The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford Book Review!

 

Title: The Poison Season   
Author: Mara Rutherford
Publish Date: December 6th, 2022
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review! 

Leelo has spent her whole life on Endla, coexisting with the bloodthirsty forest and respecting the poisonous lake that protects her island from outsiders who seek to destroy it. But as much as Leelo cares for her community, she struggles with the knowledge that her brother will be exiled and forced to live with the outsiders unless he gains enchantment powers before his next birthday.

Then comes the day that Leelo sees a young outsider on the verge of drowning in the lake. She knows she is supposed to leave him to his fate, but, instead, she betrays her family, her best friend, and her whole community by helping nurse the young man, Jaren, back to health, understanding that discovery could lead to unthinkable consequences for both of them.

As they grow closer, Leelo and Jaren discover that not all danger comes from beyond the lake—and they can only survive if Leelo is willing to question the very fabric of her society, her people, and herself.

Penelope's Review

This was such a fun, magical fantasy that I think a lot of different age groups will be able to enjoy. It has a unique magic system, an enchanted forest and poisonous lake, and some great characters. There's also the matter of a budding, forbidden romance. Definitely something for everyone. 

Leelo is our main female lead and she lives on a secluded island with her people, surrounded by a poisonous lake to protect them from outsiders. There's also a creepy, enchanted forest that must be fed animals in order to keep protecting the inhabitants. The people use magic in their song to lure animals to the forest for it to devour. 

Jaren is a young man who lives in the small town across the lake with his family. He has heard stories about the island and it's people but is skeptical of how truthful these stories are. Until one night, he finds himself in an impossible situation and Leelo is the one who comes to his aid. Now Jaren is hiding on the island with Leelo his only source for food and companionship, and his only hope of getting home alive. 

I really liked the writing style in this book - it flows really well and the characters are full of layered intricacies that make unravelling them something to look forward to. I really liked all of the different family bonds throughout the story, and the romance was also nice to watch unfold.

I will say that the flow of the storyline is somewhat predictable, but honestly that's not necessarily a bad thing. All depends on your preference - it really is a great book overall. The ending ties things up nicely though I have heard the author might have some bonus content about one of Jaren's sisters which I would be VERY excited to read lol. Overall, I'm glad I picked this one up and think it will appeal to a wide audience!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!

Of Cages and Crowns by Brianna Joy Crump ARC Review!

 

Title: Of Cages and Crowns (The Culled Crown #1)
Author: Brianna Joy Crump
Publish Date: November 22nd, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!

For goddess-touched girls, there is only one destiny: the Culling

From the moment Monroe Benson is born with a mark on her hand and the ability to summon fire from her fingertips, her life will never be her own. She’s goddess-touched, which means she’s destined to participate in the Culling, an age-old competition to determine the next queen of Erydia. For most of her seventeen years, her family has managed to keep Monroe--and her powers--hidden. But now, as Queen Viera calls for the Culling to start, and war looms on the horizon, Monroe can no longer hide. She must face her destiny whether she wants to or not.

For the ten goddess-touched girls, all with different powers, the inevitably of this fight to the death has always ruled their lives. The tradition is both barbaric and cruel, but to make matters worse--Monroe isn’t prepared. She hasn’t trained her whole life for this day. She doesn’t want to be in the spotlight. She doesn’t want the crown.

While Monroe struggles with her fate, a rebellion is brewing in the castle and in the country. A group called the Culled are banding together; their goal--to topple the monarchy. And the more they rise, the more merciless Viera is with her kingdom, recruiting younger and younger people from poorer and poorer places to fight in a war no one wants to be waging.

When Monroe finds herself on the front lines of the rebellion’s inner circle, only one thing stands in her way: Cohen. The queen’s son and the man who will be king. The pair grows close, yet Cohen’s dedication to duty, to family, to tradition stands in stark contrast to the boy Monroe sees at night in the kitchens, secretly making the two of them a snack.

As the fight crescendos around them, and the death of innocents is a force to bear, the choices Monroe makes will reverberate through the kingdom . . . and her heart forever.

Penelope's Review

I absolutely love competition-style books with fights to the death so this was a no-brainer for me! I know it's probably going to be referred to in like every review lol, but if you love The Hunger Games, grab this one! You won't be disappointed!

Our main female lead is Monroe Benson, and unfortunately for her, one of our goddess-touched girls. She wants nothing to do with this competition or being queen, but is thrust into it nonetheless. I liked how Monroe was unassumingly confident. She's quiet until she needs to stand up to someone, and then she's able to do so with ease. Her character development is slow, but I like the qualities she gains by the end of the book.

While I liked Cohen, I found that he was a bit too timid and weak for my tastes. Too much of a pushover... I would have preferred a stronger character BUT I liked his sweet side and felt that it worked with Monroe's character. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next book does with their relationship after that ending. They both have things to sort through and deal with and I'm curious to see if it will push them apart or bring them closer together. 

Thanks to a brutally evil queen, we also have a rebellion on the rise! The people are tired of her tyrannical ways and have banded together to fight back. Monroe is pulled into the Culled's plans and even though she believes in what they're fighting for, she can't help but question what this would mean for Cohen. 

The world-building in this book is excellent. I really like this author's writing style, and I think she handled her characters arcs well. Overall, I found it to be quite an enjoyable read with some great action and I'm looking forward to what comes next after such an explosive ending!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!

Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe ARC Review

 

Title: Bright Ruined Things
Author: Samantha Cohoe
Publish Date: February 15th, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!

The only life Mae has ever known is on the island, living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the magic on the island and the spirits who inhabit it. Mae longs for magic of her own and to have a place among the Prosper family, where her best friend, Coco, will see her as an equal, and her crush, Miles, will finally see her. Now that she’s eighteen, Mae knows her time with the Prospers may soon come to an end.

But tonight is First Night, when the Prospers and their high-society friends return to the island to celebrate the night Lord Prosper first harnessed the island’s magic and started producing aether – a magical fuel source that has revolutionized the world. With everyone returning to the island, Mae finally has the chance to go after what she’s always wanted.

When the spirits start inexplicably dying, Mae starts to realize that things aren’t what they seem. And Ivo, the reclusive, mysterious heir to the Prosper magic, may hold all the answers – including a secret about Mae’s past that she doesn’t remember. As Mae and her friends begin to unravel the mysteries of the island, and the Prospers’ magic, Mae starts to question the truth of what her world was built on.

Forbidden magic, a family secret, and a night to reveal it all...

Penelope's Review

This is the first book I'm reading by Samantha Cohoe (A Golden Fury is angrily staring at me from my TBR shelf right now lol) and I really enjoyed it! Got off to a bit of a slow start, but then, kind of like a snowball rolling down a hill, it picked up speed right until the end. At first I wasn't sure if I loved how the book ended, given that it's a standalone but honestly, the more I think about it, the more I think the ending was absolutely perfect for the story. 

So our main female lead is Mae, who is living on an island that has magic controlled by the Prosper family. Her father helped the Prospers gain control of the magic and take over the island, which is why Mae is allowed to live there until she comes of age. Mae has some pretty good character growth in this book - she starts out pretty meek and subservient but develops into a more confident, driven individual. I liked the person she became by the end. Miles was ok... kind of annoying at times but overall a nice addition to the story. I wasn't sure how I felt about Ivo at first, but I ended up loving him by the end - honestly I wish he had been more present in the book lol, I would have liked to read about him more than Miles or Coco! But it was all pretty well done;.

Given that I am a HUGE romance fan, I was a little but disappointed at the lack of an epic love story but I am also aware that it wasn't meant to be that kind of story. It worked well the way it was written and I ended up being satisfied! I also really enjoyed the writing style! Overall, this book surprised me with how much I ended up enjoying it. I will be moving A Golden Fury up on my TBR pile and keeping an eye out for this author's next projects!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!

The Most Eligible Bride in London by Ella Quin ARC Review

 

Title: The Most Eligible Bride in London (The Lords of London #3)
Author: Ella Quinn
Publish Date: February 22nd, 2022
Publisher: Zebra
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!

Love conquers even the most unlikely lord in USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s delightful Lords of London series, as a reformed rogue endeavors to prove himself worthy of his chosen bride...

Mistakes happen, to be sure. Rarely are those mistakes as unfortunate as the one made by Nathanael, Viscount Fotherby, when he abducted the now Lady Merton to save his friend from marriage. Nate has been trying to make amends ever since, leaving behind his self-centered ways to fulfill his duties—and that includes finding a wife of his own. One woman sparks his interest above all others—a lady he helped when she was rescuing a child. Alas, there is a devilish complication...

Miss Henrietta Stern, Lady Merton’s younger sister, is intrigued by the stranger who comes to her aid—until she learns his identity. Nate’s stunt could have ruined her sister’s reputation, and her family may never forgive him. With beauty, connections, and a sizeable dowry, Henrietta has plenty of admirers. Yet no other suitor quickens her pulse quite like Nate does. Her heart insists that the gentleman has changed for the better. But can a renowned scoundrel possibly prove himself to be the perfect husband?

Penelope's Review

So this is my first book by Ella Quinn, and despite the fact that it's the third in a series, generally the order you read doesn't matter much in historical fiction novels. But in this book, I actually felt pretty lost. There were a ton of references to events that happened in previous books that I wasn't aware of, which is very unusual for this genre. 

The book starts off with a surprise encounter between Nate and Henrietta, and from that one moment they both decide that they will marry the other person. Sometimes insta-love works for a story, sometimes it doesn't. Honestly, I felt like it just made these two characters seem very robotic. I felt like I was reading a list of steps that each character had to take in order to get to the end goal of marriage, rather than a flowing story. And there were a ton of conversations thrown into the book that didn't further the plot at all, and left me wondering why they had been included at all.

There were some men who sold children, and in the very beginning of the book, Henrietta shoots one of them. It made it seem like this would end up playing a large part of the book, but it ended up being hardly mentioned at all. Perhaps if that had played a larger part in the story, tis book would have been more interesting. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. 

There is also a very short sex scene which honestly felt like the characters just wanted to check an item off a list. I didn't feel any passion between these two. Overall, while the book had some moments that were sweet, there just wasn't enough to make in memorable or interesting. Of course, this is just my opinion and you're welcome to give it a try! But I do recommend reading the series in order as this doesn't seem like a series that can be read out of order.

Rating: 2.5/5 Devils!

2021 Book Challenge Wrap Up + 2022 Book Challenges!

 Hi everyone! I was hoping to get this post up on the 1st, but as usual, I'm late lol! So in 2021, I got back into blogging and I think it went really well! Overall, I posted 205 blog posts! I also participated in 2 book challenges, the 2021 New Release Challenge, and the 2021 Beat the Backlist Challenge. Let's see how I did!

So, this challenge was hosted by Unconventional Bookworms and they are hosting again this year so be sure to go sign up! My goal for this challenge was 25 books, and I ended up completing 64!! Woohoo! Officially a 2021 New Release Veteran lol! 

The second challenge I participated in was hosted by Austine Decker! She is also hosting again this year so be sure to sign up! My goal for this challenge was also 25 books but unfortunately I really slacked with this one and only read 11 books :( I'm hoping to really step it up this year because I have a whole stack of TBR books lol! 

If you'd like to see a list of all the books I read for these challenges, check it out here: 2021 Book Challenges

Ok now let's talk 2022 challenges!!

So I've decided to add a couple more this year, since I did fairly well on last year's. 

1. 2022 New Release Challenge hosted by Unconventional Bookworms. My goal for this challenge is 65 books, New Release Veteran!

2. 2022 Beat the Backlist Challenge hosted by Austine Decker. My goal for this challenge is 25 books again! Let's see if I can do it this time!

3. Finish the Series Challenge hosted by Celebrity Readers. This is my first time participating in this challenge so I'm setting my goal at a C-list series finisher which means I'm commiting to finishing 1-4 series. A couple I have in mind is the Shatter Me series (started in high school, never finished), Red Queen series (can't remember when I started it but many years ago), and more recently, the Throne of Glass series which I started last year and then put down. 

4. 2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by The Intrepid Reader. This is also the first time I'm joining this challenge but I absolutely LOVE historical romance so I'm going to set my goal at Ancient History - 25 books. I'm hoping to do more, but we'll see how it goes!

5. 2022 NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge hosted by Socrates Book Reviews. This is my first time participating, but I'm setting my goal at Gold - 50 books. 

6. 2022 Book Blogger Support Challenge hosted by Pages Unbound. This challenge has a new prompt each month geared towards supporting book bloggers! I can't wait to start this challenge and support those in this wonderful community!

And that's it! Those are the challenges I have chosen for 2022! Here is a link to the page where I will be updating my progress for each of these challenges as the year goes on: 2022 Book Challenges 

I also just want to give a quick shout out to GirlXOXO for posting a master list of 2022 book challenges!

Have a great 2022 everyone!