The Starglass Girl (Of Candlelight and Shadows: A Short Story) by Sylvia Mercedes Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Moonfire Bride on my blog now!

I absolutely loved The Moonfire Bride, and was delighted to find out that there was a companion novella that gives Erolas a short introduction in his perspective. Exploring this pivotal moment from the first installment through Erolas's eyes allows the reader to understand the predicament both Valera and Erolas are in, as the bridegroom and Moonfire bride.

With Valera having such an intense personality seen through her own perspective in The Moonfire Bride, it was nice to see the way that Erolas internally reacted to her response to their wedding. He wants to be respectful of her natural reaction to being put in such a position, but he also has a responsibility that needs to be carried out.

Being able to understand what the goblins say was a major plus in this addition to the duology, considering we are not aware of the translations in the first book. The relationship and concern that Erolas has with the goblins and other creatures exhibits his concern and morals on a greater level, and with the exhibition of his care toward Valera upon her arrival, it only builds upon his good character.

I wish this was longer! I would have loved to explore even more of his mind and the moments after the wedding, especially considering how much we were able to learn about Erolas in this short story. From a publication standpoint, I would definitely recommend reading this after completing The Moonfire Bride, but if read prior, it certainly would not spoil any major plot points.

This story has me excited to complete the duology and see how Erolas and Valera's relationship plays out as more information is brought to light and as they overcome the obstacles in their way. For readers looking for a solid combination of romance and fantasy, Of Candlelight and Shadows series offers a great balance.

You can add The Starglass Girl on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

The Moonfire Bride (Of Candlelight and Shadows, #1) by Sylvia Mercedes Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The Moonfire Bride is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

Back on the fantasy grind to start out the month and my past Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads have once again provided me an exciting Persephone and Hades retelling romantasy to dive into. Valera has managed to get herself into quite the predicament, and to be completely honest, it sounds like a treat compared to how her life was going. I am a major marriage of convenience trope supporter, and this is hitting the spot on so many levels.

Erolas is giving major Phantom of the Opera vibes with this whole "cannot see my face" and I loved every second -- he is mysterious beyond words and yet has such a charm to him that from the very page of his introduction, you are drawn to him. Personally, and just hear me out, if I was told I had to spend a year and one day living in a palace to a fae lord and the only rule was to not see his face, I would be doing cartwheels across the room and having the time of my life. 

Their dynamic certainly takes it time, with cordial acknowledgements before Valera begins to open up to Erolas. On the other hand, Erolas is very open with information -- as long as it is not about the curse -- and is trying to make her year and one day as comfortable as possible. Throughout the story, we see the back-and-forth between the two, considerably more so from Valera as she fights against a growing attraction to Erolas. One could argue that her curiosity about him grew to something more, and she does not understand her feelings.

Knowing that Valera is only eighteen and essentially her sister's caregiver, I can certainly understand her anger at being taken away as a fae lord's wife, especially with how their father treats them and the money they earn. However, I will say that in terms of "who has it worse," I am going to side with the man who is literally cursed - shocking! This may be an inconvenience to Valera, but to Erolas, he has spent centuries living in a world that does not seem to be in his favor. I definitely think she matured throughout this book and will certainly grow more in the final installment, but I would like to give her the benefit of the doubt given her situation.

Brielle, Valera's younger sister, is basically Valera's responsibility, as their father is downright abusive and does not take care of either of his children. However, Brielle is certainly the more adventurous one when it comes to the sisters, which certainly causes a few issues along the way. With Valera being so concerned for her sister's wellbeing, she puts her own to the side, ultimately landing her as the promised wife to the fae lord.

The gang of side characters really tied together the environment of the story -- so often we see fantasy books gloss over magical creatures, so it was refreshing to see goblins and other creatures come into play. I absolutely loved the "shadow" aspect of this series, with characters presenting as shadows to other humans and creatures. It added a layer of mystery around the abilities the fae possess, as well as created a defining characteristic for this story.

For fans of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, this first installment of a fae duology will certainly transport you to a new world. If you are looking for a new fantasy adventure that follows a retelling of Hades and Persephone, The Moonfire Bride will surely make an impression.

You can add The Moonfire Bride on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Trial of Thorns (Wicked Fae, #1) by Stacey Trombley Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Trial of Thorns is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

Throwing myself back into fantasy land since I have been settled down in dark romance town for nearly a month. I am basically a walking advertisement for Stuff Your Kindle Day at this rate, with the past nine books hailing from my favorite ebook sale. The description of Trial of Thorns caught my eye due to its similarities to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, and I have been in desperate need to revisit an assassin-esque series.

Caelynn is unapologetically stubborn on the outside, and her characterization is one for the books. The exterior seen by Rev compared to her inner thoughts and development is a great example of her duality of vulnerability and power. As the story goes on, we learn so much more about her and what she has been through, and I gained a great appreciation for her character. I really have to echo my original statement of the resemblance to Throne of Glass, with the main characters having such strong self confidence and authority.

The prince has arm tattoos... I was a goner not even twenty pages in. And not even 20% into the book and I became completely enamored with the idea of a perfect enemies-to-lovers arc for Caelynn and Rev -- it was handed to readers on a silver platter and I ate it right up. I truly have not encountered an enemies-to-lovers scenario that I have loved this much since reading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

Rev has such a hardened view and deep hatred of Caelynn from the start, for obvious reasons, and as he learns more about her and the strategy she has going into the Trials, he begins to let his guard down. That being said, he continues to hold a strong distain towards her for the majority of the book, and their complex dynamic really has a fantastic groundwork laid out. They both are battling their own demons, and the more they discover about themselves and each other, the more they begin to realize that they may have more in common than they think.

The trials in this book were so interesting to read, and it was refreshing to see a number of creatures being included in the lore. The author utilized the side characters so well throughout this book, and it was such a strong choice to have them play major roles while not overshadowing the leads. Especially seeing them from Caelynn versus Rev's perspective -- she has her allies, and he has his, making their understanding of everyone involved in the trials even more complex.

I loved the complexity of the trials they competed in -- they did not resemble the typical trials seen in a number of fantasy series, and had an originality to them that made the story even more inviting to explore. Romance is definitely on the back burner for this first installment, but I loved the subtleness of it and how it did not overpower the story as a whole. There is certainly time for it in the rest of the series, and this book needed to focus on world building and character dynamics as a priority. I am so excited to continue on with this series and see where it takes these characters!

You can add Trial of Thorns on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

The Divine and the Cursed (Fae of Alastríona, #1) by J.E. Reed Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The Divine and the Cursed is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

This book is the best thing Stuff Your Kindle Day has ever given me - it had me absolutely gagged the entire time, and the only reason I did not finish it in one sitting was because my eyes could not stay open any longer. I have been searching high and low for a new fantasy series to get into, and The Divine and the Cursed delivered everything I could have imagined, and so much more. 

I loved the premise of this story, and the characterization of our female lead, Arianna, was fantastic -- she is strong and stubborn, and truly made a great protagonist to follow. Not to mention Rion, more commonly referred to asThe Demon, who immediately had me giggling and kicking my feet over. A general feared by all, with such a complex backstory accompanying well-paced development, he is one of my new favorite male leads in fantasy.

The relationship between Arianna and Rion was something so interesting to see unfold, and Reed does an excellent job at pacing their development so that the reader is truly able to see them individually grow alongside one another. Both characters have such tortured pasts, and watching them both have to come to terms with what they have been through and how they are connected to one another made an entertaining read. Side characters provided a great sense of support to the story, and the friendship between Arianna and Zylah was so important to Arianna's character growth and understanding of the consequences of war. I will admit, Talon got a little on my nerves, mostly because he reminded me so much of Chaol Westfall, and I have beef with that man. However, he completely changed my mind by the end of the book, and I have to say I will be rooting for him to find happiness and leave his crush on Arianna behind him.

As a lover of multiple point of views, this book was feeding me well, especially since they were in third person perspective - my preferred style of writing. In addition to having Arianna and Rion's perspectives, we get to see the story through a number of supporting characters, which in my opinion was a pretty good choice for this story. We as readers were subjected to seeing the plot from our main leads for the majority of the story, but the addition of more perspectives towards the end of the book really allows readers to get the full picture.

The action and battle scenes were great to read and easy to follow without leaving the reader confused on the sequence of events -- the elemental abilities of the characters makes excellent scenes. Watching different characters become one with their magic and form such strong senses of self as they utilize their abilities made the story even more intriguing.

Personally, I had so much fun reading this book, and after being in a major reading slump, this was exactly what I needed to knock some motivation into me to stay on track with my reading goal. This was a great first installment to a series, and I have not had this much fun reading a fantasy book in a long time. The potential for this story is certainly there, and I will definitely be continuing with Arianna and Rion's story to see it to the end.

For fans of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, this is certainly the series for you -- while it is not high fantasy, the action and subtle romance binds the story together that closely resembles a similar feeling and storytelling.

You can add The Divine and the Cursed on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!