The City of Brass

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty (2017)

the city of brass

Fiction | Historical Fantasy
3.5 StarsBlurb:

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.  Continue reading

Kingdom of Ash and Soot

Kingdom of Ash and Soot (The Order of the Crystal Daggers #1) by C.S. Johnson (2018)
-eARC Review-

kingdom of ash and soot

YA Fiction | Historical | Fantasy
4 StarsBlurb:

“PRAGUE, 1870.

For the last ten years, nineteen-year-old Eleanora Svobodová has worked as a servant in her stepmother’s household. Along with her older brother, she dreams of the day they will be free to live life on their own terms.  Continue reading

Blood for Blood

Blood for Blood (Wolf by Wolf #2) by Ryan Graudin (2016)

blood for blood

YA Fiction | Historical (WWII) | Sci-Fi
4 StarsBlurb:

There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.

For the resistance in the Third Reich, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against Hitler’s army, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.  Continue reading

Lost Crow Conspiracy

Lost Crow Conspiracy (Blood Rose Rebellion #2) by Rosalyn Eves (2018)
-ARC Review-

lost crow conspiracy

YA Fiction | Historical Fantasy
4.5 starsBlurb:

“Sixteen-year old Anna Arden was once just the magically barren girl from an elite Luminate family. Now she has broken the Binding—and Praetheria, the creatures held captive by the spell, wreak havoc across Europe. Lower-class citizens have access to magic for the first time, while other Luminates lose theirs forever. Austria and Hungary are at odds once more.

Anna Arden did not know breaking the Binding would break the world.  Continue reading

The Queens of Innis Lear

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton (2018)
-eARC Review-

the queens of innis lear

Fiction | Fantasy | Shakespeare Retelling
3 Stars
Blurb:

A kingdom at risk, a crown divided, a family drenched in blood.

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.  Continue reading

The Viking’s Chosen

The Viking’s Chosen (Clan Hakon #1) by Quinn Loftis (2018)
-eARC Review-

the viking's chosen

Fiction | Historical | Romance
3 StarsBlurb:

“His orders are clear: launch a raid against England and bring home the spoils of war. But the prophecy is also clear: General Torben will take a foreign bride—one who is a seer and healer just like his mother. The eldest princess of England is said to be just that…a beautiful, charming, and headstrong woman. But he’s a Viking army general and she’s an English princess—and one who is already promised to the king of Tara. Continue reading

Wayfarer

Wayfarer (Passenger #2) by Alexandra Bracken (2017)

wayfarer

YA Fiction | Time-Travel
3 StarsBlurb:

“All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history. After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed. Continue reading

Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers (2012)

Grave Mercy

YA Fiction | Historical Fantasy | Romance
3.5 Stars
Blurb:

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.  Continue reading