Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia ****.5 - I recently read Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia and really enjoyed so when I saw this collection of stories from authors of colour I had to request it. Obviously as this review is for a blog tour it will be spoiler so my thoughts on the stories will be minimal but I honestly couldn’t wait to get into this collection. The Griot of Grover Street: Part 1 by Kwame Mbalia - We are introduced to Fort after the death of Aunt Netta, at her homegoing which is a code word for funeral Ford leaves and ends up bumping into a man called Gary the Griot. While this is only part one of the story we can gather that Gary travels between world collecting joy to deliver and seems to be taking Fort on as an apprentice. It was short and sweet and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next two parts.
They Met in a Tavern by Elijah Menchaca ***.75 - I have to mention a few things before I get into my review of They Met in a Tavern. The first, is that this book was devoured in a single sitting and for a book of over 400 pages is a real compliment. The second is that I wasn’t expecting this to be as humorous as it was and it really reminded me of Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames which I adored. Honestly, TMIAT comes across as a more light-hearted version of Abercrombie who I also adore.
Fence: Volume 1 by C.S. Pacat ****.5 - I didn’t know much about Fence before getting into it other than it follows fencing. We are following Nicholas who is the illegitimate child of a retired fencing champion as he gets into the prestigious Kings Row private school. As this is a fairly short graphic novel my review isn’t going to be overly long but I wanted to read the comics before getting into the new full-length novels based off these comics.
Fence: Volume 2 by C.S. Pacat **** - So, Volume 1 ends with Nicholas and Seiji finding out they are going to be roommates at Kings Row and that they will both be competing for a spot on the fencing team which is obviously going to cause a lot of tension between the pair but hopefully it will foster an environment of understanding too. Volume 2 of Fence not only brings us a lot of fencing but introduces us to some more key characters and really demonstrates the difference in skill levels between some of the fencers.
Fence: Volume 3 by C.S. Pacat *** - Volume 2 of Fence introduced us to a lot more characters and two interesting storylines and I eager to see where they go. Volume 3 of Fence was very disappointing for me as it seems to be focusing too much on the sport and not enough on the characters. I mean Seiji and Nicholas are the main characters and we know virtually nothing about Seiji and very little about Nicholas. I was expecting a lot more backstory and character development in this instalment that just didn’t arrive.
Fence: Volume 4 by C.S. Pacat **** - Volume 3 of Fence a let-down after the first two volumes but I am hoping volume 4 can bring it back. Volume 4 definitely brought back what the first two volumes had with more focus on the characters, their relationships and their unity as a team when it matters the most. Seiji was the standout character of this volume for me as we see his character beginning to shift slightly already and I can’t wait to see more of that.
If the RPG World Had Social Media Volume 1 (light novel) by Yusuke Nitta **.5 - I have really ventured into the world of light novels except with manga I am heavily invested in but when I saw If the RPG World Had Social Media and some other light novels available on NetGalley I had to request them. If the RPG World Had Social Media was an interesting read as it combines the similar world of SAO and Overlord with the genres and themes found in Konosuba which I didn’t vibe with at first but it kind of grew on me.
The Dare by Harley Laroux ****.5 - I didn’t know anything about The Dare before getting into it other than we are following Jessica, a girl who isn’t very nice and her favourite victim, Manson and a game of truth or dare gone very wrong. This is labelled as a dark romance so check all the trigger and content warnings before picking up this book. For a short erotic novella The Dare definitely starts off strong as it introduces us to the characters, their history and begins to develop the sexual attraction between them while maintaining the dark undertones. We learn that Jessica and Manson have history together from high school, Jessica was the popular girl while Manson was the weird kid everyone picked on. After breaking up with her boyfriend, Kyle, Jessica ends up kissing Manson and when Kyle finds out he goes to beat Manson up. While Jessica does warn him she does nothing to stop the events from happening which eventually leads to Manson pulling a knife on Kyle and attempting to stab him getting him kicked out of school.
Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror (Tales of Terror Book 1) by Chris Priestley ***** - So I remember reading both Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror and Tales of Terror from the Black Ship as a child and scaring the pants of myself more than once and I wanted to revisit this series as an adult to see if I still love it. As this is a collection of stories bound together each paragraph will be relating to a specific story. Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror begins with us being introduced to Edgar who is seen as a strange child and because of this he begins spending a lot of time with his uncle to hear the numerous stories his uncle had. Edgar does notice that his uncle’s house and the land surrounding are very strange but he doesn’t pay much attention to it, one this trip his uncle beings telling him a story about a tree that he fears is too scary for Edgar but he insists that his uncle tell it so he does.
Down to Earth by Betty Culley ****.5 - Before I jump into my review I have to say that Betty Culley has definitely become an author I will be reading more from in the future and Down to Earth changed my opinion on middle grade novels. Before reading Down to Earth I very rarely picked up middle grade books because they didn’t grip me, the writing was too simplistic and they didn’t tackle themes that I enjoyed but Down to Earth shattered all those opinions I had and it is impossible for me to express quite how much I loved this book. We are following a shy, quiet boy named Henry who comes from a long line of water witches, that was interesting to begin with as witch characters tend to be female, and it is his journey of navigating his community, family and the larger universe and finding his place within it all. Down to Earth is most definitely a book that has earnt a permanent place on my Kindle and I know I will be rereading this in the future.
Daddy’s Angel by K. A. Knight **** - K. A. Knight has been all over TikTok because of Den of Vipers which I do own but haven’t read, however, when I saw they also wrote Daddy’s Angel I decided to pick it up. We are introduced to Lexi who is dating Justin as she meets his father, Tyler for the first time at his birthday party. We can see that the attraction between the pair is immediate but both decide not to do anything about it because of the fact that Lexi is dating Tyler’s son. However, Lexi during this time teases Tyler and solidifies the fact that he is attracted to her and uses this to her advantage to spice up her relationship with Justin without his knowledge. Eventually Lexi learn that Justin cheated on her and they break up and Tyler appears at the burlesque club where Lexi works and the game is on. The pair finally give into temptation and the bathroom scene was very hot and shows that both Lexi and Tyler have a daddy kink which is my guilty pleasure in books like this. We also see during this scene that there isn’t just sexual attraction between Lexi and Tyler, Tyler genuinely cares for Lexi as a person and is interested in her hobbies and dreams and wants to get to know her better. They end up leaving the club together to start the beginning of their relationship and while this isn’t the most sophisticated writing it gets the job done.
Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis ****.5 - I want to start this review off by saying that I have many young adult books labelled as horror or thrillers that have completely missed the mark but Jessica Lewis hits a bullseye with Bad Witch Burning. I honestly wasn’t expecting much when I picked it up and it completely blew me away, it was dark, grim and extremely scary in certain parts and it definitely doesn’t lack violence as well as a lot of physical and emotional trauma so definitely read the trigger warnings before picking it up. We are introduced to Katrell who is coming from a really bad environment as she is abused and neglected by her mother and her numerous boyfriends as well as working over 30 hours a week to keep the household running as her mother puts a lot of pressure on her to do this. The only person who has any positive influence on Kat’s life is her best friend Will who is a former foster kid and has been through many of the same situations Katrell finds herself in but there is more to her than we expect.
Captive Prince (Captive Prince Book 1) by C. S. Pacat ***.75 - After reading Fence by the same author I was intrigued to learn she had a fantasy romance series out as well. Upon reading the reviews I noticed they were extremely divided and I wanted to know what I thought of it so I decided to pick it up. All I knew about this book was we are following Damen, the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos as he is sold to Prince Laurent from the Court at Vere after his half brother seizes power and sells him as a pleasure slave. The novel opens with us witnessing what lead to Damen being captured and sold as a slave and how his brother, Kastor has seized the throne upon the death of their father. Damen very quickly realises that fighting is pointless especially when he realises that he has been sent to the heart of enemy territory, the Court of Vere and that here it is safer to be a nameless slave rather than a Prince. However, Damen’s pride often shine through leading the situations where he is beaten and drugged but he resists fighting back because he knows it will only make it worse for him and he needs to be ready when an opportunity to escape arises. Laurent seems to be arrogant but Damen does notices something strange about his relationship with his uncle, the Regent.
The Doctor (Nashville Neighborhood Book 1) by Nikki Sloane **** - The Doctor starts off by introducing the main characters Cassidy, her boyfriend, Preston and his father, Dr. Lowe. Cassidy and Preston have been together for years but recently she has noticed changes in his behaviour and she isn’t sure that she likes the new version of Preston. When he fails to turn up to her grandmother’s funeral because he has forgotten and gone to the cinema with his friend she decides it is finally time to call things off with him. She notices on this day as well that Dr. Lowe seems to be showing an interest in her which she has noticed before but done nothing about. When Dr. Lowe tells her that she should break things off with Preston which she already has, he comforts her which eventually leads to them kissing. After reading Daddy’s Angel by K. A. Knight I am really come to appreciate an older man in these sorts of novels and I can’t wait to see where this novel goes.
I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss (Light Novel Vol. 1) by Sarasa Nagase **** - I haven’t heard anything about this series before but it sounded like an interesting take on the isekai genre. We are introduced Lady Aileen as her betrothal to Cedric Jean Ellmeyer, the crown prince of Imperial Ellmeyer is being dissolved so he can be with Lilia. Aileen or the person in Aileen’s body remembers the plot of this particular game although she has always been Lilia and decides that she is going to change the outcome of the game where Aileen dies but she doesn’t know how until she decides to ally herself with Demon King, Cedric’s enemy. We learn that girl who is currently Aileen had been sickly in her human life and spent a lot of time playing the game, Regalia of Saints, Demons, and Maidens in which she know finds herself which should give her an advantage but her memories are still full of holes since she only just got them back. Her new aim is to seduce and marry, Cedric’s older half-brother, Claude Jean Ellmeyer, also known as the Demon King. Aileen is aware of the fact that in most endings of the game she dies and that is what she is trying to prevent and the only way to do that is to seduce Claude and prevents him from awakening as the Demon King which is going to be hard as Claude initially wants nothing to do with her and sends her away despite her protests but she knows given time and the right leverage she can break him down to where she needs him to survive.
Mary, Will I Die? By Shawn Sarles *** - Before I start this review I want to clarify that I have a love, hate relationship with young adult horror at the best of times because horror to me is gory, gritty and dark and young adult books like Mary, Will I Die are sadly lacking in all of those elements. However, there was some great character work and a really creepy atmosphere that kept me feeling on edge all the way through the book. We are introduced to our main characters, Elena, Steph, Grace and Calvin. One day as a tornado arrives they decide to play Bloody Mary as it is rumoured that if you say her name 13 times she will show you your true love or that you will die in the next five years. When they play all three girls see someone else that is supposedly their true love but only Calvin sees that he is going to die but almost all of them lie about this.
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