Goodreads Summary:

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

My Review:

I had some pretty high expectations for this book. I loved The Song of Achilles and thought nothing could compare, especially something by the same author. I was so wrong. Circe portrays an outcast trying to find herself when she is born into a powerful yet judgmental family. She struggles and struggles to fit in, and eventually her only friend is her brother. Circe becomes attached to a mortal and makes a few rash decisions that lead to her exile and true personal epiphany.

I loved this book for so many reasons, the first being Madeline Miller. I loved The Song of Achilles so much (even though I cried a lot). I also love Greek mythology and Circe showed me some that I wasn’t aware of or only knew bits and pieces of. I fell in love with the characters, the world, and more. Following Circe’s path was never boring and I didn’t have a deep understanding of some of these myths, so I loved learning at least one form of them.

I would recommend this book to adult readers who like Greek mythology and The Song of Achilles. Anybody who likes classic fantasy might connect with this too. This book made me never want to stop reading and I wouldn’t hesitate to reread immediately. I wouldn’t want to miss this book.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

*This book was provided as a digital galley by Blink and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary:

Once upon a time, there was something called the sun … In a kingdom ruled by an evil witch, the sun is just part of a legend about light-filled days of old. Luckily for everybody in the kingdom, Siria Nightingale is headed to the heart of the darkness to try and restore the light–or she will lose everything trying.

Sixteen year-old Siria Nightingale has never seen the sun. The light is dangerous, according to Queen Iyzabel, an evil witch who has shrouded the kingdom in shadow.

Siria has always hated the darkness and revels in the stories of the light-filled old days that she hears from her best friend and his grandfather. Besides them, nobody else understands her fascination with the sun, especially not her strict and demanding parents. Siria’s need to please them is greater even than her fear of the dark. So she heads to the royal city–the very center of the darkness–for a chance at a place in Queen Iyzabel’s court.

But what Siria discovers at the Choosing Ball sends her on a quest toward the last vestiges of the sun with a ragtag group of rebels who could help her bring back the Light … or doom the kingdom to shadow forever.

My Review:

I thought this book was pretty good. My main issue was that it was so stereotypical. Girl finds out about her magical powers, somehow her childhood best friend (who coincidentally got hot in the past few years) is involved, and they have to overthrow a monarchy prejudiced against the protagonist’s powers. However, I did think it was good. There was a lot of character development and a great fantasy world built up throughout the story. I don’t love books that use this same trope over and over, but overall good execution. I wouldn’t buy this book, but I think I would get it from the library and recommend it to a friend or peer.

I would say to read this book if you liked Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Hanna Howard’s book to me was a different version of the same story. They have a lot of differences, but I do think that they’re similar enough that fans of one would enjoy the other. This is very much a classic(ish) fantasy tale that I think pleases readers of many types who enjoy the genre.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Goodreads Summary:

Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish–to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she’ll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age–her tyrannical father has made that much clear.

And as Nannerl’s hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true–but his help may cost her everything.

In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically-told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

My Review:

I apologize if the format is any different here. This review was originally posted on BookishFirst.

Before I get into this, I’d like to say that I do like other Marie Lu books. The only thing I struggle to tolerate in the novels she writes are the endings. I can never accept that that is how it ends, mainly with the LEGEND books but also with THE ROSE SOCIETY and others. However, I really thought that this one was stronger.

This idea of this book wasn’t really appealing to me. I don’t like historical fiction, especially eras I know nothing about, but I do like high fantasy. Still, I wouldn’t have picked up this book if it wasn’t for OwlCrate. Personally, I think that almost all OwlCrate books, or at least the ones I’ve received, just AREN’T BAD. I’ve never not liked one more than a little bit and I was surprised to see that didn’t change here. Overall, I liked how all of the elements blended together and all of the character development. My only issue was the time jumps. They were usually minor, but there were so many that it was hard to follow the eight years the book covered of Nannerl’s life.

I would recommend this book mainly to people who like fantasy, but also those who enjoy historical fiction. While some of this I’m sure is factual, it’s also highly influenced by the fantasy elements that might change the accuracy of this account. I really did enjoy hearing Nannerl’s story and I think Marie Lu did a great job portraying her and the expectations of society for women of her time.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Goodreads Summary:

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

My Review:

I liked the idea of this book. It originally got into my TBR because an OwlCrate item was based upon it and I liked the wooden art print and the book itself. I love urban fantasy, but NOT dystopia, so this did create a little internal conflict for me. Also, Kate was a heroine who didn’t seem quite likable and August just seemed problematic. Putting the characters aside, the plot got a little confusing sometimes and it was hard to keep track of good and evil and who was caught up in whose plan. However, it was certainly captivating. I actually read this book a couple weeks ago and found it to be worth the time. It moved a little slowly, but I did like that romance was never really on the minds of August nor Kate. They were simply allies, which was much more important in this dystopian world Schwab created. There were definitely some flaws in this book, but I could see reading another book by the author in the future.

This book is a little slow, but I would still recommend this book to people who like fantasy with a more sci-fi feeling. It was just mediocre. I wouldn’t reread it, but I would recommend it to others. Like another reviewer said on Goodreads, I felt for some reason that I shouldn’t have liked it. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with this book, but I can’t in good conscious really sing its praises. It is worth reading, though.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

*This book was provided as a digital galley by NetGalley and Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Sam Sullinger lives in the shadow of adolescence. He’s lost among his overachieving siblings, constantly knocked down by his harsh father, and bullied daily. His only solace is his best friend and crush, Harper.

In a grand plan designed to help him confess his love to Harper, Sam accidentally sets off a series of events that lead to her being kidnapped and taken to Hell. Racked with guilt, Sam makes a bold decision for the first time in his life: He’s going to rescue his only friend.

Sam is thrust into a vivid world fraught with demons, vicious beasts, and a falling city. And every leg of his journey reminds him that he isn’t some brave knight on a quest — he’s an insecure teenager yearning to make his mark on at least one world.

My Review:

I have to say, I did like this book. I waited to start it for a while, but I liked it. I was hesitant about the whole “journey to Hell” aspect since similar things have been done a lot, but the world-building in this one was very different and very creative. I thought the characters were also really strong, too. I didn’t think that Sam was a great character, but he was well-developed and I was dedicated to the others. I didn’t find any plot holes either. Despite all of these good things, I didn’t really get into the book. I don’t know why, I thought it was good, but I didn’t feel like it was my type of book.

I would mainly recommend this book to people who like traditional heroes’ journeys and fantasy in general. I’ve read a lot of “storybook come true” books and I felt like this is good for people who like those too. I give this book a mediocre rating not because it’s a bad book, but because I didn’t connect with it. I did like the book, I just didn’t love it enough to rate it higher.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.