Review of The Lost City by Amanda Hocking

The Lost City by Amanda Hocking

3.47 out of 5 Stars

***Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

In The Lost City is a wonderful spin-off of the author's Trylle Trilogy that follows a new protagonist, Ulla Tulin, as she tries to discover her parents and heritage. You do not need to have read neither the Trylle Trilogy nor the other spin-off series The Kanin Chronicles to follow this book. (Sorry there were so many negatives in that sentence haha!) Personally, I haven't read The Kanin Chronicles, but I totally remember loving the Trylle Trilogy back in high school. Now, I don't want to share my age, but let's just say it's been a minute since I've been in high school, so I read those books a while ago. But I remember loving them and loving the pacing and the originality of a book with trolls as the main characters.

The Lost City dives even deeper into this troll territory and I just love exploring new books that have unique/less common fantastical elements. How many other books are out there with whole troll societies and main characters?? And we really get to see a lot of interesting dynamics between the different kinds of trolls in this book, as well as some Norse mythology which was a delightful added bonus. Ulla is determined to trace her bloodline and any ancient genealogy books she can find in order to figure out who her parents are. She had been left with the owners of an inn back when she was a baby, and the only real working clue she has to guide her on this path is her mother's name, Orra.

The attempted discovery of Ulla's mother is only part of the plot. There's also the exploration of a great magical city (Mimirin) and some random strangers that don't quite fit in with the rest of the trolls. It was all very interesting, but it wasn't clear how all the individual pieces matched up with each other and there was no high-risk plot connecting everything until the end. So unfortunately, all of that great set-up sort of consumed the pages until about 60% of the way through for me. At that point, there were finally enough signals and larger events happening that I was able to go "What's going to happen next?" and really feel engaged with the plot.


Part of what I'm waffling on a little bit here as well is that the book was a really easy read. Like, I think it could be a middle-grade read. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there didn't seem, to me at least, to be any content or themes that would make the book inappropriate for a middle-grade audience. However, it is labeled as a young adult book and the main character is old enough to be venturing into the world on her own. In my mind, that puts the book in a weird market whereby middle-grade readers are trying to relate to a character that is experiencing things that they haven't come to experience yet, but also young adult readers could get frustrated if they feel like they aren't challenged enough.

Reading level and set-up aside, it was a very original world and story that I loved seeing unfold and develop. There were also great relationships between the characters. I absolutely loved how close Ulla was with all of the kids and how she was essentially Hanna's older sister in Mimirin. There's just such a sweet and powerful message there about choosing your family and being accepted by those you love.

The Lost City is perfect for you if you are looking for a fun and light fantasy novel. It had all the creativity and magic with so few pitfalls that I think would really brighten up any reader's TBR. Plus, I have a good feeling about where the series could be heading so I think it's a good idea to check this one out!

Thanks for reading!

Seberg Movie Review

Seberg

Movie Review

Honestly, I was only half paying attention to this while I watched it because I was cleaning at the same time. Because of that, I don't feel comfortable giving it any sort of starred ranking because I don't think it would be genuine.

Seberg is a historical, thrilling biopic (lots of things, I know...) about Jean Seberg, an actress in the middle of the 20th century who was an activist for racial equality. The movie picks up at the start of her involvement with the Black Panther Party and follows her throughout the next several years and the government monitors her and attempts to end her involvement with the Black Panther Party. She is aware on some level that she is being watched, but it is a slow unravel where she starts to question every phone call, crew member on sets, and interactions with friends.

Of the top of my head, what I was able to notice while I was half-paying attention was this:
1. The resolution felt soft and unsatisfying.
2. Kristen Stewart was amazing in this.
3. This topic was fascinating, but I wanted more.

1. Overall, I just didn't really like how the movie ended. There's no really clear understanding of what is going to happen to the other characters and even with Seberg herself, we only get that classic background music and text overlay describing the end of her life. What I'm really wondering is, if that was the resolution, what was the climatic moment in the movie?

2. I feel like Kristen Stewart gets better and better with every movie that I see her in. There were times that I would look up to the screen and just see Seberg. It would be a self-shock to remember that I was watching Stewart play Seberg. Also, there is such a slow unravelling of Seberg's character that I though Stewart did really really well.

3. The whole premise and context of this film is absolutely fascinating. More importantly, it is important for conversation about race in America. However, I don't think the film dived deep enough into these themes. They had a great opportunity, but I don't think they took advantage of it fully. Again though, I wasn't paying close attention while I was watching it, so I could be off about this.

Thanks for reading!

Review of Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

3.8 out of 5 Stars

I don't know why, but I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. It was still good, it just wasn't the oh-my-god-I-loved-this good like I tend to feel about her other books. To me, everything seemed more surface level compared to previous strong personalities and intense plot development. In all fairness, I am coming out of a reading slump which could be heavily affecting the way that I am looking at this story and reviewing it.

As a whole though, it felt almost like it was written on autopilot if that makes sense? Like, JLA is a fantastic writer, so writing on autopilot is still going to give you a great read, but a lot of phrases were overly familiar, a lot of tropes were overly familiar, and I didn't feel that connection with the book that I was going to be on a crazy fun roller coaster. I knew all the turns and all the plunges so nothing was as exciting and new.

I honestly don't even really want to get into a huge review/break down discussion of the book, which makes my heart a little sad. BUT, I don't want that to be any indication of the quality of this book. I think my not wanted to give it a full review is part of me just coming out of my reading slump so please don't read too much into that.

I think the biggest "review" I can confidently give this book is that it is a sophomore book. Now, I have read some really bad sophomore books and this was not one of those. However, I think all sophomore books have the near insurmountable task of being more than a set-up book, and I think most fail. This one certainly wasn't a failure because there was definitely a separate plot goal in mind, but for the most part it felt like a set-up book. But what a set-up. Holy cow, that was a boss ending.

Was it fabulous? Eh, not so much for me. Was it good? Yes. I can very comfortably say that and recommend to readers of the series to keep going, especially because I am so intrigued about where we are going to go in the next book.

Thanks for reading!

Summer Books I'm Looking Forward To

Summer Releases

The June-August Books That I'm Looking Forward to Coming Out

Hello! So this list is both a long list and a short list at the same time. There are so so so many books coming out this summer that I'm looking forward to, but to help support the Black Lives Matter movement, I'm only going to list the books coming out by black authors. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, and I've also thrown on a list of educational books on racism and resources to find even more literature and media to make it easier for all of us to access.

Those of us who read (and those who don't) know how impactful literature is on the individual, the community, and the larger social awareness of the world. That impact - which is a small word that encompasses a huge range of effects and emotions - is vital. Which is why it is profoundly important that diversity is represented in literature. Excellent books are getting published every week, and it is important to carry the value of diversity beyond just this moment in time into the months and years and decades after this summer. But, for those wanting something newly released and don't know where to start, well. . . here ya go. . . :)

June

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

A Song of Wraith and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

A Song Below Water: A Novel by Bethany C. Morrow

All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson 

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

July

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Baryron

Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

This Is My America by Kim Johnson

August

Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest

Luster by Raven Leilani

Cry of Metal & Bone by L. Penelope

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly Baptist

Also, here is the list of books and resources to find more books to read and ways educate yourself about current events, history, and perspectives.

• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Be the Bridge by LaTasha Morrison
• The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
• Goodreads's Anti-Racist Reading List
• Harper's Bazaar's BLM Reading List
• Vogue's BLM Reading List
• Lastly, Netflix has created a "genre" (I think they're calling it this, but I'm not 100% sure. . .) called Black Lives Matter.

Thanks for reading!
(Final editing note: I believe the pandemic may still be messing up publication dates. I know of several books from the past couple of months that have been moved, but I'm not sure if summer titles have been moved as well. These are all up-to-date as far as I know.)

Should I Read Rhapsodic? (Rhapsodic v. ACOMAF)

The Similarities Between Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

In other words, should I read this book if I'm a SJM fan?

Quick short answer to this question ^^^ at the very end.


General Context about Me as the Writer of this Post:
1. I am a huge Sarah J. Maas fan. Like, massively huge.
2. I am planning on giving Rhapsodic its own full review. This is almost a prequel post so that I can sift through some of my thoughts and reactions.
3. This is, I feel like, old, small, book community tea. Yet, one that I still find interesting.
4. This is not going to be a slam post of any kind. I'm genuinely just curious about the conversation around and between these two books.

Phew. Here we go.
I read the ACOTAR books by Sarah J. Maas as they were coming out. I have very clear memories of hearing about Rhapsodic on Tumblr, Twitter, etc. because there were so many similarities between this book and the second ACOTAR book, A Court of Mist and Fury. (Which, in my own very biased opinion, is one of the best books ever.) There were posts encouraging people to read Rhapsodic, calling it a hangover cure or a tie-over until the last ACOTAR book came out, but there were also posts telling people not to read it because it was too similar and felt like a rip off.

Here's the thing: there is context to me that suggests certain elements of Rhapsodic were inspired by A Court of Mist and Fury.

A Court of Mist and Fury came out May 3, 2016. Rhapsodic came out November 15, 2016. This six month timeline would normally disqualify any notion of the latter copying the former, BUT, I feel fairly certain that Rhapsodic is self-published. Timeline and publishing-- it normally takes about two years for a book to go from agent at the start to on-selves at the end. Self-publishing however, can be very quick, especially if someone is genuinely skilled at writing quickly without the need for editors.

Why do I think Rhapsodic is self-published? Well, I'm actually not 100% certain on this, but when I tried to find anything about the publisher, Lavabrook Publishing Group, the only books that come up are Laura Thalassa's and her husband's. The only bit of information I could get about the publisher was that there is a mailing address for it in Ventura, which is an easy drive away from Santa Barbara (where Thalassa's Twitter says she's from). There's no publisher's website either, which seems very odd. It would also make sense to me from a business perspective for her to do this, because there are times that self-publishing sites bring certain negative presumptions about the kinds of writing someone is about to read. So even though it's self-published, it sounds like a full-standard publishing house novel. And maybe the company is growing and right now it's just her own small business. But the book still has the quick timeline capabilities of a self-published novel.

Now, the real odd wrench in Rhapsodic being "inspired" by A Court of Mist and Fury. There are old blog posts from Laura Thalassa saying that she originally got some of the ideas back in 2014. However, there doesn't seem to be mention to the things that would be common between the two books and it seems like odd timing to me that she didn't talk about Rhapsodic again or come back to it until a month after ACOMAF came out. To me, that seems like there was plenty of time for her to read ACOMAF and use pieces of it to finish up Rhapsodic. Like things clicked all of a sudden and she was able to finish it. Who knows? At the end of the day, these books are their own entities and if there are commonalities between them, well, then so be it. There are some things that can't be claimed by a single author or owned by one person.

Points of Similarity/Difference:

1. Bargains

Des and Rhys make bargains with Callie and Feyre respectively. Funny enough, Des even traditionally tattoos his deals onto the person's skin, sort of how Rhys does to Feyre. For Rhys and Feyre, the tattoo is initially one that shows how Feyre will need to spend a week in the Night Court every month for the rest of forever. But, I don't believe this is typically how Rhys marks his deals. I feel like he partially does this with Feyre to (a) give her a constant reminder about him, and (b) screw around with Tamlin. Also, their mating bond is an identical tattoo on her other arm, so I think it just is a connection between the two of them because Rhys has his own Illyrian tattoos.

Callie doesn't get a tattoo, she gets a bracelet instead with a bead for every bargain she makes. I liked this idea. I don't think I would have liked a bracelet that big, but it worked! But this also shows a difference between the tattooing for Rhys and Des. Rhys tattooed Feyre to get closer to her. Des didn't tattoo Callie so that she wouldn't be just another bargain.

Also, the circumstances around the bargains are very different. Des uses it as a side job and Callie gets bargains because she's bored and needs a friend to hang out with. Rhys I don't think ever makes these deals and Feyre only does it because she's legit dying and has no other choice. Very, very different.

2. Wolflike Boyfriend- Possessive + Temper Tantrum

Tamlin is a bit like Eli, I have to say. They both are super alphaholes, take on wolflike forms, and completely trash a house when they lose control of their tempers. They also are the old love interest that loses, which is a win in my opinion as a reader.

3. Heroine is taken away to a different kingdom

Feyre is forced to go to the Night Court with Rhys. Callie is "forced" to go to the Court of the Night. Yeah, they're kind of similar in this way, but even the tone of the "taken away" is different for these books. For Feyre, she really really did not want to go. She was there in the Night Court, throwing shoes and asking when she could leave. For Callie, she puts up a little bit of a fight, and then acquiesces once Eli trashes her house. So.... it's similar, but also very different.

4. Secret pent-up love

Not even going to touch this one because it is such a strong trope across all books, not just YA/NA fantasy. Is it there? Yes. Moving on. 

5. A Nighttime Court/Kingdom

Rhys is Lord of the Night Court, Des is king of the Court of Night... clearly there is a similarity, but honestly not one that I think is remarkable. Sort of like the "pent-up love" thing I didn't bother going into detail with, this is something that just seems common. Thalassa could have gotten a night court idea from literally dozens of places. And it's not like she had Des looking like Rhys on top of it. They have very different descriptions. The courts looks different as well, again highlighting the difference here between one as a fantasy novel and one as an urban fantasy novel.  So again, similar theme, but different execution.

If you notice, none of those things are unique ideas. So many authors use them so many different ways. What is slightly curious to me is the huge reaction that I saw this having on the social medias back when they were both new releases. But I think ultimately, while they use similar themes or pieces, they are very different stories. For one thing, ACOMAF is TWICE as long as Rhapsodic. It's also a complete fantasy whereas Rhapsodic is an urban fantasy. There are different creatures, different rules, different kingdoms, different travel, different writing styles and foci... a whole lot of differences.

So should I read rhapsodic? I would say it depends on what you're looking for, especially if you're coming off a Sarah J. Maas read.

If you're looking for that new adult, sort of edgy, fae romance, then yeah, go for it.

If you're looking for the complex character game and political development, then maybe not.

Thanks for reading!

Review of The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel

The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel

4.03 out of 5 Stars

 

~ Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ~

This book came across my reading list at the most perfect time. I was stressed and I needed something as adorable and reassuring as this. The Trouble with Hating You was definitely intense. There were a lot of very low lows and definitely back out if you think there are themes you can't read. But, it is a triumphant story and the romance was one of the most adorable things I have read. It's a hate-to-love trope, so take that into consideration when you pick it up. I like those :) and that trope definitely lent itself to my enjoyment this book.

Liya and Jay are literally one of my favorite couples. Seriously. When Liya was stepping up and taking the initiative at work, Jay didn't complain or give her crap about it. No-- he cleaned up her lab equipment, bought them food, and just kept her company while she worked. That may be one of the most heartwarming things I've ever read. It was pure support! I loved it. And they just kept supporting each other over and over. And the banter. THE BANTER. I love a good banter between the ship in a book. Not fighting, but the little comments and pokes that are borderline snippy and playful and remind you of an old married couple. They had that banter down perfectly. A+

I think there's a lot of great conversation that can come from this book as well. About family, friends, intersection of personal life and work life, religion, community... it wasn't just a light and fluffy romance. There's really good substance to it as well. And I don't want to say that romance books don't typically have substance, but in here specifically, there was a potency to the substance and the themes. It elevated the story for me.

A highlight for this book that I think is tangential to the romance is the amazing friendships. They seriously were fantastic to see portrayed to be so real. The friend group that Liya has is so strong, yet they are all so different. And they all have different life goals, opinions, and sometimes step on each other's toes. But like the relationship with Jay, there was just so much wonderful support and it would bring a smile to my face to read about this group of lifelong friends.

The Trouble with Hating You is a perfect summer romance read. It is sweet, and funny, and I could definitely see a group of friends reading this together!

Thanks for reading!

Review of From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This cover is beautiful and I love it :)

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

4.82 out of 5 Stars

 

Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God

PEOPLE

Oh my God

Okay no more of that.

So I love this author, I love her books, I love her characters, I lover her humor. I freaking ******* loved this book. Dare I say it, I think it surpasses all her other books that I love.

What is?
From Blood and Ash is a new adult fantasy in a world where there was a huge war that overthrew the vampires (I'm blanking on the term right now and I loaned my copy to a friend... #fail). There are now the Ascenders that rule over these walled-in cities in the kingdom and they protect the people from the craven, which are like these vampiric zombies. Poppy is our main girl in the story and she is known as the "Maiden." As the Maiden, she's some secluded, sequestered, all-white robes wearing version of a Handmaiden on steroids. Essentially, she's a candidate for Ascension and is meant to marry a prince (I believe) after she has Ascended.

But oh-ho-ho, things get tricky because Poppy starts to question things around her. Plus there are some murders. And then there's Hawke (oh will we talk about Hawke). And historical secrets. And it all just leads up to so much wonderfulness as a reader that I absolutely adored this book.

SPOILERS BELOW (SERIOUSLY- I am going to spoil things. Please do not read further if you have not yet read the book.)

PLOT:
I'm intrigued. I went into this book pretty blind because that is literally how much I trust JLA to write a good book, so as things progressed, I was just strapped in and let the story take me where it went. Looking back on it, the plot is an oddly even amount of fantasy and romance. There were times when I was hooked into the larger political structure and dangers lurking about, but then there were also times when I was fully invested in PoppyxHawke (which, do we have a ship name????).

There's a lot that happens. If I were to break down the plot into "acts", I think there's five? ---Editing me interrupting real quick. Lol I didn't realize this book was 634 pages, which is double the page length of her other books like Obsidian or Half-Blood. I read this as an ebook in one sitting hahaha, whoops.--- It just seemed like the story was never ending. And for the most part I mean that in a good way because I loved the characters and the dialogue and the suspense of not understanding this weird position Poppy was in.

I don't think I can pull out a single "best moment" either because there were so many amazing moments. There's the first time we see Poppy take away someone's pain, the whole dignity in death stuff was really touching, there's the time Hawke was like, "dude, how'd you sneak out of the room," the poetic yet dramatic justice the Duke gets (which, let's be real, we all knew was Hawke's doing), Poppy's freak out, and the last scene. Scratch that, the last LINE: "We go home to marry, my Princess." Dead. I'm dead. I'll talk more about that moment later when it comes to Cas, but holy alien babies (JLA fans- I had to use this phrase, ya know?) what a way to end the book.

What's going to happen next??!?!!!?!? I want to see Cas's parents. I want to know what the new game plan is about saving his brother, because it would kill me to see Cas have to give up Poppy as was the original plan. I don't think he will. I have a gut feeling on this one that they're "mates" or whatever the "mate" equivalent will be in this series. Although, I'm also intrigued by Kieran's comment about everything ending in "another tragedy." Was Cas involved with the other Maiden? WAIT. What if it was his brother that was involved with the other Maiden and somehow that all led to his brother's capture? I think I need to reread this and write up a crackpot theory post about where the series will go.

The big question: do I want to see a wedding? Ummmm... not like how it is set up now. I'm not thrilled with the dynamic between Cas and Poppy at the very end of the book. Cas is too controlling for my comfort level. And maybe he's freaked out about something that we as readers don't know about yet, and when Poppy finds out she'll confront him and get him to back off a bit. Or maybe she'll just confront him in general and straight up say, "dude, you can't decree our wedding." I do like the ship, but we're not seeing enough right now for me to be comfortable with a wedding. I'm 96% sure Poppy still thinks she'll get traded away in some political game with the Ascenders for Cas to save his brother. A marriage doesn't make sense with the information and development we have right now. Maybe it could once things are cleared up and their voices in the relationship is even, but I don't think we are there yet as of the end of the book. This was this biggest issue I had with the book, sadly.

Also, Dear JLA, I love you. Truly, I do. I adore your books and your writing, but.... I couldn't help but notice that there's no book two spot on Goodreads yet for this series. And it hurts my heart just a little bit. There's just a teeny tiny gaping hole of fear in my chest that for some reason we won't get another book. Which, logically, doesn't really make sense because there is a "series" list for the first book, which would mean there are going to be others.


CHARACTERS:
Poppy: I feel like Poppy is the victim of a cult upbringing. Actually, she really is because she is centered around some artificial religion meant to perpetuate a literal feeding farm for the Ascenders. The more we learned about Poppy, the more my heart broke for her because it was just so much for anyone to be raised in. Her role was insane and I was so happy for her the moment she decided she wasn't going to put up with being some weird trophy religious figure anymore. I loved that she knew how to defend herself. I loved that she questioned her upbringing. And I really loved that she didn't automatically swallow what Hawke was telling her at the end. It wouldn't  have made sense for her to suddenly switch out of the stories she had been raised to believe as truths. She still has a lot of mental scarring and new fears and doubts, all of which make sense, but I am so hopeful for her development to see where she goes for the rest of the series.

Hawke: Or should I say Cas? Muahaha I love that Hawke ended up being the prince. Overplayed trope? *shrugs* Maybe. I don't really care though. Honestly, I though JLA did a really great job balancing us at the edge of wondering if he is the prince, if he's close to the prince, or if he's just a rebel. I'm curious though if that was just me. Because while I was reading, I could tell that something was up with his character, but it took me a good amount of time to pick up that Hawke was Casteel. Sort of like I said earlier though, his character is the one that gives me pause. It's why I can't give this book a full five stars: I'm worried about how he develops, especially in regard to his relationship with Poppy. He's too controlling at the moment, and not even in a hey-Poppy-play-along-there's-a-reason-here-it-is kind of way, but like an everyone-is-in-the-dark-and-he's-deciding-they're-getting-married kind of way. Personally, I'm not comfortable with that. BUT, I don't think we have the full facts or development because there was nothing else in the book to suggest Cas by nature would just override Poppy's voice like that. If anything, I feel like it was the opposite because he would be the one to encourage her to find her own voice and make her own independent decisions -- to be her own person. So while I don't like the direction we see him take at the end of the book, I don't think that's the full story and I'm really sincerely hoping he changes so that he's not domineering over Poppy.

Vikter: It is a truth universally acknowledged that there are rarely any good living parents in YA books. So of course our good father-figure had to be killed. Her parents were already dead, which is bad enough, but we couldn't even have a father-figure for a whole book. I liked Vikter. I liked having that parent role model in Poppy's life and it will be interesting to see how the grief affects her. But I miss him. It was such a tragic moment and I just wanted to acknowledge him for a moment. He will go down as one of the good YA dads. **And I know this is a NA book, not YA, but still.**

Tawny: Maybe I'm the only person wondering this, but what's going to happen to Tawny???? Thank goodness Cas insisted she stay behind at the castle because otherwise she'd be dead! That would have been horrible! And lowkey a part of me hopes that Poppy at some point has that revelation because Cas really did her a solid there. Yes, there's a lot of death. And yes, there is some proportional amount of blame that he carries (that's a whole different equation I don't want to get into). But to me, this was a big moment when he chose to protect her best friend, knowing that Tawny was planning on Ascending and knowing everything that Ascension entailed. Where will Tawny go in the future though? Will she meet back up with Poppy? Will she accept the truth the way Poppy did? Will she not Ascend? There's a lot of questions spinning in my head, that's all.

The creep: I don't remember his name. I don't particularly care. But you know the guy? The one that made your skin crawl? Yeah, I'm glad he and the Duke are dead.

WRITING/WORLD:
I'm not going to lie, I just dove into this book headfirst and didn't realize that it was a full-on fantasy. That being said, JLA writes a lot of great urban fantasy, so for a solid chapter or two I was so confused as to where the story took place. And then I realized what was going on and it all made so much more sense. While we didn't get to see the full new fantastical world that she has created, I am optimistic about how it will be revealed to us. Even just with the historical background of the war between the Atlantians and the Ascenders, I think she was able to really cleverly convey the disparity between what the people believe and what is true. And from there, build a foundation of understanding the politics of the world from the eyes of the people in it. I think she'll hit this one out of the park once we get a full view of Atlantia and the capital for the Ascenders. Oh! And I would love a map. :)

A big plus. Because it was a complete fantasy novel, there were no contemporary pop culture references. I don't necessarily mind those in JLA books, but they can throw off things like humor if I can't follow what the joke is. It was so nice to see JLA's wit come out in a way that was completely even and original to the story. I really enjoyed how there was still banter, and she was able to do it without the aid of a pop culture reference. A small minus. I kept thinking of Atlantis every time I saw the word Atlantia. And the book is about vampires, not mermaids.

I don't think I could give this a full 5 star review because of some questions and concerns I have about the characters' traits and relationship dynamics. And they're concerns that are more than just fleeting, so we'll have to wait and see what happens. But, I'm hopeful it will all balance itself out and in terms of everything else... amazing. I am really really looking forward to the next book.

Thanks for reading!!!!!
(Also, I 100% had way to much caffeine while I was writing this, but I'm just going to leave it :) as is.)