How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason

Title: How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse

Author: K. Eason
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy
Series: The Thorne Chronicles # 1
Hardcover, 416 pages
Publication: October 8, 2019 by Daw Books
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
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Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she'd inherit her father's throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination--how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is the perfect union of Science Fiction and Fairy-tale. Although to be absolutely fair, it’s more Science Fiction than Fairy-tale but great nonetheless. The story begins with a blessing and a curse. Rory Thorne is the first princess born in a long, long line of princes to the Thorne Consortium. On her name day, everyone in the multiverse came to witness the significant day…even the thirteen fairies whom no one has seen for thousands of years. Each fairy blessed/cursed Rory with a gift. Kindness, Beauty, courage through adversity and of course to see through illusions and lies. Apparently, it’s exactly what a princess needs.

From the opening chapter, I knew I was going to like Rory. Despite all odds and to everyone’s surprise she was born not only challenging the status quo but eventually changing it. Reading this far, you can guess that Rory is no ordinary princess. Only sixteen-years of age, Rory is more intelligent and skilled than most of her seniors. What makes this book stand out and superior than many novels nowadays is that it doesn’t resort to physical combat or flashy battle sequences. It doesn’t involve a ‘girl’ going on a beserker mission of revenge and bloodshed for power or greed. Rory utilized her mind and voice to outsmart the most respected arithmancers (magic-magician), regents and would-be kings and got shit done. No gimmicks here. I found it quite refreshing to see such an independent character with fortitude and cunning, using her mind and words to get what she wanted. The supporting cast was just as multifaceted and unique as our heroine. From Rory’s two trusted advisers Messer Rupert and Deme Grytt to her two bodyguards Thorsdottir and Zhang. Rupert and Grytt couldn’t be more polar opposite but their love for Rory made them an amazing team. I loved their banter. The same could be said for Rory’s bodyguards. I loved that it took equally intelligent women to guard Rory. Never send a man to do a woman’s job, amiright?

The world building was as scientific as they come. While there was what some would considered as ‘magic’ I felt like it leaned more towards technology-science. Messer Rupert is Rory’s Arithmancy teacher. Arithmancy is the ability to manipulate and hex codes. Whether it be that of a database, firewall security or one’s mind. There was a lot of code hacking going on to obtain confidential secrets, passwords and the disabling of cameras and bugs. You get the picture. I thought Eason’s world building was a breath of fresh air. She took a seemly simple idea and made it uniquely her own. I particular liked the aura reading aspect; it was an interestingly fun aspect of the novel.

Every year I discover a gem of a book and this year’s book is without a doubt How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse. Eason’s writing was flawless and I loved how she used the ‘inner monologue' technique, super clever. I thought the world building was well developed and easy to understand. But the best part of the book were the characters. If you’re looking for an extraordinary, nonconforming, out-of-the-box type heroine then look no further. I highly, highly recommend How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Universe. There are countless of novels that try to incorporate science fiction with fairy-tale in the market but none done as well as this book. Read this, you won’t regret it!

Lastly, there was little to no romance here. It's all about girl power!

Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews

Title: Sweep of the Blade

Author: Ilona Andrews
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy/UF
Series: Innkeeper Chronicles # 4
Trade paperback, 320 pages/Audiobook
Publication: July 12, 2019 by Independent publishing
Source: Purchased. 
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Maud Demille is a daughter of Innkeepers—a special group who provide ‘lodging’ to other-planetary visitors—so she knows that a simple life isn't in the cards. But even Maud could never have anticipated what Fate would throw at her.

Once a wife to a powerful vampire knight, Maud and her young daughter, Helen, were exiled with him for his treachery to the desolate, savage planet of Karhari. Karhari killed her husband, and Maud—completely abandoned by his family—has spent over a year avenging his debts. Rescued by her sister Dina, she's sworn off all things vampire.

Except... In helping Dina save the world, she met Arland, the Marshal of House Krahr, one of the most powerful vampire houses. One thing led to another and he asked for her hand in marriage. She declined. Arland is not used to hearing the word ‘no;’ and try as she might, Maud can't just walk away from Arland. It doesn't help that being human is a lot harder for Maud than being a vampire.

To sort it all out, she accepts his invitation to visit his home planet. House Krahr is extremely influential and Maud knows that a woman—a human, with a very questionable past—who's turned down a proposal from its most beloved son won't get a warm reception. Maybe she’s not sure about marrying Arland, but House Krahr isn’t going to decide for her. Maud Demille has never run from a fight, and House Krahr will soon discover that there's a lot more to Maud than they’re expecting.

I was very excited when I heard IA were penning a novella for Maud, Dina’s sister. Like most IA fans, I too fell in love with Maud and her daughter Helen, whom we met in One Fell Sweep, book three of the Innkeeper. 

In the last installment Arland proposed to Maud but she declined. Hoping to change her mind Arland invites Maud and Helen to his home. To no one surprise, Maud immediately was given a poor reception since she was considered a disgraced and exiled human. 

Although I have the book, I decided to do the audiobook version of Sweep of the Blade. I believe the novella used a different narrator from the last three Innkeeper Chronicles novels because I wasn’t a fan of Natalie Naudus. I know no two narrators are the same, but I like how Maud was narrated in One Fell Sweep. Naudus, did a good job for the most part but I thought she made Maud sound too much like a valley girl, which we all know is the polar opposite of Maud. And occasionally during character transitions, Naudus forgot to change pitch/tone i.e going from Maud to Helen…it was jarring and weird which pulled me out from the story a couple of times.  Besides the narration, the plot/story were enjoyable. Again, we all know Maud is a total kick-ass and can hold her own in any battle but one thing I didn’t understand was how could Maud, a human be stronger than all the vampires? Vampires are natural predators with exemplary strength and speed, and yet all except Arland’s mother was easily cut down by Maud. It’s not realistic. 

 Despite Sweep in Blade being a novella, I thought it was a solid, just as good novel as the other Innkeeper Chronicles novels. I enjoyed seeing some of the secondary characters at the forefront and am excited to see where the series is headed next. And that ending! My jaws literally dropped…talk about an unexpected cliff hanger!

The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett

Title: The Lady Rogue

Author: Jenn Bennett
Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA
Series: N/A
Hardcover, 372 pages
Publication: September 3, 2019 by Simon Pulse
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

Bennett returns to fantasy after a long hiatus and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I am a big fan of her Arcadia Bell series (if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out!) and was excited to see her take within the Young Adult genre. In The Lady Rouge, Bennett tackles Romanian history and the infamous Vlad Țepeș, the inspiration for Dracula.

The Lady Rouge had a lot to love from the history, myths, the occult, to treasure hunting and adventure abroad. The novel is narrated by sixteen-year-old Theodora a.k.a ‘Little Empress', and I must say the nickname is befitting. The story started immediately, dropping readers in a bazaar in the middle of Istanbul with Theo being apprehended for stealing. From there the story kept an ascending trajectory with nonstop action as Theo and Huck, a childhood friend turned lover is chased across Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania in search of her father.

I loved how Bennett combined history with a subtle supernatural element. I thought the plot of a magical artifact and lineage was very clever and well-suited to the story. While the story was mainly about finding her father, it was also equally heavy on the romance aspect. I felt like Theo was pining over Huck every chance she got or begrudging him for leaving without notice a year prior in between being chase and at death’s door. But I understand young adolescent, they can be quite fickle.

In between the chapters, readers can also find Fox’s (Theo’s dad) journal entries which was a nice touch to Theo piecing the clues together. The ending wrapped up nicely and am not sure if this was intended for a series but either way, I found it satisfying. All in all, a good novel, if you’re looking for a book with a lot of action and romance with a touch of supernatural, then this book might be of interest!