The Fiction Feature

All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman – ARC Review

Thank you so much to Tor Teen for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

In the conclusion to this duology, new alliances must be made and the media avoided for the “tributes” to survive.

My Review:

I liked this book much more than AOUV (although I did give that a 4.25/5) and I know exactly why. Let’s get into it!

First of all, I love these characters so much. I do have my favorites (cough Alistair like that’s a surprise cough), but every single one of them is phenomenal. I love Briony’s struggle with her family and need to win, Isobel’s desire to survive, Gavin’s need to prove himself, and Alistair’s lack of faith in the world around him. AOUV set the stage, but AOOD makes every single one of them a star. I’m so obsessed with how each of them grew. I knew exactly what I wanted for each of them, and that’s what we got. It’s so interesting seem them learn about themselves and each other while trying their best to remain living, and Foody and Herman are just so good at character development.

In terms of relationships: HA. I called it from DAY ONE before Foody said anything. I knew it would definitely happen because of Foody’s Instagram, but That One Couple seemed GLARINGLY obvious to me and they had SO much chemistry. To put it simply, “Crawl there, ****” and “F*ck yourself, ******” is the greatest exchange on earth. Seriously though, I adored these two and all of the others. Given that they all have to kill each other, it seems like it would be hard to adequately develop some somewhat feasible relationships, but I adored all of the couples. In addition to this, I thought the relationship between the Slaughter Seven and the media was so interesting as well as their friendships with one another and the volatility of them. All hail Herman and Foody for That One Couple but also the general book.

I would say the element I liked much more in AOOD than AOUV is the world-building. I knew the book would be like the Hunger Games, but I was expecting more high fantasy in an earlier time period. I was really surprised to see a more 80s/90s-ish world when I first read AOUV. However, AOOD really solidified everything in a way I loved. I felt like I knew and understood much more when I read it, and the way they manipulated the magic itself was so interesting.
With plot, I will say that I guessed at least a few twists. However, it wasn’t a “that’s so predictable” thing, it was more of a “oh my god that’s exactly what I wanted from this”. Foody and Herman really did an amazing job on this one, I have precisely zero complaints.

I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who loved AOUV, or even people who thought it was a bit lackluster. AOOD really blew me away, and I was obsessed. Again, this is like another really dark Hunger Games book, but more about media and family than the government. It’s an amazing read, and I’m so grateful to have gotten it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Just My Type by Falon Ballard – ARC Review

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

Exes and rivals Seth and Lana enter a dating competition with the winner getting a promotion, but feelings get in the way of their performances.

My Review:

I really enjoyed this book! This is the story of two high school exes who end up vying for the same job and have to compete in a series of public challenges that the other person created for them to get it.

First of all, our characters! I actually really liked both Seth and Lana. Lana was definitely my favorite, but I didn’t really see any bad characters besides Lana’s boss. We got enough background and insight into them to get a strong sense of who the main two characters were as people. They weren’t extraordinary, but I didn’t have a million problems.

This relationship had a whole lot of potential to have horrible boundaries because of the challenges, but they remained moderately healthy? Seth and Lana were aware of each other’s limits and didn’t set horrible goals for the other, only tried to push themselves. If I had to pick on one thing with the relationship, it would be that Seth followed Lana to LA. This is the second book I’ve read this year where the MMC follows the same career path as the FMC and practically takes a job opportunity from her after following her somewhere post-breakup. Weird. I feel like following the FMC doesn’t project “caring” when you’re ruining opportunities for her. Maybe that’s just me lol. Otherwise, I really liked them, but I wish Seth had been a bit more understanding during the situation at the end as Lana very clearly stated what would happen. My favorite relationships were just the background friendships!

With the plot, this was pretty simple and stuck to it. Lana and Seth are competing, they’re falling in love, etc. Wasn’t bad, wasn’t horrendously unique, and I didn’t have any issues with it!

I’d recommend this to people who like second chance romance and not-so-unrequited love. Is it the greatest ever? Nah, but it’s worth the read! We love Lana in this house.

⭐⭐⭐/5

A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair – ARC Review

Thank you to Union Square & Co. for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

Keera, the King’s Blade, debates joining a rebellion of her kind to put an end to her employer’s tyranny.

My Review:

I’d like to first say that this is much more of a positive 3/5 than it is negative. However, it is a 2.75/5, mostly because of the writing, which I’ll talk about in a minute.

As always, let’s start off with our characters. The main two here are Keera, a Halfling and the king’s Blade, and her rival, Riven, a Dark Fae and the Shadow thwarting her. Keera deals a lot with trauma from the death of an old friend and her alcohol addiction, so keep that in mind when going to read! Also TW for self harm post-kills. Keera is such a complex character, which I love. There’s an element of mystery about her even though the book itself is first person POV. Additionally, Riven has a very similar feel of suspense. He and Keera talk to one another, but in a way that promotes healthiness, not a way that demolishes the mystery of them and their relationship. I definitely didn’t have any complaints here!

Next, our relationships! Although we do see background platonic relationships, the only relationships Keera is a part of are her budding friendships with Syrra and Nikolai and her romance with Riven. However, all of these develop slowly and organically. Keera can’t trust the people she meets in the Fae lands and they don’t trust her, which makes for the development of some really interesting relationships. I loved how by the end, you can see just how much they all care for one another and how far they’ve come.

Lastly, plot/worldbuilding and in this case, writing, Starting off with the positive, I really liked the plot. I thought it was predictable at times, but it was also readable and everything was both understandable and relevant. Although I do prefer to have less Capital Letter Species in my fantasy worlds, I thought the world-building elements were great too. I had no trouble understanding the politics and building blocks, but they were fun to learn about. My real issue lay in the writing. I wouldn’t call it BAD, but I thought it was a bit weak compared to other works. Obviously this could happen in any first person work, but I found the constant use of “I did [x], I did [y],” to be grating at one point. It felt like Blair was running out of ways to switch things up. Additionally, it seemed so matter-of-fact at times that the writing didn’t flow as well. This is a very common, slightly stupid phrase when it comes to writing, but to quote it, it was always telling, not showing. I did like the book, but that prevented it from being four or five stars for me.

I’d definitely recommend this for fans of darker fantasy books, NA, and enemies to lovers with lots of character development. The writing just wasn’t quite there for me, but I’m confident that I and a lot of other people can enjoy this book.

⭐⭐✨/5 (2.75)

The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton – ARC Review

Thank you to Peachtree Teen for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

When Quinta and Twain discover that they can pool their abilities to make long-gone magical lace, the two grapple with admiration and selfishness from those around them and a mystery around the shop that taught them how to do so.

My Review:

This book was both really good and entirely unlike what I expected in some ways. This is the story of Quinta and Twain, the only survivor in a line of magic users and an orphan climbing cliffs for rare feathers respectively. When they both stumble upon the same magic shop called the Vermilion Emporium, the two team up to find and weave starlight to make magical lace, but the costs of magic aren’t always clear, and the lace draws in all those who want its power.
Our characters are so amazing in this book. We learn a lot about their emotions and pasts, but not so much that it takes away from the current story. Quinta and Twain are both incredibly deep and determined, which always a great mix to read about. Aside from that, the side characters were also featured a lot in ways that I loved, which is surprising since the vast majority of the story centers the POV characters and only them.

This romance is insta-love, but more like instant attraction. Quinta and Twain do have feelings for each other within a couple of hours and kiss early on, but they don’t actually get together because of her history and his future, so there are just a lot of really sweet moments and tension. The fact that their relationship isn’t immediate was a great decision, so the reader can enjoy their chemistry without getting bored because there’s nowhere new for it to go. I also loved the bonds the MCs formed with the side characters, like with the seamstresses later on, Sorchia, and the Casorina.

Plot was really where this book became unpredictable! The first half of this book is pretty romantic and cozy, but the last third is much more risky and dangerous. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I was really surprised at how it got pretty dark with those comp titles! I loved where the story went, but I was expecting more peaceful traveling, although it wouldn’t have felt complete if I did get that. Pacton did a great job making the book keep going even after what would’ve been the natural end to a book that was entirely cozy fantasy. She wove mystery into the plot early on to make sure it could stand on its own, and I love that. This was compulsively readable and so amazing.

I’d recommend this to people who like fantasy without the epic nature, but still magic usage and whimsy! This was compared to Howl’s Moving Castle, and although I’m not familiar with everything about the movie or book, I can safely say I agree. This was so much fun, and I couldn’t guess what was coming next!

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/5

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah – ARC Review

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

Koral enters the Glory Race, a deadly maristag tournament, to take care of her family and prove herself.

My Review:

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. To address a couple things first: This book is similar to The Scorpio Races. It differs a lot the further in you get, but it has carnivorous water horses/stags that are rode in races for prize money and the MC wants to do this to keep her family together. Based on concept alone, you could describe either and I might not know the difference. However, the fantasy worlds are very different, as are the eventual structures of the races, and I wouldn’t consider it straight-up copied really in my opinion.

Let’s talk characters! I didn’t think these very very stand-out, but they were definitely good. Koral and Dorian were really interesting to see, especially since they had a past that only Koral could tell the reader about. The book was very action-y, so characters didn’t really take priority, but they were still good.
Although romance is very much not the point of this book, we have a lot of complex family dynamics. Koral’s father believes that her brother is more capable, even when Koral is the one saving him from certain death. Everyone in the family thinks of Koral as less than him even though she’s just trying to help her younger sister survive. It’s intriguing to see how their opinions of each other all change the further into the competition Koral gets.

The world-building was both comprehensive and simple. There are two castes, Renters and Landers, the latter being much richer. Koral is a Renter, so people like her much less for it. We also have the maristags, marine stags much like water horses that have venom and a thirst for human blood. It wasn’t the most detailed ever, but it showed what it needed to show to understand the Glory Races and the politics around them.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to people who want a slightly higher fantasy version of The Scorpio Races with a more diverse cast. It’s not my favorite ever, but I really enjoyed the high stakes and action-packed competition.

⭐⭐⭐/5

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig – ARC Review

Thank you to Orbit Books for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

In review below.

My Review:

I spent a long time putting off this book because I was in somewhat of a fantasy slump, but I’m beyond happy I got to it! This is the story of Elspeth, a girl who has the power to absorb the magic from Providence Cards, which is how she ended up with an evil spirit acting as the devil on her shoulder for close to a decade. She’s recruited to find other Providence Cards, but how can she get rid of the influence of the power she already has before it overcomes her?

I enjoyed this book so much. First of all, I really loved all of the characters! I lost track of how some people were related sometimes, but it didn’t dampen how I felt about the book as a whole. Elspeth was such an amazing character, and I loved her journey in terms of with other people and her fight against the Nightmare’s influence. She was such a girlboss.

Next up, relationships. I really loved all of the relationships here, platonic and romantic. The familial relationships were especially interesting with the princes and Elspeth and her family. I don’t have a lot to say right now besides that I really enjoyed them.

The worldbuilding and plot were both favorite parts and points of confusion. As a whole, I thought this book was super innovative and intriguing, and I loved the spooky dark fantasy aspects. The Providence Cards were really cool, but I did lose track of the worldbuilding surrounding them and their creation a lot. Overall though, this was so amazing and unpredictable.

I’d recommend One Dark Window to fans of dark fantasy and magic! I don’t have many specifics beyond that, but I loved reading this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/5

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne – ARC Review

Thank you to Fierce Reads for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

When Ash is killed on New Year’s Eve, she must reconcile with her newfound role as a reaper and the realization that she can never seek out her girlfriend, Poppy, again.

My Review:

I have very mixed feelings on this book, but it’s almost entirely due to the file type and the fact that I had to read it entirely on my phone. I’m a fanfiction girly, but it wasn’t fun.

First up, our lovely characters. We basically have four main characters: Ash, Poppy, Esen, and Dev. Ash and Poppy are the MC and LI respectively, but I honestly liked Esen and Dev more. However, you really have a sense of them all. The book felt airy when it was just Ash and Poppy, but more as a vibe than a quality if that makes sense? I don’t have much to say here as the focus was the romance and philosophy around it and the thing I had problems with was the plot.

Next as always, romance. This is insta-love, but there’s a lot of development to it. However, I still just didn’t feel very connected to Poppy and Ash? I liked them as a couple and didn’t want them to be separated, but I also felt really disconnected from them throughout the whole book, especially compared to how easy it was to connect with Ash as a POV character. They make a good couple, but I was more immersed in Ash’s journey after death than her relationship with Poppy.

Finally, our plot, worldbuilding, pacing, etc. This was where I took issue with some things. The plot itself was really interesting, but I hated the pacing. This book took me TEN DAYS. I’m a speed-reader and it’s a contemporary novel 400 pages long, and it took me ten days. Part of that is due to the fact that it was on my phone and I’ve been busy, but this still felt so off. In terms of Before and After, I felt like everything was relevant, but there was still too much Before. The buildup to Ash’s death takes months, but Poppy dies literally two weeks later. It was so weird to me because I understand that part of it was their romance, but the pacing of it threw me off a lot. I still enjoyed the book, especially the second half, but it was strange.

Overall, I’d still recommend this book to fans of tragic romance and insta-love. The tropes weren’t my usual thing (I’m truly just not an insta-love gal), but I liked everything except the timeline of it. This was both sad and enjoyable: the two things everyone on BookTok looks for.

⭐⭐⭐✨/5

Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell – ARC Review

Thank you to Tor Books for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

Included in review.

My Review:

Let me tell you, I love Winter’s Orbit, but I loved this book even more. Winter’s Orbit has that murder mystery element, but I was still a little confused and not so engrossed that I could speed through it. This was completely different. With Ocean’s Echo, we enter with Tennal, a (mind)reader being conscripted by his legislator aunt . He’s supposed to be forced to mentally sync with an architect (mind compulsion person), but the architect, Surit, actually has morals and doesn’t want to do that. Together, they have to uncover some government conspiracies regarding Surit’s rebel mother and why they were supposed to be synced in the first place.

When I tell you I loved these characters so much!!! Winter’s Orbit had great characters too, but Ocean’s Echo was fun on another level. Surit, Tennal, and Istara are forever faves. Their motivations and personalities were consistent and clear, and beyond that, I just loved reading about them. Everyone was super complex and easy to read about.

Relationships. Gah. Amazing. The mutual adoration and love in this book? Unmatched. All of the friends are amazing, and the romantic relationships are, too. Tennal and Surit have a logical, nonlinear path to romance, and they value each other and their safety and happiness so much. They have priorities, too! No one is putting romance before survival, and they have the tough conversations.
Plot and world-building were surprisingly good for me reading a sci-fi book. I understood practically everything happening, AND I enjoyed it. One thing I felt both good and bad about was the pacing. Somehow, the last 60% of this book all feels like the last 20% of another book. Consequently, the last 20% was slightly incoherent and felt like the last 5% of the second book in a trilogy. However, this didn’t affect my enjoyment at all and at times made it more readable.

I’d DEFINITELY recommend this book. It’s definitely not a sequel or spin-off to Winter’s Orbit, so I don’t know why the cover looks like one, but it’s amazing and even better. Ocean’s Echo is great for fans of sci-fi and healthy romance that isn’t in a typical romance novel.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Wildbound by Elayne Audrey Becker – ARC Review

Thank you to Tor Teen for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One Sentence Summary:

In the sequel to Forestborn, Rora and Helos now have to thwart an upcoming war while maintaining their lives and those of the ones they love.

My Review:

WHEN I TELL YOU THIS IS BEYOND GOOD. I, a Forestborn stan, am telling you that THIS IS EVEN BETTER. Forestborn is a 10/10, but Wildbound is a 20.

First up, our characters. The characters were already one of my favorite parts of Forestborn because I loved Rora’s arc and struggle with selfishness and survival, but OH MY GOD. First of all, we get the POV of Helos in Wildbound. I am to my core a Helos fan, and I LOVED getting to see more of him and Finley. The main struggles for these characters are heavy (TW for depictions of battle scenes and PTSD from Helos), but the author handles them so well in a way that’s so heartbreaking. You can tell that Elayne Audrey Becker is truly amazing at her craft, which is shown easily in the way her characters seem to peel off of the page while reading. I actually cried like four times in half an hour and I have no regrets.

Next, our lovely relationships. I loved just how many people got to connect in Wildbound. Obviously we have the romances between Rora and Weslyn and Finley and Helos, but we also have the sibling relationships between the princes and shifters and the friendships between Rora and Finley and Helos and Weslyn. The way all of the characters interacted warmed my cold, dead heart to the point of melting (the aforementioned four rounds of tears). It was so heartbreaking seeing how these characters were affected by the war with Eradain, but again, Becker did a PHENOMENAL job with the story and controlled my heart with these relationships, platonic, familial, or romantic.

One thing I love about Forestborn and Wildbound is that the executions of their plots are complex, but the concepts are pretty simple. Even when I don’t know what’s going on, I know that I don’t have to worry because Becker is a strong writer and the plot isn’t impossible to follow! This book is longer than Forestborn, but I’d say it reads faster because everything in the book is so relevant. I don’t have much to say beyond that I loved it!

I can’t recommend this book enough, but I think fans of Nicki Pau Preto especially would love this book. It’s another one where you can just feel the dedication and mastery of writing emanating off of the page, and they don’t make unnecessary decisions for the fun of it, which is a lovely quality in an author with the capacity to destroy your heart. Forestborn and Wildbound are both incredibly immersive fantasy books in one of my favorite series ever. ❤

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt – ARC Review

Thank you so much to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One-Sentence Summary:

An all-ace friend group meets to seek revenge on a sketchy casino owner, the rival of one of their member’s mother.

My Review:

This book was beyond amazing, a true favorite of mine now. I need a million more exclusively ace books with schemes and friendship!!!

First up, our lovely cast here! The main character, Jack, is written so well in his struggles and motivations, but I LOVE this ensemble cast. Only Jack has a POV, but it's so clear how the rest of the group sees the world and I love it. I don't even know what to say about these characters other than that I loved them to pieces. The asexual rep was phenomenal because it showed that relationships (romantic for some, but mostly platonic) aren't something that every ace person is missing, and everyone there is still capable of love. Although the point of the story isn't that they're all ace, I love how the characters can bond over that across the country from one another.

Next, relationships! The main characters are all ace, but only one of them is confirmed to be aromantic and there is a romance inside the group (Jack and Remy). It's SO well-done because it shows that although romantic relationships don't have to be the norm, an ace person can be in one without compromising their sexuality. This is shown very clearly when Jack literally asks about thirty seconds into their relationship if Remy is still ace, to which they say OBVIOUSLY. It's such a wonderful and healthy relationship to see. ❤ Aside from that, the friendships in this book made me feel so happy. I loved seeing how everyone from the group chat interacted, specifically how they spoke to each other about their sexualities and lives. It was just so cute and healthy.

Lastly, our plot!!! As you know from the title, this is a heist book! One thing I think it's useful to know is that most of the book involves more schemes than heists, but there is one at the end. I felt a bit confused with some of the allegiances, but I don't think I actually WAS confused because DeWitt does such an amazing job of making everything understandable.

If you read one book this year, LET IT BE THIS ONE!!!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5