Review: The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black

WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers for Holly Black's The Folk of the Air, as well as for The Stolen Heir - the first book in this duology. If you have yet to read these books, I would advise against reading any further.

After finishing The Stolen Heir yesterday, I was eager to dive right into the final book in this duology. Luckily for me, it was a Sunday, and so I had all the time in the world to read. And read I did. I actually read this book in a single sitting. 

We last met prince Oak, heir to the faerie kingdom of Elfhame, shortly after he had been thrown in jail for betraying his childhood friend and quest partner from the previous book, Suren (Wren). The once disbanded Court of Teeth has risen from its ashes, and a reluctant Wren is forced to take up the mantle as the new queen of the Court she spend most of her life running from. Oak still cares deeply for Wren. He sees what toll her destructive magic takes on her, and he is desperate to save her before it is too late. Even though he knows he has single-handedly shattered the trust she once she had in him, he is desperate to get it - and also her - back. 

But the High Court of Elfhame will not let the imprisonment of their heir go unpunished, and Oak's sister Jude - the High Queen - will do anything to get her younger brother back. When Oak learns of a plan to break him out of prison - a plan that may just end in a war that will destroy everyone and everything that he loves - he comes up with a plan of his own. All he has to do is convince Wren to play along. To his great surprise, she agrees. Before long Oak, Wren and their retinues are on a boat heading towards Insmire, the capital of Elfhame. Oak is hopeful this will give him a chance to make things right with her, as Wren is the only person who has ever seen him for who he really is. But Wren has her own demons and agenda. Before long, Oak finds himself torn between his family and the girl he has always loved - and war is on the horizon.

This was a solid ending to a beautiful duology, although I didn't love the book as much as I thought I would. I loved the insight we got into Suren's mind in the first book, and how the first-person narration allowed us to really understand the depths of her character. In The Prisoner's Throne the point of view shifts from Wren to Oak, and at the same time also shifts from a first-person to third-person narrative. Oak is a fascinating character, and we do get to know him a lot better, but I didn't really feel as connected to him as I did to Wren in The Stolen Heir. I find the budding relationship between the two to be the most interesting part of the storyline, but sadly they don't have as many meaningful interactions in the latter half of the book as I wanted. Fans of the original series will however be thrilled to have old characters like Jude, Cardan and Madoc back, and get a glimpse into what they have been up to for the past eight years.

The supporting characters are delightfully morally grey, and there were plenty of times I suspected innocent characters of some kind of nefarious plots. The political intrigues and maneuvering in this book are more reminiscent of what we saw in The Folk of the Air, and it is something Holly Black does rather masterfully. I did like how the author kept us guessing as to where the story was going. There is a lot of tension and mistrust between the High Court and Wren's faction, and as the end of the book got closer, I was seriously worried as to how the story would wrap up. In the end I was satisfied with the ending, but I do wish we had gotten a little more time with our main characters after the final conflict. 

There is definitely a new story being set up by the very end of the book, and Holly Black has also confirmed she's not done with this world just yet. All I can say on that is: I'm here for it!

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Mailbox Monday: March 4-10, 2024

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

I got a total six books in the mail last week, which I'm honestly pretty happy about. Four of them were special/exclusive editons that I'd preordered, another one was from a monthly book box and the last one was a regular paperback.

Pictured: The FairyLoot exlusive editons of The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, the Waterstones exlusive UK edition of Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek, the Illumicrate exlusive edition of To Cage a God by Elizabeth May and the UK paperback edition of The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren.

My personal book collection currently stands at 351 books.

Did you get anything interesting in your mailbox this past week? 

Review: The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers for Holly Black's The Folk of the Air. If you have yet to read this series, I would advise against reading any further.

I've had The Stolen Heir by Holly Black on my TBR list ever since it released at the very beginning of last year. I really enjoyed the political intrigues, strong world building and complex characters in The Folk of the Air, so when I heard that this duology was a sequel to one of my absolute favorite series, I was all in. I definitely didn't expect myself to have enough self-control to wait until the duology was completed to start reading the first book, but here we are more than a year later.

The main protagonist of this book is Suren - the exiled queen of the now disbanded Court of Teeth - and a character we were first introduced to in the last book of the original series. When we last met her she was still a child, but years have passed by since the events of The Queen of Nothing, and Suren (or Wren as she prefers to be called) is now in her late teens. Life has definitely not been kind to her these past few years, and she spends her days in the human world lurking around her only connections to her former life without their knowledge, living off their scraps. Her years spent in the Court of Teeth, as well as her lonely existence, has made her an angry, feral thing.

When she is approached by Oak, the faerie prince and heir to the throne of Elfhame she knew as a child (and also main protagonist Jude from The Folk of the Air's younger brother), and invited to go on a quest to rid Elfhame of a great evil Wren knows all to well, she sees no reason to refuse. Also accompanying them on their quest is a surly, distrustful knight and a cursed prisoner. As their journey brings them closer and closer to the place Wren hoped she never had to revisit, she feels strangely drawn to the sunny prince - a bright light in her otherwise dreary existance. But Oak keeps a lot of secrets, and the closer Wren feels to him, the more she wonders what the true mission of their quest really is - or if she can even trust him at all.

Ooof, this was such a good book! Why did I wait so long to read it? I felt absolutely elated to be back in the wonderfully interesting, but extremely cruel world of Faerieland. Even though parts of the book took place in the human world, it was the faerie settings I found the most interesting. I love how Holly Black has crafted this rich world full of all these different fae creatures, and how the different characteristics of the various species of fae are so well-described. I feel like there's an infinite amount of different fae species, one more whimsical or frightening than the next. The casual cruelty of some of these creatures are mind-blowing, and every time there's some kind of fight or confrontation I'm at the edge of my seat, because the stakes just seem that high. That is some excellent writing right there.

Choosing Suren to be the main protagonist of the book was a very good move. She was a minor character that really made an impact on me while reading The Folk of the Air, and I was always really curious about her backstory. I am happy to say that a lot of my questions have been answered. Wren is such an pitiful character, because despite all the gaslighting, torture and pain she went through at the hands of her biological parents, she is still just a little girl wanting desperately to be loved. I can't wait to see her coming more into her power and hopefully gain some confidence in the next book. Learning more about Oak was also such a treat. He was so young in the original series that I never really got a read on his character, but I liked that we got glimpses of the more vulnerable side hidden behind his cheerful persona throughout this book. I'm excited to learn even more about this hidden side of him going forward.

The story is exactly as fun and fast-paced you would expect from a Holly Black book. There's less actual political intrigue in this one, as most of the time is spent away from the courts, but that doesn't mean there's not plenty of secrets, lies and backstabbing going on between our core group of characters. Theirs is a fraught alliance, and the questionable motives of several characters makes for an intriguing read. Plotwise, the ending of the book sets up a good starting point for the next book in the series with an elegant twist I really enjoyed. I asked myself earlier in this review why I waited so long to read this book, but now I'm very glad I did. It just means I can start the next book in the series tomorrow!

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Review: Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

I was really excited to finally sit down and read Lore of the Wilds by debut author Analeigh Sbrana. Described as a stunning Romantasy debut about an enchanted library, two handsome Fae, and one human who brings them all together, it definitely sounded like a book right up my alley. To be honest, they had me at enchanted library. I'm a sucker for books about books.

The book follows Lore, an young woman living in the human village of Duskmere in a land otherwise populated by cruel Fae. Several hundred years ago the humans were exiled from their original world by the Gods who created them in an event known as the Cruel Crossing, and ever since they have been looking for a way back to their original world. A search made pretty much impossible by the Fae, as they treat humans like vermin and forbids them from even leaving the borders of Duskmere.

After a terrible disaster leaves her village in ruins, Lore is brought to the castle, where she strikes a deal with a Fae lord: He will send aid, workers and materials to help rebuild her village. In exchange she will enter an enchanted library where no Fae can enter, and organize and catalog the collection of books within. The library has remained untouched for a thousand years, and so Lore sees an opportunity to acquire knowledge no human has ever had access to before. But there's also something else inside the library. Something Lore has always wanted for herself. Something humans like her shouldn't even be able to wield: Magic.

I do like the premise of the book, and the story itself has a lot of promise. I have seen some reviews mentioning that the book reads very much like YA even though it is marketed as adult, and I guess I can see where they're coming from. However - and this might come as a surprise to some people - older teens/young adults do the horizontal tango all the time, so the YA-style writing combined with the more mature parts of the story wasn't a big deal to me. It didn't hurt the story in any way. Lore is supposed to be twenty-one, and there's really not a huge difference between a twenty-one-year-old and an eighteen-year-old maturity wise. 

Speaking of Lore, she's a pretty likeable main character for the most part. She cares a lot for her adoptive family and for her friends, and is eager to improve the quality of life for the humans of Duskmere. She's also pretty brave and feisty - you know, when she's not afraid of being killed by unpredictable Fae with no regard for human life. The part I didn't like about Lore was how easily she would be be swayed by a pretty face and a muscular body. I mean, it certainly doesn't hurt to have some eye candy, but forming genuine connections based on something other than physical attraction would also have been nice.

You can tell from the cover and the synopsis that this book has a love triangle - something I'm not overly fond of in the first place. I'm not saying a love triangle done right can't be fun, but as they are few and far between I just prefer to avoid the trope if possible. Unfortunately the romance(s) in Lore of the Wilds are sadly underdeveloped, and it is probably the weakest part of the book. One of the the romance options seems very insta-lovey, as Lore literally gets major flutters when their hands touch after they've had like two or three very short interactions. The other romance mostly develops off-page while Lore is already in a semi-relationship with guy #1, and as the reader I don't really understand why she's suddenly so conflicted about her feelings for guy #2 when she was gushing about guy #1 just a few pages earlier. It does seem like we're headed in a certain direction by the end of the book, so hopefully the love triangle will resolve itself in the sequel.

While I thought the story was fun and engaging (for the most part), there were a few issues with the pacing here and there. For the most part I think the story moved along pretty well, but there were a few parts that just felt oddly paced compared to the rest of the book (chapter 24 immediately comes to mind). This kind of staccato pacing is something I've also seen with some other debut authors, and so I'm not too worried about it. An author's writing style is constantly evolving, and in my opinion they have a tendency to fix their pacing issues as their skill continue to develop and grow.

While Lore of the Wilds might not have lived up to every single one of my expectations, it was still a pretty good read. I am planning on continuing on with the series, and I'm excited to see where Analeigh Sbrana takes the story next.

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Review: Clever Creatures of the Night by Samantha Mabry

Have you ever finished a book, put it down - and then wondered if you actually liked it or not? That was my experience reading Clever Creatures of the Night by Samantha Mabry, and trust me, it is a strange feeling. The book was released on March 5th to mixed reviews, but as I am trying to to be too influenced by ratings, and also because I actually thought the premise of the book sounded really interesting, I decided to pick it up. 

The book follows a girl named Case, as she arrives at a somewhat dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere where her best friend Andrea (Drea for short) has lived with her roommates from boarding school ever since a volcano outside of Austin, Texas suddenly erupted, forcing the group to flee their school in a hurry. Even though months have passed by since the eruption the world has yet to return to normal, and Case has not seen Drea since before the world changed.

But when Case arrives at the house at the arranged time, Andrea is nowhere to be found. When questioned about Drea's whereabout, her roommates act all vague and cagey, and seem more concerned with carrying on with their bizarre rural utopian fantasy life than helping Case locate her friend. They also seem to want Case gone sooner rather than later. Case is desperate to figure out what happened to her best friend, and during her twenty-four hour stay she intends to solve the mystery. But there's definitely something strange going on in the house and the surrounding woods, and the more Case looks into Drea's life, the more she is convinced that her roommates had something to do with her disappearance. 

I think the reason I can't give the book more than three stars is because I really didn't feel a connection to any of the characters. We are told Case and Drea are the best of friends, but except for a few flashback scenes from their early high school years, there's really not much to indicate that the two are as close as Case claims. Yes, she carries around a bunch of letters sent to her by aspiring writer Drea, but as Case mentions herself, she only wrote Drea back once. And she doesn't even know the names of Drea's new friends/roommates except for one. Wouldn't a best friend have told her everything about them? While reading, I got the feeling the two were pretty estranged, but were essentially told the opposite was true - hence my confusion.

Where the author truly shines is in the overall mood of the book. The rural location, the post-apocalyptic descriptions of the sky and the air and the strange animal phenomenons - all of it made for a pretty unnerving atmosphere. There was this creepy, claustrophobic feel to the mood that I really liked, and the bizarre habits and actions of Drea's roommates only helps elevate that creepy feeling I got while reading. The creepy atmostphere was by far my favorite part of the book.

This book itself takes place over a twenty-four hour period, and for the first half or so of the book nothing major really happens. We follow Case as she looks around the house for clues of Drea's whereabouts, try to speak to Drea's roomies and see Case just chilling with said roommates. The second half is more action-packed, but by that time I had gotten so used to the slower pace of the first half that the sudden switch in pace felt rather jarring. And I kept waiting and waiting for something big to happen - because it honestly felt like it would - but even when we reached end and the big reveal, it all just felt rather... flat. 

Don't get me wrong, I had a genuinely good time reading Clever Creatures of the Night. It's just that the story had so much initial potential that I just wanted it to be more.

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Can't-Wait Wednesday: In the Orbit of You

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released. The meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm highlighting In The Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher.

 From Goodreads: 

It's been years since Nova Evans last saw Sam. She was too young then to understand why he had to move away―and what it had to do with the cuts and bruises he got from home and never wanted to talk about. All she knew is that they promised to find each other when they were older, something she thought was impossible thanks to her and her mom moving around constantly. Until she bumps into Sam in her new school, and realizes he has clearly forgotten their childhood promise.

Sam Jordan has a plan for his accept his college football scholarship, date his girlfriend Abigail, and―most importantly―hide how much he wants to do something, anything other than The Plan™ his parents and coaches have set before him. It doesn't matter if sometimes he finds himself thinking about the new girl he met in the cafeteria, a girl who reminds him of a past that hurts to remember.

When a school-wide personality test reveals Nova and Sam to be each others' top matches―not only that, but a match of 99%, the highest in the school―they begin to remember why they were such close friends, all those years ago. As well as the myriad of reasons this new-yet-familiar, magnetic, sparkling thing between them will never, ever work out.

In the Orbit of You is a story about the enduring and changing nature of friendship, of the strange struggle between who you are and who you want to be, and finding your voice after trauma.

I've been a fan of Ashley Schumacher since her debut novel (Amelia Unabridged - still one of my absolute favorite YA reads), so when I saw that she was releasing a new novel this year, it immediately went on my to-be-read list. Nobody writes youth grief and trauma like Ashley, and the summary of this novel promises both. Now, I must admit I'm not usually a huge fan of the childhood friends to lovers trope, but I might just make an exception for this book. 

In the Orbit of You will be released on March 19, 2024.

Check out the early reviews on Goodreads, or preorder the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Review: Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek

I first heard about Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek in September of last year, and ever since it has been on the list of my most anticipated 2024 releases. I follow the author on Instagram, and every little snippet and sneak peak she posted the last few months made me want to read the book even more. My anticipation was so high that I preordered both the US and the UK hardback versions just because I couldn’t decide on which cover I liked the most (still can’t – they’re both gorgeous). 

When the release date finally came, I was... so not ready! You see, in preparation for the release day I had read some reviews from people with advanced reader copies saying the book made them cry, and since it doesn’t take much to turn me into a sobbing mess, I needed to be mentally prepared. The next day I was ready. Armed with one of my brand new copies and a box of tissues (don’t say I didn’t come prepared), I sat down and started to read.

The book follows Liska, who lives in a small village in Orlica (a fictional version of Poland). She has magic, but desperately wants to get rid of it, as magic users are feared and shunned. And so one night she sneaks into the Driada – a magical forest home to all kinds of nightmarish beasts – to search for a magical flower rumored to grant a wish when plucked. There are definitely some Beauty and the Beast-ish undertones going on here, because that flowers turns out to be owned by the demon warden of the woods – the Leszy. He agrees to grant Liska’s wish and remove her magic, but only after she has spent a year in his service.

And so Liska’s year of servitude begins. To her great surprise, being stuck with a grumpy but attractive 700-year-old demon (and a feisty hearth-spirit) in a crumbling, sentinent manor in the middle of a dangerous forest might not be as bad as she first expected. She’s even starting to reconnect with her magic. But her new host has many secrets, and if Liska wants to survive the year, she has to figure them out before it’s too late. 

This book was definitely worth the wait! A. B. Poranek’s writing is stunning, and the story is well-paced and engaging. If I had describe which other books this one reminds me of, I would say it’s like Howl’s Moving Castle combined with For the Wolf, with a dash of Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy and a pinch of Beauty and the Beast thrown into the mix. This is high praise coming from me, as the Winternight trilogy are my favorite books of all time. I really enjoyed the Slavic elements woven into the story – it was fun to learn more about Slavic tradition and mythology, as that is not something I am overly familiar with. 

The characters are also amazing. Liska starts out as a girl that doesn’t fit in anywhere, but ends up really coming into herself and embracing her powers. The found-family trope in this book was adorable, and I found myself really loving the little band of misfits coming together under the roof of the House Under the Rowan Tree. From Liska and the Leszy, to Jaga and Maksio – I just loved them all. And the House itself was so magical. It’s not every day you stumble across a sentinent house! I loved the combination of the dark and gothic woodsy setting with the cozy found-family vibes.

There is also a cute romance between Liska and the Leszy, and hallelujah – it is a slow burn one! Liska can’t stand the guy at first, and it does take a while for her to start warming up to him. And it is made clear early on that the Leszy himself is a standoffish dude. One of my favorite tropes is the wounded love interest who is afraid of falling in love because of past trauma (that does make me sound a bit sadistic, but I like what I like), and all I will say on that matter is that my sadistic little heart was very very happy with how the romance played out. 

The last part of the book had my heart racing like crazy. I did like how the book ended (though I can see it being a bit divisive), but I have some questions about that very last sentence. My main question is: How? Did I miss something? I mean, I have my theories, but I would have liked things to be a bit clearer. 

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed Where the Dark Stands Still, and I’m excited to read more from A. B. Poranek in the future.

Oh, and for those of you wondering if I ever used those tissues... yes, yes I did!

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Review: A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

I will be honest – I was kinda scared of picking up A Fate Inked in Blood, the first book in the new Saga of the Unfated duology by Danielle L. Jensen. I tried to get into The Bridge Kingdom series when it first came out, but found myself unable to really connect with the story. Granted, at the time I was firmly rooted in my sugary sweet YA era, so it is a very distinct possibility my lack of connection with the story was just me not being used to reading adult fantasy fiction. A reread is probably in order. But I digress. Like I said at the beginning I was a somewhat afraid I wouldn’t like the writing or the story, but the premise of a Nordic/viking inspired fantasy featuring a shield maiden, magic and a forbidden romance was to tempting to pass up. 

And boy am I glad I didn’t! I absolutely loved everything about this book!

The book follows a young woman named Freya, who lives in the fictional land of Skaland (clearly heavily influenced by viking age Scandinavia). In this world the gods sometimes interfere with mortals by granting children a drop of godly blood at their conception. These children will manifest some kind of power when they grow older. Freya is one of these children, although she has kept this a secret her entire life at her parents behest. When her secret is discovered by jarl (the equivalent of a chieftain) Snorri, she soon learns why her parents insisted on the secrecy – Freya is the shield maiden prophesied to be a kingmaker, and the jarl has looked for her for years. 

In a bid to control the shield maiden and the future of the kingless land of Skaland, the jarl makes her an offer: Become his second wife, and her family will be protected and cared for. Refuse, and they will be left to face shame and poverty. Freya is not exactly keen on marrying a man old enough to be her father, but she will do whatever it takes to protect those she cares about. As she reluctantly becomes the figurehead of jarl Snorri’s bid for power, she also has to fight a forbidden attraction to her new husband’s son and heir, Bjorn. And it turns out jarl Snorri is not the only one who wants the shield maiden – and plenty of people would rather see her dead than in his possession. 

Well, this was certainly a fun read! Being Norwegian, vikings and Norse mythology are both something I’m quite familiar with, so I was excited to see how it would all play out. I think the author did a wonderful job balancing traditional viking customs and Norse mythology with the more fantastical elements of the story. I really love the magic system, and how the magic itself is directly influenced by which god’s blood runs through the different character’s veins. It’s such a simple and easy to understand concept, and it works really well!

The characters are all very well-written, and have their own goals and motivations. My favorite duo is of course Freya and Bjorn. The chemistry between the two characters just jumps right off the page, and it really makes me believe in their connection. Yes, there is an instant attraction between the two of them the first time they meet, but their actual love story turns out to be slow burn at its finest. Theirs is a relationship built on mutual trust and respect, and I love the fact that this big-ass, macho viking warrior is basically a walking green flag. Side note: I think this is the first time I’ve wanted a stepmother to just get it on with her stepson already – and yes, writing that out kinda gives me the ick, but trust me there’s nothing icky whatsoever about Freya and Bjorn. 

I also really liked Ylva, and found myself sympathetic to her situation. She’s not exactly Freya’s biggest fan, but I mean... if my husband had brought a second wife into my home I probably wouldn’t be that thrilled either. She obviously well-liked in the community, and cares a lot for her family and her people. Suffice to say she’s handling things with way more grace than I would if I had been in her shoes. And her lovey-dovey relationship with jarl Snorri is the one redeeming quality to his character, so there’s that. Enough said. 

The story itself is fast-paced and exciting, with all the action, mythology and power struggles you would expect from a viking inspired fantasy book. There are a couple of twist in the latter half of the book that I could definitely see coming, but that did not put a damper on my enjoyment of the story itself. It actually only made me more exited of what’s to come in the final book of this duology. I can’t wait! 

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells