Red Tigress by Amelie Wen Zhao

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Book: Red Tigress by Amelie Wen Zhao

Read From: 16th January - 20th January 2022

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (Blood Heir): Ana, the Crown Princess of Cyrilia, is one of the Affinites: people reviled for their magical gifts, which allow them to control the world around them. After her father’s brutal murder, all evidence points to Ana. If she’s to have any hope of clearing her name she’ll need help from the infamous Ramson Quicktongue. Known for his reputation as a cunning, smooth-talking crime lord, Ramson has his own sinister plans - though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the Princess may be the most dangerous player of them all.

Second book syndrome WHO?! This book was great, and was actually one of the rare instances I preferred a middle book to the first book! (That’s not to say the first book wasn’t good - I really enjoyed it and you can read my review here). Because this is a sequel, my review is going to lack a lot of substance because I want to shout about how much I’m enjoying this series whilst not spoiling the first book for anyone. Be assured that this review is spoiler free (for both Red Tigress and Blood Heir) but in order to do that, I’m going to have to sacrifice specific examples/thoughts of what made this sequel so great. So please bear that in mind! 

Whilst I really enjoyed the characters from the get-go in Blood Heir, my pre-existing connection to them made Red Tigress even more enjoyable. It’s definitely not a spoiler to hint at the romance between our main characters, and I really enjoyed its slow-burn nature. This definitely made it seem like more of a sub-plot rather than overshadowing the actual plot (which I think a lot of fantasy falls into the trap of doing). We also get to see more of the side characters from the first book, Lynn and Kais in particular, which I also really enjoyed (for reasons I won’t reveal because spoilers... just read the book I promise it’s worth it)! 

As for the main plot itself - whilst I won’t go into specifics, it was INTENSE. I was on the edge of my seat a number of times as tensions were rising, betrayals were coming to head... and much like Blood Heir, this was all happening from the outset. It felt like there was always something happening (without it becoming overwhelming or needlessly dragged out). 

Even though this is only Zhao’s second novel, it’s extremely evident to me that her writing has only gone from great to even better. This makes me so excited to read the final instalment in this trilogy once it’s released (particularly with that ending!!!) and I believe she is also releasing a new series next year too which is now definitely on my radar. Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for sending me a copy of this sequel in exchange for an honest review!

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Book: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Read From: 12th January - 17th January 2022

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships - but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. To convince Anh that she is dating, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor - and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.

Aaaannndd... The Love Hypothesis slots it’s way into the ‘hyped books are hyped for a reason’ category (much to my surprise)! I’ll be completely honest, I was very apprehensive about this one. With the exception of Talia Hibbert’s novels romance isn’t usually a stand-out genre for me and this, accompanied by the obvious fact that everyone and their dog adores this book, meant that I went in with low expectations as to avoid disappointment. Thankfully I didn’t need to worry, because this book was brilliant. I loved it!

I definitely have a love-it-or-loathe-it relationship with romance, I think because of its predictability, tendency to be a bit ‘mushy’ and heavy character focus. While these elements were definitely there in The Love Hypothesis, it didn’t break the book - it made it. I loved that a woman in STEM featured at the forefront of this book, accompanied by discussions of misogyny within this field of work/academia. Yes it was predictable and could sometimes be mushy but it’s a romance novel after all and there are times when this is exactly what you’re craving (which was definitely the case for me here)!

I wouldn’t say that Olive and Adam are my favourite fictional couple, but I really enjoyed the grumpy X sunshine dynamic and adored seeing their relationship develop and their feelings towards each other grow. Perhaps more importantly, the spice was also top tier and I LOVED how consent was approached in this book which is an element I feel is often (regrettably) ignored in a lot of books that feature romance.

I don’t think there’s anything I can say about The Love Hypothesis that hasn’t already been said by the plethora of glowing reviews already out there! This is just one more positive review in a sea of positive reviews telling you to read this book (especially if you love romance)!

Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao

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Book: Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao

Read From: 10th January - 15th January 2022

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Ana, the Crown Princess of Cyrilia, is one of the Affinites: people reviled for their magical gifts, which allow them to control the world around them. After her father’s brutal murder, all evidence points to Ana. If she’s to have any hope of clearing her name she’ll need help from the infamous Ramson Quicktongue. Known for his reputation as a cunning, smooth-talking crime lord, Ramson has his own sinister plans - though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the Princess may be the most dangerous player of them all.

Thank you so much Harper Voyager for my gifted copy of this book! I thoroughly enjoyed this story - in summary, it was (mostly) fast-paced, the magic system was interesting and unique, there were extremely loveable characters and plenty of plot twists and betrayal to keep you on your toes. This is also a loose Anastasia retelling and whilst I can’t comment on how well it shapes up as a reimagining (I’ve never seen it!), many other reviews have recommended it to Anastasia fans, although these judgements would be subjective I think it’s fair to assume that it’s done well!

This book throws you straight into the action, building up tension from the very first page. There is no unnecessary info dumping - a lot of the world building and explanation of the magic system is drawn out throughout the book which helps in keeping the fast-paced flow. I’d say the first and latter thirds of the book are a lot more gripping than the middle third, which is definitely more character focused, but as someone who was starting to really enjoy following Ramson and Ana on their journey I didn’t mind this at all. 

In addition to our main characters, the side characters in this book are also incredible - particularly May and Linn. Both have the most heart-breaking backstories, through which Zhao cleverly weaves critiques of human trafficking into the story, basing these characters on real life tragedies. I thought this was amazing to see in a YA novel, it gave it so much more depth.

I would definitely recommend this book, in fact at the time of writing this review I’m currently reading the second book, Red Tigress, and LOVING it (so would recommend Blood Heir all the more)! If you’re looking for an adventure fantasy story with loveable anti-heroes and plenty of shock-factor then this is the book for you.

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Book: Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Read From: 7th January - 11th January 2022

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja's otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back... by stealing Gisele's life for herself. The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed. Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele's sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja's tail, she'll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life.

THIS BOOK! I was beginning to lose so much faith in fantasy, which a lot of you will know is a go-to genre and a comfort genre of mine. I feel like I’ve read so many books lately, fantasy included, with none of them hitting that top tier 5 star quality and I’ll be honest, I was starting to lose hope and managed to convince myself that I was starting to fall out of love with the genre. For this reason I was apprehensive about diving into Little Thieves, especially because it came VERY highly recommended. I’m so pleased to tell you all that this book officially got me out of my funk and reminded me why I love fantasy so much.

Firstly, I’ll talk about the characters because they made this reading experience so enjoyable. We have a big cast in this book but every character is so incredibly well developed you feel like you really know each and every one of them, and with the found family aspect accompanying this you genuinely feel like they’re your friends (as sad as that sounds because they are fictional after all). Of course Vanja our protagonist was incredible, her character development was amazing but the star of the show for me was definitely Ragne who was absolutely HILARIOUS! Her one liners that weren’t even meant to be funny had me creasing up. I could literally give a full on list with the qualities I loved about every individual character - even the antagonists because I loved how great a villain they were! But if I did that we would be here all day because believe me when I say these characters are out of this world.

I’m not familiar with the original story this book is based on (Goose Girl) so I can’t comment on how Little Thieves compares as a retelling. But I absolutely loved the plot! It had the perfect amount of fairytale vibes through the various different stories interspersed throughout, and this was also really cleverly balanced with a darker and more medieval setting. It all worked SO well together. Even though this book is on the longer side (500 pages!) it never once felt like a drag to read. In fact, more often than not I was thinking about the next time I would be able to pick it up and read some more!

It goes without saying that I obviously recommend and obviously I will be reading the next book when it comes out! I can’t wait to see where Vanja’s journey takes us next but in the meantime I think I need to make a start on Owen’s backlist because I love her writing!

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling

Book: The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling

Read From: 3rd January - 9th January 2022

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Elise is cursed - every time she touches someone, she experiences how they will die. When she predicts, but cannot prevent, her brother’s death, she is desperate to escape her terrible gift. Then she meets Claire, a vampire tasked with helping Elise to master her powers and recruiting her to the Veil. At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death. As Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder whether she can really trust Claire.

I really enjoyed this read. This is my second time reading Isabel Sterling’s work and I definitely see a theme with her novels being tailored to the younger end of the YA scale but does it affect my enjoyment in any way? Not at all! They make for quick and easy reading whilst at the same time being filled with magic and suspense. The Coldest Touch was exactly this, it was super fun and as I said in my review for These Witches Don’t Burn, it’s always nice to read a low fantasy every once in a while that doesn’t have a complex world or magic system.

For the most part, I liked the main characters Claire and Elise in this book. They’re not the most memorable or stand-out characters I’ve ever read about by any means but I really enjoyed seeing how their relationship developed and blossomed. I definitely preferred Claire to Elise but maybe this was because I preferred the whole vampire thing over the Death Oracle thing… I thought the side characters were great too, they definitely illustrated the importance of friendship throughout the book. There wasn’t much I actively disliked, other than the ending and I would have preferred a little more explanation/back-story surrounding Elise’s powers but I think both of these aspects are reflective of the target audience so I didn’t let them bother me too much.

Unfortunately I don’t really have a lot else to say about this book, but that’s not a reflection of the book itself! It was a lot of fun to read at the time but it’s not the most memorable book and I doubt I will ever revisit it. I’d definitely recommend it though, especially to younger readers or if you want a more low-key fantasy read that you will be able to get through relatively quickly.

You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus

Book: You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus

Read From: 4th January - 7th January 2022

Rating: 2/5 stars

Summary: Ivy, Mateo and Cal used to be best friends in middle school. When Cal pulls into campus late for class and runs into Ivy and Mateo, they decide to ditch school, just like old times. But they’re not the only ones skipping school that day. When the trio spot classmate Brian ‘Boney’ Mahoney acting suspiciously downtown, they follow him into an empty building, and walk straight into a murder scene. Now their day of freedom has turned deadly, it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out...

I think it’s probably appropriate to preface this 2 star review with a little disclaimer that I actually did have a good time reading this, which usually isn’t the case with the books I dish out a 2 star rating for. It’s also important that I recognise this YA thriller isn’t for 20 year old me. Whilst I tend to really enjoy young adult books, the shock factor in thrillers for younger audiences is inevitably going to be on the unrealistic side because of who they’re targeted at. And this was probably one of my main issues with this book, which is why I feel a little unfair but I would be doing a lot of other books I’ve rated 3 stars a disservice by categorising You'll Be The Death Of Me in the same league.

Despite the above, this book was bloody well addictive. Even though I couldn’t fully get behind the route the plot was taking, it didn’t discourage me from wanting to find out what happened in any way. Yes, I was a little disappointed by some of the big reveals but I definitely didn’t see them coming and for me that’s definitely a bonus.

For the most part, I enjoyed the characters and thought their attitudes and personalities were a realistic portrayal of this book’s target audience - as such, it’s obvious why this book is popular. The one thing I didn’t particularly like was the romance, I didn’t feel as though the characters had any real chemistry and so it almost felt like it was just thrown in for the sake of it. As individuals though, the characters were great (aside from Ivy, I definitely grew to dislike her particularly as more secrets were revealed)!

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this specific book, I think I’ve read a lot better mystery novels in the YA category from both McManus herself and from the likes of Holly Jackson with her A Good Girls Guide to Murder series. Despite my general dislike for this book I’m fully prepared to admit that it was a page turner and based on her addictive writing alone, I’m definitely not prepared to give up on McManus’ novels just yet.

The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

Book: The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

Read From: 1st January - 3rd January 2022

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: In Nova City, there are extraordinary people, capable of feats that defy the imagination. Shadow Star protects the city and manipulates darkness, and Pyro Storm is determined to bring the city to its knees using his power over fire. Nick is the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom but he’s faced with a new year at school, a father who doesn’t trust him and a best friend named Seth, who may or may not be the love of Nick’s short, uneventful life. It should be enough. But after a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s biggest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself an extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without his friends’ help...

The Extraordinaries was my third TJ Klune novel and it has only solidified the fact that no one quite does characterisation like him. I don’t know how, every single time, he is able to take a group of characters and craft their own personalities and their relationships with each other so incredibly well. It’s definitely not my favourite book of Klune’s, but I had such a fun time reading this nonetheless.

As always with Klune's books, the found family element was great. Nick and his group of friends would have me regularly snickering to myself with their interactions and banter. Gibby was definitely a stand out for me though, with her tough love takes no bullshit attitude, but it was also so clear that she would take a bullet for her friends if they needed it. Nick was a funny protagonist who somehow managed to get himself into the most absurd situations or come up with the most unrealistic ‘solutions’ you can’t help but laugh. I also thought the book did a great job at capturing the awkward teenage crush phase that I think would (begrudgingly) resonate with a lot of us - whether you’re reading this book as a young adult yourself and can relate to everything or reading as an older reader who can reflect back on a similar phase at a similar age.

The concept itself was super cool - I liked the urban fantasy setting where the superheroes were a part of the regular world who acted as almost vigilantes and took justice into their own hands where needed. This caused a lot of annoyance to the police, which brings me on to my first minor issue with the novel. I think it over-glorified the police to almost an unnecessary degree. I fully understand that a young adult fantasy story about gay superheroes isn’t the most obvious place to bring up issues or critiques of the police force but the police do play quite a big role in the story and there were also some questionable one-liners from our (white) protagonist regarding police brutality… I think there should have at least been a privilege check included somewhere within the story and I know quite a few reviews have raised this as problematic.

Overall though, this book was a great time. No, it’s definitely not a literary masterpiece but it’s filled with (mostly) endearing characters you can’t help but love and a fun plot line that would appeal to a wide range of audiences.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Book: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Read From: 21st December - 30th December 2021

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: The boys of Huaxia dream of the celebrity status that comes with piloting Chrysalises - giant transforming robots that battle the aliens beyond the Great Wall. Their female co-pilots are expected to serve as concubines and sacrifice their lives. When Zetian volunteers as a concubine-pilot, her plan is to assassinate the male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But when she emerges from the cockpit unscathed after her first battle, she is declared an Iron Widow - the most feared pilot of all. Now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she sets her sights on bigger things. The time has come to stop more girls from being sacrificed.

I had THE BEST time reading this book. I was very apprehensive about picking it up because I’d heard such amazing things and I was scared I wouldn’t like it but... WOW! Easily my favourite book of December, which was such a fabulous way to round off the year with it being my final book of 2021. I don’t even know where to begin with this review, so we are going to take it step by step.

The world building was impeccable! It wasn’t the easiest to get my head around at first, particularly because of the futuristic elements mixed in with the historical elements, but I think that it paid off so well in the end and really enjoyed how the two were blended. I also loved the concept of the chrysalises, it gave off very similar vibes to Gearbreakers which I read back in November and really enjoyed. There was just the right amount of detail - it wasn’t underdeveloped, nor was it needless waffle. This world and everything in it was so vividly imagined, it’s the kind of book you can easily get lost in.

The plot… I’m such a sucker for the whole ‘taking down the oppressive system’ trope (which is definitely not its actual name, but you know exactly what I’m referring to). Iron Widow takes this trope to new levels. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s an overdone plot, but I think it’s easy to get bored of when you’re reading these kind of books over and over again. But in this book it was done so well and is definitely a stand out for me! 

I really enjoyed all of the main characters in this book. Wu Zetian was obviously the star of the show, but if I’m being picky I would have loved to see a little more explanation of where her strong feminist stance came from. I obviously loved how this was depicted on the page, but when considering that she was the only girl in her village with this outlook it would have been nice to see where it stemmed from (although props to her either way, for breaking out of the indoctrination cycle in the first place)! I also loved Yizhi and I found Shimin so easy to love once we started to get to know him. It was also so refreshing to see a polyamorous relationship at play here too, and I really appreciated how this unique take on a fantasy romance didn't overshadow the plot in any way either. It was an amazing sub-plot in its own right that worked so well ALONGSIDE the story, rather than being forced in as an addition. All of the characters balanced each other out really well (in more ways than one, if you know you know) and I definitely won’t be forgetting about them anytime soon!

The way Iron Widow ended definitely sent me reeling but it’s made me all the more excited for the sequel and I can’t wait to see the direction this story takes. This was such a strong debut so to consider that Zhao’s writing will only get better from here on out (if that’s even possible?!), it’s safe to say that I will buy every book they release in future. Please do be mindful of the trigger warnings when going into this book because there are a lot. Other than that, this is a definite recommend from me - such an amazing way to round off my reading year.

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Book: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Read From: 13th December - 27th December 2021

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Simidele is one of the Mami Wata, mermaids who collect the souls of those who die at sea and bless their journeys home. But when a boy is thrown overboard a ship of enslaved people, Simi saves his life, going against an ancient decree and bringing terrible danger to the Mami Wata. Now Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends - a journey of vengeful gods and treacherous lands. If she fails, she risks not just the fate of the Mami Wata and the boy she loves but also the world as she knows it.

Skin of the Sea is such a luscious and vibrant novel, filled to the brim with African folklore. Despite this, it can also be extremely dark at times. Although a fictional story, Bowen does not shy away from the harsh realities of the transatlantic slave trade. This can make the book extremely difficult to read at times, however her blending of tragic history with mythology and culture remind us as readers that West African history is more than pain and suffering. What results is the most beautiful story that will not only captivate you but also teach you a lot about African folklore, from Gods and Goddesses (including their role in the Ifa spiritual system) as well as various mythological creatures like yumboes and the Ninki Nanka.

Simi was an amazing character. She was strong, determined and compassionate, everything you could love from a female protagonist. The way her past is so beautifully woven into the story means you really connect to her, and it allows you to become so emotionally absorbed in the quest. I didn’t connect to Simi as quickly as I would’ve liked - to me it seemed like we were very much thrown straight into the plot with little background - but the more you read from her, she becomes very difficult not to admire. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance itself, it felt too insta-lovey for me to become fully invested and I didn’t think they had the greatest chemistry as a romantic pairing. Despite that, I loved Kola as a character so it was a bonus for me that the romance didn’t overshadow the main plot (as it quote often does in many other fantasy books)! 

Whilst I did really enjoy how descriptive the writing style was, I found that it could quite often disrupt the flow of the quest and, in turn, the pacing of the book. I think this was why it took me so long to get through, despite only being 300 pages. It felt like tension would be built up only to fizzle out into nothing as our characters travel from place to place. I guess if you have a particular love for adventure fantasy stories that this would be right up your alley, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it was an action packed novel.

I don’t think this is one I will reread and I’m still debating whether I will pick up the sequel once it’s released. It’s not because I didn’t like Skin of the Sea, it’s more because I feel okay about the ending and I don’t feel any strong desire to be reconnected with these characters beyond what I experienced in this first book. We’ll see! Whilst I don’t feel the same personally, I can appreciate why this book has made it onto a lot of people’s top books of 2021 list. I would definitely recommend giving it a go for yourself, particularly if you enjoy descriptive and poetic writing styles, adventure fantasy books and mythology.

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Book: Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Read From: 11th December - 20th December 2021

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Evangeline Fox was raised in her fathers curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his kisses are worth dying for and that bargains with him rarely end well. But when Evangeline finds out the love of her life is marrying another girl, she becomes desperate enough to make a bargain with the Prince of Hearts. In return, he only asks for three kisses. But after her first kiss, Evangeline learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…

After reading (and loving!) Garber’s Caraval series in 2020, Once Upon A Broken Heart made its way straight onto my most anticipated releases for 2021. Those of you who have read Caraval will understand my excitement of getting a story all about Jacks, and I’m very pleased to report that this book lived up to all my expectations. After already meeting him in Garber’s previous series, I KNEW I would adore following Jacks again but this magical and whimsical story delivers on so much more than this - I ended up falling in love with Evangeline, the world of the Magnificent North and all of the other characters within it. We also got some Caraval Easter Eggs too! (Because of this, I’d recommend that if you are on the fence about reading the Caraval series then definitely read it first - there are spoilers. But, if you have no intentions of reading Caraval, then Once Upon A Broken Heart can definitely be read and appreciated in its own right without needing to read the trilogy)!

Garber has such a talent for story-telling, it can’t be easy to write such a magical book in a fluffy way without it becoming convoluted but she manages to hit the mark perfectly. Once Upon A Broken Heart feels reads like it’s own fairy tale, it’s incredibly easy to get swept up in the beautiful writing and luscious atmosphere and just completely forget that you’re literally reading a book and not right there experiencing everything. The world-building was exquisite, the grandeur of the Magnificent North and it’s palaces was captured perfectly, yet so was the eerie and mysterious dungeons housing the ominous Chaos. Every location our characters visit was obviously extremely well thought out, and it certainly paid off - the reading experience was just incredible.

And of course the characters themselves - I’ve already mentioned how much I adored Evangeline and Jacks but the side characters were also amazing (and thankfully I had my stunning Fairyloot edition of this book on hand where I could see them all brought to life in the gorgeous artwork)! All of their individual personalities were fleshed out really well and I felt as though I really got to know them even though the book was only 400 pages. I’m very excited to see the role they will all play in the sequel.

And talking of the sequel… ahhh I can’t wait! At the time of writing this review, the title has since been released (The Ballad of Never After) which has made me even MORE excited. Sadly, I’ve still got 9 months to wait but in the meantime I hope as many people as possible read this incredible book! I think you’ll know straight away whether Stephanie Garber’s style of writing is for you or not - if you already know that you get on with it, I can assure you that Once Upon A Broken Heart won’t let you down. This is definitely worthy of all the hype it has been getting since it’s release and on an unrelated note, I’m so happy to own such a beautiful special edition.

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

Book: The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

Read From: 6th December - 11th December 2021

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: For 10 years, 17 year old Kiva has worked as the healer in the notorious death prison Zalindov. Kept afloat by coded messages from her family, her only goal is to stay alive. When the infamous Rebel Queen arrives at the prison on death's door, Kiva receives a new message: Don't let her die. We are coming. However, the Queen is sentenced to the deadly Trial by Ordeal - a series of elemental challenges. The Queen is too unfit to compete yet with her life in Kiva's hands, Kiva volunteers to take her place. If she survives, both her and the Queen will be granted their freedom. But no one has ever made it out alive.

This book was a lot of fun, even if it did end up being different from what I expected. From the synopsis, I thought it would be a The Hunger Games meets Prison Break kind of vibe but the actual trials themselves took more of a back-seat than I anticipated. Because of this, I felt like our main character Kiva could have been done so much more justice - after finishing the book I read some reviews and really agreed with the ones saying the trials were less about problem solving and more about throwing her into a deadly situation, where it sort of turned her into a damsel in distress. Without saying too much, I don’t think this really fit in with the direction the story was taking.

I tend to find it harder to get into a book if I’m not connected to the characters or invested into the story, and whilst this book was such a fun time it almost pains me to say that I’ve read YA fantasy books with better protagonists, especially because I had such high hopes for this one! I definitely liked Kiva but she didn’t stand out for me - the stars of the show in my opinion were definitely Tripp and Naari because they showed the importance of friendship and kindness.

I’m aware that this review has sounded really negative but please don’t take my criticisms as me disliking the book in any way! It was such an addictive and thought-provoking read because whilst this is a fictional prison, the horrendous things endured by the characters aren’t actually that far detached from what goes on behind closed doors in reality. This book is darker than your typical YA fantasy which is perfect if you want to change things up a bit but be sure to check the trigger warnings before reading.

Each page is dripping with tension and it’s definitely the kind of book that can keep you up into the early hours of the morning. I’ve settled for a 3 star rating because whilst I had a lot of fun reading this (and will definitely be picking up the sequel!), it wasn’t the most ground-breaking YA fantasy I’ve ever read and I doubt it’s one I will revisit in the future.