Stormheart by Julia Makin REVIEW

Summary:

Once an enslaved princess, now a fugitive, Tan finds herself on the run after a fatal mistake brands her the Empire’s most wanted criminal. But when she crosses paths with Kier, a cold and ruthless pirate from the rebel stronghold of Stormhart, he offers her a chance at freedom on the open sea on board the Revenge, under the command of the sadistic Captain Blackthorn.

 

The price? Her soul, bound to Blackthorn forever in an unbreakable blood-oath.

That is, unless she can free herself and countless others enslaved by his rule, by winning a deadly game. To do so she’ll need to abandon her pride and accept training from Kier, a man who’s made it clear he’s not to be trusted. But when a dangerous desire causes an ancient power to stir within Tan’s blood, she unwittingly awakens a legend that even the mighty Empire fears.

But when a dangerous desire causes an ancient power to stir within Tan’s blood, she unwittingly awakens a legend that even the mighty Empire fears.

As the tides of war rise, Tan must make a choice: surrender to the darkness within her, or carve her own destiny before it’s too late. 

My Thoughts:

Despite this not being the usual genre I go for, this book was a fantastic read. Tan is an imprisoned/enslaved outcast princess whose brother and father despise her. Her brother relishes in any instance where he can physically abuse her, and her father only let her live because it was her mother's dying wish. Tomas is her only friend and real father-figure in her life. On the night they were supposed to escape together, he is imprisoned and the castle is attacked by pirates. Seeing her only chance, she rushes to the dungeon to free him, only to find him gone and at the mercy of a pirate. Tan chooses to take her chances with the pirate rather than stay in her abusive situation and returns to their ship with him, hoping to find Tomas. But the captain is a cruel man, and the only way to get her freedom and the freedom of the others is to win a duel.

I like the transformation of Tan going from stubborn but traumatized to stubborn and believing in herself. I also enjoyed learning more about Kier, the pirates' history, and the magic system, although I do wish it was explained more in depth. It does seem like there may be a sequel eventually, so I am hoping that it will explore the magic/old gods further. The only issue I had with this book is that the captain (one of the antagonists) is not explored as much as the other characters, making him seem more one-dimensional - even moreso than Tan's brother, who we see much less of in the novel. That being said, I had a wonderful time reading this and would definitely read a sequel, if one were to come out.

My Rating: 4 stars

Wild Hunt by Alison Levy REVIEW

Summary:

Georgette Delaney's emotional well-being has improved dramatically since she fled from her abusive, manipulative family. But even though she is now surrounded by supportive friends and chosen family, the young witch's life is still challenging. She's in a loving relationship with her boyfriend Neil, but his workplace drama is intruding on their lives. Her job at Club Nocturne is fulfilling but her boss, the Vampire Kazimiera, is growing erratic and endangering every magical being in her care. Her best friend, Mei-Xing, is sinking into depression. And on top of it all, her narcissistic mother, Hazel, continues to try to control her from the opposite side of the country.

Georgette is dealing with all of this and more already when her friends Delia and Senji visit from Valhalla with the report that a Wild Hunt is imminent. Weathering the storm feels like challenge enough - but then the Valkyries, Delia included, mysteriously lose their grip on reality and stop performing their duties. Abandoned by his Valkyrie partner, Senji pleads for Georgette's help before the destructive forces Valhalla keeps at bay break through its weakened defenses and make their way to Earth.

With no one else to turn to, Georgette must look within herself for the strength to prevent the coming apocalypse.

My Thoughts:

This was such a good and fast-paced follow-up. Georgette already has a lot on her plate when she takes in a newly turned werewolf to help ward off the negative effects of turning. Her boss is becoming more argumentative with her and more self-destructive as she loses control of her urges to feed. Georgette and her friends suspect the Wild Hunt is to find the werewolf that turned her friend, but once it is over, the Valkyries start acting weird. With the help of Senji, they find that Gondol is poisoning her fellow Valkyries to make them more human and killing their partners to weaken Valhalla's defenses. Gondol made a deal with their enemies so that she could be human again. But with the assistance of her friends, Georgette is able to get the Valkyries back to themselves and defeat Gondol.

I loved the amount of character development we get for so many of the characters. Even the new ones feel like they're real and belong in the world this story takes place in. I also enjoyed the continuation of Georgette's story of dealing with her toxic family that won't leave her alone even though she moved across the country to get away from them. It seems very realistic. The writing is well done, and I'm glad we got to learn more about the Valkyries and what they do. I would definitely love to see what comes next for these characters.

My Rating: 5 stars

The Fourth Wife by Linda Hamilton REVIEW

Summary:

Salt Lake City, Utah, 1882: Hazel Russon knows she's supposed to suppress her sinful dreams of a monogamous life with her sweetheart, and her desire for the freedom to play her beloved piano. Every Mormon woman's duty is to live obediently and meekly, devoted to her husband and her calling as a sister wife. Her eternal salvation depends upon it.

Commanded to become the fourth wife of a man she's never met, Hazel is relieved that Jacob Manwaring is attentive and handsome. However, she is shocked to discover that instead of living separately as is custom, all of Jacob's wives and children live in the same house - a large, dilapidated manor that inexplicably fills Hazel with dread.

My Thoughts:

Hazel is distraught when her sweetheart no longer wishes to marry her, leaving her to marry a stranger instead. With the government cracking down on polygamy, she is shocked to find that she will be living with her sister wives and their children in the same house. Some of them are welcoming, while others seem to delight in scorning her for being the youngest and not knowing how some chores are properly done. As Hazel settles into her new life there, she gets increasingly worse nightmares and starts to believe that the manor may be haunted. When she discovers that she is actually the fifth wife, and the other one disappeared, everything starts to unravel. Secrets come to light, and Jacob isn't what he seems.

I ended up really enjoying this one. The atmosphere was secluded, creepy, and had a gothic feeling. The writing was well done and made me want more of the characters. My only complaint is that some of the characters, like a few of the sister wives, were not as developed and seemed a bit one-dimensional, like Flora. I would have liked to know more about them and their motivations in the story. That being said, this was a fantastic read and I had a hard time putting it down once I started.

My Rating: 5 stars 

The Truth Chamber by Duncan Ritchie REVIEW

Summary:

A confrontation with a book burner jolts Admiral Liam Driscoll into action. He sets aside his grief and joins his late wife's childhood friend Anna Hoffman's presidential campaign.

Liam's team enlists the help of a Stanford PhD student developing an AI technology - the Truth Chamber - to figure out who is behind the escalating violence.

To counter the fog of right-wing media disinformation, the Truth Chamber team leaks recordings of interrogations to a news anchor.

But they soon learn that the truth has become political . . . and dangerous. And they're left with a moral paradox: to save democracy, they'll have to leave their muddy footprints on the Constitution.

Behind the domestic chaos, a far more sinister game is being played to topple the old world order, a game in which the Red Caesar is a mere pawn.

The only thing Liam knows for certain is that if the Red Caesar becomes president, it'll be the end of the American Republic.

My Thoughts:

Liam is a sort of retired admiral who doesn't know if he wants to go back to his job, but Anna Hoffman convinces him to help her with her campaign for president. The opposing side has Mack Leach, a far-right candidate that says he wants to bring America back to the good old days, but whose side encourages and incites violence across the country. With a growing amount of shootings and general chaos among the American population, Liam and Anna must do something to save the country - even if it means coloring outside the lines of the law.

This is a book that, if you read it, it will sit with you and unsettle you. It's seeped in realism that makes you realize that this could actually happen at any point in time. I really liked how well the author fleshed out all of the characters so that they feel like actual people, and the antagonists aren't just one-dimensional. There are some real-world parallels that these characters have too, which enhances the reading and emotional experience.

I would definitely recommend giving this book a read, especially with the issues going on in America right now.

My Rating: 4 stars 

Until the Sun by Chandler Morrison REVIEW

Summary:

On a hot August night, a troubled fifteen-year-old boy with a tragic past wakes to find his tyrannical foster parents murdered by a trio of nocturnal, blood-drinking heathens. The killers give him the opportunity for a new life, one where he can be relieved of traditional hardships, vanquish his enemies, and attain a sense of true belonging . . . at the cost of what little remains of his humanity. The life he is offered is one of eternal darkness, but the promise of undying acceptance, freedom, and power gives it an appeal that his current dreaded existence is lacking.

Fraught with resentment over his catastrophic adolescence and confronted by ambiguous notions of good and evil, he is forced to explore a dark world on the fringe between bliss and oblivion. As he edges ever closer to a climactic encounter with the demons that plague his soul, he discovers just how dangerous it is to be young and alienated in modern society.

My Thoughts:

 This book follows a teenage boy who wakes up to the sound of his foster family being murdered. Those who committed the crime seem to also be teenagers, but they dress oddly and drink his family's blood. Instead of killing him, they whisk him away to where they live - an old mansion. They tell him that he needs to pass some tests before he can become immortal vampires like they are. The novel goes back and forth between present and past, which at first is jarring but then I got used to it. Our main character's real parents were murdered by an infamous serial killer a year prior, and was living with his aunt, uncle, and cousin before being put into foster care. His aunt and uncle were barely home due to their work, and he had a major infatuation with his cousin, who had bad habits with a dangerous drug. Eventually, she gets into a bad batch, turning her insane and murderous. Our main character had to stab her in order to save himself and everyone else.

In many ways, this is a standard Chandler Morrison novel. People are soulless, selfish, and at times murder-happy. That being said, it does stand out from his other novels and novellas that I have read so far in that the main character a younger teenager. His other works revolve around adults and soon-to-be adults. I did really enjoy the book, and the twist at the end is not one I saw coming and was heart-breaking. I would recommend this, but be sure to check any triggers you may have before picking it up.

My Rating: 4 stars