Witchlands #1
Truthwitch introduces a fun fantasy world that I really found myself embracing as the story progressed. The story is fast-paced and full of adventure, the world is rich and unique, and the relationships complex and interesting. I particularly liked Safiya’s fiery personality and the growth her character makes in this book. Merik has to be my favorite character, though; I love his fierce dedication to his country and his people.
The pacing of Truthwitch starts out a bit rough. You are thrown into the action, where concepts, terms, and locations unique to the world are thrown out with very little explanation. It was a little off putting at the start, especially with our two main characters splitting up almost immediately, but it eventually found its stride. While I enjoy gradual worldbuilding (instead of the info dump that some authors do), I think it could have been handled better. But by about the midpoint of the novel, everything really came together and the ending was action-packed, explosive, and left you wanting more. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here.
Arc of a Scythe #1
Man, I was not expecting that! This book was so deliciously dark and twisted and unique, and so much better than I could have hoped for. In a post-mortality society, where people never die, someone needs to glean the population so it doesn’t get out of hand. And so the Scythedom was born, a self-governing group of licensed murderers, going around and killing people on society’s behalf.
This unique premise was what attracted me to the book, but what I got was way more than I expected. Scythe is an intense look at the human psyche, about the difference between doing something fundamentally wrong versus doing something that is necessary, even when the outcome is the same. As I read, I found myself glued to the page, fascinated by the workings of the post-mortality society. And in a lot of ways, the society is pretty perfect. And while gruesome, everyone accepts the Scythedom as necessary. But a dark side is emerging within the Scythedom, and I quickly became caught up in its intrigue.
This book threw surprises at me again and again, things I never would have seen coming! And our characters, Citra and Rowan, go through such monumental and fundamental transformations in this novel. And not all of them may be for the better…
I really can’t wait to see where this series goes from here!
Talon #1
While I expected to enjoy Kagawa’s latest series, I was surprised by how much the story drew me in. I’m not sure how much of that was Kagawa’s story, and how much of that was the amazing performance by the narrators of the audio version, but I quickly became hooked! I love how the story is told from multiple points of view, which was made even better by having a separate narrator for each point of view in the audio version.
While there isn’t anything novel about the structure of Kagawa’s work, she uses some common and predictable tropes, her character’s always seem to draw you in. At its heart, Talon is really a supernatural romance, but I can’t help but root for these star-crossed lovers. I mean a Dragon masquerading in human form, falling for a undercover member of a dragon-slaying cult…what’s not to like?
Overall the story is fun and quick and I find the character’s endearing. I look forward to seeing how this series progresses (and I hope there is more from Dante’s POV in the sequels).
Three Dark Crowns #2
So deliciously dark, this book was full of surprises. There were a lot of twists in this book that I didn’t expect, and that is always refreshing. While the previous novel, Three Dark Crowns, was a lot of preamble, One Dark Throne really kicks up the action. The ascension year has begun, and our queens are out for blood! Katherine is even darker and creepier in this one, I enjoyed her wicked ways. Arsinoe really stood out for me, the queen who doesn’t want the throne, but has the strongest will to survive. I even came to like Mirabella in this one, where she didn’t really stand out for me in the first novel.
I’m really enjoying Blake’s writing style. The third-person omniscient point of view allows her to flit back and forth quickly between character perspectives, often multiple times in the same scene, giving you great little insights into each character’s thoughts and motivations.
The ending leaves things very open, and I have no idea where the story will go from here. There are a lot of possibilities, and I look forward to more surprises in the books to come.
Three Dark Crowns #1
I liken the plot of Three Dark Crowns to spinning plates. As more and more plates are added, you becoming fascinated by the spinning, mesmerized by the swirling and constant momentum. And then there is a sudden crash breaking the silence, and you gasp as you see one of the plates smashed on the ground. You cringe expecting more to follow. But that’s it, there are no more casualties, except they are adding more plates. But everything is fine, and you start to relax, until another plate falls again. And everything continues in this manner, and every once in a while a plate breaks, but it’s okay because the overall spectacle continues as planned. And then suddenly, there is a cacophonous explosion as plate upon plate smashes to the ground, and it’s over before you even realize what has happened. But for one plate. One plate still spinning. And despite the fact that the show should be over, you can’t stop watching that one plate…to see what will happen.
Sorry for that rambling analogy, but that’s the best way that I can describe the pacing and flow of this delicious little novel. Kendare crafts a wonderfully tangled web of relationships between three sisters, three schools of magic, and the entities all struggling for power. It takes a little while to get into the story, as you’re introduced to the personality of each sister and the culture and customs of each society. But I soon found myself fascinated, glued to the page as I devoured this book in short order.
I can’t figure out which of the queens I like best, and so I still have no one to root for. At first I was drawn to Katherine, with her dark training and fierce resolve. Then I came to admire Arsinoe, her steadfast independence and unwavering loyalty. And then there is Mirabella; Mirabella who doesn’t have a cruel bone in her body and loves her sisters despite knowing what she is intended to do. There are wonderful side characters in here too: Jules, Billy, Pietyr, Elizabeth, and even Natalia (Joseph I just want to punch in the face).
My one complaint would be that the book ends just as the plot is really beginning to unfold. It is definitely not a book that would stand well on its own; you have to continue reading to get the whole story. But it was super engaging and interesting enough that I think that most people will be as eager to pick up the sequel as I am.
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(3.5 / 5)
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