Personal Rating: 3.5 stars Goodreads Rating: 3.6 stars Content Rating: Strong PG-13 (for violence and a bit of language) Trigger Warnings: There is a little bit of self-harm. For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner's daughter, has no idea her hidden magical power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. Alac Thungrave, the king’s second son, has always been uncomfortable with his position as the spare heir—and the dark, stolen magic that comes with ruling. When Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues in an adventure of dark magic, court intrigue, and forbidden love. (goodreads.com) These days, it is rare that I pick up a book on a whim. When I was a kid I would take home a huge stack of books from the library or bookstore and then devour them within the week. However, in recent years, what with working two jobs and trying to keep up with friends and family in the midst of a global pandemic as well as read all of the books on my TBR, write stories and blog posts, and watch the TV shows or movies that have been recommended to me… I don’t really find myself adding random books from the library shelves to my list of priorities. Not to say that I don’t read anymore, I obviously do, but I find that most of the books I read I have done research on, read other reviews for, or at least had a friend tell me about. This book was a rare flashback to my past. I saw it at work, I thought the cover was pretty, I briefly read over the summary, and I decided I wanted to read it. And I actually read it. Shocking, I know. This book is told through alternating perspectives, which can be hit or miss. Usually, what I find happening with books like this is that I enjoy one character’s perspective more than the others and only want to read what is going on with that character. With this book, however, there were only two perspectives to switch between and they both kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat, so I didn’t feel like I needed to rush through one perspective or the other. Both main characters were fun to keep up with and I did enjoy the romance that begins to bloom between them (though I wish there had been a little bit more development to that romance). Alac—though his name sounds like a Shakespearean exclamation of distress—was a nice change from the typical male protagonists we get in this kind of book. For one thing, he was blond, which is nearly unheard of for a dark, somewhat brooding prince. For another, he was obsessed with wine making, which was awfully convenient considering Maralyth was born and raised in a vineyard. It was also refreshing that he was not at all interested in becoming king… at least at the start. He kind of did one-eighty at one point, at which point he really wanted to be king, but we won’t get into that. He seemed like a nice dude with good intentions and sometimes that’s the kind of guy I like to see in books, instead of the sinister types with a fleck of decency in them. Maralyth was a little boring, I’m not going to lie, but I still enjoyed her chapters. She had magical plant/life powers that she used differently than I might have, but it was still fun. I do wish there had been some sort of rule set for how her magic worked because at first I thought it was just plant-based, but then she also made people and animals fall asleep so I think it must just be life-form based. I would have liked a little clarification though. As much as I liked that this is not part of a series, I do wish that it had been a little longer. I wanted more of the epilogue type stuff, with smiles and happily ever afters. I typically want that from books though. I like to see characters happy because, I don’t know, sentiment or something. But, it was nice to have everything wrapped up in one book rather than an extensive series (not that I don’t love a good series, it’s just hard to keep track of them all). I feel like this book was very similar to The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller, but with less steamy-ness and a less annoying, less stabby female protagonist. So, if you are interested in magic, political drama, coups, and a dash of romance, then this may be the book for you! Thanks for reading! Until next time! Image source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205978-the-stolen-kingdom?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=qU4kd8LMao&rank=1
0 Comments
Personal Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Rating: 4.44 Stars Content Rating: Strong PG-13 Trigger Warnings: Abuse, rape (nothing graphic), gaslighting Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? (goodreads.com) This is a book that I read for the book club I’m doing with some of my coworkers, which I hadn’t heard of before this. I’m really glad that my coworker suggested it for our April book because I really enjoyed it and it’s vast world. Plus, look at that cover! You know I’m a sucker for a cover with gold on it. And this one has lots of pretty colors to boot! It is inspired by West-Africa (according to Google) and takes place in a made up world in the empire of Aritsar, which is made up of many different, exciting countries based on real world places. Aritsar is really quite the diverse, and probably humongous, place with countries in it that resemble places in Africa, Europe, and Asia all in one continent. I really liked this idea because it allowed for there to be a diverse cast of characters with different beliefs and appearances. With books like this I always have fun trying to puzzle out which real world countries the made up ones represent as well. With all of these detailed countries with characters and traditions, it was difficult to keep track of the names of everything. After I read the book I realised there was a glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide for the names at the back. If I had known it was back there to start off with I think I would have struggled much less trying to remember everything. So, learn from my mistakes and reference the glossary if you choose to read this! There is a lot to keep track of. There were so many characters in this story, so if you read it check the glossary to help keep track of everyone. Or make a list like my very smart grandmother does when she reads books with tons of characters. Or you could be dumb like me and just keep plowing on and being confused for a few moments until you remember who is who. I really liked Tarisai, the MC, and sympathised with the struggles that she faced. I love to have a protagonist who I can root for and that was definitely the case here. I dearly wanted to see her succeed and I can’t wait to read the sequel (it’s a duology) to see if that happens. With this huge cast of characters I know we couldn’t take time to get to know all of them, but since Tarisai and Prince Dayo are supposed to be as close as siblings with these ten other teenagers, I do kind of wish that we had gotten to get to know at least those ten better. There are two members of their little family who are best friends with Tarisai and so I felt like their backstories were well woven into the story, but not so much the others. Perhaps in book two we’ll get to see more of them. I want to learn what all of their Hallows (super powers) are! One thing I really, really liked about this book is something that probably seems small, but it seriously made this book stand out to me. The characters are honest with each other. At least for the most part. And when they do lie or withhold information from the other characters, it is usually for an excellent reason and not to create unnecessary drama. I absolutely hate it in books when the main character has something huge and terrifying going on, but refuses to tell anyone because “oh, it’s not their burden to bear” or “I couldn’t possibly say anything to them because even though they are the person I trust most in the whole world, they’ll probably hate me if I tell them” (to be fair, that does happen in books quite a lot), or “it might put them in danger”, or “nah bro, I just like keeping secrets because it creates tension and drama when people eventually figure it out because of a bad guy telling them or because I slip up”. It was SO REFRESHING to have Tarisai tell people the truth and ask for their help. I am so excited to read the sequel to this book and I am fuming that I have to wait until August before it is available. Do you know how short my memory is?! I won’t forget the main points of the plot by then, but I will inevitably be confused. Fingers crossed that the second book also has a glossary. Also! How can you expect me to wait four months with the first book ending the way it did?! Unacceptable. As you have probably inferred, I really liked Raybearer and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to get lost in a new fantasy world. Now if you’ll excuse me, I am off to wander in the wilderness and see if I can find some hopefully friendly tutsu. Until next time! Image source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50158128-raybearer Personal Rating: 3.5 Stars Goodreads Rating: 3.61 Stars Content Rating: Strong PG-13 (for violence) King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched into gold. But after his gift—or curse—almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora still bears the consequences of her father’s wish: her skin shines golden, rumors follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbors secret powers that are getting harder to hide. Kora spends her days locked in the palace, concealed behind gloves and veils, trying to ignore the stares and gossip of courtiers. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realizes there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down. As she sails off on her quest, Kora learns that not everything is what it seems—not thieves, not pirates, and not even curses. She quickly discovers that gold—and the power it brings—is more dangerous than she’d ever believed. (goodreads.com) Now, I know that the description of this book mentions pirates. It was probably one of the things that first caught my eye. But the point when I discovered this book was quite a long time ago, compared to when I finished it two days ago. So I was honestly shocked by the amount of pirates in this book. Not that I’m complaining. I love a good pirate story even when I’m not expecting it! I was thinking more of the story would be about Kora in the palace before she sets out on adventure to find the missing gold, but that was not the case at all. She was in the palace for a little while, but a couple of chapters in the gold is stolen and the quest is on. Kora and a charming duke are off on a ship with a crew full of superstitious sailors, trying to track down magical gold stolen by pirates. Now, you may have guessed this from some of my other reviews, but as a reader I prefer to read for the characters. I can endure a boring plot as long as I like the characters acting it out. Usually, in books, I am not as worried about plot as I am about the characters. When I watch movies it can go either way, but with books I prefer character driven. So it is always disappointing to me when the characters feel flat and unrelatable, even if they are going on exciting adventures. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too attached to any of the characters in A Touch of Gold. Part of the problem may have been that it was first person, present tense narration which is always a little difficult for me to connect with and it definitely makes it more difficult for me to get a picture of the MC in my head since we are seeing everything from their perspective. Plus, Kora was sort of annoying and rather “woe is me” for the majority of the book, even as she is doing kick-patooty things. She and the other characters bored me. However, this was actually not a problem as it might have been with other books. I think the difference this time was that A Touch of Gold had a very cinematic quality to it. It felt like a fun adventure movie with crazy scenarios and daring dos. There were different challenges that they had to overcome and special objects that they had to find. I saw another review that said this book kind of reminded the reader of the Indiana Jones movies and I’d have to agree. It also somewhat reminded me of The Princess Bride. Unlike The Princess Bride, however, the romance in this story is kind of horrendous. I can’t say too much without spoilers, but the romance is just… not worth the words spent on it. I think I might have even liked the book better if there hadn’t been romance. Or at least, if when the first part of the romance ends, the second part doesn’t fully start up until the second book. It was just sort of unrealistic how Kora jumps from one romance to the next without a second thought. But, back on topic: I was still invested in the plot. This book felt like such an easy read to get into. It doesn’t take long for it to drop you into the action and because it feels like a quick read, it makes it easy to gobble up one chapter after another until you reach the end. Speaking of the ending, I felt like there was so much left unresolved! Which, in this case, might actually be good because there is a sequel. I’m hoping for less self-pity from Kora and more development for her, Hettie, and the others. More sword fighting would also be fun. If I do get a chance to read the second book, A Curse of Gold, I will do my best to let you know what I think of it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rob some mermaids! Thanks for reading! Image source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36575823-a-touch-of-gold |
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|