*Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.
One-Sentence Summary:
After the appearance of Death in both of their lives, two young people, Bluma and Yehuda Leib, travel through lands of demons and avoid capture to survive.
My Review:
I don’t really know how to talk about this book. I liked it a lot, but otherwise I don’t really have a lot of opinions on it like I usually would. It was a bit slow to start off and had a lot of exposition just to make sure the reader knows about the village and the backstories of the characters. Once I got into it though, the demons and lore were really interesting to me, if not a little confusing. For a very long time it was really unclear to me what the goals of each character were, but by the end I think I knew most of them. I thought the characters, whether humans, demons, or Death, were fascinating and their actions seemed to make sense at least. I really don’t know what this book is similar to. I don’t usually read anything like it, but it’s a historical fantasy with a lot of travel throughout realms and demons with various goals.
[SPOILER ALERT FOR FENCE: STRIKING DISTANCE BY SARAH REES BRENNAN]
One-Sentence Summary:
In the sequel to Striking Distance, Disarmed takes the Kings Row team to France where plot lines are resolved and relationships are formed. 😈
Why I’m So Excited!
Oh gosh, where do I begin!
Striking Distance was one of my favorite and most anticipated books of the year, and I didn’t even find out about it until July or so! I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it since I’m not a fan of format changes, even when it is to a format I like better. My feelings on Striking Distance are probably evident from my review (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, find it with the rest of my reviews on this blog and part of it on my #bookstagram, @thefictionfeature).
Sarah Rees Brennan, the author of the Fence novels, says that Disarmed is the other half of Striking Distance and the resolution to the elements that began there, specifically the romance between Aiden and Harvard. After that ending, I can’t wait.
In Striking Distance, Harvard’s new boyfriend, Neil, breaks up with Harvard after going on a double date with Aiden and Bruce. This is clearly because he realized Harvard is in love with Aiden, but Harvard is blissfully unaware of this and wants to get Neil back. In order to become a better boyfriend, he asks Aiden, the resident playboy and Harvard’s best friend, to help him “practice” dating. Any feelings from before are amplified even more to the point that Harvard has to shut down the fake dating for what he thinks is in their best interest.
Based on this, you can see why it’s pretty exciting that the team is going to a training camp in FRANCE of all places! I’m so excited for classic romcom moments and the romance we all know will be in Disarmed, and if there’re ARCs, y’all know I’ll be trying to get one!
Fence: Disarmed will be released around May 18th, 2021 for those interested!!!!
After discovering that she is an elf, 12-year-old prodigy Sophie Foster tried to trace back her origins and the source of her powers in a world unknown to her.
My Review:
All right, here we go. I read KOTLC for the first time a few years ago and I’m rereading the series to prepare for the second-to-last book.
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger is very near and dear to my heart. Sophie is delightfully oblivious, Fitz is absurdly perfect, and Keefe is actually perfect. The world of the Lost Cities is so interesting and intricate. The variety of powers and talents displayed is more than most people think to include, which I really liked. Of all of the books, Keeper of the Lost Cities is probably the best quality, but it isn’t my favorite.
Fitz is supposed to be so incredible and perfect, and I get that this is proven wrong in the coming books, but it still really annoys me that Sophie is so obsessed with him. I guess I can grant some liberties though, since the oldest main character is, like, 15. The series definitely gets really confusing, but overall, it’s a great read.
Keeper of the Lost Cities is great for younger readers who want to start a new ongoing series, and as far as I know, the last book comes out next year!
Hello! I’m reading a lot of books at once and there have been a couple of ARCs so I know I haven’t been sharing as many reviews, but I’m still posting on Instagram, @thefictionfeature if you want to check that out!
One-Sentence Summary:
Alec Walker has been experimenting with plants for a long time, but after one of his experiments is ruined, chaos ensues from all directions. (Swamp Thing origin story)
My Review:
I requested this book because it looked worth the read and I LOVE Maggie Stiefvater. I’m not usually a big graphic novel or superhero person, but I decided to give it a shot. Overall, I wasn’t disappointed. TWIN BRANCHES was the tiniest bit confusing, partially because I read it on such a small screen and couldn’t see some words, but otherwise really good. Stiefvater applies her familiar technique to all of the writing of the novel, and despite being different from her other books, TWIN BRANCHES still has the same Maggie Stiefvater glow. The art in this book was really beautiful. It suited the story so well and in some times was so wonderfully intricate that all I could do with my eyes was follow the lines. I haven’t read any other DC books or comics besides WONDER WOMAN: WARBRINGER by Leigh Bardugo, so I can’t say how much fans of other SWAMP THING installments would like this, but fans of Maggie Stiefvater will not be disappointed!
I finished this, like, two weeks ago so bear with me.
One-Sentence Summary:
Tensions rise and secrets get more and more dangerous in the second book of the Renegades Trilogy.
My Review:
First things first, I liked Renegades better. I think objectively they’re pretty equal, but while Archenemies had more of a sense of urgency, there was less reeling me in.
My main problems with it were the same as my problems with Renegades with a few additions. Like I said in my original review, the Danna exclusion bothered me. She was super competent and yet constantly injured so she couldn’t get far enough into her discoveries.
There were also some other things. While I could see it making sense further in, Nova and Adrian didn’t seem to have a lot of chemistry to me. Also, [MILD ROMANCE SPOILER FOR ADRIAN AND NOVA ALERT] it really bothered me that Hugh and Simon weren’t at all worried that Nova stayed over at their house for over 24 hours AND that they caught her rummaging through cabinets? She’s a very naturally suspicious person and the lack of concern I saw from everyone wasn’t something I liked.
Some things I DID like: Oscar and Ruby! I just loved them so much. As I said to a friend I buddy-read the book with, “[Oscar] is what real men could never be.”
I actually really hated the neutralizing plot line, but it definitely made the book more thought-provoking too. The entire book just made me wonder about all of the mysteries I needed the answers to.
I would definitely recommend people who liked Renegades to continue reading the series! I believe I also said the Renegades Trilogy is great for superheroes and sci-fi/fantasy. The books are definitely worth a try!
After killing the only water source in her city, Emanuela escapes and accidentally stumbles upon another city with a surplus of water and a suspicious ruler.
My Review:
Did I hear about some of the potential warnings in this book? Yes. Did I ignore them? … Also yes. Friends! The “eye horror” described on Mara’s website should be taken seriously! It’s horrifying! Now that that’s over with, the review:
Emanuela? Terrible. I love her. Alessandro?Poor baby. Needs hug. One thing I loved about Beyond the Ruby Veil was that the villain is (sort of) unclear. Yes, we know who the antagonist is, but Emanuela herself is actually a self-serving rat who wants to be the dictator of her city. We love that.
Beyond (haha) that, this was truly unique. I don’t really have a book to compare it to or even one with the same ✨vibe✨. Beyond the Ruby Veil is great for a reading slump because despite not being a standalone, it’s quick and in my opinion really helps cleanse after a book hangover. While they aren’t too similar, I did feature it with The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller on my bookstagram (@thefictionfeature) because they both have power-hungry, inspiring female leads.
Would I recommend Beyond the Ruby Veil? Absolutely! Beware of very grotesque stuff, but it’s such a good dark, sort-of-horror, fantasy read. It is only a mere 288 pages, but it reads like the perfect length. Read it!
Timelines unite and characters die in the finale to the incredible Empirium Trilogy!
My Review:
… Wow. Just for reference, I read Furyborn almost two years ago and it was one of the first YA books that I really connected with. This series ending meant a lot to me. This review will most certainly NOT be coherent, it’ll be partially an assessment of the book and partially my experience reading it.
First of all, the actual review portion: Lightbringer was… incredible. I got angry, happy, both at the same time, and more. The characters went on beautiful journeys throughout the series and their character development was beyond amazing.
One thing that I could never critique is the ending. Trilogies usually have the same structure in my opinion: the first book is an introduction to the second book, when it really starts. The second book ends in a brutal cliffhanger which is addressed in the final book, always ending in the perfect way, combining loss and happiness. Lightbringer was no exception. The entire book was, as I said before, incredible, but the last few chapters brought together the entire series in the perfect way.
Now to the unprofessional part! Oh my f*cking God. I have never loved a book this much. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a young kid and this is one of the best books I’ve read. I have to brag, I did guess who the Prophet was, which actually seemed so obvious with context. This book hurt me in so many ways. Before I read the last two chapters of Lightbringer, I sobbed violently for a full ten minutes. This was absolutely brutal and the most I’ve ever cried reading anything. I’m even crying a little now just thinking about how it’s over.
I’ve already said this in my reviews of Furyborn and Kingsbane, but read the Empirium Trilogy if you like dark fantasy, royalty, hurtful romances (to the reader and the characters), and a myriad of LGBTQ+ characters. These books just flow so naturally and so beautifully, which is why they’re my favorite series and Lightbringer is my new favorite book.
The niece of infamous gang leader Ace Anarchy becomes a spy to destroy the so-called superheroes who failed her family in their time of need.
My Review:
I started reading this book as an obligation, but now I have the rest of the trilogy out from the library and I’ve already finished the sequel. Renegades isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely worth a read.
I am not a superhero person. Something about the excess of “good-and-evil” talk just doesn’t appeal to me and I like the idea of magic, but never really with that application. That being said, I loved Renegades. There were a lot of complex characters and relationships and the powers for the most part were very inventive.
If I had to pick on one thing it would be one of the supporting characters, Danna. She’s part of Adrian’s team but is constantly injured and therefore not involved a lot. This is basically the main reason why nobody has compromised Nova by the end of the book. It’s not because of the fake names, the fake references, anything like that. Danna was the only one to find Nova vaguely suspicious despite Nova constantly coming up with terrible excuses for things during Adrian’s chapters. I actually love Danna, but oof.
That being said, Renegades was very good! I’d recommend it to fans of sci-fi, fantasy, and Marissa Meyer’s other books. Obviously it also has superheroes! If you like any of that, check it out!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.
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Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.
While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.
But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.
My Review:
Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing this book as a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
A Golden Fury is an incredible historical fantasy filled to the brim with strong, fierce characters! My favorite of these was Thea, the powerful protagonist who tries to replicate the famed Philosopher’s Stone after her mother’s almost-success results in madness.
This book was so unique and I loved it! I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the results. While there were some elements of the unknown, it never became too confusing to enjoy, but still remained complex. My overall feelings about this book are just happiness and a sense of empowerment. I wouldn’t change a thing about any aspect of A Golden Fury.
While I loved everything about the book, Thea was my favorite part above all. Despite everyone trying to achieve such a thing, I rarely see strong female leads that aren’t overly conceited or withdrawn. Thea believed in herself without becoming haughty or ashamed of her pride. Not only that, but her priorities placed her ambition above romance. Thea’s love life, while included in the book, didn’t affect the work she was doing to try and heal her mother or save herself, which I admired in both the writing and her character.
It was so nice to see an intelligent, independent young woman on the page in front of me and Thea was an inspiration. I would recommend this book to people who like historical fantasy and regular fantasy. I truly can’t compare it to anything else. This wonderfully feminist tale of discovering the unknown drew me in immediately and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Golden Fury is released on October 13th, 2020.
For more information about A Golden Fury, follow Samantha Cohoe and Wednesday Books on Twitter and Instagram!
Team bonding and fake dating unite in a novel inspired by the FENCE Comics.
My Review:
First of all, I want to say that this book had a really distinct feel. I love this and the comics, but they felt so different, which I actually thought was really good. The comics bring me a lot of joy, but I will always prefer a regular book over a graphic novel (sorry). Despite being written by a different author and in a different format, Striking Distance encompassed each of the four main characters perfectly from what I knew about them. I laughed, I almost cried, and most importantly, I loved it.
Now to the… less professional portion. Friends. I prepared myself for the angst of fake dating, this isn’t my first rodeo. But the angst here????? Insane. I’m lucky to be physically alive after that. I told my friend a few weeks ago that I thought this might be more stressful than school for me as a joke, but I am not joking now.
Now let’s talk about the characters:
Nicholas: Personally, I’ve never liked Nicholas very much. Despite this, I really enjoyed his chapters in Striking Distance. While all of the point of views were important, Nicholas seemed to send a message a lot, being that the way you treat other people dictates whether or not you’re a “loser,” not your past. I really loved it!
Seiji: Precious Seiji. Seiji’s one track mind is so endearing and I just wanted to give him a big hug (which he clearly would’ve hated). Seiji grew so much in Striking Distance and I loved seeing him learn new things and become a good teammate.
Harvard: I love Harvard, but seriously? Learning what I did from his point of view and Aiden’s he’s got to be one of the most oblivious people ever. He’s just a big pile of fluff and him getting a life was really cute, but his obliviousness irritated me so much. Nonetheless, I love him too much not to still try to forgive him.
Aiden: Learning about Aiden’s life hurt me so, so much. I probably would’ve cried a few times if I ever hydrated properly. Aiden is the best ever and I also just want to give him a hug! I don’t even know how to talk about him because he also changed so much, clearly for the better, and the ending hurt him even more than me.
Would I recommend this book? That depends. You must ask yourself the true depth of the angst and denial you can handle because there is a lot. Despite my frustration, though, Striking Distance is an amazing book that will satisfy any and all fans of the FENCE graphic novels.
The Fiction Feature 