April Reviews

Happy spring! I sat outside and read for a while today, which was both lovely and a little sweaty, but so be it. I have chosen to love the warm seasons, in all their sweaty glory!

That being said, sweaty fingertips and hardcover black books does mean stained fingertips. If you're someone who takes the sleeve off hardcover books, like me (I put them back on when I'm done reading, but I don't want them getting torn or messed up when I take the book places, so they stay home), you already know that darker bound books tend to leave marks behind. If you're a cover-leaver-on-er, enjoy this new fact.

Enough of that, let's get started:

All Of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman

I put off reading this book for a long time because the internet kept recommending it to me. And while I trust the internet for some things, it's led me astray with books too many times to really win my trust (looking at you BookTok, I will never forgive you for shoving All The Stars and Teeth in my face until I caved and read it, how could you do this to me, I don't even use TikTok but it breached containment and poisoned me). But, I finally caved and figured I'd try it out, and boy howdy this one did not disappoint.

For generations, seven families in the city of Ilvernath select a champion to fight to the death in a secret tournament that determines the holder of high magic for the next twenty years. But when a tell-all book all about the families and tournament is published just before the Blood Moon, the tournament is no longer a secret, and the selected champions have to face not only one another, but the paparazzi and scorn that comes with them. And then another difference emerges; a potential way to dismantle the curse of the tournament, so that no one had to die. But potential may not be enough to save anyone, and the tournament demands blood.

Told from the perspective of four of the chosen tournament champions, this book has a very interesting array of family dynamics, and an even more interesting take on magic and curses in a modern society. It's definitely a dark and violent book (teenagers are supposed to murder each other, it's not going to be a picnic of a book), but it's also full of so much hope and teenagers wanting to overcome their family legacies that it's compelling from the get go. Like the Hunger Games but with magic, this story shows the damage generational trauma and the desperate reach for power can do to those at the end of the line, and how wanting to survive will make people do desperate, terrible things. It also does a good job and comparing morals and what people are willing to wager or lose to win, and what lines they won't cross.

The four narrators, Alistair, Briony, Isobel, and Gavin are all very different, but are all trapped in the tournament, and their differing perspectives on the system, each other, and themselves made for a very dynamic book and very interesting and dramatic interactions. You get to see so much history, both familial and personal, from the four of them, and that drama adds to the terror of the death tournament. They're just kids, and while some of them are trying to play heroes and villains, they are all victims of the circumstance, trying desperately to either save themselves or other people. The relationships between the champions is heartbreaking because they're told to kill one another, but it also speaks to the nature of humanity, and how no one really wants to be alone.

Overall this book does a really good job at painting these narrators as monsters and villains and heroes by the power of their own beliefs, and telling a compelling story with the potential to either be a triumph or a total tragedy. I did order the sequel, so stay tuned.

All Of Our Demise by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman

I truly wasn't sure what to expect from this book after finishing the first one, only that I should probably be prepared for an unhappy ending. But, surprisingly, it wasn't all doom and gloom. Yes, it's a book about a cruse where teenagers have to fight to the death, but I think it (spoilers) ended about as happily as it could, all things considered. Which was still a very satisfying ending.

For the first time in the tournament's terrible, bloody history, the curse is breaking. The inner blood veil has fallen, and protestors and reporters have stormed the tournament grounds, leaving the champions to not only face each other, but a world that watches and condemns their every move. And as the curse falls apart, the five remaining champions (with an unexpected sixth taking the stage) are faced with a challenge no one could have predicted: ending the curse without killing them all. And as new alliances are formed and broken, the city of Ilvernath will never be the same, and the champions can only hope for an ending half as wicked as they are.

I say it every time, but reviews for sequels are difficult. I don't want to spoil too many things, so a lot of what I say ends up being pretty similar to the first book. But this is a really good follow up, and an overall really enjoyable duology. I really truly spent the entire book not knowing what was going to happen next, if they were going to succeed or fail or die trying. And odds are so heavily stacked against them that the book is an uphill journey, all of the main characters (Gavin, Briony, Isobel, and Alistair) doing awful, terrible things to themselves and each other in pursuit of either ending or winning the tournament. The story is as ruthless and brutal as the competitors, all of them swimming in doubt and fear and hope, a volatile cocktail that drives the story into further despair and higher stakes.

The writing is well done, the pacing is wild but also good, and the characters are such teenagers that it makes it easy ot both love and hate them. Their relationships change and grow and deteriorate, and it all feels like the best sort of drama thrown into a death curse. I was intrigued with what they did with certain characters (SPOILERS: Reid you were a weird one, and I would not have trusted you as soon as Isobel did after all that, but damn was it interesting) and relationships (SPOILERS: Gavin and Alistair you were unexpected and really beautiful), and how everything played out in the end with so many factors working against them. I do feel, like I said in the beginning, that this was as happy of an ending as these kids could find after everything they'd been through, and it was still a rough and bloody journey.

This duology is absolutely worth reading if you're looking for something complicated and dangerous and magical.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

I had a friend tell me she'd heard this book was "high fantasy, low stakes" and after finishing it I can say that is a very accurate description. It's also cozy and heartwarming as all get up, which is exactly what I needed.

Viv, very recently retired adventurer, is opening the first-ever coffee shop in Thume. And with the help of a supposedly magic stone and a few new friends, her business is off to a pretty good start. But old rivals are waiting in the wings, testing Viv's resolve to leave her adventuring ways behind her, and threatening the magic that made it all possible. She'll need all of her new allies and a few unexpected friends to keep what she's created, and maybe even find something more along the way.

I'm kind of obsessed with this book and the soft but also very dangerous world it created. There's magic and big cats and weird gnomes and sweaters, and it was truly just the most delightful thing to read. I'm a huge Dungeons and Dragons fan, and this felt like the softer side of it, which is something I really, really enjoy.

The characters were so much fun, with everyone from Viv to Cal to Tandri and even Thimble striking a loud chord across the page, memorable and quirky and so, so willing to help each other out. I loved the relationships they formed as an unexpected little family, a bunch of misfits come together to bring comforting beverages to their community. But it wasn't all soft coffee shop moments; there was some drama and disaster, but it was mitigated by community and a tenacious desire to keep moving forward, helped by friends along the way.

I just had the best time reading this.

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

I absolutely adore Marissa Meyer's Cinder series, so while it took me a while to find my way to this one, I was excited about the prospect of another revamped fairy tale from her. And while I didn't like it as much as I like her previous stuff, this was still a very good story.

Serilda has been called bad luck all her life. The godchild of W, the god of stories, she's had a proclivity toward grandiose storytelling and lie her whole life. But when a lie of hers catches the attention of the dark Erlking, Serilda finds herself trapped in a tale of spun gold. Saved by a man, Gild, who appears to be just as trapped as she is, Serilda must find a way to free both herself and Gild, or risk becoming one of the Erlking's playthings forever.

This book was darker than I expected. And I understand that I shouldn't have been surprised, based on previous Meyer books, but I just sort of thought "how dark can a retelling of Rumplstiltskin get?" Turns out pretty dark. Like, murdered children and dead hunting parties and body horror dark. It's all manageable, don't get me wrong, but there's definitely some scenes that went further than I expected them too. Bravo to Meyer for handling everything so perfectly.

Serilda is also a character the kind of grows on you. She's funny, a bit immature, and absolutely a liar. She's also brave and cares so much for the people in her life, and I'm absolutely rooting for her, even when she's stuck in webs of her own creation. She's got good intentions and a good heart, and that's what traps her in the end. But she's a survivor, and I've already ordered the sequel to see how her story ends.

There's a lot of stories within the story as Serilda tells tales, and a lot of world building and lore that bulk up the story. It's all very creative and fitting though, weaving a rich tapestry to tell Serilda and Gild's stories. Meyer has always been very skilled at crafting worlds and villains, and that is very apparent in Gilded. The Erlking is horrible, and the world is as dangerous as it is magical.

Overall this was a fun if dark time, and I look forward to seeing how the duology concludes.

And that's it! See you all next month!

Literary recommendations: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo feels right for the approaching summer months

Media recommendations: I've really just been rewatching every Star Wars movie lately to prepare for a trivia night (I won first place by myself, no big deal), so that's what's on my brain.