“Fear was impossible to eradicate. But so was the will to survive.”

Ruthless Vows review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: historical fantasy, love stories, magical amnesia

Divine Rivals review

I've been dying to get my hands on this book since I finished Divine Rivals! The ending of DR definitely packed a sucker punch, so I was interested to see what was in store for Roman and Iris in this one. For anyone wondering, there is an HEA!

This book opens shortly after where DR left off. Iris is back in Oath with her brother, Forest, and is still (obviously) upset about losing Kitt. But Iris isn't down for the count and is determined to continue reporting on the war effort and determined to find Kitt again. Iris again shows her mettle, both when trying to find and help Kitt and when she decides to go back to the front with Attie.

Kitt is, as expected, not quite himself. He's still a writer, but his words are no longer entirely his own, and his memories are just as wiped as Forest's were in book 1. It was good to see that he was still himself though. Kitt may have been Dacre's minion to start, but he very quickly begins questioning things around him and his true self shows through, even if he still doesn't remember. I think book 1 really highlighted Iris while this one highlights Kitt and his journey. I liked getting more of Kitt's POV in this book, and I think there are some scenes that really go to show his growth in DR and in this book.

Attie is also back in this one and we get to see more of her life. Not only do we get to meet her family, but she also plays a pretty important role in this one. I enjoyed getting to see more of Attie and more of her and Iris' friendship. She even got a bit of her own romance in this book. I'd definitely be interested in a novella or companion book about Attie.

Tobias is a new character in this book, and is Attie's burgeoning love interest. He's an auto driver who helps the Inkridden Tribune get stories, and correspondents, to and from the front.

We also get to know more about Enva and Dacre in this one. Kitt is, obviously, with Dacre and we actually get to a good number of scenes between him and the god. Dacre is just as insidious as he's painted in the first book and it's clear just how much thought he's put into how he's going to destroy Enva, regardless of who gets in his way. Enva is...less of a presence in this book, but we do see her and get to know more of her story and why she hasn't personally stepped in to help those fighting on her side.

This book is split between Oath and Dacre's realm. Oath begins as the familiar city we were introduced to in Divine Rivals, but after Iris and Attie return from the front the second time, it's a changed city. There's a power struggle between those, like the mayor and Kitt's family, who support Dacre; the newly-founded, anti-god/dess Graveyard group; people like Helena at the Inkridden Tribune, who support Enva; and then the regular citizens are caught in the middle. The Graveyard group seems to have come out of nowhere, but there are hints that it's been around for a while and is only just now popping up. I would've liked to see more development of things in Oath, especially since I think the Graveyard group has a lot of interesting implications, particularly considering how they very quickly have everyone cowed. I also think the implications of war reaching Oath were interesting, and while I understand why this was a relatively short portion of the book, I think it would've been interesting to explore that more.

Dacre's realm is underground, relying on ley lines and special doors for travel. As grim as it could be, I liked seeing the various aspects of the underworld. There are parts of it made completely of stone, then there are halls/tunnels with unusual creatures and large gemstones, and then there are areas with seemingly unnatural features, such as sulfur vents and hot springs and mountainous regions. I definitely liked that Kitt got to see so much of it since it really was an interesting place, and it showed a lot of the past and present magic of the world.

Overall I found this to be a satisfying sequel and finale to the duology. It's not without its tragedies but it does have happy moments and a happy ending. I do wish that Iris and Kitt were together for more of the book, but it's pretty fast paced, so it doesn't feel like too long. I did enjoy seeing them together though and this time they're fully on each other's side!

Review: Foul Lady Fortune (Chloe Gong)

Rating: ★★★★/5

“‘You don’t mean to say that you’re trying to save the whole city from harm. You’ll spend your whole life trying, and you’ll still fail. There is a reason why dui bù qî is dui bù qî. We’re only human. We will never match up to what everything could be.’ Rosalind gave him a little smile, almost looking confused. ‘With enough time -‘ ‘No,’ he insisted. ‘You cannot save the world. You can try to save one thing if you must, but it is enough if that one thing is yourself.’” This was good. It didn’t captivate me quite like These Violent Delights, but it was well written and intriguing. Rosalind Lang has become Lady Fortune, an immortal assassin with nothing to lose. Her weapon of choice: poison, fast-acting and lethal. When a new assignment sees her going undercover, with a fake husband, no less, she is mortified; this is not her strong suit, but she will follow her orders. Her heart, however, has other ideas...as does Orion Hong, the aforementioned fake husband. Part of what drew me in with TVD was the fact that it was an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Without that draw, that familiarity, this one still brought me into its story, but I didn't feel the same magnetism there. However, I absolutely adore Rosalind Lang. She is so nuanced, so interesting, and her dynamic with Orion is truly the best part of this book. They're feisty, they're fiery, they're so much goddamn fun to read about. I have such a clear picture of Orion as this suave, snarky pretty boy with a heart of gold underneath; I loved him in this. The other characters fell a bit more flat, especially Celia and Oliver. Oliver feels like a carbon copy of his brother, and for that matter, so does his relationship with Celia. Celia felt like a shadow more than anything; I guess we didn't get enough time with her for her to make more of an impact. But there is so much there, and it felt a bit like she was just wasted in this book. I did love Phoebe and Silas though. Again, the snark, the humour, is where Chloe really shines in her character development, and these guys exemplify that. The twists and turns in the plot were fun here, but I found myself struggling to remember who was on what side and where we finally fell with it all in the end. I think because Rosalind doesn't have super strong ties to anything, that she chooses what she has to and just accepts it, it makes the perpetual civil war and Japanese influence feel less defined than it could have. Those details sometimes made it hard to lose myself in the story, because I had to go back and remember all of that nitty gritty every time I picked up the book. Overall, though, Chloe's writing is beautiful and evocative. Her characters are wonderful. I did enjoy this, and I will read the sequel.

Short Take: The Drowned Woods

You could say I have a fascination with Wales. It began when I picked up Sharon Kay Penman’s Welsh Princes Trilogy as a teenager and devoured them. Historical fiction set in 13th century Wales filled with romance, royal machinations and more than one prince called Llewelyn. Totally hooked. Then I finally read Susan Cooper’s outstanding The Dark is Rising series. The last two are set in Wales, complete with a short primer on Welsh pronunciation, and I ate them up. It was in the final book of this series, Silver on the Tree, that I first heard of the Drowned Hundred, a mythical kingdom swallowed by the sea. When I caught sight of The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones, a YA historical fantasy, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a connection. Indeed, it is set in Wales and involves a heist, so I was definitely in.

Merirad (Mer) is just trying to keep her head down and escape the notice of Prince Garanhir, the man who bought her off her family when it was discovered she was a water diviner, a human touched by the fae and able to manipulate water. He raised her to be used as his weapon but when Mer couldn’t live with the damage she’d inflicted any longer, she ran. Trouble comes looking for her in the form of her old mentor, the Prince’s spymaster. Renfrew offers her the opportunity to get free of the Prince forever with one last job. Together Mer and Renfrew assemble a crew, including a young man touched by Death, the heir to the Thieves Guild and a corgi called Trefor who may or may not be a spy of the “other folk”. Their aim? A magical well on a remote island guarded by an otherworldly boar said to protect the Prince’s kingdom by holding back the sea. Plus all the treasures the well contains. Ruin Garanhir and finance their new lives all in one fell swoop.

Of course nothing is straightforward when magic and spies are involved, and the nonstop action kept me riveted. I listened to The Drowned Woods on audio, a bonus because for once I heard all the Welsh names and places as they are supposed to be pronounced instead of making my best attempt based on that long ago lesson Bran gives Will in The Grey King. Lovers of historical fantasy and fans of Six of Crows will find this a good fit. Lloyd-Jones balances tension with humor, because nothing beats a corgi that sneezes when magic is in play. And for those who have series fatigue, this is a stand-alone. Though if you want more of Lloyd-Jones’ historical fantasy Wales, you can also pick up her previous YA, The Bone Houses. A perfect escape for the end of summer!

— Lori

SALES BLITZ: AZREYA

  Title:Azreya Author: Tricia Copeland Genre: YA Historical Fantasy, Myths & Legends Editor: Jo Michaels, Indie Books Gone Wild Illustrator: Matt Maes Publication Date: August 23rd, 2022 Hosted by: Lady Amber’s Reviews & PR Blurb: For years, Azreya accepts her place as one cursed by the gods, but with foresight of an impending slaughter, she dares to attempt to reverse the Aztec people’s…

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Mo Dao Zu Shi Audio Drama S1 Ep 6 and Tian Ya Ke Audio Drama S1 Ep 1 English Subbed

Hello everyone~ :D

We have a double release today~!

Mo Dao Zu Shi Audio Drama S1 Ep 6 and Tian Ya Ke Audio Drama S1 Ep 1 are now available~!

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Hey friends! I am doing a super special cover reveal and I could use your help!

I’m sending out a bunch of letters from my main character of my novel With Love, Juniper and I would love if the reading and writing community could help me share it with the world!

With Love, Juniper is a book about a young witch trying to navigate complicated social anxiety issues, learning to live and accept herself the way her loved ones do.

Im sending out handwritten letters, a print of the cover, an additional art print and some stickers all for FREE. All you have to do is fill out this form and I will tend it to you when it’s ready to go!

I’d so appreciate if you can share this post or comment to help it find people who would be interested! If you have any questions, just let me know!

Tagging the list :)

@eldritchx @carrotsinnovember @michael-thepoet @csdarkfantasy @a-crystallen-author @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @sm-writes-chaos

I’m feeling enchanted today after closing the pages of this book. The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this magical adventure. I highly recommend!

Green & Gold 🍀

Love was a curse. Nothing good ever came out of it.

Chloe Gong, Foul Lady Fortune

✩✒️✉️Review:

“Divine Rivals” is the book I cannot stop thinking about and for that reason alone, I cannot recommend it enough.

“Divine Rivals” follows Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, two young rival journalists competing for a columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. With her mother suffering from addiction and her brother missing after enlisting in a war among gods, Iris desperately needs to win if she hopes to hold her family together. To keep her worries at bay, she writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door. Unbeknownst to Iris, they end up in the hands of Roman and he anonymously writes her back, sparking a connection that follows Iris to the front lines. 

Ross’ writing is infused with magic. Her lyrical prose and imagery contribute to her seamless world-building and instantly immersed me in the high stakes atmosphere of her world. From page one, I was sucked into the lore and mythology surrounding the gods, fascinated by their presence and role in the war. The battle is very reminiscent of both of the World Wars, so I had something familiar to cling to while reading about the front lines. The elements of realism paired very nicely with the fantastical, enriching my reading experience. 

The love story in Divine Rivals is one for the history books. I loved alternating between Iris and Roman’s perspectives because it allowed me to fully grasp their character motivations, discover the origin of their respective inner conflicts, and pinpoint the moment they each fell in love with one another. Their development from rivals at the Oath Gazette to lovers desperately clinging to each other on the battlefield is well paced, emotion filled, beautifully done in every other respect. 

I especially loved watching Iris and Roman fall in love with each other twice — in person and over letter correspondence. Ross includes the contents of each and every letter in full to forge their connection and make it more believable. With Iris in the dark about the identity of her pen pal, she falls in love with two different sides to Roman and eventually has to come to terms with the fact that her rival and correspondent are the same person. 

You’ll have to take my word for it that this book is AMAZING because my review barely scratches the surface. If I could read it again for the first time, I would. 

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Last Violent Call review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: Chloe Gong, These Violent Delights, novellas, fluff, fun stories

These Violent Delights review here

Our Violent Ends review here

Foul Lady Fortune review here I am pleased to announce that I was correct!. I guessed Roma + Juliette were still alive at the end of OVE and felt it was quite obvious in FLF, but it's good to know for certain. Both novellas serve mainly as fun stories to catch fans up on some of their favs from TVD. There's lots of humor and fluff to go around. At the same time, each novella has a plot that directly ties into the goings-on of FLF (and assumedly FHH).

A Foul Thing I absolutely loved seeing Roma and Juliette's dynamic now that they're older and their lives aren't in danger all the time. They still work well together and are madly in love, but they're also able to cherish the peace they've built around themselves. I enjoyed getting to see them being blissfully domestic while still being knife- and gun-wielding business people. This novella also had a lot of humor to it, which I appreciated. It was nice seeing Juliette be the funny one. This novella takes place during FLF and Roma + Juliette's investigation has interesting connections to one Dr. Lourens. This Foul Murder Ben and Marshall are the stars of this one as they get into all sorts of shenanigans while trying to solve a murder. I actually thought the perpetrator was relatively obvious from the beginning, but it's not really the Point. Like A Foul Thing, the main purpose of this novella is to enjoy Ben and Mars being a cute couple while being involved in some low-stakes crime. I liked getting to see the two of them together more and enjoyed the playful, yet cherishing nature of their relationship. This novella takes place after FLF, but I'm a little unclear on whether it takes place before or during FHH, my bet is on during but I guess we'll see. The plot here also relates to Dr. Lourens...but also doesn't. I was decidedly pleased when the reveal happened and I thought it was a nice way of tying things together.

Happy book birthday to this week’s new releases! 📚

Find The Word Tag

Thank you to @athenswrites for the tag! Even if its a month or so late!

Rules: find excerpts from your work(s)-in-progress with the given words, then tag some friends to play along.

My words: Seed, Glass, Contain(er), and Hands. Your words: Run(ing), blood, clear, and realization.

Softly tagging, with no pressure: @kaylinalexanderbooks @meerawrites @queerfox-tales @thestarsfightagainstusmyfriend @sunset-a-story

Excerpts are under the cut! They feature:

Hamilton being angsty over some seeds in TAI.

Two excerpts from IOD! Alex gets her hair cut with a sword, and punches a guy in the nose.

From TAI, Hamilton receiving some exciting news during a morning drill with his militia.

Seed

From The American Icarus: Volume I:

I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders, “Uncle, I am no gardener.” “A little dirt will not hurt you.” Taking hold of my hand, my uncle pulled me to sit next to him, pressing with his other hand a single seed into my free one. For being a merchant, he does know how to garden well. Looking down at the lone seed then in my hand, I noted its small size; how it was destined to by those most logical rules of nature grow into a large, towering, and beautiful tree. Yet if only planted into the dirt before me, upon that island. There would be nowhere else for the little seed to grow and find its place—that island was its place, and that such fact would be known in my implanting it into the dirt just below it. You are only confused because you have more than one path unlike this seed. Why are you analogizing a seed? Just… figure something out—but what? Why? What purpose would my choices have? Legacy, what does that really matter? Mama is… dead… nothing is to change that—but trying would at least—ugh! I let the seed fall at a speed possibly too fast into the dirt as a murmur escaped me, “I hate being indecisive.” Not hearing my murmur, but seeing my treatment of his seed, my uncle turned towards me, attending me with a expression of surprise. “What did the poor seedling do to you, dear child?” Reopen doors which I have not an idea of what to do with and of which cause me great confusion simply due to my being in a position which gives little opportunity to walk through them. “Nothing… sorry.” “’Tis alright, she’s just a seed—a beautiful tree will come no matter how hard you threw it into its dirt.” “Indeed, but it had to be this dirt?” Without much thought, I gestured towards the said dirt with the hand which had released the seed; it then unseen underneath the brown specks. Uncle James’ blue eyes shewed much confusion, “What is the matter with the dirt? You just said to me you’re no gardener, yet why is it you’re complaining about dirt? You get your hands dirty working for Mr. Cruger, do you not?” Glancing away from my uncle, I sighed, the entertainment of those most interesting of passerby not as such in that moment. I was grateful for my job, and the life thereat I had lived, but particulars of the whole left me in a state of boundless confusion. My mother had only come to that island on account of my father’s business then as a sailor whom had in reasons I alongside many are still left to speculate, this having left my mother to raise her two children alone with aid of her family at which point she had died, leaving those said children otherwise orphaned and a family history tainted in scandal, fear and cover from the law, and known to all—even those whose knowledge of it was a national curse. All these particulars considered on the whole left me to question my very reasonings to having thought of them. I was at a fork in the road—continue to trek onward and stay where I was in security albeit really very little, or be one Orpheus and turn; changing everything with a most simple action in theory.

Glass

From Ink of Destruction:

Then my composure shattered like falling glass. My bones flared with anger as my eyes grew dark, becoming ablaze with wrath that seemed to burst out like a clown jumping out of a sewer. I could feel my feet guiding my body forward and my arm moving back as though it were a slingshot. Without a word, I punched Aiden Edwards square in the nose. Hearing a loud crack as I pulled away, I couldn’t help but feel the smallest bit of pride in my anger. Backing away with a cry of agony, Aiden reached for his nose, clutching his face in his hands as he felt for the blood that was now trickling down his cheeks. “What the hell was that for? You fucking broke my nose!?” he cried as he attempted to tend to the injury. "Oh, you should know what it was for, Aiden,” I said, feeling the sternness in my voice return. Before he could respond, I turned towards Jess, who immediately took a step back, feeling the full force of the wrath in my gaze. A part of my mind felt as though the action were justified, for Jess had betrayed me, or rather, she had been against me this whole time. A spy.

Contain

From The American Icarus: Volume I:

“You may all be relieved of your duties for today,” began he. “Good work today—thank you for not causing a racket. Pick up your target boards—bring them to Lieutenant Jay here.” As many a “Yes, sir!” filled the air, I returned to my right, walking towards the wooden board I had been left to use moments before. At last closing the distance of some yards, my hand wrapped around the top of the thick oak, it pressing firmly against my skin. Able to clearly see the damage done upon it by me, I noted the large clean-cut gashes, placed fairly close together, the three each having carved a hole. Upon the grass behind, in shadow of the secondary wooden piece propping the main board up, wood shavings covered the space; the balls of lead somewhere in the grass far beyond. Keeping the board steady within my grasp, as to not harm myself by way of the loose pieces, I turned in the direction of the chapel. A soreness began to rise upon my upper back as the board and my musket knocked on occasion my sides in my hurried walking, pushing me to grunt in frustration. If not for the barrel of the musket still hot and in need of cleaning, I would have slung her upon my back in quickening my pace. The wood of her barrel grazed my shoulder with the brush of a close fire, intense such that as I at last met Lieutenant Jay’s gaze I flinched. “Careful—here, I’ll take it.” Before I could register the action, Fredrick took hold of my board, pulling it out of my grasp. With a clatter, he dropped it into the growing pile just to his left near the chapel wall before turning back towards me. “Thank you—“ “Impressive work there, with that demonstration. Sorry they needed it, but you have proven yourself very equipped. That reminds me….” Turning his attention to the pocket of his coat, Fredrick retrieved with a swift movement the envelope I had seen in his care some time prior. “This arrived by Colonel McDougall from my brother whilst you were with your group. I know not what the pages inside contain.” He replied to my—well of course he would have considering that is what I wanted to make him do. I actually managed to get an intended reply…. Taking the envelope outstretched towards me, my fingers gripped the folded parchment with firmness, driven not to tear the wax seal only by the publicity of the circumstances surrounding me. My chest rose with a slowness as in gathering myself I took a long breath. Carefully, I slipped the envelope into the left pocket of my coat, glancing up at my superior officer once more at the quiet thud of the parchment against the wool fabric. “Thank you, sir.” Giving a smile polite, I began to take my leave, but not before Fredrick attempted to grab my shoulder. A short gasp escaping me, I turned my head so as to face him once more. “Sir?” “You did not hear this from me,” he began, his voice lowering close to a whisper, “but I did hear that McDougall and Jay have been talking of you—there has been rumor spreading that the Provincial Congress might raise a new company to be led by an appointment.” Shock gripped to my expression and countenance, pushing my eyes to widen and mouth to open slightly. “Are you suggesting—“ “Yes.” “What?” In keeping pace with Fredrick’s quiet, my voice was pushed out forcibly, unable to be withheld by the shock consuming me. A smirk took up my friend’s expression as he lifted a finger to his lips in silent request. Releasing his hand from my shoulder, he gave a quick nod before turning towards the man newly arrived with another of the wooden boards used during the drill. Sensing another man suddenly behind myself, I stepped to my far left and away from Lieutenant Jay in an attempt to be out of the way as my heart began to race.

Hands

From Ink of Destruction:

“Now that the rope is cut, you should be able to get your hands out quite easily. But yes, I will make that attempt.” At his words, the loosened pressure around my wrists became more noticable. Lifting my fingers inward, I managed to find a hole in the center of the knot. Inhaling, I pulled my right hand away and up, carefully squeezing my fingers between the ropes and the cement pole. A sigh of relief escaped me as my free hand tugged at the rope, and the sound of the knot meeting the wooden floor filled my ears. Lowering my hands to my sides, I gently rubbed my wrists against the inner lining of my jacket’s sleeves, feelling a soreness race down my arms. Blinking, I stared towards Mr. Waiter, feeling words come out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Are you certain that you haven’t done any formal historical research? Or did you lie to me? It’s clear you are not an amateur with that sword.” My voice held an even tone, for I was more curious than angry. A look of realization filled Mr. Waiter’s face, and I could see sprinkles of what appeared to be mischeif in his eyes. “You would know if I were lying to you. I am notoriously a bad lair. And if I were to mess with you, that would be even more obvious. As historians, or those who claim themselves historians, could tell you. I am not a historian myself. Rather, a subject of interest for many in the profession.” Shock and disbelief filled my veins as I took in his words. If historians had written about him, then surely I should have recognized him. His omission of what had caused him to drop out of college must have been something that would have drawn too much attention to him for him to have wanted to mention it inside the resturant. Further, the fact that he had not said his name indicated to me that I may not believe him. As I opened my mouth, the man rose his hand up to stop me. “Turn around so that I might try to fix your hair. Then you can continue.” Nodding, I turned to face the white pole as questions swirled with a fury in my mind. Coming to stand behind me, Mr Waiter gently grabbed towards the center of my hair, slowly lifting the now-uneven strands above my head. Gravity forced the last few inches of the longer portions to fall in front of my eyes, and I was certain against Mr. Waiter’s fist. Hearing the clang of the sword against the wood, I took a deep breath, steadying my posture. “This may be shorter than you wish,” Mr. Waiter said, “but if I held it otherwise, there would be a greater risk of ripping your roots out. And I am sure you don’t want to wear a wig.” Without another word, the man raised his hand, and the sharp swoosh of his blade filled the room. Clumps of hair flew to the floor with soft taps as the metal was struck for a second, and third time. The sounds brought me back to my freshman world history class, where we had watched a number of films exploring different cultures. As a treat towards the end of the unit, Disney’s Mulan had been shown. It was clear to me now how the strengths of animation had made the character’s famed haircut with her own sword seem so easy. Lenna would have surely reasoned that Mulan simply had thin hair, with the benefit of straight strands. At the thought, worry caught in my throat at how much time had passed. She had most likely gotten a cab, I told myself, but knowing Lenna, she would not have strayed far. “There.” With a sigh of relief, Mr. Waiter at last lowered the centuries’ old weapon after a final swing, stepping back towards his former post. As my hair fell back down, I could hear him mutter under his breath: “I never imagined I would use my training in such a manner.”

clockwork prince by @cassandraclare

«you speak of sacrifice, but it is not my sacrifice i offer. it is yours i ask of you,» he went on. «i can offer you my life, but it is a short life; i can offer you my heart, though i have no idea how many more beats it shall sustain. but i love you enough to hope that you wil not care that i am being selfish in trying to make the rest of my life - whatever length - happy, by spending it with you. i want to be married to you, tessa. i want it more than i have ever wanted anything else in my life.» he looked up at her through the veil of silvery hair that fell over his eyes. «that is,» he said shyly, «if you love me, too.»