Book Reviews

Long Live Evil

Long Live Evil
By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Blurb:
A TALE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S EVER FALLEN FOR THE VILLAIN…

When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favourite fantasy series.

She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she’s not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor’s tale.

So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they’re doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor’s fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

This adult epic fantasy debut from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain’s shoes, for an adventure that is both ‘brilliant’ (Holly Black) and ‘supremely satisfying’ (Leigh Bardugo). Expect a rogue’s gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.

Thoughts:
I received this as an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book comes out on August 27th.
I applied to receive this book, even though I’m not really a person that falls for the villain, because of the blurb. I’ve read a series where someone gets sucked into their favorite video game, why not read one where someone gets sucked into their favorite book? I thought it would be interesting. I think it could have been, but the main character was so focused on it being a book and the people not being real that she really annoyed me. I understand she was trying to save herself, but her insistence that none of it was “real” went against her goal of saving herself with a flower from the world. It is either real or it isn’t. If the flower works, why can’t the people be real too? It was part of making her the “villain” but it just made her seem in denial, which I guess she was, it just wasn’t something I enjoyed.

The world was definitely not one I would want to be in and I wasn’t sure why anyone would have this world be their favorite series, let alone enough people that it’s been made into a musical, but, again, I’m probably the odd man out there.

About 60% of the way through the book finally picked up for me and I started to enjoy what was happening. I could see the “twist” coming, but I still wanted to know what was going to happen. It ends on a cliffhanger. Ughhhh.

I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to continue the series. I rated it three stars and that stands. It wasn’t poorly written and the idea was interesting, and like I said I do want to know what happens next, it was just the constant confused communication between the characters that drove me crazy. The MC never tried to change her vocabulary or fit into the world around her so people were constantly confused by her actions. I have a lot of questions, but I’m not sure if I wanted them answered. I’ll wait to see what the blurb is for the second book and make my decision then.

3/5

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

I finished reading Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell. I was lucky enough to receive an arc of it in exchange for an honest review. Rowell is one of my favorite authors and I own most of her books in hardback. Her characters and how they talk are something I’ll never get tired of reading. They seem real, but not too real. They still have the fictional glow, if you know what I mean. I reread Attachments every couple of years because I love the characters so much. I think Slow Dance could have been like that for me, but one of the main issues between the characters was lack of communication. The two characters had different communication techniques, but assumed they didn’t, it was years of miscommunication, and that’s one of my least favorite tropes. I really can’t stand it and because of that Slow Dance was my least favorite Rowell book and I’m rating it 3.5 stars. Which is honestly not a bad rating it just stands out since every other book of hers I’ve read I’ve given five stars. Still very well written, great dialogue, interesting characters, just not always my cup of tea.

3.5/5

Not the Witch You Wed

Not the Witch You Wed (Supernatural Singles #1)

By: April Asher

Blurb:

A fake relationship between a magic-less witch and a wolf shifter turns to more in the start of a bewitching new paranormal rom-com series.

Magic-less witch Violet Maxwell wants nothing to do with alpha wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne—the man who broke her fragile, teenage heart. But when the two of them are forced by arcane Supernatural Laws to find mates, Violet and Lincoln agree to fake-date their way to a fake-mating in order to conjure themselves some time.

The joke’s on them. When old feelings make a reappearance—along with Violet’s magic—they both realize there’s nothing fake about their feelings. But there are old secrets and looming threats that could snatch away their happily ever after, again. One thing’s for sure: magic doesn’t make dating and love any easier.

In Not the Witch You Wed, April Asher brings all the hilarity and sweet, sexy moments you love in a romantic-comedy—plus a fun dose of magic—to this spell-binding new series about being sexy, single, and supernatural in New York City.

Review:

I’m learning that I am incredibly picky when it comes to supernatural romance books. I apparently have something I’m looking for and if it’s not that, whatever it is, then I’m not a fan of the book. I honestly could not tell you what it is either. Just that Not the Witch You Wed didn’t have it.

Alright, I’m done italicizing. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Not the Witch You Wed. A witch with no powers and an alpha wolf. Sounds perfect. Witch ends up getting her powers, sounds even better. I was bored, though. There’s even a whole thing with them working to overthrow outdated laws, and still I couldn’t get invested.

I think part of my issue was that the reasons behind the fake dating didn’t make sense. They both either needed to overthrow laws or find mates to avoid being married off too people they didn’t know. So, lets fake date. Somehow that was supposed to help? I guess it was supposed to keep the powers that be from trying to force them to marry sooner? It didn’t make sense. The magic laws and setup were not to my liking and not because they were old and dated, but because they just didn’t make sense.

The romance was fine. There was lots of chemistry between the two characters. The friends were alright. I liked a lot of the “ingredients” I just didn’t like how they were used. I’m giving Not the Witch You Wed 2.5 stars because I didn’t hate it and it wasn’t bad, but it was not for me, and I don’t see myself reading the next books in the series anytime soon, if ever.

2.5/5

Fevered Star

Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2)

By: Rebecca Roanhorse

Blurb:

There are no tides more treacherous than those of the heart. —Teek saying

The great city of Tova is shattered. The sun is held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse, but a comet that marks the death of a ruler and heralds the rise of a new order is imminent.

The Meridian: a land where magic has been codified and the worship of gods suppressed. How do you live when legends come to life, and the faith you had is rewarded?

As sea captain Xiala is swept up in the chaos and currents of change, she finds an unexpected ally in the former Priest of Knives. For the Clan Matriarchs of Tova, tense alliances form as far-flung enemies gather and the war in the heavens is reflected upon the earth.

And for Serapio and Naranpa, both now living avatars, the struggle for free will and personhood in the face of destiny rages. How will Serapio stay human when he is steeped in prophecy and surrounded by those who desire only his power? Is there a future for Naranpa in a transformed Tova without her total destruction?

Review:

I read Black Sun last year because I loved the cover, and it came highly recommended. I loved it, however, it ended on a massive cliffhanger. I had not expected that and was annoyed, but did I wait until the third book in the trilogy was out before reading the second? No. I did not.

Fevered Star is as good as Black Sun (though I prefer Black Sun’s cover). You’re following the same characters, most of whom I actually like, and all I find interesting. I have hope that the romance will still have a happy ending, but I’m not one hundred percent because people have died in the story.

The world is interesting, but I am so glad there are maps included because several times I found myself looking at them and I almost never do that. I was annoyed that I couldn’t see all of the map because of how the library processes their books. I was also very grateful for the character list at the beginning on the book for the same reason. Lots of people and most of the time they aren’t overlapping so they each have their own cast.

There is, of course, no resolution at the end of this book. It’s a trilogy, I believe, so Fevered Star spent a lot of time setting things in motion. However, I didn’t feel like I was left reeling like I was at the end of Black Sun. All in all, I’m excited to see the conclusion to the series and I hope it’s not too long of a wait.

5/5

Breaking Badger

Breaking Badger (Honey Badger Chronicles #4)

By: Shelly Laurenston

Blurb:

It’s instinct that drives Finn Malone to rescue a bunch of hard battling honey badgers. The Siberian tiger shifter just can’t bear to see his fellow shifters harmed. But no way can Finn have a houseful of honey badgers when he also has two brothers with no patience. Things just go from bad to worse when the badgers rudely ejected from his home turn out to be the only ones who can help him solve a family tragedy. He’s just not sure he can even get back into the badgers’ good graces. Since badgers lack graces of any kind . . .

Mads knows her teammates aren’t about to forgive the cats that were so rude to them, but moody Finn isn’t so bad. And he’s cute! The badger part of her understands Finn’s burning need to avenge his father’s death—after all, vengeance is her favorite pastime. So Mads sets about helping Finn settle his family’s score, which has its perks, since she gets to avoid her own family drama. Besides, fighting side by side with Finn is her kind of fun—especially when she can get in a hot and heavy snuggle with her very own growling, eye-rolling, and utterly irresistible kitty-cat . . .

Review:

It’s been a few months since I read the other Honey Badger Chronicles books, so it took me a couple chapters to remember who everyone was and what had happened. They are fairly interconnected even though each book follows a different couple. Breaking Badger is the first in the series not to follow a sister and has branched out to follow a member of the basketball team. Still, there were parts just from the sister’s perspective.

Mads is half badger, half hyena, and all Viking. She was raised in an abusive environment, even based on standards in this world, and she has some things to work through. Finn is a tiger and is working with his siblings to find out who murdered his father. Like previous books in the series, this isn’t heavy on romance. There’s one date and one intimate scene and everything else is just them gravitating towards each other. The Honey Badger Chronicles is an action series with women leads, lots of absurd humor, and a dash of romance. I wouldn’t be surprised if the inspiration behind this series was that YouTube video about a honey badger and a dare.

Breaking Badger is entertaining and fun to read, but there’s nothing deep or amazing here. It’s a nice light read and sometimes that’s all you need. Since the murder wasn’t solved I assume the next couple of books will be revolving around the tiger brothers.

3/5