Tag: paranormal fiction

LGBT, Paranormal

My Review: Captive (Beautiful Monsters #1): by Jex Lane

nicholasjgoodsell
**Kindle Edition**
Publish Date: August 5th, 2016
Number of Pages: 316 Pages
Publisher: Jex Lane
Genre(s): Paranormal, LGBT

Total Star Rating: 3.5 Stars

In all fairness, I knew going in that I wasn’t going to absolutely love this story because I’ve just been so done with the whole vampire cliché for quite some time. For me, it died with TV shows like The Vampire Diaries and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I haven’t looked back too much to be completely honest. What truly drew me in was the M/M romance mentioned by the genre listings and from many other reviewers on Goodreads.

I wouldn’t call this a romance title at all though; far from it in actuality. It plays on the mental and emotional manipulation that people have often speculated happening in another fictional vampire franchise: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. In this book, it’s way more obvious and it really makes you feel for the main character: Matthew Callahan. His “love interest,” the Incubus General Tarrick, tricks him into slavery and slowly and methodically breaks him down until he’s calling the Incubi his “master.” It certainly doesn’t help that the general also uses sex as a weapon to manipulate the MC into performing specific orders. You really sympathize for Matthew as despite the terrible situation he’s put in, which is right in the middle of a centuries long war between Vampires and Incubi, he falls in love with the general. It’s even implied that the general may be falling for him too, but it’s not necessarily certain.

Overall, I liked it but didn’t love it, but there’s for sure enough interest from me to want to keep going on later in the series. The storyline wasn’t too interesting, the action scenes didn’t really grab my attention, nor am I a big fan of Vampires in general, but there’s still some major potential in some aspects like the MC, the mysteries surrounding his past, and his relationship with his potential love interest.

Many trigger warnings go with this title for anyone who’s a more sensitive reader: slavery, emotional and sexual manipulation, torture, character death, and smut.

What It’s About:

I’m risking a lot for you. I could lose everything. Don’t betray me.” It was a plea. Not an order. The first he had ever heard from Tarrick.”

– Jex Lane, “Captive”

Matthew Callahan has spent seven years struggling against the insatiable hunger for blood consuming him. Unable to stop the vampire inside from preying on humans, he keeps himself confined to a lonely existence.

Everything changes the night he is lured into a trap and taken prisoner by High Lord General Tarrick—a seductive incubus who feeds off sexual energy. Forced into the middle of a war between vampires and incubi, Matthew is used as a weapon against his own kind. Although he’s desperate for freedom, he is unable to deny the burning desire drawing him to the incubus general he now calls Master.

*This book is intended for mature audiences!*

Collar or no, we all have our masters. One day, that would be different for Matthew. One day, others would kneel before him.”

– Jex Lane, “Captive”

What I Liked:

  1. The Uncertainty behind Tarrick and Matthew’s Relationship! Like I said earlier, it’s definitely not a romantic relationship by any means, and if someone really does think the opposite, they may want to reconsider. While a sexual relationship starts, what’s truly interesting about them is all the questioning that goes into both the characters motives. Since the story is focused on Matthew, you know he falls in love with Tarrick through everything, but it’s definitely unclear what Tarrick’s true feelings are. I want to hope he has some sort of humanity left and that maybe he returns the feelings that Matthew has, but it’s incredibly up in the air, which does make it more interesting!
  2. The Mystery Behind Matthew’s Past! Besides the unclarity of Tarrick and Matthew, there’s also a lot of mystery behind Matthew’s past that drives him further into the story. I don’t want to give too much away, but some of it has to pertain to who his parents were, and who was the person/monster that turned him in the first place. Obviously, there’s more questions, but I don’t want to spoil it as it’s a major part of the story, and you should experience it yourself in order to fully enjoy it.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. A Lot of Slower Moments…There were plenty of sex scenes (M/M and M/F as Matthew is bisexual) to entertain readers looking for that sort of story, but I can say the big battles and higher action scenes didn’t really pick up the story for me personally. They weren’t badly written, but they also didn’t make me glued to my Kindle screen either.
  2. Vampires… I just don’t like Vampire’s anymore. I know I know… I say this as I knowingly read this story that has them within and part of the main plot, but I can at least enjoy it somewhat if the author at least can add something new to the table in terms of all that people associate with the pale ones, but that doesn’t really happen here in this book anyways.

Conclusion:

An interesting paranormal-genre title that’s filled with war, violence, slavery, Incubi and Vampires, along with lots of sex. Anyone who reads dark fantasy and can handle the more disturbing relationships that are filled with sexual manipulation will enjoy this title, especially if someone’s looking for a M/M erotic tale.

It was good but not great, but the first book is hardly ever the best in a trilogy/series, so I say these books can only go up from here! I’m not in love with the story, but I am interested enough to want to keep reading on and seeing what happens next in terms of exploring how Tarrick’s relationship develops with Matthew, whether there’s actual romance that will form once all the mind games are over and done, and all the questions raised with Matthew’s past, like why would a vampire refer to him as “my prince?”

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Paranormal

My Review: Bloodfever (Fever series #2): by Karen Marie Moning

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Publish Date: August 26th, 2008
Number of Pages: 349 Pages
Publisher: Gollancz
Genre(s): Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, New Adult

***Warning!! This review may contain spoilers from the previous title! Continue with caution, you’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review of book #1 – Darkfever – Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast of the series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

You know when you want to give someone a big highfive?

Right in the face?

With a brick?

And repeat it over and over and over?

This was me to Karen Marie Moning after I’d finished this book…Like seriously, I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her yelling: “What the fuck?!?!”

Once again, I was shocked at how utterly absorbed into this series I’d become, but there I was reading this book into the next morning instead of getting a healthy amount of sleep. The Fever series just continues to add more and more mystery and intrigue to make readers literally addicted in wanting to find out what happens next. So many questions, but so few answered right away, but then more and more questions keep popping up and my anxiety can’t take it some of the time. I need to take breaks between these books for my own mental health…you laugh, but I’m actually serious.

This series gets deeper and deeper into the streets of Dublin, Ireland and deeper into whatever plot is going on in order for the Unseelie–the evil fae beings–are concocting in order to take over our world. We’re getting to see a different side of Mac, and her uneasy alliance with mysterious and temperamental bookstore owner, Jericho Barrons, reaches its boiling point at multiple times throughout, but the hunt is still on for that dang ancient and evil book, the Sinsar Dubh, that is the key to either our salvation or extermination…it all depends on who gets their hands on it first!

What It’s About:

So Mac had gone into the Dark Zone, discovered the Lord Master’s hideaway, battled it out with him and Mallucé with Jericho by her side, and the closing scene is her doubling over because that dang book, the Sinsar Dubh, had gotten close enough to have her blackout…

We continue into this next installment where Mac is alive and (not) well, but has a safe place to call her temporary home in Jericho’s bookstore, Barron’s Books and Baubles. That is, until a hoard of those nasty & shapeless Fae monsters called “Shades” somehow break in! Mac almost meets her gruesome end, when low and behold…V’lane, the Seelie Fae Prince, makes a surprise appearance and rescues her. Their….interesting relationships shifts into some new territory–one where maybe he doesn’t try to rape her in the middle of an art museum, but instead maybe they become tense allies, because it’s not like Mac doesn’t have enough of that with her current employer/landlord/co-hunter for Fae artifacts/lust muffin…

The hunt for the powerful and evil book, the Sinsar Dubh, continues with more adventures and tension between Mac and Jericho rise, both regular and sexual, and more players join the game of cat & mouse: we’ve got Dani O’Malley, a young sidh-seer like Mac, who discovers there’s a secret coven of seers who have similar abilities when it comes to dealing with the Fae. We’ve got Rowena, that crazy older lady we’d seen twice in the last book who turns out to be more important than some regular old batshit hag. We’ve also got the Dreamy Eyed Guy who’s shown up enough times to be considered an actual character without knowing his actual name, and we also have Christian Mackeltar, who works at the Ancient Languages Department of Trinity College, and is yet another alpha male that enters Mac’s life that is total eye-candy–with a sexy Scottish accent to boot!

The rest of the plot would reveal some major spoilers, so you’ll have to actually read the book to see what else happens!

What I Liked:

  1. Mac is Turning Into a Total Badass! The pink loving, Elle Woods-esque barbie doll is still inside her, but that era has been hidden behind a dark makeover, along with more of an edge to her usually bubbly demeanor. Tainted with the need for revenge on her sister, Mac continues to grow and become sharper along the edges as she gets closer to Jericho, and delves deeper into the many mysteries surrounding her, even some new ones that come to light within this title. However, she is still a young woman out in the world for the first time ever, and starts to realize she might be better off not trusting anyone, not even those she’s supposedly allied with. That part is probably the most anxiety inducing: when Mac is thinking inside her head and speculating about everyone and what their motives possibly are, how can she survive amongst all the dangerous players in this deadly game?
  2. There’s More Romance This Time! For a paranormal romance genre series, Darkfever didn’t include much romance, which was disappointing, but also made sense in the sense of setting the scene, plus Mac ain’t no chick that will just let some guy just get it. In this next title, there’s an ember that can quickly escalate into an entire raging storm of fire with the tension building between Mac and Jericho. They don’t trust each other, they keep secrets from each other, and nearly come to blows…but beneath all that lies something sensual and filled with complete unadulterated lust.
  3. V’lane (Again)! The Seelie–good guy Fae–Prince continues to make incredibly brief appearances, but they are filled with meaning and importance. V’lane helps Mac out of a dangerous situation early on, and afterwards their relationships shifts a little bit. She still can’t trust him, but he shows her that he is looking out for her well being…so long as it probably serves his own goals and motivations–which we are still not entirely sure about quite yet….more frustrating questions commence!
  4. The Worldbuilding Continues! Not a whole lot is actually added, but I’d say the foundation we were given in the previous book was just enhanced even further. The author continues by adding layers over everything to make it still feel so new and exciting, and creatures we’ve only heard about in passing may or may not make their first appearance!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Left with Even More Questions than Answers…We dive way deeper into the series and a whole lot happens, so much that more and more questions keep popping up, and very few actually get answered…It’s so frustrating!? Was Mallucé really a vampire? Who exactly is the Lord Master? What are everyone’s true intentions? What exactly is Jericho?…there’s plenty more where all of those come from, but that would reveal spoilers, so you get my point…

Conclusion:

This series is quickly becoming an addiction to me, curse my co-worker friend, Erika, who turned my attention onto this series! It’s weird, it’s different, and sounds kind of trashy when I try to explain the series to my other friends, but it’s becoming another one I’m incredibly invested in, both emotionally and financially, as in: I will have no hesitation in throwing some dollar bills someone’s way to keep finding these books and sinking my teeth into them!

The story continues at a slightly slower pace with what feels like some filler in there, most of it is Mac trying to organize her thoughts on everything and figure out what everyone else’s game-plan is exactly. It’s actually making me just as anxious and paranoid, and had started giving me some strange dreams…

These books are going to kill me…especially as I looked and there’s going to be, like 11 books total in this whole series.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Paranormal, Romance

My Review: Darkfever (Fever Series #1): by Karen Marie Moning

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: August 26th, 2008
Number of Pages: 347 Pages
Publisher: Dell
Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal

Total Star Rating: 4 Stars

So just what I needed…another series to dig my hands into.

Especially, another book about the Fae – not that I’m necessarily complaining – I’ve absolutely adored other series like Throne of Glass, and The Folk of the Air to be specific that have had the Fae as a central part of their story plot. It’s really fun to see how authors showcase different variations of the fair folk, all the while, still using the same rule set as a base to go off.

Darkfever is the first book in what looks like a long series involving the Fae: an urban fantasy, paranormal romance that I can tell – even just by the first book – can be something that is absolutely addicting to read. It seriously has it all: murder mystery, a well developed world rich in myth and lore, comedic one-liners and commentary, multiple swoon-worthy leading men, and what is most likely going to turn into a slow-burn romance between one of them.

Recommended to me from a friend and coworker, I started the book with honestly no expectations, and then found myself enjoying it, and really getting into the world the author had created. I saw something special in the main character, Mackayla Lane: I loved her hilarious commentary throughout the story, especially as she’d called out a certain character who may or may not be a vampire – she wasn’t afraid to point out the clichés like the creepy castle on the hilltop, the lightning timed perfectly to their arrival, his secret lair in a cave, his whole creepy demeanor: the works.

What It’s About:

When MacKayla’s sister was murdered, she left a single clue to her death: a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone. Journeying to Dublin, Ireland in search of answers, Mac is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to master a power she had no idea she possessed: a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae.

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious bookstore owner, Jericho Barrons. They decide to work together in order to find a rare artifact that her sister had been searching for, but their alliance doesn’t ease both their reluctance to put their trust in each other, especially with the plethora of secrets they both carry.

Despite discovering the reveal of monsters literally littering the streets, theres also V’lane – an alpha Fae Prince – who’s hot on her trail, no pun intended, because he’s some High Fae who drags out human sexual attraction to incredibly dangerous levels.

As the boundary between our world and the fae’s begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: to find the elusive Sinsar Dubh – the rare artifact both her and Jericho are searching for – before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book of magic. Whoever gets to it first would hold nothing less than complete control of both worlds, human and fae.

What I Liked:

  1. Mackayla’s Character Growth! Mackayla, or Mac, starts off as a literal human barbie doll living in Atlanta, Georgia: she has long blonde hair, a bubbly personality, loves the color pink, and has tons of gorgeous friends to go on shopping excursions with. She seems pretty shallow and vapid to start off with, but actually develops even in just the first chapter when she learns that her sister has been murdered. Her parents are absolutely torn apart about the devastating news, but Mackayla reacts unexpectedly; she burns with the need for revenge.
  2. The Murder Mystery! Her sister’s murder is the lead driving point of the plot, it drives Mac to drop everything and catch the first flight to Dublin, Ireland where her sister had been studying abroad. I always love a good whodunnit murder mystery, and while I wished it’d stayed more central to the plot, even after Mac discovers the whole world of the fae, it still drives her whole story arc and the book in general.
  3. The Worldbuilding! I hadn’t expected this to have become such a big draw of the book! Anyone who is a fan of the fae has probably read plenty of other books, but what I liked was the lore behind this series in particular. Basically, theres the Seelie and the Unseelie: the good and the bad. Each court has a ruler: The Seelie Queen and the Unseelie King, along with their followers of either Fae warriors or vile monsters. There’s also sidhe-seers, mortal beings that can see through the glamours of the fae. Mac, of course, turns out to be a sidhe-seer, along with having the other abilities to sense sacred fae artifacts and being able to stop fae power with the touch of her fingers for an extended period of time.
  4. V’lane! He was probably the character that had drawn my attention the most, which is ironic considering he was the one who’d appeared the least… He’s a powerful Fae prince to the Seelie Queen, and has the ability to draw out sexual attraction in humans that come into contact with him, like some pheromone on steroids. I’m not even joking: Mac gets so hot and bothered in his presence that she actually strips in public several times and has to try to stop touching herself – seriously…it was some really fucking weird shit that actually made me crack up. Anyways, because we see so little of him and his gorgeous face, I’m extremely curious to see how he plays out as the series develops. Is he a potential love interest to Mac? Where do his loyalties really lie? Will he become a villain? What’s his purpose to the story?? SO MANY QUESTIONS!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The (Lack of) Romance…It’s called a paranormal romance series, but besides a few quickly thrown in actions towards the end, there was actually very little romance involved with this first title between Mac and Jericho. I’m all for slow burn romance, and obviously their relationship is incredibly unconventional with plenty of tension, secrets, and lack of trust does not make for sexy times…I was still hoping to be given a little more than daydreams, a quick peck that may or may not have happened, and Mac being turned into a freaky exhibitionist in the middle of a museum because of V’lane.
  2. The Stereotypical Characters…Some readers would be turned off to keep going with this series because I can admit it: the characters do seem pretty cliché. Mac is the stereotypical bubbly, shallow blonde who is naive and maybe not the brightest crayon in the box – a complete Elle Woods knockoff who at least turns into a Buffy the Vampire Slayer warrior babe who wants to kick ass and take names. Jericho Barrons is also given a similar treatment: he’s the tall, dark, brooding and handsome type who has a fiery temper and little time for gorgeous little blonde’s who stumble into his bookstore with dangerous questions. He’s the type of alpha anti-hero we’ve probably all seen before. I do suggest taking all this with a grain of salt, as this series has been out for quite some time now. This book was first published in 2006, and I’m reviewing this in 2020…obviously books don’t always hold up well, even just five or six years after their published. I mean, look at all the “classics”: They’re boring and probably wouldn’t even get published in today’s world of literature.

Conclusion:

A series that I didn’t need to add on top of all the other series I’m reading, but enjoy nonetheless! It’s going around the office amongst my coworkers as the next juicy series to sink our fangs into, so consider me added to the bandwagon! I’m VERY curious to see how this series plays out!

I recommend this title to anyone who enjoy’s reading about the fae, or enjoy’s Urban Fantasy genre titles like TV Shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Trueblood, The Vampire Diaries, or pretty much any book written by Cassandra Clare. To me, they all match the tone of the Fever series in both plot and characters.

I’ve started the second title almost immediately after completing this first book, so I can say it’s a good sign that I’m that eager to see what happens next!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller, New Adult, Paranormal

My Review: Ninth House (Alex Stern #1): by Leigh Bardugo

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: October 8th, 2019
Number of Pages: 458 Pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Genre(s): New Adult, Paranormal, Thriller, Fantasy

Total Star Rating: 2.5 Stars

For many college students, it’s an incredibly influential time of their lives–I sure as hell know mine was! It’s a time of growth and transformation in many different forms; to trying to cram in study sessions between finals and frat parties, to being away from the parents and making stupid decisions, to signing away parts of your soul on rental agreements and budgeting time and money, to actually putting in an effort at school (for some of us), to allowing ourselves to be more open, exploratory and independent with no shortage of indulging in our urges (in more ways than one).

This adult-level novel from the author of amazing YA series, like Six of Crows and The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, takes her writing to the another level: she gives a detailed and distinguished look at the college lifestyle: the sex, the drugs, how we count sweats and yoga pants as actual clothing, the anxiety and depression, and the violence. Luckily, that last one isn’t as often of a thing as the others, but that doesn’t mean theres a shortage of violence. During my time at school, there were deaths by terrible causes: drug overdose, car accidents, alcohol related, sexual assault, and even a foreign student beaten to death. These sort of themes are what some readers have used to decide that this book is more suited for older readers.

One thing I seem to be growing towards now a days are the urban fantasy works that take the actual world we live in, and kind of throw the rug from underneath us to reveal mythology, magic and lore that has been hidden. In this title, it’s involvement is how the author took the actual secret societies on the Yale campus, and gives them a bigger edge than just being exclusive clubs for the future rich, successful and/or famous future of America. Nope, she makes them secretly able to summon magical, otherworldly powers with potions, rituals, small sacrifices, but also social influence. The one more original part of the story is that a ninth house (Ayyyy, that’s the title!) was formed to watch over the other houses and referee them into staying in order and not exploring too unknown of territory and causing major danger to them and everyone else.

The social commentary that goes along with this books with it’s many dark themes and subject matter make this an actually quite compelling read. In an ivy league school like Yale, class and privilege are VERY present, and the author did not bite her tongue on showing the ease that high class white males on a college campus have an advantage on. It’s something that I’m sure everyone can relate to on some level, because it doesn’t just stop at douchey frat bros. Luckily, the author does not hold back on calling out the various social injustices that still occur on plenty of campuses throughout the country. It’s always a great component of a book when it shows us content that we can relate to as it happens in our actual lives; it makes the book that much more realistic.

Another major theme about this book is like a tribute to anyone who’s survived abuse. It’s dark in terms of subject matter, and I go into it more later on in my review, but the main character has gone through some really heavy shit, like, more shit than anyone should ever have to go through. I swear, the death scenes she’s witnessed would make Tarantino blush. Part of the story is how she wants to heal physically but also mentally and emotionally from her various past traumas. She has her own triggers that she of course has to face head on in order to grow within the story.

What It’s About:

People didn’t need magic to be terrible to each other.”

– Leigh Bardugo, “Ninth House”

This is a story about a girl named Galaxy “Alex” Stern, and how she’d been raised by a hippie mom over in Los Angeles, but now is across the country studying at Yale University. She’s a survivor: she’s experienced all sorts of trauma in her past and after a particularly horrible event, winds up in a hospital bed, and it’s there she meets Dean Sandow and gets accepted into Yale.

The book switched back and forth between Late Spring (present time) and the middle of Winter (the past), with multiple mysteries occurring at once. In Winter, she’s just coming onto the Yale campus and being put her the tutelage of upperclassmen Daniel Arlington, or “Darlington,” while she learns the ropes of being a part of a secret society named Lethe House that watches over the other secret societies of Yale whenever they deal with the occult, the paranormal, etc. They act like a police force, and must attend every secret meeting in order to make sure nothing goes wrong, they stay in line, no one gets hurt or worse…expelled!

Sorry, had to do it!

But their extracurriculars are not supposed to be discovered by anyone, but cut to the present time, and the campus gets rocked by a gruesome murder. Alex arrives on the scene of the crime, and despite doubt from others, she believes one of the secret societies may be behind this crime. She does just about everything in order to try and solve the crime; she even makes a deal with a spirit that only she can see.

There were always excuses for why girls died.“

– Leigh bardugo, “Ninth House”

What I Liked:

  1. Exploring the Occult in a New Adult Level Setting! So, I actually consider this title to be more of a “New Adult” reading level than just regular adult, mainly because the main characters are within the age 18-24 range. It’s also not what I normally go for: a paranormal thriller with aspects like the occult, secret Yale societies like Skull and Bones, and witchcraft. The premise sounded interesting, what can I say? I feel like witchcraft in general is making a resurgence as of late in literature, and I only hope it continues to get bigger and bigger! It has major potential for even more original stories to be created!
  2. Daniel Arlington! Easily my favorite character in the whole book so far! Leigh Bardugo is so great at creating those gritty, brooding, aloof male characters that are tall, dark and handsome. Put him right up there with her other characters like Kaz Brekker (from Six of Crows for those that don’t know) and the Darkling (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy). I found him incredibly compelling and interesting to read, but without giving too much away, his presence in the book was also unique. Call me Sharpay Evans via High School Musical 2, but I. WANT. MORE! *snaps fingers*
  3. The Dark & Gritty Subject Matter! Leigh Bardugo admitted at some point that she wanted this book to “fuck us up a little,” and I felt that, I really did! It was refreshing to honestly read something with subject matter that wasn’t afraid to go there, you know? A lot of it is definitely trigger warning material and dark themes that sensitive readers will not like, there’s no doubt about that. BUT, Leigh has informed those who follow her on Twitter about all of it, but here’s a little rundown: it has child abuse, a child that gets raped, drug consumption without consent, PTSD, violence, gore, suicide, drug abuse and overdose, sexual assault, and yeah…someone eats shit. literally…they grab shit out of toilet and eat it. It upsets me that people got offended about this stuff and wanted to try and “cancel” this book, but artists should be able to create from their own experiences as a way of coping, and apparently Leigh has had similar situations in her past (not the eating shit part!). If there’s trigger warnings, pay attention to it if it would upset you and don’t try to ruin it for other people, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
  4. All The Secret Societies Have Secret Powers! I thought it was fun how all the secret societies of Yale (even though they really aren’t all that secret if EVERYONE knows about them) have specific powers that have been around ever since they started up in New Haven. It’s also enjoyable how the author made it seem like it’s been a giant cover-up in American History and they’d actually had a huge influence of the development of the town of New Haven, and Yale itself.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. More Minor Characters Needed Attention… It felt like the only characters who received any sort of attention from the author was Alex Stern and Darlington. They’re good main characters, but there was plenty of minor characters who would’ve been good to add a few more perspectives to the story. I guess I’m kind of comparing this to her Six of Crows books, where we get 6 points of views. It’s not like we need that many for this title, but there are still plenty of more substantial characters in all her books up until now.
  2. Slower Paced Than Expected…This book wasn’t as exciting as I thought it’d be…THERE, I said it! It felt cold, aloof and kind of boring compared to her other titles. I got to about 60% percent into the book before it really started to pick up again, which is way too long of a wait for any sort of novel I’m reading. It just felt like not all that much actually happens while its almost 500 pages long. I think part of it is because the author spent WAY too much time explaining everything that pertained to the occult and witchcraft and maybe relied WAY too much on backstory for almost everything. Maybe she shouldve left a little more up in the air, and maybe saved it for the next book so she could space it out a little more. Still, I am trying give it the benefit of the doubt because of how much I adore her other titles.

Conclusion:

So, to be completely honest, but I found myself quite disappointed with this book. It was one of my most anticipated books of 2019 along with Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, and maybe I hyped it up myself a little too much and put it on some sort of subconscious pedestal because of how much I adored her Six of Crows books.

I wouldn’t say I hated it, but I’ve definitely loved other titles a lot more. I’m kind of in the middle about it. It has a seriously cool sounding premise, the setting at Yale with the emphasis on the secret societies and the occult; I am intrigued enough to want to check out the next title when it releases a year or so from this one’s publication date, but I seriously hope the next installment adds a lot more excitement overall.

I still remain a huge fan of Leigh Bardugo, and her writing is just absolutely magnificent, but I’m just gonna say this isn’t her best work. It’s fine, it’s normal…not every book an author writes that gets published is going to be mind-blowingly amazing! I’ve also just been in an emotional slump lately, and that could also be a part of it, I don’t know…

On a parting note, just make sure you’re in the right mindset whenever you decide to pick this one up! It is incredibly dark on certain themes and plot components, so sensitive readers that get easily triggered may want to keep this one on the shelf for a little bit before picking it up.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

YA Fantasy, YA romance

My Review: A Torch Against The Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2): by Sabaa Tahir

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: August 30th, 2016
Number of Pages: 452 Pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre(s): YA Fantasy, YA Romance

***WARNING! This book review reveals spoilers from the previous book in the series, continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my full review for book #1 – An Ember in the Ashes – Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast for the series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

I realized I was not staring into his eyes. I am staring into my future. I see it for a moment. Pain. Suffering. Horror. All that I love, all that I hold dear, awash in blood.”

– Sabaa Tahir, “A Torch Against The Night”

I feel like this quote perfectly sums up what reading these books reduces you to because while I am so heavily and emotionally invested in this series, I can admit that it sometimes feels like Sabaa Tahir steals a part of my soul with every new title she releases!

Yes, I back up what I say… I’m basically calling her Voldemort, and her books are Horcruxes with bits and pieces of my soul ripped out from within me.

The death’s needed for this evil spell? Her characters, or emotions like happiness, joy, and/or naive hope that may still be felt before reading this series.

After devouring the previous book, I couldn’t wait to see what happens next with Laia and Elias! So many cliffhangers, especially with the major one of them escaping through the Catacombs from the Empire after that epic showdown?! It’s stuff like that that’s probably why I have anxiety issues.

Anyways…Taking a step back and looking at all the factors that encompass this story, it’s easy to distinguish the ones that other readers may scoff at and wonder why people praise these books, like maybe it’s not the most original sounding story or there are thousands of other titles that sound just like it. I can admit, it’s not the most original story ever told; hardly anything ever is anymore, but it’s not what a book is about necessarily. What matters nowadays, at least for me, is how it’s told…there is a difference.

There’s a reason we call out clichés and tropes in books of all genre’s: they’re familiar and used over and over again and again, but if someone can make them still feel new and enjoyable, all the better! A story doesn’t have to be original, it just has to be engaging, and these books definitely fit that bill for me!

One thing that I want to point out is what I believe the author does so incredibly well is how she depicts the cold brutality of a corrupt and unjust world, and the flood of emotions that impassions us because of it all. It may be hard to read for some readers, but there’s no denying that its an accurate portrayal of whats going on in certain countries today, and what has happened in violent parts of the history of humanity.

She’s almost like Suzanne Collins in a way; Sabaa Tahir shows the harsh reality of a tyrannical, militaristic rule in a way for younger readers to be able to catch their first major glimpse of it and possibly understand it a little better; exposing them to a harsh reality of how dark and sadistic the real world/humanity can truly be. While doing that, she also allowing them to experience a raw story that is heavy, addicting, fast paced, absolutely chilling, well plotted, but also just plain magnificent and memorable!

What It’s About:

Quite literally, we’re brought back to where the previous title left off as Laia and Elias have officially joined forces and are attempting to flee the Empire while running towards a secret exit down in the Catacombs. They become fugitives and are being hunted by newly crowned emperor Marcus and Elia’s mother, The Commandant (I literally get chills just thinking about her every time!)

Laia is still determined to rescue her brother, Darin, by venturing up towards the dangerous Kauf Prison where he’s being held because he may hold the key for their people’s salvation. Elias wants to help her; doing so may mean sacrificing his own freedom (and totally not over the fact that he may have developed feelings for her).

Things of course never go according to plan, and otherworldly forces are gaining power and influence to work against them and plot to bring an eternal darkness onto their world. Laia and Elias must outsmart them all: including Helene—Elias’s best friend—and newly appointed Blood Shrike. She is tortured with the task of hunting them both down and bringing their heads back to the new bloodthirsty emperor or risk losing everything and everyone she holds dear…

What I Liked:

  1. More Voices Are Heard! As a fantasy series develops, more and more characters step up and become more prominent in the overall story, some usually more interesting than others. It works incredibly well for this series, and is an occasion where you actually love to hear everyone’s side of the story, and not dread certain people’s chapters while impatiently dying to get back to others. Everyone has an interesting arc within the story that creates a rich and wonderful reading experience!
  2. Helene’s Development! In the previous book, Helene honestly didn’t do much for me…she was elitist, spoiled and prejudiced towards the scholars of this world (aka lower-class and/or slaves), and only really served as an ally/potential love interest for Elias and competitor against Laia, so she could’ve been just reduced that basic bitch… All that changes in this book, thank god! She’s so much more substantial and really goes through a lot of heavy shit while making extremely hard decisions, and becomes more fleshed out and relatable. She gains a voice while she struggles with the inner battle over what is right and wrong; she really became one of the best characters in this whole series!
  3. The Plot Thickens! The author adds so much more themes and aspects to her debut series to keep it addicting and page-turning: so much more character development, political intrigue, mythological and magic components: and it just continues to drive home the higher level this series is at compared to most other YA Fantasy titles out there on the market.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Not As Fast Paced For Me…While I absolutely loved the previous book, I only liked this sequel. For me, it just felt like it had more slower paced moments than the previous book, and the series overall went in a different direction than what I had personally envisioned for it. The story does gain more momentum and the stakes do get higher, but after the initial set up in the beginning, I just didn’t connect as much for quite a bit of it.
  2. Too Much Paranormal Addition…Now hear me out, I do like that there’s more magic and paranormal occurrences taking shape within the story: the fact of having The Nightbringer as the villain with the mystery and lore surrounding him made that route inevitable, but for me personally, I just felt like maybe this book had too much added all at once to the point of it feeling excessive or too much too soon. The author decided to go in a direction where it becomes a much bigger influence on the overall plot, and it’s a direction I wasn’t the most fond of…I rather enjoyed the simplicity of the magic from the previous book and how little we saw! For me, the tiny moments where it makes an appearance made it feel more impactful and meaningful. It’s not necessarily a bad direction, just kind of an unfavorable one, but I continue to love the series, please note that!

Conclusion:

A good addition to an addicting series; it wasn’t my favorite compared to the previous book but fun nonetheless. More and More magic/otherworldliness add mystique and adventure, and the plot of course takes a turn for the worst and tears your heart out, stomping it on the ground into a pulp…but you’ll love it! I recommend this series to anyone who like epic, fantasy-genre adventures with different points of views. This series truly can stand apart from the many, many…many titles that also fit that bill.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell