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Review: The Dark Fable by Katherine Harbour

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , , ,
The Dark Fable by Katherine Harbour

The Dark Fable
Katherine Harbour
Bloomsbury
Published January 30, 2024

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About The Dark Fable

Magical heists. Deadly secrets. Come along for the ride . . . if you dare. This heart-stopping, seductive fantasy is perfect for fans of Six of Crows.

Evie Wilder is an orphan who has gone through most of her life unnoticed . . . until she’s caught up in a dramatic heist and captures the attention of the Dark Fable. They have chosen her for a she can turn invisible. This skill would make Evie a treasured asset to the legendary group of thieves known for spiriting away obscure and occult artifacts.

Evie cannot resist their allure and is eager to join this newfound family. But she discovers there are more skeletons in the Dark Fable’s past than she could have ever imagined. And these secrets might be the answer to her own tragic past.

No one is who they seem to be and the price of uncovering the Dark Fable’s cryptic history just might be fatal . . .

My Review

I’m starting to realize that I have a real interest in low fantasy, or stories set in the “real world” with additional fantasy elements, in this case, special abilities. THE DARK FABLE is kind of a single point-of-view SIX OF CROWS but set in Los Angeles? There’s a close-knit team led by a dangerous guy who definitely holds back information and has ulterior plans/motives, committing heists of expensive artwork and artifacts. So there’s a similar vibe. The main character is new to the crew, and she’s got her own past trauma, ulterior motives, and cards she keeps close to the vest.

All of that setup really had me interested in this book. I liked some of the characters a lot more than others. Mad, short for Madrigal, was probably my favorite. She winds up being the main character’s closest ally. I liked their friendship and how she looked out for Evie.

I struggled with two things about the book, and unfortunately, they’re both spoilers. I’ll put them below in a spoiler section for anyone who doesn’t want to see them. One element is kind of a trope that just isn’t one I prefer in stories, so that’s very much a personal preference, and I think unless you have tropes you feel very strongly about avoiding that have to do with when information is revealed, this probably wouldn’t bother you.

The other thing was also just weird to me. The characters keep asking themselves and others this question throughout the entire book. It feels like a deeply important question because of the way they consistently come back to it, like how they feel about themselves and what they’re doing hinges on the answer to this question. I didn’t feel like the question was answered satisfactorily, which made it harder for me to really enjoy the last bit of the book because I kept thinking, wait, what?

Conclusion

I liked the blend of Los Angeles and magic elements. I liked the characters. The plot went in some directions that didn’t always work for me, but I think those amount to personal preferences. I think if you enjoyed FOUL LADY FORTUNE by Chloe Gong or GILDED WOLVES by Roshani Chokshi, then check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white, I think. One heist team member is Black, and another is Indigenous. One is bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The main character has a guide she pictures in her mind. She also has the ability to disappear. Her allies have other abilities, too.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battles between heist teams or mercenaries and heist team members. Evie remembers events surrounding her parents’ murders. Other characters have been murdered or died by suicide– sometimes the truth is unclear.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol. One character creates poisons and other solutions that cause adverse effects on enemies, from stunning them to killing them.

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 DARK FABLE in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Spoilers for The Dark Fable

Read on if you want spoilers on the two things that I struggled with about this book. Select the text below to see it.

The characters in the heist team keep asking themselves, “What are we?” They each acquired a supernatural ability during a traumatic experience. Is this an evolutionary advance? Do they have magic? Did this come from somewhere? They are really interested in figuring this out. Late in the book, like maybe 80 percent through, Evie asks her mentor this question point-blank. Her mentor responds like, “you haven’t figured it out yet? You’re possessed by demons.”

She’s like, it’s no big deal. You’ve got magic power, so enjoy it? Understandably, the team has a hard time processing this, but they come to accept it pretty quickly. I don’t know. I thought it was really weird. Like, definitely the kind of thing that I would have wanted to know earlier in the book so everyone had more time to explore what it meant and how they felt about it. Plus, demons? Really?

The other thing I had a hard time with is more in the vein of a trope. I’ve seen this in other books, but I had a hard time with it then, too. The main character has a whole set of ulterior motives and plans that the reader isn’t privy to until late in the story. It can make for a shocking reveal; it just feels disingenuous to me to have a character in a close first-person point of view hiding THAT much for THAT long. It’s a me thing. If I didn’t mind that, I would have enjoyed the book a lot more than I did.

Review: This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson

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This Dark Descent
Kalyn Josephson
Roaring Brook Press
Published September 26, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About This Dark Descent

THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US meets SIX OF CROWS in this spellbinding new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, and pulse-pounding action, where the eldest daughter of a renowned family on the verge of ruin joins forces with a mysterious, rogue enchanter and a handsome, ambitious heir to win a deadly race.

Mikira Rusel’s family has long been famous for breeding enchanted horses, but their prestige is no match for their rising debts. To save her ranch, Mikira has only one option: she must win the Illinir, a treacherous horserace whose riders either finish maimed or murdered. Yet each year, competitors return, tempted by its alluring prize money and unparalleled prestige.

Mikira’s mission soon unites her with Arielle Kadar, an impressive yet illicit enchanter just beginning to come into her true power, and Damien Adair, a dashing young lord in the midst of a fierce succession battle. Both have hidden reasons of their own to help Mikira — as well as their own blood feuds to avenge…

Steeped in Jewish folklore, THIS DARK DESCENT is a pulse-pounding new fantasy full of forbidden magic, sizzling romance, and epic stakes. In a world as dangerous as this, will the need for vengeance butcher Mikira’s chances of winning the Illinir … or will another rider’s dagger?

My Review

I definitely see the comparison from this book to SIX OF CROWS. Damian, the mysterious young nobleman, has that same calculating, cards close to the vest thing going that Kaz has in Bardugo’s duology. Unlike SIX OF CROWS, THIS DARK DESCENT follows only two points of view: Ariella and Mikira. I loved both of them pretty much right away. Ari is a self-taught enchanter, grasping for more of her own lost history and the magic of her people that’s since been forbidden. She teeters on the edge of an unnamed darkness as she pursues her magic, and I feel like I was on the edge of my seat, needing to know she would be okay.

Mikira is sparks and frenzy. She’s impulsive, fierce, and fiercely loyal. I wish we’d gotten a little more of her relationships with her sisters Nelda and Aileen. The scenes when she races are so intense. I couldn’t look away. Those moments and some of the behind-the-scenes politics reminded me a little bit of THE SCORPIO RACES.

This is a completely different story than that one, but it definitely has some similarities: strong, desperate heroine; powers that be trying to control the outcome of the race; unlikely alliances; and, of course, a high-stakes, highly dangerous race.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. It anchored me in its story world pretty quickly, giving me just the right amount of detail so that I felt oriented to what was going on but not bogged down in unnecessary trivia. The pacing kept me turning pages from one chapter to the next all the way until the end. There’s also a bit of romance. It doesn’t dominate the story, but I really enjoyed that, too. I also loved the references to Jewish folklore and the way faith and heritage or culture and the complex relationships they can be were celebrated in the story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Some characters are described as having tawny or brown skin. Inspired by Jewish folklore. Also– yay for Widget the cat-who-is-not-a-cat.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Mentions of attraction between same-sex couples. References to sex (happened off-scene).

Spiritual Content
Four Harbingers delivered magic to humans and are still revered and celebrated. Ari is Kinnish, but her family wasn’t devout. Now she longs to know more about the history, faith, and magic of her people, though it’s forbidden by the current rulers. Ari and another woman visit a temple. In intense moments, a couple of characters make reference to praying to gods or goddesses.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Two men attack Ari, intent on mugging her. A man puts on brass knuckles and prepares to beat two men who are restrained. Racers attack Mikira with weapons and magic. She and her horse fight back. A man tortures a young woman, trying to get information from her. A young woman tortures a man and kills him. A couple of scenes show knife or gun fights.

Drug Content
Characters drink wine and whiskey as part of social events. A character tells a story about getting accidentally drunk on whiskey once.

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 DARK DESCENT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan

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The Buried and the Bound
Rochelle Hassan
MacMillan
Published January 24, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Buried and the Bound

A contemporary fantasy YA debut from Rochelle Hassan about monsters, magic, and wicked fae, perfect for fans of The Darkest Part of the Forest and The Hazel Wood.

As the only hedgewitch in Blackthorn, Massachusetts—an uncommonly magical place—Aziza El-Amin has bargained with wood nymphs, rescued palm-sized fairies from house cats, banished flesh-eating shadows from the local park. But when a dark entity awakens in the forest outside of town, eroding the invisible boundary between the human world and fairyland, run-of-the-mill fae mischief turns into outright aggression, and the danger—to herself and others—becomes too great for her to handle alone.

Leo Merritt is no stranger to magical catastrophes. On his sixteenth birthday, a dormant curse kicked in and ripped away all his memories of his true love. A miserable year has passed since then. He’s road-tripped up and down the East Coast looking for a way to get his memories back and hit one dead end after another. He doesn’t even know his true love’s name, but he feels the absence in his life, and it’s haunting.

Desperate for answers, he makes a pact with Aziza: he’ll provide much-needed backup on her nightly patrols, and in exchange, she’ll help him break the curse.

When the creature in the woods sets its sights on them, their survival depends on the aid of a mysterious young necromancer they’re not certain they can trust. But they’ll have to work together to eradicate the new threat and take back their hometown… even if it forces them to uncover deeply buried secrets and make devastating sacrifices.

My Review

I absolutely loved PRINCE OF NOWHERE, Rochelle Hassan’s debut novel, so THE BURIED AND THE BOUND was one of the books I most looked forward to reading this year.

Though it took me a few chapters to get into the book, I was delighted to find characters just as rich in a world just as magical as the author’s debut. I loved Aziza immediately. Leo took me a minute, but once I saw his big heart and how determined he truly is, I couldn’t help loving him. Tristan grew on me much more slowly, but in the end, I loved him, too.

The story world. Okay, so this is a real world setting right next to an entirely magical world with fairy bargains, magical creatures, curses, and alliances. The magical world felt so rich and alive. I loved the way different parts of it came together in different ways.

On the whole, I had a second of uncertainty at the beginning of this book, but once I got oriented to the story, I was completely hooked on it. I’m super glad I read it, and I’ll be eagerly waiting for Hassan’s next book, which hopefully will be a sequel to this one??

Content Notes for The Buried and the Bound

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Tristan is gay and homeless (his parents threw him out when they learned he is gay). Leo is bisexual but closeted. Aziza is Lebanese American and lost both her parents as a very young child.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to a relationship between two boys.

Spiritual Content
Aziza is a hedgewitch, which means she can perform magic that reinforces boundaries between the human and fae worlds. The story contains magic creatures like nymphs, fairies, witches, kelpies, selkies, and a necromancer. A powerful creature has a bond agreement with Tristan in which he must serve her for ten years in exchange for a magical favor. She uses him to lure victims to her which she kills to power herself.

Violent Content
References to murders by Tristan’s master. Murders and harm carried out by immortal hound-like creatures. References to other harm done by magical creatures. Situations of peril. Battle scenes with some graphic detail.

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 BURIED AND THE BOUND in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Secret of the Shadow Beasts by Diane Magras

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

Secret of the Shadow Beasts
Diane Magras
Dial Books
Published June 14, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Secret of the Shadow Beasts

For fans of Dragon Pearl and the Lockwood & Co. series comes a swift-moving contemporary fantasy about a young girl tasked with destroying deadly shadow creatures.

In Brannland, terrifying beasts called Umbrae roam freely once the sun sets, so venomous that a single bite will kill a full-grown adult–and lately, with each day that passes, their population seems to double. The only people who can destroy them are immune children like Nora, who are recruited at the age of seven to leave their families behind and begin training at a retrofitted castle called Noye’s Hill. But despite her immunity, Nora’s father refused to let her go.

Now, years after his death by Umbra attack, Nora is twelve, and sees her mother almost killed by the monsters too. That’s when Nora decides it’s time for her to join the battle. Once she arrives at Noye’s Hill, though, she and her new friends are left with more questions than answers: Where are the Umbrae coming from? Could the government be covering up the true reason their population has whirled out of control? And was Nora’s father, the peaceful, big-hearted man who refused to let Nora fight, in on the treacherous secret?

My Review

Nora is such a cool character. I loved her compassion and the way she continues to ask questions rather than just accepting the way things are. I loved the journey in the way she relates to her teammates and builds relationships with them.

The story sometimes required a greater willing suspension of disbelief from me. I remember one moment where the team is in a car and someone uses a sword to cut someone’s shirt open. It seemed like in close quarters like that, a sword would be really difficult to use. I also thought it was kind of weird that no one put Nora through some basic combat training at any point. It was basically like, “Okay, you have natural talent, so you’re good. Ready to go fight monsters?!”

Despite those things, I found myself pretty carried away with the story. I loved watching Nora get to know her teammates and build relationships with them. I think readers who enjoyed THE FIREBIRD SONG by Arnée Flores will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
One of Nora’s teammates is trans. Another is nonbinary.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Shadow beasts, or Umbra come out at night. They have the ability to shift into shadows instantly. At dawn, they turn into mist spores.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and battle scenes against Umbra.

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 SECRET OF THE SHADOW BEASTS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz

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

Blazewrath Games
Amparo Ortiz
Page Street Kids
Published October 6, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Blazewrath Games

Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico’s Runner—the only player without a dragon steed—is kicked off the team, she’s given the chance.

But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire—a legendary dragon who’s cursed into human form—the safety of the Cup is jeopardized. The pair are burning down dragon sanctuaries around the world and refuse to stop unless the Cup gets cancelled. All Lana wanted was to represent her country. Now, to do that, she’ll have to navigate an international conspiracy that’s deadlier than her beloved sport.

How to Train Your Dragon meets Quidditch through the Ages in this debut fantasy, set in an alternate contemporary world, in which dragons and their riders compete in an international sports tournament.

My Review

The comparison to HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and Quidditch definitely fits this book. Once Lana joins the Blazewrath team, lots of chapters take place on the field, describing the game and her team’s efforts to win.

Because Lana isn’t a dragon rider with a shared bond and closeness to any of the dragons, they are all pretty minor characters. I thought it was cool that different regions had different types of dragons, and that the dragons themselves had lots of varying abilities and behaviors.

I liked Lana– she’s smart and determined. She pursues the truth about the Sire no matter the risk to herself, and she stays bold and committed even in the face of danger.

I liked a LOT of things about the book. It’s a wild adventure, and full of Puerto Rican pride and the love of found family. I think fans of DRAGON WARRIOR by Katie Zhao will like the high adventure and alternate contemporary setting. Readers who are interested in but not quite ready for LOBIZONA by Romina Garber should add THE BLAZEWRATH GAMES to their bookshelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Lana and her teammates are Puerto Rican. A couple minor characters are gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some flirting, but nothing beyond that.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some scenes show brief but graphic violence, including a throat being cut. References to torture and execution. The Blazewrath game includes combat-style play which can result in serious injury.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey

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

The Shadow Hour (The Girl at Midnight #2)
Melissa Grey
Delacorte Press
Published July 12, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About THE SHADOW HOUR

Everything in Echo’s life changed in a blinding flash when she learned the startling truth: she is the firebird, the creature of light that is said to bring peace.
   The firebird has come into the world, but it has not come alone. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and Echo can feel a great and terrible darkness rising in the distance. Cosmic forces threaten to tear the world apart.
   Echo has already lost her home, her family, and her boyfriend. Now, as the firebird, her path is filled with even greater dangers than the ones she’s already overcome.
   She knows the Dragon Prince will not fall without a fight.
   Echo must decide: can she wield the power of her true nature–or will it prove too strong for her, and burn what’s left of her world to the ground?
   Welcome to the shadow hour.

My Review

I keep trying to figure out who my favorite character is, and every time I settle on one member of the cast, I remember another member who’s so amazing. I always loved Echo– right from the beginning of the first book in the series. She has such deep longing to belong and to protect her friends. I’m not sure it’s possible to dislike Ivy, Echo’s Avicen friend. She’s all the things a good friend should be: gentle but brave, loyal but not blinded by it.

Then of course there are the boys. I’m totally team Caius, and I forgot that Echo had a relationship with an Avicen before she left in the first book. So that was a bit startling to read, but honestly my fault for not remembering the first book very well. So that creates a bit of a love triangle, which kind of distracts from the story, but ultimately was okay.

I like the complexity of Caius, though. He’s torn between loyalty to his people– who’ve pretty much abandoned him now that his sister has taken the throne. And he loves his sister, even though she stole his crown and tried to kill him. He’s smart, and he pays attention to the people around him.

Ultimately THE SHADOW HOUR has that middle book feel, where you know it’s setting things up for the big final book. Echo has a quest, and she and her team pursue a specific goal (as do her enemies), but you can see all the pieces begin to come together for the final battle.

I think book two in a series with a really clever story world always has a hard time comparing with book one because we’ve lost the element of discovering that amazing world. Though liked the first book in the series better than the second, but I’d say THE SHADOW HOUR is still a good book. I enjoyed reading it. I want to read the third book, too, but I will confess that I flipped through the pages of THE SAVAGE DAWN and noticed that a character I like dies. So… hmm. It doesn’t change the fact that I want to read it, but it’s kind of slowing me down a little bit.

Read on for notes on content in THE SHADOW HOUR.

Representation
Characters have a variety of skin tones. Other than Echo, they’re from a made up world. Two prominent characters are gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl and between boy and boy. Lots of romantic tension between the two boys. A girl and boy sleep side by side, but mostly keep to themselves other than some cuddling.

Late in the story, it’s clear two characters intend to pursue having sex.

Spiritual Content
At the end of THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT, Echo becomes the Firebird, a mythical creature with power that’s supposed to save her people. In THE SHADOW HOUR, we learn that there’s an opposite force to the Firebird, something that seeks to destroy her and anyone she loves. Echo also carries with her the memories of previous Firebirds, and at times relives their fears and loves.

Violent Content
Graphic battle scenes. A mysterious illness plagues battle victims, killing many. Some (not gross graphic, but still dark) descriptions of a prisoner, bound and tortured.

Drug Content
Echo briefly battles memories of her violent alcoholic mother.