Wow, we are in August already. Time is just flying by in 2021! As it stands, this is what I read in July! I've been in the editing hole and I blinked and somehow it's middle o August, that's wild. Anywho, let's move onto book reviews!
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri was incredible, like I thought it would be, and overall this was a great story, an LGBT Fantasy. I could barely put this book because I was so invested with the characters and the culture of Ahiranya and Parijatdvipa, each time I picked up this book I was instantly transported to these lands and it took a lot to pull me back to reality. Some moments were like I was watching a TV show and would be shouting at my book. Following multiple POV's this book was very much plot driven, I wanted that rebellion as bad as everybody with all the external things going that made me so angry for everybody in play. I loved all of the POV's and all the characters were strong players. There was a lot of spirituality in this book and it got me thinking a lot
When this book was recommended to me, people said this was a powerful love story between Malini and Priya... actually this wasn't the case. The romance was an extremely small portion of the book which was okay, but don't go into this thinking you'll get a major romance. Only downside was that I would have liked a pronunciation guide, as somebody who loves learning cultures and languages, it was difficult to pronounce things. Another downside was that the change of POV's was very sporadic at first and it was confusing until I got used to it.
The Wicked King by Holly Black was another great read in July. The last part was better than the first. It had been a while since I read The Cruel Prince and though some parts are fresh in my mind, I was still extremely confused by some sections of this book. All I know is I need to read Queen of Nothing. I found the story a lot like book one where things slowly built up over the progression of the story and a lot was different between the characters. The story was immersive with lots of twists and turns, some more shocking than others. Jude had great character development in this book, she was more feisty which I liked.
At this point in the series I'm not finding this grand love story people speak of between Cardan and Jude, they act more like frenemies than lovers. Maybe this will show itself in the next book.
The Turtle, The Trees & The Unknown by Z.K. Dorward was kindly given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a collection of short stories, that each drastically differed between each other. In this book there were a variety of genres that any reader could enjoy there was some contemporary, fantasy, and Sci-Fi. There were some genres in there I usually don't like reading, but I was along for the ride and each short story was beautifully written that captured my imagination and emotions despite which genre it came from. All the human characters stood out on their own, I could connect with them and understand their motives if they were in a high stakes situation.
Some stories were more fast paced than others and would have personally liked if it was just one genre. Gaia's Miracle was slightly confusing at first. I feel the confusion was more driven by the fact it read more like a Horror at first, when I know it's supposed to be Sci-Fantasy but when those elements I'm used to returned I was less confused. Overall, I think this was a great debut from Dorward because it shows off their talents as a writer by writing in multiple genres and I recommend you check this book out.
A Pool of Peony by E.S. Barrison I would like to say a huge thank you to E.S. Barrison for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was amazing to be back in the world of the Life & Death Cycle series. This book captured me from the first page like The Mist Keeper's Apprentice did and I was along for this gripping adventure. I loved the addition of the three different story arcs; Todd and his family, Jemma bringing more incredible world building and the return of Brent & Bria.
A Pool of Peony was breath taking. When I wasn't reading I was thinking about different scenarios, theories, wondering what could happen next and it was difficult to pull my way out of the story. Like a TV show I kept shouting at the book, when characters made dumb decisions, I laughed, I cried. The plot twists were the worst part because they happened when I needed sleep!
The character development was something else. Brent kind of annoyed me in The Mist Keeper's Apprentice, but in this book Brent's character development was on another level and he easily became one of my favourites. I was rooting for him, I cried for him for what he was going through and was so, so proud at what he accomplished. He's hilarious and his personality really came out in A Pool of Peony (I feel the same way about Pineapple's dude).
My only negative is there was something predictable in terms of the Council of Mist Keeper's in Mert, but it didn't take away from the plot and I was still taken off guard by a lot of plot twists.
Writing News!
So I finished writing T.S.P.R, and I'm right on track with self edits and onto the process of getting beta readers before professional edits. This is probably my biggest book and I'm so shocked at myself, it's is really strange to see how many words I have managed to produce because I never though I would but I'm excited for where this process is going to go.
There is something mega exciting happening behind the scenes I can't talk about but more will be revealed in January 2022. I am guessing T.S.P.R will be a quartet and after self edits I will be returning to its sequel after finalising its title. All the feedback on T.S.P.R has been amazing and I'm so glad the people who have had the pleasure of reading rough drafts love it. Stay tuned on my other social media channels for T.S.P.R updates!