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Monday, August 30, 2021

Review: The Endless Skies by Shannon Price

The Endless Skies
Publication Date: August 17, 2021
Hardcover, 354 pages, Tor Teen
Genres: YA, Fantasy

High above the sea, floats the pristine city of the Heliana. Home to winged-lion shapeshifters―the Leonodai―and protected from the world of humans by an elite group of warriors, the Heliana has only known peace.

After years of brutal training, seventeen-year-old Rowan is ready to prove her loyalty to the city and her people to become one of the Leonodai warriors. But before Rowan can take the oath, a deadly disease strikes the city’s children. Soon the warriors―including two of Rowan’s closest friends―are sent on a dangerous mission to find a fabled panacea deep within enemy lands.

Left behind, Rowan learns a devastating truth that could compromise the mission and the fate of the Heliana itself. She must make a decision: stay with the city and become a warrior like she always dreamed, or risk her future in an attempt to save everyone she loves. Whatever Rowan decides, she has to do it fast, because time is running out, and peace can only last so long...

My Review

Shape-shifting flying lions in YA fantasy books. Sounds intriguing, right? And to me it was. I was curious as to how something like this could be done well in a YA storyline. Was I completely impressed with how this book was executed? Not really, sadly.

So we have three main characters in The Endless Skies, all with their own point-of-view chapters. First is Rowan, a headstrong Leonodai warrior-in-training; Callen, the boy who loves her; and Shirene, Rowan's older sister who works for the King. Because there were three POV characters, and none of their voices were particularly unique, it was very easy to get them mixed up and forget who we were following in each chapter. At least one POV should've been cut, maybe two. We got way too much information out of Shirene's chapters, due to her political role, that would have been better off coming as surprises to the primary character, Rowan. Then, plot elements could've been surprising to the reader as well. As for Callen, having a POV from a boy who has been rejected romantically by the main character is quite interesting, but since Rowan and Callen are in the same locations a lot of the time, theirs were the easier chapters to mix up.

Rowan herself isn't all that interesting or unique from other YA female fantasy characters, either. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you've read a lot of fantasy, this may not be the book for you. Because of the lack of difference in characters' inner voices and the lack of individuality of characters, this book read really young. I would recommend it for 12-14 year-olds, not upper YA readers.

The world building, while completely unique in the shapeshifting abilities, is just okay. There's not enough description to really connect readers with the locations, other magical shapeshifting creatures, or even the catastrophic things that are happening to the children of the land. Oh, and a major warning here for a disease that kills off kids. If you're at all tired of diseases or even triggered by diseases because of the world's current circumstances, do not read this book. I know that's one reason I just couldn't get into it, in combination with the stuff I mentioned earlier.

Despite the disease, the book is fast-paced, so readers can devour it pretty quickly if they're so inclined. And because it's not a complex magic system, and the characters have a rather modern dialect for a fantasy world, it's an easy book to give to new readers and not bog them down in complexity. Oh, but speaking of world-building, I was super confused as to why an entire magic system rests on the shoulders of a small child when the father is still alive and should have had magic as well. Maybe I missed something about this in the story, but I found it extremely odd that rescuing a baby was key to the entire Leonodai existence.

All in all, The Endless Skies is simply an okay read for those who have devoured fantasy books for many years. While, to a newbie, it may be something super enjoyable. I think if I handed this book to a sixth grader, they'd have a pretty good time.


*Note: I received a NetGalley ARC of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Stacking the Shelves: The Birthday Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Last weekend was my birthday, and while I didn't get a whole lot for myself, some pre-orders did come in. I didn't do anything special for my big day, mostly just relaxed and ate pizza. The day before, my parents visited and we got cupcakes and shopped a little, but it was a pretty tame birthday for the most part.


I, naturally, went to Barnes & Noble to celebrate. Unfortunately, they didn't have two of the books I was looking for. They were out of stock, which was really sucky. It was the first time I'd been to Barnes & Noble since January/February and I wanted to treat myself to two specific titles. Needless to say, I was disappointed. Not a great way to spend one's birthday. But I did get a finished copy of The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes, my favorite book of 2021. I had an ARC, but I wanted a finished version. Then, my sister sent me Have You Seen Me? by Kate White. Pretty sure it was just something she had on her shelves and didn't want anymore and she passed it off as a gift. She's a dork.


My parents brought the mail to me that I'd had delivered to their house, including July's FairyLoot. The box for July was a mixed bag. The book, Six Crimson Cranes, is beautiful, though it isn't a story I'm super excited for, and a few of the items are useful, like the umbrella and socks. Everything else I could live without.


My parents also delivered my From Blood & Ash Dreamybox pre-order. Sadly, I was disappointed in this one. I'm getting rid of everything except the Poppy art print and the Kieran bookmark/print. I'm just not a big fan of floral designs like the ones on the pillowcase, woodmarks, etc. Oh, and the pin is an overly used quote.

Unlike Dreamybox, I LOVED the Chest of Fandoms German From Blood & Ash box I got. It came with some great character prints of Poppy and Cas. There's also an awesome secret box. The woodmark is pretty, and the character artwork on the candle is cute enough to keep. Oh, and the pin is shaped like Poppy's dagger, which is really cool. The only item I'm meh about is the playing card set. It's the same character art on each one. I'd have liked different art.

But the major feature of this box is the book. It's a German edition, so I'll never be able to read it. However, look at those edges! There's a dagger on the long edge and arrows on the short edges. It's amazing! I won't be able to afford the sequels in the series from CoF due to international shipping costs, but I can display this one nicely once I get my FBAA shelves set up.

Well, that's the last of my haul. I have some pre-orders coming in hopefully next week, including the August FairyLoot and Bookish Box's FBAA editions. I'm crossing my fingers they get here before I go visit my parents over Labor Day weekend. We shall see...

What books have you bought/received lately?

Saturday, August 21, 2021

Stacking the Shelves: The Fan Art Addiction Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Well, tomorrow I turn 28. Wow. I don't feel like I've been on planet Earth for that long. Seems like just yesterday I was in college, being a mini adult. Now, I'm a full-fledged adult. Kind of.

I don't have a lot to share this weekend in terms of book haulage. It's mostly just art prints. A Touch of Magic Designs was having a sale, so I got an Emilia print from Kingdom of the Wicked, Rowan from the Throne of Glass series, and Hawke and Poppy from From Blood and Ash. Technically I already owned two of these prints, but they were odd sizes, so I got new versions that are a more consistent size with some of my other prints. I also got another print and bookmark of Cas and Poppy from Timeless Prints. I need to stop ordering so many of these things. I don't have a place to put them. I'm just addicted to the stupid things for some reason, though I will be doing a fairly large FBAA swag sale pretty soon, extra prints included, once my Bookish Box and FairyLoot special editions get to me. That way, if there's any extra swag in those boxes I don't want, I can get rid of it all at the same time.



An order came in earlier than I expected. I pre-ordered a physical copy of J.S. Dewes's The Exiled Fleet earlier this month. Barnes & Noble was having their 25% fall pre-order sale, so I nabbed this one and a couple of others you'll see later. I wanted to pre-order more and really take advantage of the sale, but I realized there aren't a lot of fall releases I'm particularly excited for. Everything is either coming in a FairyLoot box so there's no point in me buying it twice or I just wasn't super interested in pre-ordering it at the moment. That's been happening to me a lot lately. I don't like it. I want there to be more, better books releasing all the time.

And guess what else just recently arrived? Another print. *sigh* One day I won't buy so much fan art. One day. This one is by RosieThorn, and it's of course Poppy and Hawke from FBAA. While I love me some Poppy and Hawke, I really want more fan art of Kieran from that series as well as just other JLA books in general. There is totally not enough good Roth and Daemon art out there.

What books have you bought/received lately?

Monday, August 9, 2021

Review: The Exiled Fleet by J.S. Dewes

The Exiled Fleet
(The Divide #2)
Publication Date: August 17, 2021
Paperback, 432 pages, Tor
Genres: Adult, Sci-Fi

J. S. Dewes continues her fast paced, science fiction action adventure with The Exiled Fleet, where The Expanse meets The Black Company--the survivors of The Last Watch refuse to die.

The Sentinels narrowly escaped the collapsing edge of the Divide. They have mustered a few other surviving Sentinels, but with no engines they have no way to leave the edge of the universe before they starve.

Adequin Rake has gathered a team to find the materials they'll need to get everyone out.

To do that they're going to need new allies and evade a ruthless enemy. Some of them will not survive.

My Review

We're back with Adequin Rake, Cavalon Mercer, and the Sentinel crew in this witty and epic sci-fi series that I just can't get enough of! Seriously, book three better be on its way, or I will have some words with Tor. I must have the next installment!

Okay, I'm going to stop (jokingly) threatening publishing companies and instead focus on my review. The Exiled Fleet picks up close to where The Last Watch left off. Some time has passed, though more time has passed for Cav than for Rake. That darned Divide messing with time again. I will straight up say that Cav is still a giant mess in this book, and for some very strange reason, I really enjoy that. He has so much going on in that brain of his, that sometimes he just forgets how to take care of himself. He's a disaster cinnamon roll, and I love him.

As for Adequin Rake, surprisingly, she was a bit of a mess in this book as well. Which totally makes sense given the events of book one. Lots of PTSD and trauma to sort through, as well as survivor's guilt for both Rake and Cav.
However, Rake still had her badass moments, and Cav had his scientific HA-HA moments for his major brain blasts.

The plot for this installment started off a little slow at first, but it picks up fairly early on, and even when the book is slow, you can tell a new, faster development is coming in the next few pages. There are some major revelations going on in The Exiled Fleet, and things go topsy-turvy. (Poor Cav....)

While I did very much enjoy myself with this sequel, I will say that there were a couple of events that I found myself a little iffy about. One was a small time jump in the middle of the book that really confused me. I actually thought it was a dream sequence or a hallucination at first. Then, later, a very convenient "save the day" moment happened that kind of took me out of the story a bit. However, these were pretty minor interruptions to my overall reading experience.

So, was book two better than book one? Yes and no. Yes because major plot points happen, and no because it wasn't as funny as book two, in my opinion. Definitely still fun, but that opening line for The Last Watch still kills me every time I think about it. Now for the important question: do I still want to be a member of Adequin Rake's crew? Also yes and no. Yes because they're awesome. No because bad things happen to them. Often. That being said, I'm still 100% recommending this series for fans of Game of Thrones and The Expanse, as well as Star Trek and even YA sci-fi fans. It's just a good time all around.

*Note: I received a NetGalley ARC of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Monday, August 2, 2021

June and July Wrap-Up & August TBR

Oh my! July is finally over, and I am super excited! I'm in my new permanent place, my major furniture is ordered, my stuff is mostly put away, my freelance work is complete, and now I can just focus on reading books and doing a little bit of decorating with the small space I have in my studio apartment. Life is looking up after a hectic and emotional month. But enough of that, let's get on to the books for June and July, because last month was too chaotic to get a post in. (It was pretty insane.)

In this wrap-up, I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received, and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!

Books Read in June & July


The Covenant: 1 star
King of Scars: 3 stars
This Adventure Ends: 3.5 stars
The Cruel Prince: 4 stars
The Wicked King:
4 stars
The Queen of Nothing: 3.5 stars
Iron Widow
: 3.5 stars (ebook, review to come)
White Hot Kiss: re-read
Rule of Wolves: 3 stars

Stone Cold Touch: re-read

June was a great reading month! I read quite a few books I owned prior to 2021, and I completed my goal for reading 15 books I owned prior to April 2021. In total, I read seven books: one graphic novel, one NetGalley ebook, and six physical books overall. The physical books were The Covenant by Aron E. Coleite, King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo, This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills, and The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black. These six books were all ones I owned prior to 2021. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao was the ebook/review copy.

For July, I only read three books, all of which were physical and two were re-reads. I finished re-reading White Hot Kiss and Stone Cold Touch, so I'm two steps closer to re-reading all of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Dark Elements and Harbinger series in order to remember what's going down in the final book, Grace & Glory. I also finished Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo for my book club's July meeting. It was...not great.

Books Bought/Received in June & July

 

Oh lord. I have no idea if I'll remember all of the books I accumulated and purchased over the past two months. Life was so insane that I didn't keep very good track. However, I'm going to give it a try. All in all, I received four books in June, all of which were physical books. Those include Witches Steeped in Gold, Realm Breaker version one and two, and Grace & Glory. Despite the giant haul, I actually only purchased three books in June: June's FairyLoot book that didn't arrive until July, the FairyLoot edition of Julie Kagawa's The Iron Raven I preordered, and Grace & Glory. The rest were preordered and only just arrived in June, like the May FairyLoot book, Witches Steeped in Gold; FairyLoot's edition of Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard; and The Bookish Box's edition of Realm Breaker that was in their June subscription box.

In July, I received 11 books, eight of which I purchased in the actual month of July.
The June FairyLoot book, Fire with Fire (not pictured), arrived in July, despite me paying for it in June, and the Fairy Trove Restock edition of Blood & Honey I bought in May arrived too. My From Blood and Ash Illumicrate box that I'd preordered in March arrived in July as well. And it's stunning! I can't wait to see what the sequels look like when they release it! I purchased 12 total books, which included a Kindle copy of Unchained by Jennifer L. Armentrout; a preorder of FairyLoot's edition of The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni; Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (Amazon); four books in Nalini Sing's Guild Hunter series (used bookstore); two books from Rachel Vincent's Shifter series (used bookstore); July's FairyLoot box; and FairyLoot's preorder edition of Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco. I also received an ebook review copy of The Exiled Fleet by J.S. Dewes from NetGalley, and I'm super excited to get to it. It's one of my most anticipated books for the last half of 2021.

Currently Obsessed With

I have shows that I'm watching! It feels like it's been years since I've actually watched a TV show! Technically, I've only watched one new show, started watching a couple but haven't gotten very far, and re-watched one other, but the re-watch isn't The Office, so that makes it 10x better! XD

So the only new show I watched in its entirety (or a significant portion of) was Love, Victor season two. It was fun. I binged all of it in a single weekend, and it was the first show I officially watched in my new apartment. Other than Love, Victor, I've been re-watching Schitt's Creek, which I finished in July. Now, I have to find another background show to watch. Also, I did see Black Widow and I started an episode of Monsters at Work both via Disney+. I'm also slowly making my way through the last season of Kim's Convenience on Netflix.

August TBR


Lots of repeats on August's TBR, unfortunately, and I don't think I'll get to all of them. Mostly, I want to continue re-reading the Dark Elements and Harbinger series, but I probably will only get to Every Last Breath and Storm & Fury. I also have to read The Exiled Fleet and The Endless Skies by Shannon Price (not pictured), since they're NetGalley review copies that release in August. I'm also continuing my year-long read of A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, which I briefly put on hold during my move. And finally, I need to re-read All Systems Red by Martha Wells for this month's book club with the possibility of reading the second book, Artificial Condition, if the other two members want to read it as well. We chose something short this month in anticipation of September and October's book choices being longer picks.

***

Okay, well, those are the months of June and July, plus some August sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!