A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin ARC Review!

 

Title: A Venom Dark and Sweet (The Book of Tea #2)
Author: Judy I. Lin
Publish Date: August 23rd, 2022
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust.

Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess' loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning's newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen's rightful throne.

But the golden serpent still haunts Ning's nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world...

Penelope's Review

This is the exciting conclusion to the Book of Tea duology by Judy Lin - what beautiful covers am I right? The last book left off with Ning, Ruyi, and Princess Zhen on the run, along with Ning's sister Shu. This book is a little different in that we get two POV's - Ning and Kang! As with the first book, we get a beautiful mixture of Chinese mythology with amazing world-building and solid character development.

Ning is yet again a fierce, kick-ass female lead. She will stop at nothing to ensure her sister's safety as well as the safety of her newfound friends. Her compassion, loyalty, and strength really shine through in this book. It was also such a treat to get Kang's side of the story in such detail this time around. We finally get to delve deep into his mind, and see his motivations and whether or not he is deserving of redemption. 

The writing style here is yet again brilliant! I love this author's ability to weave such an intricate story into the pages. The end was good, but could have perhaps been just a tad longer. Not to say it didn't end well, just a bit quick is all! Regardless, I look forward to seeing what else Judy Lin comes out with!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!

Wild Is The Witch by Rachel Griffin Book Review!

 

Title: Wild is the Witch
Author: Rachel Griffin
Publish Date: August 2nd, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

When eighteen-year-old witch Iris Gray accidentally enacts a curse that could have dire consequences, she must team up with a boy who hates witches to make sure her magic isn't unleashed on the world.

Iris Gray knows witches aren't welcome in most towns. When she was forced to leave her last home, she left behind a father who was no longer willing to start over. And while the Witches' Council was lenient in their punishment, Iris knows they're keeping tabs on her. Now settled in Washington, Iris never lets anyone see who she really is; instead, she vents her frustrations by writing curses she never intends to cast. Otherwise, she spends her days at the wildlife refuge which would be the perfect job if not for Pike Alder, the witch-hating aspiring ornithologist who interns with them.

Iris concocts the perfect curse for Pike: one that will turn him into a witch. But just as she's about to dispel it, a bird swoops down and steals the curse before flying away. If the bird dies, the curse will be unleashed―and the bird is a powerful amplifier, and unleashing the curse would turn not just Pike, but everyone in the region, into a witch.

New witches have no idea how to control their magic and the consequences would be dire. And the Witches' Council does not look kindly on multiple offenses; if they found out, Iris could be stripped of her magic for good. Iris begs Pike to help her track the bird, and they set out on a trek through the Pacific Northwest looking for a single bird that could destroy everything.

Penelope's Review

Another witchy standalone by Rachel Griffin! Who could resist that?! This book was surprisingly touching, and had me feeling all sorts of emotions throughout. Any book that brings a tear to my eye is a great one in my books. 

Wild is the Witch follows Iris, a young witch who was forced to leave her old town with her mom due to an unfortunate event. Now the two run an animal refuge together, and Iris keeps her identity as a witch a secret, especially given that the intern working with her happens to hate witches. When a harmless ritual goes wrong, Iris finds herself trekking through the wilderness with witch-hating Pike by her side as she tries to find the curse-stealing owl before it's too late. 

This book has so many fantastic elements to it - the writing style is fantastic as usual, the raw emotion bleeding through the pages is so real, and we get deep moments of vulnerability lightened up with just enough humor to make it feel real. The beginning of this book sets the stage well, and the story flows from there pretty well. We have a few slower spots in the middle there, but everything picks right up as we get to the end. 

Overall, it's a really great YA contemporary story, with such a beautiful take on magic and witches. The romance is slow and sweet, and the book ends exactly as it should have. It will definitely leave you with a smile on your face.

Rating: 4/5 Devils!

The Valkyrie's Daughter by Tiana Warner Book Review!

 

Title: The Valkyrie's Daughter (The Helheim Prophecy #1)
Author: Tiana Warner
Publish Date: July 26th, 2022
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

From the time she was born, Sigrid has only ever been ordinary. Being paired at birth with a plain horse―instead of the powerful winged mare of a valkyrie―meant there would be no warrior path for her. No riding the skies, no glory among the nine worlds. Just the simple, unremarkable life of a stable hand.

Everything changes when a terrible enemy ambushes Vanaheim and Sigrid sees a vision of herself atop a mythical stallion, leading the valkyries into a harrowing battle. Finally, she can grab her future with her own two hands and become the hero of her own story…if she dares.

But her destiny is tied up with Mariam, a fallen valkyrie who’s allied herself with the very enemy Sigrid is trying to stop.

Now Sigrid has left ordinary behind as she begins a journey with the beautiful―if treacherous―valkyrie, each step bringing her closer to answers…and to awakened feelings for Mariam.

Only, the life Sigrid has escaped may have been paradise compared to the one she’s racing toward. Because her destination is the realm of the dead: the gates of Hel.

Penelope's Review

I picked up this book because I love valkyries and thought it would be fun to delve a litter deeper into Norse mythology. It ended up being a good read with some great characters and an interesting storyline.

Sigrid is our main female lead. She's a stable hand in Vanaheim who dreams of becoming a valkyrie. What I really liked about Sigrid was her drive and determination to go after what she wants and stop at nothing to achieve her dreams. She's strong-willed and full of hope for her future. Definitely a main character I can get behind. I was also a fan of the side characters - Mariam was fierce, Fisk was interesting, and we even had a good villain.

While the book was great character-wise, I wasn't totally in love with the flow of the story. I found it pretty slow in some parts, and the writing and dialogue seemed a bit off at times. I've seen some reviews mention that the dialogue is quite modern, yet the story feels like it's from a different time and the contrast between the two is essentially what could lead a reader to feel unsettled. I think I agree with that viewpoint now that I've finished the book however, I think that it will allow some younger readers to connect better so not a bad thing overall just not great for me.

Overall, I think this is a good book, and I'm interested to see where the story goes from here. I think it will appear to a younger audience - I'm not if all of the YA-loving adults will love it though, in my opinion!

Rating: 3/5 Devils!

When Stars Come Out by Scarlett St. Clair Book Review!

 

Title: When Stars Come Out (When Stars Come Out #1)
Author: Scarlett St. Clair
Publish Date: July 26th, 2022
Publisher: Bloom Books
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Anora Silby can see the dead and turn spirits into gold coins, two things she would prefer to keep secret as she tries to lead a normal life at her new school. After all, she didn't change her identity for nothing.

Hiding her weirdness is just one of many challenges. By the end of her first day, she's claimed the soul of a dead girl on campus and lost the coin. Turns out, the coin gives others the ability to steal souls, and when a classmate ends up dead, there's no mistaking the murder weapon.

Navigating the loss of her Poppa, the mistrust of her mother, and Roundtable, an anonymous student gossip app threatening to expose her, are hard enough. Now she must find the person who stole her coin before more lives are lost, but that means making herself a target for the Order, an organization that governs the dead on Earth - and they want Anora and her powers for themselves.

Penelope's Review

This is actually the first book I am reading by Scarlett St. Clair so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when it came to content, writing style, etc. but I found that I quite enjoyed this! 

The book follows Anora Silby, a teenage girl who's just moved to a new school and happens to be able to see the dead. I liked Anora's character - she's just a girl trying to get through life with a power she doesn't fully understand, a mom who can be difficult to deal with at times, and a cute guy she can't quite get out of her head. She's not sure who to trust, and doesn't know where to turn for help. The book has quite a bit of mystery to it, and it was fun trying to solve everything before the end. I wasn't sure how I felt about Shy as the romantic interest but he definitely grew on me by the end - I'm excited to see where things go in the next book!

The writing style itself was good - good flow, just enough to keep me interested without seeming too fast at all. Lots of little mythology elements pop up like hellhounds, Charon, etc. that I really liked. Overall, a good start to the series! Looking forward to continuing Anora's story and seeing where all of my favorite characters end up!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!