Review: The Shadows That Listen by Louisa Carmody

The Shadows That Listen

Louisa Carmody

(Angel Ruin #1)

Publication Date: August 18, 2026

Paperback, 400 pages, Orbit

Genres: Adult, Romantasy/Paranormal/Dystopian

Goodreads

WHO WILL SURVIVE THE NIGHT?

 

The Shadows that Listen is an unputdownable dystopian romantasy with a delicious slow burn romance, from debut author Louisa Carmody. Perfect for fans of Crescent City and Silver Elite.

 

It's been five years since the world was brought to its knees by an immortal war. Daemons crawled from the depths of hell and the sky bled gold as the angels arrived. Humanity thought it was saved, but the angels did not come to protect us.

 

Amara is a human warrior working for the Angel Intelligence Agency. She spends her days searching for those who don't make it home after curfew. But when her boyfriend Jeremy goes missing, she decides to venture into the shadows to bring him back. Even if it means death.

 

Nathaniel is an archangel tasked with leading the destruction of humanity, for which he cares little. He doesn't have time to protect little humans running around in the dark, especially those who stab him in the stomach.

 

But Nathaniel and Amara will soon realize they share a foe, one that lurks in the shadows and stalks them from the skies. She might long to kill him, but Amara knows that having an angel at her side is the only way to find the man she loves.

 

The shadows lengthen. They listen. Who will survive the night?

My Review

The Shadows that Listen brought me back to a much simpler time when the angel craze was alive and well in the early 2010s. I loved every second of it then, and I loved diving back into the angel vs. demon world today. This book proved the simple fact that I don't think I'll ever tire of those stories.

The plot of this one really reminded me of Angelfall by Susan Ee. There's a girl trying to find a loved one and she allies with an angel to get that person back and help her navigate the apocalyptic chaos of the world around her. Only, in the case of The Shadows that Listen, the female main character is 27 with a missing boyfriend and skills that come with being a trained soldier. Amara Jones, the FMC, is fierce, witty, and has a remarkable ability to not die. I was impressed and a bit shocked that she kept getting out of some of the situations the author put her in.

As for the archangel and Amara's reluctant ally, Nathaniel, he's the broody and mysterious type. He has the vibes of Angelfall's Raffe, along with other popular male characters, angel or otherwise, like Hunt from Crescent City and Xaden from Fourth Wing. He also has a tendency to seemingly begrudgingly save Amara, which is quite entertaining to an enemies-to-lovers reader like myself.

As for the worldbuilding, I very much enjoyed it. The idea of an apocalyptic world overrun by angels and demons isn't entirely new, but it's still very entertaining. I liked that Amara was part of an intelligence agency, that the angels had their own city, and that the demons (or daemons as they're called in the book) are familiar but unique. Like the hellhounds. Those aren't new to paranormal stories, but the author put a spin on them that I found interesting.

 While I did thoroughly enjoy The Shadows that Listen and I devoured it in only a few days, I will say, there was some repetition, mostly revolving around the number of battle scenes and how those tended to play out. There were a lot of them, and I found myself thinking "Again?" once or twice when we went from a fun tension-filled conversation between the main characters straight into another fight. I also found the ending, while super interesting, to be a bit confusing. Not because things weren't foreshadowed or explained properly, but because I didn't understand why the two characters needed to trek around and make the journey for that ending to happen. It seemed like somewhat of a plot hole, but maybe that'll be touched on more in the second book, which I'll 100% be reading.

All in all, I definitely think this story is for the millennial readers who grew up with Angelfall, Unearthly, Angelfire, Fallen, City of Bones, Hush, Hush, and all the other young adult paranormal angel books. And, for newer readers, Crescent City and Silver Elite fans will very much appreciate this one. It's also for the Supernatural fans. If you miss Sam and Dean battling Lucifer and Michael on your TV screen, then you need to pick up The Shadows that Listen. You'll have so much fun!

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

Review: Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard

Broken Throne

Victoria Aveyard

(Red Queen #4.5)

Publication Date: May 7, 2019

Hardcover, 480 pages, HarperTeen

Genres: YA, Fantasy, Dystopian

B&N | Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Return once more to the deadly and dazzling world of Red Queen in Broken Throne, a beautifully designed, must-have companion to the chart-topping series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard.

The perfect addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series, this gorgeously designed package features three brand-new novellas, two previously published novellas, Steel Scars and Queen Song, and never-before-seen maps, flags, bonus scenes, journal entries, and much more exclusive content.

Fans will be delighted to catch up with beloved characters after the drama of War Storm and be excited to hear from brand-new voices as well. This stunning collection is not to be missed!

My Review

I love the Red Queen series! Love it. I’m honestly not sure why it gets so much hate. But when I heard Victoria Aveyard was releasing another book in the series with stories from characters after the events of War Storm, I was super excited. For some reason, though, I put off picking this one up. I guess I just didn’t want the world to officially end. Now that I have read it, I definitely want to go through and do a re-read of the entire series soon. But let’s get on to my review, shall we?

Please note that because this book is #4.5 in the series, there will be spoilers in my review.

So the first two stories are ones I have already reviewed, since they were previously published in Cruel Crown. I originally gave “Queen Song” four stars and “Steel Scars” three stars, and I stand by those ratings. Cal’s mother, Coriane, has a terrible, fascinating story, while Farley’s story in “Steel Scars” really only gets interesting when the Barrows get involved. I re-read Farley’s short story simply because I wanted to read the entirety of Broken Throne. I don’t think I’ll ever read that story again, though. (Check out my full review of these novellas.)

The next short story in this bind-up is “World Behind,” and it follows Lyrisa. I didn’t remember this character from the original four books at all. I never could place her while I was reading. I had to do some research to figure out who she was. This meant I felt kind of “meh” about the first half of her story. I did like the ending though. It gave off some fun Six of Crows vibes. I’d give this short story three stars as well.

Next, we got an Evangeline story. It was good, though I wish there had been more in terms of her and her brother’s relationship and their next steps. I think it does provide a satisfactory ending to Evangeline’s story compared to what happened in War Storm, though. I’m giving this one 3.5 stars.

Towards the end, we get a few different short stories, but the main one is Cal and Mare’s. I always want more Cal, so this story and all of the ones that followed were great. I think these ones could have been fifty pages longer just to make me happy and give me more. Despite that, they did put a smile on my face. Cal is kind of clueless when it comes to the real world (i.e. the cabin scene). I’m still a little bitter about how poorly Cal gets treated sometimes writing-wise. However, I do appreciate how Aveyard ended the series in War Storm more now than I originally did when I first finished that book, and I do think Broken Throne is a necessary epilogue to the series. I’d give these stories five stars.

All in all, Broken Throne just re-ignited my love for this world. I really want to re-read the entire series when I get the chance, though I’ll probably skip the first three stories in Broken Throne during my future re-reads. I will skim through all of the maps, texts, etc., in the book, though, because those were fascinating. Everything was purple, even the font! Purple is my favorite color, so this book will have a place of honor on my shelves. Oh, and the Calore family tree poster also made me super happy. I love when publishers include extras inside books.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

War Storm

Victoria Aveyard

(Red Queen #4)

Publication Date: May 15, 2018

Hardcover, 662 pages, HarperTeen

Genres: YA, Fantasy/Dystopian

B&N | Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all… starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power… for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

My Review

I’ve been waiting for this book to release for so long, yet for some reason(s) I’ve tried to explain to myself, it took me almost an entire month to read this. Not that it was a terrible book or anything. I just have a lot going on during the week, and one of the weekends was BookCon, and I couldn’t take this behemoth of a book on the train ‘cause it’s gigantic, and… you see how my excuses are stacking up, right? But, anywho, I finished it finally, so here is my review.

To start off with, there was not enough Cal in this book. Yes, he was there, but everyone was so mean to him. The poor guy needed strategizers and advisors, yet everyone said, “Nope, we’re gonna do it this way instead. Peace out.” I also wasn’t too thrilled with the direction this book took about three-fourths of the way through. It was a lot of political I-won’t-help-you-unless-you-help-me-bullshit that works soooo well for getting things done. Note my sarcasm. This made the last 25% underwhelming. (Although, I can also attribute some of this to my noisy neighbors who were playing their music so loud that I found it hard to concentrate.)

I still enjoyed this book, despite my grievances with the last quarter where everyone seems out of character. There’s the cool powers and the awesome world-building. And the epilogue, though steeped with remnants from that meh 25% ending, was satisfying overall.

What I didn’t love were the chapters narrated by Iris. Like who the h-e-double-hockey-sticks are you? I don’t care. The book could have been 500 pages instead of 600 without her chapters. Everyone else’s were fine, even Evangeline’s were okay.

Umm… what else? Apparently, there are going to be more books, or at least novellas, set in this world coming in 2019. Not sure how I feel about that. I was happy the series was finished. I just don’t want it to end up, in my opinion, like The Mortal Instrument series or House of Night books where the stories just get dragged out. I’ll still end up reading them, though. *sigh*

All in all, not exactly what I was hoping for in the finale. I think all the characters continuously made stupid decisions, but there was action, cool powers, and Cal, so I guess I can’t complain too much.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

My Thoughts on the War Storm Book Trailer

In case you know nothing about YA fantasy books, Victoria Aveyard’s finale to the Red Queen series, War Storm, releases this week. I already have it pre-ordered and am super excited to devour the 600-page monster, but I thought I’d also share my thoughts on trailer Epic Reads released.  I’ve posted it below for those who’d like to watch it.

Obviously, this trailer isn’t blockbuster-made, but the quotes were intriguing. Some of the lines even gave me chills, despite the actors’ bad delivery. (And let’s be honest, none of the actors were that great.) I was impressed with the powers aspect, though. The water CGI was really good.

Okay, I’ll stop analyzing the quality of the trailer and get back to its content. Sadly, I don’t remember everyone’s names, so I’m not sure who the first girl is in the video. It might be Iris? (I’m going to need to check out a recap post of the past two books before reading War Storm.) Her “borrowed time” and “stolen thrones” line was head-scratching-worthy though.

The second person in the video is obviously Maven. (Boo! Hiss!) I do hope he’s talking about seeing Cal again. Obviously the other person he’s discussing is Mare, but I would really like for the two brothers to duke it out in this book. I actually would rather Mare not fight Maven at all.

Evangeline’s line was short, so not expecting a huge presence from her in the finale. Oh and the guy that is supposed to be Cal in this video. No. Just no. That is not a good representation of Cal. The line for him has me worried a little, though. Don’t get too power-hungry Cal! And then same for Mare, only she’s less power-hungry and more a martyr-type.

All in all, there’s a lot going on in this trailer. I don’t want to dissect the lines too much because I want things to surprise me when I read the actual book on Tuesday, but I’m definitely ready to get my hands on War Storm. Right. Now!

What about you? Are you waiting for War Storm to release? Did you like the trailer?

My Thoughts on The Death Cure Trailer

I thought I’d share my thoughts and feels on The Death Cure trailer. In case you haven’t seen it, I’ve posted it below. Just remember that this is the third movie in the franchise, so stay away from the video if you haven’t seen the other films, unless you just want to be spoiled.

Okay, so I feel like I’ve been waiting for this movie for a loooooooong time. Honestly, if I hadn’t written movie reviews for The Maze Runner back in 2014 and its sequel The Scorch Trials in 2015, I would have forgotten how much I thoroughly enjoyed these films.

Now, I’ve only read the first book, The Maze Runner, and I didn’t really like it. It was just an okay read. Maybe if I’d read it in sixth grade instead of college I would have loved it more, but I didn’t… HOWEVER, I feel like the films present a more “grown up” feeling. Yes, adults can read YA and watch kids’ movies (I do all the time), but these films present a perfect balance of complicated storyline and young, yet intelligent and thoughtful characters. The book versions didn’t quite have that thoughtfulness.

It’s been two years, but the actors still look relatively the same. I’m glad Dylan O’Brien, aka Thomas, is doing well after his on-set accident. I’m also glad that what looks like a majority of the main cast is back for this one. There’s only one person who is maybe missing…? Not sure.

I do think that with all the action-packed trailer scenes, what’s being left out is some info on what’s happened between the end of The Scorch Trials and the start of this film. Why are the characters stealing the cargo train thing? But I love the suspense with the idea that these kids can cure the world and, for some reason, they have to break back into the maze.

All in all, I think this trailer relied a lot on nostalgia from the first two films. Maybe it’s just me, but I missed these characters without even realizing it. And I hope Thomas and the gang make good decisions because I haven’t read the book. This means I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m going in blind!

Review: King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

King’s Cage

Victoria Aveyard

(Red Queen #3)

Publication Date: February 7, 2017

Hardcover, 528 pages, HarperTeen

Genres: YA, Dystopian/Fantasy

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

In this breathless third installment to Victoria Aveyard’s bestselling Red Queen series, allegiances are tested on every side. And when the Lightning Girl's spark is gone, who will light the way for the rebellion?

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.

My Review

I was finally able to read the next portion of Mare’s story. I’ve been waiting for this sequel for what seems like forever.

There are some SPOILERS ahead. Nothing major, but this is the third book in a series of which I have some pretty big feels that I have to get off my chest.

The beginning of King’s Cage doesn’t quite leave off right where Glass Sword left off, but it’s still pretty close. Readers get to immediately know where Mare is in terms of her whole Mal situation. And boy, was that situation ugly.

Let me start out by saying that I am most definitely not Team Mal. I loathe Mal. Loathe. So having Mare in a slow, political battle with his character—during which she basically just rotted away as his “prisoner” the entire time—for the first half of the book was supremely unsatisfying. I just wanted something to actually happen.

Despite Mare’s scenes being rather dry, the other point of view we got from Cameron really kept me going throughout the book. I looked forward to reading her scenes. I’m not ashamed to admit that 95% of this anticipation was because of Cal. #TeamCal

Even though I may have enjoyed Cameron’s chapters more at first, it still didn’t change the fact that not a lot really happened in the beginning half of the book. I also noticed there was also a lot of heavy description scenes bogging down some of the first chapters.

Alright, so there’s my nit-picking bit. Now, I’m going to get into the good stuff. This includes how Mare finally managed to make up her gosh-darned mind. She also stopped being so aloof and sinister. In Glass Sword, I’d begun to dislike her character a little, but, thankfully, she managed to humanize herself in this book.

Once what I’m going to call Part 1 of King’s Cage was over, the real action began. This is where I couldn’t stop reading. Characters were finally using their powers, and the plot was moving. Oh, and there was more Cal. ;)

Speaking of Cal, one of my favorite quotes in the book is about him. I won’t share it for fear of major spoilage, but just know that it’s awesome.

The ending of this book gave me some mixed feelings. On one hand, I know book four will be epic. On the other hand, I really wanted the characters to be happy, and I don’t know if that’s going to happen now!

All in all, I really just don’t want to wait for the last book in this awesome series. While this book isn’t my favorite of the three out right now, I know that it’s building up to a monstrous conclusion that will in the end have me either a) in tears, b) rampaging and cursing the world, or c) supremely satisfied. There will be no in-between.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne

Savage Drift

Emmy Laybourne

(Monument 14 #3)

Publication Date: May 6, 2014

Hardcover, 306 pages, Feiwel & Friends

Genres: YA, Dystopian/Post-apocalyptic, Sci-Fi

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

The stunningly fierce conclusion to Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14 trilogy.

The survivors of the Monument 14 have finally made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Dean and Alex are cautiously starting to hope that a happy ending might be possible.

But for Josie, separated from the group and trapped in a brutal prison camp for exposed Type Os, things have gone from bad to worse. Traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue or safety.

Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid (with her two protectors, Dean and Jake in tow) joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with his lost love Josie.

Author Emmy Laybourne reaches new heights of tension and romance in this action-packed conclusion to the Monument 14 trilogy.

My Review

Crazy things are happening to the kids who were once locked in a superstore. Crazy things, indeed.

Before I really get into the review, I have to say that I did finish this book in less than eight hours, despite its flaws. Obviously, it was a quick-paced read; I just didn't enjoy it as much as the first books.

Okay, so basically books one and two were about survival and a bunch of teenagers taking care of children in an awful situation. This made the tone light and funny, even with a serious vibe from the threat of death hanging over the characters' shoulders. Unfortunately, Savage Drift took away most of that tone. The plot went from survival to focusing on issues of morality and discrimination. There's nothing wrong with a book showing injustices that can happen (especially in our current times); it just wasn't expected in this read. 

Also, some characters, situations, and plot elements were over-exaggerated to make everyone but the kids appear evil, stupid, and/or uncaring. Even the kids made some stupid decisions that seemed too ridiculous for young adults to make. *cough* Awkward and unnecessary love triangle. *cough* I guess my complaint with this storyline stems from how over-the-top the entire thing was. It just needed to slow things down a little and get rid of that strange love-triangle thing.  

Despite my complaints, this book was a good read. It had me upset and frustrated at appropriate times, and I felt for the characters. I also really appreciated how in this series the font changes for a new character's POV. That made the chapters very readable. 

All in all, I'm not really sure how I feel about the conclusion to this fast-paced trilogy, but I'd recommend YA readers who are fans of shows like The Walking Dead or any post-apocalyptic series try it out for themselves.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Waiting on Wednesday: Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

Arcana Rising

Kresley Cole

(Arcana Chronicles #4)

Publication Date: August 15, 2016

Paperback, Valkyrie Press

Genres: YA, Dystopian, Paranormal

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Losses mount and deadly new threats converge in this fourth action-packed tale of the Arcana Chronicles by #1 New York Times bestseller Kresley Cole.

When the battle is done . . .

The Emperor unleashed hell and annihilated an army, jeopardizing the future of mankind--but Circe struck back. The epic clash between them devastates the Arcana world and nearly kills Evie, separating her from her allies.

And all hope is lost . . .

With Aric missing and no sign that Jack and Selena escaped Richter's reach, Evie turns more and more to the darkness lurking inside her. Two Arcana emerge as game changers: one who could be her salvation, the other her worst nightmare.

Vengeance becomes everything.

To take on Richter, Evie must reunite with Death and mend their broken bond. But as she learns more about her role in the future--and her chilling past--will she become a monster like the Emperor? Or can Evie and her allies rise up from Richter's ashes, stronger than ever before?

My Thoughts

This book. Ugh. I didn’t even think we were going to get a fourth Arcana book this year considering there was no news for months upon months, even when it was well into 2016. Additionally, book three, Dead of Winter, released in winter of 2015, but this one isn’t getting released until August of 2016.

So. Much. Frustration.

After where the third one left off, I’m past ready to pick this book up. #TeamJackFTW

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?