Review: Set Fire To The Gods

 

Set Fire to the Gods

Rating: 3/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Ash is descended from a long line of gladiators, and she knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. But after her mother dies in an arena, she vows to avenge her by overthrowing her fire god, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources.

Madoc grew up fighting on the streets to pay his family's taxes. But he hides a dangerous secret: he doesn't have the earth god’s powers like his opponents. His elemental gift is something else—something that hasn't been seen in centuries.

When an attempted revenge plot goes dangerously wrong, Ash inadvertently throws the fire and earth gods into a conflict that can only be settled by deadly, lavish gladiator games. The fights put Madoc in Ash's path, and she realizes that his powers are the weapon her rebellion needs—but Madoc won’t jeopardize his family, regardless of how intrigued he is by the beautiful warrior. 

But when the gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that will threaten more than one immortal—it will unravel the world. 

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I LOVE Sara Raasch's books. There's not been a book of hers that I haven't 100% loved and completely fallen into! As such, I was incredibly excited for this book. Brand New Raasch, plus Gods, plus a Gladiator aspect!? I NEEDED it, more than I needed anything else. However, my excitement dimmed a little as I started to read and this book ended up being a little bit of a mix for me and kind of hard for me to give a rating. 

I was immediately intrigued by the world of the book, how it worked and the magic aspect as well as the Gods and their history. The main characters were intriguing as they're both on opposite sides of this war and seemingly heading towards a big, final showdown despite their developing feelings for each other and I couldn't wait to see it play out! 

Ash is such a badass and I always love to see a female character that's more than capable of holding her own and is no damsel in distress. Ash ticked every box for me in that regard. Madoc I liked well enough, perhaps slightly less than Ash...sorry. The most interesting aspect to him was his magic and what exactly it was and how it worked. The two of them share a mutual hatred towards the Gods...or well, Madoc hates Ash's God but loves his own while Ash hates her God completely. The thing I found most interesting was Madoc's journey with his God and how he felt about him, he'd always prayed to him for everything and then he discovers he might not be as fantastic as he thought. For Ash, hers was kind of the opposite journey, she's come to hate her God but slowly discovers that maybe Ignitus isn't all bad and I actually kind of felt for him and would have liked to see more of him! 

The setting was created well enough although I'd have loved to delve into a bit more. I think we're getting to see more of Ash's land and the rest of the world in the next book which I'm excited for! There are a lot of twists and turns throughout, but I will admit that I did find myself not entirely riveted to the story and that makes me so incredibly sad. I'd been so excited for this book, but I didn't feel that burning need to pick it up and keep reading. I'd put it down, wake up the next day and I wouldn't be thinking about it and rushing to get back to reading it. In all honesty, I did briefly contemplate DNF-ing but because I love Raasch's books so much and her writing, I pushed on. 

Things do pick up towards the latter half of the book and I did find myself once again curious about what would happen next, and I am curious to see how things are going to play out in the next book! But I'm also on the fence about actually picking it up as I found it kind of hard to connect to Madoc and Ash and the plot was a little bland for a good chunk of this book. 

I think I might give the sequel a try to see if starts off stronger and is more consistent with the plot but I might be stricter at DNF-ing this time around. 

Review: These Rebel Waves

These Rebel Waves
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Adeluna is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. But adjusting to postwar life has not been easy. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work.

Devereux is a pirate. As one of the outlaws called stream raiders who run rampant on Grace Loray, he pirates the island’s magic plants and sells them on the black market. But after Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, Vex becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war.

Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbors a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.

As conspiracies arise, Lu, Vex, and Ben will have to decide who they really are . . . and what they are willing to become for peace. 

I have been anticipating this book so damn much you guys have no idea! I love Sara's books and when I heard she was doing a new duology with pirates....it was like a match made in heaven because I love me some pirates and that paired with Sara's writing and her originality...I knew it was going to be epic! Luckily for me, a miracle happened. Sara sent out her first ever newsletter for this book, and I was the first ever winner...like that never happens to me ever! There was much screaming when the arc of this arrived and it literally arrived just in time for my holiday so you bet your ass I sat on the beach and read this in one, glorious sitting. Sorry not sorry. 

These Rebel Waves immediately drew me in with the prologue. It expertly introduced each of our main three characters, and provided enough background on them to pique your interest as well as setting things up for the story! It lets us know their history and gives us a small taste of what they're like for us to look forward to before moving in to the main part of the story. The time skip is well done and we're once again back with our main three in turns as read and dive in to the story, but we've still got a lot to uncover about them! 

I loved the world, like I love pirates, so I was going to love this anyway, but I loved the twist on the pirates and the originality Sara has thrown in to it all. I was fascinated by how it all worked, the plants and the world in general, and the politics and the history of the world. I literally fell in to this story and the world and wanted to know everything there was to know, I was loving it! I loved uncovering new facts and details throughout the story, to the extent that I'm preemptively sad that there's only one more book! 

The world is vividly written and like I said, it fully pulled me in. I could picture everything so clearly and I was intrigued by the different plants and factions as well as the different narratives and how they all came together. I could quite happily read a book just on the history of this world and the different plants. We have a couple of different plot threads and they're woven together so well with twists and turns and it keeps you reading! It's genuinely so hard to put down. I ended up eating with a fork in one hand and the book in the other and I may or may not have kept dropping what I was trying to eat....

The cast is diverse, there's PoC and LGBTQ characters and it was such a brilliant cast and it was a nice change to get to read a book with diverse MC's! I'm so here for it! Adeluna I loved, she's such a spitfire punching Vex in the face for starters! I was cackling away to myself like 'you just messed with the wrong person!'. She just wants to help her friend, and help Grace Loray get back on it's feet, but there's so much more to her than you unravel over the course of the story. The things that happened to her in the past still affect her, and it was very authentically written. Watching her overcoming everything, and then the plot twists when it came to her where mind blowing. She was a character I could root for and empathise with throughout the entire story. 

Devereux I really felt for, he understandably reacts in certain ways and has certain feelings about certain things (I'm trying to avoid spoilers!) after everything that happened to him, and it was very well done how it was shown and manifested and so on. He kind of reminded me a bit of Jack Sparrow but more awesome and less cringey and again, there was a brilliant plot twist with him! 

Benat kind of seemed like a bit of an arse when I first met him in the book, but then I got to see just how much what happened to his uncle and his cousin affected him and how it's affected his every action since, how it's made him live his life and so on and I was like "aaaaww BENAT I'M SORRY, LET ME LOVE YOU". He's so intelligent and he's straight up cunning too! He made me feel so tense because I was worried about who he could trust and what would happen to him if he slipped up. 

To be honest, all three main characters are haunted and scarred by their pasts and events that have stuck with them and pop  up here and there in their reactions and how they think and feel and it was authentically and realistically done. Sara really did do a great job making these characters real, and bringing them to life. 

I'm not going to lie, I started out really badly shipping Benat and Jakes, but I started to get a bit concerned about Jakes more than once throughout the book because of his general attitude, and then there was more shady behaviour. Let's just say that with Jakes.....I was disappointed but not really surprised by his behaviour. Luckily good old Gunnar provides me with a new ship, and I ship it hard! 

Aside from our three main characters, we have a brilliantly diverse supporting cast who are just as lively as our main characters! Nayeli is definitely one of my favourites, she was hilarious and I need more of her! I was intrigued by Edda and Cansu as well. I'm not going to lie, there's so many shady characters too, like Milo. Man...I hated Milo. So much. The Mechtlanders didn't paint themselves favourably either I'm not going to lie. 

I have to prepare you all, once you reach a certain part of the book Sara hits you with plot twist after plot twist and I was left so shook because so many little mysteries all came together and changed the game as it where, and I was like woaaaaaah. There where a few of those moments when you have to just put the book down to process what's just happened! 

Like during the last quarter of the book or so, the hits (plot twists) keep on coming, throwing everything in to chaos and changing everything and then the book ends like THAT. Like...what a cliffhanger. How am I supposed to survive until the next book?! 

Review: Frost Like Night

Frost Like Night
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Angra is alive, his Decay is spreading—and no one is safe.

Meira will do anything to save her world. With Angra trying to break through her mental defenses, she desperately needs to learn to control her own magic—so when the leader of a mysterious Order from Paisly offers to teach her, she jumps at the chance. But the true solution to stopping the Decay lies in a labyrinth deep beneath the Season Kingdoms. To defeat Angra, Meira will have to enter the labyrinth, destroy the very magic she’s learning to control—and make the biggest sacrifice of all.

Mather will do anything to save his queen. He needs to rally the Children of the Thaw, find Meira—and finally tell her how he really feels. But with a plan of attack that leaves no kingdom unscathed and a major betrayal within their ranks, winning the war—and protecting Meira—slips farther and farther out of reach.

Ceridwen will do anything to save her people. Angra had her brother killed, stole her kingdom, and made her a prisoner. But when she’s freed by an unexpected ally who reveals a shocking truth behind Summer’s slave trade, Ceridwen must take action to save her true love and her kingdom, even if it costs her what little she has left.

As Angra unleashes the Decay on the world, Meira, Mather, and Ceridwen must bring the kingdoms of Primoria together…or lose everything.

It's over you guys, it's really over! I'm so sad this trilogy had to come to an end, but it's a completely perfect ending to such a brilliant trilogy! I read this in two sittings. It would have been one but I really needed to sleep so I had to force myself to stop and then I woke up and then I was kinda procrastinating from reading because I didn't want it to end, but I couldn't stay away for long so then I ended up reading the last half super fast! 

Frost Like Night picks up right where Ice Like Fire left off, and it's action packed from the start! There where plenty of moments that made me want to scream "NOOOO!" as well while I was reading, there are some truly heartbreaking moments and I ended up crying a couple of times! I love how Sara writes, and she's written this trilogy so brilliantly and I love how she's brought everything together plot wise, into this finale and I genuinely couldn't put it down! Like I said, it's action packed and there's plenty of moments that I've been waiting for, for ages, and I cheered a lot when I was reading like a total nutter to anyone who didn't know why, and the book was so fast paced, and it was just really, really hard to put it down! 

This book we get Meira's POV, obviously as well as Mather and....Ceridwen! I freaking love Ceridwen! I completely fell in love with her last book and I loved her friendship with Meira, I'm sad we didn't get to see more of the two of them together this book, we did get to see enough to make me happy! I just love the two of them together, and their friendship makes me smile, especially the scene at the end! ANYWAY. Love Ceridwen, complete badass, and I love how we got to read her perspective on events in this book. I ship her and Jesse so hard, I can't lie, and I did last book. They're SO cute together! 

The POV switches are smooth, and they work so well in the beginning. Without being too spoilery, in the beginning everything's kicking off, and there's lots of things happening all at once, and Raasch switches the POVs so perfectly, keeping up with each of the three characters and where they are and what they're doing and I feel like the POV switches kept that beginning sequence snappy and fast moving. Then the POV switches helped you keep up to date with what was happening with the war plans and Meira and everything. I also love it when some of the switches interrupt an OMG moment and you're like "CERIDWEN I LOVE YOU BUT YOU COULDN'T WAIT ANOTHER CHAPTER?!" it keeps you reading, and you get hooked in and then you switch and you're like NOOO and then you get hooked in and then you're like NOOO again. Love it. It keeps you on your toes and keeps the pace, and the plot moving forward. 

This book we get some new secondary characters to love, Rares and Oana, I LOVED them and I loved how much they helped Meira and where all parental to her, and I want to see more of them but the trilogy is over....cos trilogy! We also got to see all the secondary characters that we know and love from the other two books! Lekan and Nessa and Connall and Kaleon and everyone! I love how Raasch writes her characters both primary and secondary so you love the primary characters and root for them, but you also love the secondary characters and enjoy reading about them, and they help to bring the world to life, you get so ridiculously attached to the lot of them! I also love how characters that where introduced in the previous two books weren't forgotten about, but where included. 

I want to mention the character development in this book real quick! There was a lot of it. I'm sad we didn't get to see more of Theron and see how he dealt with everything BUT I was super pleased with the character development for everyone else. Sir. Mather. Jesse. Jesse gets a special mention because while I loved him and shipped him with Ceridwen so hard last book, I kinda wanted to smack him one as well for his lack of action and everything he didn't do. In this book, he fights for Ceridwen and becomes more assertive and he changes a lot for the better and I was so happy to see it because it meant I could root for him even more, and ship he and Ceridwen even harder! I may have muttered FINALLY a few times when reading Ceridwen's POV with Jesse. 

Meira also develops even more, I loved watching her learn to accept herself, learn to accept that she is enough as she is. She accepts all the mistakes she's made and again...FINALLY was near shouted more than once! I loved Meira so completely, I'm always rooting for her and I connected to her so easily in the first book! I also feel like Mather and Sir got some character develop right there at the end too, which was nice to see, there's a nice little moment with Sir that I think everyone is going to like and Mather? Don't get me started on Mather! 

Last book, I finally picked a team. In the first book I was undecided because of events that happen in that book with Mather and I ended up quite liking Theron. Last book I got too irritated with douchey behaviour, and after seeing Mather's thoughts and side of things...I picked Team Mather. I had no regrets this book. Theron was lost to the decay and he couldn't bring himself out of it. After seeing Mather's thoughts and his feelings for Meira and how he wasn't going to leave her again, and how adorable he was....I shipped Meira and Mather harder than ever. They're so perfect together and so adorable and my shipper heart was incredibly happy this book. I got hit with the feels multiple times, they really bring the warm and fuzzies more than once! My poor little Mather at the end though! 

Frost Like Night continues to make you feel all the feels! You feel what the characters feel, the book is atmospheric. You feel the tension and the suspense and the sense of danger. Plus the impending sense of doom hanging over the group. The atmosphere seeps out to wrap around you and bring you in to the world of the book as much as the vivid world building. By this book we already have a pretty good mental image of the world, but Raasch continues to brilliantly describe the different settings, as well as bringing us a new setting to wonder at. We've gotten to see every kingdom in the book, and I've loved how different each Kingdom is in both how they look, but how they run and what they believe in and so on. 

Frost Like Night is a genuinely perfect ending to the trilogy, and I'm still so sad it has to end! Raasch brings everything we love from the first two books, and includes them in here. Her storytelling, her ability to describe a location concisely but without half assing it like some authors do when they think you should already remember how it looks. The uniqueness and originality of the world, the action, the complex plot with multiple threads, the loveable and relatable characters, the vividness, the atmosphere, the cinematic quality to her writing. Everything. She gives the book her all, and you end up being completely sucked in to the world of the book. 

Sara has written the whole trilogy so perfectly, hooking you in and keeping you on your toes, throwing surprises at you and hitting you with shocking plot twists that have you screeching at the book. Sara has invited us in to her world, and taken us on such an epic adventure, I've loved disappearing in to the world of Primoria for hours as I read and adventure with Meira and co. The ending of this book, of this trilogy in general...is so damn satisfying. I mean, I'd be content with another book, or like some novellas or something, but I'm greedy like that when I discover a series that I really love! I cannot wait to for Sara's next venture, from the first chapter of Snow Like Ashes I immediately fell in love with her writing and world building and immediately added her to my list of auto-buy authors. If you haven't read the trilogy, now is the perfect time, you can binge read the entire thing without the agonising year long waits I've suffered through! I promise you, you won't regret it! 

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Blog Tour: Ice Like Fire

Ice Like Fire
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy. ASAP if I was you. 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher 

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.

Couple things, before we get this blog tour review on the road. First off, you get the GoodReads synopsis because I'm still trying to process what I just read and my brain can't get past the WHAAAAAAT of it all to compose a synopsis that's spoiler free. Second, for my stop on the blog tour, you're getting a review yaaaaay! Obvious, I know, but pre-warning to anyone visiting my blog for this blog tour....this review is going to be me, being informal, and fangirly and freaking out about what I just read okay! THIRDLY and finally, word of warning. This book will crush you. It will destroy your feels. It will wreck your ships, and you will love every freaking moment of it. Until the end, because then it's like "WHAT?! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME" then you're like, love it but at the same time damn you Sara! So, we all clear on all of that? Good. 

I made the time to re-read Snow Like Ashes before I started to read this because I needed a bit of a refresher and I was just in the mood. I kinda think you should all re-read before you start Ice Like Fire because it lets you appreciate how cleanly the series continues! As well as building the anticipation for the next book, because hey...may as well right?! 

Snow Like Ashes introduced us to a fantastically unique world that we all got completely lost in as we read. It was full of twists and turns and shocking reveals that had us staring at the page trying to process everything. Most of all, it was brimming with emotion and characters you got attached to an unhealthy amount. Ice Like Fire is no exception, it has all of that and more. So much more. 

We're straight back in to the action, catching up with all the characters as the plot kicks in to motion. I love Meira so much it's ridiculous. I will literally fight anyone about her. I connected to her so easily in the first book, and in this book that connection continues and is made stronger. You can relate to Meira, you feel for her. She continues to grow as she tries to be the best Queen she can be, and as she struggles you are right there with her, feeling everything she feels. I love getting to see more and more of Meira and how she reacts to other situations and how she rules Winter and what trouble she gets in, but it has to be said...she makes me feel all the feels. 

Straight away, for instance. I felt some intense rage at Cordell and Noam. I mean, he was kind of a douche in the first book and I wanted to smack him one, but he inspired so much rage in this book. Seriously, he's such a greedy *insert swear word here*. I actually, in my notes, asked Sara a question but the end of the book made it redundant! Anyway,  he truly is a repulsive character, and I think it's a combination of connection to Meira, and therefore kinda being on her side and feeling what she does, and the author just writing Noam so well that makes you really hate him. Or maybe I just get way to emotionally involved in books, either way, I felt some intense rage. That's not even the least of it, this book makes you feel so many emotions as you follow the characters and what's happening, but be prepared to feel a lot of anger towards certain characters. 

So yes. Feels are felt. Anger, betrayal (is that a feel? Oh well), sadness, happiness, you pretty much are going to feel everything because of these characters, and you're gonna love it but it's also kind of emotionally intense and leaves you at the end kind of just sitting there like...woah. 

Moving swiftly on, before I waffle on more....Mather! We get Mather's POV as well this book to keep us up to date with what's occurring in Winter while Meira is away and it was so interesting. Without being spoilery, there's stuff going on and it's very interesting to get Mather's side of things, and it's such a well done POV. The switches are kind of perfect, even the ones that interrupt "OMG" moments for Meira and you're like "Now Mather? You want a POV NOW?". The new POV is something that enhances the book, adding a new level. You don't have to hear about what's been going on second hand and adds another level to the book, and there's no overlapping with the same scene verbatim twice in a row. I think other plans will be very pleased to get inside Mather's head! Not to mention that Mather is dealing with the whole parentage thing!

Now I've mentioned Mather, I feel like I should mention Theron. I really wanted to smack him one for the majority of the book. Like, really badly. In the first book, I found it hard to  pick a ship. I loved Theron but I also loved Mather, and even though Mather hurt her and Theron was seemingly perfect, I still couldn't quite decide on a ship. This book has drastically changed things. As I started I was still "hmmm" and undecided, but as issues where worked through and you got to see Mather's thoughts.....I decided. I am firmly Team Mather! Don't get me wrong, I wanted to smack Theron one, but at times he was still his old self, you'll see what I mean properly when I read, but Mather and Meira, despite all the hassle, are kind of perfect together, I think. But we'll see. Who knows what'll happen in the third book that'll make me change my mind...possibly! So for me, I feel like the love triangle has been resolved. 

I thought the triangle was very well done, and I loved the romance in the first book and even more so in this book, even though it takes a backseat to all the drama playing out. When I started this book, I was curious as to how it would be resolved because I just couldn't see a side, but then ya know....Mather. So problem solved for me, but I don't know what the author has up her sleeve!

While we see a lot of our favourite characters, Mather, Theron and so on. We also get to see lots more of Nessa and her brothers, and I was so excited about that because I was so intrigued by them in the first book and loved them so much and I was happy to see they weren't kind of, forgotten about or something and where rather prominent in this book! I feel we got to know them a lot better and I loved how Meira has this close knit group to help her, even if she is determined to go it alone!

Besides are favourites, we also meet a whole host of other characters in this book, some not so great, some fantastic. The cast of characters in the book are just....insanely rich. There's all kinds of people, all kinds of personalities and each one comes to life as you read, whether you  like them or not, and they're all fun to read about as you try to work out how they tick, and if they're trustworthy or not. 

I've got to say, I freaking love Ceridwen. She is one of my new favourites, I kinda loved her from the beginning to be honest! She's a lot like Meira and is therefore, kind of the perfect friend for her and I spent the book so desperately hoping Meira would trust her and let her in! Aside from being a good friend to Meira, she was also incredibly interesting. There's a lot going on with Ceridwen and a lot of it you don't see until the end, and then your heart kind of aches for her, and after finishing the book I'm actually scared for her! She's a fantastic character, and it would be such a shame to kill her off...wouldn't it Sara? (Please agree!) 

Anyway, enough fingerling over Ceridwen! She has a brother, Simon, the King of Summer. I wanted to like him, but I kind of didn't. It's actually really hard to like him. I think he redeems himself a bit towards the end but still. There's Ceridwen's mate Lekan, definitely interested in his character and how he came to be buddies with Ceridwen. There's Queen Giselle of Yakim, I'm hoping she'll come in to play at some point in the next book! The rather lovely Autumnian royals who I'd like to see more of in the next book, they where a lovely bunch! We have King Jesse of Ventralli, he wasn't really what I was suspecting and I kinda liked him, even if he wasn't really all that...great, shall we say. But then maybe my faith wasn't entirely misplaced! There's seriously loads of new characters and each is created with such care and detail and just makes you want to know more about them and their backstories! I'm incredibly interested in Jesse now, it has to be said! 

The fantastic thing about Ice Like Fire is that it makes you feel so much. You feel the emotions of the characters, yes, but you also feel the atmosphere of the book. It's so incredibly atmospheric that it comes off the page and swamps you. You can feel the tension, the suspense, the slightly threatening presence of the Cordellans, the menace, everything. Each chapter brings you further in to the atmosphere of the book, further in to the atmosphere of a new place, and each place has it's own atmosphere that distinguishes one from the other. It's one of the things that makes it so easy to disappear inside the book and get completely lost. I remember looking up at one point and hours had passed and I had no idea, so enthralled was I!

One thing I loved about the first book was the world. It was unique, it was vivid, it came to life and sucked you in and left you wanting to know more, see more. Ice Like Fire allows you to do that. Like I said, you see Summer, Yakim and Ventralli. Each is different from the other. Summer is like, well Summer. Yakim kind of had some steampunk vibes, I thought. Ventralli, well the masks made me picture Venice a little bit to be honest! But each had it's own vibe, each had it's own very different setting from the other, and each enchanted you just as much as the last. I love how each Season embodies what you think of when you think of it. I love how the Rythms where different from that, but each just as different. Not just in looks, but also in the way they're run and what they value. 

I love how the author has created this hugely expansive world, with so many different kingdoms, all different and unique from the others and all so vividly brought to life by her words. She doesn't get bored, and half ass describing a kingdom, she puts the same amount of detail and effort in to each one, so you can paint a picture of it in your head and be enveloped in it. Not only does she do all this, but she does it in a concise way, without pages and pages of description, it's fantastic. You get completely transported to the different kingdoms. Although I STILL want to see more, and I'm intrigued by the mysterious final Rhythm it has to be said! Raasch really does give your imagination a workout, but I completely love it. 

The plot for this book is complex. It has quest vibes, with Meira and Theron setting out in search of knowledge about the Chasm. But it has an incredibly complex plot. There are SO many threads in the book. A dead slave in Summer, a strange librarian in Yakim, and more. All may seem like a stray thread, but they all come together with the larger plot points to create one giant, expertly woven plot that keeps you hooked. When all the pieces fall in to place and you realise what's really been going on, what's been in the works, you kind of just sit there staring at the book taking a moment to process and think back over the book and all the little clues you missed! 

There's tonnes of political plays, there's betrayal, heartbreak. There are so many plot twists, and each one completely stunned me, and blind sided me. I really, genuinely, did not see any of them coming. Seriously. It reached a point when I actually stopped even trying and just rolled with it, like riding a rollercoaster. The plot has you completely engrossed, and coupled with everything else, it makes a truly immersive read. I mean, some plot twists left me staring at the book in horror, others left me ready to throw the book in anger, and all left me wanting to keep reading. 

A lot goes on in this book, and as we come to the end, everything ramps up. The tension, the sense of something big coming. The final few chapters are heart pounding, nail biting and have you on the edge of your seat. You frantically turn pages as you try to read faster and faster, your heart sinking as you know something really, reaaaallllyyyy bad is going to happen. You can start to feel the third and final(?) book being set up, you know this book is leading in to an epic finale as the overarching plot comes in to play and you see it. The tension is nearly unbearable. And then.....

...............

......that's it?! WHERE IS THE REST OF IT?! *flicks through pages* "No....this can't be the end.....you can't just leave me like this....WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME SARA?!". I am an actor, and I am allowed to be over dramatic, but SERIOUSLY....THAT. FREAKING. ENDING. So not okay. I so can't even. How am I supposed to endure the wait for the next book?! I can't deal with the not knowing and the state of peril we left the book in, really I can't. I mean, the reveals and then the "I'm off to do a Frodo and go up some mountains catch ya later losers" bit. This book is seriously filed under the "throw book against wall in anger/feels induced meltdown" category.  I didn't actually throw it, because you know...I was too busy frantically turning pages in case there was anything else, in case I missed a less perilous, heart stopping ending. There wasn't. I stuffed some candy corn in my mouth to cope. 

So. There you have it. My fangirl and rambly review. I'm still not over it. I'm still processing. If anyone has read it and wants to freak out with me, feel free to let me know. One thing is for sure, Ice Like Fire most certainly does not suffer from second book syndrome. It smashes the first book out of the water, and is the sequel I, and other fans I hope, where hoping for. Please, for my sanity, do not make me wait too long for the next book! 

Don't forget to check out the other fantastic bloggers on the tour! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

I'm back with TT Tuesday, I know I said I'd do it more regularly and then I failed pretty spectacularly...but here we go! Don't forget to comment telling me your Fall TBR books! I don't know why I'm saying Fall....I'm British, we say Autumn! 

So, my Fall TBR, there's a fair few books on it and picking just 10 is haaaaarrrrrdddd, but I've managed. A couple of them are ones I've been sent to review but most are not! 

1. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
So basically, I have my TBR arranged in to "Next In Series" "First In Series" and "Stand Alone", because I'm fancy like that. This is in the "First In Series" TBR and I kinda wanna read all the next in series books first....but there's a read along for this going on over on Tumblr and I'm so intrigued I don't think I can wait. 

2. Night School: Endgame by C.J. Daugherty
So, this has been sitting on my shelves for ages and it's the last in one of my favourite series so I'll definitely be getting around to this in the near future. 

3. Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch
I've been lucky enough to receive an ARC of this therefore I'm gonna be reading it super early because I can. But first I'll be re-reading the first book because I have the time for once! 

4. The Sword Of Summer by Rick Riordan
Again, super lucky and received an ARC....definitely have no self control and will end up reading this really early! I'm so excited for this! I'm such a Percy Jackson fangirl and I've been waiting for this entirely new series for ages I mean...this one is all Norse mythology and Gods and I can't even with the excitement! 

5. The Fiery Heart/Silver Shadows/The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead
I should probably have done this separately, but I didn't so whatever. I've probably mentioned before how these are the last three in a series, and like literally the last half of that series, and I never got round to them and then everyone was freaking about the end of the fifth book so I thought I'd wait until the last one was out then read them all together....

6. Legacy Of Kings by Eleanor Herman
Does this need an explanation? Reimagining of Alexander the Great...it'd be rude not to. 

7. The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Everyone's been raving about this so I decided to bump it up the TBR!

8. Ink And Bone by Rachel Caine
First book in a new series by one of my favourite authors....definitely merits a bump. 

9. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
This is yet another book getting a bump from me because I'm impatient and everyone raves about this one!

10. Kiss Of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
My aunt brought me the fancy hardback edition of this straight from Barnes and Noble Texas, again, this is another book everyone on Tumblr has been raving about so it gets a bump. 

All in all it's highly doubtful I'll stick to my system and read all the next in series books first because I keep bumping other books :') 
Ah well, GoodReads pages are linked. Go forth and swell your TBRs! 

Wishing For Wednesday #9

This week I bring you the final book in a series I've been reading for years! I seriously love the House Of Night series and I remember stumbling across it in a bookshop one day and grabbing the only two published!
I've also got two fresh, new books, that both look not only interesting but kind of unique as well!

Snow Like Ashes

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

Snow Like Ashes is out October 14th, pre-order your copy here.

Redeemed

In the final electrifying novel in the HoN series, Neferet has finally made herself known to mortals. A Dark Goddess is loose on Tulsa and the world. No single vampyre is strong enough to vanquish her - unless that creature has the power to summon the elements as well as the ability to wield Old Magick. Only Zoey Redbird is heir to such power…but because of the consequences of using Old Magick, she is unable to help. Find out who will win and who will lose in this epic battle of Light versus Darkness.

Redeemed is out October 14th, pre-order your copy here.






The Cure For Dreaming

Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl—a suffragist—in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout.

The Cure For Dreaming is out October 14th, pre-order your copy here.