No Shadow without Light by Luke Gracias - If you liked The Da Vinci Code this book is for you!

 

Books with art are by far my favorites, books with pictures of actual real-life places that allow the reader to actually see the place the author is describing is now my second favorite thing thanks to this book!

After being chased throughout the world by the Red Monks who are hell-bent on getting the pages of the Devil's Prayer, twelve pages that can bring on the Apocolypse, returns home to Australia only to find herself in the middle of a conspiracy with the very destruction of the human race at its center. She has no one to turn to not even her beloved sister Jess, who more than anyone wants the Devil's Prayer. With no one to trust and people out to kill her, Siobahn goes on the run and she has to decide who she loves more; her mother who tasked her with literally saving humanity, or her sister whom she's loved more than any other person in the world. 

I'm going to get the complaints out right away. Some of the sentences in this were very short and choppy which made it kind of hard to get through, I don't believe I've ever wished for a run-on sentence until I read this. The dialogue was kinda hard to follow sometimes as well but I think that may have been the book's format not necessarily any fault of the author. One thing I did find though is that sometimes things were over described so you'd get to this really fast-paced, adrenaline-filled point and it would slow down and get luke-warm due to the long descriptions of things. It wasn't necessarily horrible but I would have liked to see more focus on the whole, "we are literally fighting the devil" thing instead of descriptions of the environment. 

That all being said as I said I really loved the inclusion of the photographs here, some of the places or the art are incredibly famous as is but it was so nice to have a picture of saying the Gold Coast to look at while reading. The story had a kind of Da Vinci Code vibe which I enjoyed because I loved the Da Vinci code, but I didn't really enjoy the second book in that series so I found myself enjoying this because it had that same vibe but was a different story if that makes sense.

I have to say my favorite part came early on in the book one of the characters discusses how religion has to change with the times and I found that a super important comment to make given the story the author was trying to tell. Because it's absolutely accurate as humanity's morals and values change religion really does have to stay with those changes. And while I'm not religious at all I found that I enjoyed that commentary as we do see religious leaders like the current Pope at least *trying* to do exactly that. (Totally not looking to get into a religious debate here) 

Overall, I really enjoyed the characters and the story itself and would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the Da Vinci Code! Also, this is the sequel to another book, while I found the book filled in the gaps from the first one nicely and the author assured me it could be read as a stand-alone I would recommend reading The Devil's Prayer first. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Author's Upfront for the eArc of this book in exchange for this review. 

Felgrim by E.M. Duffield-Fuller - Slow to start but that cliffhanger ending!

 Okay so I started reading this because the blurb mentioned demons, there are demons in this book, but not really. So to be honest when I first started reading it I was a tad bit disappointed, especially since on top of there being very little mention of demons it was also really slow to start. However, Once it does pick up it goes a hundred miles an hour and it becomes a solid fantasy novel!

Bissey and Eaton are outlaws; for believing in the Dead God they and their people are hunted by the Little Tyrant King Davon for their religion. When Eaton's Uncle and the leader of their group is arrested Eaton decides he must rescue him no matter what. Even if he must put his own life at risk. Bissey knows she can't stop him but she also knows she can't allow him to do it alone, so she faces down the remaining council members and finally gets one to agree to go after Eaton. 

Marla is an assassin's apprentice she has been training her whole life to become the King's Dagger one of the most powerful people in all of Hollowick. And when she is offered the opportunity to bring in "E" a member of the rebel party Marla jumps on the opportunity. If she can complete this mission she'll be one step closer to her goals. 

Davon just wants to keep his people safe. Safe from the felgrim, the most powerful of demons, that stalk them and the thinmaru those rebels who worship the Dead God. And if the blood of the rebels is the price he must pay to keep his people safe then so be it. Besides a sacrifice to the Five Gods should keep the demon from killing for a while and he'll have to worry about one less rebel. But when he discovers that someone, someone in his own castle is summoning the felgrim everything Davon thought he knew will be turned on its head. 

And when these four lives collide all hell will break loose. 

Biggest complaint: I play Pokemon Bissey reads a lot like Blissey so now Bissey forever looks like a Pokemon in my head. Authors take note: Do a fandom search BEFORE naming your characters! Okay, I'm kidding you don't have to, because to be fair Bissey reminds me a lot of Blissey. She is self-sacrificing to an almost painful level but incredibly intelligent, thoughtful, and caring so yeah she's basically Nurse Joy's right-hand Pokemon. 

Moving on. 

This was such a slow start I honestly considered stopping it probably a quarter of the way through but there was just something that made me think it HAD to be building up to something good. You don't write five hundred pages for it to be a snooze fest for the entire five hundred pages and I was right because once the story gains momentum it goes from zero to sixty in like half a chapter. Except it was a predictable zero to sixty. I called the entire turn of events at about the time we discover someone was summoning the demon. Honestly, if the book hadn't had some stand-out characters this would have been three stars. 

Marla and Davon are probably my favorite characters in this. Marla's this badass, clever assassin with a heart and Davon is just trying to do his best with a bunch of people around him that don't want him to succeed. He's annoying at times but if I think about the age his character is supposed to be and how I was at that age his decisions and frustrations are realistic and relatable. I'm not going to lie though I really don't like that this may turn out to be a love triangle. I'm not now nor will I ever be a fan of love triangles. Eaton is obnoxious. It's been a very long time since I disliked a character as much as I do Eaton and I will be eternally annoyed if his idiocy gets someone killed in later books. 

The religious side of this is interesting as well, the battle between the Five Gods and the Dead God seems to be the center of this series but we find very little out about the two religions in the book and I enjoyed that for a couple of reasons. It gives me something to look forward to (especially with how this ended) and I have all sorts of theories (also because of how it ended). I'm not going to go into any of them because I feel it would give too much away but needless to say, I'm dying to read the next book to find out if my theories are accurate. 

The ending though really made this, it was a perfect cliffhanger one where we end up with more questions than answers and a burning need to read the next book!

Overall this was a solid fantasy book even if much of it was predictable and I'm looking forward to reading book two!

And as always much thanks to BookSirens for the eArc of this book in exchange for the review!

The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin - I've found a new series!

 Probably once a week I promise myself that I absolutely, positively am not getting into any more series. I simply don't have the shelf space to add another series, J.D. Robb's In Death series alone takes up two whole shelves and that is double stacking them. But I am admittedly weak, when the Lotus Palace appeared in my Goodreads feed a few weeks ago it was absolutely necessary that I read it as it's everything I love in one book. So now I'm happy and my shelf space is sad because I have indeed found a new series. 

Yue-Ying was brought to Pingkang Li as a child, sold by her parents to a brothel she spent her formative years as a prostitute. That is until Mingyu one of the so-called Four Beauties of Pingkang Li who are the most highly sought-after courtesans in the district, buys out her contract giving her a job as her maidservant. Yue-Ying is anything but a beauty, born with a large birthmark on her face she is perfectly happy with her position as a maidservant where she can fade into the background. Or at least she thinks she is the most overlooked woman in Pingkang Li, however, Lord Bai Huang has taken more than a passing interest in her, in fact for him her differences are what draws him to her. And he quickly makes his interest in her known by stealing a kiss in a dark cellar one evening. Little do either of them know that the one stolen kiss will serve as Huang's alibi when Huelin, another of the Four Beauties is brutally murdered. It will also bind them together in a quest to bring Huelin's murderer to justice and as Yue-ying and Huang find themselves caught up in a whirlwind romance and a complicated plot of murder and slavery Yue-Ying must decide if she's willing to give herself up to the handsome Lord.  

I adored Yue-ying almost immediately. She is an incredibally intelligent, warm, and funny character. Lin does an exceptional job of exploring the fears a girl who spent her childhood as a prostitute would have both by addressing her distrust of Huang's intentions as well as her inability to have an intimate relationship with a man. I think if she had glanced over this important portion of Yue-Ying's personality I probably would have stopped reading it. I also enjoyed Huang's responses to these issues, honestly given the time frame it seems a little unbelievable that a man would be so understanding but honestly, I don't think I care about whether or not it was historically accurate. It made for a really wonderful romance. And while I absolutely adored this couple I have to admit that Wei-Wei was probably my favorite character in the book. And yes for those who have read the series I totally read the synopsis for the rest of the series and cannot wait to get to Wei-Wei's story.

The mystery side of this was just that perfect level of complicated, where you think you know what's going on and then bam right at the end of the book a plot twist you didn't see coming. Lin does an excellent job of balancing out the romance with the mystery side of things which really makes this an edge-of-your-seat read with just enough adorably sweet moments between Yue-ying and Huang to level out the old heart after a plot twist. 

One thing I really absolutely loved about the series is that starting with book two it's not about Yue-ying and Huang anymore. The only thing that really worried me about this was that I was afraid this was going to end up being some Pretty Woman version of Eve Dallas and Roarke just set in the Tang Dynasty. And don't get me wrong I'd read an entire series about Yue-ying and Huang solving crimes but all of the characters in this book are really great so I'm glad that we are going to be able to see more of their lives as well. 

Overall I found this to be a sweet little read that addresses some very serious and important topics in terms of the sex trade that are still valid today. Lin's characters are really what makes this stand out though they are relatable, realistic, and ridiculously likable. Even Mingyu, the most unlikable character for most of the book coming across as cold and uncaring has her reasons for it and they are absolutely understandable. Highly recommend it for fans of the In Death Series by J.D. Robb or the Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland.

The Grim Reaper and an Argent Cavalier Vol. 1 by Irono

 I have this tendency to forget I pay money to Crunchyroll every month for access to anime AND manga. I remembered last night and I found this little gem that I hadn't heard of yet so I'm super glad I remembered!

Two-Hundred years ago there lived a brother and a sister. The brother dreamed of immortal life and found a way to accomplish this by creating monsters, called Larvae, that reap the souls of the living, thus the brother became the Grim Reaper. His sister's magic was the only one who could stop him. And so she did and to ensure that the Grim Reaper would never win she created the Argent Cavalier a group of knights tasked with killing the monsters her brother created. 

Cyan becomes an Argent Cavalier after witnessing both of his parents' deaths at the hands of Larvae dedicated to defending humanity and Lady Reinette the current head of and a direct descendant of Lemuria the Grim Reaper's sister. After a devasting attack by larvae, Cyan realizes that sometimes you have to embrace the darkness in order to defeat it. 

I really enjoyed this right off the bat but I found it even more enjoyable after reading Irono's inspiration for the story at the end of this volume. He takes the Festival of Lemuria and the story of Godfather Death (Grimm's brother) and came up with this really unique tale of soul-stealing monsters who are fueling the Grim Reaper's immortality. There are so many dark fantasies that include the Grim Reaper so it's always fun to come across one that is unique while pulling elements from other tales. 

Cyan is a great lead character but gotta admit I love Jade. Their motivation is the same of course (mostly) but Jade is just way more laid back than Cyan. Cyan is kinda wound up like a top. Even Reinatta recognizes that and doesn't tell him certain aspects about the magic she uses. The art is absolutely gorgeous, Irono is exceptional at making the character's expressions, especially in their eyes. I found myself watching for a change in their eyes probably more than any other facial expression while reading this, in many cases all Irono does is simply remove the most color from their eyes and it has a profound change in that character's emotion. I'm sure other manga artists use this technique but I don't believe I've ever noticed it before, or at least not to the extent that it stood out to me here. 

Overall, a solid start to what looks like it will be a really fun dark fantasy series. I'm reading the second volume currently and I'm enjoying it immensely! 

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night - Truly a magical read!

 

I honestly love middle-grade books and I don't ever seem to have the opportunity to read them. Or to be completely honest reading more "adult" books always seems to take precedent. Children's books, especially middle-grade books are so full of magic and imagination. In a children's book, there is nothing stopping the author from being silly or creating scenarios where physics is absolutely thrown out the window with no explanation because kids don't care about physics. The Crowns of Croswald has all of what makes a middle-grade book fantastic without a care as to whether or not it makes sense, just that it's magical. 

Ivy Lovely is a scaldrony maid, her job is to keep the Scaldrons the domestic dragons that do all of Castle Plum's cooking in line. Ivy has spent her whole life in Castle Plum berated by Helga the maid and forced to sleep in a tiny room, but she wants more. She dreams of going to the Halls of Ivy to learn how to become a scrivenist. Little does Ivy know that on the morning of Moonsday when everything seems to go wrong a sick little Scaldron will end up the being the catalyst to an adventure of a lifetime; one where Ivy discovers who she really is and that there are people in Croswald who will stop at nothing to keep Ivy from her destiny. 

I only have one complaint about this book and that's that Ivy seems to be really adventurous and brave *most* of the time but at some of the most important times she loses her courage. Obviously, this is to create tension but it is in so much contradiction to who Ivy is in the rest of the book that it got old after a while. It's another case of the wishy-washy protagonist, she second-guesses herself just a little bit too much for my liking. That being said it wasn't enough to keep this from being a five-star book. 

As I said in my opening I love children's books. There is absolutely nothing holding an author back when they write a child's book but their own imagination and Night seems to have no problems there. Fantasy books that are written for adults always seem to need an explanation of how things work or *why* it works within our own knowledge of our world. Children's book authors don't seem to have that problem because for the most part kids don't care. And if they do they can just make up their own reasons why it works that way, if no explanation is forthcoming. Night takes advantage of that and crafts a unique world with recognizable fantasy elements that are just this side of not like anything else you've read before. Dragons serve as ovens, fairy-like creatures create light, and ghosts serve up dinner. 

And while yes I did have some complaints about Ivy overall I loved her character, she's so inquisitive and very set on her path, even though she knows it could get her in trouble. And since this is a story set in a school there has to be a character that is kind of the school bully, however, Night spends very little time on that character and I found that refreshing. The Bully character is there to help Ivy discover things about herself she didn't know, not to be a constant thorn and a distraction from the real story. Rebecca, Ivy's best friend, is absolutely wonderful as well. She's that perfect side character who is completely down to help Ivy no matter what crazy plot she has. 

Finally, I loved that this is a story about a girl discovering herself but also staying true to herself. Ivy's character really doesn't change much in this story because there's not much that needs to change. Ivy knows she's going to get herself in trouble time and again and yet she bullheadedly keeps down her path and ends up discovering just how powerful she is and that in itself is a bit of magic. 

Overall, this was a fantastic fairy tale. And yeah I feel comfortable calling it that, it hits all the right elements. I really can't wait to read the next book and find out what happens to Ivy next!

And thanks to NetGalley and Stories Untold for the eArc of this book in exchange for my review!

Happy World Book Day!

 

That's the only World Book Day Picture you'll get from me! Because in honor of World Book Day and the fact that I've officially read 100 books this year as of today I've decided to hold the page first Giveaway! All you need to do is follow and then tag the Facebook or Instagram Page in your favorite reading/books photos and you'll be automatically entered to win a $50 gift card to Amazon or Thriftbooks! 

The Fine Print

The winner will be picked randomly and announced on May 7th, 2022, winner can choose which gift card (Virtual Giftcards only) they would like, if under 18 must have a parent or guardian permission to enter. The contest starts on April 23rd, 2022 at 10am Pacific Time and ends on May 1st, 2022 at midnight Pacific Time. Photos must be owned by the winner or have permission from the owner to use it. Permission must be documented if chosen as the winner. 

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea By Axie Oh - A beautiful retelling with a Spirited Away twist!

 

The tale of Shim Cheong is one of my favorite Korean folktales, I've collected as many English translations as I can and I love each and every one of them. So I was super excited when I heard about this book, and I won't lie I really expected just an updated version of the original tale. Which is what we got, but with a twist!

Mina's home has been ravaged by storms since the Sea Dragon fell asleep over a hundred years ago when the last Emperor was killed. The usurper in trying to calm the Sea Dragon's wrath sacrificed his own daughter, the most beautiful girl in the kingdom to appease the Sea Dragon. And it works, for a time, so since then every year another girl is chosen as the Bride of the Water God and sent to the abyss. Except for this year Mina chooses herself as the Bride, jumping into the sea on the day her brother's beloved, Shim Cheong, is to be sacrificed. Now, Mina is in the Spirit Realm and she either has to wake the Dragon or become his bride in thirty days or she'll become a spirit herself. 

Not gonna lie the ending of this reminded me of Spirited Away, actually, I'd say about halfway through when Shim announces he's a god who has forgotten his name it started to remind me of Spirited Away. That's not a complaint at all though as Spirited Away is a beautiful story in its own right. And I think that premise worked really well for the way Oh wanted to retell this story. I also found myself enjoying the first-person narrative here. That's not something I normally focus on, but, in this, it worked well as Mina is explaining her role in this well-known tale. 

I loved Mina. I really did. I know, I know she's the main character and I should love her so that should be a give-in, but honestly, I enjoyed her much more than I did the original Shim Cheong. She's smart but not in the over-the-top way where she has everything figured out right off the bat. She has to work through everything and this is where she really reminds me of Chihiro from Spirited Away, her intelligence lies behind her paying attention to everything around her, if she wasn't so perceptive she would have never figured out how to save the Sea Dragon. Although I have to admit I was a little surprised that she ended up having a flash of insight in terms of how to save the Sea Dragon but couldn't figure out that her ancestors had been helping her the whole time. That seemed a bit silly especially since her grandfather basically gives it away. But hey a character can't be perfect. All of the side characters are fantastic as well. This is a pretty short book so I was pleased that we had the opportunity to spend time with each of the side characters, just enough to understand them and their motivations. And if I am going to continue to compare this to Spirited Away (because I am) Shim is the perfect Haku! 

I enjoyed the pacing in this book as well. This really isn't a very long story (this is just one translation of the original story http://asianfolktales.unescoapceiu.org/folktales/read/korea_1.htm, not the best but as you can see it's very short), to begin with. Even with the changes that Oh makes to the story (as they *almost* completely change the story) making this longer I think would have been a disaster. I think Oh sticks perfectly to the folklore roots of this tale in her pacing and the length of the story. 

Overall, this was a fantastic retelling of a story I have loved since my grandmother gave me a child's book of it when I was nine and it has become a new favorite book of mine. One that when I pass along all of my folktales to my children this one will be right beside them. Highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good story, but also anyone who is trying to wade into the vastness that is Eastern Folklore. I think this is an excellent starting point even if it is a retelling. Especially since the original tale (an even shorter version than the one I linked) is found in the book as are several other Korean folktales.