Review: What We Devour by Linsey Miller

What We Devour by Linsey Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley and Sourcebooks. All opinions are my own.  This book will be published on July 6, 2021.  

I really enjoyed this dark fantasy! It features morally gray characters, and I would say our main character Lorena is almost an anti-hero. She has to make questionable sacrifices for the greater good, often portraying herself as a monster and questioning if she made the right choice. I really enjoyed the magic system and plot. The magic system is bit complicated and detailed, but I didn't find it too confusing once it was explained. It also has a unique and diverse cast of characters.

Be forewarned that this book is fairly violent, but while there is mentions of cutting, murder, death, sacrifice, etc. it isn't overly gory in my opinion. It is dark, but the descriptions of violence aren't over top or detailed. I would say if you were a fan of Wicked Saints, this is not quite as brutal or descriptive as that but it is close, but the violence is in the same realm and it has the same feel of that type of dark fantasy. If you didn't like Wicked Saints or the other books in that trilogy, this may not be your cup of tea, but it might be worth a try if you are into that type of dark fantasy that isn't quite as grim.

The magic system in this is based on banished gods, the Noble and the Vile, whose power inhabits some of the folk of this fantasy world. Through sacrifice those with the power of the noble can create and those with that of the vile can destroy. Lorena is unique and has both noble and vile power. The magic system is unique as it takes the form of an entity that is attached to the person, who then makes a sacrifice, almost always violent and bloody to perform the act. Lorena has been hiding her abilities since she was a child to stay under the radar of the crown, but when her fiancé's father is to be arrested for treason she makes a deal with the crown prince to save him. The prince is trying to save the world and needs her help, but she learns that shutting the door that holds back the banished Vile won't be enough to save the people.

I believe this is a standalone, but the ending is such that there is room for another book. I feel this closed nicely leaving the reader to ponder what comes next for Lorena and the world she saved. I also wouldn't be surprised if we get another book about the aftermath that is sure to ensue as Lorena has to deal with the consequences of her actions and as those she save have to rebuild in the afterwards.

I thought the world building and character development were done very well in this book. They were both complex but didn't mind waiting for it to unfold as it continues to progress throughout the book. This book is going to take a bit of work to get through, and the complexity of the world is confusing at first but it is worth it. I enjoyed the unique take on magic and loved the cast of characters despite them all trying to be highly unlikeable. This is not going to be a book for every reader, but I sure enjoyed it!

View all my reviews

September Wrap Up

September got off to a rough start.  I've been kind of in a reading slump.  I've been really busy with work, back to school, and fall activities, so I haven't had much time to read.  When I finally get time to read I'm either too tired or just not focused.  Nothing I've read lately really gripped me.  I'm starting to get behind on reviews so that just stresses me out more and I don't want to read because then it feels like work and it's just not fun.  I started this blog because I love reading and I actaully enjoy reviewing books.  When it starts to feel like work, I just don't want to do it.  I think I'm coming out of it as we have started to get into a groove with fall sports and I've read some stuff I actually like.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• Review
•  I really loved Mask of Shadows but Ruin of Stars fell short for me.  There wasn't enough action and it was just too slow.  It wasn't terrible it just wasn't as good as the first one.
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett
• Review
• I really enjoyed this YA Fantasy.  It came out this month.  It was a pretty quick read and while it wasn't the most complex, I liked it and am looking forward to the next one. 
• The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• Review
• I've had this for a while now and its about time to get to it.  This came out on September 18th.  This was so unique and I really enjoyed it.  It takes place over the course of 8 days as our main character relives the same day in a different person to solve a murder.  He has to take what he learns each day before the murder happens to solve the crime.  It kept me on my toes.  I recommend it if you like mysteries and groundhog day types of books.
• Broken Things  by Lauren Oliver
• Review
• I've read a bunch of Lauren Oliver's other books and I really like her thriller/mysteries.  This one is no different. I loved every minute of this book.  This comes out October 2nd.  
• Scattered Plume by J.M. Miller
• Review
• I loved the first book in this series, Fallen Flame.  It was really well done and I loved the mythology aspect of it, the 2nd book is no different.  This took me a while to get into because I had to remember what was going on, but once I got into the story I really enjoyed it.  This was released on September 27th.

Audiobooks

I think I had a pretty good audio month.  A few of these were pretty long, and most of them were really good.

• Strange Weather by Joe Hill
• I didn't really care for this one.  I liked 2 of the stories and didn't like the other 2.  For a short story collection I think that's not unreasonable.  I read this for a Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt for a book I saw a stranger reading.  I have a couple more Joe Hill books on my TBR.  
• Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
• I love this series.  I found a couple parts of this problematic, but it wasn't enough to deter me from the series.  I'm impatiently waiting for the next book.  I also love January Lavoy as a narrator, she is by far one of the most talentend audiobook narrators I have ever had the pleasure of listening to!
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• I love mythology and you don't often hear the story of Circe retold.  You always here the hero's tales told over and over again.  I really enjoyed this.  I read several negative reviews about this being long and boring and I think reading this in book format would have been a bit of a task but I recommend it on audio.
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• This is excellent.  It lives up to all of the hype.  The story is so unique.  I love all of the mythology and the magic.  I love the characters.  My only complaint was the unnecessary romance between Zelie and Inan.  Bahni Turpin is a wonderful narrator, she does an amazing job with this.
• Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
• I really enjoy this series, and the audio books are great.  I didn't love the ending of this installment, but overall the book was great.  It was dark, full of plotting, and you still have no idea what's going to happen with the sisters in the end.  I'm very much looking forward to the next book.

Review: Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller

Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC from Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

I'm struggling with how to rate this, its between and 2 and a 3. I really loved Mask of Shadows, but I was kind of underwhelmed with the conclusion. I expected alot more action, but I felt like it took too long to get to the ending. The plot too far to long to develop and the pace was just too slow for my liking.

I had a hard time keeping track of all of the characters, mainly because they all have multiple names. This took me twice as long to read because I had to go back and re-read passages multiple times so I could figure out what was going on. This made it really hard to stay invested in the story. On the plus side we get more information on the magic system that I wanted from the first book. We learn how and why magic was banished and more about how magic was used before the Queen of Igna banished magic completely.

This books picks up pretty much where book 1 leaves off with Sal now a member of The Left Hand. Sal is now Honorable Opal, and one of the assassins of the Queen of Igna. Sal is still out to avenge Nacea, her homeland that was destroyed by the shadows, and take out those who created the shadows. Sal has a hit list and she will stop at nothing until they are all dead. She is also distraught because Elise has been taken prisoner, yet we find that Elise is safe for the time being and has her own part to play. Their romance plays a significant part in the book, as does gender fluidity, and sexual orientation.

I will say one of the downfalls of this book is the constant mention of Sal's gender fluidity and Elise's sexual orientation. While I'm supportive of the diversity that this book offers and I love that we have diverse characters in the book, it didn't help to advance the plot. I felt beat over the head with it. It could have been mentioned less and we still would have had diverse characters. As I read other's reviews I see that this is a common complaint.

I did love the side characters, Maud is awesome! There are some great side characters in this series, and I'm glad we got to see some of the characters from book 1 resurface and get some more development in this second book.

View all my reviews

September TBR

Well the kids are back in school, and fall activities have started back up with a vengeance.  That means everyday after work I have to be somewhere and there is little time for reading after feeding the hungry hoard.  Thank goodness for audiobooks.  Between commuting and the chaos of life I would never get to read, so I listen.  Now if only I had time to post all of the reviews I meant to write.  I'm still feeling like I'm in a bit of a reading slump, I've got a ton of books I want to read but I can't stay focused.  I read for 5 minutes then I go do something else.  I'm still reading everyday so I'll break out of it eventually.  It isn't the book either they are all good so far, I think I'm getting run down by life and I took on too many ARCs in August.  Here's to September being a little better.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• This is out already and I'm way overdue with my review.  I'm hoping to finish this over the holiday weekend and get my review up.  So far its action packed and picks up with Sal still wanting to exact revenge on those who wronged her and her country in the past.  
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett
• This comes out on September 11th.  This is supposed to be a Three Dark Crowns meets Pretty Little Liars.  Now I know nothing about PLL but I liked Three Dark Crowns so I thought I'd give it a go.  
• Lies by TM Logan
• I already started this and its a perfect family thriller.  I haven't gotten very far but its good.  This comes out on September 11th.
• The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• I've had this for a while now and its about time to get to it.  This comes out on September 18th.  I believe it is out in other countries though and I've seen good reviews.  It promises a murder mystery and a kind of weird groundhog day plot line.  Sounds really interesting.
• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
• This comes out in October, and is another YA thriller/horror novel.  The plot reminded me of my beloved R.L. Stine books that I adored in elementary school.  I couldn't get enough of them.  This sounds perfect for fall.  
• Broken Things  by Lauren Oliver
• I've read a bunch of Lauren Oliver's other books and I really like her thriller/mysteries.  I'm really looking forward to getting to this especially as we get into the fall.  This come out in October as well.

Audiobooks

I've got a ton of stuff on hold at the library so I'm not even going to mention them.  I never know what's going to happen audio-wise and most of them are repeat mentions from the past.  I do have 2 currently checked out so I will mention those.  Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake comes out on the 4th, and I'm looking forward to continuing The Three Dark Crowns Series on audio.

• Strange Weather by Joe Hill
• I haven't read anything by Joe Hill.  I love Stephen King so I'm anxious to see how his son's books compare.  I'm reading this for a challenge prompt as a book I saw a stranger reading.  There is always a gentleman sitting outside of my office building reading every morning before I got into work and he was reading this one day.  I just started it and it's interesting so far.
• Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
• I'm loving The Diviners series.  I love the historical aspect of the series and the paranormal happenings.  I really love the characters and the audio books are so gripping.  I already have this checked out and as soon as I finish Strange Weather I'm starting this.

August TBR

I'm starting to get caught up on my ARC list, unfortunately several of them are releasing on the same day.  I was doing really well until June hit then I got a bit slumpy and behind schedule.  All of my TBR is ARCs because I committed to having reviews posted by release day.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Point by John Dixon
• Netgalley recommended this to me because I reviewed something else, Nyxia I think.  This looks really interesting.  Future military cadets with superhuman powers, sounds amazing right?  I'm also a sucker for a female hero.  This comes out on August 7th.
• As Dust Dances by Samantha Young
• This is a follow on to Play On, but this standalone follows a different couple associated with the arts and music community.  The synopsis promises a tragic ending to a successful music career, a sexy record exec, and Sam always writes amazing romances and dialogue between her characters.  This comes out August 7th, I have and ARC and will be reading this next.
• These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
• I loved Raasch's Snow Like Ashes series and can't wait to read this.  It also comes out August 7th.  This promises pirates, magic, and rebellion.  Sounds awesome!
• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• I've had the ARC of this forever.  This is the sequel to Mask of Shadows, and follows a gender neutral assassin.  Sal is now one of the Queen's elite assassins, but she also wants to find out what happened to her family.  Book 1 was action packed and I'm looking forward to seeing where Sal's adventure takes us.  This is out on August 28th.

There are a couple of more books I want to get to in August but lets get through these ones first.  Jennifer L Armentrout's 1001 Dark Nights The Prince comes out in August as does Tijan's Crew.  I'm hoping to get to those and maybe some challenge books.  

Audiobooks

I'm still waiting on a bunch of these at the library, so we'll see what we get to this month.  Most of these are holdovers from July,

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Everyone keeps talking about how good this book is so I grabbed it on audio.  I had no intentions of reading this, but some of my favorite reviewers loved this so I thought I'd take a chance.  
• The Diviners by Libba Bray
• I keep hearing great things about this one as well.  I already started this and so far it is really interesting.  It started out a little slow, but I'm invested now.  I'm liking the paranormal spin to things and 
• Repeats from last month, still on the waiting list
• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• Warcross by Marie Lu