Review: A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen

A Door in the Dark

Scott Reintgen

(Waxways #1)

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Hardcover, 368 pages, McElderry Books

Genres: YA, Fantasy

Goodreads

 

One of Us is Lying meets A Deadly Education in this fantasy thriller that follows six teenage wizards as they fight to make it home alive after a malfunctioning spell leaves them stranded in the wilderness.

 

Ren Monroe has spent four years proving she’s one of the best wizards in her generation. But top marks at Balmerick University will mean nothing if she fails to get recruited into one of the major houses. Enter Theo Brood. If being rich were a sin, he’d already be halfway to hell. After a failed and disastrous party trick, fate has the two of them crossing paths at the public waxway portal the day before holidays—Theo’s punishment is to travel home with the scholarship kids. Which doesn’t sit well with any of them.

 

A fight breaks out. In the chaos, the portal spell malfunctions. All six students are snatched from the safety of the school’s campus and set down in the middle of nowhere. And one of them is dead on arrival.

 

If anyone can get them through the punishing wilderness with limited magical reserves it’s Ren. She’s been in survival mode her entire life. But no magic could prepare her for the tangled secrets the rest of the group is harboring, or for what’s following them through the dark woods…

My Review

Are you looking for a YA book that gives dark academia vibes with some horror and magic thrown in? Then I think this one may be right up your alley. It definitely has the worldbuilding atmosphere of the Shadowhunter Chronicles with a similar feel to Naomi Novik's Scholomance books. There are magical teens, deadly creatures, and even deadlier secrets.

Ren, our main character, is the know-it-all of the group, and I'm not using that term derogatorily. She really is the one who knows it all. She's like Hermione Granger with a dark side. Then there is Timmons, her best friend; Cora, the medic; Avy, the tough guy; Clyde, the drug-dealer/bad boy; and Theo, the son of Ren's enemy. It's quite a cast of characters thrown together in a situation that quickly goes from bad to worse when they all get thrown miles away from their home and into a wilderness filled with a lot of magical boogeymen

I will say, the worldbuilding in this story is what is intriguing. Once the story starts to pick up about fifty pages in, there were crazy things going down every other chapter. There were wyverns, kobolds, dragons, and very evil humans. Even when the spellwork was explained and things got a little too technical, none of it took away from the actual events in the story. I could believe that characters had magical objects hiding on their person and that creepy monsters were haunting the group. Honestly, it was a good thriller/adventure story. I was constantly wondering how everyone would get out of the situation in one piece.

 The weakness of this book lies with the characters, however. They just never quite clicked and they came across as rather dry. In my opinion, they needed more personality and to interact with their peers more on the page. Maybe if the book had been longer and added some conversations between the characters, it could have gained some of that development within the story. As is, it's just really hard to get attached. However, it was shocking when bad things would happen to them. But, unfortunately, after the initial "Oh no!" reaction, I didn't feel anything more. Maybe I'm heartless, but I wasn't feeling it. This is definitely not a character-driven book, it's a plot-driven one. So if you like scary-esque plots where kids are trapped in the woods with monsters, and you also like magic and dragons, then this story could 100% be for you.

Overall, I think this book could be popular for teens looking for the next series to pick up after Harry Potter or Shadowhunters. It could easily fill those gaps. However, if you're looking for something where you fall in love with the characters, I don't think this book is that. It has more of a '90s thriller vibe set in a fantasy world. It was an entertaining read, just not something I fell in love with. Though, I'm not a huge horror fan, so that could explain why.

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

Spoiler Review: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

House of Earth and Blood

Sarah J. Maas

(Crescent City #1)

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

Hardcover, 803 pages, Bloomsbury Publishing

Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Goodreads

Bound by blood.

Tempted by desire.

Unleashed by destiny.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.

My Review

Everyone and their sister has already either read or bought this book, so there’s really no need for me to keep this review spoiler-free. Therefore, you have been warned, there will be SPOILERS.

First off, the title for this book will always be Crescent City. I still don’t understand why the designers, editors, etc. decided to make the series title so large and the actual book title so tiny. And that’s coming from someone who used to work in publishing.

I have to admit, the first part of this book is my favorite. I think those of you who read it will understand why—the wolves. I love werewolves and the wolf-pack dynamics involved with werewolves. I truly wish Danika, Connor, and co. were in the book and not just the plot devices to push Bryce to her next life event. But no, SJM has gotta get those fae storylines in somewhere, so that means the cool wolves got to go. Boooooooo….

The book starts out with a lot of info-dumping. A LOT. Honestly, it would have been better if this book was number two in the series and there was a precursor novel or even a novella introducing Bryce, Ruhn, and the pack with Hunt and the other angels all living separate lives. That way, the ending of book one could’ve been all about the devastation of losing the pack. Anyone else like that idea? It would’ve given us more time to actually get to know Danika on-page and could’ve made her death more impactful, as well as help tamper some of that info-dumping. But that’s just my opinion.

I will say that SJM knows how to build awesome fantasy worlds. This one was a little confusing since it wasn’t technically a real urban fantasy—in that it didn’t take place on Earth—but was still an urban fantasy because it had technology. I did enjoy the mingling of angels, fae, witches, werewolves, and shifters. A+ for that. What’s not A+, is how long the story was; 800 pages was just too much. It could’ve easily been 500-600 pages. There were quite a few scenes that were either boring or didn’t feel totally necessary.

Around page 700 is where the action starts to pick up. And that’s where I was anticipating this book would be a 4-5 star read. Never mind its unnecessary length or info-dumping. I was truly getting into the story. I was a crying, emotional wreck. There was ugly sobbing. But then the “twist” I hoped wasn’t coming came to be. My heart sunk. I had to put the book down and wait until the next day to finish because I just didn’t care anymore. So yeah, here are those SPOILERS I was talking about.

Bryce, to me, was cool because she wasn’t special. I liked her character because she outwitted and outmatched the other supernatural creatures around her without needing fancy powers. The ending ruined that. Cheapened the whole storyline, in my opinion. Basically, Bryce was turned into another Aelin, and I just didn’t want that. Oh, and I have to throw in here that Ruhn is my favorite character. Maybe that’s another reason why the ending bothered me so much.

Also, everyone just watched Bryce fight for her life! WTF!?! All of them could’ve been in the city by the time everything started if they’d left at the beginning of the showdown. But nope. They just watched. Truly an awful way to frame a story. I rolled my eyes so many times.

The ending felt like an entirely different book. It was more fantasy than the detective story/urban fantasy we got in the beginning. I wasn’t a fan of the switch in tone. Also, there were way too many villain speeches during strange parts of the conclusion. No real villain talks for pages and pages of dialogue when they’re killing someone. They kill them and move on, especially if they’re trying to accomplish a big goal like our bad guy was.

As for Hunt, he’s an interesting character. I wasn’t so sure about the slavery aspect of the story (slavery in fantasy books just wigs me out sometimes), but SJM made me really root for him. I hope SJM really digs into the slavery issue in future books and somehow it’s resolved, otherwise, ick. Back to Hunt now. Hunt isn’t my favorite alpha-male warrior, but he isn’t my least favorite either, though the “twist” with him and his friends just had me scratching my head. I felt like that should’ve been foreshadowed a little more than it was.

So yeah, this book disappointed me. I was super into it, but then WHAM! the story completely changed tone and pacing with only 100 pages left. However, I know I’ll still end up picking up book two for Ruhn and his potential lady love. Unless I hear from other reviewers that SJM pulled a Rowan/Rhys love-interest switch. Then I will forget SJM ever existed. I am so tired of her changing love interests in the middle of her series. Hunt may not be my favorite immortal alphahole, but he deserves better than being turned into the poor schlub not worthy of the heroine’s time and affections. *cough* Chaol and Tamlin *cough*

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

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

 "Can’t-Wait Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Wishful Endings, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

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

Legendborn

Tracy Deonn

(Legendborn #1)

Publication Date: September 15, 2020

Hardcover, 512 pages, McElderry Books

Genres: YA, Urban Fantasy

Goodreads

Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Bones with a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic.

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

My Thoughts

I keep hearing about this book. Not actual reviews, but just how much other people are excited for it. Thus, I decided to add it to my own TBR. I think I’ll wait to purchase Legendborn once more people have gotten ahold of it, but I am intrigued. Maybe it’ll come in one of my book subscription boxes. That would be cool.

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Review: Heartsong by TJ Klune

Heartsong

TJ Klune

(Green Creek #3)

Publication Date: October 22, 2019

Paperback, 464 pages, Dreamspinner Press

Genres: Adult, Paranormal

Goodreads

All Robbie Fontaine ever wanted was a place to belong. After the death of his mother, he bounces around from pack to pack, forming temporary bonds to keep from turning feral. It’s enough—until he receives a summons from the wolf stronghold in Caswell, Maine.

Life as the trusted second to Michelle Hughes—the Alpha of all—and the cherished friend of a gentle old witch teaches Robbie what it means to be pack, to have a home.

But when a mission from Michelle sends Robbie into the field, he finds himself questioning where he belongs and everything he’s been told. Whispers of traitorous wolves and wild magic abound—but who are the traitors and who the betrayed?

More than anything, Robbie hungers for answers, because one of those alleged traitors is Kelly Bennett—the wolf who may be his mate.

The truth has a way of coming out. And when it does, everything will shatter.

My Review

I zoomed through Gordo and Mark’s book to get to Robbie and Kelly’s, since I was looking forward to their romance more than the previous one. Strangely, I was disappointed a little at first because I wasn’t expecting what happened. I don’t know if any of the series’ readers could’ve expected what happened.

Heartsong starts at an odd place. I honestly thought something was wrong with my Kindle file and that the correct copy hadn’t been downloaded. It was such a weird starting point for the book, and it took me a couple of chapters to really wrap my head around what was going on in Robbie’s mind. I was also a little surprised Robbie was our narrator, since Kelly is the original member of the Bennett pack. Don’t get me wrong, I love Robbie, I was just surprised. Robbie is such a cinnamon roll, though, and so is Kelly. TWO cinnamon roll characters in one relationship. My mind is blown!

There’s plenty of action and pack feels in this installment. Plus, the romance is between a gay werewolf and an asexual one. I personally have never read any urban fantasy book with that kind of representation. Also, the talk from the pack about this being the “gayest wolfpack” is so cute. They’re all so adorable, despite a majority of the pack being made up of a bunch of tough blue-collar-worker dudes. Oh, and there are plenty of fun Carter scenes. He’s my favorite, so any time he’s talked about in the books, I smile.

Okay, so I binge-read all three books in this series over a three-day period. Now, I can get my life back while I wait for the final book to release in October. It’s about Carter. My favorite gay werewolf. Have I mentioned that yet? I want Brothersong so badly… *cries*

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

Review: Ravensong by TJ Klune

Ravensong

TJ Klune

(Green Creek #2)

Publication Date: July 31, 2018

Paperback, 400 pages, Dreamspinner Press

Genres: Adult, Paranormal

Goodreads

Gordo Livingstone never forgot the lessons carved into his skin. Hardened by the betrayal of a pack who left him behind, he sought solace in the garage in his tiny mountain town, vowing never again to involve himself in the affairs of wolves.

It should have been enough.

And it was, until the wolves came back, and with them, Mark Bennett. In the end, they faced the beast together as a pack… and won.

Now, a year later, Gordo has found himself once again the witch of the Bennett pack. Green Creek has settled after the death of Richard Collins, and Gordo constantly struggles to ignore Mark and the song that howls between them.

But time is running out. Something is coming. And this time, it’s crawling from within.

Some bonds, no matter how strong, were made to be broken.

My Review

I have to be honest. When I first read that Gordo was the narrator for the second book in the Green Creek series, I wasn’t super excited. I was much more invested in the younger pack members’ lives than Mark and Gordo’s. But boy, did TJ Klune blow those feelings out of the freaking water. I was pleasantly surprised by how much Gordo and Mark grew on me by the end of this book.

I do have to admit that the first 30% of Ravensong is slow. Not because it’s bad, but because a lot of it covers events that took place during Wolfsong, just from Gordo’s POV. I really enjoyed the young Gordo flashbacks, but the other scenes weren’t my favorites. I was very happy when we caught up to current events a third of the way through the book, so the plot could really start rolling.

The pack is just as crazy in the sequel as they were in the first installment. They’re a tight-knit group, and they all seem to have problems staying out of trouble. Especially Mark and Carter. Mark because he’s protective of Gordo, and Carter because he’s… well, he’s Carter. Speaking of Carter, he meets someone in this book. Someone seemingly very important. And I adored their scenes. Carter is such a dork.

Overall, this book was super twisty and unexpected. The ending also shocked me, something I rarely expect to happen in urban fantasy stories. If you’re a werewolf addict like me, this is a fun m/m romance series you need to add to your TBR. You won’t regret it.

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

Review: Wolfsong by TJ Klune

Wolfsong

TJ Klune

(Green Creek #1)

Publication Date: June 20, 2016

Paperback, 400 pages, Dreamspinner Press

Genres: Adult, Paranormal

Goodreads

Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.

Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road, the boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.

Ox was seventeen when he found out the boy’s secret, and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.

It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

My Review

I desperately wanted to finish this book in one sitting. Desperately. Unfortunately, sleep claimed me around the 80% mark, but I immediately woke up and, with bleary eyes, finished the 20% that was left. It was addicting. I love werewolf books. Werewolves are so much cooler than vampires. Why do people not get that?

Wolfsong is entirely written in Ox’s point of view. Ox is a boy who grew up in a small town and was verbally abused by his father until said father ran out on him and his mom. Ox is so innocent and cinnamon-roll-ish. You just want to hug him and tell him everything’s going to be alright. I will warn you though, that the narration style takes a few chapters to get used to. The sentences are short and choppy at first, but they grow with the character.

As Ox does get older throughout the book, he meets his new neighbors—the werewolves. There’s a family of them, and the youngest is Joe. Joe has a dark past, but he’s such a rambunctious kid. I really enjoyed all of the family members, however. They’re just wholesome.

I LOVED the first half of this book. It was all about family and small towns and first loves with werewolves thrown in. Now, the second half was more about werewolves and magic, which wasn’t bad at all; I just kind of missed the innocence Ox originally had. Unfortunately, there was also a chunk in the middle that had a New Moon, depressed-Bella vibe. It didn’t last, but I kept flipping pages (metaphorically because I read it on my Kindle app) until things started happening again. I couldn’t stop. I needed answers.

Overall, the way this book ends is satisfying for Ox’s main story. I’m super glad there are more books in the series, but I’m even more thankful that the other characters get a chance at love and the series isn’t all from Ox’s POV. I feel like his journey, for the most part, is complete.

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

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Brothersong by TJ Klune

 "Can’t-Wait Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Wishful Endings, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

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

Brothersong

TJ Klune

(Green Creek #4)

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

Paperback, 700 pages, BOATK Books

Genres: Adult, Paranormal, LGBTQ+

Goodreads

In the ruins of Caswell, Maine, Carter Bennett learned the truth of what had been right in front of him the entire time. And then it—he—was gone.

Desperate for answers, Carter takes to the road, leaving family and the safety of his pack behind, all in the name of a man he only knows as a feral wolf. But therein lies the danger: wolves are pack animals, and the longer Carter is on his own, the more his mind slips toward the endless void of Omega insanity.

But he pushes on, following the trail left by Gavin.

Gavin, the son of Robert Livingstone. The half-brother of Gordo Livingstone.

What Carter finds will change the course of the wolves forever. Because Gavin’s history with the Bennett pack goes back further than anyone knows, a secret kept hidden by Carter’s father, Thomas Bennett.

And with this knowledge comes a price: the sins of the fathers now rest upon the shoulders of their sons.

My Thoughts

Between A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, Reign, and Brothersong, the coming weeks can’t get here fast enough. I seriously need Brothersong like yesterday. It’s the last book in the Green Creek series, and after binge-reading books 1-3, I feel like there’s a hole in my life. A large, Carter-shaped hole. I’m going to purchase all four books of the series in paperback, just because I loved them so much. I try not to do that if I already bought ebook copies, but I realized I have too few werewolf books on my shelves. And, since werewolves are my favorite paranormal creature, I’m just going to suck it up and shell out the money for my own copies.

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Stacking the Shelves: The Werewolf Addict 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.

I was feeling a reading slump coming on, so I made an impulse buy for some trashy werewolf romance. I ended up getting so much more than that.

Wolfsong, Ravensong, and Heartsong by TJ Klune (ebooks)

I devoured this trilogy. I read all three books in less than three days. I was a mess. I barely ate, I barely exercised, and I did very little work. (I’m totally paying for it now that I have deadlines coming up. Eek.) I read these on my phone’s Kindle app, so my eyes were killing me and my neck and hands hated me. (I had already been on my phone for an additional two days reading GoT and The 100 fanfiction, so my eyes were mad. And yes, I changed the settings. It didn’t fix it.) I went to the office for a few hours for a work meeting, but I had to go home after just because I was going to fall asleep after I’d stayed up too late reading. It was bad.

So yeah, this is a good M/M werewolf series, written by an actual gay man! It’s a shame that a lot of M/M romance books aren’t written by men. Oh, and this one has some great representation, especially Heartsong. I’ll have reviews up soon, but just know that it is ridiculously addicting. It takes a bit to get into the narration style, but once you do, there’s no stopping. Now though, I have to wait 3+ months for the sequel, and I just can’t! I want it now!!!

What books have you bought/received lately?