bookish_clara's reviews
725 reviews

A Fate Forged in Fire was such an enjoyable read, the world building was vivid and immersive with so much Celtic lore that I loved learning about, the unique magic system, the dragons, the political intrigue, the enemies to lovers was very well done with how it slowly developed over the course of the book along with the heartbreaking twists and turns that was carefully and well thought out.

It was so refreshing to see a strong FMC from the start in Aemyra who doesn't shy away from what her destiny is, though I will say it took me a little while to really connect with her and to fully grasp the world as a whole, there is a lot of world building and history to learn that it can feel a little slower paced and repetitive at times but the unfolding of the storyline kept me engaged enough that I couldn't wait to see how everything would plan out.

The dragons and the how the bonds were explained was one of my favourite things I loved how different this was and can't wait to learn hopefully more about them in the next book. I'm so excited to see what comes next as that cliffhanger hurt so much! 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this before publication, these are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I really loved Until The Stars Fall the first Interconnected standalone in this series when I read it last year, so I was really looking forward to reading about Calla and Matthis and it didn't disappoint. It is very different in style to UTSF where that was more of a cosy fantasy read Once the Skies Fade is more darker in the aspect of the storyline and I loved that Calla was such a strong and fierce FMC and it made a nice change to see the dynamic between her and Matthias.

The writing is so easy to understand and follow, I was instantly hooked from the very first page and loved the world building so much there felt so much more richness to it, the stakes were a lot higher and I enjoyed the trials and competitions immensely they were so intriguing. The emotions hit you a lot harder in this book and certain moments do pull at the heartstrings even more so than UTSF did, Vanessa writes such beautiful relationships between the characters - romantically or otherwise - and it's one of my favourite things to read. The balance between action, romance and spice was perfectly balanced, I loved every moment and highly recommend adding this to your TBR. 

Thank you so much to Vanessa and the team for the chance to read and review before publication. These are my honest thoughts.

This was my first book from Jen Williams and I really liked how easy the writing is  to understand and follow and found myself devouring this book rather quickly. I absolutely loved the world building that we are introduced to also how everything was plotted out and crafted from start to finish.

The beginning of the book started really strong for me and I found the concept behind the story so intriguing but I will say towards the middle it started to slow down in pace and I found it a little hard to keep me engaged at times. I enjoyed the dynamics of the relationship between Elver, Artair and Lucien and though at certain moments it felt a little forced or underdeveloped I did really enjoy their interactions together.

While there were moments that let it down for me it was still a solid YA Fantasy read with a really unique concept and beautiful worldbuilding. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to readband review this before publication, these are my honest thoughts.

This was such a fun and engaging YA fantasy, I loved the writing so much and found myself instantly captivated by the story and the FMC Blaze who has lead a sheltered life. The world building was so vivid and immersive and it reminded me of why I love fantasy and especially YA fantasy there is just something so comforting about reading it. 

I really enjoyed that as the story progressed at a steady pace we were giving insight into the development of the characters magical power and the action that we are drawn into that is driving each character through  centuries of tradition. I love anything with trials and really enjoyed how fresh and new the ideas for this story felt. 

There were plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming and while I was here for the romance between Blaze and the two MMCS that she finds herself involved with. I absolutely loved the sibling relationship between her and Flint and found it so endearing and it was definitely one of my favourite things about this story.

I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more about this world and these characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this before publication, these are my honest thoughts.

This book follows the fmc Sylina who has sacrificed her life, freedom and her eyes to the Archessen, a cult of the goddess of fate and the vampire Atrius who is known as the conqueror who Sylina finds herself given the mission to become his seer and then to kill him but she ends up finding out so much more about him and the world that might change her whole plan.

I love the way Carissa writes her fmc, they are strong and formidable but also have a vulnerable quality that makes them so much more relatable. The world building she creates is also one of my favourite things about her writing, it’s vivid and descriptive while also at the same time being clear and understable. 

The pacing in this book is a lot slower than the previous two books set in the Crown of Nyaxia world and it is heavily filled more round plot and action but still has a really beautiful slow burn romance that works. Sylina and Atrius complement each other perfectly they don’t talk about their feelings instead showing it in their actions towards each other. 

This can easily be read as a standalone but reading the Crowns of Nyaxia duology before will give more insight into the world building. 
Carissa is such a beautiful storyteller that you can’t help but look forward to what comes next.

Thank you so much to the Pan Macmillan team for the ARC via NetGalley and for the opportunity to share my honest thoughts.

I'm not sure there are enough words to completely express just how much I loved this book. Till Death the first book of this interconnected series was one of my favourite reads of 2024 so I couldn't wait for Nevermore and wow was this book captivating and immersive from the very first page, there is something so completely compelling and raw about Nevermore that resonants with me so much. 

The writing is beautiful and flows so easily from paragraph to paragraph, while the world building might seem confusing and complex it really isn't, in fact what Miranda has done has created a world that expands on requiem from Till Death and makes the city of Stirling so intricate in description and vividness, it's gritty and it's heartbreaking but there is also so much beauty hidden within what is at times a bleak and scary world that the characters find themselves living and trying to survive in.

Speaking of the characters, I adore Paesha her fierceness and determination as she finds herself bargaining with gods and the games they play, after she is thrown into a realm and left with riddles to find her way back to a child that she loves and who needs her. Paesha's story is heartbreaking and learning even more about it in Nevermore just breaks my heart all the more. The banter between Paesha and Thorn is brilliant and I love how they find themselves in this fake Marriage but slowly through passing notes learn to care and open up to each other, this is a slow build of a romance and Miranda wrote it so so well every touch, lingering looks were filled with so much tension and pining that when the spice finally hits it completely consumes them. The found family again is one of my favourite things, each character have their own demons and struggles yet are always there for each other.

While I had a feeling about one of the twists I never saw the ending coming with all of the revelations that Miranda threw at us. As Paesha's story is a duology I feel like while this was a heartbreaking and shocking ending it wasn't too bad of a cliffhanger to leave the story and I am so so excited and intrigued for Evermore and all it brings. 

 Highly recommend to anyone who loves Meddling Gods, Found Family, amazing worldbuilding, fake marriage with note passing and a beautiful slow burn romance.

Having prior knowledge of what to expect when it came to this book really helped with the kind of enjoyment I had while reading, it is set within Ancient Rome times and I can really see where the Game of Thrones likeness came from for the way it portrays the violence shown towards women, there are some rather tough moments to read so please be aware of this.

I loved the vividness of the world building and descriptions was clear and easy to understand and the writing was just so easy to  get lost in that I found myself reading it rather quickly. The slow build behind a romance is one of my favourite things to read as I love the tension and the angst that develops slowly between the characters and while at some moments this might of felt a little insta lust/love I loved that the MMC protected the FMC no matter the cost. While this is technically a standalone the storyline isn't resolved as the ending kind of sets up for what is to come in the next book which I am looking forward to. 

I haven't read very many shifter romances so this made a nice change for me personally to read about dragon Shifters, the pacing was also done really well. I really loved how the author infused the fantasy setting around Ancient Rome and though at times it was a little hard to read I did really enjoy it. 

*Please do check the trigger warnings as this book does hold some very heavy and dark themes and graphic scenes that can be triggering.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this before publication.

This Monster of Mine is so different to anything I've read in a while a story based around proscuters and judges but with magic and I absolutely loved this debut novel. Set against an ancient Roman inspired fantasy world we follow Sarai who at a young age suffererd a brutal ordeal and was left for dead so four years later she gets the opportunity to return to the capital to become a petitor (prosecutor) while giving her the perfect chance to investigate and plot her revenge on those who attempted to kill her, she finds herself assigned to Tetrarch (judge) Kadra her no 1 suspect. 

The main thing about this book that I loved was the depth and the complexity of each and every character and the extensive worldbuilding, which even though it took me a little while getting used to once I did it was so easy to understand and get lost in. Even though it was a fantasy book it felt so relatable while exploring and dealing with so many different themes and heavy topics that makes it feel all the more realistic.

While also being a murder mystery which again I was enjoying immensely, it does have a really beautiful slow burn romance between Sarai and Kadra which is more of a subplot but let me tell you this romance was so beautifully written from longing touches to lingering looks and snarky banter gave me everything I wanted and I loved it so much, it was perfectly developed throughout the story so when the spice came towards the end it made it so so worth it. I loved their relationship so much their dynamic is filled with so much uncertainty but it left every interaction between them so compelling, the character growth was also done so well and I really enjoyed how the romance didn't take away from the main plot but instead enchanced it. 

Please do check trigger warnings  though as the author does an amazing job at portraying some rather heavy themes, topics and emotions with vivid writing that can make it hard for some to read.