Bone of My Bone by Johanna Van Veen REVIEW

Summary:

The year is 1635. Sister Ursula, a young nun fleeing the ruins of her convent, and Elsbeth, a sharp-witted peasant, escape a band of marauding soldiers and disappear into the Bavarian Forest. War scorches the land, and no one survives it alone. Amid the devastation, they find something in the arms of a dying man: the gilded skull of a saint.

It is said that if you reunite the saint's skull with her body, a wish will be granted. Desperate for salvation, and each with secret desires of their own, Ursula and Elsbeth follow a ragged map across the blighted countryside. But darkness follows them. A necromancer, drawn to the relic's power. The saint herself, whispering at night. And as the lines between blessing and curse blur, the women must face a harrowing truth: the magic they seek comes at a cost.

At the journey's end, they'll face an impossible choice - one that could tear apart everything they know . . . or bind them to each other forever.

My Thoughts:

I came to this book with doubts, since I wasn't the hugest fan of one of the author's other books, but this one pleasantly surprised me. Sister Ursula is fleeing her convent due to the war and trying to get to safety when she runs into Elsbeth. They team up to help each other avoid the soldiers, and when they find the skull, Ursula convinces her to find the body with her. As they journey on, the two become close and develop feelings for each other. But when they get to the end of the journey, they find out that things were not as they seemed.

I really liked that each chapter was from a different character's perspective. It helped show how different both characters are and how differently they see the world. There is a lot of violence, which I was okay with since I'm used to reading about it. I do wish the necromancer was better developed as a character though, as he seemed very one dimensional. Overall, I did enjoy this book and would recommend reading it, but definitely check any trigger warnings if you think you might need to.

My Rating: 4 stars 

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