I finally read the final copy of The Cruel Prince (I read the ARC last October) and it just reminded me how much I loved it. So naturally, I had to review it! (Plus I just read The Wicked King and I’m dying!!! I’ll be reviewing that closer to it’s release).
Overall: 5/5 Stars Characters: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Awesomeness Factor: 5/5 Review in a Nutshell: The Cruel Prince is a beautifully dark novel with morally gray characters and a beautifully magical world filled with deception.
“Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear.”
My Thoughts: I was really excited for These Hollow Vows, and while it didn’t live up to all of my hopes, I still left it eager for the sequel.
About the Book:These Hollow Vows follows Abriella, who is determined to save her sister after the Unseelie King buys her. How can she do it? She must infiltrate the Seelie court, pretending to be a potential bride for the prince, and steal three items from them, for the Unseelie King. Meanwhile, the Unseelie prince has plans of his own, and could use Abriella on his side as well.
My Thoughts: It’s official. I’m adding this book to my “books I will not shut up about” list.
About the Book:The Wolf and the Woodsman follows Evike, a magic-less pagan woman with a Yehuli father, making her an outcast in her village. When the Holy Order of the Woodsman comes to take a pagan girl as a sacrifice, her village betrays her and volunteers her to be taken. But, on the journey to the palace, she and the Woodsmen are attacked, leaving only her and the captain alive. But he isn’t who she originally thought. The two of them are forced to rely on each other to survive, but as they journey together, they realize they do have something in common: their desire to prevent the cruel prince from taking the throne.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review! All quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change. All opinions are my own.
Overall: 5/5 Stars Characters: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 4/5 Plot and Themes: 4.5/5 Awesomeness Factor: 5/5 Review in a Nutshell: Ruthless Gods is an amazing sequel, delivering on it’s promise of gothic horror and monstrous romance.
“Would it be hope, then, that killed her in the end?”
Ruthless Gods is the sequel to Wicked Saints, a book that has hurt me way too many times to count. And did Ruthless Gods hurt me? You betcha. I’m in pain. As for what it’s actually about besides causing my suffering- well, it takes place several months after the ending of Wicked Saints, as our main characters try to move forward with the decisions they made, and situations they were left in. I’m sorry that’s vague, but that’s literally all I can say without going into spoiler territory.
“The realm of the divine is vast and far reaching but it is mortals who change this world…”
I’m really excited to talk about The Winter Duke today! As part of the blog tour, I’ll be doing my normal review, plus discussing my favorite quotes, and creating a dream cast!! There’s quite a bit to talk about, so let’s get started!
Title: The Winter Duke Author: Claire Eliza Bartlett Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Release Date: March 3rd 2020 Page Count: 432 Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT, Queer, Magic, Retellings, Romance Synopsis:
An enchanted tale of intrigue where a duke’s daughter is the only survivor of a magical curse.
When Ekata’s brother is finally named heir, there will be nothing to keep her at home in Kylma Above with her murderous family. Not her books or science experiments, not her family’s icy castle atop a frozen lake, not even the tantalizingly close Kylma Below, a mesmerizing underwater kingdom that provides her family with magic. But just as escape is within reach, her parents and twelve siblings fall under a strange sleeping sickness.
In the space of a single night, Ekata inherits the title of duke, her brother’s warrior bride, and ever-encroaching challengers from without—and within—her own ministry. Nothing has prepared Ekata for diplomacy, for war, for love…or for a crown she has never wanted. If Kylma Above is to survive, Ekata must seize her family’s power. And if Ekata is to survive, she must quickly decide how she will wield it.
Part Sleeping Beauty, part Anastasia, with a thrilling political mystery, The Winter Duke is a spellbinding story about choosing what’s right in the face of danger.
Overall: 4.5/5 Stars Characters: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 4/5 Awesomeness Factor: 4/5 Review in a Nutshell: The Winter Duke surprised me in so many ways. This book is heavy with court intrigue and betrayal, and will leave you feeling chilled yet thrilled.