Review: Firstborn by M.J. Hastings

Firstborn by M.J. Hastings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This reminded me a bit of An Ember in the Ashes, atleast when it came to Bryn and the firstborn soldiers training to be a soldier. If you are fan of YA dystopian/fantasy in the vein of The Hunger Games or An Ember in the Ashes I think you would enjoy this.

In this world children are broken up by birth order, firstborns train to be soldiers, second borns are scholars, and third borns are taken but don't ask questions about where or why. Bryn is first in her family and best in her class, the annual tradition of the Long Night is approaching where firstborns must kill or be killed to graduate training. She is expected to win, but the night before discovers a plot involving her brother and sister. While she has tried to push them away and put her country first, she can't shake the connection she has with them and the fact the they might be in danger or involved in something dangerous.

This had good action, world-building, decent pacing, and a good amount of action to keep things moving and interesting. I do hope to see more character development as the series progresses. Bryn for as great as a soldier in training was, didn't always act like a soldier in the field when it came time to fight and her relationship with her siblings and other people in general needs alot of work There is alot going on in this politics, corruption, magic, and more. I will say I almost DNFed this when a love triangle entered the picture. I never liked them and thought we were done with those about 10 years ago.

I appreciated that while there was romance, it didn't overwhelm the plot. It was there but more of a subplot not a main plot. It also wasn't super spicy.

Overall, I enjoyed this debut. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

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Review: Hawk & Sparrow by Anana Gray

Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This follows Vesper, an ambitious female reporter in an age when women are still breaking into the working world.  Vesper is invited to attend and report on the happenings of a high society gala when the unimaginable happens.  The guest of honor is found murdered after revealing an invention that could change the lives of everyone.  In this world, those with sorcery live in luxury but they must study for many years to learn the language that allows them to use magic.  This new machine will bring sorcery to those without magic.  The host of the event happens to be a sorcerer and the main suspect.  Valuing Vesper's investigative prowess, Max hires her to help prove his innocence. 

I enjoyed parts of this book, but overall I felt underwhelmed.  The pacing was too slow and the romance didn't work for me.  There wasn't much chemistry between Vesper and Max, but they love each other by the end.  Perhaps that was intentional and appropriate given the time period this is set in, but I needed more emotion and tension from them.  Vesper constantly talks about Tom, the owner of the paper who took her in when she was orphaned and gave her a place to stay and a job, but we never get to know this  father figure who is so important to her.  I did enjoy the investigation and the mystery part of the plot.

I enjoyed the social commentary that the magic machine drew parallels between today's use of AI without checks and balances.  Max brings up the years of study he had to go through to understand the consequences and nuance of using the magical language, without understanding it can cause great harm.  Today we have AI that spits out hallucinations and makes up information that people take as truth.  Without boundaries and smart people to guide it, AI can also cause great harm.  There is also quite a bit of social commentary about the class system in place and gender discrimination.

While this wasn't for me, I think this will be great for younger readers or readers who are looking for a fun magical mystery.

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Review: The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium by Lexie Sharabianlou

The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium by Lexie Sharabianlou
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This was really cute!  The Blue Moon Cafe is a front to keep the magical population safe from humans when they need safe passage to a new location.  The cafe serves terrible coffee but has all of your occult needs covered.  This is ironic because the shop's barista and daughter of the owner Talula is a talented chef who makes amazing hot cocoa, but struggles to use her own magic.  She also goes weak at the knees when local aspiring writer comes into the cafe everyday for cocoa and inspiration.

Talula and Dahlia's romance was slow burn, despite it being obvious to everyone.  Talula has alot going on and overthinks pretty much everything.  She is torn between her magical life and her human one, but with the help of her magical mentor and Dahlia she is able to find a happy medium between the two.  I really loved how that storyline came together and she faced her magical fears as well as her fears around relationships both romantic and within the town.  

This was a lovely cozy read with great characters in a fun setting.  The personal turmoil Talula faces is very relatable.  There was some great humor to balance out some of the more serious moments.  The romance was sweet and the magical wasn't overly complicated but it made sense.  This is a great read for fall as it has those cozy fall vibes.  

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