Tag Archives: romantasy

dire bound banner

Book Review: Dire Bound, by Sable Sorensen

Leave a reply

I was recently lucky enough to win a giveaway on Instagram that included a copy of Sable Sorensen‘s Dire Bound.

dire bound cover

Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them…

Meryn Cooper has never dreamed of being one of the Bonded, the King’s elite warriors who form mental links with massive, vicious direwolves. She’s made peace with her life scraping by in poverty in the shadows of the castle. But then her younger sister Saela is kidnapped, stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting.

And Meryn’s world falls apart.

Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army—only to discover that there are Bonding Trials this year, where all soldiers are forced to risk their lives in an attempt to connect with a direwolf. It’s too late to turn back; Meryn is thrown into the deadly competition against her will.

Now, she’ll need to survive the next four months of training at the castle if she wants a chance of finding Saela. Everything here is a test, from the brutal classes where one mistake means death, to the glittering court parties where every smile hides a knife.

To make things worse, Meryn is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her gorgeous instructor, Stark Therion, is as malicious as the wolves himself.

Everyone is out to get her—everyone but the dangerously handsome crown prince, Killian Valtiere. But if she loses her heart to him, she may also lose her life.

And the castle is hiding dark secrets…

my review

I enjoyed this. Meryn is the physical embodiment of ‘all things through spite,’ and I was 100% here for it and her. I also found the world interesting, the writing easy to read, and there’s some snarky humor. All in all, a good enough read that I’ve pre-ordered book two.

On the other hand, the pacing is inconsistent throughout, and I believe the book is longer than necessary. It’s also fairly predictable, except for a few moves made by Meryn that seem out of place to the reader (especially toward the end). Lastly, it has some questionable Fourth Wing vibes going on. But these complaints were outweighed by my enjoyment.

dire bound photo

Other Reviews:

Review:  Direbound: A Dark Romantasy (The Wolves of Ruin Book 1) by Sable Sorensen

smoke and scar banner

Book Review: Smoke and Scar, by Gretchen Powell Fox

Leave a reply

I was recently lucky enough to win a giveaway on Instagram that included a copy of Gretchen Powell Fox‘s Smoke and Scar. (Does it not have the most gorgeous cover?)

smoke-and-scar-cover

Birthed in shadow. Forged in fire.

A Splintered Kingdom

An ancient grudge has kept humans and the magical races of Arcanis at odds for centuries. The Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that occurs every 25 years, offers a chance for peace.

A Haunted Warrior

Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self. Drowning in grief after losing the man she loved to the previous Crucible, now she must rise to stop his sister from falling to the same fate.

A Vengeful Knight

Hardened by loss and fueled by hate, Cedric Thorne’s lifelong goal to conquer the Crucible on humanity’s behalf is finally within reach. The only problem? Getting through the trials alive means working with Elyria—the very fae he blames for his parents’ deaths.

An Unwinnable Challenge

With alliances fragile as spun glass and betrayal lurking at every turn, Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, and magic… as well as their increasingly complex feelings for each other.

This is the Arcane Crucible.

my review

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Admittedly, it took me a little while to really get into it. I was flat out uncertain about the beginning. But once all the characters came together, I was locked in. The story is of a fairly mundane quest sort. Think high fantasy with magical challenges and physical hardships, etc. But I enjoyed the banter between Elyria and Cedric. I liked that she’s the more powerful one and he the Damsel in Distress, so to speak (though I do wonder if the author will step back from that in future books, the setup is there). I liked the side characters, the world seems interesting, and the book is just easy to read. This despite heavy themes of forgiveness, accepting oneself, learning to let go of prejudice, and seeing value in diversity, changing your mind when presented with new information, corruption, and the cost of trauma (even on otherwise good people), etc. There is a lot going on under the surface of this story.

I did find some aspects of it a little predictable, and though Elyria does control shadows, I wouldn’t say she carries the dark “shadow daddy” vibes some of the book’s PR led me to expect. There also isn’t any sex. I mentioned it in case that’s something that matters to you. I did not miss it.

All in all, I’ll be looking forward to the next one.

smoke and scar photo

Other Reviews:

Vellichor Vibes: Smoke and Scar, by Gretchen Powell Fox

 

the haven, the hallow, and the highborn banner

Book Review: The Haven, the Hallow, & the Highborn, by Jessa Grey

Leave a reply

I was recently lucky enough to win a giveaway on Instagram that included a copy of The Haven, the Hallow, & the Highborn, by Jessa Grey.

the haven, the hallow & the highborn cover

In facing her finest opponent, she will uncover her greatest strength.

Eedy Blackthorn wields a rare and mystical witch magic—she can become a conduit to harness the raw forces of lightning itself. But her abilities do not make up for her painful past. After a tragic accident claims her beloved father, Eedy inherits his seat on the mage-led council. Consumed by guilt over her father’s death and determined to honor his legacy, she refuses to be silenced, no matter how often the male-dominated council disregards her suggestions.

When a mysterious disruption in magic threatens the kingdom’s balance, Prince Caelum is sent to join the council. Discovering Eedy’s identity reawakens a grudge tied to her late father, who ridiculed his family for years. With old wounds resurfacing, every council debate between them crackles with tension. As they clash over how to restore the magical order, their arguments become charged with something neither of them is willing to name.

With duty and destiny colliding, Eedy and Caelum must navigate their forbidden feelings for each other while racing to restore the kingdom’s magic before the winter solstice. As the solution to the magical crisis becomes clear, the couple is faced with an impossible decision, one that will test the limits of Eedy’s power and the depths of Caelum’s heart.

my review

I was really pleasantly surprised by this. I didn’t initially realize that it was a prequel to something else, and (sadly) prequels often feel ad hoc and incomplete, like the add-on they are. But not The Haven, the Hallow, & the Highborn. While it does end on something of a cliffhanger or, maybe better described as a happyish for now, HEA in the making, it feels like a complete arc. I adored Eedy from the first page. She’s practical, and I do so love a practical heroine. It took me a bit longer to warm up to Caelum. Smug always rubs me the wrong way. But as Eedy (and, by extension, I) got to know him, I came to like him quite a lot by the end. The world is fascinating, and the story circles back to its beginning in a satisfying way by the end. I’ll look forward to Grey‘s Roots of Magic series when it comes out later in the year.

the haven, the hallow, and the highborn photo

Other Reviews: