Jade Fire Gold

Title: Jade Fire Gold
Author: June C.L. Tan
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Year: November 2021
Pages: 449
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 13 - 22 September
Binding: Netgalley arc
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

In an empire on the brink of war . . .
Ahn is no one, with no past and no family.
Altan is a lost heir, his future stolen away as a child.
When they meet, Altan sees in Ahn a path to reclaiming the throne. Ahn sees a way to finally unlock her past and understand her lethal magical abilities.
But they may have to pay a far deadlier price than either could have imagined.

Review:

 I'm really grateful to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this arc via NetGalley. Looks as though I am guaranteed a few copies of this book through my various subscriptions!

 We travel through this book from Ahn and Altan's perspectives. Ahn is a supposedly orphaned girl with magic in her veins that must be hidden at all costs. Altan is an orphaned royal, hiding from his families' murderers whilst he plots his revenge. Their paths could never have crossed yet they are linked by a greater purpose. It's not going out on a limb in terms of YA fantasy but you don't fix what ain't broke!

 Ahn is a fantastic character to follow, she has little ambition from the beginning which I find is somewhat relatable when you first step in to a book where you know nothing about the setting. She wants to know who she is, her Ama to be healthy and her belly to be full. Perhaps leaving the damn desert too. Simple things. She has a magical gift very unexplored in the beginning which also adds to the developing of her character throughout. She's somewhat naïve which can be irritating from time to time but then the book would have been over far too quickly!

 Altan is more sure of himself, or so he thinks. The would-be emperor that was ousted from the throne has a plan to return to his birth right. He is skilled in both combat and his own magical abilities. He's quite bitter, stubborn and generally a little stiff for my liking. The set up as a character is great though.

 The Asian setting is one I seem to be getting swamped by in 2021 but I am yet to be fed up of it. It provides for a range of settings such as desert, ocean, forests etc. The mythology is also somewhat of a mystery to me so I can't comment on how much of it is inspired by or lifted from it. It allows for a nice way to bring in the fantasy element including magic by our characters and creatures making an appearance. It's not overkill but well placed in the setting with good contributions to the plot.

 We've got a range of characters in both strong and manipulative men and women. Individuals with scarring and disabilities as well as LGBTQ+ relationships. A snarky and fun female assassin, a drunk yet humble emperor and comforting old lady. I can't go in to too much detail without spoilers.

 I really like the writing style. It was simple enough to read easily but not so much that it became juvenile. Nothing made me think the author was trying to had and there was a good balance of description, plot and dialogue.

 It occurred to me as I was reading that whilst there was plenty of action happening the actual plot was moving relatively slow and that this must mean the book was going to be a series. Alas, the story wrapped itself up quite quickly in the last 120 pages or so. This made the previous parts of the book feel even slower in comparison. Feels like some re-jigging could have fixed that and some of the really entertaining bits towards the end could have been extended.

 So, we have some romance. If you are expecting to be swooned you will be disappointed. The romance was lacking actual emotion and feeling. It was all snarky remarks, annoyed glances and avoiding each other. It was so frustrating and towards the end had me questioning how any kind of relationship could come from it.

 That epilogue though, damn! I'm gonna need that character to come with their own novel and I shall be there for it.

Six Crimson Cranes

Title: Six Crimson Cranes
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Year: July 2021
Pages: 454

Series: Six Crimson Cranes #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 6 - 12 September
Binding: Fairyloot Hardback

Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★★

Blurb:

 Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs in her veins. And on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

 A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

 Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain - no matter what it costs.

Review:

 Fairyloot have blessed me with dragon fantasy novels TWO MONTHS IN A ROW! Utterly magnificent. The dragons are briefly mentioned in the blurb above, hold their own in the beginning of the story and, it seems, will be a large part of the next book. That's it, I said it, the next book. Currently confirmed as a duology on the author's website. I can tell you now I'll be waiting for it!

 I seem to be finding myself in an Asian setting really frequently this year and it can honestly still be so different. Shiori travels a range of places and Lim sets up the world fantastically in this way (helped by a beautiful map in my version). We see the capital, the ocean and the snowy mountains just to name a few. 

 Shiori is a great character to follow. She's a female with a more modern mind, resentful of being married off to a man she doesn't know, and motivated by food. She's hidden her magic for years and thus hasn't really learned it's extent yet. She cares deeply for her family and is generally a pretty likeable character. Stubborn and impulsive, sure but not in any way that I found frustrating. It's a rare day I actually like a main character so this was an absolute win.

 The six brothers are our main other characters for the first portion of the book and Lim gives us a range of characters just within them. The intelligent, the stubborn, the joking, the understanding. There are enough of them to fill in a lot of side character space and no single time is spent on any of them quite enough to build up a dislike of any of the more stubborn brothers. 

 I really enjoyed our range of other characters. Seryu is great fun and with him as an introduction to a whole other world hosted by the dragons under the ocean is going to be fascinating. I'm excited to see more of him and his magic. Raikama was fantastically written and our other main characters only come in around half way through so I don't want to say too much. It was all fantastic though, the good and the bad intentioned characters.

 The other thing I enjoy about the Asian themed settings is that I have a little less of an understanding of their mythology and what kinds of magic are going to be present in their world. Dragons are a difference I'm aware of but it generally leaves me with a lot of wiggle room of understanding in terms of other magic. I enjoyed the magical integration in to the world, it wasn't too fantastical but subtly enough to work in a land where magic is forbidden.

 We change settings a few times in this book which amends the direction of what we expect from the plot. I think it was paced really well, it wasn't something I really thought about in this book in terms of think it was slow or moving quickly so that means it was likely just right for the story behind it.

 So . . . what are you waiting for? The second book to come out? Ah, understood.

This Poison Heart

Title: This Poison Heart
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Year: June 2021
Pages: 370

Series: This Poison Heart #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 5 - 11 September
Binding: Owlcrate Hardback

Goodreads

Stars:
★★★☆☆

Blurb:

 Briseis has a gift: with a single touch she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms.

 When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents hope that surrounded by plants and flowers, she will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they never expected - it comes with a mysterious set of instructions, a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world, and generations of secrets. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance that she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it.

 From the bestselling author of Cinderella is Dead comes an enchanting story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.

Review:

 Bayron's writing style is very easy to read which is really required when the plot begins in the last quarter of the book. Having said that, I genuinely wrote in my notes it felt kind of juvenile so this was certainly the young side of young adult.  As much as I enjoyed the overall premise of this book the plot took a really, really long time to go anywhere. The majority of the book is changing settings and meeting new people. A couple of interesting moments which make us think the plot is beginning and then managing to downplay it until the last few chapters. A bit disappointing. It was nice to see things tying together to a bigger plot but it took so long to get there that the mystery throughout the book built up to a point of frustration rather than satisfaction.

 The general story is actually very interesting. Plants are attracted to Bri, unnaturally so and react to her manipulations as well. A 'Poison Ivy' kind of gift. To then tie this in to a part of Greek Mythology was fascinating for me, it was not a story that I had heard before and it added an additional element to the book that elevated it slightly.

 The main character, Briseis, is Black, adopted, bisexual and wears glasses. Don't know what more representation you could want! She's a little naïve, which will either endear or irritate you. For a girl with parents like hers she's far too trusting of people. It was very at odds with her apparent background. She's oddly courageous but it's not in an impressive way. I feel like I've set her up badly, I actually quite liked her, she's a pretty genuine normal person but on reflection can't really pull anything else out to highlight.

 I'd like to say we've got a range of characters but I'm not sure that's quite accurate to say. Bri's adopted parents are two Black women, Mom and Mo. At first I really like them but after a bit I found them unbearable annoying. Their overbearing mothering was just a bit too much and cliché. They also exhibited a lot of. . . I don't know. Annoying mannerisms? I'm trying to tread carefully as I'm not sure in New Yorkers actually speak and act this way. I'm from the UK, we don't carry tasers or mace, don't burst into rooms carrying them. And I've never heard anyone talk the way they and Bri do, I was physically rolling my eyes and cringing at points.

 Other characters like Karter and Marie had interactions with Bri that were just unbelievable. No one becomes friends that quickly in a strange new town. Regardless of any later information, it came across strangely and is part of why I described Bri as I did above. Karter's clumsiness was unfounded, Marie's interest even more so. They just didn't seem well padded out characters.

 One this I did enjoy was the little input of details about hair care for Bri as a Black person. Not something I have seen before and a good, normal thing to be putting in to a contemporary setting. I have actually read a Black reviewer complaining about some of this and the dialogue feeling forced in terms of representation. I wouldn't necessarily be able to highlight the dialogue but perhaps that was what I was spotting up above? I can't really tell and of course it's very much for individuals to make up their own minds about!

 So, after the plot really opening up at the end it turns out more of the story is likely to come up in the second book. I can only see a second book in plans on Goodreads which isn't too much of a further commitment. I'd quite like to see the full extent of the potential of this premise, if I spot it in the library and wanted and easy read, I'd probably pick it up.

She Who Became the Sun

Title: She Who Became the Sun
Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Publisher: Mantle

Year: July 2021
Pages: 411

Series: The Radiant Emperor #1
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Time: 22 - 30 August
Binding: Illumicrate Hardback

Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

 In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, a seer show two children their fates. For the boy, greatness. For the girl, nothingness.

 In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is only found in stories. The Zhu family is mystified as to how Zhu Chongba, their eighth-born son, will achieve his lofty future. But for a daughter, no matter how clever or capable, an early death would be no surprise.

 Yet when a bandit attack orphans the two children, it's Zhu Chongba who dies. Desperate to survive, his sister steals his identity to enter a monastery. There, disguised as a male novice, Zhu learns she can be ruthless to avoid her fate. But when her sanctuary is destroyed, Zhu is cast back into the war-torn world. To change her ending, there's only one thing she can do: claim her brother's great destiny as her own.

Review:

 Just to clarify, I know absolutely nothing about the history of China, so comparison to real historical events isn't going to happen with me. My interest in the subject has increased and I may very well go in to some research but my expertise is so low it's probably in my best interests to leave that to others! I also don't read blurbs of my book boxes, just join the readalongs so any links I could have made the chance to make in advance weren't given a chance. Helpfully the author has added a historical note at the beginning of the book for the setting which is always a fabulous idea.

 Despite what the blurb may have you believe, we experience more than just Zhu Chongba's POV in this book. They come in later and I don't want to spoil too much though. Our two main characters are Zhu Chongba who, as described in the blurb, was born female and identifies as male. An extremely dangerous situation in this time period. Our other main character is a eunuch with an appearance that could have you believing he is either gender. A very interesting duo. The determination behind each character is astounding and their backstories superb. Make no doubt, these are both dark characters and towards the end I begin questioning who I'm really rooting for.

 1435 China is of course a real world setting with issues such as famine, war and superstition. A small fantasy element is brought in by the presence of the ghosts seen by Zhu which I didn't expect whatsoever. I'm not sure we really got an explanation as to why they showed up or if I completely missed it. It did however add a new mysterious element to the religious side of things.

 In the Illumicrate discord I saw someone mention how slow they thought it was after 100 pages and I'm not sure they were reading the same book I was! We are with Zhu for the beginning as they meet the seer and then to the monastery. This was a few chapters and I felt we absolutely rocketed through this as a backstory. It gets us interested in Zhu and understanding how such thinking and ambition came about. We had continuous action throughout the book and I only had a feeling of the book being slightly slow in the middle as we began to be introduced to more characters. It was a brief section really halted by some long chapters but the quality of content in those chapters remained high.

 At this point I should highlight that this is a fantasy book and not a book I would classify as young adult fantasy. We see Zhu through a range of years ageing but the content of this book reminded me slightly of The Poppy War series in that it does not hide away from violence. It's not on the same level but doesn't shy away from a few quite brutal deaths and other acts of violence. There's also a short scene of sexual content which I was surprised by as it seemingly came out of nowhere. So you've been slightly warned.

 So why did this book not get the full five star rating? Questions. I have so many questions. Zhu's name? The ghosts? More I'm sure I'll find out in the next book. I also had a little trouble keeping track of some characters and completely missed the death of one side character, probably where things slowed down or too many names came in to play.

 All in all. . . I shall be keeping an eye out for this series as it continues and would recommend for fans of The Poppy War that are happy seeing a little less fantastical elements.

Fire with Fire

Title: Fire with Fire
Author: Destiny Soria
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Year: June 2021
Pages: 421
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Time: 9 - 13 August
Binding: Fairyloot Hardback

Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

 What if the story we've been told about dragons is wrong?

 Dani and Eden Rivera were born to kill dragons, but that's the only thing the sisters have in common. For Dani, dragon slaying takes a back seat to everyday high school life. For Eden, slaying is her life. Yet they both agree on one thing: where dragons are concerned, it's kill or be killed.

 That is, until Dani actually meets a dragon and ends up forging a rare and magical soul bond with him. As they grow closer, she begins to question everything she thought she knew. Suddenly the one thing Eden and Dani always agreed on is the one thing that could tear their world apart. With Dani lost to the wrong side, Eden knows she'll have to risk everything to bring her sister back from the edge - even turning to the mysterious and alluring sorcerers for help.

 Now on opposite ends of an impending war, the sisters will do whatever it takes to save the other. But the two are playing with magic that is more dangerous than they can imagine, and there is another, more powerful enemy waiting for them both in the shadows.

Reviews:

 Books are always a win when dragons are involved. Place it in a modern setting, referencing real life books and people and twining them in to the fantasy element? GOLDEN! I pretty continuously don't read the descriptions of books in my book box subscriptions, I just try and join in on the readalongs. This one was a very pleasant surprise from Fairyloot!

 Before I talk in some more detail about the characters I feel I should mention the representation covered by our characters. Our main family is made up of sisters Dani and Eden and their parents James (Scottish) and Analisa (Mexican) so immediate POC representation. Dani is bisexual, already out and proud about it so we've got a little of our LGBT. We've also got some references to panic disorders and anxiety. We share POVs between Dani and Eden and as the blurb suggests these are vastly different giving you some change in pace, setting and outlook throughout.

 More directly on our main two characters, Dani was your typical person of the modern age that's not interested in the family business. Training to appease the family but more concerned with just being a normal person. Total respect for that but Dani is really denying the fact that she's pretty badass! Girl is a weapon and damn good at what she's been trained for. She's realistically awkward in her high school life interactions and has all the background of working a job in the background. Her wanting to be normal is really well set up but she also shows real respect for the skills her family has. She resents the work but respects its importance, a good balance. I found her funny and relatable.

 Eden however is the reason this book got knocked down a star. Bitter was the undercurrent of the majority of her chapters and whilst I understand wanting the sisters to be different it made for an experience where I just wanted to skip Eden's chapters. Jealousy, whining, manipulation all make for a good character but not necessarily half the POV of a book. Top that with the difficult of some anxiety issues I feel this is actually a difficult topic. For me there needed to be a very big redemption arc for her general behaviour and for me anxiety and panic disorders are just a thin excuse. This is however, obviously, a subjective topic.

 I'll give you some one-liners on our other characters. A witty and dark humoured dragon that I absolutely loved, favourite quote being 'Try not to be a pedantic twit; it will make all of this much easier.' Genuine laughing out loud and getting weird looks moment for me. A well thought out sorceress with power and determination. You get a whole mix of funny and malicious side characters in this book but not so many that you'll lose track.

 I've already mentioned how I like the integrating of the modern world in this fantasy but I really enjoyed the general magical concept. Dragons are awesome, period. Soul bonds between humans and dragons, rare but empowering? Wicked! Sorcerers coming about in a way I'll let you read about? Insane! Love. Love. Love.

 In terms of pacing, I was pretty happy with the was this story unfolded. Yes there were some side-elements going on that came in and slowed it down but it all felt genuine to the story rather than forced. 

 Overall, if this story is going to continue with a series I'm very, very likely to follow it up!