Lady of Darkness by Melissa K. Roehrich

Title: Lady of Darkness

Author: Melissa K. Roehrich

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Lady of Darkness # 1

Paperback, 538 pages 

Publication: March 1, 2020

Source: Personal Library
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A CAGE.

Owned by a ruthless Assassin Lord, Scarlett Monrhoe and her two sisters have been trained since they were children to torture and take life. They are the most feared trio on the continent, but they are also wild and unpredictable. A tragic night has Scarlett finding herself locked away in a noble's household, trapped and forgotten, until she's ready to fall into line.

A CHOICE.

Until the day she is presented with a job. If she completes the assignment, her payment will be something she has coveted for ten years. Revenge against the Fae Fire Prince who brutally killed her mother ten years ago. Is she willing to sacrifice her ideals for retribution?

A MYSTERY.

But when children begin disappearing from her home, all her plans are put on hold as she races to save the most innocent. With the help of old friends, a jilted lover, and a mysterious newcomer who claims the magic of the Fae is possible in the mortal lands, Scarlett delves into the darkest corners of the world. Forgotten secrets will come to light, and she will discover the darkness extends far beyond her own kingdom.

MY THOUGHTS

I've started and stopped reading Lady of Darkness a handful of times over the last two years. I don't quite remember why though whether it was the book or just my mood. But I finally read and finished the book! The beginning of the book was slow, and I didn't really like Scarlet all that much. I had to remind myself that she's 18-years old or so and is basically an immature child. Ironic that she's part of an assassin syndicate and she's one of their top members. The more I read, I realized that the author's Legacy series is a spinoff or based off the same world as Lady of Darkness. And I actually read The Legacy series before reading this book. Which I guess it helped me understand the world building easier. 

I noticed many similarities between Scarlett and The Legacy's heroine, Tessa. They're literally the same character just in a different timeline. With that said, having finished Lady of Darkness, I'm not sure how I feel about Scarlet. I didn't like her at the beginning and towards the end there wasn't much improvement. I plan to continue with the series and hope that changes and we see more personal development and growth for Scarlet. I also didn't really care for Sorin. I understood the immediate obsession, borderline instalove but he read like all the other typical MMC I've read. Nothing stands out about Sorin, not even being the Fire Prince. 

I thought the plot and writing was well-done, not surprising considering how much I enjoyed Roehrich's Legacy series. I am interested in continuing this series to see what happens next with the characters after the revelation about Scarlet. Lady of Darkness while not as strong as The Legacy, I believe it could get better once I get further into the series. Overall, it was a decent series opener. 

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Title: The Falconer

Author: Elizabeth May

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Falconer # 1 

Hardcover, 378 pages 

Publication: September 19, 2013

Source: Personal Library
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She's a stunner. Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty.

She's a liar. But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she's leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.

She's a murderer. Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.

She's a Falconer. The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother's murder—but she'll have to save the world first..

MY THOUGHTS

The Falconer series has been on my TBR list for over 10 years. But I always knew it was a series I wanted to get into eventually. And I'm so glad I finally did. The Falconer, the first book in a trilogy takes place in 1800s in Edinburgh, Scotland. Our heroine, Aileana Kameron is a debutant by day and fae-slayer by night. What drives Aileana is finding her mother's murderer. I used the term 'Fae-slayer' because the entire book had Buffy vibes; all you have to do is just substitute the vampires with faeries.  

The beginning of the book was quite slow and took a while to get into. I didn't find Aileana's high society life very interesting. And the faerie slaying night after night got monotonous. It wasn't until Aileana's two world collided that thing got more riveting...but just by a smidgen. I somewhat enjoyed the chemistry between Aileana and Kiaran but no matter how much I read; I felt like something was missing. Something we missed between the two because they went from hot/cold to flirty to full-blown I worship thee. It didn't make sense, nor did it feel like a natural progression. However, the author recently said she is rewriting the series as it was intended; meaning it was supposed to be an adult romantasy not young adult. I think if I read the author's original adult version I would like it more. 

The characters and world building are pretty minimal and lackluster. I didn't feel like enough time or thought were put into their character development and the foundation of the world was weak. The only standout to the first book was derek, Aileana's faerie friend that resides in her closet. All in all, I thought The Falconer was an okay, decent read. There's just enough substance and a cliff-hanger that has me possibly picking up the sequel. But I may wait until the revised edition comes out before I continue with the series. 

Vesselless by Cortney L. Winn

Title: Vesselless

Author: Cortney L. Winn

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Merciless Realms # 1

Ebook, 494 pages 

Publication: March 23, 2024

Source: Kindle Unlimited
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She’s heiress to the throne. The throne her father stole from him.

Nizzara has always been able to perceive spirits better than the average caster. When she enters a deadly tournament to end her betrothal, she's determined to win without succumbing to the addictive spirit magic she channels or taking a life in the duel ring. Finding herself outmatched, Nizzara must face her fear of power and team up with Dagen—an enemy who is half-ghost and all charm—to survive the tournament.

Dagen, the last King of Zarr, was killed by Nizzara’s father ten years ago. Now a half-ghost—able to phase between his human and spirit form—he is stuck in another realm, hunting wretched souls. When his keeper offers him a chance to reclaim his freedom in exchange for Nizzara’s soul, Dagen takes the deal.

There’s only one catch: she must freely give it to him by the tournament’s end or his own soul is forfeit.

MY THOUGHTS

Vesselless has been taking the book world by storm, and I am so glad I read it! When I heard this book featured ghosts, I was intrigued, though I was also a bit skeptical about how everything would work, given that one of the main characters is a ghost. However, Winn weaves everything together perfectly.

Vesselless incorporates many tropes that readers have come to either love or hate, such as the morally grey/shadow daddy, trials and competitions, and an arranged marriage. Yet, Winn puts her own spin on these elements, offering a refreshing new take. What truly sets Vesselless apart from other books in its genre is its magical world-building and richly developed characters.

In the world of Vesselless, three main kingdoms are vying for dominance. Readers can expect political intrigue and godly influences shaping the lives of the people of Zarr, Zo, and Zem. Adding to the complexity, the nobility and their people wear vessel rings that bond the user with a spirit. These spirits not only offer protection but also grant magical abilities. Meanwhile, the infantry and guards are tied to their rulers through these rings, compelling them to obey every command.

I absolutely loved the world and characters. Without a doubt, I haven't read any book quite like Vesselless. The author skillfully integrated many elements I enjoy, with perfect pacing and writing. I immediately connected with Nizzara and Dagen, and I loved their chemistry and banter. Many readers described this as a slow burn, but in my opinion, I wish it had been even slower—I would have preferred if the leads didn't get together in the first book. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every aspect of their relationship.

While the ending was somewhat predictable, I am still excited to see what happens next. I thoroughly enjoyed Vesselless and highly recommend it to fans of Romantasy.

Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews

Title: Sanctuary 

Author: Ilona Andrews

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Roman’s Chronicles # 1

Paperback, 152 pages 

Publication: July 30, 2024

Source: Personal Library
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It’s not easy serving the Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death…especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.

Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in. Now elite mercenaries are camped out on his property, combat mages are dousing the house with fire, and strange priests are unleashing arcane magic. They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it's a fight to the death, but for him, it's just another day in the neighborhood.

MY THOUGHTS

I would like to preface this review by saying that I am one of Ilona Andrews biggest fan (says all of the BDH lol). I literally reread the Kate Daniels series every. single. year. It's my favorite comfort series. With that said, I like many others were counting down the days until Roman's novella was released. Roman has been one of main side characters in the Kate Daniels series and have grown to be one of the readers beloved side characters. But it saddens me to say, this novella was a letdown. 

Sanctuary is a fairly decent sized novella with approximately 150 pages but boy, did it feel like a dense read. There was barely any plot or character development. And before anyone says "This is a novella!"; I know! I've read plenty of novellas, some also by Andrews but this was just mediocre. Instead, readers were bombarded with info-dumping page after page...from beginning to end. I felt like I was getting a history lecture versus reading a story. Don't get me wrong I love history and mythology, but this was just not palatable, nor did it come across as interesting.  

There were a few good scenes but overall, I didn't connect to any of the characters. Oddly, Roman was more intriguing as a tertiary character in the Kate Daniel novels than here in his own story. Sanctuary was not enjoyable, and I felt like I had to push through to finish the novella. I am unlikely to continue with Roman's Chronicles. There may be a possible romance in future novellas, but from what I've seen of Andora...I just don't care. I wished the authors' put more focus on key novels than us getting anymore of Roman's novellas. I don't feel like this novella brought anything to the Kate Daniels world. To be honest, we could live without it. 

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Title: Wicked Lovely

Author: Melissa Marr

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Wicked Lovely #1

Hardcover, 437 pages 

Publication: June 12, 2007

Source: Personal Library
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Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty - especially if they learn of her Sight - and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.

But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost — regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

MY THOUGHTS

Wicked Lovely was one of the most well-known and loved Young Adult series back in the day. If you were reading Young Adult or Fantasy back in the mid-2000s, chances are you've read it or have heard about it. I owned the series back then but never got around to reading it until now.

In Wicked Lovely, the Faerie Realm exist, and Faeries roam around alongside humans. The more powerful Faeries could glamour themselves as human. Which brings us to our main characters, Aislinn, who has the sight and could see Faeries. She has known about them her whole life and made it her purpose to avoid them and stay under the radar. Until the Summer King, Keenan has Aislinn in his sight. It's been centuries that he's been looking for his Queen. And he believes that person is Aislinn. 

Wicked Lovely was a solid and well-written young adult. While it's aimed at a younger audience, I thought the subjects and themes tackled were very adult and mature. There were some adult things I've never seen in YA books and Marr incorporated it flawlessly. I thought the overall plot was okay, there wasn't as much action as I expected. However, the ending and turn of events took me by surprise. Especially when it came to the main male and female characters. As I've mentioned before, Keenan is looking for his Queen and normally, with most books we'd assume XYZ will happen...that if Aislinn is the Summer Queen, she must automatically end up with Keenan. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. 

For the most part I enjoyed Wicked Lovely but the story didn't make a long-lasting impression. I don't feel compelled to pick up the rest of the series. The sequel features different characters we met in the first book and then it goes back to the main couple...but with how things ended, I'm not left wanting or curious enough to know what happens next with the characters. which is unfortunate.

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

Title: Two Twisted Crowns

Author: Rachel Gillig

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Shepherd King # 2

Paperback, 437 pages 

Publication: October 17, 2023

Source: Personal Library
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Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.

If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.

And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.

MY THOUGHTS

One Dark Window was one of my favorite reads last year. I was so excited for the sequel. And it saddens me to say that Two Twisted Crown suffered from second book syndrome. I had to force myself to finish the book because it was so, so disappointing. 

The first issue I had with Two Twisted Crowns was the change in leads and focus. The first book was solely from Elspeth's perspective, and it focused on Elspeth relationship with The Sheperd King and Ravyn. In the sequel, we had Ravyn, Elspeth and Elm's POVs...with the relationship focused on Elm and Ione. And THAT is where the issue stems from. In Two Twisted Crowns, Ravyn was mopping 90% of the time. He felt like a totally different character than who readers met in the previous book. Elspeth's appearance, or lack thereof was ironic considering how important her role is in the series took a backseat. We maybe heard from her 10% of the time in the book...and it was little lines scattered here and there. The worst offense that I was subjected to was Elm and Ione's relationship and storyline. Don't get me wrong, I adored Elm in the first book BUT that didn't mean I wanted to read his POV. And sadly, any adoration I had in the previous novel disappeared in Two Twisted Crowns.

Elm and Ione's relationship came out of nowhere. I HATED reading about them and unfortunately it was the main focus of the book. It felt like finding the providence cards and ridding the mist was left on the back burner for their romance. I could care less about it. Elm was a boring lovesick puppy; woe is me and Ione's non-feeling personality due to the Maiden card was just terrible. I didn't like her before, and I definitely didn't like her now. I don't understand why the author went this route, especially when she knew everyone loved Ravyn and Elspeth...only to turn them into nonconsequential characters in the sequel. What an absolute travesty. 

When the big revelation came...I was not surprised. Bennett's eye color was mentioned WAY earlier in the book. The author must've missed it herself if she thought it was going to come across as a shock factor. I honestly hated majority of the book, but I read so much to give up but in reality, I really wanted to DNF it. The story didn't get interesting until the LAST 20%! Only for the revelations to save Elspeth and the Kingdom of Blunder to be anticlimactic and sorry to say...simply stupid. 

It feels like the two books in the duology were written by two completely different people. Two Twisted Crowns was one of my most anticipated sequel and it was as I said disappointing, and utterly boring. I do not recommend.

The Mist Thief by L.J .Andrews

Title: The Mist Thief

Author: L.J. Andrews

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Ever Seas #3

Paperback, 454 pages 

Publication: June 30, 2024

Source: Personal Library
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She tried to kill him, so he made her his wife.

Skadi first met her husband-to-be with blades in hand on the opposite side of a battle. She lost, and he claimed his prize.

To her horror, the king of the shadow elven agrees to marry her off to Jonas, a prince in the fae realms, as a way to unite their kingdoms against a shared enemy—the light elves. Skadi knows the marriage is nothing but a political game. Feelings won’t come into play.

Except her new husband makes not falling in love . . . challenging.

When new threats arise, Skadi must decide to either love her enemy, or keep him alive by betraying him to another.

MY THOUGHTS

To be frank, I had no interest in reading The Mist Thief. The couple, Jonas and Skadi seemed like a poor choice and are polar opposite and yes, I am familiar with the term 'opposite attracts'. And of all the characters in the Ever Seas series, I couldn't care less about Skadi. The only reason I read The Mist Thief was because of the following book, book 4 features Tate and Mira...and I don't want to miss any detail, so of course I read the third installment in the Ever Seas series. And I must say the title was poorly chosen. Skadi isn't a thief in any capacity. And while I've read both The Ever King and The Ever Queen books...when I got to this book, I had no idea who was chosen based on that title alone. Odd choice. 

The Mist Thief follows the popular trope, marriage of convenience between the Elven Princess Skadi and Alver Prince Jonas. Jonas is one of Livie's best friends whom reader met in the first book, The Ever King and we met Skadi in the last book, The Ever Queen. There wasn't much going on in this installment. Skadi and Jonas spent half the book fighting their attraction to each other which involved a lot of miscommunications (a trope I hate). During this time, we also saw them spending their time in Jonas's kingdom and Skadi's kingdom. What irked me the most about the entire story was the marriage contract and Skadi's grandfather scheming and trying to make and break contracts throwing Skadi around like a pawn. The entire situation was preventable, but of course...there would be no story without it. I didn't care about Jonas or Skadi's relationship. Skadi's personality at the beginning and the end were essentially the same to me. Her character development could've been better written but, in my opinion, she didn't have any qualities that stood out. Jonas was a cookie-cutter hero that I've seen countless of time. Unoriginal and boring. The only characters that stood out and surprised me at how much I enjoyed reading about them were Jonas's parents' Kase and Mal (Yes, also aware they have their own story in the original series. I haven't read it.)

So far I've read three novels in The Ever Sea Series by Andrews...and while her writing is good, the plot points are ALL the same. It's following a template or formula that makes it predictable. The author follows certain beats to the story which seems to always concludes with a ''battle'' in the last 20% of the novel and ends up being poorly done and rushed. It literally happened in all three novels. I prefer books that surprises me. Because I saw everything in this book miles away.

I am glad I pushed myself to finish this book, so I can get to Tate and Mira's novel. But all in all, I won't be picking up any other books by Andrews in the future after The Stolen Crown releases. The quality isn't there and that's something I can clearly see now with how many novels are published within the world/spinoff books. Quality over quantity.