Master of One

Title: Master of One
Author: Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett
Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: Nov 2020
Pages: 531
Series: Yet to be confirmed
Genre: YA Fantasy
Reading Time: 1 - 22 Feb
Binding: Fairyloot Exclusive Hardback
ISBN: 9780063066250
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★☆☆

Blurb:

 Life in the Queen's city isn't easy, especially for a two-bit thief like Rags. When his latest score goes sideways, he's nabbed by royal sorcerer Morien the Last, who forces him to steal the six pieces of an immeasurably powerful ancient fae relic. Rags is still determined to somehow get away unscathed . . . until he discovers that the relics Morien is after are actually people:

 A distractingly handsome fae prince who has been asleep for centuries

 A Queensguard deserter with more honor than common sense

 A daughter of a disgraced noble family who hits first and asks questions later

 A deceptively sweet-natured prince

 A member of the underground resistance, neither trusting nor trustworthy

 And him-Rags.

 There's no way they can let Morien enact his dark plans, but six misfits against an exceptionally wicked enemy doesn't make for generous odds. Luckily, Rags is not generous - he's smart. And he has a plan that just might work.

Review:

 On the opening prologue of this book I was really excited. Instant action and violence, slaughter. Always promising. But then the rest fell a bit flat.

 The pacing of this book for me was all wrong. We have several point's of view in this book and the opening 100 pages or so are all for one person. I was shocked when we eventually changed viewpoint. The first 100 pages are also all action with very little explanation, it would have been exciting if I at least had a clue why all of this was happening. The rest of the book turned out to be so, so slow as a result and really didn't answer that many more questions. This book could easily have been half the length and much more enjoyable. Honestly the last few pages just confused me more as I feel some of those details could have been explained better much earlier in the book. It's going to take follow up books to clear it up but as per Goodreads, nothing has been confirmed at the time I'm reading this.

 Not a single on of these characters is truly relatable. I'm not a thief that's every second thought is how to steal something, I'm not an ex-noble lady with hardly any personality, I'm not a prince with a disability and I'm not a clueless fae that's been asleep for years. There's a lot of humour between a few of these characters but it's done almost too much and ends up just looking ridiculous in some cases. Some of the names in this book are just weird or plain ridiculous. I'm not sure if they were supposed to be funny or what but it was just bad.

 At this point you're probably wondering how I ended up with three stars and not fewer. Well, I liked the idea. I liked the setting and overall struggle once it was explained a little. The general idea has great promise, I just don't like much about how it was executed.

 Not much more to say. I hope the next one is a little more balanced.

A Court of Silver Flames

Title: A Court of Silver Flames
Author: Sarah J Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: February 2021

Pages: 751

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #4
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Time: 16 - 17 Feb
Binding: Kindle Edition
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★★

Review:

 I didn't get a chance to do a re-read of the series again before I launched in to this, so I expect I'm going to be re-reading this again very soon (exam revision willing). I'm going to keep this as non-spoilery as I can and then do a full on spoiler-filled review following my second read. I'm excited.

  Oh my, so much to unpack here. Maas has done it again, another book of redemption for a character I couldn't stand turns out to be another highlight of all her works. I couldn't stand Chaol yet entirely appreciated that Tower of Dawn was a good book. I couldn't stand Nesta, she's a hateful person and yet I loved this book. If you're a Nesta hater, still give it a try. She's only unbearable for a few chapters.

 Seriously though, the opening chapters ignited my rage at Nesta and how awful she is. We have an opening prologue of her going in to the Cauldron, which answers so many questions (lots of answers for many, many things in this book for me). The first few chapters I have so many highlights of Nesta's thoughts where she is just. . . grrr. She just seems to think everyone is poised against her, remains totally ungrateful for any assistance she receives because she's so damn entitled and refuses to see what are the consequences of her own actions. I'm glad we don't spend too long in that mind set, it would have made for a harder read. She does back in to small moments of these in the book and it's a punch to the gut every time.

 So yes, Nesta goes through a lot in this book, it's a redemption and self-discovery book. For me it does not redeem her actions and words of the past (nothing ever will either) but it does make me now appreciate her presence in the series. Be aware that perceptions of a few characters are changed in this book. Seeing things through Nesta and Cassian's eyes mean we see things in a very different light to previously in the series. There are a few characters it doesn't reflect particularly well on but I'm not letting that change my feelings around them, I feel like their actions and words are all justified in the grand scheme of things even excluding the revelations of this book.

 Maas let us know this was Nesta and Cassian's book and oh boy, it was. Nesta being promiscuous in Frost and Starlight gives us a bare glimpse that Nesta's a little bit more . . . adventurous that Feyre was. It's different scenes than what we've seen before but personally I didn't think there was a whole lot more of it than Mist and Fury, I feel like there could have been a lot more given the shift to an adult rating. The tension between Nesta and Cassian is a highlight of the book but so is all their other communication. We saw how Cassian is able support someone hurting back when Feyre was training with him and he's set to perform the same thing with Nesta, someone he feels more of a personal connection to. There are real similarities to Feyre and Nesta's healing, books and exercise playing a key role. One particular measure of Nesta's growth is something I really enjoyed seeing her go back to.

 Fear not that this is the only part of the plot, all you Nesta haters (including myself). There is plenty else going on than Nesta being trapped in her own head and verbally battling Cassian at every turn. Possibilities left open at the end of the last series are opening up into a much more elaborate plot. Characters we've met causing further trouble, characters we've only heard of before coming in as a whole new major plot point but also new characters coming in as friends. Beautiful, wonderful friends whom I am loving because I can see some ships coming in here that are going to utterly destroy what others have been hoping will happen. In short, I'm in love with a house, so many comedic moments come in there.

 Despite these new characters. . . diversity is not massively improved in this book and I know there's a lot going on with this at the moment as a criticism of this book. Way I see it, damned if you do and damned if you don't. Honestly, there is diversity within the species that are introduced in the book by half-breeds etc. (an arguably more important diversification in this world that causes it's own problems). In terms of LGBTQ+, still waiting but I did pick up on the barest hint of something to come.

 This book is filled with fantastic one-liners. Nesta's sharp tongues and it comes with benefits. There's action to fill your boots. Looking at you, Illyrians! A bit of magical and fantastical creature exploration as well and I think there's really something for everyone in this book. It's a wonderful mix of character development, world building and plot development that's setting up for a great few additions to this series. The emotions are allowed to run high, anger, sorrow, tension, love, laughter just everything you could hope for. This book is dedicated to all the Nesta's out there and I can see this book will mean a lot to many, many people.

 I have only one problem. When is the next book due?

Blood Heir

Title: Blood Heir
Author: Amélie Wen Zhao

Publisher: Harper Voyager
Year: November 2019
Pages: 446
Series: Blood Heir #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Reading Time: 1 - 15 Feb

Binding: Illumicrate Exclusive Hardback
ISBN: 9780008328054
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★★

Blurb:

 In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled.

 Their varied gifts to controls the world around them are unnatural - dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, has a terrifying secret. Her deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason she has lived her life hidden behind palace walls.

 When Ana's father, the emperor, is murdered, her world is shattered. Framed as his killer, Ana must flee the palace to save her life. And to clear her name, she must find her father's murderer on her own. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew. Corruption rules the land, and a greater conspiracy is at work - one that threatens the very balance of her world. And there is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to its core: Ramson Quicktongue.

 A cunning crime lord of the Cyrilian underworld, Ramson has sinister plans - though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all.

Review:

 I'm so annoyed I didn't read this sooner but also relieved that I barely have to wait for Red Tigress to come out. I'd like to akin this a little to the Red Queen series however where that crossed in to more of a dystopian this is a more typical fantasy setting. The Affinites range in vastly different types and strengths of powers and as is typical we follow what is possibly the strongest of them all.

 Ana quickly introduces herself and her mission in the opening chapters, though others in the book take a long, long time to get there for themselves. Interestingly, whilst Ana has one of the rarest Affinites she knows, she doesn't have any particular. . . skills. She freezes in moments of action and screams for justice in the moments when she could manipulate her way to the top with a little thought. She's a princess protected from the world suddenly unleashed. She has a lot to worm from Ramson Quicktongue who can scam and kill his way to the top. He's rather delicious and their banter is great, a real carrier of humour in the book.

 There are some real world themes being carried in this book, human trafficking and slavery are quite central to the world and we're shown this through Ana's eyes as she realises that the world she thought was so beautiful under her family's rule is in fact riddled with issues. It's quite present and clearly something to be explored in the following books (I currently have no idea how many books are set for this series but Goodreads is showing as a trilogy). I'm excited to see where this goes, I'm reading this as part of the Instagram readalong hosted by the author herself and I can see the passion driving her around this subject.

 I'm enjoying the setting of this world, it's a little different from other fantasy settings. A real cold landscape but a lot of other parts of the world present for our characters to come from. It leads for a range of characters and I'm very excited to see some of their parts expanded in the next book. We have kick-ass female characters, suave men, manipulated underdogs and vicious, power hungry enemies. It's really quite a simple plot, there are some distractions and revelations along the way but it's certainly not a book you have to concentrate on wrapping your head around. The characters backgrounds are nicely explored and I hope we get more of this as we continue. I also enjoyed the mix of introductions and ripping away of characters, you certainly can't tell from the start who will be surviving the book.

 I know you'll be thinking about it, as it's kind of part and parcel of YA, the romance element. Don't go hoping for it in this book. I'm holding out hope, we're getting teased for some in Red Tigress. . . please. 

These Violent Delights

Title: These Violent Delights
Author: Chloe Gong

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Year: November 2020
Pages: 439
Series: These Violent Delights #1
Genre: YA Fantasy

Reading Time: 24 Jan - 13 Feb

Binding: Fairyloot Exclusive Hardback

ISBN: 9781529349184
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

 The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

 A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city in chaos. At the heart of it is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang - a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behinds every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette's first love . . . and first betrayal.

 But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns - and grudges - aside and work together, for if the can't stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Review:

 I started reading this straight after finishing The Poppy War series by R F Kuang which means I've spent a little while in Asian settings now and I. Am. Loving. It. The prologue really set me up for a whole lot of fantasy, but it's quite subtle. On reflection I'd hardly call it fantasy, more of a historical fiction with an element of fantasy. 

 The setting of Shanghai at this time allows for a really good range of diversity. Different nationalities, looks, political views, languages and the list goes on. It was really nice to see the range as well as have no feeling of it being forced. It fit the setting perfectly. We also have some fantastic other diverse characters as well. I love Kathleen and how much of a role she has in the book. There are hints of further LGTBQ+ romance to come as well (or so I hope.)

 I haven't read a Romeo and Juliet retelling in a while or perhaps ever. I enjoyed it but it brings about one of my main problems with the book and why I ended up holding back a star. Predictability. If you know the play then you are waiting for certain things to happen which brings another level of anticipation but also means that elements of the story have no real shock factor because you were expecting them. Some of these elements are slightly twisted which I enjoyed but sadly even those twists were also predictable. It's not just elements of the retelling that were predictable either. Everything that's introduced in the book is clearly for a purpose and so I found few real shocks.

 I'm. . . unsure about our main character in Juliette. She seems so constantly angry and violent and I just don't feel like we got an in depth reason as to why. Others in her family have had the same horrors but not turned out like her. The 'heiress' explanation only take you so far. I feel like Roma was far better explained even though we had far fewer chapters from his side. Other than Kathleen, the rest of the Cai family is annoying. Marshall and Benedikt are great fun but I feel like Dimitri was really side-lined given his supposed importance within the gang. I could have seen so much more from the Montagovs.

 It's a pretty solid debut, with a sequel lined up I'll just have to wait and see whether Owlcrate or Fairyloot will be following up on this first instalment!