𝐈 went into this book blind. I knew it was a fantasy but other than that, I picked it completely based on the title and cover. I wasn’t sure what fantasy elements it would have, or if it was young adult or adult fantasy. (It’s adult fantasy, by the way, but lower level spice. It’s good though!)

𝐈𝐭 started off with our main character, Evelyn, who is a witch, getting ready to leave town with her familiar, Maxie, who is an oversized cat. Evelyn is going by the name Saige and she’s hiding. I won’t tell you from what because I feel like that’s too much of a spoiler. She is getting ready to leave the town, however, when a woman is murdered in a very disturbing way.

𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 Cyrus the huntsman, who is not really a huntsman or named Cyrus at all. He’s truly a werewolf from Evelyn’s homeland who’s trying to track her down to bring her home. His real name is Kade. He’s determined to do just that (bring her home) until he meets her. Then he finds himself agreeing to solve this murder with her.

𝐀𝐬 the murders and mystery rack up, and the danger gets worse, Evelyn and Kade grow closer but continue to keep their secrets. Slowly, they start to share pieces of themselves with each other but when the worst thing that could happen does, it shakes them both down to the very core and threatens the very shaky foundation they are building their tenuous relationship on.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 cliffhanger that follows at the end of the book had my jaw dropping. I didn’t see it coming and I was more than shocked. I was outright angry and felt betrayed, by the character and by the author. I guess C.C. did a good job there! I am very excited for book two, and I’ve already started recommending this book to my real life friends.

Content Warnings

Awakening the Dark Throne by Jessica Ann Disciacca

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

It has been a while since I’ve had a book keep me up all night to finish it. This book did it. I read a few chapters, then the next evening I really dived into it and it was AMAZING. Quick synopsis: elves are referred to as alfar. There are the Light Alfar and the Dark Alfar. The Light Alfar, while they sound good, are really just the lesser of two evils when you consider humans. There are other magical creatures mentioned like faeries and nymphs but the faeries eat human flesh and the nymphs dress like the Croods.

Genevieve is a half breed- half human, half Alfar. By Alfar laws, she shouldn’t have even been born but her human mother hid her and kept her safe until she died when Gen was 11. She’s since been an orphan and has been taken in by a local Catholic Church, along with some other orphaned children. One of them, Lilian, is the closest thing that Gen has to a sister. When she’s kidnapped by the Dark Alfar and taken as a slave, Gen offers herself to the Light Alfar as an “indentured servant” to get closer to the lands that Lily were stolen away too.

While Gen is in the Light Alfar’s lands, she becomes mistress to the future king, and while she makes a friend, she also goes through a lot of suffering. Because even though they call it indentured servitude it’s really just slavery and all the humans are treated poorly with no choice in what they do or who they sleep with, men or women.

We meet members of the Dark Alfar court and fantastical magical creatures that would make your skin crawl. There were times that I smiled, and times that I cried. There were even times that I shivered or broke out in goosebumps while reading. This book reminded me of ACOTAR, in the Tamlin vs. Rhysand with Feyre sense (with Tamlin being Gaelin, Rhysand being Erendrial, and Feyre being Genevieve), but much much darker. Darker than Under the Mountain. I believe this story is BETTER. I think Jessica said this is one of five for the series and I am SO VERY EXCITED for the remainder.

This is a dark fantasy horror. Please check your trigger warnings. Notable tropes/TW/CW include: kidnapping, slavery, noncon (not with any main male characters), blood & gore, discrimination.

Across State Lines by Lauren Biel

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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5.0

Complication by Fikret Pajalic

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3.0

What initially attracted me to this book was that the author is Bosnian. I have a friend who is from Bosnia and I thought that, as part of my diversification challenge this year, I would read an author from Bosnia so I picked this book right up. Because it was a book of short stories, I was expecting it to be a little light and fluffy read. Oh boy, was I wrong.

Within the first five short stories, I was already messaging my friend, telling her that she needed to look this book up and read it. My brain was already running on overdrive and trying to classify all of the different social issues that I was seeing within the pages. From racism to discrimination to poverty and sexual assault, there is so much between each page.

But that’s not all there is. Even though bad things happen in the majority of these stories, our author gives us silver linings: Whether it’s the love of family, friendship, community, or even the love of a pet.

My biggest take away from this book is that it really made me think and it really made me thankful to live where I live and to not have experienced the type of war and refugee situations that Bosnian refugees experienced in the 90s.

There’s another book similar to it with more of a mental health rep from this authors wife. I’ll be looking that book up!

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huntingforagoodread's reviews 244 reviews

huntingforagoodread's reviews
244 reviews