"You're not blunt. You're straightforward. There's a difference...it's a good thing."
Fog Crest was such a cozy, mysterious, and fun book to read in s"You're not blunt. You're straightforward. There's a difference...it's a good thing."
Fog Crest was such a cozy, mysterious, and fun book to read in stormy weather! It has the perfect mix of creepy and tense while also being mysterious and hopeful. It's the type of story that makes you want to binge it in one sitting.
While there is a bit of a romance sideplot, I think what I loved the most about Fog Crest is the focus on female friendships. Nat, Josie, and Marie have complicated pasts and they make poor decisions, like everyone does, and they have to communicate and work through those experiences. Our society loves to pit women against each other and encourage fighting or "writing off" women who make mistakes, rather than talking through the reasons why and extending forgiveness. Fog Crest displays such a beautiful example of character growth and female friendships. I genuinely loved every character!
Abigail Hammond is quickly becoming one of my auto-buy authors. I highly recommend her books if you're looking for stories that are filled with cozy spooks and hope-filled characters.
Content: Some mild gore and spooks. No cursing. Very mild on-page romance (only a kiss), but there is mention of toxic past relationships that may be triggering for some readers (gaslighting, blackmailing, etc). Also mention of drugs and gang membership.
I received this book from the author. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary. ...more
"When you look for evil, that's all you end up seeing."
I devoured this book!
Angel From The Rust marked all the boxes for me: dragons, trolls, and gobl"When you look for evil, that's all you end up seeing."
I devoured this book!
Angel From The Rust marked all the boxes for me: dragons, trolls, and goblins? Check. AI robots? Check. Father-daughter dynamic? Check. Mysterious helmeted bounty hunter? CHECK. VIOLINS? CHECK! And yes, I could keep going with the hype-building; there were so many things that made this book a blast to read!
This book is a brilliant imagination of what would happen if tech geniuses from the future invaded the primitive civilizations of the past. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, humanity is rebuilding from the ashes of nuclear weapons with new parameters in place that label all tech as "demonic". So what happens when these civilizations see someone wield electricity or fly a spacecraft? You guessed it, they'd call them a "god". Luckily for humanity, someone from the past saw this coming and had a plan. Corvala and her violin, "Sir William", are part of that plan.
"'I can make my own choices.' 'You better make them wise.'"
Angel From the Rust was such a refreshing book to read. It's full of action, twisting and turning around corners you'd never expect, all the while keeping the light of hope shining in the darkness present. The book is lined with faith-based characters, but Corvala herself struggles with the concept of a deity, especially once this false god appears. Her journey, though not hers alone, is more than just saving people, it's coming to terms with her faith and what it means to trust blindly. I'm typically not a fan of blatantly placing God or Christianity into fantasy/science fiction, just because it often feels out of place and a lot like preaching, but this felt so natural to the story and that it truly BELONGED in the story that I loved it!
This book is a little difficult to compare to others, all I could think of were movies, so I would say that aspects of it reminded me of WALL-E, Iron Man, and even Big Hero 6 (if you're a fan of Baymaxx, all I'm saying is you'll love Serapha). The closest comparison that I can think of, however, is actually my favorite video game: Horizon - Zero Dawn. So, if you enjoy wholesome, exciting science fiction that will have you biting your nails, Angel From the Rust should be on your TBR!
I received this book for free from the author. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is entirely voluntary....more
"In the shelter of the evergreen forests, strangers had become soulmates."
The Wayward beautifully captures the emotions expected~4.5 stars rounded up~
"In the shelter of the evergreen forests, strangers had become soulmates."
The Wayward beautifully captures the emotions expected of a dystopian novel; faith amid hopelessness, treasuring the small joys amid oppression, and pushing through grief until you see triumph.
I enjoyed the characters, especially Wilder and Declan, and thought their marriage was encouraging to see in fiction. I feel like many times, book romances end in marriage and as readers, we rarely get to see the relationship struggles beyond the vows, so I appreciated that the majority of this book centered on a married couple rather than the dating phases.
"Perhaps the sadness helps us remain grateful for the joy."
That being said, without including spoilers, I would like to point out to potential readers that this book is not intended for the Young Adult (YA) audience. Is it appropriate? Absolutely. But the characters face very real-world (marriage) scenarios that many teens and young adults may find boring or unrelatable, because the romance isn't the thrill of the chase (as is common in most YA dystopian novels), but rather an established, healthy marriage. Would I be comfortable handing it to a YA reader? Yes; and I would even encourage YA readers to pick it up because of the display of healthy relationships and I believe that YA readers need to see more of that example in fiction, but I want to reiterate that the characters face some very mature topics that can make it difficult to read at times. Especially if you've gone through it. It took me a long time to get through this book because of the tragedy and sorrow that is so heavily laced into the story, that I just had to take a lot of breaks.
The plot is gripping and overall, I believe that it's exactly the story that the author wanted to tell and that the comforting messages during loss are accomplished exactly as the author intended. It's a beautiful book and I recommend it to readers who are seeking fiction with depth and faith amid heavy trials.
"Silence is underrated at times, but it can be good for the soul. Sometimes we just need another person to be in the room with us and it's enough."
I received this book from the author. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary....more
While I loved the premise of The Soul Mark and found the characters to have reasonable depth and motivation for their actions, I~3.5 stars rounded up~
While I loved the premise of The Soul Mark and found the characters to have reasonable depth and motivation for their actions, I struggled to get through this. It's a very heavy read, in terms of religious responsibility and felt more like a historical, Puritan era story rather than the fantasy I was expecting.
Overall, if you enjoy overtly Christian/religious themed fantasy with a heavy emphasis on navigating the rights and wrongs of religious law, you should give this book a chance. It didn't quite tick all of my fantasy boxes, though.
I received this book from the author. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary....more
My local bookstore has a shelf of Local Authors at the very front of the store and this one practically jumped into my hands from that shelf. The coveMy local bookstore has a shelf of Local Authors at the very front of the store and this one practically jumped into my hands from that shelf. The cover called to me and after a quick glance at the blurb, I took it home and dug in.
The Enemy of Magic is very much a deep fantasy focused on profound messages and thought-provoking conversations. There are a lot of stories told by characters and the plot moves very slowly forward. It's a book that values meaning, hope, light in the darkness, and overcoming challenges.
Because I am more familiar with faster-paced fantasy, this book was difficult for me to stick with. There is excitement and adventure without a doubt, but most of this book is building up the backstory, revealing the world, and conveying messages of hope. It's just a much different pace than I am accustomed to, but I did enjoy the story and the characters. I am looking forward to continuing the story in book two!
Content disclaimers: Very mild cursing. The action and gore can be intense at times. There is very little to no sexual content, though there is romance present. ...more
