Dominion - Iron and Silk Vol 1 - Power ballad to Chinese Myths

First of all, my phoenix silk bound and metal braised thank yous to Putnam and Netgalley for granting the arc request - this book was soul searing with plot twists, politics, prophecies and power plays! Rubi finds herself, a lowly yin powered ribbon dancer, suddenly bound to the Queen of Tygers - with a backdrop of heartbreak and distrust between the Azures and the Silvers, her position is precarious and wracked with turmoil as she struggles with doubt and self worth to bring her true self to the fore... 

If you love Chinese folklore, the symphony of dragons, tortoise, tygers and phoenixes takes on a Hunger Games-esque novella with hints of DireBound and a lot of spice thrown in for good measure! The characters are fast and furious like - larger than life and absolutely loveable, I, however, struggled withe the pacing, and suddenly found myself losing steam. The ending ABSOLUTELY ROCKED! it truly salvaged the read and I cannot wait to read what comes next for Rubi and Flame, Blake, and all the other characters....

This one is a marvelously intense shot of adrenaline for the fantasy genre! Jean Kwok has an excellent debut and can only go upwards from here - I feel an ACOTAR-ish vibe in the making with the next book.... 

#Dominion #Netgalley #Putnam #Asianfantasy #IronandSilk

Of venom and vengance - magic meets myth in a mafia setting

 If you haven't picked up Of Flame and Fury, you dont have to, in order to enjoy this noir YA novel, with a sprite infused mafia tale of revenge, myths and the eternal romantic quest of being seen! The former book is a fast and furious plunge into dragon racing, while this is a gang inspired romeo juliet slow burn!

Inna and Rylan are perfect foils, brought up in secrecy, on polar opposite spectrum, with Inna being sheltered and tested for leadership, after the death of her elder sister, whose death haunts her still..  And Rylan, the last heir of a famous line of alchemists, who has had to deal with treachery, loneliness and has sworn retribution on Inna's clan.. the tale kicks into high gear when Inna's thirst to find her sister's murderers aligns with Rylan's quest for the Pallo vault..

Together they encounter their worst fears, face their prejudices and learn to trust actions than history. The way Mikayla lays out their pasts and its subsequent influence on their current emotional and mental state, truly is a headliner for this novel! The novel magic system, treasure seeking for truth and the lair of the Serpent God, are all laud worthy and fascinating concepts!! I thoroughly relished Celesse, Fernando and Adelia as the supporting troupe whose misguided actions cause Inna to falter, question and ultimately find her true footing!

My heartfelt thank yous to Macmillian Children's Publishing Group amd Netgalley for the arc!!

#Julyreleases #mafiaslowburn #spritesandserpents #alchemicalwarfare

The Winged Game - sear soul searching and superb fantasy racing standalone!

 Ahh!! Sophie Kim - you've captured my curmudgeonly favorite attitude, with symphants and wyverns - all powerful yet puppies, drawn a parallel with the bonding of a certain Violet, and yet, I can't call the tone / attitude or the sizzling bickering / banter, anything other than a seductive slow burn - my heart and spirit are soaring!!. Teissa and Kion or Cho and Locke are locked in an eternal battle of one-upmanship which is absolutely mind blowingly and gorgeously laid out. Teissa is drawn to fighters, and chooses her Winged based on the blaze and relentless drive that she fuels with her RAGE, her humiliation and downfall because of something out of her control and its impact on her sense of self. On the flip side, we have Kion, her senior, idol and destroyer, battles with being bettered and understanding how his once stellar team is now down in the dumps.

When they reach an alliance and get papped, the obvious solution is pretend to date - with hillarious situations involving racy lingerie, adult lollipops and a whole PR stunt which seems to get scorchingly agonizing as the two find their balance and rhythm. 

Sophie does a phenomenal job with the magic system, I love learning as the story progresses, the various winged participants in the Carriwitchet, the semblance of the team, with the robbers, dozers and bailer - fantastically engaging! Add in heated rivalry, mistrust and impediments like swords and falling riders, and at the heart, a very grumpy and surly symphant senior, Cronus whose disposition and abuse at a previous handler proves Taissa's mettle to the belligerent rival team.

The fake dating ploy and the ensuing cauldron tags and comments were ludicrously enjoyable! and I'd be remiss if I did not pay due homage to the supporting characters, each with their back stories and their banding to prove their worth. What unfolds is a mystery with magical roots and bargains and a wild hunt culminating in the MOST fun climax I've had the pleasure of reading!!

My Winged, echelon formation thank yous to Netgalley, Del Rey and Sophie Kim by offering me this read!! It was stunning, spectacular sear and a brilliantly bickered out book!!!

#Junereleases #thewingedgame #carriwitchet #cauldron #cancelledcrone

Checking you out - STUNNING YA ode to fabtasy readers!!!

 Jennifer Chen!! You AMAZING, soulful, Queen of the Meet Cute, I mean, can you beat a kitten for cuteness?!?! Add in fantasy lovers, book trails, libraries and an absolute stunner of a scavenger hunt - you are left with hope, love abd a feeling if knowing what truly matters in your life story.. I Felt my way through this story, which hasn't happened in a looking time!

Lizzie and her cloistered group of varied genre readers, the stigma attached with delving into fantasy, the harsh repercussions of bad experiences - i give up, this could not be better any which way! Dylan ( who lives rent free as Die Lawn), with his dragon sweatshirt and Lizzie with the pastries,  book bouquets,  and of course, fostering the purr monsters - are delightful, naive and utterly un-put-downable characters!! 

The library note exchange was so well executed and the becoming the main character of your life story was also explored gainfully! And woven in is their exchange, rife, with the emotional intelligence and unconditional sustenance you absorb front delving headfirst into fantasy - ADORBS!!! 

Jennifer Chen automatically gained entrance into the auto buy club, CANNOT wait to see what she brings forth next!! I cannot bring myself to compare her with Lynn Painter,  she's in a league of her own!!

St Martin's Press  and Wednesday Books, along with Netgalley made my inner teenager rave with this offering!! 

#junereleases #meetcute #bookishloves #fantasyinspired 

Kingdom of Waves - Fantasy high stakes heist with powerplays

 If you love wandering in a rich, vivid magic system, love a downtrodden to powerful character arc, revel in the rebellion and rediscovery of magic, then the kingdom of waves is a perfect pick!!

Melissa de la Cruz weaves her maguc with Gin, Eban and Rollo, enmeshed in a political quagmire where Laconians are tyrannical subjucators of the lost Ophir, who were once mighty and powerful. Their magic tied to God's and relics which have long been lost. In a heist gone horribly wrong Eban and Gin discover themselves in possession of two such relics!

What follows is a desperate journey to rediscover their roots, face treachery, betrayal and, worst of all, your inner demons and worst versions of self , in order to ascend to power!

This book is the harbinger of the series and does justice in introducing the world, its players and norms very well. I cannot wait to see the storyline unfold and watch Ebans trial and discover his backstory!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Children's Publishing Group and Roaring Brook Press for this marvelous opportunity!

#Junereleases #kingdomofwaves #fantasyheist

Nantucket Fling: when a holiday romance becomes more..

 Nantucket Fling is a book that brings the fleeting yet thrilling holiday romance genre with an interwoven second chance, misunderstood parenthood and a gaggle of golden girls cheering our strong, opinionated and analytical FMC. The spice and stiryline complimented each other well amd the remarkable insecurities of Connor came yo life in this book. I loved the treatment of families, the nuance of childhood fallacies and the difficulty in communicating clearly to those closest for fear of holding them from their dreams- beautifully explored and enunciated..

All on all, it was thiroughly enjoyable beach read!

My gratitude to Netgalley and one More Chapter for inviting me to read the Arc!

Captive Traitor King

 I could NOT believe I got the ARC!!!

Avon and Harper Voyager, Netgalley and the absolutely incomparable Brigid Kemmerer - a million than-Ky yous for making this review possible.

I raced through the prequel with equal parts disbelief, bated breath and absolutely wicked sauciness!! This book brought the balance absolutely established the equilibrium between the triumvarate and plunged into the depths of their past, pleasure and, dare I say, laid the framework for their very explosive and exploratory showdown! Whilst the pacing of this book was slow, compared to its predecessor,  it brought the spice!!

I loved the balance between the king, the hunter and the princess and I absolutely cannot wait to see the princess become a dominatrix with her magic and her appetite! Clearly Ky is my pick, but I am also, anxiously, excitedly want to see Jory and Alex claim their royalty with panache and authority. 

All in all, this book was a good segue to see the Queen Heir Prisoner maybe next...

#captivetraitorking #novemberreleases #avonharpervoyager