btwnprintedpgs's reviews
1269 reviews

It's always bittersweet when a series comes to an end. Empire of Gods and Beasts had a grand but also sentimental finale that was absolutely perfect for this story and its characters.

As a whole, I really loved this series. The sweeping desert landscape, the political tension between our characters and the Oasis Kingdom, the oppression and scapegoating against the Ling (particularly the shouren), the four POVs of our favourite characters (Desert Rose, Wei, Windshadow, and Meng), all come together and clash within this epic finale.

Joyce Chua proves herself a storytelling master. Every book weaves in the events of the previous instalments to show the impact of previous events, as well as remind readers in an organic way of the the things that have already come to pass. It really helped to flesh the characters out further and remind us of their motivations and intentions. This also helped to continue to shape the world and its lore and history. As a whole, I found the story so easy to digest and I was so invested in their journey as the events laid out in the prophecy came to a head.

I will say that some parts felt too easy, though I also think that was also a result of our characters meshing better and them teaming up to actually fight their battles together. There was also one part where it felt like an MC was drinking some cultish koolaid, but I liked how that was spun as a fatal flaw issue. Windshadow and Meng surprised me the most, I think, though I think I would've like to be privy to more of the work they did in the background. We get to see Meng's sharp mind and Windshadow's surprising loyalty more in book 2, and I kind of wanted a bit more of that in this instalment. All that to say that I was wholly invested in the trajectory of their character arc and I really loved them and wanted more!

After all that scheming, all those various rotations through the palace dungeons, all the angst and fighting and loss, the end felt so earned and wonderful, and I loved that this story closed the way it did. I was so excited to hear Joyce Chua mention that there are spin-offs in the work that take place in the same universe, and I'm already excited to return to this world in the future.

TW: injury detail, fire injury/death, death, murder, war, violence; mentions torture, death of a parent, death of a sibling, grief

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 5/5

eARC gifted by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Fast-paced and full of action and intrigue, I really enjoyed Kingdom of Blood and Gold.

While book 1 was more setup and getting to know the characters, book 2 jumped straight into the action. I love how the world is fleshed out more and the relationships deepen between our four MCs (yup, four! Windshadow gets her own POV in this one!).

Though much of it takes place away from court, this installment seemed to have more intrigue - more backstabbing, questions of loyalty and friendship, and surprises. I loved the little twists and how they built up each character, even giving time to secondary characters to shine.

I adored Wei so much more in this one and his friendship (and more???) with Desert Rose. I also liked seeing Meng at work in this one. He gave us some surprises, despite his "destiny" falling apart before our eyes. And Windshadow, I loved getting to know her more through this one. Her POV really showed off her quick mind and her sentimentality, despite her denial around caring for anyone else but herself.

Desert Rose is an absolute baddie, and she's a force to reckon with throughout this book. Seeing her powers grow and develop has been a treat and I love how the magic is described and built into the world. Her character plus the lore make this story so fascinating.

Again, I love how much Joyce Chua is able to cover in such a short time. With less than 300 pages, this book builds on the world, the characters, the politics, and the magic so well, giving us a rich follow up that both pays out what was set up in book 1 while also setting us up for book 3. I'm so excited for the finale, but I also know I'm woefully unprepared for the pain, because we all know that at least one of our beloved MCs has to go.

TW: death of a parent, blood, injury detail, violence, fire injury/death, murder, death, war; mentions torture

There's something to be said for lush, fantastical books being short and easy reads. Land of Sand and Song is an epic fantasy set in its own unique world, with its own politics and magic and class systems. The fact that Joyce Chua not only makes this world feel real, but in a way that feels simple, rather than overly complex and heavy-handed, accompanied by strong character arcs and story development, is a testament to her skill as a writer.

Right away, I was pulled into the story, invested in Desert Rose as she loses everything she's ever known due to a rebellion within her tribe. Her arc was fantastic as she meets new characters, faces trials, and learns about herself as the story progresses. I found her an interesting MC and one I could easy root for.

The other two POVs in this book are Wei's and Meng's. Wei is the Third Prince and rogue brother, while Meng is the Fourth Prince who recently became the favourite for the throne. Both have their own agendas and I loved seeing the layers peeled back slowly to reveal their true intentions and hearts. It provided a bit of mystery and assisted in the world building in a way that felt super organic and well delivered. I'm curious to see how their stories will play out alongside Desert Rose's as the series continues, as we leave them both as the start of something new at the end of this instalment.

All in all, I really liked how compact but fully realized this first instalment was. I'm very excited to see how this all plays out, as we've set up some interesting events for the characters to sink their teeth into.

TW: death of a parent, death of a sibling, death, violence, injury detail, war, imprisonment, fire injury/death

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5

eBook gifted by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Still couldn't care less for Decker tbh lol his addition did not matter to me at all, but I appreciated the growth in his character. It felt like pulling teeth though, which was unexpected and kind of annoying. Like this was a three part series of telling Decker to get his head out of his ass.

Kylian remains my favourite and I love his character development. His arc was fantastic and I loved seeing him grow and kind of figure out what he wanted. All the boys at that. Locke especially, since he had the largest need to pivot.

Anyways, I enjoyed this series. It was mostly smut, but I liked the characters well enough. Kylian is a new forever fave.

Rep: MC with rheumatoid arthritis, MC with autism, MC with lupus

TW: sexual content, blackmail, violence, pregnancy; mentions death of a parent, murder, parental neglect, drug use, alcohol consumption

I stand by my declaration of love for Kylian. Locke gets a sliver of that love too. Couldn't care less for Decker tbh, he is the downside of this series lol

Was not here for the plot, but it was still good. Was not surprised by Kendrick at all, but his addition was fun.

Again, I was just here for Kylian content, though I did like the progression of their relationships and learning more about her history.

Rep: MC with Autism, MC with Lupus, MC with rheumatoid arthritis 

TW: death of a parent, rape, medical content, panic attack, sexual content, kidnapping, drugs; mentions physical abuse, domestic abuse, parental neglect, alcohol consumption

I would die for Kylian. He must be protected at all costs. I love him.

How she ended up there was stupid, but I'll overlook it. I love the banter and the dynamics, and Kylian.

Rep: MC with autism, MC with lupus, MC with temporary disability, MC with rheumatoid arthritis

TW: panic attack, sexual content, kidnapping, alcohol consumption, vomiting, injury detail; mentions death of a parent, parental neglect

Ah, terrible parents, forever scarring their children. This book felt formulaic and trite, but it was a good entertainment. I did love how well they communicated with each other, especially on Archer's end, which made the book exponentially better. Otherwise, the characters didn't have much personality, outside of Emma, who the next book is about. I'd be curious about her because she seems fun, but I'm not sure I'm interested enough in the trope-bait writing to read it. We'll see.

TW: sexism, sexual content, alcohol consumption, unconsensual filming during sex, violence; mentions pregnancy

Not my first ever gifted book from Orbit being an absolute dud. I have never been so disappointed by an anticipated release. The fact that this is categorised as adult fantasy is criminal.

The world building in Fathomfolk is immaculate - from the political systems, to the Fathomfolk races, to the hierarchal classes within their military and government, to the machinations in the background, to their history and lore - everything is so detailed and well established that you feel like you've just popped into this fantastically flawed world. It mirrors ours so well in its discourse around politics, immigration, history, and activism. The fact that this was so well built is a testament to Eliza Chan's skills.

This skill bled into her characters, to an extent. I appreciated seeing Mira as a biracial half-siren, half-human struggle between worlds. Not human enough to be respected by humans, not Fathomfolk enough to be respected by Fathomfolk. It vibed well with real feelings that mixed people often have to contend with.

Serena was also a very interesting character, as she has her own plans and machinations in the background as she pulled strings and threads together to fulfill her personal goals. 

And then there was Nami. Fricking Nami. She's young and brash and naive, and just happens to be the catalyst to like half the problems in this book. I really wish Nami would just not. As Kai's younger sister, she's always been very head strong, up in her righteous anger, and ready for action, and despite mistake after mistake, she never learns to sit down and think critically about anything before acting and it literally kills people. I was so frustrated with her from the start, and it only got worse over time. I feel like there's a statement somewhere in there about young and impressionable people jumping head first into activism without all the facts, but I'm not even going to look that deep. If that was the lesson I was supposed to take away from this book, then it should've been a YA novel.

The fact that half of this book's plot is people not realizing that their actions have consequences, that knocking down one domino takes out the whole lot, is wild to me. Like that's not plot, that's chaos. The only standout to me is the Kai is an angel amongst hellions. He was too good for everyone else in this book.

I'm not even going to touch the end of this book with a ten-foot pole. Thank you, next.

All in all, an absolute disappointment. The setup was strong, but this was a miss for me.

TW: racism (speci-ism?), classism, torture, death, murder, blood, injury detail, drug abuse, addiction, sexism, death of a parent; mentions fetishization, sexual assault

Finished copy gifted by Orbit in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this a lot more than book 1. I still found some things were lacking in terms of characters learning their dang lesson (not me screaming at them to stop going into danger alone every other chapter), but I found I really enjoyed Brigon and getting into the groove of the found family we made in Blood Heir.

I found Linn gave Toph vibes, and Sorcha gave Azula energy. Both characters were great additions to the cast, I loved seeing more of Linn after her introduction at the end of Blood Heir. I did find Linn's devotion to Ana a bit strong for what transpired in Blood Heir, but past that, she's a strong character. I didn't think I'd read the final instalment halfway through, but now I'm so curious about our three MCs as we reach the finale of the series.

This instalment had a better and stronger climax than Blood Heir, and I found myself rooting for the characters more than rubbing my temples in frustration. Definitely didn't suffer from second book syndrome! I'm also glad that we tied up some story lines in this one, thus setting the stage for Crimson Reign.

All in all, a strong sequel, and a great setup for the finale of the series! I'm really loving the crew we've put together and I'm excited to see how their story ends.

TW: blood, murder, injury detail, torture, alcohol consumption, violence, child abuse, fire/fire injury, death; mentions infidelity, death of a parent, death of a child, kidnapping

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Delacorte Press via Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.

The mystery in this book kept me interested, but the twist wasn't for me. One part surprised me, but the other part seemed reductive and trite.

As a whole, didn't love the romance, but that's because it's very lusty and not much "get to know you" happened. The demi in me just couldn't get on board with it all. The sexy parts seemed unrealistic at times too, but that's a whole other conversation. Also, I felt like there were just a lot of questions I never got answers to, and while the characters might've been fine with it, I wanted to know as it felt like a huge part of the mystery of it all.

In the end, I was interested throughout, but a lot of it was just a miss for me as things came to light. Great for gothic girlies who love when the LI calls the MC a "good girl" and enjoys a little bit of a psychological/paranormal thriller. I am not that type of girly.

Rep: Parent with schizophrenia and dementia

TW: blood, suicide, murder, death, torture, fire, sexual content, kidnapping; mentions abandonment, death of a parent, bullying