Romance – Page 3 – Nonfiction and Nonsense

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

I spent the two weeks leading up to the release of Onyx Storm reading Fourth Wing and Iron Flame for a second time, because I could not remember the bulk of the story. The big thing I did remember was what happened to Xaden at the end of the last book, which was a cliffhanger. If you don’t want to read any spoilers, I am going to encourage you to leave and come back in the future after you have read all three books.

I remember a few months ago when there were previews of the audiobook for Onyx Storm on Spotify, and people were freaking out because the length was much shorter than it was for Iron Flame. I think people got entirely too worried over that, because the book is shorter by less than one hundred pages. And you don’t even miss those few pages because the book is full of an incredibly fulfilling plot. After all the mentions about the distant and numerous isles which surround the continent, Violet and several other riders, Xaden included, take the enormous risk of going to visit them in pursuit of finding allies in the war against the Venin. Only a small number of people know that Xaden himself is now Venin, the unfortunate consequence of having channeled his power from the Earth towards the end of the battle of Basgiath. While visiting all the isles that Navarre has been out of contact with for centuries, Violet is determined to find a cure, probably even more so than she is in finding an army willing to fight on the continent alongside the dragons and griffins and their human counterparts.

There are several stages of Venin, and Xaden is only at the very beginning of the change. He has a long way to go before he could even become close to becoming a Maven, but the more he gives into the power that he has accessed, and whenever he loses control of his anger, he takes one step closer to leaving the Initiate phase and becoming an Asim. In order to protect those around him and keep his secret he has Garrick and Imogen keeping a close eye on him. Xaden has also made the decision to touch Violet as little as possible, after he almost channeled power from her when they were being intimate a short time after he made the change. I cannot tell you how frustrating it was to read that and come to the conclusion that spicy scenes would be few and far between in this book. I will tell you that there ends up being a way around it, and it has everything to do with the main plot. I was extremely relieved that we didn’t end up with a book that was all plot and no spice.

The only thing I am a little disappointed in was how fast the mission through the isles went. It felt like every isle the drift traveled to was summarized in a few pages. I would have loved to learn more about life on the isles, what their society is like, and why they have not kept in contact with any of the territories of Navarre. I guess the real battle and all the conflict exists on the continent, so we don’t need to spend too much time anywhere else. But I feel like there is a reason that there is no magic on most of the isles, and that something is going to happen in the future which will result in the return of magic to these places. I feel like if this happens, the isles that shunned or refused help to the representatives of Navarre will be begging for their aid if and when the war reaches them. I hope that in the next book we can get an expanded map. I am interested in getting a visual displaying how far away all the isles are from the continent and the size of them. I believe it took the dragons twelve hours to fly from the city of Cordyn in Poromiel to the shores of Deverelli, which is about the same amount of time it takes to fly from Aretia in the Tyrrendor province to Cordyn. And Deverelli is apparently the southernmost isle of the isles, so to me that says the other larger isles must be even closer to the continent. I would love to know more about everything that happened during the rebellion and how it played in all the isles and the continent severing contact.

One thing I was not disappointed in was our runaway prince, Aaric. I really love his character, I have since he was introduced in the last book. I love that he was able to see through all the unjust decisions his father has made as a ruler, and decided to disobey him in order to try to change Navarre in a way that will benefit the nation as a whole but will also help Poromiel. I also love how he stands up to his brother, who seems to be as unfit to rule as their father. Halden may be next in line, but Aaric is more suited to the role. That always seems to be the case, those who don’t want the power or responsibility are the ones most deserving of it. Besides being more than capable in common sense and compassion, he is apparently an accomplished polyglot. He seems to be able to fluently speak the language of every nation they visit. It makes me wonder what other secret skills he is hiding. I had been waiting since the last book for Aaric’s signet to be revealed, and the author really had me stressing over how long it took to finally confirm it. You can guess what it is, because she not so subtly gives a hint, but I am never satisfied until I can confirm for sure. I knew that he was going to be able to do something amazing, and I was not disappointed at all. I guess you can see how much I hope that we get more of Aaric in the future.

And now, we wait. We were left on a cliffhanger even bigger than the one we were left with at the end of Iron Flame. I can’t wait to see how Violet tries to figure out what memories she had Imogen erase, and if Imogen knows the details of the memories and the time leading up to those events. I’m assuming that because Imogen can erase memories she has to be able to see them in order to remove them. So potentially the only people that know all the details of what happened are Imogen, Xaden and perhaps one other person, unless that person’s memories were erased too. I’m also questioning if all their dragons know as well and were sworn to secrecy. I think it’s going to be a long time before that next book comes out, and I think it will be an even longer time before we get to see Xaden again amongst those pages.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Uncategorized

It has now been several years since Nikolai has taken his place as the king of Ravka. His ascension was fraught with many challenges, exiling the old king and queen, fighting a war against the Darkling, and trying to convince Alina to marry him, those just being the biggest of his many struggles. His struggles have not gotten smaller in any way. The kingdom was, and still remains, incredibly poor, any money that Ravka may have had that wasn’t being funneled towards the centuries old war was spent frivolously by the royal family. And although the Darkling is gone and there seems to be a tenuous peace within Ravka itself, there are other dangers looming.

On a slightly bright note, one thing that seems to be going particularly well is the advancement of weapons and transport. The air ships Nikolai has been working on for years are now at the peak of their functionality and his underwater ships are promising as well. The one thing he needs is more of them, as a means of protection now instead of a means of adventuring, because the threat of war from either Fjerda or Shu Han still lingers. The ships would be an immense help, due to the many soldier and Grisha deaths that occurred during the civil war, which greatly depleted their army. Nikolai is trying to put an end to his country’s debts and find a way to make allies, and even though he is reluctant to say so, he and those closest to him know that the best way to get both money and allies is through marriage.

While I am always excited to continue reading a book that is part of a larger series, I was disinterested in a lot of the plot in this one. It took me much longer to finish this than I would have liked because it kind of lost me in the middle. I think a lot of it had to do with Nina’s chapters. She was so terribly depressed and it did not make for great reading. I also was not into the new sect of religious fanatics led by Yuri, as well as not being into the character of Yuri himself. I am thankful that there were no chapters from his point of view. I also didn’t really care for all the chapters that detailed Nikolai, Zoya, and Yuri’s trials during their disappearance, even though what occurred is important for what it leads up to in the next book.

Some might consider this strange, but when Isaak started to become a main character; that is when I got drawn back in. I really liked him, even though he was a pretty minor character up until that point. I liked how he started off kind of ordinary but he became something kind of extraordinary. I loved his devotion to his family and to Ravka, and the way he fully committed himself into doing what was asked of him. My other well liked moments in this book were any scenes in which Genya and David spoke to each other. They are by far my favorite romance in this series.

To wrap things up, I will say sorry if you have been reading my reviews and have been waiting to see what I would have to say about the King of Scars duology. I have one more book to go and then my time with the Grishaverse will be at an end. If you have come this far, I will have some spoilers in my next review. They won’t necessarily be about the book, Rule of Wolves, I have not decided how that review is going to be written yet. But I will be writing what I thought about the Netflix adaptation of the books, and that will contain many spoilers. But hopefully they won’t be terrible spoilers, especially if you have read the original trilogy and the Six of Crows duology. Although this is primarily a book review blog I really feel the need to talk about the show because I have a lot to say about it.

Better Watch Out by Kate SeRine

Fiction

I have reached the end of this series. The last Transplanted Tales book is a very short novella, less than one hundred pages. And, like the other novella in this series, Grimm Consequences, we get an additional look at two of the lead characters from one of the full length novels. Lavender and Seth have been enjoying a quiet life in the west coast village where they first met. But after five years of peace and happiness, chaos once again barrels into their lives.

It’s a few days before Christmas, and Seth senses that something is off. He thinks that he has just grown a little restless, his entire life before Lavender was spent either on the run, in hiding, or being on the receiving or giving end of violence, he is not used to his existence being easy and blissful. Only hours after opening up to his wife about his cabin fever, his instincts prove to be true when several children go missing. The wolf shifting sheriff immediately goes on the hunt to find the children and those who have taken them.

I liked getting introduced to even more tales in this very short story, this time they came from Icelandic folklore. One of my favorite things about reading is that when I pick up a book I either learn something new or I read about something that I in turn decide I want to know more about. It makes me excited for all the research I get to do looking for my next read. And as excited as I got at the inspiration to research the tales and stories of other cultures, I found myself wanting more from this series. I feel like more than can be written here, the author said so herself in the dedication. I would gladly read another full length book about any of the characters we have already been introduced to, or entirely new ones. There were two loose ends at the end of Ever After, one being that the Huntsman completely disappeared again, and the second being that Fabrizio is still missing. I would love to see Fabrizio released from the curse that has him trapped in the mirror, that would make an amazing book, I am sure of it. Gideon did mention in the epilogue that they had narrowed down where the mirror was last seen, they need only to track down who bought it. Or, perhaps a book that focuses on one of Lavender’s sisters is a possibility, particularly one about Lily, whom it seems was beginning to pursue a romantic relationship with Merlin.

For now, I will keep my eye on Kate SeRine’s website to see if there is any news about her continuing the series in the future. And while I wait, perhaps I will read some of her other books. This series was definitely worth my time.

Ever After by Kate SeRine

Fiction

If you have read the rest of the Transplanted Tales series you are familiar with Gideon, right hand man to the fairy king. When I read about how he was forced to give up his romantic relationship with the king’s daughter in The Better To See You, I felt his grief like it was my own. Little did I know that that forced break up was just the beginning of the sorrows of his heart.

Before Gideon was employed by the king he was the Little John of Robin Hood. After tragedy struck him in the woods one day, he was unwillingly bound into the king’s service. For many years, before the curse brought tales into the real world, Gideon served the king as his knight and protector of his entire family. In the real world he continues to do so, and the king has a new command for him: discover who is stealing large shipments of fairy dust. This potent substance is a vital medication used to treat tale ailments all over the world, and it also happens to be the source of the family’s very vast riches. His investigation leads him to cross paths with a very old friend.

I don’t want to tell you any more of the plot, but Gideon finally gets his happy ending. I was rooting for him the entire time, he is such a great guy I felt like he deserved all the happiness he found. There is a time jump when you get to the epilogue, and it reveals what I believe will be covered in the next book, which is actually a novella. There are two loose ends that I think might be tied up. If they aren’t, I am hopeful that the author might consider continuing this series in the future. There was a seven year gap between this book and the novella that I will be reading next, so maybe there is going to be a resurgence.

Along Came A Spider by Kate SeRine

Fiction

In book three of the Transplanted Tales we get to follow along with Trish Muffet, the woman we have observed working all the criminal investigations and autopsies since book one. The first time we were introduced to her on the page I was given the impression that she was a meek miss, despite her occupation. However, we finally get an inside look at the person she actually is and she is not a shy girl at all. Even though Trish initially found it a struggle to adjust to living in the real world, like all the tales did when they came over, she has become very settled with her job at the Fairytale Management Authority. Despite enjoying her job and having a comfortable life,Trish is still haunted by a couple of pretty horrific experiences from her childhood. Suffering from nightmares she can’t seem to escape from, involving the spider from her nursery rhyme, the only way she can get away from them is to stay awake after a bad dream.

She is shocked when one night Nicky Blue, one of Red’s best friends who has been gone for about two years, shows up in her apartment when she just so happens to be under attack. Everyone assumed that Nicky just needed to get away after he lost his wife but he has actually been on a mission of vengeance. And the trouble that Trish finds herself in happens to coincide with what Nickly has been up to. The two team up to find out what is actually going on, because it is a confusing, mysterious mess. There are a lot of players in this book, as we are introduced more in depth to the human agency that works with the FMA to keep tales a secret while also protecting ordinary humans. It’s kind of like a men in black organization, but they have some shady business practices.

The ending kind of makes it clear that we probably aren’t going to be reading any more books starring the main characters from the previous stories, it also kind of seems like they might not mention some of these characters at all. I do have one more book to read in the Transplanted Tales series and a second novella. I’m going to get started on book four right now, and I will probably immediately read the novella because I am enjoying this series very much.