rxnnmelody's reviews
196 reviews

The Night Ends With Fire by K.X. Song

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adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Stormborne Vine by Tilly Wallace

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adventurous hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 
I received an eARC of The Stormborne Vine courtesy of NetGalley, the author Tilly Wallace, and the publisher, Ribbonwood Press. The Stormborne Vine is set in Regency England where ladies should be proper and kempt (and most certainly do not wear trousers), but Fern Oakley is much more than what society demands of a noble woman. She takes up the legacy of her deceased father as a botanist and supports her entire estate by growing and selling rare botanical species to alchemists and magical practitioners alike. She is called in for assistance at the pompous Lord Warrington’s estate to examine why the soil around his property is decaying. During her first night there a storm brings to life not just a carnivorous ivy but an adorable origami dragon. In this cozy, magical realism novel Fern uses her wits and resources to  solve the arising issues on Lord Warrington’s estate. 

I absolutely relished this book. Magic is real, dragons are real, but the world building was also mixed with the societal demands of 1800s England and I had no trouble immersing myself into the story. I loved following Fern as our main character because she is smart, resourceful, and kind. I adored the supporting characters who brought their pieces of individualism to the plot, such as her Uncles who love her for who she is and not the noble woman she should be, the  Oakley estate workers who help Fern in anyway the can, and her knew friend Millie who is being suppressed by her brother Lord Warrington. This book was pleasantly crafted and everything just felt well paced from one chapter to the next. 

Thank you again to those involved for giving me an eARC of The Stormborne Vine. 5/5 stars. I can’t wait to read more of Fern Oakley’s adventures and hope her story doesn’t end here. 

 
The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 
I received an eARC of The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao from NetGalley. 

Àn’yīng and her sister have had their lives torn apart due to the ongoing war between The Kingdom of Night, where demonic creatures known as the mó hail from, and the Kingdom of Rivers where Àn’yīng and her sister reside with their dying mother. Their father died in this war and Àn’yīng’s mother was barely saved from death but now suffers an almost constant catatonic state. Àn’yīng decides to enter a tournament (called the Immortal Trials) with the Immortals in hopes for the immortal pill which is granted to the winner that will return her mother to her lucid state. Along the way, Àn’yīng forges unlikely alliances and discovers startling truths about herself and truths that could change the tide of the ongoing war. 

This book was superb, and somewhere around 40% I blinked and was at 75%. I stayed up the rest of the night to finish it because I couldn’t possibly stop where I was in the story. The mó being reminiscent of vampires was intriguing for me.  I loved Àn’yīng relationship with the friends she made during the Immortal Trials and some of the twist of some of the other relationships. I found the story fast pace, and our main character Àn’yīng complex; meaning she has a rigid viewpoint about some things in the beginning but as the story progresses so does she. 

Thank You NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the eARC of The Scorpion and Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao. This book was addicting and suspenseful, and I can’t wait for the second part of this book in this duology to be released. 5/5 stars. 

 
All Hallows Hex: A Witchy Cozy Midlife Mystery by Nancy Stewart

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 
I received an eARC of All Hallow’s Hex by Nancy Steward from NetGalley. A sibling runned magical wine farm in California is experiencing misfortune on their property when a dead body is found the night of the town’s annual festival. The Windthorne family also found anti-magic relics preventing them from brewing their magical wine of the season. As Iris, the story’s center perspective, investigates as more secrets are revealed.

This book is described as a cozy midlife mystery and that is exactly what it gives. The Windthornes are all older with children of their own, with the main character Iris going threw perimenopause symptoms, a strained relationship with her college daughter due to the death of the father/husband and due to the magical powers her daughter does not want. As a woman who is in her late 30s, I think also perimenopausal, it was nice to read a witch fantasy with characters around my age frame with relatable issues. This had the same vibes, to me, as an episode of Charmed but instead of taking place at p3, this took place on the family wine farm.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC. 4 out of 5 stars.  

 
Erin's Diary: An Official Derry Girls Book by Lisa McGee

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Cracker of a book
The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo

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adventurous emotional funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 I received an eARC of Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan from NetGalley and Harper Voyager Publishing. Immortal is about Liyen, Princess of Tianxia, ascending her place on the throne after her grandfather dies which is held under the thumb of the Immortal ruler Queen of the Golden Desert. Liyen is determined to not let her grandfather’s death be in vain and swears to herself she will free Tianxia under the rule of Queen of the Golden Desert. When she is summoned to make her pledge to the Immortal Queen, she forms an unexpected alliance with The God of War to help free her people of Tianxia from Immortal rule. 

I love Sue Lynn Tan’s Celestial Kingdom books and was ecstatic when Sue Lynn Tan announced a standalone in the Celestial Kingdom universe about The God of War and a mortal enemies to lovers story. The characters, the worlding building, the plot being laid out but then expanded and turned as the story progressed was just incredible storytelling. Liyen was intelligent, empathic, vulnerable, and noble. The God of War’s entrance scene immediately had me swooning and falling faster for him than cautious Liyen. One of the secondary characters, Chengyin, was absolutely adorable and it is always refreshing to have platonic relationships between male and female characters. I felt like this book kept me on my toes with the direction the story was going, and I mean that in the best way. The writing flowed with the plot turns Sue Lynn Tan was taking.

When I received the email from NetGalley saying I received an eARC I couldn’t be how fortunate I was because, like I stated above, I absolutely love these Celestial Kingdom books and I’ll keep following Sue Lynn Tan wherever her writing journey takes her. 5/5 stars and thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this amazing book. 

 
The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Siren, the Song, and the Spy by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0