The Fiction Feature

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

My Review:

*I read this a while ago so bear with me.*

This book was just so captivating. It drew me in and trapped me until I finished it in what I remember to be one sitting. I was amazing at how well-done it was and how unpredictable it became. I loved how everything unfolded so carefully and no one knew who to trust. I tried to guess what was going on but nothing could prepare me for the ending and I loved it. This was such a great retelling.

I would definitely recommend this to people who like twisted fairytale retellings and fantasy in general. It definitely also had a horror spin on it because some of it was pretty morbid but I don’t think it could be considered as horror enough to be recommended to fans of the genre. It’s just a great, creepy fantasy that I loved reading and so did a friend of mine who isn’t a really big book person.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Goodreads Synopsis:

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.

My Review:

I don’t usually like sci-fi, but this book is so popular that I had to give it a chance. I wasn’t really surprised by what I thought of it, but I was still disappointed. Of the seven main characters (Tyler, Scarlett, Cat, Finian, Zila, Kal and Aurora) I liked two: mainly Finian, but also Scarlett. I didn’t think this book was exceptional, but I did enjoy reading it, mainly due to Finian. The other characters just seemed unlikeable to me and it made an impact on how I perceived the story.

I have to give points for getting me invested in the plot, though. Even if I couldn’t stand anyone but Finian and Scarlett, I did care about what happened to the others, which was more than I would’ve expected. I can certainly see why people might like this book, but for me it didn’t really get to that. In my opinion, Finian really carried the story. I was really just waiting to see what he said and thought of everything.

I don’t think I would recommend this book to any of my friends with similar tastes to mine, but I could see a lot of people liking it. This is good for people who like sci-fi, specifically franchises like Star Wars or Star Trek, and also has the found family trope. I did enjoy reading the book but I didn’t like it enough to recommend or reread. I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel.

I would rate this book…

⭐️⭐️.5/5.

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Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Goodreads Synopsis:

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy..

My Review:

I’d heard this book was very good and very dark but it wasn’t until after I saw Emily Duncan in a panel that I had the motivation to read Wicked Saints. I had tried before but never really started it. I didn’t think I would love it, but I might really like it. After having finished it around an hour ago, I can truly say that I loved this.

While I enjoyed the plot and world-building, the characters were the best aspect in my opinion. Nadya is constantly cursing herself for still being drawn to Malachiasz and even the reader, who knows that’s stupid of her is also drawn to him (or at least I was). I really do love morally gray characters and I felt like the majority of the characters cared about maybe three people each and their countries. All of the characters had secrets and a complexity that I don’t always see.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who’d like a darker version of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy. It’s just a really dark, Gothic fantasy. Again, it’s also a great read for people who like morally gray, or, in this case, extremely violent characters. I really did love all of the plot twists and the book in general.

Overall, I would rate this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

Star Daughter – Review

*This book was provided as a physical galley in a giveaway by Epic Reads at YALLSTAYHOME.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.

The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.

Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens–and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.

Brimming with celestial intrigue, this sparkling YA debut is perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor.

My Review:

I was really excited to start this book; I’ve heard lots of good things. I thought this book definitely lived up to expectations. The mythology was intricate but understandable and I loved all of the small stories told alongside Sheetal’s. I think one of my favorite parts of this book was the characters. Every character had a backstory and a motivation, and even when Sheetal didn’t like someone, it was clear why.

However, everyone also seemed relatively redeemable, which I also liked. One example of this was Dev. I knew from a little after the beginning that I shouldn’t have liked him based on what Sheetal felt, but he had shared why he did what he did and still seemed decent.

I would recommend this book to people who like mythology and urban fantasy. Everything is extremely well-developed and understandable in this book, which isn’t always true for urban or high fantasy. I love mythology and loved learning all about the world Sheetal heard of as a child from her mother was amazing.

I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

The Insomniacs – Review

*This book was provided as a physical galley as a prize for a giveaway by WBReaderFest and Flatiron Books.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A sharp and romantic novel about two suburban teens who can’t sleep uncovering the secrets of their neighborhood by night. Think The Summer I Turned Pretty with flashes of Rear Window!

When seventeen-year-old competitive diver Ingrid freezes up and sustains a head injury at a routine meet, her orderly life is turned upside down. Now housebound and sedentary on doctor’s orders, Ingrid can’t sleep and is haunted by the question of what triggered her uncharacteristic stage fright.

The only thing she remembers about the moment before the dive is seeing Van, her neighbor, former best friend, and forever crush, on the sidelines. Then one sleepless night, she sees Van outside her window…looking right back at her. They tentatively begin “not sleeping” together every night but still living separate lives by day.

Ingrid tells herself this is just temporary, but soon, she and Van are up every night together, increasingly intertwined in helping each other put pieces of memory together. As Van works through his own reasons for not being able to sleep, both of them are pulled into a mystery that threatens to turn their quiet neighborhood into a darker place than they realized.

My Review:

I don’t love realistic fiction or romance, but I realized I haven’t reviewed any in a while and technically this is all for FICTION, not just fantasy. Anyways, this book.

I didn’t expect to like The Insomniacs, I mainly read it because I’ve had it for so long without reading or reviewing. While it wasn’t my typical read, I did enjoy reading this book and trying to untangle all of the information the characters and the reader knew. I do love mysteries and this one was especially interesting because both characters knew what happened somewhere in their subconscious, but they couldn’t remember and had to follow the clues instead.

If I had to pick on one thing that I didn’t like, it would be Ingrid’s lack of motivation to figure things out. She was introduced as a very persistent, driven character, but even when her insomnia started destroying her life in the daytime, she still seemed to care about Van more. Otherwise, I thought this was pretty well-done and I read it quickly and enjoyed it a lot.

I would recommend this book to people who like romance and mystery, or even just one of them. I didn’t really find anyone to be unlikeable, I just felt like this was an average read. I definitely know people that I could see enjoying this more than I did, but in general it’s a good break from denser fantasy books.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Set Fire to the Gods – Review

*This book was provided as a physical galley as a prize for a YALLSTAYHOME/Epic Reads giveaway.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ash is descended from a long line of gladiators, and she knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. But after her mother dies in an arena, she vows to avenge her by overthrowing her fire god, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources.

Madoc grew up fighting on the streets to pay his family’s taxes. But he hides a dangerous secret: he doesn’t have the earth god’s powers like his opponents. His elemental gift is something else—something that hasn’t been seen in centuries.

When an attempted revenge plot goes dangerously wrong, Ash inadvertently throws the fire and earth gods into a conflict that can only be settled by deadly, lavish gladiator games. The fights put Madoc in Ash’s path, and she realizes that his powers are the weapon her rebellion needs—but Madoc won’t jeopardize his family, regardless of how intrigued he is by the beautiful warrior.

But when the gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that will threaten more than one immortal—it will unravel the world.

My Review:

I didn’t really know how to feel about this book before reading it. I liked one of Sara Raasch’s other books, Snow Like Ashes, but couldn’t get into the sequel, and I’ve never read anything by Kristen Simmons (besides this), so I was really curious. Overall, I really liked this! There was a lot of mildly confusing worldbuilding and I didn’t love this book, but I did enjoy reading it. I thought Ash and Madoc were both strong, likable characters, and I also loved supporting characters like Tor and Elias. Everything seemed well done, it just took me a while to read because I wasn’t super motivated, which makes me resent it a little. Again, it’s worth the read, though.

I’d recommend this book to people who like magic and gladiators. I wasn’t sure what I would think of the gladiators, but I actually really liked it. It has some really great magic and method that I thought was well-developed. I really don’t know if I’ll be reading the sequel, but I would still recommend this one to people.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception – Review

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She’s about to find out she’s also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen’s sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren’t so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn’t exactly what she had in mind . . . Lament is a dark faerie fantasy that features authentic Celtic faerie lore, plus cover art and interior illustrations by acclaimed faerie artist Julia Jeffrey.

My Review:

Maggie Stiefvater is my favorite author, and while I knew this was one of her earlier works, I expected it to be good. Overall, I thought it was enjoyable but not amazing. I definitely prefer The Scorpio Races or The Raven Cycle Series, but this was good too. I’ve tried to read this book before and never really started it, so I wouldn’t say my expectations were high, but they were relatively close to where the book fell.

I didn’t really have any obvious issues with the book, I just didn’t see it as amazing. I thought it got a little complex, but otherwise I did like the characters and plot. There wasn’t anything fundamentally wrong, I just thought it wasn’t as good as the rest of her books, which is understandable due to this being her first book (as far as I can tell, correct me if I’m wrong).

I wouldn’t really recommend this book because I’ve definitely read better, but I would say it’s good. Again, The Raven Cycle Series is a personal favorite of mine and I feel like Maggie Stiefvater’s later works are much better. However, this was worth the read and now I’m closer to saying I’ve read all of her books!

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Incendiary – Review

Goodreads Synopsis:

I am Renata Convida.
I have lived a hundred stolen lives.
Now I live my own.

Renata Convida was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King’s Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a Robari, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata’s ability to steal memories from royal enemies enabled the King’s Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.

Now Renata is one of the Whispers, rebel spies working against the crown and helping the remaining Moria escape the kingdom bent on their destruction. The Whispers may have rescued Renata from the palace years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred–or the overpowering memories of the hundreds of souls she turned “hollow” during her time in the palace.

When Dez, the commander of her unit, is taken captive by the notorious Sangrado Prince, Renata will do anything to save the boy whose love makes her place among the Whispers bearable. But a disastrous rescue attempt means Renata must return to the palace under cover and complete Dez’s top secret mission. Can Renata convince her former captors that she remains loyal, even as she burns for vengeance against the brutal, enigmatic prince? Her life and the fate of the Moria depend on it.

But returning to the palace stirs childhood memories long locked away. As Renata grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the entire fate of the kingdom–and end the war that has cost her everything.

My Review:

My taste for fantasy usually stops at talk of rebellions and espionage, which is one of the reason why I don’t like books like Divergent or the later Hunger Games books. However, I really enjoyed this one. I found Renata to be likable and I loved some of the other characters too. This was an OwlCrate book too, and of course I love the books OwlCrate chooses.

I don’t really think there’s anything specific that I would pick on here. There were elements that I wasn’t a fan of, but overall they were good for the plot. There were so many twists and I thought most of them were really good and mostly unexpected too. This is definitely worth a read! I didn’t think it was exceptional, but it was certainly very good.

I would recommend this book to people who like fantasy about rebellions, magic, and more. Again, I don’t even like large-scale rebellions or espionage in books, but I was really interested in this book. I also listened to Zoraida Córdova in a couple of BookCon panels and really liked what she had to say, so I was curious about her books.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin – Review

*This book was provided as an ARC in a YALLSTAYHOME giveaway by Epic Reads.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

My Review:

I just really loved this book. First of all, enemies to lovers is my second favorite trope basically ever, so I had been following this book for months already. After it got promoted so much and became a bestseller, I was even happier that I could read this book.

One thing I really liked was that nobody lacked motivation. When there’s so much betrayal and hard choices, sometimes characters don’t really have explanations for why they did what they did. Here, everything seemed to fit together really well and I loved being able to immediately understand how things were necessary and relevant to the plot.

This book also had so much worldbuilding that I really liked learning about as the story went on. However annoying a character seemed to be, I could never completely dismiss them. I decided who I was rooting for to kill the other (Malik or Karina), and while I did come to a decision, it took much longer for me to decide than it usually would because I could see the motivations behind both.

I would recommend this book to people who like royalty, assassination attempts, magic, complicated romances, and more. Overall, it’s just a really good book that I loved reading and I think a lot of other people would too!

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Infinity Son – Review

Goodreads Synopsis:

Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, bestselling author Adam Silvera’s Infinity Son is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making.

Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures.

Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day.

Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be.

Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.

My Review:

I’ve actually been waiting to read this book for a while and I was really happy to be able to get the ebook from my library. I wasn’t totally sure about the concept of this book, but I did love They Both Die at the End and I really like Adam Silvera. This book really rose above my expectations. The plot went along relatively smoothly, I liked most of the POV characters, and romance didn’t take over anything. That being said, WHY. This was riddled with tragedy and frustration for me and while I expected it, I was not prepared. It’s still a great book, though.

I’d recommend this book to people who like urban fantasy and of course other Adam Silvera books. The cliffhanger in this book literally had me repeatedly shouting “NO!” at the walls and I loved every second of this book. The world building isn’t really complex, but it is interesting and it was fun to see how things went on for all of the POV characters.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.