TOUR: The Alchemists of Loom

The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova

ISBN: 9781619844421
Pages: 380
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Publication Date: January 10, 2017

Initial Reaction:

Her vengeance. His vision.
Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.
When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.
He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.

I am finally back with a tour stop! It's been so long that this feels almost foreign. Today I get to share another amazing Elise Kova novel with you all. I read Air Awakens earlier this year and absolutely loved it. While I haven't gotten the chance to finish the series, I've been following Elise Kova on her social media and have been anticipating the release of The Alchemists of Loom.

The Alchemists of Loom has the same fantastic writing that Air Awakens has which introduces a fascinating world with a touch of steampunk thrown in. I loved the vivid descriptions that Elise Kova includes but she leaves enough out so that you can really use your imagination to see the world. The world of Loom has a bunch of different races and I really appreciated how humans weren't the focus. Instead, we have the Fenrhi, a group of gray skinned people who are divided into different guilds to learn specific crafts. We also have the Dragons, who rule this world and have special abilities that are connected to different parts of their body. Because of these abilities, their organs are harvested and implanted to Fenrhi who are then called Chimera. 

When the story starts, we are introduced to Arianna also know as the White Wraith and she loathes the Dragons. She's in the middle of a heist when she stumbles across an injured Dragon. Thinking it to be an easy harvest, she aims to harvest his organs but he surprises her with a request: Take him to the Alchemists Guild and he'll grant her a boon. An offer that she can't resist, so Ari agrees to partner up with her enemy.

This story has no boring moment and the different relationships between the characters is so fascinating. I loved the love-hate relationship between Cvareh and Arianna and also being able to delve more into Ari's past relationships and how they shaped her. The relationship between Florence and Ari was super sweet as well though I'm not sure if it was supposed to go beyond a mentor-student relationship. Another thing I enjoyed immensely was being able to see the story from the opposite side's point of view. Through Ari, you get this twisted image of the Dragon, and while they aren't the perfect race, seeing the story from Leona's perspective opened the doors a lot.

The Alchemists of Loom is such an eye opening tale that introduces fascinating new world. Through all the adventures, the overarching idea of fighting the stereotypical mold society presents in order to live your life to the fullest and to do all the things that you were meant to do. I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment and this just encourages me to hurry and finish the Air Awakens saga. 

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AUTHOR BIO:

Elise Kova has always had a profound love of fantastical worlds. Somehow, she managed to focus on the real world long enough to graduate with a Master’s in Business Administration before crawling back under her favorite writing blanket to conceptualize her next magic system. She currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and when she is not writing can be found playing video games, watching anime, or talking with readers on social media. She is the USA Today bestselling author of the Air Awakens Series as well as the upcoming Loom Saga (Keymaster, 2017). 

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4 out of 5 stars

Review: Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge

ISBN: 0062369415
Pages: 448
Source: Ebook/Own

Publication Date:

Initial Reaction: September 27, 2016

Sabriel meets Romeo and Juliet in this stunning and atmospheric novel—the first in a duology—from the author of Cruel Beautyand Crimson Bound.

When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.

The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.

Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.
Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.
Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . . . 

I read Crimson Bound earlier this year and completely loved it so when I found out that Rosamund Hodge was coming out with a new novel I was so excited. She creates such fascinating retellings of classic stories that are dark but so gripping and refreshing.

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire takes the ageless tale of Romeo and Juliet and completely spins it on its head. In a post apocalyptic world that is slowly being turned into a zombie wasteland, we follow 2 different story lines as the young and passionate seek to find their place in a messed up world. Thank goodness for familiar names because there were some parts that just seemed so random and confusing. 

The world that Rosamund Hodge creates is so incredibly fascinating. There's a fog called the Ruining in the world that is slowly killing everyone and turning people into zombies. The walled city of Viyara is the only place in the world that remains untouched and in order to keep the out, the magic that protects the city demands a blood sacrifice. That magic has been demanding more sacrifices than usual, the powerful families of the city have a hidden agenda of their own, and the Sisterhood that controls the sacrifices could care less about the impending doom of the city. 

We are introduced to four characters, the fighters of the younger generation. Runajo is a passionate and cold member of the Sisterhood who is determined to save the city and stop the corruption. Juliet is the pride of her family, a girl marked to magic to become an emotional weapon, but rebels against her family's wishes. Paris is the one appointed to be her Guardian when Tybalt was murdered, but finds himself working with his kinsman's murderer in an attempt to uncover his own family's corruption. And last but certainly not least, we have Romeo, hot headed and passion extraordinaire. There's also Vai, the King of Cats, ruler of the streets that the rich dare not tread and essentially saves Paris and Romeo from getting killed. 

There are so many crazy moments in this story and I loved how different it was from the original tale but included some key details. I wish that some parts could have been more fleshed out and I came to the realization that Rosamund Hodge always creates such confusing but fascinating plots that are just hard to wrap your mind around. This one is definitely one of the more confusing ones to follow but when some pieces click into place, it's the coolest feeling over. 

I loved following the story from the two different storylines and seeing how things come together. At the ending...there was some frustration with certain things but since this is a duology, that just makes me more excited for the second novel to see how everything wraps up.

4 out of 5 stars

Review: Three Dark Crowns

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
ISBN: 0062385437
Pages:398
Source: Own/Ebook
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Initial Reaction: 

When kingdom come, there will be one.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.
The last queen standing gets the crown.

I am back with a review!! I actually read this book almost two months ago and just never got around to writing a review and I didn't want to do homework so here we are. Three Dark Crowns was hands down one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I'm so glad I was able to read it amidst the craziness of school because it DID NOT disappoint!

Triplet queens trying to kill each other for the throne sounds strangely creepy and it was. The beginning was a bit confusing because there was so much about about this world that I had to learn about their customs and it was so fascinating. The world that Kendare Blake creates is honestly amazing and the complexity of the traditions and characters is incredible. A land where a queen rules but in order to achieve that power, she must demonstrate her skills and then kill her triplets within a year. There is so much scheming and misunderstanding but that just drives the plot forward. Honestly, I don't think there is one boring part of this book.

I thought it would be really easy to figure out who would be the victor or at least develop a bias among the queens but it's honestly impossible. I love how all three queens - Katharine, Mirabella, and Arsinoe - were all so different and complex. To describe each briefly, Katharine is a doll that the Poisoners are constantly treating like a voodoo doll and sticking needles into her, but with the introduction of certain characters, she really blossoms and shows her true potential. Mirabella is the one everyone expects to be queen because she shows the most potential with her ability to control the elements, but she loves her sisters which is something that is not allowed. Arsinoe is such a determined girl who knows that her abilities do not live up to her Naturalist standards, but she's still so strong willed.

In addition to these characters, all of the supporting characters are so well developed. From the fanatic priestess and Mirabella's loyal friends, to the friendship between Arsinoe and Jules, to the twisted power hungry Poisoners, Kendare Blake takes the time to really craft every individual. 

Honestly, I did not know what to expect with this book and I was pretty blown away by the result. Like I mentioned above, there is a lot of scheming and misunderstanding which throws a lot of complications into the competition. While I definitely did not expect certain events and how they unfolded, this book served as a great introduction to a world that I cannot wait to explore more. 

4 out of 5 stars

Review: Illusions of Fate

Illusions of Fate by Kierstan White

ISBN: 0062135899
Pages: 278
Source: Own/Ebook

Publication Date: September 9, 2015

Initial Reaction:

Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.
Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray. 

(This review is so overdue I am ashamed but I finally got around to editing my bullet points and putting them into sentences...better late than never...)

This book has been pretty raved about across the internet and it took be way too long to see what the hype was all about. I picked this book up half out of boredom and half out of curiosity and was completely swept away into this magical world. Even though I feel like everyone was talking about it when it first released, I actually managed to go into the story pretty blind which just made the whole experience all the more magical. 

Right from the start, Illusions of Fate takes you on this rollercoaster adventure into a world that is cold and gray. I've noticed that I really like the juxtaposition between a prim and proper world versus a colorful and wild one. At first, I was a bit confused over what was going on but Kiersten White quickly clears that up and sets into motion the overarching plot while throwing in different bits about the history of the world. 

Jessamin is such an intriguing character as she's born of a Melei mother and an Albion father - she's essentially a combination of the two worlds. The Albion world looks upon her with distaste because she has a sense of fire within that clashes with their rigid society. She travels to Albion to study at the university her father teaches at and gets swept up in a dark and deceitful world of magic when she meets Finn. We have Lord Downpike who plays the evil villain who wants to take over the world and in order to do that, he needs access to all the powers which he believes Finn has the key. 

Honestly, there were some parts of the story that were just so dark it caught me off guard but nothing was ever too terrible to handle. Lord Downpike is just so many shades of messed up that as the story unfolded and his identity was revealed, I was just completely blown away. On the topic of Downpike, he uses ravens to be his eyes around the city and I must mention my favorite raven of all fiction: Sir Bird. Even his name is perfect! (Sorry Chainsaw...) Sir Bird plays such an important role and I just...you must read this book to find out! Another side character I want to mention briefly is Eleanor. She's the younger sister of one of Albion's elites and while she doesn't have a ton of magical ability, she definitely knows how to use her abilities to her advantage. Also, she's just such a bright person compared to the rest of dreary Albion.

Illusions of Fate just left me completely mind blown and I can't believe that Kiersten White managed to create such fantastic story and characters in under 300 words. I definitely need to pick up more of her books in the future and I'm secretly hoping for another story in this world. 

4 out of 5 stars

TOUR: The Daemoniac

The Daemoniac by Kat Ross

ISBN: 0997236248
Pages: 334
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Publication Date: October 12, 2016

Initial Reaction:

It's August of 1888, just three weeks before Jack the Ripper will begin his grisly spree in the London slum of Whitechapel, and another serial murderer is stalking the gas-lit streets of New York. With taunting messages in backwards Latin left at the crime scenes and even more inexplicable clues like the fingerprints that appear to have been burned into one victim's throat, his handiwork bears all the hallmarks of a demonic possession.

But consulting detective Harrison Fearing Pell is convinced her quarry is a man of flesh and blood. Encouraged by her uncle, Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry hopes to make her reputation by solving the bizarre case before the man the press has dubbed Mr. Hyde strikes again.
From the squalor of the Five Points to the high-class gambling dens of the Tenderloin and the glittering mansions of Fifth Avenue, Harry and her best friend, John Weston, follow the trail of a remorseless killer, uncovering a few embarrassing secrets of New York's richest High Society families along the way. Are the murders a case of black magic—or simple blackmail? And will the trail lead them closer to home than they ever imagined?

Kat Ross has done it again with her magical writing! The Daemoniac is this haunting read that takes place in 1888 New York City just a couple weeks before Jack the Ripper unleashes his terror on London. In New York City, another killer is walking the streets and our MC is convinced that it's the work of demonic posession. Harry is the younger sister of Detective Myrtle Pell and with no connections, she sets off to solve this case. Determined to solve the case of Mr. Hyde, she works with her best friend John Weston to uncover the secrets of the upper class.

This story is definitely different from the previous books I have read by Kat Ross but it was still absolutely amazing. If you're looking for a nice spooky read for the month then this is definitely something you should pick up. I'm not a big reader of scary books because I'm often reading late at night and The Daemoniac definitely gave me a couple of jump scares. 

The writing style just reflects the story so perfectly and paints a haunting picture of New York City that I never saw before. Growing up in NYC, it's definitely a different view and one that was absolutely fascinating to read about. It's pretty obvious that the high society of New York is corrupt but taking a little journey into the deep dark passageways was just so fun. Additionally, the characters were just so well developed, especially Harry. Kat Ross just knows how to create characters who stand out and just grab your interest. It was so cool that our MC's full name is Harrison rather than a feminine version. Harry's growth throughout the story is just incredible since she starts as a young naive girl who wants some of her sister's fame and connections to someone with considerable knowledge and wisdom.

The supporting characters are just as amazing and the journey they take throughout the story continues to blow my mind. From the SPR to all the different connections that Harry finds in order to solve the crime, there is just so much that this story delivers that it's an absolute joy to read. The Daemoniac is definitely a great read for this time of the year but it's one that will be fun any time. The pacing and mysterious allure of the story just keeps the pages turning! 

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AUTHOR BIO

Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She lives in Westchester with her kid and a few sleepy cats. Kat is also the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day (Skyscape, 2014), about a world where the sea levels have risen sixty meters. She loves magic, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Preferably with mutants.

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3.5 out of 5 stars

Review: Soulless

Soulless by Jacinta Maree

ISBN: B014ONKO9K
Pages: 395
Source: YA Bound Book Tours

Publication Date: October 1, 2015

Initial Reaction:

Welcome to Soulless.

We are the generation that laughs at death.

Reincarnation; what was once considered a gift of immortality has become an eternity of nightmares.

Nadia Richards lives in a world plagued by reincarnation, a system of recycling souls where all past memories, personalities and traumatic events are relived daily in disjointed sequences. Trapped within their own warped realities, not even the richest and most powerful are saved from their own minds unraveling. Madness is the new human nature, and civilizations are crumpling beneath themselves trying to outrun it. 

Within a society that ignores death, Nadia appears to be the one exception to the reincarnation trap. Born without any reincarnated memories and with printless eyes, the hot tempered 19 year old quickly becomes the ultimate prize to all those wishing to end the vicious cycle, or for some, to ensure they could evade death forever.

Look at me, getting so many reviews up! Okay I head a deadline for this one but still, it got me reading which is a relief. This book drew me in because of the gorgeous artwork on the cover and while the synopsis didn't exactly seem up my alley, I thought I'd give it a try. Soulless is a dystopian novel with a dark premise. For generations, people are being reborn with all the memories from their previous lives. In order to bring peace amidst the chaos, a group called the Elites rise up and build the broken society except the world they put in order glorifies them and them only while the rest of the population is left to fight for themselves. 

Our main character is part of the lower class and she has a special predicament. While everyone else in the world has some sort of special pattern in their iris that identifies who they were in their previous lives, Nadia doesn't have anything. Her eyes are completely blank and that makes her a target. We follow Nadia as she is taken into a prison and becomes a personal pin cushion to a crazed doctor and her escape and life as a fugitive. The characters are so complex and frustrating at the same time. 

With Nadia, it was a bit of a struggle seeing her constantly having to fight for her life and there were times where I just didn't know how much longer she could keep going. She honestly goes through some terrible things but it always gets to a point where I'm purely reading to see if she makes it through. Our other main character is a brooding and slightly mental terrorist by the name of Diesel. He's so bipolar it drives me insane sometimes. He'll be "sweet" and do some nice things but then he'll turn around and be so rude and I just want to punch him. With the characters, it was a bit of a hit or miss but in the end it was just incredible to see how amazingly complex everyone was from our MCs to the Mad Dogs to the snobby Elites. 

This book was a bit more...bloody than I originally expected but it goes with the harsh cutthroat world. One of the biggest points about this book that I really liked was how Jacinta Maree focused on the action of the story over the romance. I don't think there was a certain confirmation of the romance until well past the 50% mark. While the book started off a bit slow, the emphasis was all on the build up and letting everything fall into place. I've heard so many amazing things about the next book in the series and with how things wrapped up in this book I'm definitely intrigued. Soulless is just a really action packed novel that views life, death, and society in a much darker lens.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Review: The Afterlife of Alyx and Israel

The Afterlife of Alyx and Israel by Hanna Peach

ISBN: 978-1534673274

Pages: 230

Source: YA Bound Book Tours
Publication Date: June 1, 2016

Initial Reaction: 

Once upon a lifetime, Alyx & Israel lost each other...

'In their new mortal lives, Alyx & Israel don't remember anything about their past. And they have never crossed paths. Until some old friends decide to secretly nudge destiny along, their efforts almost destroying everything…

Now Alyx’s life lies in the balance, trapped in a coma deep within a DreamScape maze city. The only one who can help her escape is Israel, a man she doesn't remember. They need to find a mysterious Mapmaker and solve his riddle. But is this Mapmaker hiding something?

Although this book is part of the Dark Angel series, it can be read as a standalone. 

I finished another book in college! I decided to read this instead of practicing cause I was just feeling no motivation to practice but I wanted to be productive anyway~ This is the sixth book in Dark Angel series and follows Alyx and Israel who seem like star crossed lovers at the beginning. Since I didn't have a lot of knowledge about the world, not having read any of the previous books, I wasn't sure what to expect. There's not a lot of backstory about the world that Alyx and Israel were part of in their past life and it took a while to piece things together. At the end, I'm still not quite sure about the world and their roles in that world but I guess things would be more clear if I had read the previous books.

As far as plot goes, it was fairly easy to follow so there's definitely no requirement that you need to read the previous books before reading this one. Alyx and Israel are soulmates who used to be immortal but something happened and they were forced to become mortal and live on Earth without any memory of their previous life. Alyx has this group of immortal friends who have been watching her and they decide to act when they find out that Alyx has gotten engaged to someone who is not Israel. This prompts them to mess with fate which sends Alyx spiraling into a dream world that she cannot escape without Israel. Throw into this mess, she must get out of the dream world before it turns winter or she will die.

There's a lot of hidden humor with the sarcastic comments between Alyx and Israel as they get to know each other better. I personally really liked the relationship between Vix, one of Alyx's friends, and Balthazar, a demon who decides to help bring the two soulmates back together, They have so much friendly hostility between to them it's so much to read about. In terms of Alyx and Israel's relationship, there are a lot of hints of their previous relationship as they slowly navigate their way through the dream world and regain their memories. To simply put it, they were bonded spiritually and mentally in sync and it was pretty neat seeing them rediscover that, especially in the scenes where they are fighting scary monsters with swords.

After finishing this book, I'm definitely interesting in picking up the other books in the future just to get to know more about the world and about Alyx and Israel's history. I don't know for sure if their story plays any important roles in any of the previous books but hopefully I'll be able to get around to it someday. 

3.5 out of 5 stars