Category: Book Reviews

ARC Review – The Pattern of the World

biblionerdreflections1 Comment

Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing The Pattern of the World by J. T. Greathouse, which is the final book in the Pact and Pattern trilogy. I enjoyed the first two books quite a bit and have been looking forward to finally getting to finish the series. Be sure to check out my reviews of book one and book two for all my thoughts on them. Did the finale live up to my expectations? Read on to find out!

THE PACTS HAVE BEEN BROKEN. THE REBELLION HAS FAILED.

Foolish Cur has fallen into a trap. By resorting to forbidden magic when he failed to overthrow the Emperor, he has done exactly as the gods wanted. Now they are free to wage their war, twisting the world into new forms, as strange and terrible beasts walk the earth.

To fix what he has caused will take every ounce of Foolish Cur’s cunning. But mending the pattern of the world is too large a task for one man alone. As the Empire, rebellion and the landscape itself crumble, he and those still fighting for freedom will be drawn together to end the struggle against Emperor Tenet and the gods for good.

But Foolish Cur does not know what such a task will ask of him. And, powerful though he may be, the costs may be more than he is willing to pay . . .

***Thank you to JAB Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

My thoughts about The Pattern of the World are incredibly mixed, and I’m honestly not sure if it is a me thing or an actual deficit in the story. Maybe it’s a bit of both. There was plenty to like, especially if you enjoyed the first two books, but I just never wanted to pick the book back up. It took me over a week to finish it, which is a really long time considering how quickly I usually read.

I’ll start with some of the things I enjoyed. First, The Pattern of the World added so much to my understanding of the world-building of this series. I now have a much better grasp on how the magic works, and this story provided some fascinating information about the history of the gods, their origin, and the seemingly endless war they’ve raged. Some of the descriptions did get a bit too cerebral at times, which made it hard for me to picture some of the magic and events, but the writing, in general, was superb, which should come as no surprise.

The Pattern of the World also continued Greathouse’s beautiful examination of these characters. Just like the second book, this one follows multiple POVs, and each of them had a significant arc with a great deal of growth. Alder was still my favorite, and I liked that he had learned from his mistakes but also still struggled to go against his nature to implement those lessons. He had to accept the sacrifice of the things he wanted most in the world to fix the horrible consequences of his previous actions. Pinion’s journey of dealing with his grief and desire for revenge and Koro Ha’s road to accepting his new power and role of hope-bringer to his people were also both compelling.

The place where The Pattern of the World fell short was the story and its pacing. There was so much philosophizing, and it seemed like the entire book was spent on characters talking about deciding what they should do. The world was literally falling apart around them, but we only got a few glimpses of the mayhem because they just sat in a safe city and squabbled. I kept waiting for the characters to come together and DO SOMETHING, which didn’t happen until the very end. When it finally came, the end made sense, but it was definitely lackluster. I also wish anyone else had helped Alder because my least favorite character played a larger role than I’d have liked.

Overall, there were things I liked and disliked about The Pattern of the World. It definitely wasn’t my favorite book in this series, but it brought the character arcs to a logical and mostly satisfying conclusion. Make sure to read the epilogue. The ending was way too abrupt without it. I just wish there had been a little less talking and a bit more action in this one. Therefore, I rate The Pattern of the World 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Have you read The Pattern of the World or any of the other Pact and Pattern books? Let me know what you thought down in the comments!

Book Review – Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love

biblionerdreflections1 Comment

Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love by Rita Rubin. I stumbled upon this one while doom-scrolling one day on Twitter and thought it looked cute. I’ve been in the mood for something cozy and adorable since I haven’t been feeling well recently, and Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love seemed like the perfect book to help me feel better.

Jayce has little memory of life before entering servitude to the Dark Lord, and no hope of ever escaping. Until he meets Alexius, the knight with a heart of gold. He offers Jayce, his enemy, a chance to break free of the Dark Lord’s clutches, and Jayce is not about to let such an opportunity pass.

When the war comes to an end, Jayce finds himself finally free, with Alexius’s help, and surrounded by a new world of opportunity. And the prospect of a new love. The more time Jayce spends with Alexius, the more he finds himself falling for this knight in shining armour.

When picking up Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love, I wanted something cozy, slice of life, adorable, and romantic. This book ended up ticking off all of those boxes and provided a bit of action and adventure, too. I loved the queer-normative world, and while the world-building was pretty basic, it was the perfect amount to let the reader understand the setting while the focus remained on the characters and relationships.

The characters were my favorite thing about Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love. The story follows Jayce after he is freed from the control of the Dark Lord. Up to that point, he had been the Dark Lord’s faithful apprentice and did terrible things, all while being controlled via a magical necklace that kept him enslaved to the Dark Lord’s will. Alexius, a noble knight trapped in the dungeons, gave Jayce the information needed to remove the necklace, and Jayce helped him escape the dungeons. I enjoyed reading Jayce’s journey of coming to terms with his guilt while also trying to understand who he wanted to become now that he was free.

The relationship between Jayce and Alexius was really adorable. They were both pining so much but never realized the other felt the same way. I loved all of the small moments between the two of them where they were just getting to know one another. Alexius was the sunshine to Jayce’s rain cloud. lol. They made such a great pairing, and their relationship was just so soft and safe.

You may be wondering how books factor into all this enough to warrant a mention in the title. Jayce loved books and ended up working at the most adorable bookshop. The shop even housed a temperamental cat and was owned by a troll, who was very particular about the care of their books. There’s plenty of other great things to be found in the pages of Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love, too. From bandits to tournaments, there’s plenty of fantasy elements to keep things interesting, but those set pieces never overpower the central story of redemption and the life-altering nature of love.

Overall, this was an adorable MM romance set in a fantasy realm. It was largely focused on the characters and their relationship, and its focus on their day to day lives was exactly what I was looking for. I actually wouldn’t have been mad at even more delightful mundanity, but I also appreciated the brevity of the work because it kept the plot from getting too bogged down. Therefore, I rate Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love 4 out of 5 stars and definitely recommend it if you are looking for a quick, cozy MM fantasy romance.

Have you read Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love? Let me know what you thought down in the comments!

Book Review – Mimic Arcanist

biblionerdreflections2 Comments

Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Mimic Arcanist by Shami Stovall. I enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to seeing what Gray, Twain, and all the others got up to next.

School life. Camping. And a mysterious graveyard beneath the sea.

Gray and Sorin Lexly started Astra Academy with a bang. During their first few weeks, a professor tried to kill them, and even opened a portal to the abyssal hells—where the dead dwell.

But that’s all behind them! The portal was destroyed. Time to focus on classes and studies. Or so Gray hopes.

During an Academy camping trip, Gray finds a fragment of the portal… and a few abyssal monsters that somehow crept their way into the world of the living. Determined to set things right, Gray informs Professor Helmith of what he found.

Unfortunately, there may be more fragments of the portal than just the one, which means more trouble lurks around every corner… including the possibility of a Death Lord arriving in the mortal world.

This was a fun sequel, but I didn’t love it quite as much as the first book. I think it was largely due to the plot. The story started with the students and professors going on a camping trip. I was excited to see what they would encounter and wanted a whole story of them out in the wilderness learning more magic. The first part of the story gave me that experience, and I enjoyed it a lot. Then it came to an end a third of the way through the book, and the students were back at school. It felt a bit like a bait and switch, and I was left wondering about the point of the camping trip in the first place, especially since the middle of the book did drag a bit at times. The end was epic, though, and I’m curious to see where the story goes next.

I still loved all the magical creatures! Twain was as adorable as ever, and I really want to know what his true form will turn out to be. Hopefully, it’ll be as big and powerful as his personality. Although, so much sass packed into such a tiny body is part of his immense charm. I did feel like we got less of the other creatures in this one, though. I loved getting to know each of them in the first book, and I really wanted even more of them here. I did like all the new and interesting tidbits added to the world-building and magic system. I know this series shares a world with Stovall’s other series, but I’ve never read it. So, the inclusion of more history on the death lords and the abyssal hells was much appreciated, and I found it all fascinating.

I enjoyed the human character dynamics a bit more in this one. Gray was still a brat, but he wasn’t quite as insufferable as at the beginning of the first book. Twain has been a good influence on him. lol. Sorin was still an absolute cinnamon roll, and I want nothing but the absolute best for him. We got a bit more background on Ashlyn, and I liked seeing her relationship with Gray develop some depth. The friendship between Nini and Sorin also grew into something more complex, and it was fun getting to witness how they learned to navigate it all. I’m hopeful other characters will continue to get more depth as the series continues because this book did a good job with Ashlyn and Nini, and I really want to get to know some of the other characters as well as we’ve gotten to know them.

Overall, this was a solid second installment. The writing continued to be engaging, and I loved learning more about the characters and their world. The story had its faults, but it set things up in a way that makes me excited to pick up the next book. Therefore, I rate this book 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Mini Review – A Crooked Mark

biblionerdreflections3 Comments

Hello, everyone! It has been a while since I reviewed something that wasn’t an ARC. I enjoyed this one so much that I had to share it on the blog. Here’s my review of A Crooked Mark by Linda Kao, which is available now.

A dark and sinister debut YA novel about a teen boy who must hunt down those marked by the devil – including the girl he has fallen for.

Perfect for fans of Neal Shusterman and Kendare Blake.

Rae Winter should be dead.

Some say that walking away from the car crash that killed her dad is a miracle, but seventeen-year-old Matthew Watts knows that the forces of Good aren’t the only ones at work. The devil, Lucifer himself, can mark a soul about to pass on, sending it back to the land of the living to carry out his evil will.

Matt has grown up skipping from town to town alongside his father hunting anyone who has this mark. They have one Find these people, and exterminate them.

After helping his father for years, Matt takes on his own Rae Winter, miracle survivor. But when Matt starts to fall for Rae, to make friends for the first time in his life, he’s not sure who or what to believe anymore. How can someone like Rae, someone who is thoughtful and smart and kind, be an agent of the devil? With the lines of reality and fantasy, myth and paranoia blurred, Matt confronts an awful truth….

What if the devil’s mark doesn’t exist?

I enjoyed this book even more than I thought I would. The vibes felt like a mix of the TV shows Supernatural and You. Matt and his father have spent their lives investigating people with Lucifer’s mark and burning them alive if they show signs of carrying evil power. Now that he’s 17, it was time for Matt to strike out on an investigation of his own. Over the course of his time watching his “project,” Matt experienced what it was like to have a normal life, one with friends, a school routine, and possibly love. This left Matt questioning whether his lifelong quest to hunt evil was real or something his father’s friend made up to rationalize murdering people. The ease with which he slid into these people’s lives was creepy AF, and his paranoia about the entire process left me with goosebumps. There were some gut punch moments that had me super emotional, which I didn’t expect. Things did feel a little drawn out at times, but the writing was so good at maintaining the tension that I barely cared. The end went in directions I didn’t anticipate and was surprisingly heartfelt for a horror story. lol. I liked the message of it but was also a little disappointed in how things wrapped up. Overall, this was a good read, though, and I definitely recommend it. Therefore, I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars.

ARC Review – Blade of Dream

biblionerdreflections4 Comments

Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Blade of Dream by Daniel Abraham, the second book in the Kithamar trilogy. I enjoyed the first book, Age of Ash, quite a bit and have been looking forward to picking this one up.

From New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author Daniel Abraham, co-author of The Expanse, comes the second novel in a monumental epic fantasy trilogy that unfolds within the walls of a single great city, over the course of one tumultuous year.

“An atmospheric and fascinating tapestry, woven with skill and patience.” – Joe Abercrombie, New York Times bestselling author of A Little Hatred
 
Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories endure.

This is Garreth’s.
 
Garreth Left is heir to one of Kithamar’s most prominent merchant families. The path of his life was paved long before he was born. Learn the family trade, marry to secure wealthy in-laws, and inherit the business when the time is right. But to Garreth, a life chosen for him is no life at all.
 
In one night, a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. He falls in love with a woman whose name he doesn’t even know, and he will do anything to find her again. His search leads him down corridors and alleys that are best left unexplored, where ancient gods hide in the shadows, and every deal made has a dangerous edge.
 
The path that Garreth chooses will change the course of not only those he loves, but the entire future of Kithamar’s citizens.
 
In Kithamar, every story matters — and the fate of the city is woven from them all.

***Thank you to Orbit Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

This author’s ability to weave together various story threads into such a rich reading experience is truly astounding. It is even better because it sneaks up on you. Things may appear slow at first, but please trust that the groundwork is being laid for something amazing. This trend in the writing makes me incredibly excited to see what the last book has in store because I’m certain it will be an epic culmination of everything that’s come before.

I was surprised by how well this book worked on its own. It covered the same time period as the first installment, which meant the overarching story was the same. However, the perspectives were completely different. Whereas the first book followed characters from the slums of Kithamar, this one was written from the perspective of members of the elite, including the heir to the throne. It was interesting to see the story play out from their point of view, especially since they turned out to be just as trapped by their roles in the city as the poor, just in different ways. Much of this story was about two individuals trying to escape/change the roles that society had set for them and searching for who they wanted to be. I enjoyed their love story, as well, and appreciated how the bond of their genuine connection was portrayed and held so much power. There were plenty of bits where the story of these characters overlapped with those from the first book, but it never felt like reading the first book would be absolutely necessary. Having the prior knowledge would undoubtedly deepen the reading experience, but this was definitely a discrete story in its own right.

As with the first book, the real main character was the city of Kithamar. I loved how the author, once again, was able to make the setting feel so alive. The soul of the city felt like a seething presence just below the surface that loomed over everything happening to the people living there. I was enthralled by the exploration of the bastardization of the communal compact that serves as the bedrock of any society. What should have been a force for the betterment of the citizens was twisted into something ugly and destructive by a hunger for power and control. It was thought-provoking and fascinating to read.

Overall, this is a great series so far. If you don’t mind a slow start and the work necessary to understand how the different stories thread together, you’ll probably enjoy this one. I’ve never read anything quite like it with multiple independent stories all telling different angles of the same narrative. It feels almost like a puzzle. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together in the last book. Therefore, I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

ARC Review – The Jasad Heir

biblionerdreflections2 Comments

Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem, which is out today in the U.S. I was excited to get an early copy of this one. Just look at that cover!!!

Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic outlawed; its royal family murdered down to the last child. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.

The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.

In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.

***Thank you to Orbit Books for providing an advanced copy of the book. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

This book was SO GOOD! The tension. The angst. The secrets. The forbidden romance. It was the perfect combination, and I was hooked. The story also had so many of my favorite tropes, including dwindling magic, reluctant hero, and a contest of champions. I really loved the way the author utilized the unreliable narrator to slowly ratchet up the tension while also giving peeks into the complex history of this world that the main character would rather forget. It was truly brilliant and kept me on edge wondering what would be revealed next.

Sylvia was such an intriguing character. Her characterization was my favorite thing about this book. She was so complex. Her concept of self was a bit of a mess because the warring pieces of her psyche wanted very different things. Matters were complicated even further by her history of trauma, which caused her to experience selective amnesia. As a result, we slowly learned the things she’d forced herself to forget. It was fascinating to watch her assemble the pieces of her history and, as a result of this new understanding, stitch herself into a whole, new person with parts of both Sylvia and Essiya.

Arin was both similar to Sylvia and her complete opposite. So much of his personality was also the direct result of trauma. Rather than splitting into pieces and not caring about anything but himself, Arin solidified his identity around his national heritage and became militant in his beliefs about himself and his role. Much like Sylvia, he also closed himself off from others and established a strong need for control. The two of them together created such a riveting dynamic. She slowly chipped away at his regimented iciness while he helped create the necessary conditions for her to confront the past and forge a new version of herself. They had great banter and bounced off one another really well. The author did a fantastic job of crafting a slow stoking of the thick romantic tension between the two, and I ate it up. lol. I’m really curious to see how their relationship plays out in the next book. I have a feeling Arin will continue to have his rigid beliefs unravel in a mirroring of Sylvia’s arc in this book, but we’ll see.

I loved what the author did with the themes in this book. I was fascinated by its exploration of how our viewpoints can shape our understanding of historical facts and lead people to commit atrocities. It illustrated how nothing is quite as black and white as our beliefs may make them seem. At the beginning of the story, I thought I had a firm understanding of who the ‘enemy’ in the conflict would be. As Sylvia remembered and learned more about her past, the shades of gray became dominant and made me re-think my position multiple times. That’s not to say that the genocide portrayed in the book was excusable, but it definitely made it more understandable. I look forward to seeing what happens with these themes in the next book. Sylvia now has a huge decision to make about whether she will continue the cycle of violence and jockeying for power, and I wonder how the things she learned about her family and country in this story will influence her decisions.

Overall, this was a fascinating read with great characters, rich culture and world-building, and an impressive nuance in its exploration of powerful themes. I was on the edge of my seat for most of this story, and I cannot wait to dive back into this world for the sequel. Therefore, I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.