Hey, guys!
This past week, I finished some really fantastic fantasy novels...all of them are the beginnings of a trilogy or quartet. They've all been on my TBR for a year + and I just didn't think through what I would do if I loved them.
What are your bookish regrets?
I regret waiting to read these books (but I'm also really happy that I read them at the time that I did).
I also regret starting these books right before my senior year of college started.
I'm sure you've noticed that I've sucked at posting frequently. Yes, I'm a failure...BUT!!! It's fine because I've done my best (or have I?).
I've managed to start some really fantastic series, so here are my first impressions!
NEVERNIGHT BY JAY KRISTOFF (NEVERNIGHT TRILOGY #1)
Page Count: 448
Published On: July 5, 2016
Published By: HarperVoyager
Genre(s): Fantasy, Adult
My Rating: 4.9 stars
Goodreads synopsis:
Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.
Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.
But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars, and demons at the heart of a murder cult.
The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.
The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.
Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.
But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars, and demons at the heart of a murder cult.
The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.
The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.
~~~
trigger warnings for violence, murder, gore, slavery, child abuse, and intense subjects
This was a slow start, but once I got into this book I was HOOKED!
Nevernight follows sixteen-year-old Mia Corvere. Mia is on a mission to join the Red Church -- a religious, assassin cult/religion that worships the goddess of death and murder -- to learn their murderous ways to get revenge on the people that killed her family. Throughout the story, Mia also learns more and more about her power over the shadows.
This book and the series seems to be fairly polarizing. You either love it or you hate it. I, for one, really loved it. The main character, Mia, is so morally grey and fascinating.
Jay Kristoff is quickly becoming a new favorite author. Not only is he a really rad personality on his social media profiles, but he also has a fantastic writing style that I couldn't get enough of. The book has such a beautiful, dark, creepy vibe that I honestly needed in my life. This book was honestly so different from the fantasy novels that I've read before. The fact that the characters were so different and diverse, they're so sex-positive, and
Mia's character is so wonderful and I loved to yell at her as I read. I loved how vocal she is about the things she struggles with, I love her journey to becoming a badass assassin, and her journey to get revenge on her enemies. She's just a really cool character and I cannot wait to see what she does in Godsgrave and Darkdawn. It will be a privilege to see her die (Not a spoiler. It's on the first page of NN).
~~~
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic #1)
Page Count: 400
Published On: February 24, 2015
Published By: Tor Books
Genre(s): Fantasy, Adult
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads synopsis:
Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.
~~~
trigger warning for self-harm (The Antari magic system is based around blood magic. The person will cut themselves to make portals and call upon their magic.)
By the recommendation of so many book bloggers, bookstagrammers, book lovers, and readers --- I finally picked up this book. I originally picked this up some time last summer, but I really wasn't in the mood for it. To be honest, I think I've just been in a looong contemporary/romance mood for the past year.
When I first read this book, I read the first 25% and I really liked it... I just wasn't in the mood. Picking this back up and starting over, I adored this book. It's a bit slower compared to the contemporary/romance books that I've been picking up (obviously), but that wasn't an issue. It was such a pleasure to dive into this world and get to know the characters and learn more and more about the magic that connects the four Londons.
Kell was such a fun character, but Lila, Holland, and Rhy were such wonderful characters too. I cannot wait to learn more about them in A Gathering of Shadows & A Conjuring of Light.
While reading this book, you will be constantly infuriated and yelling at the characters. I loved every moment of this reading experience.
I definitely will be continuing this series and I absolutely recommend it.
~~
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Boys #1)
Page Count: 409
Published On: September 18, 2012
Published By: Scholastic Press
Genre(s): Fantasy, Adult
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads synopsis:
“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them —not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them —not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore
~~~
trigger/content warning for physical abuse, PTSD, depression
Picking this up was a really random decision. I saw that Lala from BooksAndLala on YouTube was hosting a month-long readathon for the whole series, the books quickly became another batch of books on my radar. Granted, they've been on my radar for a hot minute, but not on my immediate TBR. I decided to listen to The Raven Boys via audio since I didn't like the book when I first read it. (I didn't read all of it... I DNF'd it.) However, I tried to read TRB right after I finished A Court of Mist & Fury (aka my #1 book of all time). It just wasn't the right time and it wasn't giving the book a fair shot.
I'm really glad that I gave this book a second chance. It's been a hot minute since I enjoyed a paranormal fantasy book, and this really took the cake. I don't think I've read a book this beautifully atmospheric, mysterious, and sarcastic. It's so dark, so engaging, and so addicting.
Back in the day (middle school/early high school), I read Stiefvater's Shiver series -- werewolves? Yes, please! --hand really enjoyed them. I've never really read any of her other work, but now I'm really eager to. Her writing is so clever, so nicely layered, and her characters are morally grey, snarky, and fun.
I think that my favorite parts of this book are the witchy, spooky vibes, the amazing cast of characters, the layered magical system, and the snark.
I cannot wait to read more.
~~~
Overall, I'm not sorry that I read these books. They're fantastic, addicting, atmospheric, and I couldn't put them down. I cannot wait to continue the series and consume more from these authors. New favorites? Probably! Stay tuned for my "19 Favorite Books from 2019" blog post coming in December!
What are some of your favorite atmospheric fantasy reads? Let's chat in the comments!
Happy reading!
Olivia
~ Liv the Book Nerd ~
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