being hunted by a mysterious figure with powers she’s never seen before. To uncover the truth about her dreams, Aardriyah goes on a journey that will change not only herself, but has implications for the world at large.

The Unblessed Child has a whole cast of characters, but there are only about four or five that I feel are so vital that I need to mention in this review. First, Aardriyah, our main character. She’s had to learn to be strong and self-sufficient after being looked down on her whole life for being unblessed and having red-hair, which is hated by the citizens of the island where she was raised. Then, there’s Chastion, her older brother who was adopted into the royal family because he was an exceptionally strong water blessed child and the queens needed an heir. Chastion was once Aardriyah’s lovable older brother, but years apart have made him into an entitled and arrogant man who she loathes more often than not. When Aardriyah begins to have these strange dreams, Teme, an old man in the village, seems to have an idea as to why and help her along her journey. While he claims to want to help, it’s clear that he’s got a few secrets that he’s keeping from her. On her journey, Aardriyah meets Rachida, a fire blessed, who she befriends. Rachida was my favorite character because she was funny and sassy and it was nice to have a little bit of a break from serious moments for a bit. Lastly, there is Princess Kibo, another child who was adopted by the queens of the water blessed. While helping Aardriyah, the reader isn’t able to get much of a feel for who Kibo is, because her motivations aren’t really explained and very little of her true personality is shown. Unlike most novels, I can’t really say that this book has a main antagonist.

Since this novel was the first book in a series, there was a great deal of world-building that had to be included in the story. Kaldanis needed to show the reader what this world was, how it worked, how the powers of the blessed worked and why things are the way that they are in terms of political power and social constructs. In my opinion, she did an excellent job of that without making it seemed forced or like an exposition dump. I also enjoyed the magic system and the way that it was explained, with society being categorized based on the elemental magic and the division between each caste. The magic system has a lot of potential that I hope to see in future books in the series. The writing also really surprised me. It felt natural and fluid and it didn’t feel like this was a debut novel. The writing style wasn’t overly flowery or descriptive and that helped me follow the story easily, as opposed to getting lost in the depictions of the world the story took place in.

While I enjoyed elements of this novel, there were a few things that took away from my enjoyment. One was that Aardriyah lost nearly all her agency once the plot truly kicked off. Prior to her having to leave her home, she’s shown to be strong and frustratingly stubborn, but once she’s told she has to leave, without being told why, she goes along with it. She does what she’s told, out of character, with a minimal amount of fighting back or arguing. I found it annoying as well that she kept circling back to resenting her brother, even when there were much bigger and more important things she needed to worry about. Another thing that annoyed me was the fact that Teme very obviously knew exactly what was happening and who was after Aardriyah but didn’t share that information until near the very end of the story. Others tried to get him to reveal what he knew earlier, but they didn’t make much of an effort and, when asked, he just pushed them off, saying he’d explain later. This didn’t make any sense to me and, if Teme knowing what was going on had been revealed later, it would’ve worked a little better. In his second appearance, the reader knows, and the characters know, that Teme knows more than he’s saying, but the secrets aren’t revealed until close to the end of the book. The pacing for this novel was a little wonky. The plot moves quickly to get Aardriyah to leave Veros, but then it slows down dramatically until the last 15% of the book. In that last section of the book, the pacing picks up as the reader is told what Aardriyah’s dreams are about and why she’s being chased before setting the stage for the next book. The ending feels rushed as a result because so much information is being revealed in so few pages. I finished the book feeling slightly unsatisfied and a little off-kilter because of the pacing issues. The plot itself isn’t terrible, but there weren’t very many surprises.

The Unblessed Child was an enjoyable book. I liked the world-building and magic system a lot and the premise of the story was intriguing. At the same time, the pacing and some other elements of the plot needed work. It was difficult for me to connect with many of the characters. It’s a quick read and a good fantasy story, so I might read the sequel when it comes out to see what happens next.

Rating: 3.2 Stars

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God Emperor of Dune

God Emperor of Dune is a 1981 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. It was published by Putnam. It’s the fourth book in the Dune saga following Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. My reviews on the previous books can be found here.

God Emperor of Dune takes place 3,500 years after the conclusion of Children of Dune. Leto II Atreides has reigned as emperor of the known universe for millennia. In an effort to preserve humanity’s future, Leto sacrificed his own by becoming inhuman. Under his rule, the desert planet of Arrakis has become a lush paradise, the all-important spice mélange has become scarce and humanity as a whole has been prevented from exploration. A rebellion led by Siona Atreides, a distant descendant of Leto’s, has arisen to oppose the god emperor, but unknown to Siona, Leto’s Golden Path for humanity requires her to fulfill a destiny she never could’ve conceived.

By far, this was the book I enjoyed the least in the series. It’s mentioned in the introduction, written by the author’s son, that Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune formed their own quasi-trilogy and God Emperor of Dune was the start of a new trilogy and that’s evident by the overall tone of this novel. Dune was never the most optimistic story, and it has a recurring theme of “you can’t change what’s meant to happen” but this novel was far darker and far more cynical than its predecessors. While I applaud Herbert for making Leto a tyrant and not trying to shy away from the fact that he’s a tyrant, this series has reached a point where those elements got tiring for me.

My biggest issue with this novel is the pacing. The copy I read was nearly 600 pages, but there’s a large section of the book where nothing of importance seems to happen. The beginning has a lot of things happen, the end has a lot of activity, but the middle is nothing. Siona plans her rebellion. Leto talks a lot about the future and his Golden Path but says very little of substance. There’s a lot of talking and plotting that never seems to go anywhere. This book basically had a lot of filler, and from the writing, I think the filler was meant to make the reader consider the overall themes of the book, but the middle of the book is so dry and boing, that I just found myself getting irritated. This series has also veered away from its science fiction roots. It’s technically still sci-fi, due to cloning, space travel and advanced technology, but most of the plot fits better into the fantasy category than science fiction. I wish the narrative had stuck closer to science fiction.

This novel has a cast of characters, but there’s not a lot I can really say about them. Leto II is the main character, but as a result of his extended life and no longer being human, he doesn’t really have much of a personality or character growth. Most of the scenes he’s in involve him either plotting to achieve his Golden Path, finding it funny that no one else realizes what he’s doing or  waxing poetic about humans unwittingly continuing the same cycle of violence and oppression even as they work to break the cycle. There is Moneo, a descendant, servant and close confidant of Leto’s. He’s torn between being scared of Leto’s non-human side and doing everything in his power to keep the emperor happy and making the Golden Path come to fruition. Hwi Noree, the Ixian ambassador, is sent to serve in Leto’s court and he falls in love with her, as she was designed to ensnare him. While I didn’t have anything against her, Herbert didn’t really give the reader a reason to like her or care about her relationship with Leto. We’re not really shown how she’s irresistible to Leto, or the other characters who fall under her spell. The reader is told that she was designed to make Leto fall for her, but nothing is really shown to enforce that idea. Lastly, we have Siona, who was my favorite character because she had a real personality. She had agency and a goal, which no other character aside from Leto is shown to have, and she read like an actual person. While she wasn’t necessarily a “good” person, she was the best character in the novel because aside from Leto, she was the only one who had real conviction behind her actions, not just blind devotion.

I know this review has been negative so far, however I don’t want to make it seem like this is a terrible book. It’s just a very boring one that I struggled to get through. There are three things about this book that saved it from being a 0 Star book. The first is its message about the nature of humanity. All of Leto’s actions, every act of oppression he’s caused, he’s done because he knows something needs to change within humanity. He spent years keeping humanity as a whole safe, but not allowing people true freedom, in preparation for what will happen when he’s no longer around. He spent three thousand years controlling humanity so that when he’s gone, they’ll become something better than it once was. The second is its discussion about messiahs and godhood. In Dune Messiah, Paul Atreides struggles with being a messiah to the Fremen and dealing with the blood their holy war, in his name, has spilt. In this novel, that idea was taken a step further to explore the idea of godhood and the affect that has on the person being worshipped. And it’s not a nice image, but the acknowledgement of the problems with worshipping a person as a god makes the progression of events and resolution of the plot really work. The last element I enjoyed was the subversion of a particular trope. Early in the novel, it’s mentioned that Siona, as an Atreides, is going to be tested soon. Her “test” is mentioned dozens of times before it happens. The expectation, even in-universe, is that this test will cause Siona to abandon her rebellion and hatred of Leto. If anything, Siona being tested results in her becoming even more convinced of the need for a rebellion. As a result, the conclusion came as a pleasant surprise to me.

God Emperor of Dune was a disappointment for me. Herbert clearly had a lot of very big ideas, but didn’t quite manage to explore on those ideas in an interesting and entertaining way. I liked elements of the plot, but not the plot overall. I can see how this novel sets up the events of the last two novels in the Dune saga written by Frank Herbert, but given how much I disliked this novel, I don’t think I’ll be reading them. Right now, I’m no longer invested in the rest of this story, as its moved so far away from what was seen in the original Dune. Instead, I might read one of the prequel books, particularly the ones focused on the war against the Thinking Machines. A war against robots seems more entertaining to me than god emperors playing 5-dimensional chess with themselves.

Rating: 1.6 Stars

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The Chaos of Stars

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The Chaos of Stars is a 2014 young adult fantasy novel by Kiersten White. The novel was published by HarperTeen in September of 2014. While I'd known of the author prior to reading, this was the first novel of hers I've written. The cover is what really drew me in, despite the old adage about not judging books by their covers. It can be purchased here from Bookshop.org or here from Amazon.

The novel tells the story of Isadora, the human daughter of the Egyptian deities Isis and Osiris. When she grows tired of her family's treatment of her, she's given a chance to travel to California to live with her brother. Her new life in the United States comes with its own challenges and dangers however, and Isadora struggled to keep her old life and her new life separate.

There's a very interesting cast of characters in this book, as you'd expect for a story focusing on the family lives of gods. Isadora, our narrator, was my favorite character. Raised by gods, she's become disillusioned by her family after learning that, although her parents will live forever, they're going to let her die. She wants a life outside of the Egyptian pantheon and to be defined as someone other than just Isis's daughter. She also has a lot of sass and personality, which I liked. Her parents are, as mentioned, Isis and Osiris. Osiris is the typical emotionally-unavailable father, given that he spends most of his time in the land of the dead. Isis alternates between seeming to care about her children to only being focused on how they're a reflection of her. Neither characters are inherently villains, but they're not meant to be likeable or sympathetic. Other Egyptian gods such as Horus, Anubis and Nephthys make appearances in this story as well. Once the setting changes to California, the reader is introduced to Sirius, Isadora's older brother, along with Tyler and Ry, friends she makes during her stay. Tyler and Ry are by far the two most relatable characters in the story, wanting Isadora to have fun and experience new things. Despite not knowing her for long, they care about her and each help her open up in their own way. I especially liked Ry and how his relationship with Isadora developed. In short, this book has a plethora of characters to enjoy.

I enjoyed the writing in this novel for two reasons. The first is that scenes in the present are interwoven with dreams Isadora is having and trying to figure out the meaning of. Each chapter begins with an anecdote, from Egyptian mythology, as told by Isadora and with a little more candor as a result. The stories really add to the characterization of the deities being discussed. The dreams give the reader a sense of the stakes of the story.Both elements feed into the foreshadowing within the story. The second reason why I enjoyed the writing was because White does an excellent job of setting a scene without going overboard. Whether the scene is describing Isadora's home in Egypt or the museum she volunteers at in California, it's very easy to picture the setting in your head while reading. Lastly, I was genuinely surprised by the main plot twist of the novel. Isadora has this feeling that something bad is going to happen for most of the novel, but the revelation of who is behind these events is executed perfectly.

The Chaos of Stars is a novel that is more character-focused than plot-driven. While there is a clear plot within the story, centered around Isadora trying to keep her life in Egypt separate from her life in California and keep everyone safe, most of the novel focuses on Isadora's growth and her coming to terms with her place within her family. This means that the pacing for the book is a little slow in parts. One event related to the main plot will occur and then a few chapters will pass before something related to that plot-point will come up again. This meant that while this was a quick read for me, I wasn't invested in much of what was going on for the middle of the book. As I mentioned above, I enjoyed the main plot twist/reveal of the story, however some of the earlier and smaller twists were very obvious to me early on. I'm not sure if all of the ones I'm thinking of were meant to be plot twists, but if they were, they didn't really surprise me very much. While I mentioned above that I liked Ry and Isadora's relationship, it was very clear to me early on that they were meant to fit into the friends-to-lovers trope. I don't have a problem with this trope, but it was so clear to me early on that that's what was being set up that I was hoping it wouldn't happen. I liked their friendship, but felt so-so about their romance.

The Chaos of Stars is a solid fantasy novel. The writing overall was pretty amazing. I found the premise interesting and I liked the elements of Egyptian mythology. The pacing and some of the foreshadowing could use improvement in my opinion. I'd recommend this novel to anyone looking for a quick read, especially if they're interested in a character-driven story.

Rating: 3.6 Stars

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The Knight's Daughter

The Knight's Daughter is a 2020 middle grade fantasy novel by S. H. Cooper. The novel is a sword and sorcery fantasy. It's the first book in the Lady Knight trilogy. I was provided with an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

The novel follows a 14-year-old girl named Mary McThomas who has spent her life dreaming of becoming a knight like her father. After an ambush on their village leaves Mary's father in critical condition, Mary's willing to do whatever it takes to save him. Together with her older brothers and a mysterious fae, Mary finds herself entering a world of danger and magic. While Mary searches for a cure, dark forces search for Mary, seeking her for their own gain.

The Knight's Daughter has four major characters: Mary, Drake and Joseph, her brothers, and Torren, the fae who approaches Mary, claiming she knows a way to save her father. Mary begins the novel as being very unsure of herself and she's not entirely sure about who she is and where she fits into the world. Drake and Joseph, both seventeen, are on the cusp of adulthood and the attack leaves them trying to fill the role their father usually holds in terms of protecting their family. I enjoyed reading the dynamic between the siblings and how their relationship grew and changed over the course of the novel. Given that this is a middle-grade novel, there isn't much character development to speak of, and the development that is there is mostly centered around the three McThomas siblings learning more about themselves and their place in the world. Torren is a fae who initially helps Mary because the man behind the attack on the village, Meverick Conan, had previously attacked her people. Conan serves as the story's main antagonist, who has people hunting for Mary for unknown reasons. He's filled with a desire for revenge and believes Mary is the key to achieving it. Along the journey, Mary and her traveling companions meet a plethora of people, both good and bad. My personal favorite was Reena, who belongs to a nomadic group. I thought she was the funniest minor character.

I found the story to be rather amusing. I enjoyed reading about the fae and the magic within the world. Cooper did an excellent job with the world-building, giving the reader plenty of information and exposition without making it feel like a lot. I also liked the theme of family that is present throughout the story. Mary's brothers join her on the journey, not to have a fun adventure, but to make sure nothing happens to her. The plot itself is centered on their family, which was refreshing because a lot of younger fantasy involves separating the main character from their family and having them go on a journey alone. I appreciated the explanation of why Mary was both the only person who could help her father and why Conan was hunting for her. I'm not a big fan of "chosen ones", which Mary is in a way as she finds out late into the story, but the in-universe reason given fits with this story.

Before I go into some criticism I have of The Knight's Daughter, I do want to briefly touch on how this book works as a middle grade novel. I don't do this for young adult works because YA and adult have a lot more overlap than middle grade and adult. From a technical perspective, this is an excellent middle grade book. The story and world aren't too advanced for younger readers. The writing itself is very easy to digest. Other than a few fight scenes, there isn't anything within the story that's too heavy or advanced for middle grade.

While I enjoyed The Knight's Daughter, there were a few aspects to the story that didn't quite work for me. As mentioned above, the writing is very straightforward, which as an adult reader is a negative, but as I said, it's great for the intended audience. As a result of the writing being so easy to digest, I don't really have an opinion on the author's writing style. I was a little confused by the pacing. There were parts where the narrative seemed to slow down more than it should've and then it took a while for things to pick back up. Conversely, there were parts towards the end that felt needlessly rushed. Lastly, there was a particular reveal/plot twist that seemed kind of tacked on. I don't want to give any spoilers, but to me, it felt like the twist had been added to set up the second book, and that wasn't needed since there was enough of the main plot was unresolved for the second book already.

The Knight's Daughter is an entertaining, quick read. It has relatable characters, magic and an overall good story. While I had some issues with pacing and the writing itself, I don't want that to deter others from reading it. I think it's great for middle grade readers who are trying to figure out what genres they like. I'd also recommend it to reader who enjoy Arthurian or medieval fantasy specifically.

Rating: 3.1 Stars

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Empress of All Seasons

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Empress of All Seasons is a 2018 young adult fantasy novel by Emiko Jean. It was released in Novemeber 2018 and published by Gollancz. The novel is heavily influenced by Japanese mythology and folklore. The novel can be purchased here from Bookshop.org or here from Amazon.

The novel centers around a once-in-a-generation tournament which is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The participants must conquer the palace’s enchanted rooms, each designed after a season, to win the competition and marry the prince. All women are eligible to enter except yokai, supernatural monsters and spirits who are being oppressed by the emperor. Mari, a yokai girl, has spent her life training for the competition. If her status as a yokai is revealed, her life will be forfeit. While struggling to keep her own secret, her fate becomes entwined with that of Taro, the crown prince, and Akira, a half-human, half-yokai boy she’s known for years. The choices of Mari, Taro and Akira, as they navigate the competition, will decide the fate of Honoku.

First, let’s discuss characters. As mentioned above, this novel has three main characters, Mari, Taro and Akira, who serve as the narrators for the story.  Mari was by far my favorite character of the three. She’s an Animal Wife, a yokai who seduces men into marriage and then runs off with their fortune. When others in her village conclude that she’s not pretty enough to woo men outright, they begin training her for the contest with the goal of her winning, marrying the prince and escaping with the imperial fortune. Mari is by far the most complex and interesting character. She’s a skilled fighter, but has moments where she shows a great deal of humanity. She wants to win the competition, and fulfill the task she’s spent her life training for, but at the same time, she also seeks to find a way to help the oppressed and enslaved yokai in the capital. Taro is the prince who is also Mari’s love interest. I didn’t really know how to feel about his character. He wasn’t very committed to what he wanted, seeming to decide he wants something very impulsively, which contrasted well with Mari. At the same time, he was rather entitled, which was annoying. Lastly, we have Akira, a halfblooded yokai. He was one of the most straightforward characters in the story and by far the most noble. He follows Mari to the capital to watch out for her during the competition, and gets swept up into the yokai resistance. Unlike Mari and Taro, he’s fully committed to his goal, but along his journey comes to realize that saving one person means nothing if the yokai are allowed to remain oppressed and enslaved. The conflict within Akira is the most relatable, as he finds himself torn between his self-assigned mission to help Mari and his mission for the resistance. I also enjoyed the dynamic Asami, another competitor, developed with Mari and her character in general, but I can’t really explain why without spoiling some important moments of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the magic and mythological elements in this story. A number of different types of yokai are introduced in the story, from Animal Wives to oni to yuki-onna. I don’t know much about Japanese mythology and folklore, so it was nice to be introduced to characters and creatures I hadn’t encountered before. Fantasy could always benefit from more diversity and authors pulling inspiration from different sources and cultures. Interspersed throughout the story are scenes explaining the world and how the competition for the Empress of All Seasons originated. My favorite aspect, however, was the magic of the four seasonal rooms. Each room contained its own world, based on the season it was named after, but with different elements and threats.  The danger of this competition becomes apparent in the first room, and the magic built into each room only adds to the tension and danger. I enjoyed Emiko Jean’s writing style, especially her depictions of events within the seasonal rooms.

While I liked the characters and the magic in the story, I’m torn about whether I enjoyed the plot or not. The competition itself was a fascinating idea and I liked reading about the events of Mari competing. There were some parts that I felt were very predictable, such as what happened with the emperor after the competition ended and the truth behind it. For a story this unique, I was hoping for a plot twist that was a little more surprising. The beginning of the story was a bit slower than I would’ve liked. It took about 100 pages for the competition to even begin. At the same time, the ending felt a bit rushed. The big, climactic conclusion was over almost as soon as it started. The behavior of certain characters also changed at the drop of a hat to fit the narrative, which didn’t make sense to me. I found the romance in this story to be bland as well. Taro seems to instantly fall in love with Mari the moment he sees her and I’m not a fan of insta-love. I wasn’t sold on Taro’s character and his romance with Mari didn’t interest me in any way.

Empress of All Seasons is a book with one of the most interesting worlds I’ve read so far this year. The premise behind the story felt unique and I liked the overall writing. While I enjoyed aspects of the book, it failed to deliver on others, such as the romantic subplot, and I felt that the pacing needed some improvement. I think this novel is a good book and I’d recommend it to fantasy readers, especially those looking to branch out some and try new authors. I’m excited to read other works by this author.

Rating: 3.4 Stars

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The Enixar: The Sorcerer's Conquest

The Enixar: The Sorcerer’s Conquest is a 2018 young adult fantasy novel by Mikkell K. Khan. It was self-published by the author in March of 2018. The novel is the first in its series and is followed by The Enixar: Solitude of Sin.

The novel follows Gudrunn, the mysterious and powerful sorcerer king of Gramadon, as he searches for an ancient dragon egg which will give him ultimate dominion over his country. As his quest continues, one of his generals, Meriaus, begins to question the king’s actions and what his true motives are. The fate of Gramadon and the universe as they know it hangs in the balance of the conflict for the dragon egg.

One of the aspects of this novel that I enjoyed the most was the dual perspectives telling the story. While the novel begins with Gundrunn and Meriaus as allies, as the story progresses, they become adversaries and seeing the events of the story told from two perspectives, one from each “side”, enhances the story-telling. Additionally, being able to read events through the eyes of a tyrant was refreshing, as I haven’t read many books where the “villain” is given much of a point-of-view.

Let’s discuss characters for a moment. While Gundrunn is a main character, and the first POV character the reader encounters, he’s also the main antagonist of the story. I appreciated his character for how determined he was to achieve his goal.  He was going to find the dragon egg and hatch it, regardless who he had to kill or how many people he had to oppress to get it. My favorite type of villain is a villain with focus like that. I also enjoyed how uncompromising he was about his actions. He didn’t try to justify his actions to anyone. He knew what he was doing was evil and oppressive, but just didn’t care. He was not a character the reader was meant to feel sympathy towards. Lord Meriaus is the other main character, as mentioned previously. Initially, he’s sent by the king to convince the Silent Monks, a religious order, to submit to the king’s will and become part of the monarchy. Soon into his mission, Meriaus becomes distrustful of his king’s intentions and when Gundrunn resorts to violence, he becomes determined to stop the sorcerer king, no matter the cost. While his allegiance in the beginning was difficult to comprehend, his growth once he realizes the king needed to be stopped made him a great character.  

This novel was a good start to the series. Khan laid a lot of the groundwork to build off of in future novels. Similarly, he introduced elements in the story, such as the Enixar magic and explained a little bit of how it worked without removing the mystery for future installments. While the reader is given some information about Gundrunn’s past, there are plenty more stories to tell and questions about characters such as Paldek, the Architects and mission that sent him to Gramadon in the first place. The action scenes were fast-paced and there were moments that genuinely surprised me.  

While I did enjoy the novel overall, there are a few issues I had with it. I wasn’t a big fan of the author’s writing style. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t quite click with me. It felt pretty average. My biggest complaint is how short the novel is. It’s probably more of a novella technically. As a result of the story being so short, the author had to rely on a few tropes I’m not a fan of in order to show how terrible Gundrunn is and how little he cares for his people. Rather than show he’s a monster, we’re told he’s a monster, with a few scenes to back those claims up. In fact, following Meriaus defecting from the king and his decision to stop him, regardless of the cost, a lot of the plot moves forward as a result of the reader being told that certain things have happened. While some of the magic system is introduced, there isn't much explanation and I wish there was a bit more of that. A brewing rebellion is mentioned, but we see very little of the actual rebellion or rebels in the story. If the book were a little bit longer, I’d imagine the author would’ve taken advantage of the chance to show the reader things rather than tell us.

The Enixar: The Sorcerer’s Conquest is a so-so book in my opinion. The author did a good job creating an interesting world and leaving the reader with enough questions to be interested in the second book. At the same time, it’s very short length meant the pacing felt rushed and too much information was told to the reader as opposed to being shown to them. I think this book would be great for middle grade readers or very young YA readers, but older readers might not enjoy it as much.

Rating: 2.7 Stars

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Warrior of the Wild

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Warrior of the Wild is a 2019 young adult fantasy novel by Tricia Levenseller. It was published by Square Fish. The book was immediately met with praise upon its release. The novel can be purchased here from Bookshop.org

The novel is set in the Viking era and follows Rasmira, the daughter of her village's chieftain. Trained as a warrior her whole life, Rasmira is exiled from her village after her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged. In order to win back her honor and return home, she's tasked with killing the oppressive god who claims tribute from her village or die trying.

My favorite thing about this novel were the characters. The three main characters are Rasmira, Iric and Soren, who are exiled teens from another village. As the main character and the point-of-view character, I enjoyed Rasmira the most. An eighteen-year-old who has been trained as a warrior her whole life, she could've easily been written to be a token "strong female character" with no real personality or depth, but Levenseller avoided that pitfall. Rasmira is a fierce warrior, but there is a sensitive side to her. When she's betrayed during her coming-of-age trial, she doesn't only feel angry, she also feels hurt. Several times in the narrative, she references the fact that yes, she's a fighter, but that doesn't mean she's not allowed to be a normal teenage girl. She makes mistakes, but doesn't let those mistakes keep her from moving forward. The duality between her being a warrior, and also a teenager gives her character a great deal of nuance and made me invested in her story. Soren and Iric are friends and quasi-brothers from another village who have been banished for failing their own coming-of-age trials and given equally difficult tasks to complete in order to return home. They're both incredibly witty, which brings some levity to the story and have a fierce loyalty to one another, and later Rasmira. I love the dynamic of found families, which is what develops between these three young adults. They look out for one another and, thanks to Rasmira's determination to complete her task, gives each of them hope that they can complete their own. There is not much I can say about other characters without spoiling things. The majority of the plot follows Rasmira, Iric and Soren. The main villain is the god Peruxolo who isn't a terribly compelling character given that he's not given much backstory or examination. He's an evil, oppressive deity and Rasmira's quest to defeat him matters more than anything specific about him.

I enjoyed the tasks each character was given and the quest that results in each character trying to fulfill their tasks. Rasmira has to kill a god. Iric is tasked with killing a a sea monster and Soren must climb a mountain and steal the feather of a mythical bird. Since the tasks themselves are so simple, the author has room to write plenty of dynamic and surprising action scenes. It also allows a good deal of world-building and describing the creatures and atmosphere of the story. The wild is immersive and the world is fascinating. I love historical fantasy quests, and this novel gave me three quests in one. The pacing of this book was pretty good. It was a little slow in parts, but overall it kept a consistent and exciting pace. While I enjoyed the conclusion, I liked how the conclusion came about slightly more, which I know is confusing. I liked the final confrontation, but the scenes of Rasmira learning what she needed to and putting all of the pieces together in order to face Peruxolo were much more interesting to me. The explanation of everything was surprising in the best way possible.

While I enjoyed Warrior of the Wild overall, I do have a few criticisms. I felt like the romantic subplot in this book was a little boring and predictable. It wasn't terrible and I'm glad there wasn't some kind of love triangle happening, but I wasn't very invested in it. It just felt a bit unneeded in my opinion. I also felt like the way Rasmira's coming-of-age trial was sabotaged was very predictable and not the plot-twist it was meant to feel like. She's shown to be a very intelligent person who can read people pretty well, but she didn't even have slightest inkling that someone who she's only really known for a short time might be hiding something. If she'd been betrayed by someone she'd been friends with for years, the shock would've been more surprising. There were also some random plot contrivances that I rolled my eyes at, such as Iric just happening to be a master blacksmith when they need weapons and armor, which were clearly meant to move the plot along, but made things feel a bit too easy.

Warrior of the Wild is a great book. It's the first book by Tricia Levenseller that I've read, but it makes me want to read more of her work. I found myself really liking her writing style and the way the story unfolded. I'd recommend it to fans of young adult fantasy, especially anyone who enjoys Viking or Viking-inspired stories.

Rating: 4.2 Stars

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Galactic Mandate: The Scream

Galactic Mandate: The Scream is a 2019 science fiction novel by M. R. Richardson. It was released in early 2019 and published by Room 10 Publishing. I received an advanced copy of the book in order to write this review.

The novel follows a clone named Mato. After being taken from the planet he calls home, he’s taken on a journey across the galaxy. During the course of his journey, he’s forced to decide between what’s best of his oppressed clone brethren and the greater good. When his journey leads him to encountering the sinister Scream, Mato and his allies must figure out what they want and what lengths they will go to to get it.

The first thing I want to say about this book is that the author clearly has a very expansive universe. This story doesn’t take place on just one planet, or even two. Mato seems to go from one end of the galaxy to the other over this rather short novel. There are a lot of big ideas that the author wanted to put on display. There are strong plot elements and a unique story to be found. Richardson’s ideas are very creative and even if plot elements are sci-fi staples, such as clones, he’s found a new way to tell a story about them. The action scenes were interesting and fast-paced and there were a few moments where the outcomes of battle scenes truly surprised me. The story had a lot of potential and a lot of great ideas it was working with.

The biggest problem with the novel, however, is its length. The e-book is under 175 pages, and there aren’t enough pages to fully do the story justice. Events seemed to rush by far too quickly. Mato goes from his home planet, to being in a sticky situation on a space station and there isn’t enough time for the author to elaborate on the context of certain scenes or the motivation of characters. Jay, one of the people traveling with Mato, has a history with a number of people they encounter over the length of the journey, but there’s barely information given explaining his history with them. Events don’t feel like they have any kind of weight because the reader isn’t given a chance to absorb them before the scene changes. I feel like I would’ve enjoyed this novel far more if it was a longer, giving the author time to do some important world-building and let the story breathe a little more. As it currently is now, I don’t know how I felt about the characters, because I barely got to know them. I can’t really say that I enjoyed the plot because it felt incredibly rushed. There were scenes that were important to the overall story that I didn’t realize were significant until the very end because they were treated the same as scenes meant to move the characters from A to B.

I finished the book with a lot of questions still unanswered. Questions that I thought I’d get at least a partial answer to, within the story. I wanted to know at least a little more about the clones and how they were created. I wanted a little more context regarding the past conflicts between the clones and the Acolytes. Names were being thrown around in the story, such as God-Wrath and Dark Reign, without an explanation of who or what they are and the reader is supposed to fill in the blanks with very little information. The author probably wanted the reader to have questions after the novel ended, but in my opinion, I had too many questions when I was done.  The story felt a bit incomplete as a result.

Galactic Mandate: The Scream was underwhelming to me. There was a lot of potential in the story and the author’s ideas, but there weren’t enough pages to do it justice. Scenes felt rushed, some felt like they were thrown in. Important moments weren’t given enough attention. I do feel like, if given a longer page count to work with, the author could’ve written an amazing novel. I hope M. R. Richardson’s next novel is given the length it deserves.

Rating: 1.9 Stars

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White Elephant

White Elephant is a 2019 historical fantasy novel by V. E. Ulett. It is the second novel in the Code Black series. While it’s a part of a series, the story itself is a stand-alone novel. I was provided with a free copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

The novel follows Miriam, a crew member on the airship Nonesuch. In order to keep her place on board, she must complete a mission for Lord Q and persuade the first white rajah of Sarawak to become loyal to the British Crown once more. When Nonesuch crash lands on the coast of Borneo, Miriam’s mission changes to one of survival. In order to rescue the crew of the Nonesuch, she must trek through the jungle guided by a team of elephants to the would-be empire builder’s capital. The jungle has it’s own laws, however, and Miriam may not emerge with her mission and loyalties unchanged.

Before I get into my review, I wanted to point out a few topics/themes this book deals with. There are multiple mentions of rape and allusions to it. There are scenes involving animal cruelty. There are a few scenes where medical discussions happen, and the description of some of the injuries and conditions might make the reader squeamish.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this novel, especially since it is the second book in a series and I hadn’t read the first Code Black book Golden Dragon. Thankfully, the novel works as a stand-alone book and I was easily able to follow the story without getting confused by the dynamics between characters. I suspect Golden Dragon provides a little more detail about Miriam’s backstory and fleshes out the character of Lord Q a bit, but doesn’t impact this novel beyond that.

I enjoyed the characters in this story a lot. Miriam, the main character, was smart, while also having an edge to her that I liked. She’s a Muslim woman from Tehran and her education and resourcefulness is why Lord Q recruited her. Her behavior and attitude were very realistic for the setting of the story and I enjoyed the journey she went on as a character. My second favorite character was Maximus Thorpe, Miriam’s lover and the captain of the Nonesuch. While most of the story is told through Miriam’s eyes, there are chapters told from Maximus’s as the story begins to come together and the truth about the white rajah starts to become clear. Maximus is very intelligent, and I appreciated the fact that he was skeptical of information he was being told and went with his instincts, on more than one occasion, rather than simply believe what others told him.  This novel has a very diverse cast of characters, including some transgender characters, which was surprising read as historical novels tend to focus on white characters with very few non-white characters included in the background or they’re written as one-dimensional. This is the first historical novel I’ve read to include a trans character.

While the novel is not intended to be an action or adventure story, the actions scenes are well-written and the author maintains the tension through all of the fast-paced action scenes throughout the book without making things seem repetitive. Each scene is unique and each fight feels just as intense, if not more intense, than earlier ones. The novel as a whole is very well-written. The story kept me engaged and the author clearly did a great deal of research in writing it. I was especially impressed when it came to how much information about elephants and their behavior patterns was included. While the elephants start as being just a mode of transportation, they soon become characters in and of themselves. One of the book’s subplot involves the plight of the wild elephants and their treatment at the hands of both the native population and the British hoping to colonize Borneo.  

While I enjoyed the novel overall, I do have a few criticisms. The dialogue can be a bit hard to follow, given that it’s written in vernacular English. For characters who either don’t speak English well or have a strong accent, their dialogue is written to imitate how they’d actually sound. For example, “Miriam” and “England” are spelled like “Maryam” and “Inglang” respectively on several occasions. It’s hard to follow at the beginning, but the more you read of the book, the easier it is to follow. This style also applies to Maximus, who’s Scottish and his dialogue is written to emulate a Scottish accent. I wasn’t a big fan of the climax of the story, due to the way it unfolds. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the reader isn’t able to witness as much of it as I’d hoped. Similarly, the antagonist is described as having gone mad, but the reader isn’t shown enough evidence of this. The reader is shown evidence of him being a terrible person, but the madness, the urgency of Miriam’s mission, really isn’t delivered on. Lastly, there are a few in-universe things that Miriam does that don’t completely make sense. Perhaps I wasn’t pay close enough attention, but for some events, I felt like a little more insight on Miriam’s thought process or feelings would’ve gone a long way.

Overall, I enjoyed White Elephant. It was an engaging read, which I ended up liking a lot more than I expected to. While there are some kinks that need to be worked out and things the author can improve upon, it’s a good novel. I might go back and read the first novel in the series now that I’ve read this one.

Rating: 3.4 Stars

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The First Girl Child

The First Girl Child is a 2019 historical fantasy-romance by Amy Harmon. It was published in August 2019 by 47North. The story is set during the Viking era. I discovered the book while browsing Kindle Unlimited one day.

The novel takes place in the kingdom of Saylok. The story follows Bayr of Saylok, the bastard son of a powerful chieftain who is haunted by the curse his dying mother cast upon the land. With her dying breath, she cursed Saylok to not have any daughters. Raised among the Keepers at Temple Hill, Bayr is gifted with inhuman strength. But he’s also blessed with an all-too-human heart that beats with one purpose: to protect Alba, the first girl child born in nearly two decades and the salvation for a country at risk. Now the fate of Saylok lies with Alba and Bayr, whose bond grows deeper with every whisper of coming chaos. Charged with battling the enemies of their people, both within and without, Bayr is fueled further by the love of a girl who has defied the scourge of Saylok.

Overall, I think this book was a miss for me. Judging by the blurb, I was expecting a novel that was a mix of fantasy and historical romance, but the book doesn't quite deliver. It is a historical romance with just a dash of fantasy elements thrown in. The magic system of curses and blood runes was under utilized in my opinion. The magic system itself had potential, but it wasn't expanded upon enough or taken proper advantage of. The system was unique and could've made the story interesting, but seemed to mostly serve the purpose of setting the plot in motion and being referenced occasionally later on. The curse itself created an interesting conflict, there are no girls being born and no one knows why, but it too is shunted to the side to focus on the romantic plot. I was also expecting something a little more action-oriented, since this is a Viking romance. There's nothing inherently wrong with the way the story is told and what plot elements received the most emphasis, but this novel simply wasn't for me.

Another issue I had with The First Girl Child was the overall pacing. The novel takes place over the span of about twenty years. It's a slow burn romance with not much action. There are parts of the book that move very slowly and I feel could have been consolidated down or explored in a different, less meandering way. It felt to me, upon finishing, that there were a lot of scenes that didn't really serve a purpose. If the author had chosen to skip over some of those moments, the book would flow a lot more naturally. The issue with pacing also applies to one of the later plot twists. The twist is introduced too late in the plot to be effective and by the time it happens, I was already expecting it. Due to the amount of filler, and amount of discussion happening in the story about Saylok's daughter problem and its consequences, it was almost a given how the king of Saylok would try to resolve the conflict. It also felt ineffective because it didn't conflict with the plotline I was the most invested in. I was curious about when and how the truths about Bayr and Alba were going to be revealed, not what the king was scheming about. So, I didn't really find the twist to be very groundbreaking.

I found it somewhat difficult to connect with any of the characters. The reader is meant to connect with Bayr and Alba, being the main characters, but they don't have much substance. It was hard to feel invested in their relationship as a result as well. The king of Saylok is the villain of the story, and it's very clear from his first appearance that he's meant to be the villain. Every subsequent scene is meant to show how evil he is, but the reader already knows that and those scenes instead put emphasis on the other, secondary characters around him, which doesn't feel intentional. I found myself liking the secondary characters, such as Ghost and Dagmar, more than the main ones, because they had much more nuance and complexity to them.

This review has been negative so far, but I don't want it to seem like I completely hated the book or the author. Harmon is a very skilled writer. The prose was captivating and made it difficult for me to put the book down, despite the aspects I mentioned above. She creates a vivid picture of the world of Saylok and, despite my disappointment in this novel, I want to read more of her work. I found the core idea of this story intriguing, but not the execution.

The First Girl Child was a book that didn't quite work for me. I expected a different story than I ended up reading. I don't want to discourage others from reading this book simply because it didn't fit my tastes. Romance isn't a genre I tend to enjoy, but I wanted to give the story a try. If romance is a genre you enjoy, and this story interests you, I hope my opinion doesn't sway you from deciding to read it. It's objectively a good book, just not the one for me.

Rating: 2.7 Stars

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The Summoned Ones

The Summoned Ones: Book 1 Flight to Bericea is a 2020 young adult fantasy novel by Darryl A. Woods. It was published in February 2020 by Bresford Ridge Publishing and is the first novel in the series. I was provided with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The novel follows a group of college-aged friends from a small Kentucky town. While exploring Daniel Boone National Forest, they find themselves somehow brought into a strange, chaotic world. To the residents of this magical world, they are the Summoned Ones, prophesized beings who will aid Bericea in its time of greatest need. Over the past 9 years, Zybaro, the leader of a small band of unknowns, has evolved from his days as a minor usurper of a tiny kingdom. Now, almost the entire country of Malabrim is under Zybaro's control, and his army looks to challenge Bericea's army. Still, Bericea continues its raids into Malabrim, hoping to stem Zybaro's methodical progress and thwart his tyrannical means of control. Zybaro has seized village after village, forcing anyone capable of joining his army and enslaving all who remained in deplorable working conditions to supply his army. This latest conflict with Zybaro pushes General Darnon to a decision, one he had resisted making for over a year. Though he still held grave reservations about the Prophecies, he was willing to support the clerics who would attempt the summoning behind enemy lines. On the perilous journey back to Bericea, the Summoned Ones will discover many truths about themselves and experience a world beyond their imaginations.

To start off this review, I want to say that I enjoyed the world of The Summoned Ones. Woods created a dynamic world, which is reminiscent of other fantasy worlds, such as Middle Earth or Narnia, but is unique in and of itself. The prologue alone gives a great deal of information about the basics of Bericea and more detail is shown as the story progresses and as the Summoned Ones start to see more of it. The aspect of the world that I found the most fascinating and the most unique was the magic system. As far as I can remember, this is the first book I've read where the magic system was tied to music, which was refreshing and unexpected. Additionally, the level of detail put into creating the atmosphere of this story is commendable. Without using language that is too flowery or descriptive, Woods created a world that I could picture as I was reading. I was able to get immersed into the story easily and it kept my attention.

Another aspect of this novel that I enjoyed was the ages of the protagonists, which I know might sound a bit odd. I refer to these types of stories as "portal stories", meaning stories in which the main characters end up in another world or time period by falling through a portal of some kind or a similar event happening. In most books I've read with this plot device, the characters are either children, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, or fully-fledged adults. A good deal of fantasy in general has characters that are either high school aged or adults in their late 20s or 30s. There aren't many fantasy novels, at least that I've read, with protagonists who are college-aged. It was refreshing to see characters in that age range, and well-written ones at that. Of the eight Summoned Ones, all eight had one trait or another that reminded me of someone that I knew. Their behavior and the way they responded to this strange new world made sense both in the context of their backstories and the world they left at the beginning of the story. I can't accurately delve into each character without having this review be far too long, but I really enjoyed these characters and their dynamics. The dynamics between the Kentuckian college students and the soldiers they meet along their journey was fascinating as well, since each character develops their own friendships and connections along the way with the citizens of this strange world.

Now, I'm going to dive into some of the less story-oriented, and more structural topics related to The Summoned Ones.  First, let's discuss the pacing of the story. Maybe I'm weird, but pacing is very big deal for me in literature. The pacing for this novel is a bit slow at first, as the characters are introduced and the plot is being set into motion. As expected, once the Summoned Ones find themselves in Bericea, the story starts to gain momentum. The pacing of individual scenes is well-executed as well. The fighting scenes are fast-paced and exciting, while scenes that focus more on exposition are more relaxed and less intense. I enjoyed the split perspective as well. The Summoned Ones are separated into three groups shortly after arriving in Bericea, so each group ends up on the different journeys to the same destination. Not only does this allow the reader to see more of the world, but the effects of Bericea's fight against Zybaro's forces can be seen on different levels and to different extents. I feel like this novel ended at the exact right moment. As mentioned above, this is the first novel in a series. The Summoned Ones ends when one stage of the characters' journey is over and another is about to begin, which is perfect from a story-telling perspective and the epilogue made me excited for the next installment.

While I did enjoy the novel as a whole, there were a few things I wasn't a fan of while reading. My biggest complaint would be a frustration at how quickly the Summoned Ones are able to master their abilities. None of them face much of challenge, either when learning the magic system or learning more mundane skills they need. It felt like they went from amateurs to experts after only one or two attempts at something. It felt like things were made to be too easy for them, which irked me a little bit. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, the story starts off slowly as characters are being introduced and it did feel like that part of the book was longer than it needed to be.

Overall, I enjoyed The Summoned Ones. It was a refreshing, well-written novel with an interesting and engaging story. The world created in the story reminded me of some of my favorite works. While by no means perfect, the novel is overall pretty great. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in the series to find out what happens next.

Rating: 3.9 Stars

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The Vine Witch

The Vine Witch is a 2019 historical fantasy by Luanne G. Smith. It was published by 47North. The stroy takes place in turn-of-the-century France. I discovered the novel while browsing Kindle Unlimited one day.

The novel tells the story of a woman named Elena who is a vine witch, witches whose spells have created world-renowned wines for centuries. After breaking a spell that she'd been under for years, Elena returns to the vineyards at Château Renard, the only home she's ever known, only to find that it has fallen upon hard time in her absence. While Elena struggles to regain her former life, she plans her revenge on the witch who cursed her and the lover who wronged her.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this novel is the magic system. I initially decided to read this book because I was curious about how the author would entwine magic and wine-making in the narrative. Smith not only explained how magic can be used to improve wine-making, but also how it can be used for sabotaged. One of the reasons Elena's beloved vineyard has fallen upon hard times while she was cursed is because another witch has placed a hex on the vineyard, resulting in a series of bad vintages by the winemakers. Vine witches aren't the only type of witches in this story, either. There are witches who specialize in poisons, witches who are experts in healing arts, and plenty of other magical disciplines. I enjoyed the variety of magical abilities on display in the story.

Smith's writing is very vivid, which works in this story's favor. As I was reading, I could practically see the rural landscape. I could taste the wine being described by the narrative. I also enjoyed the pacing of this novel. It is a little slow in the beginning, but the plot escalates in a way that makes sense but also doesn't feel rushed. The story builds up tension appropriately, and while the conclusion felt a little cliche, I didn't have any major complaints about how the story was resolved. One thing that I was surprised by was the revelation of who cursed Elena and turned her into a toad, the curse she breaks at the beginning of the novel. That revelation was one of the few plot elements that genuinely surprised me.

While I liked Smith's overall writing style, and the magic system she created, there were a few things I didn't enjoy about The Vine Witch. The biggest complaint I have is the lack of characterization. Most of the characters fell flat with me, including some of the main characters. They didn't really have much depth to them. The reader wasn't given enough of a reason to hate Bastien, Elena's former fiance who she believes cursed her, other than the fact that she does. He's a shrewd businessman who wants to grow his business, and that fact, combined with her suspicions of him, is supposed to be enough for the reader to want him to fail and suffer. This book also has quite a bit of filler, which I normally wouldn't have a problem with, but this isn't a long book and having as much filler as it does works against its favor. Lastly, there is the romance, which I wasn't a fan of. There isn't enough shown of the developing relationship between Elena and Jean-Paul, so it felt a bit rushed. I also didn't think they had much chemistry. Overall, the romance felt like it existed to tick off a box on a list and not because it was necessary to the story. 

The Vine Witch is a book that I would call average. I don't think it's a groundbreaking, amazing novel, but it isn't terrible either. It lags in places, and is a little boring, but the story overall is sound and well-crafted. It fits into a category that I call "beach reads", which are books that are quick, easy reads that keeps the reader engaged without being overly deep or memorable. The book is enjoyable, but it wasn't a favorite of mine.

Rating: 3.7 Stars

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