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Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong cover shows a crystal decanter with a smoky substance inside surrounded by a vine with pink flowers.

Review: Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

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Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong cover shows a crystal decanter with a smoky substance inside surrounded by a vine with pink flowers.

Foul Lady Fortune (Foul Lady Fortune #1)
Chloe Gong
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published September 27, 2022

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About Foul Lady Fortune

The first book in a captivating new duology following an ill-matched pair of spies posing as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai.

It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.

Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.

Code name: Fortune.

But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.

To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.

My Review

I feel like historical novels are always hit or miss with me. It has to be hard to find the right balance between anchoring the story in a setting of a different time and not letting those setting details intrude into the story too much.

At any rate, I thought Chloe Gong did a great job keeping her novel grounded in 1930s Shanghai. I definitely felt the historical components and how they worked with the story, and I loved getting lost in the politics and intrigue.

The only thing that really confuses me about this book is that it’s not really young adult. Like, at all? I think Rosalind is supposed to be nineteen, and Orion is twenty-two. All but one of the other point-of-view characters seem to be older. And all but one of them are finished with school and working in full-time careers. So I’m guessing the decision to market this as young adult has a lot more to do with capturing the adult audience who gravitate toward young adult books, probably because of the story’s speculative elements.

Anyway. I enjoyed the story a lot. It’s got a fake marriage partnership and a lot of spy/assassin action, which kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked the inclusive cast, and I felt like all the different points of view contributed to the story really nicely.

While this isn’t a sequel to THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS and OUR VIOLENT ENDS, it’s in the same story world, so there are connections between the two duologies. If you haven’t read THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS, then reading FOUL LADY FORTUNE will spoil some of the plot outcomes. I had no trouble following the story without reading the other duology, though.

All in all, I did really enjoy this one. My reviews will probably be posted out of order, so by the time you read this, you can jump straight back to my review of FOUL HEART HUNTER, which I’m really excited about reading.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are Chinese. Orion has had romantic relationships with boys and girls in the past. Celia is transgender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A man suggests that he will keep Rosalind’s identity a secret in exchange for sexual favors. Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some scenes show an operative killing a target with poison. Some scenes show experimental drugs given to a person who is strapped down. Scenes show a person injecting an unknown substance into the arms of civilians, causing them to die. Battle scenes include characters exchanging gunfire and at least one explosion.

Drug Content
Rosalind (and another killer) use poisons to kill targets. Some characters drink alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of FOUL LADY FORTUNE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

The Lightstruck (The Darkening #2)
Sunya Mara
Clarion Books
Published August 29, 2023

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About The Lightstruck

In this epic sequel and conclusion to the Darkening duology, which has been called “enchanting and wildly clever” (Ayana Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Beasts of Prey), Vesper Vale, once savior to a city plagued by cursed storms, finds herself facing an even more sinister threat when an ominous light summoned by the Great King seizes control of the city.

Vesper Vale sacrificed everything to save her city from the cursed storm. After becoming a vessel of The Great Queen, Vesper awakes from a slumber three years after her life altering choice.

What she finds isn’t a home freed from the terror of the storm, but one where its citizens are besieged by the even more sinister force of The Great King and his growing army of the lightstruck—once regular citizens who are now controlled by the ominous light encroaching on the city. And the people are all looking to Vesper, now revered as a goddess after her sacrifice, as their city’s only hope.

To save the rings from the Great King, Vesper must contend with the obligations of being a deity to her people and the growing chasm between her and Dalca, the prince she swore never to love. Haunted by the guilt of their past choices and faced with the pressures of a city near ruin, Vesper and Dalca find themselves torn between the growing factions within the city and the royal court.

But in order to save her city from the light, Vesper must face the power most outside of her control—the goddess within.

My Review

I really enjoyed THE DARKENING, so I’d been super excited about reading this sequel. To be honest, I struggled with some parts of this story.

It might be simply that I’m in a weird place right now, reading-wise. We just started school again, and the new schedule has really caught up with me this week. It’s always harder to read a book when I’m tired, so some of my lack of connection with this one really could be on me.

I felt like some parts, especially the opening chapters, moved more slowly. It felt like waiting for things to really begin.

Once the story did begin, though, I found a lot of the same elements from THE DARKENING that I’d loved: characters like Cas and Iz, a fascinating magic system based on drawn symbols, and a hero at war with herself, wrestling with her past mistakes and future possibilities.

I enjoyed the interactions between the characters, especially Cas and Vesper. I couldn’t help wishing there was more going on between Vesper and Dalca, though.

One of the things about the book that I thought was really fascinating, though, was the way it explored people’s feelings about those who were “cursed” by the storm and ended up with some kind of physical anomaly. Some were not readily visible, but others were. It was very stigmatized, and I found myself wishing that there was more pushback against that stigma.

Ultimately the story does address that in a way that changes the perception of those physical changes. I thought that was an interesting resolution, something I hadn’t expected but thought was cool.

On the whole, I am still glad I read this one, and I would love to know if I’d have connected to the story more if I’d read it at a different time. If you loved the characters or magic system of the first book in the series, I’d say it’s still worth reading this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are described as having brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Possible attraction between characters, but it’s not deeply explored.

Spiritual Content
Vesper holds a goddess, the Great Queen, inside her. The opposing god, the Great King, is currently unbound and trapping people in his power throughout the city.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some brief battle sequences and references to torture.

Drug Content
Vesper’s team receives poisoned food, and someone dies from eating it.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE LIGHTSTRUCK in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Raven Throne by Stephanie Burgis

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

The Raven Throne (The Raven Crown #2)
Stephanie Burgis
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Published August 8, 2023

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About The Raven Throne

The unmissable sequel to The Raven Heir and conclusion to the epic middle-grade fantasy series perfect for fans of Abi Elphinstone and Piers Torday.

Cordelia has been crowned The Raven Queen. But with new power comes new danger.

Once their triplet Cordelia became The Raven Queen, Giles and Rosalind knew they would have to learn to behave at court. No more fighting for Rosalind and no more singing for Giles. What they didn’t foresee was having to foil a plot against their sister.

When Cordelia falls into an enchanted sleep and cannot be woken, Rosalind and Giles must quest across the kingdom to seek help from the ancient spirits of the land. But their family’s greatest enemies lurk at every turn, and it will take all of the triplets’ deepest strengths to fight against them.

A thrilling finale to the magical and mystical series.

My Review

I’m a huge fan of Stephanie Burgis’s middle grade novels (I know she has adult fiction, and I’ve bought a copy of one of her books, but I haven’t read it yet. It looks really fun, though!), and THE RAVEN HEIR, the first book in this duology was one of my favorite books from last year. So it was a pretty big no-brainer that this one was going to be on my reading list this year.

When I think about this book and the story it tells, the first word that comes to mind is “ambitious.” I feel like this was a hard story to tell because it’s got a lot of political intrigue and a pretty large cast of named characters, and there’s a lot of action to wrap up in a single less-than-300-page novel.

For the most part, I think it’s a success. I got chills as Ros and Giles confronted the forces they needed to in order to save the day (I’m getting chills again writing about it), and I cried when Cordy named her sister a knight. There were some really great moments like that throughout the book. I loved the theme of the messages people speak about us versus what we believe about ourselves. Powerful stuff.

That said, I did find the opening to be a little confusing because of the number of named characters participating. There are six family members plus various lords and ladies at court, attendants, and relatives. I had a hard time keeping those more minor characters straight, though as I got deeper into the story, it got easier.

Conclusion

THE RAVEN THRONE is the second book in The Raven Crown duology. If you haven’t read THE RAVEN HEIR, which is the first book, I recommend you start with that one before reading this one.

On the whole, I still enjoyed a lot of elements of this book. It’s one of the few about triplets that I’ve ever read, and the relationships between the siblings are still one of my favorite parts. I think fans of UNICORN QUEST by Kamilla Benko or THE FIREBIRD SONG by Arnée Flores should check out this duology.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Cordelia, the Raven Queen, has made a pact with the spirits of the land that she’ll listen to them and protect them. She and her triplets have magic abilities.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and brief moments leading up to battle. One scene describes a battle with nature. In one scene, a woman disappears into a crack in the ground. A man is surrounded by tree growth.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE RAVEN THRONE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Master of Iron by Tricia Levenseller

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Master of Iron (Bladesmith #2)
Tricia Levenseller
Feiwel & Friends
Published Jul 26, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Master of Iron

In MASTER OF IRON, the conclusion to Tricia Levenseller’s exciting Bladesmith YA fantasy duology, a magically gifted blacksmith with social anxiety must race against the clock to save her beloved sister and stop a devastating war.

Eighteen-year-old Ziva may have defeated a deadly warlord, but the price was almost too much. Ziva is forced into a breakneck race to a nearby city with the handsome mercenary, Kellyn, and the young scholar, Petrik, to find a powerful magical healer who can save her sister’s life.

When the events that follow lead to Ziva and Kellyn’s capture by an ambitious prince, Ziva is forced into the very situation she’s been dreading: magicking dangerous weapons meant for world domination.

The forge has always been Ziva’s safe space, a place to avoid society and the anxiety it causes her, but now it is her prison, and she’s not sure just how much of herself she’ll have to sacrifice to save Kellyn and take center stage in the very war she’s been trying to stop.

My Review

I loved BLADE OF SECRETS, and specifically the way Ziva’s anxiety is described. She pulls you into her headspace, laying out her fears and worries in a frank thought train. I felt like that made her anxiety really present. It felt overwhelming to read sometimes, which made it that much more real to me.

MASTER OF IRON has the same quality to it, where Ziva draws us into her rigid thoughts and lets us feel caged in by them. That component of the story was done really well, as was the way she and Kellyn relate to one another. I liked that they had some frank conversations about their feelings and that he asked for her to verbalize her needs rather than assuming he knew what it is that would help her.

The story picks up immediately where BLADE OF SECRETS leaves off, with Temra injured and unconscious in the wagon and Ziva, Kellyn, and Petrik desperately rushing to a healer in an attempt to save her. From the very opening, there’s hardly a moment to draw breath. Crises leap out at every turn. Ziva rushes from one problem to the next, the stakes growing higher and her resolve against making weapons of war growing stronger.

I loved the way she explored the limits of her gift and how it could be used in less violent ways. I didn’t expect that to be a significant part of the story, but I’m really glad it was.

On the whole, I’m glad I read this second book in the duology. If you liked the first book, definitely read MASTER OF IRON.

Content Notes

Battle violence and some scenes showing torture.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Ziva has anxiety.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. Ziva and Kellyn discuss having sex, but he wants to wait until he gets married.

Spiritual Content
Brief references to deities celebrated in Ziva’s world.

Violent Content
Battle violence. Descriptions of torture.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of MASTER OF IRON in exchange for my honest review.

Review: This Cursed Crown by Alexandra Overy

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

This Cursed Crown (These Feathered Flames #2)
Alexandra Overy
Inkyard Press
Published December 6, 2022

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About This Cursed Crown

Awakening to find herself trapped in a strange tower, Izaveta knows she must find her way back to the Tóurensi palace and claim the throne. But even with an unexpected ally’s help, she worries she might not be able to get news of her survival to her sister and escape this frozen land.

Back at home, Asya enlists Nikov’s help to prove Izaveta is still alive, even as she finds herself forced to navigate the political world she always sought to avoid to save her queendom, her loved ones, and herself.

But as the sisters work independently to reunite, a dangerous force lies in wait, trying to regain power in order to overthrow the monarchy…

My Review

Last year I read and liked THESE FEATHERED FLAMES, so when I saw this sequel, I decided to read it and find out how the story ends. I enjoyed the story world a lot. There are some really interesting elements with magic. If someone uses magic, they have to pay a price. It can be as small as a few strands of hair or as large as someone’s life. If they don’t pay a price for using magic, then the Firebird, Asya, finds them and exacts the price through the power of the firebird, which lives in her.

I like that the story alternates between the points of view of the sisters Asya and Izaveta. I was really drawn to both points of view in this book, and I liked the complexity of their relationship.

The only thing that I struggled with reading this book is that it felt like it took a long time to read, especially at the beginning. Like, I felt like I’d been reading for a long time and when I checked my progress, I was only 10% through the book. I don’t know if the writing is more complex than other books that I usually read, or if the plot was slow to start or what.

Once I got to about the 40 or 50% mark, I seemed to be moving through the story more quickly. The end was pretty climactic, so that definitely helped.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed the book and am glad that I read it. I think the end kind of made up for the slow start in its higher action and satisfying story elements.

I think readers who enjoyed the political intrigue and magical elements of SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo or THE WAKING LAND by Callie Bates will like this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Asya is in love with a woman.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently. Some made up curses used, too.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
There’s a national religion whose leader holds a lot of power at court. Asya has the power of the firebird in her and is charged with maintaining the balance of magic in the kingdom.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle violence and torture using magic.

Drug Content
A reference to people drinking alcohol at a celebration.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THIS CURSED CROWN in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Shades of Rust and Ruin by A. G. Howard

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Shades of Rust and Ruin
A. G. Howard
Bloomsbury
Published September 6, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Shades of Rust and Ruin

Embrace the mysterious. Invoke the magical. Enter the Mystiquiel…

Phoenix “Nix” Loring knows her family is under a Halloween curse. When she was three, her parents tragically died on October 31st. Eleven years later, her twin sister Lark suffered a similar fate.

Ever since, Nix has battled survivor guilt. She can’t even find comfort in Clarey, Lark’s boyfriend and the one person who understands her pain, because Nix’s hidden feelings for him go far beyond friendship. All that remains are her sketches, where she finds solace among the goblins and faeries in her imaginary world of Mystiquel. When her depression starts affecting her ability to see color, Nix all but gives up on her art, until her uncle goes missing on Halloween day. Hot on his trail, Nix and Clarey step through a portal, becoming trapped inside a decaying version of their town filled with Nix’s own sketches come to life.

As Nix and Clarey search for her uncle within the sinister and dangerous world of Mystiquel, Nix discovers there’s more to her family curse and otherworldly artwork than she ever imagined—and unless she can solve the Goblin King’s maze before the clock strikes midnight, her life won’t be the only one the curse claims next.

Set in a gritty, steampunk-inspired fantasy world, New York Times bestselling author A.G. Howard launches a thrilling new duology full of romance, twists, and betrayals.

My Review

SHADES OF RUST AND RUIN is the first book by A. G. Howard that I’ve ever read. I have ROSEBLOOD, and I really want to read it, but haven’t managed to yet. All that to say, I went into this book without really knowing what to expect other than the information in the cover copy.

I liked the writing a lot. It’s emotive and dark– more spooky than creepy. The story world was pretty immersive. I definitely found myself getting lost in Mystiquiel. SHADES OF RUST AND RUIN is a retelling of “The Goblin Market” by Christina Rosetti, and I loved the references to the poem and the way the goblin market lore was used in the book.

If you know me at all, you know I absolutely adore sister books. The cover copy kind of undersells this part of the book because it makes it sound like Nix’s guilt and grief are spread over all her losses. But Lark wasn’t just Nix’s sister, she was her twin. Nix was the one who found her after she’d died. That’s the loss that has destroyed her. She spends a lot of the book still struggling to orient herself after her sister’s loss. I thought that was one of the most powerful parts of the story.

From what it says in the cover copy, I thought there would be more of a blossoming romance between Nix and Clarey. There’s a bit of a story there, but I thought it was a lot more understated than the cover copy led me to believe it would be. The last chapter of the book makes it seem like the second book in the duology is going to involve the romance a lot more, though.

I think readers who enjoyed DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor or SEA WITCH by Sarah Henning will enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are white. Nix and her sister are said to be part albino. Clarey has panic attacks and trouble with spaces with a lot of people. His dog has a mechanical leg.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kiss between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The story contains goblin and fairy-like creatures who have some magic abilities. In their world, Nix has some magic herself.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle violence. Descriptions of Lark’s death.

Drug Content
The story references fruit from the goblin market and its affect on humans. It’s supposed to be very addicting. In the story of “The Goblin Market” one sister nearly dies after consuming fruit from the market because she can’t stop craving it.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SHADES OF RUST AND RUIN in exchange for my honest review.