Reviews Week 10

 Reviews Week 10

March 6th-12th

Book 45: That Way Madness Lies

Edited by Dahlia Adler

Read March 5th-7th

Pages Read: 221

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 That Way Madness Lies is one of the best short story collections I have read. This volume consists of many different genres, whether that be contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc. Also, I enjoyed the different formats of the stories. Some of my favorite stories come from Shakespeare’s plays, and I was looking forward to reading the authors' retellings of his stories.

I highly recommend this for fans of Shakespeare’s work and young adult stories. It was interesting to see how each of the authors took one of the plays and how they made it their own. My favorites were the ones based on Hamlet, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night.

Book 46: Star Wars: Obi-Wan - A Jedi's Purpose

By Christopher Cantwell

Read March 5th-8th

Pages Read:120

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 Obi-Wan is my favorite Star Wars character, so I was looking forward to picking up this comic series. I liked most of the issues in this volume, but they were not as good as I wanted them to be. It follows Obi-Wan throughout his life. The framing device is of him as an older man on Tatooine dealing with another sandstorm. While waiting for the storm to pass, he writes in his journal about many of his adventures over the years.

The stories consist of when he was an eight-year-old padawan, a mission he goes on with Qui-Gon, a battle during the Clone Wars, a mission with Anakin, and finally, the story ends with him helping out a stormtrooper. Each of the tasks gives a little bit more insight into his character. The story that I enjoyed the most was the one dealing with Anakin. Overall, this was a volume that I liked reading following one of my favorite characters. 

Book 47: Midnight Riot

By Ben Aaronovitch

Read March 7th-9th

Pages Read: 320

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 I’ll always be a sucker for stories dealing with magic, fantasy elements, British humor, and a clever use of references. Peter Grant’s story is quite entertaining and a whole lot of fun. Also, the mystery in this book made me think of the City Watch books from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, which is a high compliment.

I am eagerly looking forward to continuing with this series when I get the chance. Also, I recommend the audiobook because the narrator does a wonderful job creating voices for all the characters.

Book 48: To Poison a King

By S.G. Prince

Read March 9th-10th

Pages Read: 420

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From the beginning, S. G. Prince's atmospheric writing made me fall in love with this book. Character-driven stories have become favorites for me over the years. I'll always be a fan of a rich fantasy world and characters you know thoroughly. We watch Selene's growth as a character and see her learn to have confidence in herself and discover who she is as a person. Her character arc is one of the best parts of the entire novel.

Selene and Elias's relationship was wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect. Dislike-to-love romances are some of my favorite stories. Elias has a rough exterior when he is first introduced, but throughout the book, you realize that he is not that way at all. He was a refreshing take on a royal character who was just as fleshed out as Selene. I not only enjoyed watching Selene and Elias as they started to have romantic feelings, but also their friendship. They were sweet together.

To Poison a King is a beautiful adult fantasy read that I highly recommend. It is a character-driven story with beautifully atmospheric writing that draws you in until the very end. The world-building was just the right amount to make the reader feel satisfied with this story and make you want to read more from this world. Also, I love that S. G. Prince wrote the story The River of Reversal that Elias and Selene read in this book. While reading about this story, I wanted to read it myself, and I'm glad I can. I will definitely be picking up the other companion novels in The Heirs of Isla.

*Thank you to the author for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 49: Divine Rivals

By Rebecca Ross

Read March 11th-12th

Pages Read: 368

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Rebecca Ross’s books have always been favorites of mine, and this book is no different. It is a fantasy version of You Got Mail set during a magical war between two gods. This book was absolutely fantastic in every aspect, and I adored following Iris and Roman the entire time. Their rivals-to-lovers romance was one of my favorites. It was so sweet and had me smiling a lot while reading. 

I’ll always love epistolary novels, and I enjoyed how Rebecca Ross used letters throughout the story, especially the magical aspects of that. This book was a historical fantasy that showed the horrors of war. Many times it was a hard read, and there were plenty of heartbreaking scenes. It deals with grief, loss, and Iris and Roman’s romance. There are many letters between them both that spoke to me on a level that I was not expecting. 

Divine Rivals is a historical fantasy novel that shows the horrors of war and a connection that I loved watching grow. It’s beautiful to read about Iris and Roman’s relationship and see them learn about each other. I could not get enough of reading them. Now, I cannot wait to read the next book, especially after that ending. 

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*