Wednesday 20 January 2021

Waiting on Wednesday (168)

This week I am super excited for...
A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
Release Date: February 23, 2021
Choose your player.

The half-fae outcast, desperate for acceptance.

The tempestuous Fury, exiled and hellbent on revenge.

The dutiful prince, determined to earn his place.

The brooding guardian, burdened by a terrible secret.

Each holds a key to solving a series of ritualistic murders that threaten to expose faeries to the human world. But they cannot do it alone. To track down the killer, they will have to form a tenuous alliance, putting their differences – and conflicts – aside.

Failure risks the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. And time is running out.

Time to roll the dice.

With LGBTQ+ representation set in an enthralling fantasy world I cannot wait to read this. It sounds like it is the perfect mix of fae and some explosive action.

Let me know in the comments below what titles you cannot wait for this year. 

Tuesday 19 January 2021

Review: Storm and Fury (The Harbinger #1)

Storm and Fury (The Harbinger #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout
Release Date:
June 11, 2019
Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon | The Book Depository

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers.

When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes imperative once demons breach the compound and Trinity’s secret comes to light. To save her family and maybe the world, she’ll have to put her trust in Zayne. But all bets are off as a supernatural war is unleashed…

After loving The Dark Elements trilogy with all my heart, I can safely say that this book stole what was left of it. This book drew me straight out of my reading slump and reminded me why I love JLA's books so much. This is a fantastic paranormal romance read that works as an excellent spin-off of where Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3) leaves off.

Storm and Fury follows Trinity who lives with the gargoyle Wardens in a compound that is so safely guarded you wouldn't want to live anywhere else. However, news of wardens and demons being killed outside the compound rattles them to the core. This is worsened when the compound is attacked and Trinity's bound protector is taken. Trinity will do anything to get her friend back, even if that means following Zayne, a gloriously beautiful Warden, to DC to uncover what mystery lies behind the attacks.

For those who have not read The Dark Elements trilogy I can say you do not have to have read it. However, it does make the story easier to follow and gives you a better understanding of the dynamic between the characters if you have indeed read it. Therefore if you have time then I would definitely recommend you read that trilogy before moving on to this one. Zayne is a key character in the Dark Elements and reading that story will allow you to have a better understanding of his character and history. The main characters of the trilogy, Layla and Roth, also play a role in this book and it's always great to see your favourite characters again.

What I loved about this book was how JLA embedded a piece of herself into her main character Trinity, who suffers from a degenerative eye condition that means she is slowly losing her vision. This is the same condition that JLA has openly shared that she has been diagnosed with and I felt that it was a truly beautiful element to have embedded in her main character. I loved that it re enforced how not all disabilities can be seen. Trinity shows us how she lives with this condition and the knowing that one day she may be completely blind. She is a kickass heroine for this story and I found it hard not to love her.

There are more demons packed into this instalment which I enjoyed and also the appearance of ghosts and spirits. Trinity can see ghosts and I was laughing out loud at her ghost friend Peanut, who just seems to float into the room whenever Zayne is half naked. When I tell you I was laughing on the train, I really was laughing on the train! The pacing of the story was good but I do feel that all the action seemed to be jammed into the end. Nevertheless, I enjoyed how the story slowly unfolded throughout and I didn't mind that there was a heavier focus on the blossoming romance. Trinity and Zayne's chemistry just made me laugh and was so organic. If you didn't get enough of Zayne in The Dark Elements  this will definitely give you your fix! This book leaves us on a pretty good note, but knowing that the next instalment Rage and Ruin  is definitely going to be filled with some crazy shenanigans. 

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone that wants a paranormal romance that is easy to slip into. It's got demons, witches, ghosts, and gargoyles! Storm and Fury is a whirlwind of a story that swept me off my feet and stole my heart. If you have not read a book by JLA then I would highly recommend you start with The Dark Elements trilogy before reading this as a spin-off series. That way you get the full impact of the story and fall a little harder for the characters. I cannot wait to read Rage and Ruin  and see what direction this story takes. 

Rating

4.5 Falling Books

Previous reviews:

Wednesday 13 January 2021

Waiting on Wednesday (167)

Happy Wednesday!

This week I am waiting on...


Release Date: June 1, 2021
When Angels Fall...

Trinity Marrow has lost the battle and her beloved Protector. Even with both demons and Wardens on her side, Trin may not win the war against the Harbinger.

Bringing Lucifer back to the world to fight the Harbinger is probably a really, really bad idea, but they’re out of options—and the world’s ultimate fallen angel is the only being powerful enough to impact the outcome.

As Trin and Zayne form a new and more dangerous bond and Lucifer unleashes Hell on earth, the apocalypse looms and the world teeters on the end of forever. Win or lose, one thing is certain—nothing will ever be the same.

I have just finished Rage and Ruin and I CANNOT wait for this final installment. I really loved the Dark Elements trilogy but the characters in the Harbinger and just making me fall in love with this world even harder.

I will hopefully get round to writing a review for Storm and Fury (The Harbinger #1) and Ruin and Rising (The Harbinger #2) soon!

Other reviews you may be interested in:

Sunday 10 January 2021

Review: The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and The Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | The Book Depository


One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

I have fallen ridiculously hard for this book. It has been sitting on my shelf for months watching me go through extended reading slumps but pulled me out of it in seconds. The Wrath and the Dawn is a beautifully written retelling of A Thousand and One Nights that kept me up all night.

A kingdom ruled by a king that marries a new girl each day to then kill her by sunrise. Shahrzad intends to get revenge on the king for killing her best friend. She volunteers herself to be his bride and tells him stories each night that is left on a cliffhanger to convince him to keep her alive for just one more day. With each day she attempts to plot how she may kill him, however, she finds herself falling for Khalid as he is not quite the monster she imagined. While this is happening within the walls of the castle, Shahrzad's childhood love is doing everything he can to get to her and rescue her. He teams up with Shahrzad's father who is into some pretty crazy magic in order to get her back. The different POVs added a nice dimension to the book as we also get to see what life is like outside the castle while also watching the slow-burning romance unfold between our main characters.

“My soul sees its equal in you.” 

There are some truly swoon-worthy quotes in this book that made my heart soar. I loved how the romance unfolded between Shahrzad and Khalid. Every time he referred to her as joonam "my everything", I fell in love a little harder. There are some aspects that I hope are addressed in the sequel, for example, I don't quite understand why Khalid found Shahrzad special enough not to kill her straight away. In the book, he says that there was something about her that drew him in, but this was never explained further. 

Another thing I was slightly sad about is that this story introduces us to magic within the world but doesn't delve into anything below the surface. Shahzad is hinted at from the beginning to hold some kind of magic but this is not explored too much in this book. Perhaps it's being saved for the sequel? I am unsure but hope that some of my lingering questions are answered!

Overall, The Wrath and the Dawn made me smile and made my heart ache like it has not done in a while. I cannot wait to read more books by Ahdieh and would definitely recommend this a thousand times over to anyone who loves an enemy to lovers romance with a good plot and world-building.

Rating

5 Failling Books