YA fantasy, royal/guard, enemies to…, betrayed, morally grey
5 Stars
One empire. An age-old hatred. Two girls risk everything—even their souls—for their people.
Revenge failed her…
After slaying the former empress, Lo vowed to never kill again. But when her path crosses with a mysterious thief, she begins to work as a vigilante—and to develop forbidden feelings—leaving her with an impossible choice.
Revenge fuels her…
Since her mother’s death, Jalie has been a hopeless prisoner in her own palace. Until a goddess grants her a brutal gift that could be the key to her freedom…if she can get past the soldier tasked with guarding her. As tension brews between them, he challenges everything she’s ever believed about her enemies.
There are two ways to get me to read a book. Say time-travel or say dragons. I dropped my entire TBR to read this dragon book, and I was not disappointed.
There is no “good” guy in Empire of Dragons, and I love it for that. The slow burn, forbidden royal/guard subplot was perfectly crafted, and the other–well, I had all the feels for the poor sod who just couldn’t undo past decisions. At least, that’s how I looked at it. While I didn’t necessarily like Lo, I appreciated her story, and her twitchy thief was the perfect compliment to her.
Excellent world-building, with just enough magic to make it fun. I appreciated the direct god-sourced power and the tease of a possible conflict between said gods that may or may not be influencing events (this is just my reading too far between lines I have no business peering at. We’ll see if I’m even close or over-examing).
The conflict is real. It’s complicated. Each character is both right and wrong in their view of events and the world. Each of them is stuck in the worldview of their own personal trauma. And isn’t that true of all of us? The only way I see this working out without everyone dying is for them to swallow their pride and look at everyone with the same compassion they expect for themselves. This is why I love fantasy. Looking at real issues–real, everyday events–just with dragons.
The next book in the series is one I’m genuinely looking forward to. Luckily, I only have a few more weeks to wait. Pick up Rachel Schade’s Cursed Empire series if you love fierce female characters with angsty-forbidden love undertones, dragons, and systemic conflict.
The towering monolith of Erulia’s Prophecy stood for millenia in the watery paradise of Canellia, its warning unheeded.
That time is long past.
In the wake of dying twin suns, this generation faces extinction under the onslaught of an Ice Age.
Then, in the depths of despair, a child is born, bearing a singular birthmark: the symbol of their foretold saviour, Jehul’s Eye.
In a bid to find New Canellia, the Chosen youth launch into space, following their Prophet, Quaylan.
But where is he leading them?
“Long ago, when the stars were young and everything was possible…” This second line of the book caught me, and while I’m not sure the author meant for me to take so much out of it, I did. It encompasses both the heart-swelling hope and nostalgia we often think when looking back, but infuses the sentiment with the reality of how ridiculous that can be.
“…when everything was possible…” It’s kind of a silly idea, yes? Was the universe different, fundamentally, when it was young that made things possible then that aren’t now? An entire philosophical discourse is reflected in that half sentence. At least for me.
I feel the main characters are tasked this way. An impossible task blended perfectly with blind faith and pure grit. It is a wonderful grand scheme that is as fun to read as it is real and clever.
I was especially taken with the world and people of Canellia. The perfect use and creation of, what I imagined as, an elvish origin tied into a sci-fi world that was simply fantastic. The insane travels, the hardship of the first phase of their mission that is as exciting as it is heartwrenching. All followed by the reality of frustration that blending into a new world and culture would bring, multiplied by the questions of if their god and prophet can really come through.
Science Fiction fans who want a touch of something new, read this. People who love stories that revolve around social issues, read this. Love watching the convoluted way prophecy unfolds? Read it for that too.
Also, this book is why you should have more faith in indie authors 🙂
The release of the movie Dune is a big deal for me (yeah, yeah- it doesn’t take much). My absolute most favorite story of all time, my absolute favorite character of all time, brought to the big screen with integrity paid to the themes of the book, is an exciting treat. But the only way I could see it was with my sister, who shares my love for the story. Since she lives in Syracuse and my current semi-permanent home is Somers, CT, some travel plans were needed. Not a problem. I enjoy the travel and it turned the weekend into something closer to a real adventure.
BY TRAIN
I have never been on a train and was excited to make this my first time. It’s a much slower form of travel than I expected. Apparently, I watch too many sci-fi movies where trains travel above cities at 200 mph. In this reality, with stops, a 3.5-hour drive is 6 hours by train. But that’s okay. I found the steady, elevated travel inspiring.
I wrote this as the train made its way from Springfield, Mass into the countryside:
“A train is a romantic way to travel. I’m thinking of Laura Ingels, her sister Mary traveling by train to and from her school for the blind. How different the countryside of the Midwest from the North-East? How different now from then?
Fall is setting in. The leaves just turning. Mostly green to contrast the changing colors. The sky bright and clear and blue. The fall typically means rain but not today. Today the universe wants me inspired. Today, I ride a train.
It’s the little things that can so largely influence perspective. Sitting up, higher than the freeway, higher than most roads, one can look down and out and across and away over the land. The golden stalks of harvested corn are like amber waves. The closeness of the trees, of the dirt and grass, makes the path much tighter than the many lanes paved for cars. At first disappointed we wouldn’t be traveling at 100 mph, I’m now glad. There is a peacefulness to this pace, to watching the land slip past.”
INCLUDING FRIENDS
Opening day is Friday, October 22 (we’re ignoring the blasphemy that HBOMax allowed an early release time). Friends that are going to see the movie with us can’t go until Saturday. Not okay.
So, we’ll go twice. Friday night and Saturday night.
Opening night, it’s a mostly packed house. The crowd is varied, which is fun to see. Couples my parent’s age sit near groups in their twenties. I wonder if it’s Dune they are here to see or just an epic-looking science fiction movie. It starts. The first chord of music tingle through the darkened room. Hans Zimmer is a master. Tears are in my eyes as the first scenes reflect from the big screen. The music is perfect. The sights are perfect. Already, I’m glad to see it again tomorrow and the first line of the movie has barely sounded. I know there will be too much to absorb from a single sitting.
SATURDAY
I’ve called home to talk about the greatness. There are a few flaws I can speak of, but petty overthinking and more for the point of conversation than that they tainted the film in any way. But I can’t talk about these specifics because I can’t give anything away to those who haven’t seen it yet. A third viewing is planned.
Watching it a second time is better than the first. All the details you can watch for when you already know the overview.
BACK ON THE TRAIN
Headed East and North, the train is delayed and I’m worried there won’t be time to see the movie again this evening. There is always tomorrow, but I’m hoping not to wait. Sure, I’ve seen it twice but I want more!
WHY DUNE
Paul Atreides is arguably one of the best characters in fiction, especially if you’re arguing with me. “A great man doesn’t seek to lead. He is called to it,” his father says to him before they leave their home planet. At that moment, in all of Paul’s fifteen years of wisdom, he feels he will never have the need. He has a moment of peace when the future he’s already glimpsed isn’t real. When the need does arise, when Paul is called, he is both compelled to sabotage the moment as well as take up the mantel. The horrible acts he sees in his future, a future, if he accepts, will subjugate atrocities on all of humanity, is weighed against what that future would be without it. So great is his burden, he considers allowing his own death to eliminate his responsibility for the future. It is Paul’s prescience, a genetic inheritance come a generation early, enhanced by the psychedelic properties of the spice harvested on Dune, that allow him this sight. Even before he steps foot on Dune, glimpses of possible futures plague him. Once the spice enters his system, just the small amounts caught on the wind of the planet, he sees more and more; sees multiple paths that he might play god and decide the fate of all.
I’ll leave it to that. If you haven’t seen the movie, or haven’t read the books so don’t know what’s coming, I won’t spoil it. There is so much to explain, I won’t do it justice anyway. It’s really hard to talk about things in a blog post…
Tell me what you thought of the movie. Do you know the Atreides story, or is the movie your introduction into herbert’s universe?
Happy Reading (and watching) 🙂 CMM
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A Maiden… Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers. A Duty… The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden. A Kingdom… Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.
This book has a solid 4.5-star rating with over 24K reviews on Amazon and I was so, so excited to finally pick it up. I’ve seen so many great things about it, ‘best love story’ even, that I was sure I’d found a new favorite book…
From page one, I was let down.
I just couldn’t. I put it down on page four.
A few days later I started it again. This time, I forced myself to continue reading. So many voices in my head were telling me it was supposed to be one of the greatest reads of my life. I think I got about 20%. Maybe not quite. Every page was a struggle.
First of all, the writing style… it was so clunky. I could never fall into a flow, constantly kicked out to slow down my reading to interpret sentence structure. I wanted to send it back so it could go through another round of edits.
Sure, the world seemed cool. The problems seemed problematic. The MC was in a place to dive in and leave her mark and get some things set right, damn the man! But I just couldn’t stick with it long enough to see if that happened. The main character—I don’t even remember her name—just no. I have not liked MCs before and it isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for the book. I think a lot of MCs we’re not even supposed to like. This one though, I think we are supposed to like. We are supposed to feel sorry for her and be so curious about her traumatic past. But it all seemed so forced. Something about her seemed—inconsistent? I hated the opening scene. I hated the forced nature of it, like it was saying ‘look, I’m not afraid to be sleazy. I know you like that.’ And I can like sleazy. Erotica is one of my most-read genres (don’t tell my mom). But I hate things being force-fed and that’s how I felt this was. Maybe it would have made more sense if I’d stuck around to find out what happened, but I have too many books on my TBR…
A part of me wants to go back and see if maybe I was just in a mood of some kind. But the rest of me will just put this one in that column of ‘didn’t do it for me.’
What books did others love that you just couldn’t stand?
Lily O’Connell, a succubus, owns Lily Bound, an elite sex salon in the Blood Night District of Seattle. When a client is murdered in her house, a patch of skin missing from his chest, she knows there’s something evil afoot. Then comes the news that the Souljacker—a tattoo-artist-turned-vampire—has escaped from an institution for criminally deranged Supernaturals. And he’s hunting and killing everyone he has ever inked.
With one of the Souljacker’s tattoos on her thigh and nowhere else to turn, Lily hires Archer Desmond, a chaos demon and PI, to help her track down the vampire before he finds her and her friends. But Lily didn’t plan to fall for Archer. And as the old tales say—a succubus who falls in love will destroy the heart of the one she seeks to claim.
The main character of this series is a Succubus, with a Chaos Demon lover. How can that not be good?
This is exactly what I thought when I decided to start on Lily’s journey. If I hadn’t been listening to it at work, where I’m suited up and unable to easily stop the player and change it to something else, I probably wouldn’t have even finished it.
Trite. That sums it all up. It was the word that kept exploding in my head as I mentally groaned at the pure uninspired telling of what should have been a fantastic UF tale. Yasmine Gaelnorn uses all the right keywords but just can’t pull it off. There are Bisexual tones, with erotic sex scenes, witches, vampires, and Fae, and did I mention Succubus and Chaos Demon? I can’t say it enough: how can this not be good?
This centuries-old creature apparently has zero life experience to draw from when the shit hits the fan. The only time in centuries of living, of hiding, among humans, does anything happen is for the purposes of this book. Ugh. It was just all too cliche. And I love cliche. I don’t even think it was cliche, now that I say that. It was just so non-imaginative. Is there a word for that? Uninventive? Trite.
And how is a Chaos Demon not hot, and fun, and just everything great about urban fantasy? Well, he’s not. And the sex scenes weren’t even great. The book’s main character is a succubus. “Need sex now?” “Yes, please.” “Okay, excuse us for a few minutes.” Trite.
Author C.M. Martens 