noun [kee-smash] a random string of letters and symbols typed out on a keyboard or touchscreen, used to signal intense emotion in written communication:
The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters has been on my most anticipated July release list, and I am so happy that I got the chance to finally dive into this amazing, sapphic horror fantasy last month. It was everything the blurb promised: full of magic, a heaping of gothic horror, and an irresistible thriller/mystery to bind it all together.
This is the first time I am sitting down to review Sabaa Tahir’s A Torch Against The Night, the second book of her debut series, An Ember In The Ashes. However, I have read this book a thousand times before, and with every re-read, the story just gets better.
Continue reading “Review: A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir (Ember Quartet #2)”Murder mystery meets paranormal romance in this amazing, upcoming novel, Don’t Forget To Breathe by Cathrina Constantine. Following the story of Leocadia who suffers from retrograde amnesia after her mother’s unsolved murder, we go on a spine tingling, thrilling adventure to find out who was behind the killing and what really happened to Leo that night.
Continue reading “Cover Reveal: Don’t Forget To Breathe By Cathrina Constantine”
Important Note: This is a review for the second book in the The Blood Of Stars duology by Elizabeth Lim, and therefore may contain spoilers from the first book, Spin The Dawn. If you have not read Spin The Dawn yet, check out my review of it here.
Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim blew me away; it was a phenomenal and captivating young adult fantasy novel that I absolutely adored and could not put down even for a minute. And after the epic cliffhanger ending of the first book, I had high expectations for the sequel, Unravel The Dusk.
Continue reading “Review: Unravel The Dusk by Elizabeth Lim (The Blood Of Stars #2)”
Having read some of my friend’s raving reviews about Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, I knew before going in that I would love this book. What I didn’t expect was to fall head over heels for this story, and finish all 400 pages in one night.
But that’s the magic of Spin The Dawn for you. Enchantingly beautiful and indulgent, Spin The Dawn is essentially a Young Adult fairy tale that will sweep you off your feet.
Continue reading “Review: Spin The Dawn By Elizabeth Lim (Blood Of Stars #1)”
As someone who very recently watched Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend Of Korra, I was completely mesmerized by the lore and the detailed, diverse universe of this series. Binging both animated series multiple times wasn’t enough; I wanted to stay in the Avatar universe a bit longer and learn more about all the other Avatars and their stories of hardships too.
The Rise of Kyoshi was exactly what I needed. A phenomenal young adult fantasy novel, this book by F. C. Yee chronicles the life of the fiercest Avatar in history, and my god, what an incredible legend it is.
Continue reading “Review: The Rise Of Kyoshi By F. C. Yee & Michael DiMartino”
This is without a doubt one of the best standalone fantasy novels I’ve read in 2020. Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings is a lusciously dark and mysterious story that follows Bettany Scott as she tries to find answers to the disappearances of her father and brothers.
Continue reading “Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings: A lusciously dark, mysterious fantasy”
Note: This is a spoiler-free review for the second novel of The Bone Witch trilogy by Rin Chupeco. If you haven’t read The Bone Witch yet, I recommend reading my review of it first.
Continue reading “The Heart Forger By Rin Chupeco: A Gripping, Intense Sequel To A Phenomenal YA Fantasy Series”
Note: This is a series review, meaning that I will be reviewing all three books of the series (The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King and Queen of Nothing) as a whole and will also be rating the series as a whole.
I rarely enjoy stories about the fae–despite their popularity, especially in the YA fantasy genre, very few writers have managed to properly encapsulate their terrifyingly violent and yet comically whimsical nature. The only good fae story, really good fae story that comes to mind is Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series. If you haven’t read it, you are absolutely missing out–it is one of the best fantasy novels that I have read and will forever cherish in my heart.
(And yes I have read Sara J Mass’s Court of Thorns series. No, I did not like it one bit)
Continue reading “The Folk Of The Air Series By Holly Black: A Brutal And Brilliant Fantasy”
Ratings: 5/5
Short review: Excellent novel is excellent. Highly recommend.
The tea (because there always seems to be a controversy or another whenever a marginalized author puts out a best-seller diverse novel): skip to the bottom.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: child abuse, mild torture and violence
Detailed review: Now this here is a stunning, exciting thought-provoking novel that I can’t wait to get more of. Roshani Chokshi (who made me remember why I love fantasy with her debut novel The Star-Touched Queen and its sequel A Crown of Wishes) once again brings a brilliantly written fantasy/heist story with a cast of incredibly fascinating, lovable characters, an intense and captivating plot line, slow burn romance, and breath-taking world building.
Set in the era of Moulin Rouge in a fictional, glittering and magical Paris, the book, on the surface, is about a team of 5 talented thieves working on their most dangerous and rewarding acquisition. However, as you dive deeper into the story and learn about each characters’ motivations and aspirations, the story begins to explore racism, colonialism, identity and disparity through well developed, diverse characters of all backgrounds. What I loved the most is that the author touches on these topics just long enough to make you pause, and ponder on important questions without taking the focus away from the actual heist.
Continue reading “The Gilded Wolves: A Nuanced Heist Fantasy That Explores Colorism, Colonialism And Power Struggles”