Mask of Shadows is the story about a genderfluid main character, Sal, who enters an audition to become part of the Queen's Left Hand. The Left Hand is a team of assassins whose identities are secret. Going in, I was excited to read a new fantasy with a diverse main character. But it just did not live up to my expectations. ⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Comes out August 29th. I wanted it to blow my mind, but it's nothing new or groundbreaking. To me, it is a very average young adult fantasy. The fact that it follows a genderfluid thief is what drew me in, but Sal is boring and unlikeable. Sometimes unlikeable characters are great, but in this case because of the utter lack of character development … [Read more...]
The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova
Today is just going to be a short review, because I'm currently on vacation. But mainly because I don't have much to say about this book, yet I still wanted to share my thoughts. ⭐️⭐️/5 stars. The Alchemists of Loom is a steampunk fantasy novel following the infamous White Wraith, Ariana, her initiate, Florence, and a Dragon called Cvareh. Thrown together by accident, they start to form an unlikely bond that lead them into a world of trouble. The world is super interesting because of all the steampunk elements. Somehow, when I first heard about it, I didn't catch the fact that it was steampunk. And I usually don't enjoy the aesthetics of that genre, but somehow this particular book … [Read more...]
Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault by Candace Robinson
EDIT APRIL 30th 2018: This review is of an old version of the book. A new and revised version is being released in June 2018. *I received an arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.* DISCLAIMER: This is my own personal opinion based on my enjoyment of the book. Some of the problems I had with the writing style may have been resolved in the finished copy, so please note that my opinion was formed after reading an advance copy. ⭐⭐/5 stars. Quinsey Wolfe's Glass Vault is an impressive weaving of horror stories and fairytales set in a place of evil incarnate. It's filled with twists and turns, some you'll be able to spot if you're reading closely, and others … [Read more...]
