Category: Fantasy
Sworn to Secrecy by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun.)
In the heart of the Imperial Courts, Ciardis Weathervane knows that death is coming for the empire. With her friends by her side and the new triad of Weathervanes, she’s in a race against time to convince the courts of the same.
She must do her best to unite kith, mages, nobles and merchants under one cause – the fight to prevent a war. Soon she is forced to keep a secret that could exonerate her mother of the Empress’s death, and is always one move away from stepping into diplomatic chaos.
Throw in a daemoni prince who is showing interest in the youngest Weathervane, a jealous prince heir, and a irritated dragon with her own designs on Ciardis, and you have an imperial court in turmoil.
This fourth novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Conflict.
[Full disclosure: I was given a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
You could argue that Sworn to Secrecy is just a big set up for the final book Sworn to Defiance but then you’d be wrong. There’s important stuff going on in this one and this fourth book is my favourite in the Courtlight series so far.
Let’s talk about the characters first. Ciardis has really grown up from the overwhelmed country girl in a city, although she does occasionally get overwhelmed. Her mother Lillian is absolutely fascinating and I love how she slowly reveals her backstory and the true events of the night the empress was killed.
I also like that Terah Edun didn’t make Ciardis and Lillian immediately fall into a happy-go-lucky mother-daughter relationship. There’s still some lingering resentments on Ciardis’ side because of her mother’s abandonment and Lillian is still kind of awkward around her children, as if she’s unsure how to be a mother after so many years. My favourite character other than Ciardis in this one was Thanar, the daemoni prince. He’s the snarky type of actual bad boy that I like rather than your stereotypical bad boys with pretty much nothing to angst about.
The plot was incredibly fast-paced but not at the price of world-building and character development. We learn so much about Ciardis’ world in this one and old plots are being slowly revealed. There’s conspiracies going on here and they reach all the way up to the highest authority in the land: the emperor. I was genuinely surprised at the plot twist about him but in hindsight it does make a lot of sense.
Another plot development I liked was, again surprisingly, the love triangle between Sebastien, Ciardis and Thanar. It felt organic and I love how Ciardis is genuinely confused about whether she really has feelings for Sebastien, who constantly seems to be pushing her away. I won’t give much more away but let’s just say it’s an interesting dynamic and it’s not your typical love triangle.
Basically, Sworn to Secrecy was a pretty awesome penultimate book to a series that keeps improving with each book. It’s going to be hard for Terah Edun to wrap things up in the final book but with the way her writing keeps improving I have faith in her.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen
(Cover picture courtesy of Strange Chemistry Books.)
For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.
Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.
But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.
As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
If you’re a regular reader of my reviews here you’re probably wondering why I picked up a book like Stolen Songbird not so long after picking up Captivate by Vanessa Garden, a book with a very similar premise. Well, the truth is that I’m kind of a sucker for these types of stories and saw that Danielle L. Jensen’s book had a lot of potential to be good. If it was done right, that is. The question is: was it done right?
Of course! I got so much more than I bargained for when I took a chance on Stolen Songbird. First off, the main character Cécile is an opera singer, so I’m automatically predisposed to like her as I love opera. But what makes her stand out so much from other protagonists is that even though she’s the ‘Chosen One’ figure in Trollus, she doesn’t succeed in meeting their expectations. She’s imperfect
Unlike a lot of protagonists in her situation, she makes an honest attempt at an escape; she doesn’t fall for Tristan right away. She feels conflicted when she does start growing feelings for him and her choice at the end is shocking and more than a little satisfying. As for Tristan himself I love how he developed as he let his guard down around Cécile. We got to see things from his point of view and it was interesting seeing how they each perceived the other as well as the events and politics going on in Trollus at the time.
She may not be the saviour they’re waiting for. It might not even be a good thing if Trollus was freed from the witches’ curse! It’s all so wonderfully ambiguous; absolutely nothing is clear-cut in this book and that’s one of the main reasons I love it. Danielle L. Jensen doesn’t deal in the black and white, good and evil that is the hallmark of your typical YA fantasy novel. No, there’s good trolls, bad trolls and trolls in-between, just like how she portrays the humans in the novel.
One of the many amazing things about this book is the world-building, which is only enhanced by the beautiful writing style. We slowly learn the backstory of Trollus and how it came to be under a mountain and why the trolls can’t leave. Just when you think you know the whole story, you learn something new about the origins of the city and its inhabitants. There are two sides to the history of trolls and Cécile must decide which one is right or if the truth is somewhere in between the two extremes. The world of Trollus would be fascinating even with mediocre writing, but it is the vivid imagery Danielle L. Jensen uses that puts Stolen Songbird into the ‘great book’ category. Her descriptions of the tunnels, the sluags, the city itself, the palace gardens, the countryside, etc. all make Cécile’s world come alive. The little details are important and I always had a good picture of what the setting looked like in my head, unlike in a lot of other books that sacrifice description for pacing.
In short, Stolen Songbird is a must-read. It doesn’t come out until April 1, but you had better pre-order a copy right now if you find this book even remotely interesting. Just like me you’ll also want the rest of The Malediction Trilogy to come out this instant as well. I can’t wait for book two!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Daughters of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
(Cover picture courtesy of Historically Obsessed.)
Based on the true story of Cleopatra’s daughter…
After years of abuse as the emperor’s captive in Rome, Cleopatra Selene has found a safe harbor. No longer the pitiful orphaned daughter of the despised Egyptian Whore, the twenty year old is now the most powerful queen in the empire, ruling over the kingdom of Mauretania—an exotic land of enchanting possibility where she intends to revive her dynasty.
With her husband, King Juba II and the magic of Isis that is her birthright, Selene brings prosperity and peace to a kingdom thirsty for both. But when Augustus Caesar jealously demands that Selene’s children be given over to him to be fostered in Rome, she’s drawn back into the web of imperial plots and intrigues that she vowed to leave behind.
Determined and resourceful, Selene must shield her loved ones from the emperor’s wrath, all while vying with ruthless rivals like King Herod. Can she find a way to overcome the threat to her marriage, her kingdom, her family, and her faith? Or will she be the last of her line?
The main strength of the Cleopatra’s Daughter trilogy is the characters. The characters are so real that when they get hurt, you feel the hurt right along with them. Believe me, Selene gets hurt a lot.
In the first book you have Selene as a frightened child, a captive in Rome. In Song of the Nile you have her as an emotionally stunted teenager suffering from a violent rape and being repudiated by a husband who refuses to listen to her side of the story. Now, finally, in Daughters of the Nile Selene is approaching a state of contentment. She’s made her peace with Juba and begins to love him. She’s ruling Mauretania by his side and doing it extremely well. And, most importantly of all, she’s finally happy. Selene knows what she wants out of life and after a little bit of soul-searching in Rome, is prepared to give up her mother’s throne for a chance at happiness. I knew what the ending was going to be, but I felt the tears come out just the same. It’s hard to lose a character you’ve grown to love yet Stephanie Dray brought her trilogy to an amazingly satisfying end. Very few authors can do that.
The plot slows down a little more in the beginning than in the previous books as we get a bigger picture of Selene’s domestic life. When she’s called back to Rome things heat up quite a bit and even I was in doubt about her final decision when it came to Augustus. Even though the ending takes place in Mauretania it’s far from boring as Selene comes into conflict with her teenage daughter Isidora who doesn’t want to be queen like her mother. But really, even if the plot was totally boring in this book it wouldn’t matter. The characters are that compelling.
One of the things that I really enjoy about Stephanie Dray’s writing is that it has very vivid imagery. I can feel the hot air in Mauretania, the stench of the dye factories, the more cool interior of the palace, etc. In Rome I can hear the sounds of thousands of voices on a market day, smell the Tiber in summer and walk through Augustus’ villa to see the beautiful mosaics. Stephanie Dray transports her reader back to a different time and makes them feel at home there which was why when the novel ended it took a few seconds for me to remember where I was. Yes, her writing is just that good.
If you haven’t read Stephanie Dray’s Cleopatra’s Daughter trilogy you need to. It’s by far one of the best books about Cleopatra Selene’s life and it’s extremely well-written. You can’t go wrong with it and I’m very anxious to see what Stephanie Dray chooses to write about next.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Short Story: Feyland: The First Adventure by Anthea Sharp
(Cover picture courtesy of Anthea Sharp’s Wattpad.)
High-tech gaming and ancient magic collide when a computer game opens a gateway to the treacherous Realm of Faerie.
Jennet Carter never thought hacking into her dad’s new epic-fantasy sim-game would be so exciting… or dangerous. Behind the interface, dark forces lie in wait, leading her toward a battle that will test her to her limits and cost her more than she ever imagined.
[Full disclosure: Unlike with her other works, I was not provided this short story by Anthea Sharp. I downloaded it for free off Amazon so (as usual) my review is completely honest.]
While we caught flashes of Jennet’s first forays into Feyland in The Dark Realm, we never really saw the level of detail that’s revealed in this short story. We learn a little more about the Queen’s plot to bring Jennet to her, Jennet’s first quests and her character flaws. After meeting the selfless person Jennet became in The Twilight Realm it’s a little hard going back to her old spoiled self, but it makes perfect sense.
A lot of prequels don’t really add anything to the established universe but this one does. It’s not necessary for understanding the story, but it gives you a much clearer picture of the events leading up to Jennet asking Tam Lin to be her champion. There’s also a little more detail about Jennet’s life and her rather rocky relationship with her single father.
The plot was fast-paced and interesting even though I knew what was going to happen. The characters were believable and I loved the dynamic between Jennet and her father that explains a lot of her actions later on in the series. So overall, The First Adventure is a pretty good short story. If you read it and like it (it’s free on all major ebook platforms) I can’t recommend the rest of the trilogy enough.
I give this short story 5/5 stars.
Short Story: Cursed by Treachery by Luciana Cavallaro
All Medousa wanted was a life of love and acceptance but one fateful night it changed. While she’s alone in the Temple of Athene tending to the sacred fire, Poseidon pays a visit. No human can stop an immortal from taking what they want.
[Full disclosure: As a thank you for reviewing her four previous short stories, Luciana Cavallaro sent me the paperback Accursed Women as a thank you. I was not expected to review Cursed by Treachery and as always this review is honest.]
The thing I like most about all of Luciana Cavallaro’s short stories is the level of detail she goes into. She doesn’t just rehash the common re-tellings of myths that we’ve all heard here in the Western hemisphere. She actually goes to different source material and tells quite a refreshing version of famous Greek myths. In this story, for example, Medousa is the daughter of Titans. That’s not a detail you find in the more common version of this myth.
All of the short stories in the Accursed Women anthology are unique in the way they’re told. In Cursed by Treachery we see things from Perseus’ viewpoint and that’s interrupted by flashes of Medousa’s life as a Gorgon and her old life as a priestess in Athena’s temple. It’s a fascinating way to tell Medousa’s tragic story and you would think it would be confusing but it isn’t. We slowly learn how Medousa came to be a priestess in Athena’s temple and the horrible events that led to Athena cursing her for something that was hardly her fault.
Was Medousa’s tale my absolute favourite story in the whole anthology? Not really. But it’s a testament to the strength of Luciana Cavallaro’s writing that I still enjoyed it while learning something new. It’s a well-written short story with interesting subject matter and a very interesting ending. What more can you ask for?
I give this short story 5/5 stars.