I'm always on board for more Magnus, but honestly, I'm not sure what this novella brings to the story. We already knew This was an okay/good novella.
I'm always on board for more Magnus, but honestly, I'm not sure what this novella brings to the story. We already knew how much of a jerk King Gaius is (and he's not even that bad in the novella), and we also already knew that Magnus had a good heart and that he was not cruel and cold like his father...
Still, it's a very quick read that I would recommend to anyone who wants more of Magnus (and we also get a glimpse of cutie 7 years-old Magnus ...more
✅✅✅ Gorgeous cover ✅ There is only one bed and one horse ✅ Fake dating ✅ Angst ✅ Sexual tension ✅ Politics and scheming ✅ Pace and plot ✅ Expansion of the ✅✅✅ Gorgeous cover ✅ There is only one bed and one horse ✅ Fake dating ✅ Angst ✅ Sexual tension ✅ Politics and scheming ✅ Pace and plot ✅ Expansion of the world-building ✅ Characters ✅ Misha (can we get a spinoff pretty please?) ✅...more
This is a very short story about Aren's childhood. We can see him and his mother together, and his mother is telling him a story about how the stars wThis is a very short story about Aren's childhood. We can see him and his mother together, and his mother is telling him a story about how the stars were created.
Honestly, this does not add anything to the series or to Aren's character, but it was nice and sweet to see him as a little boy and also to see him with his mom.
It does help us understand a little better Arin's obsession with the God of Death in the last book of the trilogy though so there's that.
In all his years scorning humans for their lack of magic beyond a few magicians, short lifespans, quarrelsome nature, and undignified ways, he
In all his years scorning humans for their lack of magic beyond a few magicians, short lifespans, quarrelsome nature, and undignified ways, he had somehow missed the fact that they had a sheer stubbornness that was almost a magic unto itself.
Brother Bounding follows King Weylind as he is travelling with Essie and her three brother to rescue Farrendel from the Trolls. It does not add anything to the series, but it is funny to see him being forced to share a shelter with three humans, and even worse, forced to snuggle with them to share body heat.
In those 6 short pages, we manage to see how Weylind is slowly warming to the idea of being allies with humans, and maybe even friends someday.
This is a very short novella, it does not add much to the story, but Renée Ahdieh does write beautifully. It takes place a few hours after the ending This is a very short novella, it does not add much to the story, but Renée Ahdieh does write beautifully. It takes place a few hours after the ending of Flame in the Mist and shows us how Okami is dealing with his capture.
Once again this is a very short novella, only 9 pages on my Kindle, but it was nice to get some insight into Yumi's mind. This shows us the moment wheOnce again this is a very short novella, only 9 pages on my Kindle, but it was nice to get some insight into Yumi's mind. This shows us the moment when she learns that her brother and his group have been arrested, and how it pushed her to be bolder and braver, and to take action to help the ones she considers her family.
“Leadership is not about pushing people around; leadership is about protecting the weak and bolstering the strong. It is about solidarity and unity. Two are better than one. A village is better than a five-year-old girl with a full dose of the Gift. Rohnan will help you learn this, I am sure of it. You will guide him, Shanti Cu Hoi. You will be responsible for him from now on. He is your charge.”
This short prequel gives us a glimpse at Shanti's childhood after her powers manifested. It also shows us how Rohnan came to be in her life, and how she adopted him as a brother.
Even as a child, Shanti is reckless and is prompt to get in trouble and fight with anyone who annoys her, I guess some things don't change. We are also able to see how ruthless her grandfather was with her training, and how much pressure she had on her tiny 7 years old shoulder, I kinda feel bad for her.
This is the beginning of Daughter of the Pirate King in Riden's POV. We can see what's going on in his hThis chapter in Riden's POV can be found here.
This is the beginning of Daughter of the Pirate King in Riden's POV. We can see what's going on in his head as they take the Gull, subdue the crew, and meet Alosa for the very first time. I found Riden to be quite bland honestly. There does not seem to be much depth to him and his thought are pretty straightforward and simple.
I was provided an e-copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
✅ Gorgeous cover ✅ Max and TI was provided an e-copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
✅ Gorgeous cover ✅ Max and Tisaanah ❤️ ✅ The other characters ✅ Plot and pace ✅ Action ✅ Villains ✅ Politics and war ✅ Double crossings and betrayals ❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: torture, war, and deaths
Tell me, little butterfly, what would you do for love? (…) Tell me, little butterfly, what would you do to get him back? Anything. Everything.
I took my time reading this one because I wanted to fully enjoy it before the adventure was over. This series was such a great and unexpected surprise! This final book was the perfect ending to Max, Tisaanah, and Aefe’s journey. The first part was a little slower (but in no way long or boring), but the second half was just a crazy mix of action, tension, romance, and politics and I adore the way everything unfolded in the end.
It’s not all that hard to keep yourself sane, so long as you’re flexible with your definition of the term.
Max has been a prisoner of Ilyzath for a few months now, as Tisaanah desperately tries to find a way to save him, while also being a leader of the slaves' rebellion in Threll. As if that wasn’t enough, Caduan and the faes are at war with the humans, alliances are made and broken, and Nura is being even crazier than she was before.
“You’re willing to sacrifice everything you have for your people. But fighting for their future won’t be any easier for you if you don’t give yourself a future to fight for.”
Tisaanah is one of my all-time favorite main characters. She is so strong, resilient, and determined to make the world a better place and to protect her people, and she never loses that hope, even after being beaten and tortured, after seeing death and destruction, she always keeps her goal in mind and fights to attain it. She is an amazing selfless woman, full of hope and kindness, and love, and I wish I could meet her in real life.
"Tell me, my ashen son, do you know how much a million memories weigh? How about one? It weighs enough to break a spine. It weighs enough to break a soul."
Max is an amazing character too. Besides being a perfect -grumpy- book boyfriend, his character gets better and stronger as the series progresses. He is far from being perfect, but that only makes him feel so much more real. Poor Max suffered a lot in this book, I wanted someone to just hug him, hold him tight and never let him go.
I can’t just… give up.” “I know. But you’re only one person.” Despite myself, I choked a bitter laugh. “People are always telling me that. I don’t understand why.” Sammerin gave me a deadpan look out of the corner of his eye and released a long exhale of smoke. “I wonder indeed.”
Sammerin and Tisaanah becoming friends and being each other’s strength and support was so wholesome. I still need more of Sammerin’s calm and reassuring presence. I want him to have his own book, even if it’s a short one. He is so quiet and almost invisible when Max and Tisaanah are there, but at the same time, they wouldn’t be where they are now if it wasn’t for Sammerin’s steady support. He saved their asses more than once!
“When Max believes in something, he gives it his whole self. It’s his greatest strength and greatest weakness. And you, Tisaanah, were the first thing he had believed in for a long, long time. It takes more than four walls to break that kind of faith.”
Tisaanah and Max have such a strong and sweet bond. They support each other, they communicate and they work through their problems together. They are partners. There are also a few explicit and hot moments, but what I really loved about them is how good they were for each other, and how we got the chance to watch them both grow.
If I hadn’t been trying so hard to keep myself together, I might have found it a little funny that Brayan’s tactic for dealing with unwelcome emotion was running off to go stab things in the woods. Farlione men. Sensitive to the very end.
Brayan is now involved in the plot! We have TWO Farliones in this book! I would really like it if he had his own short story or spin-off, I was intrigued by his character which reminded me so much of Max in the first book in some ways.
She had no remorse for what she had done. She was a broken creature who weaponized her shattered edges and used them to draw blood over blood over blood.
Nura was not as present in this book, but the few times she was there were enough for me to hate her even more. She has no redeeming qualities, she is a vain, cold-hearted bitch that thinks the fact that she wants to protect her country is enough to justify all the horrible things she’s done and is still doing. I hate her SO MUCH (which means the author did a great job when developing her character), she is the worst.
I have mixed feelings about Caduan… I really liked him in the second book, but while I understand why he behaves this way and why his vendetta against humans is a necessary part of the amazing plot, he is so single-mindedly trying to win and eradicate the humans that he was hurting so many people around him without realizing it.
"I have left a mark upon the world. I have written a new story. And I have him. Love is worth creating for. Worth dying for."
Aefe still had her chapters in this book and I found myself being really involved in her story. She changed SO MUCH if we compare her to Reshaye when it was inside Max or even Tisaanah. After being Reshaye for 500 years, she had to learn to be her own person with her own feelings and she had to deal with the overwhelming emotions of finally being alone in her head and being free, while also being involved in Caduan’s plans. Aefe is a broken person, but she still managed to grow and become a better person in this book.
"It begins with two souls who find themselves suddenly, utterly alone." "It ends with two souls who create a future together."
This was a good read, but nothing extraordinary. I liked seeing the visual part of the Shades of Magic world, and the art in the graphic novel are welThis was a good read, but nothing extraordinary. I liked seeing the visual part of the Shades of Magic world, and the art in the graphic novel are well done. Still, graphic novels are not my favorite type of books. The whole plot felt rushed because of the way it was presented and developed.
I don't know if I will continue with these graphic novels, but if you're a fan of graphic novels and of the Shade of Magic world, then you would most probably enjoy this series about Rhy's father....more
I was provided an e-copy of the book by the author (and I am ever so thankful for that!) in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions aI was provided an e-copy of the book by the author (and I am ever so thankful for that!) in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“The masquerade is a beautiful lie upon a lie. Nobody wants to be faced with the ugly truth of their insignificant lives.”
✅ Mysterious atmosphere ✅ Cruel faes and magic ✅ Smut (M/M) ✅ Pace ✅ Plot ✅ Angst ❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: suicide, non-consensual sex, sexual relationship with multiple partners, and physical punishment.
Strong 4.5 stars
It's the perfect book if you are looking for a Cruel Prince vibe and a book full of cold and ruthless faes, with a Caraval-esque magical setting full of illusions. And it happens during the winter solstice so it's also the perfect time of the year to read it!
For some, receiving an invite meant a chance to witness real magic, offering an evening of fantasy, a chance to visit a world where every hunger and desire imaginable was sated over and over. Rumors swirled every year of how a guest might find their fortune at the masquerade, of how a fae could bestow immortality on a lucky mortal, or of how the lonely might fall in love. Nobody cared to mention the guests who vanished or the rumors of how the vicious host could turn a mortal mad with a single unmasked glance. Those horrors were conveniently ignored or wilfully forgotten.
The masquerade happens every year on the night of the winter solstice, and for the past few years, Brice has been receiving invitations that he promptly destroyed or hid. After the masquerade drove his mother to madness, he promised himself that neither he nor his younger brother would ever attend even if it is the social event of the year. Things do not go as planned though when his brother steals Brice's invitation and sneaks away to the masquerade. It is now up to Brice to go and save him, meaning he now has to go to the masquerade, and even worse, he needs to interact and work with faes (well one fae more specifically).
They will offer you that which you most desire, but it will come with a heavy price.
I was expecting this whole adventure to happen over one long night at first, but it actually happens over a few years, so we get to see more than one masquerade, and every time it gets crazier, sexier, and more confusing (but not in a bad way!). The faes depicted in this book are a little similar to Holly Black's nasty faes, and they enjoy playing and using humans, but I have to say that as the book progresses, we can see that they are not as dark and cruel as we first thought.
The masquerade calls, Mother had told him over and over. Can you hear it, Brice? The fae have all the time in the world, but ours is finite. When they call, you must never answer. (…) They don’t like to be ignored. They’ll take something of yours, taking your choice with it. Hope they never call, Brice. It is the only way to survive them.
This book was not as dark as some of Ariana Nash's previous works, I was expecting something darker honestly with the promise of masquerade and cruel faes, but it was still a delight to read!
Brice is a nice main character. He is so protective of his brother, and it was sweet but at the same time so frustrating because Charon acted like a spoiled brat most of the time. Their relationship is complicated, and honestly, I wanted to slap Charon repeatedly more than once while reading this book. Back to Brice, he is brave and strong, while also being a dreamer in need of some affection and love. He changed a lot during this adventure, and I loved to see the evolution of his character. By the end of the book he seemed way more mature and open-minded, he really went from a young sad, and insecure man to a strong, proud and confident lord.
Stepping back, Raoul offered the crook of his arm. “Brice LeChoix, you are hereby invited to the masquerade. Guard your mask and your heart, for the masquerade takes both from fools in love.”
Raoul is a complex and layered character that I really liked discovering. I was not a fan of him at first, but his feelings and motivations are deeper than they first appear to be, and we quickly realize that he is not simply a trickster and a liar. He is boiling with anger and sadness, and he is trying to enjoy himself at the masquerade, while also taking advantage of humans and being a shameless flirt. He is sweet and fiercely protective but hides it well behind snark and nonchalance.
“A fae’s love is a fierce thing,” Chantel said. “Everlasting. Consuming. It outshines stars and outlives mountains.”
You deny me, you puzzle me, and you tear me asunder. Yet I’d surrender the last of my immortal moments if I could spend a mortal life with you. I see now why my kin fear love.”
I was not too sure about Raoul and Brice together at first, but they quickly grew on me and by the end of the book I was rooting for them big time. They completed each other well, and both brought the best out of the other. Brice gained confidence during the time he spent with Raoul, and Raoul finally started to build back his self-esteem thanks to Brice. They are really cute together, and also intense and sexy. ...more
Vasili bowed his head, bracing his forearms on the bridge’s little wooden rail, and focused on breat
✅✅✅ Smut ✅✅✅ Vasili and Niko ✅ Romance ✅ HEA
Vasili bowed his head, bracing his forearms on the bridge’s little wooden rail, and focused on breathing. He’d manipulated a court of Cavilles, he’d survived eight years in hell, he’d battled for ownership of his very soul, and this little cottage in a forgotten meadow had nearly brought him to his knees.
Oh well... Here is all the smut I was missing from the Prince's Assassin series! ...more
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