Quick Review: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

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Oh boy this was a lot. Like all of Sarah J. Maas books, there are a lot characters, a lot of POV’s and a lot of twists and turns. At the end of the last book. Bryce and Hunt have saved the city, killing 2 Archangels and started a relationship. Now, they just want to things go back to normal but of course they can’t. Bryce went through the drop and started to embrace her fae powers and all the complications with that. Hunt is no longer a slave but he still works for the Asteri. Both of their relationships with the Asteri is tenuous. They promised that they wouldn’t tell anyone what happened and in exchange they won’t be punished for what they did but it wouldn’t take much for the Asteri to go back on their word. Lay low. It should be easy. That is until a discovery a rebel that has a rare power that everyone wants because of what it can be weaponize. She also have information that could take down the Asteri. She risked her life to save her brother who is now missing and everyone is searching for him. You find the brother, you find her, if she is still alive that is. Of course, Bryce, Hunt and crew get messed up with this. Do they help the rebel cause and risk the freedom that they have earned?

This book was pretty fast paced and the characters are interesting and fun. I like the fantasy elements mixed in with the more contemporary urban setting. Bryce and Hunt are dealing with so many of the same every day complications that you are me deal with but with a super natural elements. I really feel for both of them. Bryce wants to move on but she just can’t. Everything always comes back to her friend, Dannika. She may have died at the beginning of the book but she is still involved in everything that is going on and it makes Bryce wonder if she really ever knew her best friend at all. Hunt has finally found some sort of peace with Bryce and is terrified of losing it and her. They honestly don’t want to be involved and just live their lives but they also can’t just turn a blind eye to the suffering around them. Especially since they both have power and influence to do something about it. As I said at the beginning, there are so many characters and twists and turns it is sometimes hard to keep track of who is who and what is going on. Especially since there are new characters added and characters that were just barely mentioned in the last book that all of sudden become front of center. This is what you signed up for when you read a Sarah J Maas book. Her books are full of characters and mysteries. Some work and some don’t but they are always entertaining.

What I’m Reading Now: Sort of Super by Eric Gapstur

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I’m so excited for this book. Eric is a friend of both Kate and I. We all worked together at B&N back in the day and we are so proud of him. Sort of Super follows Wyatt, a middle school kid who has super powers but he doesn’t always know what to do with them. He’s sister is super smart and the two of them together is trouble. lol

What I’m Reading Now: A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer Armentrout

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Back to the World of From Blood and Ash. This is the 1st book in the prequel series Poppy’s grandparents. The Primal of Death and his consort. So far, it’s kinda of a retread of the first book but I’ll give it a chance.

Review: The first 3 books of the From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer Aremtrout

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I believe I said when I started reading this book that this was right in my wheelhouse. I do love this type of fantasy. Very Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. With multiple characters and rival arcs and magical powers. I rushed through the first three books only to have to wait another month for the fourth to come out. Poppy is the Maiden. She’s not allowed to talk or talk to anyone. She must always wear a veil when she is in public. Her every move is watched but what is the Maiden? It’s kind of a religious role. She is told how important she is and how she must keep up appearances and not to upset the Gods but no one tells her what really her role is after she ascends or what happen to the only other Maiden. Poppy wants to live and is unsure if she really wants to be the Maiden. Enters Hawke. The handsome and dashing Palace guard. When tragedy strikes and he is assigned to be one of her personal guards, Poppy world starts to change. For the first time, someone starts to ask her questions she’s been asking herself. She starts to believe that there is more to her life then what she has been forced to believe but Hawke is not who he says to be. Of course they fall in love but things are not as smooth. They are from different worlds and want different things. They start to work together because they both can give the what each other wants. I do admit, I like Hawke but there are a few red flags that start to show. He can be very possessive and controlling. He saves her from her prisoner only to try to force her into marriage. However, as the books move on he starts to give up a little control. Poppy because more powerful and into her own and he realizes, she’s going to do what she wants, he either can support her or fight her all the time. He chooses to mostly support her. Their relationship may not have started out in the best way but it has become one of the healthier relationship with the both learning to listen to each other to give each other want they want without pushing each other. I do admit, I thought this was a YA book since the last book I read by Jennifer Armentrout was but it does have some of the most explicit sex scenes I have ever read. The details in them at times was kind of blushing, which can be a little embarrassing when reading on the subway to work. So yeah, I like this series. I look forward to see where it goes from here now that the stakes have been raised and war is about to begin.

Review: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

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I finished a book and now I’m going to tell you about it! I picked this up at a White Elephant book exchange at a book club, so I knew it was going to be good. Those folks wouldn’t steer me wrong.

This is the tale of Nina Hill, a bookseller at a cute little store in a cute little neighborhood in LA. Nina is living the single life, waking to work, running book clubs, reading tons, making vision boards and obsessively planning, and absolutely crushing it at competitive trivia. She never knew her father, she has no siblings, and her mother is a professional photographer who is always jetting off somewhere. Nina has a bit of the ol’ anxiety, but she’s got it mostly managed. She likes her quiet little life, so of course it’s going to be turned on its head. First, her trivia team can’t help but get her thinking about a rival trivia team captain. Is there a spark there? Absolutely, the rival trivia team thinks so, too. Next, that father she never knew? Well, he reappears in her life in a pretty startling way, bringing with him a raft of kids and grandkids. Can Nina roll with the punches and handle all this change? Or are things going to go catastrophically wrong and implode? It’s a romance novel so maybe a bit of both?

I found the characters to be very likable. Nina was a great protagonist. I found a lot to connect with as I read the book (as anyone who follows me on twitter knows). The narrative was light and quiet. This was a great way to get back into reading for fun. I have my next book narrowed down to four choices, so hopefully my indecision won’t get the best of me and I’ll be up and running on Book 2 of 2022 soon!