REVIEW: Dance of Thieves by Mary Pearson

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dance of Thieves is a new novel set in the Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by new young queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

This novel is full of action, adventure, romance and betrayals. A must read for fans of Pearson's work as well as readers who enjoy Sarah J Maas and 'Furyborn' by Claire Legrand.

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REVIEW: Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller (Mask of Shadows #2)

Publisher's Summary:
As Opal, Sal finally has the power, prestige, and most importantly the ability to hunt the lords who killed their family. But Sal has to figure out who the culprits are before putting them down. Which means trying to ignore the fact that Elise is being kept a virtual prisoner, and that the queen may have ulterior motives.

And the tales coming out of north are baffling. Talk of dark spirits, missing children, and magic abound. As Sal heads north toward their ruined homeland and the lords who destroyed everything, they learn secrets and truths that can't be ignored.

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Finally reaching the goal of one of the Queen's assassins, Sal is free to pursue vengeance and retribution.  But at what cost? Can Sal withstand the price weighing on her soul?  This was a satisfying conclusion to the duology.

Sal is an intriguing character and Miller has done a nice job exploring a gender fluid protagonist as well as world building. 

There are a fair amount of twists, turns and surprise revelations. A recommended read for those who've enjoyed books by Robin LaFevers and Sarah J. Maas.

I received an ARC in exchange for a review from Netgalley and Sourcefire Books.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Don't Miss Book 1 of the series: Masks of Shadows!

Publisher's Summary:

Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class—and the nobles who destroyed their home.

When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand—the Queen’s personal assassins, named after the rings she wears—Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.

But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can have only if they survive.

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Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass  and His Fair Assassin, Mask of Shadows follows gender fluid thief, Sallot Leon on a quest to become Opal, one of the Queen's personal assassins.  Sal must complete feats of cunning and deceit to win the title and use its power toward enacting revenge.

I enjoyed the book and the series as a whole; however, I wish the audiobook had done the story justice.  

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Ash & Quill by Rachel Caine

Publisher's Summary:

Words can kill.

Hoarding all the knowledge of the world, the Great Library jealously guards its secrets. But now a group of rebels poses a dangerous threat to its tyranny…

Jess Brightwell and his band of exiles have fled London, only to find themselves imprisoned in Philadelphia, a city led by those who would rather burn books than submit. But Jess and his friends have a bargaining chip: the knowledge to build a machine that will break the Library’s rule.

Their time is running out. To survive, they’ll have to choose to live or die as one, to take the fight to their enemies—and to save the very soul of the Great Library.

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Ash and Quill is certainly a book about betrayals. Jess and his group of exiles have fled London and start out imprisoned in Philadelphia. Again, they work together to defy the odds in order to escape.  Finding respite with the Brightwell clan, Jess is in for a betrayal he didn't see coming and will ultimately have to betray those he loves and trusts the most for the greater good.  It is the only chance they'll have to finally be free of the Great Library's oppression.

Another highly imaginative and well written book full of action, suspense and romance. The plot certainly thickens for the fourth installment, Smoke & Iron, expected to be published July 3, 2018. Look at that cover! Oh so pretty! 

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco

*Thank you to Netgalley & Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Publisher's Summary:

In The Bone Witch, Tea mastered resurrection―now she's after revenge...

No one knows death like Tea. A bone witch who can resurrect the dead, she has the power to take life...and return it. And she is done with her self-imposed exile. Her heart is set on vengeance, and she now possesses all she needs to command the mighty daeva. With the help of these terrifying beasts, she can finally enact revenge against the royals who wronged her―and took the life of her one true love.

But there are those who plot against her, those who would use Tea's dark power for their own nefarious ends. Because you can't kill someone who can never die...

War is brewing among the kingdoms, and when dark magic is at play, no one is safe.

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I read The Bone Witch a little over a year ago.  This sequel builds upon the rich narrative, character development and world building Chupeco weaves to share Tea's tale.  Readers can expect a particularly dark and complex narrative. There is a lot going on from a storytelling perspective and at times it is a tad hard to follow for this reason.  The novel consists of before and after tellings--basically the tale of what leads Tea down a dark path and the journey into another kingdom for a variety of reasons (I won't spoil anything!) and then a jump forward to the after tale told by a Bard where we encounter a very different, and darker, quite frightening Tea.  

While some questions are answered and mysteries uncovered, there remain a number of questions and more opportunity for exploration in order to connect the dots with exactly all the events alluded to throughout the book.  The Heart Forger is lovely in its fantastical delve into Gothic mystery and magic. This is definitely a book for a teen who is an upper level reader or an adult who enjoys YA fiction that is on the cusp of transitioning to the general adult science fiction/fantasy section.

Readers who've enjoyed authors like Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J Maas, and Laini Taylor as well as Indian and Middle Eastern mythology inspired fiction like Roshani Chokshi's Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes or works by Renee Ahdieh or Emily R. King's Hundredth Queen series will enjoy these works by Chupeco. (All of which I've reviewed, so please feel free to search my blog for reviews)

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Ink, Iron and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare

*Thank you to Netgalley & MacMillan for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Expected publication: February 20, 2018

Publisher's Summary:
Can she write a world gone wrong?

A certain pen, a certain book, and a certain person can craft entirely new worlds through a branch of science called scriptology. Elsa comes from one such world that was written into creation by her mother—a noted scriptologist.

But when her home is attacked and her mother abducted, Elsa must cross into the real world and use her own scriptology gifts to find her. In an alternative 19th-century Italy, Elsa finds a secret society of pazzerellones—young people with a gift for mechanics, alchemy or scriptology—and meets Leo, a gorgeous mechanist with a smart mouth and a tragic past. She recruits the help of these fellow geniuses just as an assassin arrives on their doorstep.

Ink, Iron and Glass is a highly imaginative book in a new series. It is perfect for fans of steampunk but also those who enjoy the 'book jumper' thematic trend plus history, alternative world building and romance. Definite appeal to the right reader who likes these genres.

I was a little surprised by the ending but have a feeling there will be a lot happening for book 2. 

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars.