Review: Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

Bloodmarked ★★★★★ | Book twenty nine of 2023 | audiobook / paperback

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn is the second book in the Legendborn Cycle which draws inspiration from Arthurian legends and weaves it into a twenty-first century American setting. This instalment picks up where Legendborn leaves off, and now the stakes are higher than ever with Nick abducted and Bree’s world completely turned on it’s head. This series beautifully handles important and difficult subject matter like grief and loss, trauma, and racism while being an empowering story imbued with magic and love — this series is an absolute gem.

This is one of those rare occasions that the second book in a trilogy was just as good as the first. Bloodmarked not only had me up until the early hours of the morning after reading it all day to finish it, but it is full of complex characters, incredible friendships and friendship-dynamics, a fleshed-out world with intricate magic systems, and a plot that doesn’t loosen it’s grip, even after the final page. We are introdued to many new characters as Bree’s world of the Legendborn and Rootcrafters expands, but Deonn has blessed us with so many incredible scenes with Sel, Bree, William, Alice and Nick. The dialogue in this series is one of my favourite parts about it, along with the personal growth and absolute badassery of our main characters.

“And... you're also the most wondrous being I have ever encountered, will ever encounter. And I believe there is nothing in this world that you cannot do.”

This is one of those books and series that will stay with me long after it is over for more ways than one. You can now find me impatiently waiting for the final book while obsessively re-reading my favourites scnes (*cough* Bree’s birthday *cough*).

Review: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Legendborn ★★★★★ | Book twenty eight of 2023 | audiobook / paperback

I have so many thoughts about this book but I have to keep this review short — i don’t want to spoil a single thing.

This book was raw, magical, heartwarming — it has consumed me for the past three days.
Bree, our main character, goes through an incredible journey — she works through and embraces her grief, her trauma. She learns about who she is — her identity is such a foundational aspect of this book — and as she makes her way through magic, her family history, the history of the world she has found herself in, and through it she finds friends, she experiences love and utter heartbreak.

This YA contemporary fantasy draws on the Arthurian legend, a whole body of lore that is slippery, with branches splintering off it as the legend developed through the centuries. Deonn has created something new within the world of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, she includes so many twists and turns in this story I could not stop reading.

I am hooked.

5 stars.
PS. I love Selwyn Kane.

Review: The Prison Healer Series by Lynette Noni

The Prison Healer Series ★★★★★ | books five, six, and seven of 2023 | paperback/e-book

This review of the entire series is spoiler free, but it’s also a rave because I loved it so much. Lynette Noni has taken her place firmly as one of my favourite authors of all time. This is the second time that she has made me fall completely in love with reading again, completely in love with a series and with a whole set of characters. This series has consumed my every waking moment since I started it. The emotion that Noni evoked from me while I read this series (in particular the final book) is the reason I read. A re-read so I can annotate all of my favourite parts is definitely in my future. Thankyou, Lynette Noni.

The Prison Healer ★★★★★ — Hooked me from the first page. Kiva is such a great main character. It had a plot that sucked me in, but it was the characters, the found family, Naari, Tipp, and Jayden that sealed the deal for me. Honestly, this book gave me the YA fantasy hit I needed. I hate that, once again, I have waited so long to pick up another great book, especially considering I DEVOURED the Medoran Chronicles. The ending to this made me SO glad that I waited until the entire trilogy had been published though. This book kept me on my toes just enough that I didn't quite know what was coming next, but still managed to rip my heart out and made me verbally ‘aawww’ a few times — all the signs of a good book.

The Gilded Cage ★★★★☆ — now I may not have liked it as much as the first book, but boy was I completely entranced. Lynette Noni had me hanging on her every word. I just kept picking this book up at every available moment. This blog is a Jaren fan club, as it is a Caydon fan club. I think the thing that bothered me was because of how attached I have become to Jaren, to Naari and to Tipp, and Kiva’s inability to choose a side when it was so clear which side she needed to take. I love her spunk and especially in the prison healer, I loved her morals. The way she stood up for the people who needed her help, and her loyalty to those she cared for. I just felt like Kiva was a different person in this second instalment, which, because now I am sucked in hook, line, and sinker, just had me screaming at her to pull it together!! As always, my rating is 100% on vibes and I still absolutely LOVED this book, it was just Kiva’s choices and constant conflicting emotions throughout that bothered me (especially with one side of the conflict clearly not being deserving of her). But god, did it make for incredible reading.

The Blood Traitor ★★★★★ — I think I loved this as much as I loved the first one. The trauma, the healing, the found family, the redemption, the love, the magic. I am finding it hard to put into words how this book affected me. I haven’t felt so strongly about fictional characters in a very long time. The main group of characters in this book, their dynamic together and separately was the highlight. Noni gave us some incredible character arcs, some twists I didn’t see coming, and some truly heartwarming and heartwrenching moments. The suspense of the first 80% of this book (iykyk) had me unable to put it down. It was wonderful being introduced to more of the world, and despite me (as always) wanting more exploration of the world Noni has created, it wasn’t necessary to the greater story. The development of friendships and personal growth in this book was one of the things that struck me the most. The plot was more fast-paced in this one than the previous two, and to say I was hanging off every single word is an understatement. It’s impossible to say more without ruining something so I will have to leave it at that.

If you have read this series, let me know how you found it! Are you as completely obsessed as me?

Review: The Daevabad Trilogy (books 2 and 3) by S. A. Chakraborty

The Kingdom of Copper ★★★★☆ | book two of 2023 | e-book

The Empire of Gold ★★★★☆ | book three of 2023 | e-book

The Kingdom of Copper and The Empire of Gold by S. A. Chakraborty are books two and three of the Daevabad Trilogy, a rich fantasy trilogy full of epic battles, feuding families and magic. Books two and three of the trilogy were just as enthralling as City of Brass, and although I went into book two still mildly confused with all of the different types of djinn and daeva and the connection between Nahid and Ashfin, I enjoyed the entire series all the same. The books didn't get 5 ★ ratings from me only for a couple of reasons. I thought that the books could have used one final edit as there were a couple of errors and unclear phrasing. I also feel like the magic system wasn’t fully explained, and I still found the different groups and who they were loyal to a bit confusing.

But as always, I review books based on the vibes and my personal enjoyment over anything else. I found myself picking up my kindle constantly, and reading until I fell asleep, something I haven’t felt the urge to do in a long time. The books made me laugh out loud, and the characters and their sarcasm and quips and the whole combination of found family and enemies-friends-lovers triangle of sorts all had me hooked. Every scene with Nahri and Ali either brought a smile to my face, or made me laugh.

I particularly enjoyed the character development throughout this series, and I loved having three POV’s throughout the entire trilogy. It gave the story depth, and allowed the reader an intimate look into the minds of our three main characters. Nahri, Ali, and Dara were all nuanced characters that go through so much in the course of the books, I loved having each of their perspectives. The different relationships and dynamics of this book was an absolute highlight, and although the book is definitely plot driven, it is also character driven (and you know me, I love a book driven by its characters). I have gone through and tabbed/underlined all of the sections I highlighted on my kindle, and its safe to say that this is definitely one of the more thoroughly annotated book series I have read.

This series was a wonderful start to 2023, and hopefully it just keeps getting better. Have you read this series? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments or over on my Instagram ✨

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

★★★☆☆.5 | audiobook | book four of 2022

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is the first book in The Folk of the Air series. The story revolves around a mortal girl named Jude who lives in the world of Faerie. When she and her twin was seven, her mother and father were killed in front of them by her mothers ex-fling and the father to their older half sister Vivienne. He was also a prominent general in the High Court of Faerie. Jude grows up as a mortal in faerie, taking classes with the rest of the faerie gentry. She sees mortals as slaves, drugged to work until exhaustion consumes their mind and body, not to mention the threats right in front of her with her faerie school fellows. As Jude fights for a spot at the High Court, she is consumed with intrigues and deceptions, trickery and bloodshed.

I’m going to be completely honest with you, I didn’t even read the blurb of this book before jumping into it. I was looking for a relatively easy read to listen to, and this one came with good recommendations. I definitely enjoyed the book but not as much as I was hoping I would. There was also something a bit weird about the narration, the volume kept fluctuating and there were some really obvious cuts in the recording, some of which I literally went back and had to listen to again to make sure I was hearing it right. That being said, the narrator did a really wonderful job.

This book starts off with a bang since their parents are literally killed in the prologue I’m pretty sure, but then nothing really happens until part two of the book. You don’t realise that the whole of Part One is basically not necessary until you get into the intensity of the second part. Jude wants to be a knight in the High Court, and her sister Taryn wants to marry a faerie, they’re both trying to fit into Faerie in different ways, but I found Jude’s character a little wishy washy. She didn't feel like a solidified character with purpose behind her actions until Part Two, when I actually started liking her. In contrast, Taryn acted exactly as I expected she would the whole time. I don’t love her character, but I guess she serves her purpose, as do many of the cruel faeries Jude comes into contact with during the course of the book.

I loved the political intrigue of the book, and how although some of it felt quite obvious, there were still events and choices that surprised me. There is a really great set of unique characters in this book which made it an overall enjoyable read, leaving you with the sense that you only know the surface of each of these characters. I have seen Cardan’s name everywhere on instagram, and so far he is definitely an intriguing character that obviously has a lot more going for him than just a drunk, broody, elite faerie who often acts cruelly (but I’m assuming thats just a front for how tortured he actually is). I really liked the rivalry and the ever brewing tension between Jude and Cardan, and I am sure this is only going to increase in intensity as I keep reading. Another part of this story I particularly liked is the Court of Shadows, and the level of intricacy in the intrigues and court politics. I hope these only grow in the next books.

I have a feeling this series is only going to improve with the next books and I am looking forward to starting the next one. Have you read this book / this series? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or over on my Instagram @kell_read ✨

Review: Vardaesia and A Very Medoran Kaldoras Novella by Lynette Noni

Vardaesia ★★★★★ // A Very Medoran Kaldoras Novella ★★★★☆

Vardaesia

In this final instalment of The Medoran Chronicles by Lynette Noni, I was expecting heartache and incredibly high stakes and sadness and that is absolutely what I got. In this YA fantasy series we have been following Alex Jennings, a 16 year old girl from Earth who finds herself in a new world, Medora. Not only that, but she was chosen by the library at the school for gifted humans, Akarnae. In Medora there are humans, and there are also a bunch of other mortal races, there are immortal races, Draekons and even more world with even more immortal beings. Suffice to say, this series has absolutely everything you could want in a YA fantasy series. The first novel is definitely focussed on Akarnae and Alex settling in to her new world, finding friends and generally getting into trouble. As the books progress though, the plot deepens, the stories get more depth the characters get more fleshed out and it stops feeling like young YA. There is battles, tests and death but there is also banter, friendships and so much to make your heart warm.

There’s not a lot I can say about this book without spoiling something from the earlier books, so I’ll keep it short. This book takes us to a new world and introduces us to a new group of immortals. The challenges are at their most deadly for Alex, Bear, Jordan, DC, Kaiden and Declan and honestly, I couldn’t stop listening to this book. I was on the edge of my seat for 75% of this story, and so many things happened that I was unprepared for. This book and this series as a whole is fantastic, and it is up there with my favourite YA books/series of all time. I will definitely be reading this series and rereading it again and again for comfort and more self-inflicted heartache.

A Very Medoran Kaldoras

A Very Medoran Kaldoras is a bonus little novella that takes place just less than a year after the end of Vardaesia, and honestly, it’s just a little extra bonus scene to give us a glimpse into our favourite characters lives and how they’re spending the Kaldoras holidays. I have to warn you though - prior to reading this I saw something on Lynette Noni’s instagram saying that she had no plans to resolve the ending of this novella, so I truly think going into this little bonus story with the knowledge that it ends in a cliff hanger helps. I enjoyed it kore knowing that there was a potentially never to be mentioned again cliff hanger at the end of it. It’s still really cute and I would recommend reading it (it’s a free ebook!)

Have you read this series? If you have, please come and chat with me over on Instagram! I cannot stop gushing about it and I want to hear who your fave character is, your fave scene and your fave book from the series! ✨