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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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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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 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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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 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 YA Series No One Talks About

Since I started this blog, I've been thinking a lot about books I've read over the years. Not only have I been remembering books that changed my life on a very deep level, but also some series I remember loving that I'd forgotten about. When I was making a list of young adult series that I love for another post, I was suddenly reminded of the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. So, I decided to dedicate an entire post to that series by itself.

The Shadow Children series consists of seven novels (Among the Hidden, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy and Among the Free). It takes place in a dystopian country where the government has enforced strict population control laws in order to control overpopulation after environmental conditions have severely limited resources, particularly food. As a result, it is against the law for families to have more than two children; the law is strictly enforced by the Population Police, who are said to conduct raids specifically to find and punish families who have more than two children. Due to these circumstance, the third, and any subsequent, children are denied the right to exist and must spend their lives hidden to avoid imprisonment or death.

The first book in this series, Among the Hidden, was the book that sparked my interest in dystopian novels. While I'd read some dystopian fiction before it, I either didn't understand the dysptopian elements at the time, or I didn't find the story particularly interesting. Not with this series though. They were the perfect book to get me into dystopias. From this series, I found The Hunger Games and other, more widely-discussed dystopian series.

While books such as The Hunger Games certainly deserve the attention they get, I feel like this series is being forgotten by people. I read these books in middle school, and while several other students read them, I don't think that was the case for everyone. I think they've been largely overlooked, as many people I've asked haven't heard of them. Or maybe I've been asking the wrong people. It's a good series for the middle grade and young adult audience, being on the right reading level and age-appropriate for readers at the younger end of the YA age range. It's being overlooked, and it doesn't deserve to.

In conclusion, if you enjoy dystopia fiction and you haven't read this series, I think you should check it out. If you have read this series, what did you think of it? Are there any novels or series you think aren't getting the attention they deserve?


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Tying the Leaves

Tying the Leaves is a 2019 young adult novel by June Toher. It was published by Toher’s Tales in October of 2019. The novel is concerned with the subjects of climate change and environmentalism with elements of magical realism. I was provided with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Tying the Leaves follows a timid Virginia boy named Jamie and his three friends, Tony, Raj and Keisha. After they travel seventy years into the future, they are horrified to find the Earth devastated by climate change and dirty energy pollution. They return to the present, determined to make sure that the future they saw doesn’t come to pass. They launch an international online kids organization to save the planet, team up with a U.S. senator on a controversial environmental bill, and fight the fossil fuel industry. All the while, the same industries the kids are fighting are contributing to air pollution that threatens the life of Jamie’s little sister.

Overall, I liked the novel. I found Jamie and his friends to be very well-written. Jamie begins the book as a shy twelve-year-old who lacks self-esteem, is struggling with grief and is terrified about his asthmatic sister’s health. In the process of trying to get others to pay attention to climate change, and trying to get others to listen and care about what’s happening, he becomes a much more confident person. The other three kids, Keisha, Tony and Raj have their own character arcs which center around other coming-of-age issues such as parental acceptance. Additionally, this story has an antagonist that’s incredibly realistic, in the form of a lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry.

While I liked the characters, I enjoyed the plot more. The story is told in a very up close and personal way. The kids journey from learning about climate change in school, to traveling to the future and upon their return, founding CAPE, Children Against Polluting Earth. The story depicts the trials and tribulations of starting an organization like that and trying to affect change. The kids don’t go from one high point to the next high point, there’s struggle and conflict, which adds an element of realism to this novel that not all young adult novels have. The conclusion of the story doesn’t show every problem being fixed, but instead focuses on things being on track for a better, brighter future. The struggles they face, and the main ideas about climate change and environmentalism are very topical right now and I feel like those issues and the arguments surrounding them were dealt with rather well in this story.

Tying the Leaves is a book with a very clear message, and that is what sets this novel apart more than characters or plot. Toher clearly did an extensive amount of research about climate change, renewal energy and other environmental issues in the process of writing this novel. It shows in the writing how knowledgeable she became about these topics, given that she’s able to display how the issue of climate change will affect the world as a whole, as well as its impact on individuals, as seen with Katie’s asthma and other lung problems. The issue of climate change is something she feels passionately about, which is reflected in her writing. She did a wonderful job of giving vivid detail to both the future Earth, ravaged by climate change, and the present Earth, in order to contrast the two. I enjoyed the imagery and the atmosphere of this story.

While I liked the plot and the characters as a whole, there are a few things about Tying the Leaves that didn’t quite work for me. None of them are major problems, but in order for this to be a balanced and honest review, I do need to address them. There are some stereotypes that are used that I wasn’t the biggest fan of, but those stereotypes were mostly to make characters have dimension and personality, so they didn’t take away from the story, but I did feel a little weird about them. Sometimes, the dialogue was a bit clunky or didn’t seem realistic. This mostly happened in regards to slang people were using, but there were other situations where the dialogue drew me out of the story. Some elements of the plot, especially around the climax, felt a bit unrealistic for an otherwise very realistic story. The antagonist does a few things in an attempt to stop the kids that don’t make sense with the rest of the story.

Typing the Leaves is a novel with a very important message. June Toher delivered that message perfectly. While it’s not perfect, the novel is good. This is a book that I think most young adults should read, mostly because it provides information about climate change that might be inaccessible to younger readers. It explains aspects about environmentalism in an easy to digest way. To any reader who is interested in fictional stories about the environment, I’d say to give this book a shot.

Rating: 3.6 Stars

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Children of Blood and Bone

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Children of Blood and Bone is a 2018 young adult fantasy novel by Tomi Adeyemi. It was published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers and was the author’s debut novel. It is the first book in the Legacy of Orisha series. The novel debuted at number one on The New York Times best-seller list. The film rights were sold to Fox 2000 prior to the book's publication. Children of Blood and Bone can be purchased here from Bookshop.org 

The novel takes place in the land of Orisha, which is home to two distinct groups of people: diviners, who have the potential to become the magical maji, and the non-magical kosidan. Eleven years prior to the start of the story, Orisha’s king, Saran, discovered a way to render the maji powerless and ordered the slaughter of many defenseless diviners, including the mother of Zelie Adebola. Since that time, diviners have been severely oppressed and without hope. While in the capital, Zelie, a diviner, and her brother Tzain encounter a rogue princess, Amari, who has discovered a way to give magic back to the maji. They are pursued on their journey by the crown prince Inan, who is determined to eradicate magic for good.

As with any novel, there are many memorable characters, but I don't have time to talk about all of them, otherwise this review would be two or three times the length it currently is. Instead, I will focus on the five characters most crucial to the plot. Zelie is the heroine of the story, a maji with the ability to call forth the spirits of the dead, referred to in-universe as a Reaper. Having been ostracized and oppressed for most of her life because she's different from most of those around her, she welcomes the chance to resort magic to Orisha and give her people a way to protect themselves and fight back against their oppressors. I liked Zelie and her arc as a character. She's uncertain of herself, she struggles with her abilities and several times, wonders if she's able to fulfill the task that others say she's desperate for. Tzain is Zelie’s brother, who is one of the kosidan. He comes with her on her journey at their father’s request and serves as a voice of reason. Zelie can be brash and impulsive and he is usually the one who convinces her to find better solutions to a given problem. Amari is the princess of Orisha, who's escape from the palace with a magical artifact sets the story into motion. While she has been raised her whole life to be scared and wary of the diviners, she clearly doesn't believe that they're the monsters others say that they are.  She's a compassionate person, which many others see as a weakness, but her compassion is what drives her to join Zelie on her quest and try to make things better for the diviners. Amari begins the novel appearing to be very weak-willed and underestimated, but through the journey she takes with the Adebola siblings, she comes into her own and learns how to be comfortable with who she is. Inan is Zelie’s older brother and the heir to the throne. He's a very difficult character to talk about without spoiling a few things in the book, but let's just say he's an antagonist mostly just by circumstance. He's pursuing Zelie, Tzain and Amari on his father's orders. He wants to eradicate all magic because he's been told his whole life that if magic is allowed to exist, it will be the end of the kingdom and his family. It isn't until very late in the story that he is given a reason to want the things that he wants. I'll be honest, I spent a decent amount of the book annoyed at Inan because he was acting against his own self interests and, had he gotten what he wanted, he would suffer as a result. Lastly, there is the main antagonist of the story, King Saran. He makes very few appearances in the story, at the very beginning and in the climax. Other than his few appearances, most of his char activation comes from what's said about him by other characters. There isn't really much depth to Saran, no nuance to his goals. He hates the diviners, he hated the maji and wants to completely eradicate them altogether. He's a very simple villain and there's no attempt made to lessen how evil he comes off as. These five characters drive most of the plot and the dynamics between them created an engaging story. 

One of the aspects of this novel that I liked the most was the sources of inspiration the author drew from. While some of the sources she used are standard in fantasy, such as Harry Potter and An Ember in the Ashes, it was the inspiration derived from West African mythology and Yoruba culture that made this story and this world unique. It made the story refreshing. This was the first fantasy novel I read that had taken inspiration from West African mythology, or really any mythology that wasn't European. Adeyemi’s novel brings a new perspective and new ideas to the fantasy genre, which is never a bad thing. Fantasy, as with any genre, needs a wider diversity of storytellers.

This book delves into a number of complex themes, some of which I haven't read in fantasy before. One of the most obvious ones is its exploration of race. The maji are darker skinned than the kosidan. Given that the kosidan have enslaved parts of the maji population, it would be difficult to miss the message regarding how race and class can be used to divide a nation. Another theme regards the connection between power and brutality. By virtue of simply being the king, Saran already has power, but that's not enough for him. He feels the need to oppress and enslave the maji because he fears if they aren't oppressed, he and the other kosidan will lose control of the nation. Another recurring theme is characters’ responses to oppression. Zelie, as a result of watching her mother die and living every day in fear for her own life, is determined to resist and overthrow the current order that oppresses her. Another maji character doesn't want to overthrow the system, but use the eventual return of magic to unite the two groups and create a more peaceful country. Lesser themes include identity and the struggles with transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.

I don't have very much to say about the plot itself or the pacing of the story. I normally only talk about those things when I feel there's an issue with how the story unfolds or the speed at which it unfolds. The plot is solid, the elements that invoke foreshadowing do it deftly and it was easy to follow. The pacing was perfect, with scenes that needed to feel a little longer doing exactly that, while other, shorter scenes were given enough length without feeling rushed. The conclusion was amazing. I loved Adeyemi’s writing style itself and she's clearly a talented storyteller.

While I was a fan of the book as a whole, there is one aspect I didn't like. I wasn't a big fan of the romance between Zelie and Inan. The romance was the one aspect of the story that felt a little rushed. It felt a lot like “insta-love” in my opinion. I could see where it can be seen as following the “enemies to lovers” trope, but I don't think it really works here. Zelie develops feelings for someone who, at the beginning of the book, tries to kill her  and does a number of horrible things to people she cares about. It felt weird and contrived to me, so I find myself skimming through their romantic scenes in an effort to return to the parts of the story I did like. I might be the only one who didn't like this romance, but it really just didn't sit right with me.

Children of Blood and Bone is an exceptional story. Tomi Adeyemi is a wonderful writer and she deserves all of the praise this book has gotten. I haven't read the second book in this series, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, but it is definitely on my TBR now. I'd recommend Children of Blood and Bone to any young adult fantasy fans.

Rating: 4.8 stars

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Eve: The Awakening

Eve: The Awakening is a 2015 young adult science fiction novel by Jenna Moreci. It was the author's debut novel. She self-published the novel and her follow-up was the acclaimed fantasy novel, The Savior's Champion. I became aware of this novel due to the author having a YouTube channel where she discusses writing and gives out writing advice.

The novel follows a teenager named Eve who is a chimera, meaning she has telekinetic abilities, along with a few other physical attributes, which separates her from the rest of humanity. After years of being an outcast and hated due to her abilities, Eve begins college at the esteemed Billington University, fully-prepared to reinvent herself and live as an ordinary human being. But things at Billington aren’t as they seem. In a school filled with prodigies, socialites, and the leaders of tomorrow, Eve finds that the complex social hierarchy makes passing as a human much harder than she had anticipated. Even worse, Billington is harboring a secret of its own: Interlopers have infiltrated the university, and their sinister plans are targeted at chimeras—like Eve. She must decide if she's going to stay in the shadows or rise up and fight.

I feel like I should start off this review by discussing the characters within the story. There is Eve, the title character and protagonist. I felt so-so about her to be honest. She had personality, and attitude, but at times, it just didn't make sense to me. She would easily brush off some things people said or did to her, but become enraged over other, less serious, events. Speaking of the way she was treated, all chimeras are feared by most of humanity because they aren't understood and because they have this innate power. Eve is no exception and, after her status as a chimera is revealed, people at the college start treating her poorly and for the most part she does nothing about it. She doesn't argue back, she doesn't fight back, she just lets it happen. While I can understand the "don't sink to their level" argument, it made me start to dislike her character. On her journey, Eve makes a number of quirky and interesting friends. The thing about them though, is that they have exactly one thing about them that makes them unique. Sancho is a pyromaniac. Percy is flamboyantly gay. JJ is a hacker extraordinaire. They're all quirky but one-dimensional. There are Madison, Heather and Hayden, the stereotypical mean girls who serve as Eve's "friends" early in the story, only to turn on her later. Lastly, there are the Interlopers, who serves as a faceless army of evil aliens and don't have much personality. They have an evil plan, details about that plan don't really seem to matter, but they're evil and they need to be stopped. 

I love science fiction. I especially love sci-fi that takes place on Earth rather than on some far-off planet. When I read the blurb for this book, I thought it would be right up my alley. It turned out that I was wrong. While the story had potential, it was bogged down by a number of problems. One issue I had was with the amount of filler within this book. There was a lot more filler than was needed, which led to side storylines never going anywhere or not having a real conclusion. In a story about people with superpowers being targeted by aliens, Eve dealing with a math teacher who hates her feels out of place. There's also a storyline that's problematic, for lack of a better term, because a character is nearly assaulted and nothing ever comes of it. There are no repercussions, no consequences, the assault is stopped and that's it. The fact that these plotlines are in the story and don't really have a purpose indicates that maybe, they should've been omitted entirely. Another issue that I had was with the way the plot progresses. This novel isn't a character-driven story, but I wouldn't say it's plot driven either. It kind of straddles both methods and it suffers because of it. It feels like Eve is being dragged through the story half the time and pulling it along the other half. I didn't hate the novel, but the filler and lack of clear direction made it difficult for me to fully enjoy.

Finally. let's discuss the plot itself. Due to some of the filler element, it does move rather slowly. Once the plot starts, important events come in fits and spurts. As with most novels, there's more action and activity in the second half of the story than in the first half, and once the plot starts moving, in earnest, it moves rather quickly. Some of the fight scenes I found engaging, while others didn't really excite me due to the pacing being a little inconsistent. There's a romantic subplot that takes place, which to be honest didn't interest me, but it also didn't detract from the story. It was just sort of there, kind of like Eve's love interest to be honest. Then, comes the plot twist, which I won't fully delve into but I do want to mention. Some stories have very obvious or heavy-handed plot twists; some have more subtle or "gotcha" ones. The plot twist in Eve:The Awakening is neither, but it's supposed to feel like the second one in an attempt to not be the first. The issue is that there isn't any kind of foreshadowing for the twist to make sense and the world's own internal rules are broken in order to make it work. There was a lot of potential here, but the potential wasn't met.

I don't want to make it sound like I completely hated this novel, because I didn't. The core idea Moreci had is fascinating. The detail she put into the world-building and explanation of chimeras was fantastic, it just got bogged down by the college drama and filler. This book does more showing than telling, which is good. I liked her writing style overall, and good for a first novel. She clearly has talent as a writer and some of the mistakes she made in this novel, she learned from and remembered while writing The Savior's Champion. She had a lot of talent, but fell into some of the pitfalls plenty of debut authors do. The only solution to that issue is to keep writing and improve her skills, which she has done. 

I wanted to like Eve: The Awakening, but to be honest, it just wasn't right for me. It's not a terrible book, but I didn't really enjoy very much of it. There were too many extra elements that weren't needed, too many side plots which took me out of the story. Considering this is Jenna Moreci's debut novel, I wouldn't say that it was bad, just a bit disappointing. Perhaps I set my expectations too high going into this novel.

Rating: 2.3 stars

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Until All Curses Are Lifted

Until All Curses Are Lifted is a 2019 young adult epic fantasy novel by Tim Frankovich. It was released in August of 2019 and published by Warpsteel Press. The author provided me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The novel takes place in a fantasy world where the law is imposed by magic. If a person breaks the law, they’re cursed in one way or another. The only exception to this rule are the reigning six Lords of the world, Antises, who figured out a way centuries ago to bypass that particular rule. The story follows two protagonists: Marshal and Seri. Marshal was born cursed as punishment for the crimes of his father. He discovers that he’s heir to immense magical power and this leads him to flee for his life because his half-brother wants the power for himself and hires an assassin to pursue him. No one has ever escaped a curse, but Marshal, his mother Aelia and another boy from their village named Victor, journey to lift Marshal’s curse so that he can truly be safe. Seri, meanwhile, wants to become the first female mage and the most powerful mage in history. The magic that holds Antises together is failing and no one knows why. While the ground itself shakes, someone starts murdering mages. In danger from all directions, Seri must learn how to use her unique abilities before everything falls apart. As both Marshal and Seri go on their respective journeys, neither knows they’re being watched from another realm.

Marshal might be the first main character of his kind that I’ve read. As explained above, Marshal is cursed due to the actions of his father. His curse is that he’s unable to communicate. He can’t speak, or make any type of sound, he can’t use a form of sign language and the only way he can get any information across is by nodding or shaking his head, and that’s only if he remembers what each gesture means. This means that, while the reader sees things from Marshal’s perspective through his narration and thoughts, we’re the only ones who know what he’s thinking, the other characters do not. Since he can’t speak, many characters believe he isn’t aware of what’s going on or doesn’t fully understand things happening around him, but he does, he just can’t express that. At the beginning of the novel, Aelia, Marshal’s mother, is the only person who seems to care about him. Everyone in the village, and the world at large, loathe people who are cursed, even children who were born that way. Aelia is the driving force behind Marshal’s story and one of the strongest, most complex characters I’ve read in a while. She doesn’t care where she has to go or what she has to do, she’s going to get Marshal’s curse lifted. At the same time, she’s never willing to tell anyone much about her plans, keeping things very close to her chest. Seri is the other main character and she is committed to not only being the first female mage, but also the greatest mage of all time. She arrives at Zes Sivas, where mages are trained, to learn magic as magic is causing the world to fall apart. Seri and her fellow acolytes are the highlights of the chapters taking place at Zes Sivas. They’re dripping with personality and agency. One of my favorite traits of Seri’s is how curious she is about what’s going on around her and how tenacious she is about finding answers. Everyone else just wants to stop the world from falling apart, while she wants to understand why it’s falling apart to begin with. There’s a whole host of other characters, both good and bad, that I enjoyed in this story, and it would take me forever to run through all of them. Frankovich did an excellent job writing interesting and unique characters.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the way the alternating POVs is used to tell the story. Marshal’s journey shows the reader the world in the way an average person would see it. His group travels to different lands, meets people of different cultures and gives a more down-to-earth perspective of things. Seri’s story, meanwhile, reveals information about Antises in a broader sense. Through her studying magic, the reader learns how magic works in this world. Through Zes Sivas preparing for an annual ritual, the six different lands are explained, including current tensions between the lands. Seri and Marshal’s stories do overlap, but not until close to the end of the novel, which I liked because it gave both storylines a chance to breathe and develop without the plots contriving to bring them together. The story ends exactly where it needs to, and concludes enough of the story to be satisfying while providing the framework for the sequel, which according to the excerpt at the end, is titled Until All Bonds Are Broken.

This book surprised me. I feel like a lot of young adult fantasy, including young adult epic fantasy, tends to shy away from some of the more nitty-gritty aspects of life.  While there isn’t gratuitous violence, Until All Curses Are Lifted doesn’t shy away from it either. There’s a fair amount of violence, bloodshed and death. The same is true for discussions of sex and other topics some books like to gloss over or pretend don’t exist. While I found those aspects of the story refreshing, what really surprised me was the themes of this story and how deep some of those themes run. One of the major themes is about power and how it corrupts those who wield it when left unchecked. That theme isn’t uncommon, but here it’s shown, both literally and figuratively, and runs through multiple storylines, not just one. There’s also something to be said for its message about fear of the unknown or unfamiliar. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

While I enjoyed Until All Curses Are Lifted, I do have some criticism to share. The pacing is a little strange. Obviously, a fight scene or scene with a lot of tension is going to feel more fast-paced than just two people talking, but there were parts of this story where the pacing of a scene didn’t make sense for what was happening within a scene. Likewise, the way the story is broken up into chapters felt weird to me. There were a few instances where two consecutive chapters could’ve been one single chapter instead. There are 430 pages in the book, and it’s 83 chapters when it could’ve been closer to around 50 if some of the chapters had been combined. I know it’s not a huge deal, but I did find that choice to be a little odd. While I enjoyed the story overall, and the ending, I do think there could’ve been a little bit more foreshadowing about some of the revelations at the end, but I can understand why Frankovich might be holding off until the sequel to delve into some of those things. I have some complaints about the novel, but they didn’t distract from my enjoyment of the book.

Until All Curses Are Lifted is a solid epic YA fantasy. The characters are well-written, the world is fascinating and the story is refreshing. I look forward to seeing more of it in the sequel when it’s released. I would recommend it to any epic fantasy fan, both teenagers and adults. It would be especially enjoyable for readers that like hybrid magic systems.

Rating: 3.9 stars

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Odriel's Heirs

Odriel's Heirs is a 2020 young adult high fantasy novel by Hayley Reese Chow. It is being self-published by the author and is scheduled for release on March 1, 2020. The e-book is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and you can purchase it here.  The author provided me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The novel's blurb reads as follows:  As the Dragon Heir, seventeen-year-old Kaia inherited the power of flame to protect her homeland from a godlike necromancer’s undead army. But after centuries of peace, the necromancer has faded to myth, and the Dragon Heir is feared by the people. Persecuted and cast out, Kaia struggles to embrace and control her seemingly useless gift while confined to her family’s farm. But when the necromancer’s undead terrorize the land once again, Kaia runs away to join the battle. With the help of her childhood rival, the handsome Shadow Heir, and a snarky, cursed cat, Kaia must figure out how to control both her fire and her confidence in time to save Okarria. If she fails, she will sacrifice her family, her new friends, and the enchanting world she has only just begun to see. And time is running out.

Before I discuss what I think of the story overall, I'd like to talk about the characters within the story. Kaia is the main character, and our point-of-view character, for the novel. I liked her character, I enjoyed her growth as a character from a girl who's unsure of herself and her powers to a confident and powerful fighter. She had fears and doubts and agency which made her story compelling. Even when she did things that frustrated me, it didn't make me stop liking the character, I just didn't like the choice she made. Best of all, she's a seventeen-year-old character that reads as being a seventeen-year-old. Along her journey, Kaia encounters, and the reader is introduced to, an array of colorful and interesting characters. There is Klaus, the Shadow Heir, and Kaia's childhood rival. At the beginning, he mostly serves as a foil to Kaia as she struggles to gain control. She's unsure of her abilities, while he's confident in his. She's optimistic while he's most pessimistic. Their relationship at the beginning can best be described as "playfully antagonistic"; they aren't friends but for the most part, their fighting isn't serious. Klaus is a well-rounded character in his own right, having needed to come to terms with his own abilities long before the current crisis arose. I liked Kaia and Klaus, but my favorite character by far is Gus, Kaia's ragehound, who serves as a quasi-therapy dog making sure that Kaia keeps her emotions in check. Because as the Dragon Heir, Kaia sometimes experiences something called Dragon Rage, which is pretty self-explanatory. Gus is a good boy and deserves nice things. There are a number of side characters that I could discuss, but it would take me a long time to say what I need to say about all of them. Overall, I liked the diversity with these characters. I liked the fact that characters didn't drop out of the story entirely after they served the initial purpose they seemed to have. I enjoyed the simplicity of the main villain, the necromancer Nifras, as well. He didn't have some complicated motivation where he thought he was doing the right thing. He wanted to use his Lost, the term for the undead in this world, to overrun the world and cover the planet in darkness. Villains that are evil, simply to be evil, are great when utilized properly and Chow did that here. This novel had excellent characters.

Now that I've finished gushing about the characters, let's talk about the story itself. Reading Odriel's Heirs, it's easy to see what works inspired this world and this story, and there's a great deal of variety within that pool. At the same time, while the author took inspiration from Tolkien and others, the story is its own and not an attempt to retread old grounds. I liked the world-building overall, in that there was some information given about specific groups and races, but not everything was spelled out. The reader was able to fill in the blanks and create their own vision of parts of this world. I enjoyed the plot of this novel because things escalated in a way that makes sense. Kaia leaves home to save a handful of people, which turns into needing to save a village and that snowballs into needing to save the world from the undead. The stakes keep getting raised, but they aren't going from very low stakes to extremely high stakes right away. I appreciated that all fight and battle scenes were giving an appropriate number of pages to take place. Short fight scenes didn't run as long as the battle that's going to have more lasting and widespread consequences which is exactly how it should be. Most stories have several plot twists, with some being smaller than others, and this story is no different. I don't spoil books as a rule, and I'm definitely not going to ruin the plot twists of a book that, at the time that I'm writing this, hasn't been released yet. What I will say is that the twist that happens towards the end of the book surprised me in the best way. I didn't see it coming, but on reflection, I could see the hints and pieces of foreshadowing that preceded it. Overall, the novel has a good, solid plot with some fun surprises thrown in.

One of my favorite parts of this book relates to Kaia's character arc, but I wanted to discuss it on its own. That is the focus on problems Kaia faces due to her being the Dragon Heir. Inwardly, there's a great deal of self-doubt and struggle she faces with her role as the Dragon Heir. In-universe it's explained that only the first-born child of the Dragon Heir will inherit his or her parent's gift. Kaia's father is the Dragon Heir and she is also the Dragon Heir because she was born six minutes before her twin brother. One of her biggest struggles is dealing with the fact that, maybe, her brother should be the one with this gift. She wonders if she's going to be enough to stop Nifras. Is she able to live up to the destiny she's supposed to fulfill? At the beginning of the story, she's not sure that she can. She messes up, she fails and she has to learn not only how to use her gifts, but why she's meant to be the Dragon Heir. Aside from Kaia's inner struggle, there's also a degree of outer conflict around her gifts. Normal people are scared of Kaia, scared of what she can do. Even as a child, people were wary and cruel to her. Through a few short interactions, the reader gets to see what the downside to being a Chosen One is. Or what it's like when the people you're meant to defend and protect don't actually want you around to do that. I found the focus on Kaia needing to accept, but internally and externally, that she is the Dragon Heir and that she isn't meant to be normal, to be interesting.

While I enjoyed the book overall, there are a few pieces of criticism I need to share.While the novel has a good, solid plot, the pacing needs a little bit of work. It's a bit too fast-paced in certain parts, making it easy for a reader to get lost or need to go back and reread to figure out what's going on. I liked Chow's writing style overall, but there were some aspects that are indicative of this being a debut novel. Mostly, this was when she told the reader things rather than showing it. This is her first novel, and as a debut, it's excellent, but occasionally, I came across things that reminded me of it being her first novel. The third, and final, criticism I have is about the romance in the story. I didn't think that the romance was bad, but it was a bit predictable. It was predictable, which isn't necessarily bad, and it somewhat relied on a trope that I don't enjoy reading. However, the romance didn't overshadow the rest of the story, so while I'm so-so about that, it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment. 


I loved this book more than I expected to. It told an amazing story and it doesn't read like an author's first novel. While not perfect, it's a solid, enjoyable story. I recommend it to any fantasy reader that finds the premise intriguing. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel's release, which doesn't have a release date, but the author has announced that there will be one. I'd like to thank Hayley Reese Chow again for providing me with an advance copy of novel so that I could write this review.

Rating: 4.7 stars

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