Tag: Advanced Reader Copy

We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya, #1) – Hafsah Faizal (Advanced Reader Copy)

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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis:

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt the Flame–first in the Sands of Arawiya series–is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya―but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds―and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Review:

I was super fortunate to receive an advanced reader copy of We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal from Fierce Reads at C2E2! HUGE thank you to Fierce Reads for this amazing arc!

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First I have to mention the absolutely gorgeous arc cover of We Hunt the Flame. I love the official release cover, but look at how stunning the arc edition is! I love it so much!

Much like the cover, We Hunt the Flame is a gorgeous masterpiece! We Hunt the Flame is an incredible debut from Hafsah Faizal. I loved everything about this story and I can’t wait to read more from her.

We Hunt the Flame is an epic fantasy adventure full of political intrigue, mystery, a slow-burn romance, and bad ass feminism. It is set in a beautifully created world and narrated by two main characters, Zafira “The Huntress” and Nasir “The Prince of Death.” Both leads are written so well — they each have a history and backstory that shows the reader how they have become the Huntress and the Prince of Death. Faizal was able to do this without information dumping! Zafira and Nasir both experience huge growth and development throughout their journey. They both must confront their emotions, past traumas, and inner demons. The journey changes both for the better which brings them closer. I liked that the change wasn’t immediate or easy. Zafira and Nasir truly had to go on a journey – both physically and emotionally. Side note – the cast of side characters was also so good! Each character was very well done and added to the story.

The story takes place in the world of Arawiya. There is a ton of history and culture in this world, but as I said earlier, it felt natural and not like information dumping. Arawiya is a nation made up of five caliphates (or states). Magic has disappeared from Arawiya and left a curse throughout the land, including the forest of darkness known as the Arz and the island of Sharr. Although it is a place, Sharr was a character on its own. It was all encompassing and had its own personality and desires. I haven’t read a lot of books where the setting/world is an actual character. It really elevated the story and showed how talented Faizal’s writing is.

I can’t get over the writing of We Hunt the Flame. Hafsah Faizal is able to create lyrical, poetic, and enchanting words that flow perfectly together to craft a wholly original story. Faizal’s beautiful writing is incredibly lush and descriptive. This world and setting is super detailed and intricate, but still completely captivating. The intense detail didn’t seem overwhelming and actually added to the beautiful setting. I truly saw the world that Faizal created. I was on the journey with Zafira and Nasir.

My ONLY complaint/suggestion is that a glossary would be nice. I did need to pause to look up some of the Arabic words in order to better understand some scenes.

I can’t say enough good things about We Hunt the Flame. I feel like a lot of YA fantasy blends together lately, but not Hafsah Faizal’s masterpiece. We Hunt the Flame starts off a bit slower, but kept me pulled in the entire time. The ending is full of reveals, twists, and cliffhangers. I cannot wait for the rest of the series!

We Hunt the Flame will be released on May 14th. Fun fact – that’s my birthday! You should all preorder We Hunt the Flame as a birthday present to me 🥳😝

PS: Did you submit your preorder receipt for We Hunt the Flame?! You can receive 5 gorgeous limited edition character cards if you submit your receipt. Here’s the link if you are interested: https://www.wehunttheflame.com/

Tarot – Marissa Kennerson (Advanced Reader Copy)

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40490866Rating: ⭐️💫

Synopsis:

Her fate is so much more than the cards she was dealt.

Born of a forbidden union between the Queen and the tyrannical King’s archnemesis, Anna is forced to live out her days isolated in the Tower, with only her mentors and friends the Hermit, the Fool, and the Magician to keep her company. To pass the time, Anna imagines unique worlds populated by creatives and dreamers–the exact opposite of the King’s land of fixed fates and rigid rules–and weaves them into four glorious tapestries.

But on the eve of her sixteenth birthday and her promised release from the Tower, Anna discovers her true lineage: She’s the daughter of Marco, a powerful magician, and the King is worried that his magical gifts are starting to surface in Anna. Fearing for her life, Anna flees the Tower and finds herself in Cups, a lush, tropical land full of all the adventure, free-spiritedness, and creativity she imagined while weaving.

Anna thinks she’s found paradise in this world of beachside parties, endless food and drink, and exhilarating romance. But when the fabric of Cups begins to unravel, Anna discovers that her tapestries are more than just forbidden expression. They’re the foundation for a new world that she is destined to create–as long as the terrors from the old world don’t catch up with her first.

Review (Spoiler Free):

I received this ARC of Tarot by Marissa Kennerson from Penguin Teen in exchange for my review. This ARC was a giveaway in exchange for reviewing the Four Dead Queens ARC I had received at Book Con 2018. I had not heard of Tarot so I was excited about discovering a new author.

  • My first pre-reading impressions. . .
    • I do not like the cover. The colors are vibrant and super pretty, but I despise when book covers feature real people. I feel like they can do so much better!
    • The premise sounds super interesting and unique! I’m looking forward to discovering a new world!

 I started reading Tarot and I was initially very intrigued. Anna has been imprisoned in a tower for her whole life. She was raised by three advisers. I wanted to know more about Anna, the King, and why he imprisoned her. Anna is an incredibly talented weaver. She creates beautiful tapestries of different worlds. . . Pentacles, Wands, Swords, and an unnamed Tropical land. The King is a tyrant. He believes that “People are born into their positions for a reason. Fates are a fixed thing, destiny preordained.” When a subject is born the King decides their craft and who they will marry. He dictates every aspect of his subjects lives. The King also outlawed magic. He seems to be terrified of Anna’s potential. After a series of events, the King decides that Anna needs to be executed. Anna’s three advisers (the Magician, the Fool, and the Hermit – it really bugs me that they don’t have actual names) help her escape. I really liked the Fool’s quote during this part . . . “Think of this as an adventure. Have faith in your abilities. You are moving forward, and that is never a bad thing.” It’s a good quote to live by. Anna takes scraps of her tapestries with her. While Anna is on the run she is about to be caught, but she takes out her tapestry fragments and wishes she could dive in. The next thing she knows a bridge appears and she crosses it into a new tropical jungle and beach land.

Now this is where the book lost me. The land that Anna discovers is known as “Cups” which is the dumbest name. Like why is it named that?! They literally never say!! However, I will say that the imagery in Cups is beautiful. It’s this gorgeous white villa with turquoise shutters on a stunning beach. Anna meets all these gorgeous people that she hardcore insta-loves. It’s actually ridiculous. And it’s not just romantic insta-love. It’s everything insta-love. James is Anna’s love interest. They know each other for like one week and are already in love and obsessed with each other. They literally never talk about anything . . . they just meet and are in love. At one point James says to Anna, “I don’t know how much time you need, but not talking to you is killing me.” I actually laughed out loud at this. YOU HAVE LITERALLY KNOWN THIS GIRL FOR A WEEK. Oh and Topper loves Anna after knowing her for five minutes and she feels connected to him even though she’s in love with James. Give me a break. This felt like a token love triangle. And don’t even get me started on the “villain” Ivy.  Ridiculous. She’s supposed to be the villain at the villa, but they barely interact. And then they make up and are instant besties! It was just unreal.

Back in the Anna’s home world, the King is searching for her. He eventually finds out where she is and goes after her. I am keeping this review spoiler free so I won’t go any further into what happens. I’ll just say that the big reveal about Anna and her powers was not at all shocking.

I know I was pretty tough on Tarot in this review. I do feel bad about that, but I am so bummed with how Tarot turned out. It sounded super intriguing, but unfortunately fell flat. I only gave it an extra 1/2 star because the imagery was beautiful and the idea was good.

Rule – Ellen Goodlett (Advanced Reader Copy)

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37946451RATING: ⭐️⭐️

SYNOPSIS:

Three girls with three deadly secrets. Only one can wear the crown.

The king is dying, his heir has just been murdered, and rebellion brews in the east. But the kingdom of Kolonya and the outer Reaches has one last option before it descends into leaderless chaos.

Or rather, three unexpected options.

Zofi has spent her entire life trekking through the outer Reaches with her band of Travelers. She would do anything to protect the band, her family. But no one can ever find out how far she’s already gone.

Akeylah was raised in the Eastern Reach, surrounded by whispers of rebellion and abused by her father. Desperate to escape, she makes a decision that threatens the whole kingdom.

Ren grew up in Kolonya, serving as a lady’s maid and scheming her way out of the servants’ chambers. But one such plot could get her hung for treason if anyone ever discovers what she’s done.

When the king summons the girls, they arrive expecting arrest or even execution. Instead they learn the truth: they are his illegitimate daughters, and one must become his new heir. But someone in Kolonya knows their secrets, and that someone will stop at nothing to keep the sisters from their destiny… to rule.

Magic, mystery, and blackmail abound in this sensational and striking fantasy debut.

REVIEW (Spoiler Free):

I was fortunate to receive an uncorrected advanced reading copy of Rule from NOVL at Book Con 2018.

I am so bummed. When I heard NOVL was doing an ARC drop of Rule at Book Con I was thrilled! The synopsis sounded intriguing and I couldn’t wait to dive into a new fantasy. Grabbing Rule from the NOVL booth was the first thing my friend and I did at Book Con. I am sorry to say that Rule was a huge let down for me.

This book is pitched as “Three Dark Crowns meets Pretty Little Liars.” I haven’t read TDC, but I definitely think Rule leaned more to the Pretty Little Liars comparison. The only big comparison to TDC is that there are multiple heirs vying for the same crown. However, this is not the main plot point of the story and it’s really only the catalyst for bringing our protagonists together. The main conflict/plot is that the girls are being threatened by an unknown blackmailer ~ which is like Pretty Little Liars with A. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it wasn’t for me. It felt very soap opera-esc and juvenile. It just wasn’t the book I expected.

Now for the world-building…or lack thereof. Our story takes place in the Reaches, which is a nation made up of five regions. This world was interesting and could have been great, but it came up short. I felt like I was thrown into this world and given both too much information and not enough. There was a lot of information dumping, but it barely scratched the surface. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but it’s the only way I can think of to explain my thoughts. The reader is quickly given a ton of info purely to set up the story instead of build a world. It also bothered me that everything happened very sequentially…meaning if “x” happened to Zofi in chapter 1, it would then happen to Akeylah in chapter 2 and Ren in chapter 3. This wouldn’t have been as big of an annoyance to me if the world building had been better.

One thing that I did like was the magic system. I thought the Blood Arts and Vulgar Arts were fascinating…especially the latter. At first I was confused and I couldn’t really visualize it (I think this has to do with being thrown into the world). It became clearer as the story progressed and the magic was shown and explained more. For example, there is a chapter where the characters discuss different tithes and ways to use the blood arts. The magic definitely felt unique, but I wish we could have explored it more.

I did love seeing strong, diverse female leads narrating our story. The problem was I just wasn’t very attached to them. Again, this has to do with being thrown into the world and flooded with information. For example, we are told that Zofi loves Elex and that they have this amazing bond, but we don’t really know why. We’re just told that they’ve grown up together. This relationship could probably benefit from a prequel. I also felt like the character development was lacking. Our protagonists do get from point A to B, but it kind of just happens quickly and too easily.

I enjoyed the mystery of the blackmailer and trying to figure out who it was. It was a slow start, but the last third of the book definitely picked up and got me excited. But, I am so mad about the ending. WHAT A LET DOWN! I’m so disappointed. If anyone wants to talk about the ending and their thoughts please send me a message! I’d love to know what other readers think!!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

  • Beautiful cover!
  • More Pretty Little Liars than Three Dark Crowns.
  • The world had a ton of potential, but it came up short due to information dumping.
  • Cool magic system!
  • Strong, diverse female protagonists.
  • Poor character development.
  • Very frustrating and annoying ending.
  • Ended with a cliffhanger so will there be a sequel? If there is a sequel I don’t think I’ll read it.
  • Overall I was disappointed by Rule and I am so bummed about that.

Four Dead Queens – Astrid Scholte (Advanced Reader Copy)

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fourRATING: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

SYNOPSIS:

Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but she’s, in fact, one of Quadara’s most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara’s most enlightened region, Eonia. He runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger. When Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie both find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara’s queens dead.

With no other choices and on the run from Keralie’s former employer, the two decide to join forces, endeavoring to discover who has killed the queens and save their own lives in the process. When their reluctant partnership blooms into a tenuous romance, they must overcome their own dark secrets in hopes of a future together that seemed impossible just days before. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation’s four dead queens.

An enthralling fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences, Four Dead Queens heralds the arrival of an exciting new YA talent.

REVIEW (Spoiler Free):

I was fortunate to receive an advanced uncorrected galley copy of Four Dead Queens from Penguin Teen at Book Con 2018. I had only heard a little about this book, but I was thrilled when I was able to get a copy from Penguin Teen’s “secret ARC drop”. Can we talk about THAT COVER!?!?! It is stunning! It’s also super cool because it has a sticker on it that says “~Exclusive~ Book Con 2018 Edition~” which I thought was an awesome touch to make the cover even more special.

And now for the story…I was blown away by this book! Four Dead Queens is a combination of my favorites genres. It’s fantasy, mystery, and action-adventure within a dystopian-esc world! The world of Four Dead Queens is extremely interesting! Quadara is a nation made of four quadrants. These four quadrants are physically separated by walls, but also divided by different customs, values, and cultures. Each quadrant is ruled by one queen who together are the four queens of Quadara. The four queens must follow Queenly Law, prioritize their own quadrant, and also rule together to ensure their society is successful. This world was so fresh and unique! It’s very hard to create new worlds today because there is so much content out there. However, Astrid Scholte was able to do this extraordinarily well. I am very impressed with this book and I look forward to hearing more from her in the future. There is a quote in Scholte’s author bio that I think described her writing perfectly…”She’s a visual writer and aims to capture the vivid stories that play like movies in her head.” I can say with 100% confidence that Scholte accomplished her aim with Four Dead Queens. I was swept away in the world of Quadara.

I normally do not like when books have more than two or three POVs. Four Dead Queens has SIX! However, this did not bother me at all. We get perspectives from our protagonist (Keralie), the four queens, and another that I will not spoil! Too many POVs can feel overwhelming and make the story difficult to follow, but this was not the case here. Each POV was well done and added to the story. It did not feel overwhelming at all. I loved all of the POVs, but I especially enjoyed the four queens’ chapters. It was fascinating to see their perspectives and insights.

Four Dead Queens is NON-STOP! The action is constant and completely engrossing. Every single chapter was full of twists and turns. There were so many clever plot twists and surprises! I couldn’t believe how many skeletons these characters had hidden away in their closets! The last twist was absolutely incredible! I had some inkling of who I thought was responsible, but I had no idea the extent of the plot.

The ONLY reason I gave four stars instead of five is because I thought the ending was very neat. It seemed almost too clean and easy, but I still loved it!

I loved this world that Astrid Scholte created. I am not sure if Four Dead Queens is going to be a series, but I actually hope that Scholte writes companion novels as opposed to a sequel. I loved Keralie and Varin, but I want to explore more of this world!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

  • Absolutely GORGEOUS cover!
  • Quadara is a fresh, unique, and interesting world.
  • Six point of views can be overwhelming, but Astrid Scholte did it in a way that was beneficial to the story. I think that the story would not have been nearly as good without all of the POVs.
  • Twists! Turns! Surprises!
  • I would love to explore the world of Quadara more! There is so much more I want to know!!