the_ya_assassin's reviews
377 reviews

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. Publishing, Lyndall Clipstone, Fierce Reads, and Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review and promotion on my social media.

Content warnings:
- Emotional/physical abuse by a parent
- Body horror
- Gore and blood (including description of wounds)
- Emesis
- Discussions of death and grief (no on-page details)
- Descriptions of drowning and deep water
- Drowning-related imagery
- Self-injury (in the context of a curse that requires regular physical sacrifices)
- Suicidal ideation

This book was a very interesting read for me. I didn't enjoy it QUITE as much as I thought I would BUT it has definitely put me in a dark, spooky spirit.

This story pulled me in from the first line: "There are monsters in the world." It immediately caught my attention and held it - I read this book in one sitting. When Violeta Graceling's brother, Airlen, is spotted by Lord Sylvanan when he has a shadow episode, the Lord asks Airlen to join him back at Lakesedge Estate. Violeta, our main character, forces the Lord to allow her to accompany them. Dark rumors surround the Lord - he supposedly drowned his parents and brother when he was a boy. She expects him to be a monster. But neither Rowan nor the estate are quite what they seem.
As Leta falls for Rowan (and vice versa), she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under (the devil pretty much. This was a nice touch on Clipstone's part - it helped build the world), the sinister god of the dead who lurks in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is unusually drawn to . . .
Now to save Rowan, her brother, and everyone in the world, Leta must admit and confront the darkness in her past and her connection to the Lord Under.

First things first, this was an enjoyable read. I felt that the character development was a bit lacking because I didn't feel connected to any of the characters - in fact, I kind of wanted Leta to die. She had one of my most hated tropes of all time: self-sacrifice. It was almost annoying how much she felt the need to protect her brother. I did like the banter between Rowan (the Lord) and Leta, but Rowan just looked handsome in my mind - we didn't get to see much of his personality or any of the characters to be honest.

Secondly, I think Clipstone could've extended the worldbuilding just a little further. I didn't feel FULLY immersed in the story, but I definitely could envision the scenes and their gothic-ness that was promised in the synopsis. The world had religious figures, stories, celebrations, and a little bit of government (however, Rowan's role is unclear besides showing up to events). But I wanted to know more about the land - were there other locations besides the three or four mentioned? What was the normal style of clothing? What did they usually eat? The magic system was lacking in specificity. What is the price of using personal magic? However, the imagery was really nice.

Thirdly, the plot was okay. Two of the four twists I didn't see coming. However, the other two were obvious from the start. The romance between Leta and Rowan reminded me quite a bit of Beauty & the Beast - the wolf scene and the garden gift (instead of the library) specifically. However, their love also felt rushed. In addition, much of the story was just Leta thinking about things and telling us stuff that honestly had no use to me (there was WAY too much prose and flowery writing). Near the end, I started skipping whole paragraphs and still understood what was going on - this was partially to blame because I wanted to know what happened next though.

Overall, there were just enough gothic, fall, spooky vibes for me to enjoy this story, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to sadly. I am looking to Forestfall after that ending though!

Review to come

Thanks to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for sending me a complimentary eARC of Little Thieves for reviewing purposes!

There’s a saying in the Blessed Empire: Little thieves steal gold, and great ones steal kingdoms, but only one goes to the gallows. I’m not sure I agree. I’ve little interest in kingdoms, but even less in dancing with the hangman. And I’ve gotten very good--great, you might even say--at stealing gold.

*4.5 stars*

Content Warnings:
- Abandonment
- Whipping
- Abuse
- Mention of past attempted sexual assault
- Panic attacks

Wow! This book amazed me in all the best ways and I loved the story. It is a very unique take on the Goose Girl. The way the story was told was awesome as well.

Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even her godmothers' love - she is the adopted daughter of the Low Gods, Death and Fortune. She was once Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago when she switched her life for Gisele's because she didn't want to be her godmothers' servant (they were forcing her to choose whom she would serve) and wanted to forge her own path (like Merida).

The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses Eiswald and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.

Vanja has just two weeks till the full moon to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with feral, half-god, and shapeshifter guardian, Ragne, Gisele's sinister fiancé, Adalbrecht, and an overeager Junior Prefect on Vanja's tail, she'll have to pull the biggest heist yet to save her own life.

First of all, I LOVED Vanja. She was very much an antihero at first and I LOVED it. She was like the female version of Kaz Brekker from the Six of Crows duology, and what could be better than that?! All of the other characters, Gisele, Emeric, Joniza, and Ragne, had developed personalities perfect for the story. Ragne being a shapeshifter and Gisele being LGBTQ+ were some interesting touches that added to the story. Also, did I mention enemies to lovers romance?

Secondly, the worldbuilding was fascinating. Think of a medieval fairytale in Germany mixed with modern language. I wish there was a better developed religious system because the Low Gods were so crucial to the plot. I wish we had gotten to learn more about them, kind of how the Percy Jackson books described their symbols and the myths they were involved in. Speaking of the Low Gods, I think the one turn-off I had with this book was the inciting incident, aka when Vanja was cursed. I didn't like how she was cursed by one of the Low Gods and wished she had befriended Ragne differently. The magic system was pretty well-developed too.

Plot-wise, the story started out very slow. All the pacing was spot-on, there was hardly any action. I also think that most of the story was just Vanja thinking, which was a bit annoying. The scenes were well described and each scene I could actually SEE. It was a great experience. The plot was majorly driven by the characters versus the actual action - I feel like this difference could have been more balanced and made Little Thieves even more of an enjoyable read. There were also some twists that I did NOT see coming.

The ending was VERY cruel considering I'm pretty sure this is a standalone (I PRAY it isn't, but since there isn't another confirmed book yet, I'm assuming it is). The cruel ending is quite similar to what Margaret Rogerson did to us in Sorcery of Thorns. If there is a sequel, I need it ASAP! Overall, Little Thieves is a great book! I will be picking up Margaret Owen's other books soon!

If you're looking for a good heist like Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo or an underrated retelling like Thorn by Intisar Khanani, this is the book for you.

5 stars simply because it made me cry and a book has never made me do that before

Thank you Bloomsbury YA Publishing, Netgalley, and Brigid Kemmerer for sending me an eARC to read and review.

"Mind your mettle."

Content Warnings:
- Death
- Illness
- Panic attacks
- PTSD
- Torture
- Violence

This story was a fun adventure! Think of a Robin Hood retelling, except instead of stealing GOLD from the rich, Tessa and Wes steal flowers from the rich. These flowers reminded me of the Sundrop Flower from Tangled since they had the power to heal/ guard against sickness (it is called the exact opposite- "Moonflower"). I feel like the main component in this book, the sickness, was a bit underdeveloped. I questioned if it was contagious or if just sprang up in people erratically. I feel that Harristan should have noticed the rise of cases and dislike for him in society and used common sense to fix them (limit nobility from overbuying petals, give more petals to poor). I admire Tessa because she was ballsy enough to stand up to the royals and distribute elixir to the poor. I also think Tessa is an interesting heroine since she was impulsive - she didn't even have a plan when she entered the castle and was captured.

I knew who Wes really was before she did though. Besides that obvious plot twist, the plot itself and pacing of the story were both amazing! It was well-written and kept my attention the whole time. I didn't want to put this book down. The worldbuilding kept me fully immersed in Kandala too. There wasn't an info dump at the beginning - it was dispersed evenly throughout Act 1. The second plot twist, who the Benefactors really were, was something I predicted as well. It seemed weird to me that only the guy's supply chains were being attacked and the lady returned to her country early.

On the downside, I felt like Tessa was a bit naive, and that Corrick was not ruthless as the synopsis said. He just showed people what they wanted - a villain. Tessa had a too simple view of life. However, I did like the romance between Tessa and Wes. I think Corrick, Tessa, and Harristan could have bonded more since they all lost their parents from one side (royalty assassinated by citizen of Kandala, parents killed by night squad).

Overall though, I enjoyed Defy the Night! Definitely moving the A Curse so Dark and Lonely trilogy up my TBR!

Thank you Disney Hyperion for sending me an eARC of "Feather and Flame" through Netgalley to read and review.

"We can't expect to be carried by fate toward what is worthwhile and good. We have to reach for it."

Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne is a great continuation of Mulan with all the action, strength, and feminism of the Disney movie.

In this second book in The Queen's Council series, we follow Mulan after the events of the Disney movie. After her victory against the Huns and saving all of China, she is a renowned hero. However, she decides to stay in her village versus joining the emperor's personal cabinet of advisors to train women into warriors.
When Shang arrives in her peaceful village with a message from the emperor, Mulan's life is upended. She returns to the Imperial City, and the emperor tells her that he wants to name Mulan his heir. He soon dies and the weight of the responsibility and power of being empress terrifies her. In addition, it is clear that not everyone in her country is happy with a woman ruler, and Mulan doesn't know who to trust. When treachery appears even in her village's militia, Mulan is afraid she isn't fit to rule.
However, with the help of the mysterious Queen's Council, Mulan uncovers her true destiny and owns her own power to save China once again.

Blackburne exquisitely wrote Mulan. She was the same heroine we saw in the Disney movie, which allowed me to connect with her more. The dashes of real Chinese history gave a nice twist to the continuation too. The worldbuilding was well-done, and it was clear Blackburne did her research.

The major twist in the book - who betrayed Mulan - seemed obvious to me since the quarter-done mark. There was one section, probably the 75-80% mark, where I found myself skimming because a lot of the writing had no real bearing on the story. Besides that though, I did NOT want to put it down!

I felt emotional for most of the story - Shang and Mulan's exchanges killed me every time - and my heart raced during the action scenes. I wish it wasn't SO PG because it could have been SO much for detailed, but I understand why Blackburne wrote it that way (I mean, it IS being published by Disney, which is family-friendly).

My only real issue with this book was that it seemed a bit rushed, and the writing wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. Overall though, a great book for Disney lovers and especially Mulan fans!

Many thanks to Clarion Books for sending me an eARC through Netgalley to read and review prior to the publishing date, and thank you Makiia Lucier for writing such a wonderful story.

Content Warnings:
- Implied torture
- Gore
- Illness
- Amputation
- Human experimentation

Year of the Reaper was a retelling of the Goose Girl combined with the infamous Black Plague. We start off with meeting Princess Jehan on her journey to marry the King of Oliveras, Rayan. After the prologue and meeting her, we shift to the POV of Lord Cassia. I don't read many books where males are the main character, so it was intriguing. In addition, the story is told entirely from a third-person limited point of view. Cassia was an interesting character since he could see SOME ghosts, but not others. I wish Lucier would have expanded more on this power versus only including when it was necessary, so it would be more believable (I know, seeing ghosts isn't REAL most of the time, but still). However, the rest of the story's elements were well-written. We find Cas on his journey back to his home, Palmerin Keep, after three years of being gone. He had been gone for three after he was captured and forced to labor for an enemy kingdom. To add to this, he nearly died from the plague that swept the lands at the time.

But he survives and finds his home the refuge of the royal court. He finds a web of lies and secrets after an assassination attempt on the queen and newborn prince. The king's sister and royal historian, Lena, helps him in his attempts to solve who was the assassin. It becomes obvious rather quickly who did it, but the why leaves them stumped. The only way they will figure it out is if they talk to the woman who was once closest to the queen when she was still a princess (THIS TWIST WAS AMAZING. I didn't see it coming at all and was like . . . WAIT WHAT?!?!?). The newfound peace created by Rayan and Jehan's marriage is threatened and Cas (with Lena's help) must figure it out before the war between Brisa and Oliveras is renewed. This plot kept be in its thrall and I binged this book in one day.

DO NOT JUDGE THIS BOOK BY ITS COVER. It is a beautiful cover, yes, but it has NOTHING to do with the story (besides the mace held by the statue on the cover). Honestly, the title doesn't really either (unless Lucier was liking the plague to a reaper and in that case, it does KIND OF make sense).

Year of the Reaper was also an interesting read for me because I haven't read a fantasy book in a LONG time that didn't have some sort of magic in it. I actually enjoyed it though, since the mystery more than made up for it. I think this book would have been better classified as paranormal and/or mystery for this reason. The worldbuilding was pretty good - I couldn't actually get a feel for the layout of the countries/ cities, and the history for WHY Brisa and Oliveras were at war was not mentioned, nor the start of the plague. However, the mention of literature, customs, weapons, and clothing were incorporated well.

My biggest problem: there was no real conflict in the story. Yes, there was an assassination attempt on the queen. Yes, there was a plague going on in the world. However, the assassination attempt felt very much like it was on the sidelines and the plague . . . the characters weren't even trying to fix it. They just ignored/avoided it. The other issue I had was with the side characters being flat, even Lena, the love interest (I would NEVER call this a "romantic" standalone as the synopsis promised, just FYI. Far from it, in fact).

Overall though, I enjoyed the story and found it very interesting.

Excellent depiction of the Holocaust that allows readers to fully understand the atrocities committed by the Nazis during Hitler's regime. Many quotes that will forever be in my mind.

Thank you Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of Bound by Firelight. Thank you Dana Swift for writing a great book.

"Appearances can lie and you can never truly tell who is on your side."

This quote leads me to my main problem with this sequel, and this way, I will get the bad things over with now. My biggest issue with Bound by Firelight was the fact that it was very predictable. The people who betrayed the Belwars were obvious from the beginning and nothing really surprised me. I was just waiting for a moment where a twist would catch me off guard, but alas, it was never delivered. I was a little surprised by the fact Adraa's real prison location, but it wasn't HUGE. I also predicted the fact in CiF that Adraa would learn how to cast without speaking.

My second issue - the pacing and plot didn't mix well IMO. The first half of the book was so slow, and all the reader got was Jatin worrying about Adraa versus really doing anything about it. On the other hand, if this entire book had been from Adraa's POV, the pacing would have been perfect because it would've helped build up to Adraa's climactic escape from the Dome.

The worldbuilding was still well-done as it was in the first book, and I saw progression in Jatin's character. Adraa had the same fire (see what I did there?) as she did in the first book, and I'm happy we got to see more of the side characters involved in the plot. I LOVED Harini - she's possibly my favorite character in the book lol.

Most of the loose ends were tied up, but there was one big plot hole that I believe was never addressed. How did Moolek brainwash the citizens/control what Adraa said? The ending left an open spot for future novellas or spin-offs, and I would really enjoy seeing a novella just about Adraa and Jatin.

Maybe the first book, Cast in Firelight, gave me too high expectations, but I think this was a little bit of a step back for Swift's writing. However, it was still a decent read - I laughed out loud and I teared up a bit near the end - and the characters/writing were good.

4.25 stars

I had fun reading this book! I read some reviews and wanted to discuss my thoughts on the fact that this was marketed as an "OwnVoices" book, but it wasn't actually an "OwnVoices" book, as well as address the Indian-inspired worldbuilding.

First of all, I don't believe Swift had any control over the white-washed characters on the cover. Most debut authors don't have control of their covers. I also think Swift purposely commissioned darker-skinned characters for the official art and character prints that came as the preorder incentive for this reason.
I also don't think she had control over how her marketers, well, marketed Cast in Firelight. It was not right of them to imply it was "OwnVoices" as it was not, which is why I'm glad Swift clarified this in her author's note. Her inclusion that this story was for her FUTURE children, who would be biracial due to her husband (who is Indian) was a nice touch. I think it clarified and covered her for the mistakes made by her marketers.

Secondly, my MAIN problem with this book was the modern language used in it. Using "menstrual cycle" and "period" took me out of the well-built world. Yes, I do think Swift built the world VERY well. The fact that it was based on medieval India was very clear. Although there were some discrepancies with the terminology, it wasn't problematic since she gathered since Swift most likely drew most of the information regarding Indian culture from her husband. Also, since it was a fantasy, I believe the use of some cultural traditions differently than they would occur in real life enhanced the story rather than diminished it. I really enjoyed learning about the Indian culture, including their language, their clothing, and their food.

Going along with worldbuilding, I saw a review that said the sexual harassment and objectivity of Adraa were inaccurate of Indian culture. I just want to point out that it really isn't. I've learned in my AP human geography class that a major issue in India right now is the system of dowries. It's actually illegal to continue dowries in India now because in 2000, the concept of who was receiving the dowry reversed. Originally, it was being given to the woman's family by the husband-to-be. In 2000, it became the man's family receiving it from the wife-to-be's family. This dowry system is based on arranged marriages, in which females marry whomever their fathers choose for them - no matter the male's age (which addresses the idea that almost being married to Jatin's uncle Moolek, who is 30+ years old, could actually be found in the Indian society). Women of color aren't the only ones who faced arranged marriages or dowries though - white women have dealt with arranged marriages as well, like if they were the firstborns in a wealthy or royal family. Historically, it has been seen in how daughters were married off to create alliances in medieval Europe and even now sometimes. I swear I'm not trying to diminish the hardships that women of color have gone through, but I'm saying women should stick together since most of us can relate to the other in some way versus trying to compete with one another on who lived a worse life.

Anyways, that was my long rant about how people didn't enjoy this book mainly because Swift was not a POC author who actually wrote about POC characters (though why do people complain about the characters in books not being diverse enough, but also complain when someone who isn't POC DOES write diverse characters? It's like they are damned if they do, damned if they don't unless they complete it perfectly and verbatim).

The magic system could have used more work, I think. Like names given to the different colors of magic instead of just "red magic", "orange magic", "yellow magic" etc. I also think the romance took up a little TOO much of the story, but I DID love it. I loved the banter between Jatin and Adraa, which I think took the place of the competition by the end of the book. I would've liked to see more of the competition. I also think their "disguises" and the fake identities they took weren't realistic. Like . . . they all knew how strong of a red forte Adraa was, so how could they NOT know she was also Jaya Smoke? At first, this dramatic irony was a nice touch. I liked the fight scenes, and the ending was iconic!

Overall, a good debut from Dana Swift. I have never been so thankful that Netgalley approved my request as I am for Bound by Firelight because that ending left me with so many questions and not a lot of answers. The words flowed well, and I could not put this book down (at least, not willingly).