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Review: The Silvered Serpents

I received an uncorrected eARC from Wednesday Books via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Silver Serpents by Roshani Chokshi.

I really liked The Gilded Wolves when I read it last year. I loved the characters. I thought the magic system was interesting (even if I didn’t fully understand it) and enjoyed the plot. So I had high hopes for The Silvered Serpents and it did not disappoint.

The Silvered Serpents is a wonderful sequel. It is a bit darker then The Gilded Wolves and the characters are haunted by the aftermath of the previous installment. The mystery they are trying to uncover is at its core quite dark, but despite the darker themes and elements there is humor throughout to balance it.

I just adore Roshani Chokshi’s writing style. The descriptions were so vivid. I appreciated there weren’t any major info dumps from the previous book, just what you needed to jog your memory. I usually reread previous books, but was unable to do so and didn’t feel lost. Even without reading the recap on the author’s website I would have been fine.

The only complaint I have was some of the content was repetitive. I’m not sure if it was because it was a lot of information to remember, or an attempt to convey a character’s thought process, but there were a couple instances where I found myself skimming. Note: This may have been changed in the final version. This didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the book though.

I loved revisiting these characters and this world and can’t wait for the third book!

If you enjoy books with found families and cool magic systems you should check out this series.

Thank you so much Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the review copy!

The Silvered Serpents: 4 stars

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Review: Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers

I received an eARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers by Jessica Roux is absolutely stunning. Every illustration is gorgeous.

For some reason I expected this book to be a bit different, perhaps a bit more detailed, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

 The descriptions are interesting, especially the pairing suggestions to help convey something more specific. I really liked the bouquet section and found that the index being organized by meaning extremely useful.

If you’re interested in the language of flowers this would be a great place to start. 

Thank you so much Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy!

Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers: 4 stars

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Review: Fable

I received an uncorrected eARC from Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Fable by Adrienne Young. This was the first book I read by this author and was pleasantly surprised. Fable lived up to and dare I say surpassed the hype.

The characters were extremely likeable and well written. The descriptions were lush and vivid. It was almost impossible to put down.

I can’t wait for Namesake’s release (March 2021) and will definitely be reading more of Adrienne Young’s books.

Fable is a great choice for those who enjoy books with strong heroines, found families, and/or are fans of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Thank you so much Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the review copy!

Fable: 4.5 stars

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Beat the Backlist 2020 Reviews

Review: The Girl with the Whispering Shadow

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is the second book in The Crowns of Croswald series. I received a review copy of the first book and enjoyed it. (My review can be found here.) This review does NOT contain spoilers, however the synopsis does contain spoilers for book one, so I will not be posting it, but you can check it out here on GoodReads.

I received a copy of The Girl with the Whispering Shadow from Stories Untold Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

D.E. Night created something fun and magical in The Crowns of Croswald. The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is a fantastic sequel that adds to that magic.

While this book does feel a bit different, it is still just as enchanting as the first.


The world building is expanded and readers get a deeper peek into the world of scrivenists. And as with the first book, I never quite knew what to expect and was excited to see what new creature, spell, or potion was waiting to be discovered on the next page. (There are times when I suspect D.E. Night’s imagination is in fact limitless.)

It is an absolute delight to follow Ivy’s story and uncover more of the secrets of her past and Croswald.

D.E. Night’s writing is still just as vivid and it’s hard not to imagine yourself alongside Ivy and her friends. Another aspect that made me enjoy this sequel even more was that D.E. Night gives you the information you need when you need it without completely retelling you what happened in the first book. This is something people who don’t reread, marathon read series, and/or read series as they are released can truly appreciate. (I know I did.)

I did have some issues with the pacing and occasionally got lost in the world building, but I was still able to enjoy the story. I actually think I enjoyed this one more than the first and am excited to see what happens next in Ivy’s story.

So, if you’re looking for a magical escape I recommend checking out this series! The third installment, The Words of the Wandering is available now too.

Thank you so much Stories Untold Press and NetGalley for the review copy!

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow: 4 stars

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Reviews

Review: Opium and Absinthe

I received an uncorrected egalley of Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang in exchange for an honest review from the publisher via NetGalley.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed Opium and Absinthe. At first I wasn’t very invested in the story or sure where it was going, but for some reason I had trouble putting the book down. Tillie is a very determined and inquisitive protagonist. While I never could quite decide how I felt about her it was hard not to root for Tillie on her quest for answers and justice for her sister.

Intertwining Dracula’s publication with the story was a fun and interesting addition. The mystery is well constructed and while I wasn’t sure how some plot aspects had a purpose at the time, it all tied together.

I will be picking up more of Lydia Kang’s books in the future.

This book may be a great choice for fans of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series as well as The Alienist TV series (I can’t speak to the books as I have yet to read them.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the review copy.

Opium and Absinthe: 3.5 stars

Have you read Opium and Absinthe yet? What did you think?