Review: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished my re-read of From Blood and Ash as we get ready for the release of The War of Two Queens and realized I never posted a review. I listened to the audiobook this time around and thought Stina Nielson did a great job with the characters. There were some minor mistakes in the audiobook where the narrator misspoke, but it really didn't detract from the storyline. You would have only noticed if you were reading along with the book or had read it previously in print. I went on to listen to A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and there weren't any noticeable mistakes in the audiobook. I'm about 20% into The ​Crown of Gilded Bones and she's done a great job maintaining consistency with the voices of the characters throughout the series.

This book has been out for quite a while and has become pretty popular. I read it initially right after it was released in 2020 before all the hype. I love the series, but I can see why some people do not. It is trope heavy and parts of it are predictable. There are other parts that are unique and interesting. Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favorite authors, so it is no surprise that I loved this.

The synopsis lays out the plot pretty well so I won't really go into that too much. Poppy is "The Chosen One", though she isn't really sure why. She's lived a pretty sheltered life, but she finds ways to rebel against the rules set for her. Poppy is terrified of the future that has been chosen for her and she isn't quite sure that she wants what is in store for her. As the book progresses we see that Poppy is so much more than the demure Maiden that she is supposed to be. Hawke is her personal guard, but it quickly becomes clear that he's not fully bought into Poppy as "The Maiden" either.

If you are a traditional fantasy lover, this may not be to your liking. The world building is ok, but we don't get the detailed descriptions you might expect in a high fantasy series. It is more atmospheric and character driven. The magic system isn't fully explained yet (we learn more in the later books). If you've read some of Jen's other PNR books you will know that she often sets up things to be learned later on in the series. This is going to be 5 or 6 books in total so I expect things to be revealed as we go much like they did with the Lux series. While it is set in a fantasy world with fantasy elements, it has more of the feeling of a paranormal romance or urban fantasy. Many of the tropes you expect to find in a PNR are present here. The romance element is front and center with the fantasy parts taking a secondary role. I like both high fantasy and PNR, so you get no complaint from me on that front. The characters speak in modern terms which didn't bother me, but I know that can irritate some readers. Parts of this world have electricity and running water while other parts rely on lanterns and candle for light and pitchers of water for washing. It walks the line of traditional high fantasy and urban fantasy. That will not be to everyone's taste.

As I said the romance is what really shines here. JLA is really good at writing intimate scenes at the YA, NA, and adult level. This book gives you a taste of what is to come in the later books and while Poppy and Hawke get a little steamy here, the books only get more steamy going forward. I do feel there are several situations that had questionable consent between Hawke and Poppy, and that continues through the 2nd book. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way as I've seen it mentioned several times in the more negative reviews. I don't think I noticed on the first read, but I definitely notice the 2nd time. The author tried to clear it up with Poppy's inner monologues and what was supposed to be witty banter between the main characters, but I feel clear consent is really important in books as is use of protection. They do discuss birth control as protection isn't really an issue as far as disease is concerned between the two of them. That being said the banter between the characters is excellent! I was laughing out loud constantly while listening to this.

Overall, this is the start to a fun fantasy romance series. I really enjoyed it. It is easy to read, has great banter, and I thought the pacing was good. This does end with a cliffhanger, so be prepared. If you've read Jen's other books you should expect that, but if you are new to her books you've been warned. I'm anxiously awaiting the remaining books in the series to find out what happens.

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Review: Road of Bones

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review the book, it comes out today January 25, 2022.

This book was fast paced and the world building was excellent.  If you a looking for paranormal horror to read this winter, this is it!  We got a few inches of snow over the weekend while I was reading this and I swear I could feel the cold coming through the pages.  This follows Felix Teigland or Teig on a research trip as he works to put together a documentary in the coldest place on Earth with his friend and cameraman Jack Prentiss.  Teig is full of great ideas, but many of them have not panned out, but this is his last ditch effort to pitch a unique documentary about The Road of Bones.   The stretch of road was home to the Soviet gulags and many people died along the road and are buried beneath it.  Teig and Prentiss are accompanied by a local Yakut guide who can help them with the language, people, and locations they want to scout for their film.  They want to put a bit of a paranormal twist on their film as the Road of Bones is full of ghost stories.  When they reach their destination they get their fill of paranormal activity in a form they did not expect to encounter.

I would have liked a bit of background on the lore surrounding the story.  I think it would have added to the creep factor.  As the synopsis indicates a malignant shaman and the spirits under his command chase Teig and the people he has teamed up with through the night on the creepy Kolyma Highway.  I think the author missed the mark on explaining why.  We do get a bit of a reveal very late in the book, but again I would have liked a better explanation and resolution.  The author delivers the creep vibes.  The creatures are creepy and weird, the setting is stark and lonely, the road itself has an ominous presence.  I thought the writing was good and this certainly was a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end.

Overall, I thought this book was unique in the setting and premise.  It is fast paced and action packed.  If you are looking for a paranormal horror book to read this winter, I recommend it!  

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Review: Dreams Lie Beneath

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book had a really unique premise. Magicians are tasked with recording the nightmares of the people within their jurisdiction, and on the new moon they fight and dispel the nightmares come to life. Clementine is her father's apprentice and he is the Warden of the small town they live in. The both have magic, and help the people deal with the frightening things they see when they sleep. Clem's father is challenged for his Wardenship, and when he and Clem fail to vanquish the nightmare before the other team of magicians, they must leave their home and start a new life. Clementine is determined to regain their home and their position as wardens of the small town she loves. What she doesn't know is that she is connected to the curse that causes the nightmare and her quest for vengeance may lead her down a path she never expected.

While I thought the magic system was really unique, I did feel the different kinds of magic could have been explained a bit more. This may be personal preference, but I like a bit more detail when it comes to magic systems and how they work. There was never really an explanation as to why some people had certain types of magic and how others were able to obtaining it through schooling. I have many questions about the magic that were never explained. I also thought the pacing was off. I feel like this could have been a duology as the latter part of the book takes us away from the original plot and could have been a story on it's own. It does all come together but I feel like certain things needed more explanation or development. There is a slow burn romance that is very tame. There are a few kisses and longing glances, I think they hold hands once or twice.

This was an enjoyable YA fantasy/romance, but it was missing something for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't spectacular either. I've read a few of Ross' other books and have really enjoyed them. I look forward to reading her work in the future.

I received an arc of the audiobook via Netgalley, but I found that I couldn't follow the synthetic voice at all. If you are an audio listener you know that the narrator is key to listening to the story that the author has penned. I ended up waiting for the final audio version with a real narrator, which was a much more enjoyable experience. Chloe Dolandis did a really nice job narrating this.

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Review: Dating the Duke by Emma Hart

Dating the Duke by Emma Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own. This book comes out today, January 18, 2022.


This is the second book in the Aristocrat Diaries series and it was really cute. This follows Adelaide a teacher and writer and Alexander a Duke who spends his days managing his estate and his energetic daughter. I don't pretend to know anything about the British aristocracy, but this is a fun way to learn a little about how all of that works. Addy's uncle is a Duke and her mother holds a title, but Addy and her sister do not. They are part of the upper echelon social circles and understands how that world works.


Addy as I mentioned is a teacher, but she prefers to tutor individual students and smaller groups. Alex's daughter is struggling in school and asks if Addy will tutor her for the summer. It turns out Olympia has dyslexia and is being assessed for high functioning autism. Addy hopes that a diagnosis will help bring additional support and services to Olympia when she goes back to school, but in the meantime she is doing everything she can to be her biggest cheerleader. Due to the fact that Addy is spending so much time at the estate, she finds herself spending alot more time with Alex than she expected. It turns out they have many things in common and generally enjoy each other's company. While neither one of them was looking for a relationship, they can't deny that they are attracted to one another. Alex has to put the estate and Olympia first, so entering into a relationship with Addy doesn't seem wise. Addy also doesn't want to jeopardize Olympia's progress or her feelings. As you can imagine one thing leads to another and Alex and Addy end up developing feelings for one another.


I love that Emma wrote about her own experience with autism in her own daughter. Being a parent is hard, and all you want is what is best for your child. It is a constant game of advocating for them to make sure they get the best education and care, while also making sure they are making good choices and growing into decent, responsible humans. I could totally relate to some of the parenting moments in the book, we have had the occasional cereal explosion and flour mishap while baking. I really enjoy that she is giving us a glimpse of her life while also giving us a fun romance to enjoy.


I really enjoyed this book. It had good character development between Alex and Addy. While I wish they had talked about their feelings for each other a bit earlier, that would have made for a much shorter book. Communication between couples is something I appreciate in books, and while it took them a little longer to come around, they eventually got there. This had great side characters and had Emma Hart's signature humor. I'm looking forward to reading Eva's book next.
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Review: Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey

Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Edelweiss+, all opinions are my own.  This book was published back in August of 2021, and I'm not sure why it took me so long to get to it.  I'm glad I finally read it, as it was really enjoyable for a mystery/thriller.  It kept me on my toes and while I had some of the plot figured out well before the end, there were enough misleading elements to keep you guessing up until the end when you find out the truth.

I'd consider this a genre hybrid of sorts.  While at it's heart this book is a thriller, this book has more to offer, it has a ton family drama, social commentary, some romance, and an element of coming of age.  Each chapter reveals a piece of the story and while the center of the story is the disappearance of Abbigail Blake, we learn that there are so many more secrets being kept.  This book is like putting a 1000 piece puzzle together, it slowly takes shape as the pieces come together.  We follow the Blake family in the aftermath of Abi's disappearance.  The more we learn about the Blake's we learn there is so much going on behind their closed doors.  As they try to come to terms with what may have happened to her, her best friend Emma is dealing with her guilt of leaving Abi at the party where she was last seen before she disappeared.  Emma turns to alcohol to number her feelings, but she is determined to find out what happened.  As she digs for clues in the woods and around town, she is continually threatened to keep her nose out of places it doesn't belong.  There are so many players that might have hurt Abi or helped her run away, we really aren't sure what happened as each chapter unfolds a piece of critical information is revealed and leads you down one path or another wondering "was it him?" or "did that guy do it?" or "maybe she just ran away from her crazy, dysfunctional family?".  The more we learn from Emma, the Blakes, and the other players involved the story becomes more clear.  The ending felt a little bit like one of those true crime dramas you watch on TV where they never really solve the crime.  The author leaves it a little bit open for interpretation for you to decide the final outcome.  Some people really like that while others want a concrete ending to a book.  I thought that the open style ending really worked well here and while I'm not usually a fan of open endings, it really fit the story.

This book is fairly character driven, and that really works here.  The author did a really great job with the characters.  They are quite a few characters involved in the story and I felt they were all well described, and you aren't going to like them all.  Many of them are very unlikeable by design.  There is quite a bit of bigotry and religious zealotry in the book, which plays well into the plot.  If you aren't a fan of those things in books, this might not be a good one for you.  The people of this town are very small minded and use religion as an excuse to do terrible things to gain the Lord's forgiveness.  Not everyone will be a fan of that, even if it is based on the author's own real live experience in a conservative small town.  

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Review: The Starless Crown by James Rollins

The Starless Crown by James Rollins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an Audio ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for inviting me to review this book.  This is my first James Rollins book, but it certainly will not be my last.  This was published on January 4, 2022.  This is on the longer side, but it is worth it!

Nicola Barber did a great job with the narration.  This audiobook is roughly 22 hours long, and it takes a good narrator to keep you engaged for that long.  There are quite a few characters to keep track of as well, which is not unusual for a scifi fantasy book such as this, but I was able to follow along pretty easily as the chapters were broken down to focus on one character arc at a time.

The Starless Crown is a place not a thing.  There are all manner of strange beasts and plants that can kill you.  Students study alchemy if they show aptitude.  There are different pantheons of gods and goddesses that are worshipped.  There is alot going on in this book, but I didn't find it hard to follow.  While the book is long, the author does a good job describing the characters and what is happening so you don't get lost.  There is a ton of action going on so you never get bored.  No one is safe and there is never a moments rest for our characters once things get moving.  This is pretty fast paced, so while it is on the longer side for an audiobook, it doesn't feel long.  Honestly, it isn't unusual for an epic SFF of this nature to push the 20+ hour mark.  The good ones make you want to keep listening, and I really loved this!

This follows several main characters, Nyx who is a 14 year old girl who is studying to be an alchemist.  When she's attacked at school, she finds that she has a long lost connection to a power that she doesn't quite understand.  This makes her dangerous and a potential threat to the King.  She finds herself on the run with a ragtag group of exiles on a journey she could have never imagined.  They are all on the run from something, but they all find themselves connected in some way.  She has to come to terms with the chaos around her and what that might mean for her future.  She's also developing some powers of her own as the journey progresses.  Each of the characters has a role to play and we get to see them develop throughout the story as they face their fears and weaknesses and put their strengths to good use.

I found the world building to be excellent in this!  We get great descriptions of the landscape and the creatures.  We are never left with huge gaps about what is going on in the plot.  We do bounce from plotline to plotline but you know you are going to come back to what is going on and they are all somehow going to tie together.  Initially, I was a bit confused, but after the first few chapters I got the feel for the writing and knew everything was going to come together at some point.  

I'm very much invested in this story and the characters.  I'm not sure when the next book is due out, but I am anxiously awaiting it!

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Review: Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. This book was originally published in October 2006, however the audiobook was released in January 2022.  It might seem weird to read a book set on Halloween during the January, but I loved it anyway.  It would be totally appropriate to wait and read this closer to Halloween.  I know alot of readers save their spookier reads for the fall, but I read creepy stuff all year long.  I absolutely loved this!

This is narrated by Vikas Adam, and he does a wonderful job narrating this!  I'm not sure if he used his natural voice or if he was "acting" for the narration, but his voice acting in this gave the audiobook an ominous feel and added to the general creepy vibe of the story.  It was such a great fit for the story.  This is a novella so the audiobook is around 4.5 hours long.  

This takes place all in one night, and you could likely read this in one sitting.  Every year on Halloween, the Halloween Boy rises from a field and terrorizes the town while the teenage boys try to take him down.  The boy who takes out the Halloween Boy wins a prize, gets to leave town and change the course of their life.  There are lots of secrets in this town, which we never really get to understand.  I think that was my biggest issue, we never really find out why this whole October Boys business has to keep happening and what the consequences are when and if it stops.  I felt like that part needed a little more explanation.  

This follows several different characters over the course of the night.  It also switches perspective a couple of times.  I didn't really mind or notice while listening to the book, but I do know that can be irritating to some readers.   There isn't much character development here, but this is a novella about a killer pumpkin boy so I can give that a pass because there is decent action and description of what is happening to move the plot along.  

Overall, I thought this was a really entertaining, creepy audiobook.  It isn't overly gorey or graphic from a horror perspective, however there is some gore and violence.  If you need a quick listen in the horror genre or around the Halloween timeframe, check this one out.

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Review: Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. This is set to be published on January 18, 2022. Thank you to SMP and Wednesday books for the early copy, I really enjoyed this.

Initially I was expecting this to be more on the horror side based on the cover, but it is more on of a historical fiction and sci-fi story. It is set in 1817 Edinburgh, Scotland where the thought of a female doctor, let alone a surgeon is unheard of, so when Lady Hazel Sinnett has her heart and mind set on taking the Physician's Examination everyone thinks she it is a joke. Hazel is brilliant, but her father is a distinguished Navy man away on an important assignment and her mother is the sister of a Viscount. Her station insists she follow the rules of propriety and get married, but no one really pays Hazel much attention. Her mother is drowning her her grief over the loss of Hazel's older brother George from the fever that has been plaguing the town for months, so she puts her efforts into protecting her other son and ignores Hazel most of the time.

Jack is a resurrection man, his main source of income comes from what he earns from the physicians at the local Anatomists society who pay good money for the recently deceased. Jack delivers the corpses so the doctors can learn from them, but technically it is against the law so he's good at not getting caught. When a chance encounter brings Hazen and Jack together, she enlists his services to help her learn anatomy from a real specimen as she has been dismissed from the courses she was taking the the Society. Despite her aptitude in the courses, she is not permitted to continue, however she makes a bet with the head that if she passes the examination on her own they will allow women to enroll in the future. Hazel is determined to become a doctor despite her station as a Lady and what it might mean for her future inheritance. She also wants to find a cure for the fever that is making everyone sick. Unfortunately Jack isn't able to bring her more bodies to study because local resurrection men keep disappearing, and if they do turn up they are missing vital parts of themselves.

This has a bit of everything. The historical aspect speaks to the very real and still true fact that the poor are seen as less than and those with status and money get what they want. It also speaks to the fact that women were and sometimes still are seen as fragile and unequal to men. They were supposed to be seen and not heard. The sci-fi element ties nicely into the mystery element. The title indicates that this is a love story, and there is a romance, but I felt that Hazel's love of medicine was the main plot and the actual romance was a smaller part of the story. This is definitely a little on the darker side, but if you like something with a more gothic feel this is for you.

I really enjoyed this. If you liked Stalking Jack the Ripper, I think you'd like this. This has similar vibes to that, so if you enjoyed that you might like this. They aren't the same by any means, but I was reminded of that series while reading this.
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Review: Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. Thank you to SMP and Wednesday Books for the ARC, I truly enjoyed going on this journey with Sena and Iska. This book comes out on January 11,2022. I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover and I wasn't disappointed.

This has everything I look for in a book good world building, good character development, a unique plotline, and good pacing. This follows teenage Sena, an orphan and pickpocket on a planet that is run by corporations that wants nothing to do with her because of her heritage. Sena is shunned because she has scavver (people who want to live free of corporate rule) heritage and she embraces the old ways that don't involve technology. On a planet where storms render tech useless you'd think more people would do the same, but capitalism rules as does the annual race to dig exo-carbon. Sena's mother was a formidable racer, but when the race took both of her mothers from her she vowed never to have anything to do with the race. Unfortunately, Sena has made one to many bad decisions and finds herself indebted to one of the sleaziest men on the planet. She has to nurse one of his fighting wolves back into shape or face his wrath. She finds herself tied to this wolf in a way she never expected, and pulled back into the race she despises.

I really enjoyed this. There were times I wanted to shake Sena for all of the choices she made, she kept making bad decisions over and over knowing that it wasn't going to end well for her. This is all part of her character development arc, and as the story progresses she really does grow. I also really appreciated that there was no romance in this. It isn't often we see a YA SFF with no romance. This has a good deal of social commentary about bigotry and capitalism woven into an icy planet full of really cool, dangerous creatures. This has a bit of an open ending, leaving the reader to wonder will there be more to Sena and Iska's story? I don't know if there will be another book, but you can certainly imagine the trouble that Sena, Iska, and Remy could get into together.

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Review: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I did end up listening to the final published copy of the audiobook. This book is fairly short regardless of the medium you choose to consume it in, the audiobook is around 2.5 hours and the book comes in around 130 pages depending on the edition. I enjoyed the narrator, I thought she did a good job with this creepy story.

Because this is on the shorter side, we don't get alot of background information on the characters or the lore connected with the story itself. I was drawn to read this because it was supposed to be "steeped in Japanese folklore", which having read some other books recently about that subject it is really fascinating. This doesn't go into much detail on the lore. I felt like you had to go in either understanding the lore or not wanting alot of detail on what a Yokai are and what their significance are to the story.

This follows a group of friends as they gather in a creepy old mansion for a destination wedding. The bride apparently always wanted to get married in a haunted house, and we all know brides get the weddings of their dreams, right? Well in this case she does because on of the members of the party is disgustingly wealthy and rents the mansion for the wedding. The mansion has a creepy ghost story attached to it about it's own tragic bride to be. The ghost story is actually why they picked the mansion because the "destination" part of the wedding is ghost hunting. As you can imagine things kind of start to go south as the house has it's own agenda and starts to inject terrifying things into what they thought was going to be a happy occasion. I won't spoil the rest.

I think if you liked The Haunting of Hill House, you might like this. It is more descriptive when it comes to the gore and entities. I thought it was entertaining enough, but something was missing for me. I think I wanted more, but because this was more of a novella length book we didn't get all of the details we would have in a full length novel.

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