December Reviews

Listen. I know. 13 books in one month is a lot. But in my defense, I was reading as an escape mechanism to cope with my life. So. You know. Will not be taking questions about my mental state at this time.

Let's just do it.

Prince and Bodyguard by Tavia Lark

Like all the other books in the series I devoured this very quickly.

Vana Dire has been called back to court. He'd much prefer to stay at his estate with his bloodbound bodyguard and best friend, Daromir, but as the crown prince of Draskora, he must do what he's been told. But things are more dangerous than ever, with attempts on Vana's life, a desperate attempt to cover up his involvement in the freeing of Rakos Tem, and a visiting noble whose purpose in Draskora is unknown. It doesn't help that his bond with Daromir is changing, becoming more intense as they both fight to hide their feelings from one another before everything falls apart.

This was the first book in the series that fully moved to a new set of prince brothers. I liked the Sandry boys a lot, and so far I like Vana, and this was a great look into the difference between them and the Draskora court. Definitely a lot more perilous. Different stakes, but the interpersonal relationships are so much more complex with this set of brothers and the country they call home.

The political intrigue has increased a lot with the shift in main characters, but it's not all new territory- Bellamy and Rakos were there at the end, and Vana and Daromir were there briefly in Prince in Disguise. We also got a much broader look at the relationship between countries and the magical and legal discrepancies between them.

I'm very much intrigued, and the lead in to the next book has made things much more tense, politically speaking. Very excited to see where this series goes.

Prince and Betrothed by Tavia Lark

I've made a mistake in reading these so fast because now I have to wait until February for the last book, RIP.

See has been raised from birth to be the perfect grail, a magical energy source for the mage he'll one day be promised to. Only, Prince Marek doesn't want him-- as a grail or a partner. Marek has been promised into a marriage meant for this older brother, and he'll do what he needs to break it. But the more Sei and Marek get to know each other, the more they feel a pull. But they aren't the only ones with tension between them; war between Draskora and Silaise is brewing on the horizon, and they must decide if they'll face it together or apart.

I am such a sucker for a marriage of convenience, a pretend marriage, or an arranged marriage. Love a weird situation where the people find unexpected happiness. I'm really in the groove of the Draskora boys now, and honestly I'm here for more dragon content. And we still get to see a bit of the Sandry boys-- Julien and Whisper were delightfully in this one. It's also been fun (and so interesting) to have the protagonists of coming books be so present in these. For the Sandry boys, or at lease for Julian and Bellamy's books, we hardly saw the other brothers. But for this series, we really get to see more of them in each other's lives. It's funny, the Sandry boys have a much better relationship, but the Draskora princes are the ones living such close proximity. It's made me very excited for the next book. I have some theories I'm excited to see if I get right or not.

I do have to wait until February though, RIP. I believe Lark has some other books I can read in the meantime, but I'm so attached to these characters now.

Assistant To The Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This was a book I sort of picked up on a whim during a sale at Target, and it sort of fit right into my fantasy romance train I'm on right now, although this one was very straight.

Evie, clumsy and unlucky, has stumbled her way into a job for the most dangerous man in the realm; a murderous man known only has The Villain. Being The Villain's assistant has it's downsides-- severed heads, errant eyeballs, a sign wielding frog in a crown-- but the benefits are surprisingly good and the boss is quite literally the most attractive man Evie has ever met. And Evie's good at her job, making The Villain's life easier as he does his dastardly deeds. But Evie and The Villain both suspect there's a rat in their midst, and they have to work together to find out who, before the mole gets them both killed.

I know I've just said that I'm a romance bitch now, but I think I'm still not into ALL romance. This was a fun book, and I liked the plot and moral grayness of it all, but I have to admit that I wasn't exceptionally fond of Evie as a main character. Don't get me wrong, I liked the chapters from The Villain's perspective (where he was certainly enamored with her and rightfully so) but there was something of a disconnect in Evie's chapters. I don't know what it was, but whatever it was it wasn't enough to keep me from finishing the book.

Like I said, the story itself was good. Compelling evil villain, a love story blooming and obvious to everyone but the two people falling in love, subterfuge and undercover nonsense, etc. I love a fantasy story and magic and comedy, and this story had all of it. I wasn't super impressed by the writing, but it wasn't bad, and Maehrer clearly loves her characters and their story.

Overall I think I was expecting to to be more like Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots and should not be disappointed that it wasn't. It was still fun and weird.

Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves

I didn't mean to read this many "Prince something" books this month, but in my defense it was really good.

Desperate for a patronage that will let him stay in the fey world, changeling Beantighe Saffron strikes a deal with prickly Prince Cylvan, after accidentally discovering the prince's true name. An academic patronage for a spell to prevent the prince from ever being compelled. But a wolf is hunting Beantighes, and the closer Saffron gets to the prince, the more he worries if he's involved in the murders.

I was not prepared for this book to be the first of I don't know how many, and I probably would've adjusted my mindset had I known to brace for a cliffhanger ending, but even with that in mind I really enjoyed this book. The story is brutal in the way old fey stories are, with characters cruel because their nature compels them to be so, and an injustice and unfairness that makes my teeth hurt.

But it also had such a sweetness to it, a love grown from genuine change and a desire to be better for someone. An understanding that cruelty can be grown and used as a shield. The descriptions were also gorgeous, building a world as beautiful as it is strange and terrible, full of creatures just the same. I don't know how much of the world is taken from general fey story lore vs how much they built, but it was a well created and rich background for these characters to play and grow in.

I really liked Saffron and how wondrous he found the world. He wanted to learn and to love and to live, and then he wanted Cylvan to be happy even after all the harm he caused. And Cylvan started as such a brutal and sharp character and became something still sharp but fragile. There's a lot of Irish mythology in this, and the parallels between those myths and the story weave such a heartbreaking story.

I will absolutely be reading the next book, because I have to know that these two will be okay.

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

It's been a minute since I've read A Marvelous Light, which is the first book in this series, so truly my only regret is that I only half remember some kind of important details and plot points.

Maud Blythe is undercover, traveling back to England by ship with an important magician. Except that magician turns up dead the first night, and now Maud is trapped on a ship for six days trying to solve her murder. Soliciting the help of a young actress, an arrogant lord, and a journalist thief, Maud might just make it off the ship alive, if her burgeoning feelings for the actress don't kill her first.

Marske's writing is delightful, I absolutely remember that much from her first book. And this one was just as magical. Maud is a blunt but hopefully and ultimately good person, and it was such a joy to see her almost sort of come of age on this journey. Her relationship with Violet was complicated and heady and probably the very thing they both needed. I really liked Violet as a character, serving as almost a foil for Maud at times. Lord Hawthorne I remember mostly poorly from the first book, but he appears to have some redeemable qualities. Exciting, especially since he's the hero of the next book.

The mystery of it all was very exciting. Marske did a good job reminding me enough of what had previously happened that I could mostly keep up, even if some of the specific eluded me. The magic is creative, world building around the idea of cats cradle being the casting point of magic. Maud sort of serves as a way for the audience to learn more about magic, like how her brother did in the first book as well. It's fun to jump between the two perspectives (magical and not) so we can build a fuller picture of the world. 

I love modern magic stories, but there is truly something about an early 1900s magic as well, with the world revolutionizing and changing alongside the magic. I also appreciated that while homophobia certainly exists in this world, there is no internalized shame or issue between characters, just a sort of lurking background acknowledgment that doesn't prevent anyone from actually having a good time or falling in love.

Overall, I will admit that I think I liked the first book a bit better, BUT I do love a magical mystery on a ship with murder, ghosts, and bisexual love interests.

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

I love being able to finish a book series one right after the other. Makes it way easier to remember what's happened.

Lord Jack Hawthorne turned his back on magical society a long time ago, but he's been dragged kicking and screaming back into it by the Blythe siblings and a power no magician should wield alone. Twisted deep into magical conspiracy and threatened daily, Jack tries to maintain his composure, even as the frustrating and handsome Alan Ross pokes and prods at his boundaries. With the magical world at stake, dalliance, especially with someone like Alan, could prove a brutally terrible idea. But the stretch for magical power has taken enough from Jack, and he's not going to let it take more.

I love a love story where two people are fighting very hard not to fall for one another but do anyways. Alan and Jack are both sharp, sarcastic men who fight and flirt all at the same time, falling in love with the exact opposite of who they believe they should. They're perfect for each other but refuse to see it and it's fantastic. There's also a learning curve in vulnerability, a recognition of self, and a lot of fictional pornography (as in stories within the text itself, though there are some definite spicy bits).

But this book was more that romance; this was the culmination of the trilogy's magic disaster, the end of the line. And it was a terrifying and violent one, where I was extremely worried things would go horribly wrong up until the very last moment. I continue to be impressed with the world building and magic system and am grateful for the none magical characters for serving as a conduit for explanations without getting too exposition heavy. 

I'm bad at writing reviews for later books in series, but I've enjoyed each book and each new main character while still hanging onto the old ones as supporting cast. 10/10 great time.

Lord of the Silver Ashes by Kellen Graves

I read all 476 pages of this book in less than 24 hours, so when I tell you I am DEEP in this world you better believe me.

Trapped in the attic room above his beloved prince, Saffron is already planning how to get out and save him. But reunited with Cylvan doesn't go as planned, and Saffron is stuck silently pretending he can't remember Cylvan,  all while he tries to work against Taran-- the wolf hunting Beantighes and cornering Cylvan into a marriage he doesn't want. But the wolf is more dangerous than Saffron knows, and it will take more than cunning and magic to save all of his friends, himself, and the prince he loves.

It has been years since I've fallen this deep into a high fantasy series, and I gotta say this one doesn't pull any punches. It's cruel and unjust and violent and gives you just enough hope to feel it in your chest when it crushes it ten pages later. I was white knuckling my way through this book. It's compelling and desperate and I simply could not put it down.

The world building continues to be incredible, thick with myths and rules and heavy secrets, and Saffron is wading through all of it as much as we are. And it's just gets bigger as the books progress. 

But there's a teasing lightness too, a love story that has the chance to bloom further even under the stress of it all. I liked the new characters introduced as well, the broadening of a world already filled to the brim with strange magic. I'm very excited about the next book, mostly because I truly hope Saffron and Cylvan can finally have their happy ending, even when I know the getting there will always be far from easy.

Herald of the Witch's Mark by Kellan Graves

I read this also very quickly, but less frantically, and I could appreciate the pace of this one as just the slightest bit calmer.

Saffron finally has everything he's ever wanted: the chance to go to school, even doing so with his beloved Prince Cylvan, even if they have to pretend to be strangers slowly falling in love through Saffron's high fey disguise. But school is harder than Saffron anticipated, and the pressures of fey court are as deadly as Saffron's untamed magic. A mysterious human, Ryder, claims to be able to help Saffron, but his help comes with a cost Saffron's not sure he's willing to pay.

This book was a big pivot from the first two, with Saffron and Cylvan finally able to actually be together in some capacity. And while the first two books took place at a school, this one felt different since Saffron was actually attending, rather than just working at the site. 

There's a lot of...I'm not going to call it subterfuge, but secrecy and hiding behind illusions even more so than the previous books, which really adds to the glamor and the terror behind it that is very prevalent in this book in particular.

This one expands a lot on the magic of the world, creeping ever closer to the veil and the human world beyond it. It also had some new characters that were delightful, along with some familiar faces. Ryder in particular is such a good (spoiler alert) villain. Especially following up Taran, who was absolutely awful. Graves is very good at writing bad things happening to these characters and even better at crafting villains to set the whole thing off. 

I'm very intrigued to see where the story goes next, but I will unfortunately have to wait until next year to find out. Luckily the cliffhanger this one ended on was much more positive and less sharply terrifying than the last two, so I feel good to wait for more rather than frantically tearing into the next pages.

Gwen And Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher

This was such a delightful read, I'm truly so pleased to have read it.

Gwen and Arthur have been engaged to be married since they were little, but unfortunately they despise each other. When they're forced to spend time together, they quickly discover they have more in common than a deep dislike for one another; Gwen is mooning over a lady knight and Arthur's got more interest in Gwen's brother Gabriel than her. The two hatch a plot to get pressure off one another-- pretend to fall in love while decidedly not doing so with one another. But as they spend more time together, they may discover they make better allies than they could have ever imagined.

I love fake dating and turns out I love it even more when the two people fake dating are decidedly just friends (or enemies to friends) while pursuing their true feelings elsewhere. It was especially fun with the dual point of view, so I got both Gwen and Arthur being menaces to one another as they reluctantly become friends. I also got two queer love stories for the price of one, mixed in with conspiracies and Arthurian legends.

This book had a fun twist for those legends and it's been a minute since I've read anything Arthurian that this was a delightful trip down that mythology once more.

And what's an Arthurian story without dashing knights, a tinge of magic, and a dramatic battlefield scene? I loved the growth of all the characters in this book, coming into their own and deciding how they wanted to shape the future they were creating.

Overall this was hilarious, irreverent in the best way, and a fantastic love story.

Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

I read the first book in this world a while ago, but fortunately the characters and locations are completely different, so I didn't have to remember an extraordinary amount to understand this one.

Tennel has run out of places to run. Conscripted into his aunt's army, he's set to be synced to an architect, where he'll be controllable and just about stripped of his free will. And when he meets Surit, his chosen architect, he's sure it'll be terrible. But Surit isn't what Tennel expects, and when he suggests they fake the sync to prevent Tennel from going through with it, it's an easy choice to make. Things are moving politically, though, and soon enough the fake sync is the only thing keeping Senit and Tennel both from being used as pawns. But the threats are real, and a sync might be the only way for them to survive this, unless it kills them first.

Tennel and Surit are both such fascinating characters. They shouldn't work, once they figure out how to communicate it's almost like they were made for each other. Their falling in love is slow and reluctant and filled with guilt and self sacrifice and is really just as compelling as all the espionage and political maneuvering and intergalactic war crimes. I love the idea of falling in love without meaning to, and these two have such opposing moral compasses but good hearts that it's just *chef kiss.*

Maxwell does a great job crafting a sci-fi military world that doesn't feel too confusing. But she also doesn't hold your hand the whole time, and it's a balancing act I was happy to be a part of. I really do love a conspiracy and two characters holding onto each other with a fierce loyalty that defies the system they're supposed to be working for. Fuck the system, I want you to live is a wild way to read a story about mind readers and brainwashing, but it was also perfect.

The imagery in Maxwell's writing is also gorgeous, and, like, I get that it's called Ocean's Echo, so I should have expected all the sea imagery but it's also in space, so. The oceanic descriptions used for minds is gorgeous and clever, and the way it swirls around the two point of view characters in different ways is so cool. I remember that about her first book too, how I really liked the way her descriptors fit into the flow of the story and how fun it made the science fiction of it all.

The Necromancer's Light by Tavia Lark

A quick jaunt into sci-fi and not back to romantasy, because if I'm going to blow through this many books in one month they might as well be fun little guys.

Shae's necromancy costs him more every day. Without another person to keep him alive, he'll die before he can even reach the demon he's trying to banish. Arthur is dealing with the fall out of his last terrible mistake-- but he couldn't have known the man he'd fallen in love with would betray him and his order. Now he's trying to make things right, and traveling with Shae might be the job to do it. It doesn't take much for them to grow closer, but learning to trust again isn't easy, and the demon they're tracking might kill them before they can try.

I will admit that I like Lark's other series, Perilous Courts, more than this one so far. I believe she wrote this series first, and you can tell a little bit how her voice matured more in the other series. But this one is still fun. She clearly spends a lot of time on lore and worldbuilding and manages to weave it all into the narrative without making it feel clunky.

I did think the pacing of this romance felt fast, but that is also just the nature of some romance. This was also a shorter book than I was expecting, so that probably played a part as well. There are places where I would have liked more, but overall it was a decent read. I've already bought the other two books in the series and plan to finish them before the end of the month, so we'll see if I like those more.

The Paladin's Shadow by Tavia Lark

Okay, I like this one a bit more than Necromancer's Shadow.

Karis, conscripted into an order for his immense talent, is hiding the voice of a god in his head. But his god leads hin to trouble when Ronan shows up, and proceeds to kidnap Karis in his daring escape attempt. But Ronan's plans are bigger than both of them, and it doesn't take long for Karis to get swept into them--and into Ronan's arms. Karis' god might not be able to save either of them if they can't help each other.

The pacing was similar to the last book, where things moved a little faster where I'd have liked to linger, especially with Karis and Ronan falling in love. But, again, I think that's just a sign of earlier writing that got even better as Lark went. 

I liked this cast of characters a lot. I wasn't sure I'd like Ronan, since he got a bit of a bad reputation in the previous book, but he grew on me, especially as I learned more about him and his purpose. The plot of this one felt bigger than the last, with a bit more political influence and even more worldbuilding and lore. I also love a motley crew, and this book provided.

Overall, I'm getting more into this series and am intrigued to see where the next book goes.

The Sword-Witch's Heart by Tavia Lark

Okay, this one was my favorite of the series, and I maintain that Lark's writing just gets better as she goes.

Leth betrayed his family to free the gods, only to find his own god has abandoned him too. Without purpose, Leth joins a group heading north to close rifts in the veil, headed by his former teammate Evain, who he can't stand. Evain, a pleasure demon under the disguise of a contracted mage, can't seem to get Leth out of his head, riling him up until something seems to snap between them. It isn't hate that's bubbling under the surface, that's for sure. But Evain can't tell Leth he's a demon, and Leth is still struggling with his abandonment and loose identity. Forced truths might be the thing that tear them apart-- or bring them together.

The pacing of this one was fantastic. Not necessarily a slow burn, but it takes more than half the book for Leth to realize he doesn't actually hate Evain, and I loved bouncing between the two perspectives. It was also nice to see some familiar faces, with appearances from the main pairs from the pervious books as well as some new faces.

The plot for this one was something I was initially curious about-- what could follow freeing gods from their binding imprisonment? But I should have known that the fall out of something like that is never easy, and there's always danger to be found in a losing side that refuses to go quietly. I really liked the family drama on Leth's side, and the slow growth of the danger he was in as a backdrop to falling in love.

Overall this was a good time, and I've really grown to like these characters.

And that's it. I was going to try to squeeze in one more book before the end of the day, but my sister said that was a terrible idea and wouldn't let me do it. So, I guess we'll have to settle for lucky number 13 for December.

Hope to see you all in the new year!

Literary recommendation: Okay, I can't pick a favorite book that I read this year but here's a tentative top five books that I remember really enjoying in no particular order: Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover, A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, and Something Close To Magic by Emma Mills

Media recommendation: you KNOW I've been watching the new Percy Jackson series and it's been such a joy to revisit those characters. I will most likely be rereading that series next year.