book review

Merciless Waters

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Merciless Waters
By: Rae Knowles

A crew of women sail the dark waters of the Adriatic Sea. They have no past, no future, and live only in the present.

We follow Jaq, a woman who serves as part of the crew on the Scylla. They pull a sunburned man out of the ocean. Jaq’s girlfriend, Lily, becomes smitten with the man and leaves Jaq for him, blatantly showing off their relationship to the entire crew. Jealousy grows within Jaq as the man brings bad luck to the ship along with terrible memories she had long forgotten.

A story that weaves dark folklore and wicked fantasy into a horrific tale filled with heartbreak, loss, and the enigmatic mystery of the crew’s existence. I was instantly drawn in to this surreal and disturbing world.

This is the first I’ve read of Knowles’ work and I look forward to reading more from her!

This book releases on November 14th from Brigid’s Gate Press. Make sure you pre-order your copy and prepare for a beautifully written sapphic tale of dark folklore.

Pre-Order at: https://www.raeknowles.com/mercilesswaters

The Sin Soldiers

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The Sin Soldiers
By: Tracy Auerbach

A dystopian sci-fi that blew me away. I fell in love with our four main leads. I came to know them so well, I knew their dress, their habits, and their personalities. My heart broke for them and the horrible situation they find themselves in, caged and forced to have no free will. Even though I didn’t agree with their actions all the time, it made sense for them. It was understandable considering all the trauma they’ve been through.

An absolutely incredible first book in a three part series, I was drawn in from the first few pages. Once I hit the halfway point, I simply couldn’t put it down! This is the first time I’ve had the privilege of reading Auerbach’s work, but it certainly won’t be the last. With familiar dystopian elements such as genetic engineering, a vague war between nations, and forms of recruitment that include kidnapping, as a fan of dystopian novels, this book was a joy. The Sin Soldiers contains hallmarks from some of my favorite dystopian sci-fi novels such as Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

Needless to say, I can’t wait to read the next book!

Merciless Stars

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Merciless Stars
By: Candace Robinson

A story about two sisters who have to work together to solve the corruption in their world? Yes, please!

I’m a sucker for these kinds of sisters against the world stories, and this one was amazing. Robinson once again blends steamy romance with a horrific fantasy world to create a blend that is uniquely hers. I raved about The Bone Valley when I read it last year which has a similar vibe, and while it’s still my favorite book of hers, this one comes very close.

Two sisters, Afton and Silver, who had to claw their way out from under the thumb of their abusive parents are left with the emotional damage and cruelty left behind. They can tap into the magic of their land, transforming themselves in the process. While Silver tends to be the more optimistic of the two, she regularly taps into dark magic, including the land of the dead, from which she pulls a soul to live within a wax body. Her older sister, Afton, took the brunt of the cruelty of their parents and ended up with a lot of anger because of it. She is more cruel, more terse, and more brutal than her sister. Only Silver can bring out the kindness of her sister.

The sisters have their bond to keep them above the horrors of their past, but as they investigate a nearby kingdom and learn of the curse that has befallen it, they soon realize things aren’t what they seem.

I fell in love with Silver almost instantly, and Keelan as well, her wax servant. Once again I find so many characters to root for. This world was so nuanced and so well-built that I could envision the walls of their castle and the grounds where they rode their horses. I was slowly drawn into this unique world, but once I hit the halfway point, it was hard to put down! I’ve learned to expect this from Robinson’s books now!

A wonderful, steamy read with unforgettable world-building, spooky monsters, and layered characters. I recommend it for fans of dark romance and fantastic worlds. Robinson is clearly finding her stride, and I’m very much here for it.

5/5 bloody hearts

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The Bone Valley

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Happy Release Day to The Bone Valley! Be sure to grab your copy if this sounds perfect for your October bookshelf!

The Bone Valley
By: Candace Robinson

Finished: 8/23/2021

I’ve read quite a few books by Robinson, and I can enthusiastically say that this one is my favorite! This is perhaps the most intense, grotesque, and beautiful story I’ve read from her, and I had a hard time putting it down!

I really loved Anton, a lover, and Nahli, a thief. They seem like characters whose paths would never cross until things go very, very wrong. Even Daryna, the old witch who lives int he woods, grew on me throughout this tale. Pav, Anton’s little brother, grew on me throughout this tale. At first I didn’t think much of him since he just seemed like he wanted to emulate his brother, but as the tale goes on he gains so much empathy and shows he has such a pure heart. I keep bouncing between Pav and Roka as my favorites, but as of this writing, I have to say the little skeleton meerkat Roka was my absolute fave. I can’t say too much about him without giving things away, but his tragic tale and determined love was touching. And he was such a cute companion to them.

I really can’t gush enough about this book because there were times when I was just blown away by the viciousness, the beauty, the cruelty, and the incredible levels of world-building. I could practically imagine this in a stock-motion animation ala Nightmare Before Christmas at times, and it was gorgeous. Robinson’s imagery and creativity was unmatched in this piece. She has such strength in mixing romantic storylines with horrific and dramatic world building and beautiful character development, but this one is a shining example of her skill. If this wasn’t already obvious, this book should not be missed!

I’ve never read a book like this and would happily devour more books in this style or in this world.

My rating: 5/5 skeletal thumbs up

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Lineage

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Lineage
By: C. Vonzale Lewis

Finished: 3/8/2021

Wow, this book absolutely blew me away! It has multiple parts to love, from evil corporation, to mysterious ancient magic, to a number of very sexy scenes. Not to mention the ending was incredible!

Lewis has a wonderful knack for piecing together many parts into a whole, cohesive world that makes it easy to fall into. She excels at creating multi-faceted characters to the point that you end up cheering for all of them. You fall in love with them without even realizing it. She slowly builds the magic of the world, dripping out piece by piece of information, until all the puzzle pieces come together. The further you get into the book, the more the train starts to build up speed and you have a hard time putting it down! At the end you are fearing for all of them and horrified by the people they are up against. And boy, are the villains in this tale twisted!

Lewis also tackles some dark themes in this book while also exploring the difficulty in dealing with trauma in a realistic way. Just as the magic system slowly evolves, so too does our lead character Nicole, a woman who has been kicked out of so many places of employment that she has to work for the seedy corporation that appears to be the only option left. Her fiery temper and quick wit make her bristle under authority. I absolutely loved her. She is confident and determined to speak her mind, which of course leads her to making some not-so-great decisions. But you understand why she does it because Lewis is so good at making her believable, relatable, flawed, and human.

A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys complex magic systems, a complex love life, detailed world-buidling, and plenty of hot and heavy moments!

My rating: 5/5 magical stars

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