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Saturday, March 16, 2024

Review: Cage of Dreams by Rebecca Schaeffer

Title:
Cage of Dreams
Author: Rebecca Schaeffer
Series: City of Nightmares #2
Genre: Horror/Paranormal/Dystopia
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Edition: 352 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | Thriftbooks
 
 
 
 
 
Synopsis:
   Nineteen-year-old Ness used to have a vehement terror of Nightmares—people who’d been turned into their worst fears while they slept. Through two assassination attempts, an explosion, and a faustian bargain with a dream demon, she’s finally working through those fears.
   Unfortunately, Nightmares aren’t the only dangerous thing in Newham. Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears—including her fear of mortality. It’s easy to die in Newham, but it’s hard to live.
   So when the Nightmare Phantom—the monster that turns people into Nightmares—shows up, asking her another favor, she agrees, but only if he turns her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bullet proof and strong and able to live without fear.
   But when Ness’s attempt to fulfill the bargain goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. Now, Ness is in the crosshairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can’t run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she’s going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself.
In this thrilling sequel and conclusion to the City of Nightmares duology, Ness is forced to make a twisted deal with the Nightmare Phantom—only to find herself embroiled in the explosive fallout of the agreement when a botched assassination attempt unleashes chaos into the City of Newham. 
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Sunday, March 3, 2024

Bulk Review: Manga

 

I was wanting to wait to make this post, but I keep reading manga. It has a pretty fast turnover rate compared to novels at my library. There are other books I've been reading, I just keep forgetting to write reviews. I've also been working more on other writing this year than writing reviews.
 

Saturday, February 17, 2024

ARC Review: Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

Title: Fathomfolk
Author: Eliza Chan
Series: Drowned World #1
Genre: Adult Fantasy/Mythology
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: February 27, 2024
Edition: 439 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | Thriftbooks
 
 
 
Synopsis:
   Revolution is brewing in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, between humans and the fathomfolk who live in its waters. This gloriously imaginative debut fantasy, inspired by East Asian mythology and ocean folk tales, is a novel of magic, rebellion and change.
   Welcome to Tiankawi - shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that's how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk - sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas - who live in the polluted waters below.
   For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn't hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon and fathomfolk princess - is exiled to the city, under Mira’s watch. When extremists sabotage a city festival, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown. 

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Thursday, January 18, 2024

Review: City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer

Title:
City of Nightmares
Author: Rebecca Schaeffer
Series: City of Nightmares #1
Genre: YA/Horror/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: January 10, 2023
Edition: 352 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | Thriftbooks
 
 



Synopsis:
 Ever since her sister became a man-eating spider and slaughtered her way through town, nineteen-year-old Ness has been terrified—terrified of some other Nightmare murdering her, and terrified of ending up like her sister. Because in Newham, the city that never sleeps, dreaming means waking up as your worst fear.
 Whether that means becoming a Nightmare that’s monstrous only in appearance, to transforming into a twisted, unrecognizable creature that terrorizes the city, no one is safe. Ness will do anything to avoid becoming another victim, even if that means lying low among the Friends of the Restful Soul, a questionable organization that may or may not be a cult.
 But being a member of maybe-cult has a price. In order to prove herself, Ness cons her way into what’s supposed to be a simple job for the organization—only for it to blow up in her face. Literally. Tangled up in the aftermath of an explosive assassination, now Ness and the only other survivor—a Nightmare boy who Ness suspects is planning to eat her—must find their way back to Newham and uncover the sinister truth behind the attack, even as the horrors of her past loom ominously near.

Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer in this thrilling young adult fantasy about a cowardly girl who finds herself at the center of a criminal syndicate conspiracy, in a city where crooked politicians and sinister cults reig
n and dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare.
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Friday, January 5, 2024

ARC Review: A Touch Wicked by Katrina Kendrick

Title: A Touch Wicked
Author: Katrina Kendrick
Series: Private Arrangements #0.5
Genre: Historical Romance/Mystery
Publisher: Aria
Publication Date: June 1, 2023 (republish)
Edition: Kindle Edition
Source: NetGalley
Purchase/Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | Thriftbooks





Synopsis:
The Masquerade has only two rules: Depart by morning and never reveal your identity.
    HE IS LONDON’S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR
James, the Earl of Kent, is at the top of every debutante’s list for marriage. He’s handsome, wealthy, and on the lookout for a bride. But when he meets a mysterious beauty at London’s most illicit club, fascination becomes intrigue—and she harbours deadly secrets.
     SHE IS A PENNILESS NOBODY
In a desperate bid to save her criminal sister, Emma Dumont infiltrates the earl’s household under false pretences. When a clue leads her to a scandalous masque, she finds herself in the arms of her handsome employer—and torn between duty and lethal attraction.
As her sister's crimes threaten to expose Emma’s deception, she becomes entangled in a brutal conspiracy. And with the truth comes danger...
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