ARC Review: A Congress of Roses by Melissa J. Cave

Title: A Congress of Roses
Author: Melissa J. Cave
Series: Empire of the Stars #4
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: Owl and Bear, LLC
Publication Date: May 1, 2026
Edition: Ebook
Source: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

   Too many Knights of the Brede are the last of their blood. But being an orphan might be better than being the beloved daughter of the Divine Emperor.
   With blood still soaking the Tresingale docks, Remin and Ophele set sail for the capital, where a single night's scandal can echo to the Five Courts. The Emperor's cold war with his Empress has already torn the Empire apart once, and as the Crown Princess Selenne makes her debut, Ophele's arrival threatens the precarious balance of power.
   Amidst assassins, duels, and the dangerous machinations of the court, it becomes clear that the only thing more deadly than defying the Emperor is belonging to him. The capital has always found many uses for the Children of the Stars, and Ophele will have to learn to command this game, or be claimed as a pawn.
   Sidelined in society and despised as the son of traitors, Remin is forced to fight at her side with new weapons of intrigue and influence, where every move he makes risks everything they have built. Because this time, the greatest general in the Empire isn't trying to win a war.
   He's trying to stop one.

  

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Review: The Demon and the Light by Axie Oh

Title: The Demon and the Light
Author: Axie Oh
Series: The Demon and the Light #2
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/Romance
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: October 21, 2025
Edition: 390 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's |

 

 

Synopsis:

The battle is over, but the war is just beginning...
   With the help of her friends and allies, Ren managed to topple the General's insurrection, but the Floating World and its territories are still under threat of attack from the rival Volmaran Empire. And far worse, she was powerless to save Sunho from being overcome by the monstrous power in his blood. Now he's gone, transformed into a feral, deadly creature that doesn't even recognize her anymore, and her heart aches for the sweet boy she's grown to love.
   But the escalating war will not pause for her grief. Seen by some as a heavenly savior and others merely a figurehead to be manipulated, Ren must use all her courage and cunning to survive the royal court's game long enough to find Sunho and bring him home before he loses himself to the Demon forever. 

Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in The Demon and the Light, the hotly anticipated follow-up to Axie Oh's The Floating World.

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Review: Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Title: Carl's Doomsday Scenario
Author: Matt Dinniman
Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #2
Genre: Adventure/Adult Sci-fi/Dystopia
Publisher: Dandy House
Publication Date: January 6, 2021
Edition: 400 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Synopsis:

"The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin."
   The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can't get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.
   They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.
   Carl still has no pants.
They call it Dungeon Crawler World. For Carl and Donut, it's anything but a game.

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Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Title: Dungeon Crawler Carl
Author: Matt Dinniman
Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #1
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia/Adult
Publisher: Dandy House
Publication Date: October 2, 2020
Edition: 464 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | 

 

 

Synopsis:

The apocalypse will be televised!
   A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.
   In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground.
   The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe.
   Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style.
You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big.
   You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game—with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy.
They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.

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Bulk Review: Graphic Novles pt. 11

  

 

Another year, another bunch of manga. My library has been great about having manga I've wanted to read these past few years.