the_ya_assassin's reviews
377 reviews

*4.2 stars*

"You're too strong to let a mortal decide your fate . . . And you sure as hell aren't going to decide mine."

This book is amazing! It has a fantastic mixture of intricate worldbuilding, excellent characters, and a nice magic system! There was only one thing that I disliked and it was crucial to the plot, so I had to give this book less than 4.5 stars.

First of all, the worldbuilding. It was so exquisite and I felt fully immersed the entire time. Jordan Ifueko presented us with an intricate magic and governmental system, plus amazing settings for each scene. Secondly, the characters. Tarisai is super cool and the core cast left nothing to be desired. Tarisai is fiery and headstrong. Next, I think the plot was interesting and unique - I've never a story quite like this one. I was pleasantly surprised by it!
The only thing I disliked was the whole memory loss situation. I hate when memory loss is used to further along the plot and it's very annoying. But that was the only thing I didn't like, thank goodness!

Soooooooooooooo glad I won an ARC of Redemptor, 'cause now I don't have to wait for it to come out next month! Review for it to come soon as well!

This book was a let down for me. It wasn't nearly as good as it sounded or as I had hoped it would be.

The kingdom/setting of Perin Faye was once prosperous prior to the greedy and power-hungry Thungraves kings, who stole their magic and crown from the previous rulers by killing their royal family. Maralyth Graylaern is a vintner's daughter and the MC. She has had magic forever and discovers that it is actually a sign that she has royal blood and a claim to the Perin Faye throne. Alac Thungrave, the current Thungrave king's second son, has hated being the spare heir to Perin Faye and hates all things to do with his father's magic and the throne. He'd much rather be working on his own vineyard than be the second prince. When Maralyth is forced to make her claim for the throne by killing the royal family and taking the throne, a chase occurs in an "adventure" of stolen magic, court schemes, and enemies to lovers romance.

This book was meh. The original setting of the vineyard was interesting, but once we got to the palace, it was pretty boring. There were no subplots to make the story better, though it was original as I've never read a book quite like this one. Though it was really predictable. The characters were the classic cookie cutter YA characters though and the magic system was dull. The female lead, Maralyth, was an innocent girl who was sucked into a court scheme about hidden magic and the love interest, Alac, was the usual prince. They didn't have any character, if you know what I mean. They weren't different from others and were flat characters. They had no character development either.
I did enjoy his and Tucker's (one of Alac's personal guards and best friend - you might call it a bromance lol) banter though. The magic system was not well thought-out and pretty one-way, if you know what I mean. And the amount of tropes used in The Stolen Kingdom were enough for several books . . . love at first sight/ instalove, enemies to lovers, characters pretending they don't like their crush, light and dark magic, hidden royalty . . .
Speaking of romance, the romance in "The Stolen Kingdom" was . . . bad. I almost would've preferred there wasn't a romance in it to begin with. I almost wish it had been more enemies to lovers, where they started out as enemies and then in a sequel, they became lovers. But this book, thank goodness, doesn't have a sequel.

Overall, pretty disappointed, but hope the next book I read will be better!

I received an eARC via Netgalley. Thank you so much Books Go Social publishing for providing me with this eARC!

"It's okay to allow yourself a moment of happiness, even when you're stuck in a storm and the lights have gone out."

Tessa (short for Quintessa) O'Sullivan has been having a rough year so far - she's been fainting, blacking out, frightening nightmares, and keeps forgetting things. She has no idea who/ what she actually is or the world of fairies and gods she's originally from. She doesn't even know magic exists.
When Tessa's Mom and Grams are kidnapped, she's thrust into the magical world she was once a part of with deadly curses. Two boys help protect her - musician Cyrus Burns, a boy who could just as easily be her soulmate as a thief, and Edric, a lifelong friend (and previously, her lover) who happens to be King of Tir Na Nog (aka faerie land).
Trusting either of them is not an option for Tessa as they keep withholding dangerous secrets from her. If Tessa doesn't break the curse on her and save her family, they will be lost forever and she'll be dragged to the Underworld forevermore. She finds out that despite being an immortal unicorn queen, there are some fates worse than death.

First of all, I have no strong feelings for this book. I enjoyed some parts and disliked some parts. If I had read this when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I would've loved it. Sadly, as I am older than that, I didn't enjoy it as much.

Secondly, I had two main problems with "Winged" - the way it was written and the memory loss. I will say this again and again - I absolutely HATE when an author uses memory loss as a way to further the plot. It is very annoying and it makes the reader frustrated. My other problem was the way it was written. What I mean by this is when the scenes changed, I felt like I missed something because we jump. I thought I might've skipped a couple pages or something, but no, it was just the way it was written. Also, the characters while speaking wasn't done well either - I felt like they should've shown more emotion or movements while talking. Because of these issues, I sometimes found myself skimming and even worse, I couldn't picture the scenes because they weren't described (hardly) at all.

Thirdly, there was next to no worldbuilding. I couldn't tell you a single scene that actually had any descriptions about the room or place the characters were in.

The parts I DID like:
- My favorite scenes took place in Ireland
- The love triangle - I LOVED seeing Cyrus especially
- The plot - it was a nice plot, the writing was just lacking which made the book not as enjoyable

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed. I am hoping the next book I read is better.

Review to come

Thank you TBR Beyond Tours for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, y'all. This book pleasantly surprised me. For a debut, [a:Laura Rueckert|19365618|Laura Rueckert|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1597423111p2/19365618.jpg] wrote [b:A Dragonbird in the Fern|57827123|A Dragonbird in the Fern|Laura Rueckert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1619180731l/57827123._SY75_.jpg|72138260] soooooooooooo well. Like, I can't even describe how well this was written. I will try though.

First of all, I HAVE to talk about the worldbuilding - it was out of this world! Rueckert gave us customs, religion, flora, fauna, economy, INT relations, and languages. It was absolutely amazing and it fully immersed me!

The characters, on the other hand, were kind of bland. They didn't have much personality, though Jiara definitely had some character development. I still cheered on Jiara and Raffar the whole time, but I wish we could've gotten more about them and how the citizens of their countries were living. However, Jiara being dyslexic made her more relatable and real.

I don't really understand where the title of the book came from though. There are dragonbirds in the story, yes, but they are literally only mentioned once, besides the three other times Jiara's mother calls her "my dragonbird".

It was interesting though - the earthwalkers were an interesting concept, as well as the many subplots that worked against the main characters. On the other hand, it was predictable, plus there were some things that just didn't make sense - such as when Jiara would get all frazzled, worrying about finding Scilla's murderer, but then she started worrying about something else. And I don't think she ever really worried about the impending war. As Ron Weasley would say, "she really needs to set her priorities straight."

I feel like this story would've been much better if there had been more time taken with the characters, as well as with the actual writing itself - if it had gone just a little deeper into Jiara's thoughts and the things going on in the world.

My stop in TBR Beyond's Tour is where I shared 15 reactions to A Dragonbird in the Fern! If you'd like to see, go check it out on my Bookstagram, @the_ya_asssassin

*4.5 stars*

"The things we fear the most are often the things we should fear the least. It's irrational, but it's what makes us human. And if we're able to conquer those fears, then there is nothing we're not capable of."

I didn't believe all of the things I heard about this book. I suppose I didn't want to believe them because me enjoying this type of book would be preposterous.

Well. I am so very glad I did read this book.

It made me laugh. It made me want to cry. It made me feel so enlightened and powerful. It was a heartfelt story that I'm sure will carry through the ages. It has left an imprint on me as much as Arthur and the children left on Linus.

First of all, the world was very immersive. I swear I was on Marsyas Island with the gang. MICOMY was very well executed too. The world had its rules (see Rules & Regulations Handbook for that

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for granting me access to an eARC

*4.5 stars*

"I gave up everything to take my sister's spot. Not because I wanted to win---but because I was willing to bet my life on saving others."

After the publication of "A Tradition of Tragedy" (a novel about the Blood Veil curse and the seven families who participate in it - this was such a great worldbuilding element), the unknown city of Ilvernath is put front and center of the world. People who want to see and those who disagree with the Blood Veil Championship come to visit its spell shops and ruins to watch as the age-old curse unfolds with 7 new champions from each of the 7 families (the irony of 7 is not lost on me). The winner of the Blood Veil curse's family receives control of the most powerful and highest magick in the world.
In the past, the devilish and secretive Lowes family have won nearly every tournament, and this year, Alistair Lowe believes he is ready to continue that tradition. However, each champion participating this year has something to bring to the table, or maybe even a way to end the tournament permanently.
But this story is dark and told with blood.

This book was a dark, twisted version of the Hunger Games with the addition of magick and curses. I had very few issues with this book, and I am so glad I was able to enjoy it. My only issues with it were:
- The worldbuilding, while lacking in the world aspect, was nice - I wish the authors had shared a LITTLE more about the world outside of Ilvernath.
- The title - none of the characters were villains, per se. They didn't WANT to kill one another (besides Gavin, of course). It would've been more fitting for the "Blood Veil Tournament", or something like that.
- The pacing was a little off. The beginning was a little slow. I wish there had been less focus on setting up the plot and more on the actual plot (which would've actually given us a complete ending - that cliffhanger is manageable, but kind of cruel). The ending was really fast - so fast, we didn't even get to finish the tournament.

Everything else was top-notch though. I enjoyed the four POVs we got (Isobel, Alistair, Gavin, and Briony) and the Ilvernath world building was good - we got the structure, the rules, and the consequences. [b:All of Us Villains|55337041|All of Us Villains (All of Us Villains, #1)|Amanda Foody|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614264665l/55337041._SX50_.jpg|86298152] is definitely a mind twister and fast-paced. I couldn't put it down!

"We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the GOOD this world deserves . . . You remind me that hope is not lost."

People lived because she died was a KILLER first line. Our main character, Zafira, is the Hunter. A "man" renowned for venturing into the cursed Arz forest and coming out sane and safe to keep the people on the poor, western side of Demenhur. If Zafira is exposed as a girl, a Huntress as opposed to a Hunter, all of her achievements will be disregarded. When Zafira is given an invitation to restore magic to the lands of Arawiya, she takes a leap of faith and joins the quest.
People died because he lived was a great way to introduce Nasir. A trained assassin AND the son of the Sultan, he is known as the Prince of Death. He is sent on errands to kill those foolish enough to oppose his father. Nasir secretly hides the compassion he holds for his kills - if his true feelings were to be discovered, his father wouldn't punish HIM, he'd punish those he cared about. Nasir is sent on a mission by the sultan - retrieve the item Zafira is also looking for and kill her.
Both are legends in Arawiya, however, neither wants to be.
War is brewing after the sultan killed one of the five caliphates and is becoming more controlling. In addition, the dangerous Arz will reach cover the lands of Arawiya if the pair can't stop it by finding the lost artifact, the Jawarat. It can restore the magic, stop the Arz, AND put an end to the suffering in Arawiya. However, the ancient evil who killed the magical Six Sisters of Old stirs as they embark on their journey, and the prize might pose a worse threat than either could imagine.

Overall, this book was good. It got me out of my reading slump (for the most part).
Here are my issues:
- The pacing was a bit off. The start was really slow and I feel like it showed too much of the main characters' regular lives. Then, the middle part varied between being slow and fast. Finally, the last part was really fast.
- The majority of the twists were predictable. There was only one twist at the VERY end that I didn't see coming.
- The characters didn't seem fully fleshed out to me. I mean, no character is going to be perfect, but I feel like they just weren't as real to me. I DID like them though.

I LOVED:
- The world was soooooooo perfectly fleshed out. It had curse words that couldn't be perfectly translated, a government system, social norms, differences between the lands. It was AMAZING.
- The story was nice. This book was very original - I've never read anything like it in the fact of the location and the characters.
- The characters were nice. I laughed out loud several times because of the banter between Altair and Nasir and I loved Zafira's sarcasm. I hope Nasir and Zafira put aside their differences and get together. Although, I would've much preferred if she had ended up with Deen.

It was an interesting read and I really enjoyed myself on Zafira's and Nasir's quest! Looking forward to read [b:We Free the Stars|46223364|We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya, #2)|Hafsah Faizal|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570454006l/46223364._SY75_.jpg|64663993]!

*4.5 stars*

"I suppose you can't help being a saint, any more than I can help being a viper."

WOW! That's all I can say is wow! Somehow, this sequel was even better than the first book. Tarisai has partnered up with Dayo to rule the Aritsar empire. She made a new treaty with the abiku, the dead, to journey to the Underworld and save thousands of sacrificial Redemptor lives. However, she must first anoint a Council of her own, so she is invincible to all 13 deaths and become a full Raybearer. As she starts convincing the other rulers in Aritsar to love her (or the idea of her, as the case may be), she begins to hear and see dead Redemptor children who never returned from the Underworld, demanding her help - the first few months of ruling Aritsar are hard as Tarisai strives to gain the love and support of her realm. Assassination attempts are made on her life as well as a rebellion led by the Crocodile.
With the lives of her family, friends, and citizens at stake, Tarisai fears the pressure and weight of the Raybearer and Empress power she has - and she must figure how to brave it and learn to ask for help from her loved ones before it's too late for her to understand.

In this sequel, Tarisai learns that power is a strange thing - you can make many good things come to pass, but you also have to learn to live with the consequences and backfire from those who disagree with how you are changing things. I saw good improvement in Tarisai's conviction and determination. On the other hand, the side characters (Tarisai's family and council) could've used a little more work though. The worldbuilding was as impeccable as in [b:Raybearer|50158128|Raybearer (Raybearer, #1)|Jordan Ifueko|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567330635l/50158128._SX50_SY75_.jpg|70180082] and I deeply enjoyed the story. I hated putting this book down to go do something because it was fully immersive. It's the first fictional world I've been able to read and not think about everything I have to do in this world since May. My one issue with Redemptor was that Tarisai was only in the Underworld for about three chapters.

However, I am deeply grateful to [a:Jordan Ifueko|19119306|Jordan Ifueko|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1567263108p2/19119306.jpg] for writing this duology and I can't recommend it enough. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when/if you decide to pick it up.

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for sharing my honest review across my platforms and retailing sites.

"My mom is always going on about balance and she's right about that at least; magic is like fire, pretty on a birthday cake but deadly if you set fire to something you shouldn't."

Mark of the Wicked was a dark read in some parts, very contemporary in others. You can definitely tell it was [a:Georgia Bowers|19990357|Georgia Bowers|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]' debut, but overall, it was well-written.

Matilda, our main character, was annoying at first. She is mad that her mother sent her father away and abuses her magical abilities to be rebellious (her mother preaches that magic is only to be used when necessary). Matilda just wants to experience everything there is and is a ball of revenge and spite. She uses magic for her own gain and lives a life free of the consequences and scars of her wrongdoings due to a stolen spell from her family's grimoire.
When a spell against her fake ex-best friend, Ashley, has her running through the school hallways, she runs into someone who catches her magic. Oliver already knows about magic though - and he wants to learn more. As Oliver and Matilda hang out more and more, strange things happen: Matilda experiences blackouts, dead animals with carvings on their bodies (pinning Matilda as a suspect), and then Ashley is found dead with the same markings. She isn't responsible though.
As her magic seems to be draining, Matilda begins sleuthing for the truth and figuring out what makes a good witch exactly. She must figure it out before anything or anyone else turns up dead.

The story was good. I enjoyed the mystery of who was behind the killings but was unhappy with how it was in the background of the story (the majority focused majorly on Oliver and Matilda's relationship). The twist of who was actually the culprit was obvious to me from the start and I picked up several phrases that were used over and over (I HATE repetition). In addition, I wasn't expecting the very contemporary setting with phones and cars and such. When I think of witches, despite them being real, I think fantasy - a cottage in the woods, just like how the Hollowell family lived. The characters were . . . meh. I honestly didn't care if any of them lived or died beside Nana May. Honestly, the ending was my favorite part because of all of how Matilda took on the killer.

Overall, I was let down by this book due to the number of contemporary elements, the carelessness with the characters, repetition, and the predictability. The only saving graces of this book were the ending, Nana May, and the little magic it contained.