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.

Review: Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble

Alexis Hall

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

Paperback, 368 pages, Forever

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+

Goodreads

 

From the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material comes a sweet and scrumptious romantic comedy about facing your insecurities, finding love, and baking it off, no matter what people say.

 

Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home.

 

But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness. And when the show’s vicious fanbase confirms his worst anxieties, Paris’s confidence is torn apart quicker than tear-and-share bread.

 

But if Paris can find the strength to face his past, his future, and the chorus of hecklers that live in his brain, he’ll realize it’s the sweet things in life that he really deserves.

My Review

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble has a really long title for such a quick read. It's also the second book in a companion series, which I didn't know when I requested it for review. Thankfully, though, you don't need to know anything about book one to enjoy book two. So if you like baking, complicated romance, deep topics, and reality TV shows, Paris might be for you.

Paris, unsurprisingly, follows the main character Paris Daillencourt, a university student, as he goes through a popular baking show competition. Unfortunately for Paris, his insecurity, accident-proneness, and tendency to overreact and overthink things leads to some chaotic times. But all this chaos does lead to Paris having a fun meet-cute with a certain fellow baking competitor, Tariq. Tariq is kind of a ball of sunshine and positivity.

Despite this book being classified as a romcom, it does have its deeper moments between the two main characters, as well as between Paris and his family and friends. So if you're looking for a purely happy book, this one may not be for you. Paris does have a lot of anxiety, and, honestly, if I'd been in a bad headspace while I was reading this, I could've seen myself spiraling a little. So trigger warning there. However, some of the relationship drama that plays out I don't think is entirely Paris's or his anxiety's fault. Tariq has his mess-up moments too..

All in all, though, if you liked Boyfriend Material or any of Alexis Hall's other stories, this is a nice one to add to your TBR, as long as you're in the right state of mind to read it. It's quick, full of goodies that'll make you crave sweets of all kinds, and layered with a story about mental health and an emotionally complex romance to lead to a semi-happily ever after.

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

Review: Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros

Bone Weaver

Aden Polydoros

Publication Date: September 20, 2022

Hardcover, 448 pages, Inkyard Press

Genres: YA, Fantasy, LGBTQ+

Goodreads

 

A haunting fantasy following Toma, adopted daughter of the benevolent undead, making her way across a civil war-torn continent to save her younger sister as she discovers she might possess magical powers herself.

 

The Kosa empire roils in tension, on the verge of being torn apart by a proletarian revolution between magic-endowed elites and the superstitious lower class, but seventeen-year-old Toma lives blissfully disconnected from the conflict in the empire with her adoptive family of benevolent undead.

 

When she meets Vanya, a charming commoner branded as a witch by his own neighbors, and the dethroned Tsar Mikhail himself, the unlikely trio bonds over trying to restore Mikhail’s magic and protect the empire from the revolutionary leader, Koschei, whose forces have stolen the castle. Vanya has his magic, and Mikhail has his title, but if Toma can’t dig deep and find her power in time, all of their lives will be at Koschei’s mercy.

My Review

Bone Weaver is the atmospheric tale of a young necromancer and the two boys she meets on her journey to save her sister. It has a whole host of creepy creatures that are all ready to take a bite out of anyone they can get their hands on, as well as some friendly monsters that are just misunderstood. This book combined the power elements of Shadow & Bone with sentient undead to make a unique world based on Russian/Slavic folklore.

Now, while Bone Weaver did have some unique elements, unfortunately, it didn't start off on a strong note. Why? Because I didn't know the protagonist, Toma, was a girl until 10% into the book. (I hadn't read the synopsis since I requested the book months ago.) I was so disoriented when it was finally revealed. That's the issue with first-person POV, it's hard to establish the main character outside of their thoughts. Toma is kind of a necromancer, but not. She weaves thread that helps put her dead family members—who are kind of like sentient zombies called upyr—back together when they start falling apart. When Toma's sister is taken, she meets two boys on her journey to rescue the little upyr. One is a serious prince, Mikhail, and the other is a not-so-serious commoner, Vanya.

I know what you're thinking, a love triangle is about to happen. But actually... no. This storyline had the potential to be a TRUE LOVE TRIANGLE. Meaning there's attraction between all three characters. Sadly, the relationships don't really go anywhere over the course of the story (so if you're reading it for the romance, you might want to bow out), but it was refreshing to see a love triangle done right, nonetheless. Unfortunately, the characters weren't as developed as they could've been, either. They lacked depth and were just kind of... there... in my opinion. I felt no connection to them.

As for the plot of the book, it was pretty straightforward and easy to follow until the worldbuilding got involved. Every time a fight scene was explained that involved some sort of political situation or the various locations or creatures were mentioned my brain just could not follow. During one particular mid-book fight scene, I had no idea why certain characters were doing certain things. Why were the townspeople fighting? What were their motivations? Why did the main characters get involved? It just wasn't very clear, even though it had kind of been discussed by the protagonists. Some descriptive element of scenes like this one were just missing somewhere. Until the ending, that is. Towards the end, things got a little better, but by that point, the book was over.

All in all, the political factions and random creature name drops made this a hard book to wrap my head around for quite some time. Bone Weaver had potential as a series. However, I'm not sure if it has a sequel coming out or if it's a standalone. The ending to this one was left pretty open, since not a lot was truly settled. I would say try Bone Weaver out if you're looking for something a bit creepier and different in your YA fantasy stories, but be wary of that potentially unsatisfactory finale.

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

Review: A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance

Foz Meadows

Publication Date: July 26, 2022

Hardcover, 544 pages, Tor Books

Genres: Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ+

Goodreads

“Stolen me? As soon to say a caged bird can be stolen by the sky.” 

 

Velasin vin Aaro never planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead.

 

Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock. 

 

With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love—as both will learn—is quite another.

 

Byzantine politics, lush sexual energy, and a queer love story that is by turns sweet and sultry. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is an exploration of gender, identity, and self-worth. It is a book that will live in your heart long after you turn the last page.

My Review

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is the story of an arranged marriage within a fantasy world that has a small amount of magics and a lot of political turmoil. The tone of the book and its writing style make it the perfect next read for fans of Alexis Hall's historical romance books or Everina Maxwell's Winter's Orbit.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance follows two main characters: Velasin, the third son of a noble from Ralia, and Caethari, the only son of the leader in Tithena. The writer does something interesting with the perspectives for these two main characters. Velasin's point of view chapters are told in first person, while Cae's are told in third person. It was a shift that allowed for less confusion between POV switches, but it did kind of baffle my mind once I realized that's what was happening. Velasin, as the first person POV, is very hard on himself and has experienced a trauma early on in the book, while Cae is a soldier who doesn't really want to rule and would rather leave that task to his sisters.

Now, my big complaint with this book is the writing style. It's just too darn dry. It's a very formal style. Though I did get used to it eventually, it's easier to get attached to the characters, in my opinion, when it's not written like an Austen novel or an old-time fantasy book. This style also made following some of the logic in the plot-based discussions very difficult. Like when everyone was trying to figure out why someone was attacking a certain group of people. My brain fried trying to keep track of their discussion. Also, some terminology could have been more organically introduced, like the terms for royalty and regular people (tiern and ren, if you were curious).

Another gripe for this book is that major revelations happened pretty early on, making the story rather anticlimactic in the first half. It left little tension between the two main characters that would've been better served if it remained in place a while longer. However, about halfway through the book, Cae and Velasin's relationship turned into a cuter, more awkward domestic arranged marriage. So while I was hoping for more romantic tension, secrets, and pining, the awkwardness was adorable at times. I felt very much like Markel, Velasin's friend, in those instances, smiling at the pair. Oh, and speaking of Markel, there's deaf representation as well as queer representation in the book. I'd hope by now that every fantasy would have this sort of real-world representation in their stories, but alas, that's not always the case. So it's fantastic to see here. And the terminology for titles and gender identities was clever too, though it did get confusing trying to juggle all of them. I think this book could've benefited from a breakdown of terms in the frontmatter.

Okay, so I'm not done griping. I do have to say, that it's just weird that there were no bodyguards assigned to any of the royals. In fact, a lot of the plot developments in terms of the assassin storyline just didn't make sense. Why did the father (the ruler), just let his son and his husband roam around without any kind of protection? And the characters are also weirdly naive considering a murder spree is going on. They're all "Oh, let's just go visit the shop by ourselves, surely nothing bad will happen!" And perhaps the weirdest development of all, the Tithenai people are very lackadaisical about killing. "Ope someone's been stabbed. Oh, well, let's party!"

Other than some naivety, the ending of this book was fun and dramatic. I suspected pretty early on who was responsible for everything, but it all played out in a twisty manner that had me flipping pages fairly quickly.

 All in all, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, is a good book for fans of political maneuvering, diverse characters, and good representation. I wouldn't suggest the book for all romantasy readers though, as it is a dry tale. But I think some readers who have an appreciation for that old-time fantasy feel will really enjoy this one.

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

Review: Vows of Empire by Emily Skrutskie

Vows of Empire

Emily Skrutskie

(The Bloodright Trilogy #3)
Publication Date: June 14, 2022

Hardcover, 288 pages, Del Rey Books

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi, LGBT+

Goodreads

Two young princes on opposite sides of a war must decide between loyalty and love in this galaxy-shaking finale of the Bloodright Trilogy.

 

Gal and Ettian have never been farther apart. Once, they were roommates and best friends, each suffocating under a secret of galactic consequence. When Gal’s came to light—that he was heir to the Umber Empire and all of its brutal conquest—the two were forced to flee their military academy, fall in with a brewing rebellion to reclaim the Archon Empire from Umber’s grasp, and face their long-held feelings for each other.

 

Then the rebellion discovered Gal’s identity and to save his life, Ettian had no choice but to unveil his own secret: that he was the long-lost heir to the Archon throne. With Gal as a political prisoner, Ettian began the fight to restore his own empire—and to open Gal’s eyes to the possibility of a galaxy reclaimed from Umber’s greed. But just when Gal was starting to come around, a team of Umber operatives rescued him from Archon’s clutches and dragged him home to take up his crown.

 

Now, separated for the first time and in full command of the might of their respective forces, the star-crossed rulers find themselves truly at odds. And with the war reaching a tipping point, the time has finally come for Gal and Ettian to confront what they owe their empires, their friends, and each other if they’re ever to forge a universe where the two of them can be together.

My Review

The final book in The Bloodright Trilogy is here, and Gal and Ettian are back and trying to stop all the chaos the world has left them with. Gal is trapped with his empress mother and her evil rule, while Ettian is trying to play the game of thrones when he only took up the leader mantle to save his friend's life. It's all a giant mess, and somehow they have to fix a whole galaxy in only 288 pages.

So Vows of Empire jumps a little in time from where the events of the second book, Oaths of Legacy, left off. But it's not a large time jump. The book starts out with Gal and Ettian on separate sides of an ongoing war and it follows them throughout their political decisions to find their way back to each other. However, here's the thing, the plot at the end was obviously fake. It was told to us beforehand that certain events weren't real, so I'm a little confused as to why the author decided to lean into that storyline like we didn't know what was going on. It was frustrating. Now, for those of you who haven't read this book, you'll have no clue what I'm talking about. Basically, all you need to know is that Gal and Ettian come up with a plan to "win the war" and, as the reader, you know the broad strokes of what that plan is as it plays out. Yet the author acts like we, as the reader, have no idea what's happening. It's an odd writing choice.

And while the first half of this book was a solid four stars, I just didn't enjoy the rest, which is sad, considering this was one of my most anticipated books of 2022. Unfortunately, everything was just too obvious and that obviousness made it seem like the adults were completely incompetent. Plus, I found the overabundance of battle strategy explanations tedious. I wanted more interactions between the main characters instead. I'm primarily a character reader. Without good characters, I can't enjoy a book, even if the plot is amazing, and especially if it's so heavy on the politics that the character dynamics are kind of left to the wayside. Now, if you like a ton of political sci-fi elements, this will definitely be the series for you; though, I will say that the first book didn't start out that way at all. It was more of a fun action/adventure romp.

Sadly, towards the end of the book, I also didn't enjoy the characters as much. This includes Gal, Ettian, and Wen. All of them made weird decisions. I'm not sure if it was the situation they were in or if they themselves changed between books two and three, but I simply didn't like them in this final story. Maybe it's because they couldn't get into hijinks together as a fun trio since they were all apart for a large portion of the book... Or maybe its because I hated the plan they came up with in general and no one really stepped up like I had hoped for. What I think I'm getting at is I wanted more time with the three main characters together to solve a problem, and things didn't go down that way.

Now, despite my complaints, I will say the last two chapters of the book were good. They ended how I predicted they would based on the big plan Ettian and Gal set up. But the predictability didn't hurt the story, as it finally got back to Ettian and Gal, not just endless battle tactic discussions and political maneuvering. While sometimes I do like political-esque books, for this series, I had grown attached to the main characters, so it was super disappointing not to have time with them together as a unit like books one and two.

All in all, Vows of Empire was a book with an eh end. A lot of questions about the state of the galaxy are still up in the air, and the book doesn't have a very climactic finale. But there's a kind of happily-ever-after, which makes it an okay ending in my mind.

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

Review: The Endless Skies by Shannon Price

The Endless Skies

Shannon Price

Publication Date: August 17, 2021

Hardcover, 354 pages, Tor Teen

Genres: YA, Fantasy

Goodreads

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.

Review: United by Melissa Landers

United

Melissa Landers

(Aliented #3)

Publication Date: August 2, 2016

Hardcover, 317 pages, EverAfter

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

Goodreads

After thwarting a deadly coup and saving the alliance between their worlds, Cara and Aelyx have finally earned a break. Their tiny island colony is everything they dreamed it would be―days spent gathering shells on the beach and nights in each other’s arms.

But the vacation is short-lived.

The treaty between Earth and L’eihr has awakened an ancient force that threatens to destroy them all. The Aribol, mysterious guardians charged with maintaining interstellar peace, deem the alliance a threat to the galaxy. They order a separation of the races, decreeing humans and L’eihrs must return to their own planets within the month or face extinction. In fact, they already have agents in place on Earth, ready to begin.

With the clock ticking, Aelyx and Cara assemble a team of colonists and race back to Earth, where they unite with old friends to solve the mystery of who the Aribol are, what they want, and the real reason the alliance has provoked them. As tensions build to a full-scale war, Aelyx and Cara must fight harder than ever―not just for their future, but for the survival of both their worlds.

My Review

I did it. I finally finished this trilogy after having United on my shelf for over four years! And overall, it was a good conclusion to the young adult sci-fi series.

United starts with Aelyx and Cara on their new colony planet. They're trying to lead calm lives on this new colony when, of course, disaster strikes. Unfortunately, I didn't remember much from books one and two besides Aelyx, Cara, and Cara's family, so I didn't recall all of the side characters like Elle and Aisly very easily. Though, it was pretty easy to pick up the plot without remembering who those characters were.

The series is told in Aelyx and Cara's point of views, but despite their voices not being overly different, I never got the two mixed up while reading. However, I do think it's odd that Aelyx doesn't have more original thought processes considering he's an "alien." Cara really stepped up in this installment. She took on quite a bit of responsibility, and I very much enjoyed seeing it. Though it did seem like Aelyx didn't get as much time to shine or do anything major related to the plot with this addition.

As for the actual plot, it was a satisfying conclusion. Lots of aliens and political drama. I actually wanted to bump up the star rating at one point, just because the ending of the book was so good, and I was enjoying myself so much. Sadly, I couldn't make myself go up another star, as the beginning and middle were a bit too large in scope and too choppy. It's kind of hard to explain. You'll just have to trust me that though this book starts out all over the place, things slow down and the action starts coming together in those final chapters.

All in all, the Alienated trilogy is a quick, fun series. It's very reminiscent of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series as well as the CW television show, Starcrossed. So if you're a fan of those or even Roswell or Roswell: New Mexico, you might enjoy Melissa Landers's trilogy.

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

Review: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

These Violent Delights

Chloe Gong

(These Violent Delights #1)

Publication Date: November 17, 2020

Hardcover, 464 pages, Hodder & Stoughton

Genres: YA, Historical Fiction, Paranormal

Goodreads

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. 

 

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule. 

 

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

My Review

Romeo and Juliet as two rival gang members? In 1926 Shanghai? With paranormal elements? Sounds like a blast, right? For some of it, it was.

These Violent Delights is a unique idea with a unique location not seen very often in western young adult publishing, but something in the book just seemed to be missing. The exposition was kind of dry at times, even though the information about foreign powers interfering with Shanghai's political backdrop was super important to real events, the story kind of read like a history book in spots. Juliette Cai's narration was often the most dense, even though there were multiple POVs in the book.

There was also a lot of description of the city and political backdrop, which is completely fine, but as a character-reader, I felt like the characters' individual personalities didn't get to shine with so much description. The gang elements were kind of the same way. I went into this story expecting some heavy tension between the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers, but I never really felt like any of our main characters were in danger at any point. Maybe some of the side characters, but not the two protagonists. And, more importantly, why do these kids just get to run around? Shouldn't the head of a major criminal operation have guards for their kids or keep tabs on them somehow? Maybe I'm modernizing the fictional story too much...

Now, to the actual Romeo and Juliet, a.k.a Roma and Juliette. Roma wanting to stop committing violent acts and Juliette being all about the gang life was a dichotomy I loved and did not expect going into These Violent Delights. Juliette was pretty fierce, but, as I mentioned, her exposition was looooong. She also had the longest chapters. I was disappointed that when the two characters were together, there was never enough tension and angst between them. I never really felt their love and longing (something that seems crucial in an R&J retelling), even though I wanted to. However, I was very happy with the diversity Gong added to the story in terms of her side characters. I may continue with book two just for more Mars and Ben content.

Personally, this book simply missed the mark somewhere. I honestly wish it had solely been a historical romance retelling of Romeo & Juliet without the whole paranormal/bug aspect. A proper gang war story would've been bada$$ and allowed for some true tension. Instead, it turned into a weird monster hunt. Unfortunately, the ending was all about the paranormal elements and the gang war storylines barely played a part, so the big cliffhanger has me hesitating to pick up the sequel.

All in all, I give Chloe Gong major, MAJOR props for writing something so unique and intriguing. Even when I wasn't super invested in the story because of exposition, I still found myself learning about 1926 Shanghai. Sadly, I think I went into this book expecting something that I just didn't get. Hopefully other readers will have better luck.

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

 

Review: Crave by Tracy Wolff

Crave

Tracy Wolff

(Crave #1)

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Hardcover, 592 pages, Entangled Teen

Genres: YA, Paranormal

Goodreads

My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students in it. Here I am, a mere mortal among gods…or monsters. I still can’t decide which of these warring factions I belong to, if I belong at all. I only know the one thing that unites them is their hatred of me.

Then there’s Jaxon Vega. A vampire with deadly secrets who hasn’t felt anything for a hundred years. But there’s something about him that calls to me, something broken in him that somehow fits with what’s broken in me.

Which could spell death for us all.

Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And now someone wants to wake a sleeping monster, and I’m wondering if I was brought here intentionally—as the bait.

My Review

I bought this book solely because I’ve been obsessed with Twilight lately, and this cover is 100% Twilight. Right? Right. While Crave does have similar vibes to Twilight, it’s not quite the same. Which is good, because no one likes to read the same book written by different authors, but I was looking forward to that type of narrative, so I have mixed feelings.

Let’s start with the characters. Grace is very naïve, and it feels like she didn’t ask important questions about the different supernatural species and what their species means for her current situation. Jax, our vampire love interest, has an intriguing history given his princely position. This element was actually super interesting, and it wasn’t explored very much except in snippets of backstory. I hope we get more in the sequels. Jax is definitely similar to Edward Cullen. He’s got the angst thing down.

Something I very much didn’t like about this book were the pop culture references both of the characters make. They took me so out of the story, especially the Twilight one. Why was that necessary? Don’t break the fifth wall if you’re a paranormal romance writer. It’s weird. Also, Jax and Grace have cheesy dialogue and text messaging scenes that are supposed to come across as romantic but really just sound pathetic. I wasn’t impressed by them.

Now, for what I did like. I liked the dichotomy of watching everyone in the school react to Jax and Grace’s relationship, more than I actually liked Jax and Grace’s relationship, unfortunately. Their romance is very shallow, but the side characters and how they feel about Jax and Grace truly make the book. Oh, and the chapter titles were super fun! I loved them. That’s how you can safely break the fifth wall without it being disruptive to the story.

One thing I do have to mention is that there seemed to be an editing error towards the end that really had me scratching my head, as it throws the story out of whack. This is kind of spoilery, but not really. So Grace says she’s Jax’s “mate” in her head before anyone else even mentions the term. This really bothered me. Also, the bad guy is predictable. Even the motivation behind the plan was predictable. The dynamic between some of the bad guys was cool, though. I wish that had been explored more.

I know I’m bashing this book a lot, but it did manage to entertain me, and it was super easy to read, despite being almost 600 pages. I like paranormal romance and supernatural creatures. I had just hoped for more character and plot development, and I think this could have been amazing if some things were changed versus how average it sits as is.

All in all, Crave is a fun YA paranormal book. I would have liked it more if I’d read it in the early Twilight years, but it’s still entertaining, and I might pick up the sequel. However, I’m tired of werewolves being the bad guys or the weak ones compared to the vampires. It’s annoying. Werewolves are sooo much cooler.

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