Shadowscent by P.M. Freestone

Leave a comment

Shadowscent

Author: P. M. Freestone
Series: Shadowscent #1
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

Across the Aramtesh Empire, scent is everything. Prayers only reach heaven on sacred incense, and perfumes are prized status symbols. 17-year-old Rakel has an uncanny ability with fragrances, but her skills aren’t enough to buy her dying father more time.

 Ash bears the tattoos of an imperial bodyguard. When his prince, Nisai, insists on a diplomatic mission to an outer province, Ash is duty-bound to join the caravan. It’s a nightmare protecting Nisai on the road. But it’s even harder for Ash to conceal a secret that could see him exiled or executed.

 Rakel and Ash have nothing in common until smoke draws them to a field of the Empire’s rarest flower. Nisai’s been poisoned, flames devour the priceless blooms, and the pair have “suspect” clinging to them like a bad stench. Their futures depend on them working together to decipher clues, defy dangers and defeat their own demons in a race to source an antidote . . . before the imperial army hunts them down.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I picked up an ARC at BookCon 2019 because the premise sounded interesting. I had mild expectations but it blew me away. It’s equal parts mystery and fantasy. I don’t think I’ve read a book that focused so much on scents before. I was a bit overwhelmed by all the descriptions of scents, but I quickly learned which ones were really important.

This book focuses on two characters. Rakel is on the run because she’s being falsely accused of attempting to kill the prince, Nisai, and the only way to save her and her father’s lives is to find an antidote to a poison she didn’t create. Ash is the Prince’s Shield and has sworn upon his life to protect Nisai. He has to determine if his duty to protect the prince means he stays put as the commander orders, or if he must run (and look guilty) to find an antidote. He chooses to run because that’s the only way to help the prince.

I liked Rakel right away. She was making tough decisions and doing what she needed to do in order to save her father from the Rot, a disease that slowly consumes the person affected. She’s determined and confident. She knows she’s one of the best and she’s not afraid to prove it. She puts everything on the line to prove she’s the best and get a good job to send money and medicine back to her father.

Ash has a mysterious background that gets brought up a few times until the reveal at the end. I enjoyed how he had to decide on how best to protect Nisai. He’s sworn to protect him and will lose his life if he fails. Nisai was poisoned and it seemed like nobody was looking for the antidote so Ash decides it’s his duty to go find the girl and discover what she knows. Unfortunately for him, Rakel doesn’t know much and only had advice from a mysterious person who told her to find a place that doesn’t exist if she wants to save the prince. With no other option, the two journey together. Obviously, they don’t really trust each other but Rakel pushes forward since this is her only chance to prove she’s innocent and to save her father.

I didn’t like how the book ended. It was wrapping up nicely but so many things were revealed and the last line is almost along the lines of “ok, let’s get started.” But we just finished! I generally don’t like when books end in a way that means the characters are going to take an immediate action. Regardless, this book surprised me and I really enjoyed it. I’m excited for the sequel.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Leave a comment

The Raven King

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #4
Reviewer: Marlou

Summary

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore

View this book on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn’t want it to be over.”

I did not want this story to end and yet I wanted badly to know how it ends. I think we all know that feeling…

The Raven King was a very interesting read. It often had me smiling like crazy or just plainly laugh out loud:

“The kitchen window groaned open, and Jimi shouted out, “Blue! Your boys are out front, looking like they’re fixing to bury a body.”
Again? Blue thought.”

There were some really nice and cute Ronan and Blue moments:

“No homework. I got suspended,” Blue replied.
“Get the fuck out,” Ronan said, but with admiration. “Sargent, you asshole.”

There was Ronan being Ronan:

“Are you going to lock your shitbox?”
Adam said, “No point. Hooligans got in anyway.”
The hooligan in question smiled thinly.”

Sometimes it got a little confusing because so many people were mentioned:

“Depending on where you began the story, it was about…”

And then suddenly there was Henry. Good, funny Henry:

“Look at this,” Henry called from a few yards away. His voice was theatrically shocked. “I have discovered that, at some point, this side door was broken into by a teenage Korean vandal.”

“Make way, make way, make way for the Raven King.”

And that was that. The book has ended. The series is done. My heart has been stolen by these lovely Raven Boys and this one spectacular girl. Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna cry in a corner somewhere.

And that’s the last review of The Raven Cycle! All 4 books! But wait! A new trilogy spinning off of the original four is coming! Starting with Call Down the Hawk on November 5th!!

See Marlou’s reviews starting with The Raven Boys, (book 1) in this series!

Books in this series

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Leave a comment

Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #3
Reviewer: Marlou

Summary

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs. 

The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.

View this book on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn’t all-encompassing, that wasn’t blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she’d had this kind, she didn’t want the other.”

No one would want a normal friendship when you could have Gansey, Ronan and Adam. I mean, duh. Who wouldn’t want their own set of lovely Raven Boys? Sign me up.

I loved this book so much. The second book was a bit slow paced, but this book more than made up for that. There were a lot of things happening at once, and yet, I could follow everything perfectly fine. Maggie Stiefvater, you are a magician with words.

There were some lovely, heartwarming scenes in this book. I do think this one is my favorite:

“In the hall stood Richard Campbell Gansey III in his school uniform and overcoat and scarf and gloves, looking like someone from another world. Behind him was Ronan Lynch, his damn tie knotted right for once and his shirt tucked in.

Humiliation and joy warred furiously inside Adam.

Gansey strode between the pews as Adam’s father stared at him. He went directly to the bench, straight up to the judge. Now that he stood directly beside Adam, not looking at him, Adam could see that he was a little out of breath. Ronan, behind him, was as well. They had run.

For him.”

Welcome to the new class; How to break my heart, repair it and then warm it completely 101.

I can’t really say anything more without spoiling the entire book, so I’ll just mention, again, how much I loved this book. I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK.

Stay tuned for more reviews of The Raven Cycle as we approach the release of Call Down the Hawk on November 5th!

See Marlou’s reviews starting with The Raven Boys, (book 1) in this series!

Books in this series

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Leave a comment

The Dream Thieves

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #2
Reviewer: Marlou

Summary

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys.”

Same, girl, same. I didn’t like this one as much as the first one, I don’t exactly know why though. I do know that I despised Kavinsky. I don’t like Adam in this book and he already wasn’t one of my favorites to begin with. Somehow everyone seemed a little more annoying in this book but that could just be me.

Then why give it 4 stars just like The Raven Boys? Because Maggie’s writing deserves a solid 4 stars. Her world building is magnificent. Her characters are immensely diverse. The bromance is real. God, I love good male friendships without feeling like they’re gay.

Oh wait, one is definitely gay though. I want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible so I hid the names in this quote. You can decide if you want to know the names, just google it and I’m sure the internet will tell you!

“Don’t say (NAME), man. Do not say it. He is never going to be with you. And don’t tell me you don’t swing that way, man. I’m in your head.”

“That’s not what (NAME) is to me,” (NAME) said.

“You didn’t say you don’t swing that way.”

(NAME) was silent. Thunder growled under his feet. “No, I didn’t.”

This book was a bit long for my taste. There wasn’t necessarily much happening and the things that did happen weren’t that impressive. I also didn’t quite get the things that were going on with Adam and that confused me from time to time. I did like it that we got to see more of Ronan and that we got to know more about his strange ability. It’s still a 4 star read for me because it was well-written, the characters are amazing, and the world is just awesome. And I just love them all so much.

Stay tuned for more reviews of The Raven Cycle as we approach the release of Call Down the Hawk on November 5th!

See Marlou’s review for The Raven Boys, book 1 in this series!

Books in this series

The Rise of Kyoshi

Leave a comment

The Rise of Kyoshi

Author: F.C. Yee
Series: The Rise of Kyoshi, book 1
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

F. C. Yee’s The Rise of Kyoshi delves into the story of Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom–born Avatar. The longest-living Avatar in this beloved world’s history, Kyoshi established the brave and respected Kyoshi Warriors, but also founded the secretive Dai Li, which led to the corruption, decline, and fall of her own nation. The first of two novels based on Kyoshi, The Rise of Kyoshi maps her journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice who is still feared and admired centuries after she became the Avatar.

View this book on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I picked up this book because I love Avatar the Last Airbender. I know who Kyoshi is…or I thought I did. Being a sequel, I thought I knew what would happen. I didn’t. Kyoshi’s life does not follow the “normal” life of an Avatar. I love this book so much and was surprised several times. So much for thinking this was an easy read to just get background info on a character I thought I knew.

I loved the different personalities (especially the ones who clashed!) and their development as the story progressed. Things wrapped up well for most characters and I’m really excited for the next book. I highly recommend this book for fans of Avatar and for those who have never watched an episode. The history of the Avatar and the reincarnation is explained well so anybody who hasn’t seen an episode can also enjoy the story.

There are minor spoilers ahead (all happen really early in the story, but stop reading if you want all the surprises as you read). 

We meet Kyoshi as a young child then again when she’s a young adult working at the Avatar mansion. The last Avatar died and his Team Avatar promised to find and train the new Avatar and do better (Avatar Kuruk died young). Problem is, they can’t identify the next Avatar. A while after Avatar Kuruk dies, they declare they’ve found the new Avatar. There are lots of twists and reveals as you go through the story, but you also get to know Kyoshi as a person, not just as the Avatar.

Kyoshi was abandoned and lived on her own in the Earth Kingdom, with only a chest with a few objects from her parents. She is despised by the locals but makes friends with a few who also work in the Avatar mansion. She doesn’t fight back when challenged by other kids, which upsets her best friend, Rangi, daughter of the Avatar’s firebending master.

I really enjoyed watching Kyoshi go from a frightened, orphaned girl, to learning who she is, to deciding how much she’s willing to let her personal feelings determine her path.

I still want to know more about Kyoshi’s parents – why they left her, why the chest, what significance do the items have, where did the items come from? I hope these are answered in the next book since I feel it was not explained well in this one, but maybe they aren’t that important. I really want to know why her parents left her. Did they know she was the Avatar and couldn’t be with them because of their chosen lifestyle? (I’m assuming this if I don’t get additional answers since they are described as caring about family above all else, but they abandoned her.)

Dreamer babble | Witchlands NEWS

2 Comments

Remember when Susan Dennard released Bloodwitch with it’s dramatic, amazing cover…. remember? You know…

This one….

And the book world exploded!

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

— All of us

“Bae is beautiful!”

—Most of us

“Hey, why is the lettering RED?”

—A couple aesthetic-focus folks

Well, now we have our answer….. BOX SET!!!!!!

It turns out that the Bloodwitch motif was just the start of a brand new series of covers and an actual BOX SET…. (should I scream it again?)

BOX SET!

That’s right, the very much loved Moon-Mother herself. Susan Dennard, will be giving us all a fantastic Witchlands Box Set with each of the three primary books: Truthwitch, Windwitch, and Bloodwitch. Along with these gorgeous covers (see below), will be an exclusive poster featuring the Witchlands map! A real must-have for fans of the series.

I mean….. Look at this map!!!!

Release date: October 8, 2019

Want it signed?

Order from Schuler Books and add a comment at check out indicating what you’d like written on the inside and Susan will sign your box set!

Other ways to Order (unsigned):

Release date: October 8, 2019

More about Cliff Nielson (cover artist):

Cliff Nielsen is best known for his work on projects such as Star Wars, The X-Files, Chronicles of Narnia among many projects including advertising campaigns, designs, and magazines. He studied in both traditional and digital illustration and graduated as valedictorian from Art Center College of Design in CA. His illustrations have been recognized for their excellence by the Society of Illustrators, Print, and Spectrum among others. Feature articles focusing on his work appear in design publications and fanzine magazines alike. Cliff has been an international speaker on digital art and has served as a judge for the Society of Illustrators and a variety of professional illustration award programs. He lives and dreams in Los Angeles, California.

Remember….. Release date: October 8, 2019

More about Jessica Khoury (artist of the new, elaborate map included in the box set as a full-colour poster):

Jessica Khoury wrote her first book at age 4, a fan fic sequel to Syd Hoff’s Danny and the Dinosaur, which she scribbled on notebook paper, stapled together, and placed on the bookshelf of her preschool classroom. Since that day, she’s dreamed of being an author.

In addition to writing, Jess is also a fantasy cartographer, and spends far too much time scribbling tiny trees and mountains in fictional worlds. She is very passionate about orcas, Spanish soccer, and choosing the perfect font.

Jess currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina. She is the author of Origin, Vitro, Kalahari, and The Forbidden Wish.

Don’t forget, Release date: October 8, 2019

More about Susan Dennard (author of The Witchlands, Something Strange and Deadly series, and #TheLuminaries on Twitter)

Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. Working in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to you yet, Asia!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.

She is the author of the Something Strange and Deadly series, as well as the New York Times bestselling Witchlands series, and she also hosts the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits & Daydreamers. When not writing, she is slaying darkspawn (on her PS4) or earning bruises at the dojo.

She lives in the Midwestern US with her French husband, two spoiled dogs, and two grouchy cats. Learn more about her on her twitter, instagram, or newsletter.

One last time…. Release date: October 8, 2019!!!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

5 Comments

The Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Reviewer: Marlou

Summary

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

View this book on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“The way Gansey saw it was this: if you had a special knack for finding things, it meant you owed the world to look.”

And look for things he did. Gansey’s obsession is amazing. Stiefvater wrote it in a way that he doesn’t seem like a madman yet he’s still completely obsessed. With Gansey it’s more like he finally found something that money can’t buy.

Let’s talk about the friendships in this book. Can I have a tight group of friends like that please? They’re all different, they all have issues and they could have been enemies; instead they’re friends and kinda scare the crap out of people. The friendship was real strong at the beginning of the book, NOT.
“Did you get notes for me?”
“No”, Ronan replied,”I thought you were dead in a ditch.”
And yet I still want a friend like Ronan Lynch… Something is either epically wrong with me or totally right. I don’t wanna know which one it is.

My favorite Raven Boy is Gansey, Ronan is a solid second. I don’t like Adam… Noah is alright. As for the ladies at 300 Fox Way, I love them all. Blue is so lovely and eccentric and doesn’t take shit from anyone.

Why not give this book 4.5 or 5 stars? I really like this book, but that’s just it: I like it, not love it. I love different worlds and magical characters, so yeah basically Epic Fantasy. The Raven Boys is more Urban Fantasy, which I totally like but I doubt Urban Fantasy and the like will ever be any of my favorite books.

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
And then the questions that have been bugging me. Is this epic foreshadowing? Are both things gonna happen because Blue kisses him and then he dies? Are Blue and Gansey gonna end up together? Does this series have a happy ending?
Btw, I don’t want to know the answers to these questions, I wanna find out for myself.

Stay tuned for more reviews of The Raven Cycle as we approach the release of Call Down the Hawk on November 5th!

Books in this series

The Steel Prince by V.E. Schwab

Leave a comment

The Steel Prince

Author: V.E. Schwab
Series: Shades of Magic Graphic Novels
Reviewer: Finja Marie

Summary

Before he became King Maxim Maresh, father to Rhy and adoptive father to the Antari Kell, he was a prince. Young, arrogant, and inexperienced.

When his own father sends him to the Blood Coast of Verose, Maxim must learn that Red London was a sanctuary in a cruel world. Out here, the people don’t obey the law; violence rules, magic runs wild, and even the guard doesn’t stand a chance against the evil under the surface.

Maxim learns this the rough way, even though he refuses to adapt to this dire situation. But the biggest thread still awaits, for the pirate queen returns to claim her bloody throne…

View this book on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Steel Prince is a prequel to Schwab’s much acclaimed Shades of Magic series. The first bound-up contains issues #1-4 and spans the first adventure of a still young Maxim Maresh, formerly known to  readers as the stern king of Red London. In the first arc of the comic series, he must learn that his world is not as sugar-coated as he formerly thought, and he must face his first real opponent in Arisa, the self-proclaimed pirate queen. 

The world of Shades of Magic works splendidly in a visual medium. The magic system comes alive through Andrea Olimpieri’s artwork, which is more on the rough, edgy side – a perfect fit for the darker tone of the setting. 

The story itself is solid, but nothing new. It pulls out all the tropes one would expect for character introductions. The execution is still interesting and entertaining enough, though, as one would also expect from an author as well-established and hard-working as Schwab is. 

The only qualm I had with this comic book was the fact that it’s too much story on way too few pages. Especially towards the end, one or even two more issues would’ve done the story a much better service. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but the way some of the scenes were brushed over took too much suspense away from what could’ve been one of the best scenes in the entire book.

Other than that, I am really looking forward to the next arc. Maxim Maresh is an interesting character with a lot of potential. I also liked that you don’t have to read the Shades of Magic trilogy first – new readers can jump into this world right with this comic book!

The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan

Leave a comment

The Serpent’s Shadow

Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Kane Chronicles #3
Reviewer: Marlou

Summary

He’s b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can’t seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. The Kanes’ only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent’s own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent’s shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld. Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“If you’re listening to this, congratulations! You survived Doomsday.I’d like to apologize straightaway for any inconvenience the end of the world may have caused you. The earthquakes, rebellions, riots, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, and of course the giant snake who swallowed the sun—I’m afraid most of that was our fault. Carter and I decided we should at least explain how it happened.”

What a book. Lovely. Tragic. Suspenseful. Funny. Need I go on?

Rick Riordan did it again. I was getting stuck in a reading slump and his books helped me right out of that.

Rick would not be Rick if there weren’t very funny moments when they’re in very serious situations.

Exhibit A:“‘There’s my baby!’ I cried, quite carried away. ‘There’s my Poochiekins!’

Ammit ran at me and leaped into my arms, nuzzling me with his rough snout.
‘My lord Osiris!’ Disturber lost the bottom of his scroll again, which unraveled around his legs. ‘This is an outrage!’

‘Sadie,’ Dad said firmly, ‘please do not refer to the Devourer of Souls as Poochiekins.’”

Uncle Rick also gives some very nice advice from time to time. “Dealing with any man means dealing with multiple personalities.” I mean, good to know right?

There was one thing in the book, just a small little thing, that got me thinking for a bit: “‘And if someone doesn’t believe in any afterlife?’ I asked.
Walt gave me a sad look. ‘Then that’s what they experience.’”

Just saying, but this makes total sense to me. People are always saying there can only exist one god/religion but that’s crap. I’m not saying god/gods exist the way Riordan writes it, but I do think that all the gods can coexist or that all the religions are just different stories about the same divine being(s). Alright, I’ll shut up about this now.

This book was lovely. It was a great book and it made for a great end to the trilogy. I think my favorite book was the first one (The Red Pyramid), because the story was all new and I liked Set better as the villain.

Books in this series

Nemesis by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge

Leave a comment

Nemesis

Author: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
Series: Circuit Fae #4
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

What would you do if your beloved girlfriend suddenly became your worst enemy? That dilemma’s all too real for Syl Skye.

As the last princess of the fair Fae, Syl is all things brightness and sun and white flame. But even though she’s Summer incarnate, she’s drawn to Rouen Rivoche, the dark Fae princess-assassin of the Winter Court.

They should be mortal enemies, but they’re best friends. Girlfriends. In love.

That is, until an old enemy puts Roue under a dark spell that makes her forget all about Syl, their lives and their love. Now Roue rules Dark Faerie as a cruel and cold Queen, and she wants nothing more than to destroy Syl and her fair Fae people. 

Worse, both opposing Faerie realms stand on the brink of utter destruction, and only their queens, Syl and Rouen, can save them—and only if they can put their differences aside for two seconds and fight together as allies.

But how can you fight against an enemy when your true nemesis is on your team?

View on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Spoiler warning: this review contains minor spoilers for the series, but none for this specific book. If you’ve read this far in the series, you’re good to go.

Every book in this series gets better, and Nemesis is no exception. I discovered this series right before Inimical (book 3) released. If you’ve read this far in the series, you know that is the WORST one to end on because of what happens to Rouen. It was painful waiting for an entire year for the next main installment after reading 1 – 3 back to back. I’m so excited Nemesis is here and we can finally save Rouen! (I hope!)

Nemesis is shorter than the other books in the series but so much happens! There’s lots of action and tension since, you know, Dark Rouen wants to eliminate Syl and take over all of Faerie. Do yourself a favor and read it in one sitting. Don’t get to about 50 pages from the end and have to go to bed so you can go to work because that is NOT a good stopping point! 😅

Throughout Nemesis, we get background information on some characters we’ve met before, meet a handful of new ones, and the dark Fae kids return! The background info-reveals affect both Syl and Rouen which changes how they tackle their current situation. I suspected who a character really was when they were first introduced in an earlier book and I celebrated when I found out I was right…then I read a few more sentences and DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! 😱 Celebration to shock in 3 sentences.

Per usual, Syl and Rouen are excellent together. Their entertaining banter lightens the tense action scenes, even with Rouen under a spell. I really loved Rouen’s struggle now that her dark side is in control. She remembers her feelings for Syl but her dark side wants more power and doesn’t really care about Syl. Enter Jarden (yes, that puca!!) who decides to gift Rouen with a way to control Syl and become Overqueen of all Faerie. Rouen’s dark side can’t turn down the offer of more power, even though Rouen knows Jarden can’t be trusted. It’s never good when Jarden enters the picture and you know it’s terrible for Syl that she’s helping Rouen.

Syl learns the fair Fae will wake soon and thinks it’s great because they can stop the dark Fae. Then she learns both Faerie realms will perish in seven days when they wake. It’s not a lot of time, especially when Dark Rouen knows she has to kill Syl to prevent Faerie Armageddon and has no problem doing it.

During all this chaos, Syl and Rouen also grow in their relationship. Syl refuses to give up on Rouen even though Dark Rouen has control and decides Syl is a rival to eliminate. Rouen struggles between her feelings for Syl and trying to be the queen her people need. Syl learns some things about Rouen that impact their relationship, but they work through all this while also trying to figure out how to save their people. The ending is perfect.

There are a couple loose ends (mostly, I’m not giving up on a certain character who got swept up in one of the battles!). I’m assuming these will be handled in the final book which releases in 2020. I hope it ends with them on a Disneyland trip because they deserve a vacation after all this. 😉

Books in this series

Moribund
derailed-1
Ouroboros
Dethroned
Inimical
Rekindled
Nemesis