Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars: Raw beginning to a trilogy

 The Four Guardians trilogy flies off on a premise that follows the 4 Chinese inspired magical mythical elementals following fire, water, earth and metal using the 4 creatures from folklore. 4 characters follows the trail of the story, each with their broken past. The shamaness and the general are the senior members of the group, who lost their families, whilst Shufang faces lies from the her past and her grief seems forced, it could have been handled with more introspection and her sudden recovery and amnesia, although refreshing, seemed too easy. Longwei, on the other hand, faces the more severe trials. His arc could have been explored more. Shufang's character wavers from emotion to emotion, and perhaps, needs additional explanation on how her magic works.

The lack of explanation around the Gu, or evil magic, also hurts. I would love to understand how the empress controls the magics she does, or even know more of the Serpent guard. Being the first in the trilogy, I felt that the magic systems were not laid out in the best possible manners and the severest of issues came to the younger protagonists. I am definitely hoping the character arcs develop as the sequels develop. I also hope the ultimate aim of the Empress is also explained or her character is explained more with a little background.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the arc, Netgalley and Victory Editing!

To Bargain with Mortals - political maneuvers and elementals

 This book was unexpectedly interesting. The first part of the reckoning storm duology, the take melds divine powers x prayers that fuel elementals or daivyakt, a magical set of people in Viryana. However, the island falls to the imperial rule of foreigners, due to the will of the ordinary people.

Poppy is a Virian who was adopted by the Viceroy, whilst Hasan aka the Jackal amd notorious loan shark who wields fire... when these two protagonists meet in a kidnap attempt to free Hasan's brother, they unearth prejudices, define sacrifice amd trust that the ruling capacity can be determined by a bargain with mortals.

The tale is rife with segues into divine history, political maneuvering, and , st the heart of it all, a drenching desire to fo right by heritage.

R.A. Basu weaves in these various themes effortlessly and this book was a quick study, that I was able to complete in two days! Thank you to Skies press and Bindery books for this opportunity!

The Demon and the Light by Axie Oh - Devilishly illuminating read

 Oh my Gads!!! Axie Oh did it again!! Her nuance and masterfully ability to cloak a simple love story with turmoil, laced with slow burn and resonating with the reunion of found family is astounding!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel as I often need to wait a year or more for a duology conclusion. In this sweeping tale, Ren and Sunho are finding themselves, facing their pasts and bracing for their tenuous future, armed with trust, acceptance and affection. The supporting characters are Stellar in this - Uncle Wook, Jaeil, Yurhee, Tag ( i didn't see him quoting pithy lines after the first book) and the one liners are zingy!!

"I don't need a cure. I am the cure."

If none of these convince you to pick up this book, it was reminiscent of the themes and tropes in Return of the King, of LOTR... facing a greater enemy, spirit of brotherhood, love amidst smoke and flames, soft, aching tenderness of new love.. ugh!! I can't stand it!! It is a gobsmackingly gorgeous book!!!

A million thank yous to Feiwel and Friends and Netgalley for the arc.. I devoured it!!!

Hekate - haunting retelling of the mistress of magic

 If you loved Circe, then you will absolutely enjoy this mellifluous narration by Nikita Gill. I was first introduced to Hekate in the Heroes of Olympus series, and she was a power to be reckoned with.

In this tale of tragic loss where safety, even for a goddess, is a fleeting fragile hope, where power and paranoia dictate the violent reactions of the gods, Heaters finds her fate, voice and makes choices that define her beliefs.

Brought to her aunt Styx in the UnderWorld, Hekate yearns to understand her divine purpose. Her found family, her knowledge and her past are key cornerstones in limning her sense of what she will and won't be. From the witty Hermes to the mighty Nyx, each interaction makes your toot for this young titan who does not wish to be chained to the past, nor lose its embrace, while stepping into a haunting future, rife with mischief and possibilities. I hope there are sequels to follow, as her tale remains...

Nikita has done a splendid job with the narration and her raspy voice adds dimension to the telling. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed her rendition and would highly recommend it!!

Thank you to Hachette group and Netgalley for this unique and amazing opportunity!!

Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou - mesmerizing and magical knot of a tale

If you loved Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials, or Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl, then this one is definitely up your alley!!! Kika sussurates between the big feelings of being a young adult, while also having the indelible childlike faith and belief in magic!!

What set Moth Dark apart was:

- Brilliant use of a non linear timeline for storytelling

- Dealing with themes if choice versus fate

- Bringing gender fluidity in a nuanced manner without being gimmicky!

- Management of parental expectations and the pressure that implies

- phrases explained at the start of each part

She brought to life the frustration when you are not being your most authentic self. The protagonist faces challenges aplenty, starting with her overbearing Greek family, to her cousin Danny's infirmity, to her incessant obsession with the Dark and her inability to tow the straight and narrow line. You can't help but feel for the FMC as she relentlessly follows the clues and tries to prevent armageddon, learning along the way that the answers aren't quite black and white and shades of dark....

All in all, this was a succulent, savory tale which brought the magic moth dust and the unspooling of the Dark. The intersection between the human world and the dark are vividly detailed, Kika culminates in creating a holistic time loop reverberating with the curiosity of the protagonists and colored in hues of gender fluidity. An absolute phenomenon!

A million thank yous to Netgalley and Penguin group for this opportunity.

The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs - fashionista princess in military academy

 If you love a fashionista princess who sets out, armed with a sunny attitude, and a mythical monster pet, to a military academy - then this one is definitely for you! Cait Jacobs weaves a tale based on five lands blessed by the Gods where alliances stave off political uncertainty and earn the blessings. Clia has been preparing to be the perfect princess, despite always wearing a mask, and not truly exploring what else she could aspire to be. When her betrothal with Prince Domhnall falls through, she races to the Academy to show him how strong she truly is...

I LOVED Clia - her growth and relations and sheer determination moves boulder and fuels her need to prove her self worth. Ronan is the Captain of the prince guard and tasked with ensuring she doesn't fail abysmally. The tale moves at a good pace, with intermittent segues into adventures, intrigues and betrayals. Some of the plotlines are left open - hopefully to be explored in a series, perhaps. the slow burn romance between Ronan and Clia also creates sparks of joy! A slew of unique characters adds interest to the storyline - especially Niamh, Kian and Sarait.

All in all, this was a fun read, with lessons in trauma, insecurities and the blazing brilliance of being true to yourself. Many thank yous to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. Looking forward to see what Clia builds next....

Illusions of Fire - modern revised edition of a beloved epic

 Nisha Sharma has created a multi-faceted gem of a storyline. Based on the forest of stories, tha Mahabharata, this retelling brings the descendants to fore with a South Asian focus on the demons or astral and rakshasis.

Laila Bansal is a descendant of Draupadi, wife of the five Pandavas, in the original epic. Karan is an descendant of Karna, the selfless bastard elder brother of her husbands, who sides with the wrong cousins. Nisha spins her tales weaving facts and redressing the grave injustice to Karna (imho), who was truly the best!

In a narrative, that spins from Indonesia to America, our sympathies for the protagonists turns to empathy in discussions of fate and responsibility versus the joy of having a full life and how choice makes the difficult decisions easier to abide. The book is a quick read and I was able to complete it in a couple of days. The story pace is fast and furious and the revelations are truly mind blowing. Hats off to the author for filling a void in enmeshing the epic to a modern tune!!

Many thank yous to Union Square & Co and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC

What Fury Brings - enemies to lovers with a societal twist

Tricia Levenseller crafts a potent mix of two heirs from kingdoms with a inverted gender structure. When Princess Olerra requires a husband, she sets her sights on the younger prince, whose sweet, docile temperament would meet her needs and support her bid to be Crown Princess of Amarra.

In Brutus, crown prince Sanos, despairs of being able to protect his brothers, his mother and his sister from the evil machinations of his truly repellent King and father. In a drunken blur, Olerra kidnaps Sanos and makes her way to the kingdom. But Sanos is a warrior and unwilling to submit to her ministrations, rewarding or punishing, alike.

With secrets that each are keen to protect, vested interests and a slew of political maneuvering, the tale progresses in introducing the matriarchal society of Amarra, where women rule the roost. There is a slow burn romance with some kink and a lot of soul searching as the protagonists face their trials and overcome their consequences. I enjoyed the parallels drawn between the two societies and the slow building of trust between the MCs. This was a quick read for me and I was able to complete it in a day. A must read for fans of Daughter of the Pirate King!

Thank yous to FEIWEL and Netgalley for the arc!

The Grave Artist - gripping, gratifying gorefest

 The villain maketh the thriller and no one embodies that in a tale as much as Jeffrey Deaver. With Isabella Maldonado providing the procedural explorations and forays into technology, the author duo wield a tale of suspense, serial killing and, in true Deaver fashion, twist at the end!

This is the second book in the Sanchez and Heron saga, bit can be read as a standalone.

The storyline follows the honeymoon killer, a redemption arc for Sanchez's father, Heron's nemesis Tristan Kane, and their own fledgling department under bureaucratic turmoil.. if these themes aren't enough, I am not sure what will suffice!!!

The romance between the partners is stilted but the book lays a foundation for the next tale in the series. Its a quick read but I did live the depiction of Damon Garr.. brilliant!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc, I cannot wait for more!!!