Book Review: Until the Sand Claims Us by Israh Azizi

After the month I've had, I was looking forward to reading a new fantasy novel and Until the Sand Claims Us was everything I wanted and more from a book right now. The world was beautiful, the characters claimed my heart and the twists kept me turning pages until almost dawn. I truly loved the way this story unfolded and I will follow Israh Azizi to every book they write from here on out.

Until the Sand Claims Us follows two leads, Yildiz, a bodyguard for the princess of the south, her cousin, and Dayyan, the prince of the north, also known as the prince of death. The pair cross paths when Yildiz is offered up in her cousin's place for marriage to a northern prince in the hopes of stopping the war that has been raging for years. Yildiz has been given a task by the sultan, kill the princes or face certain death. But her betrothed, Dayyan, is not the villain she thinks he is and he has been forced to follow the shah's every order so that he can keep his family safe. As the two come together, Dayyan starts to realize that he has feelings for his new wife, making her a new target to be used against him and to control him while Yildiz has to wonder if killing the prince would even be the revenge it was meant to be. Their marriage was supposed to be the start of a new peace but various factors are working against them and the pair will have to choose between what they are meant to do or their newfound love in an effort at changing their destinies and the furure of their homelands.

First of all, the world-building here is exquisitely done. There are so many interesting aspects to the world itself, from the the reason for why the North wants to conquer the South and how the people live to how that in turn affects everything that lives in the Khatatian Desert. Azizi provided so many answers to questions I had about the people and stories about how and why the war started. There was also an interesting addition to the start of every chapter and the discovery of what these lines turned out to be just left me feeling a little awed at how Azizi provided this interesting bit to fill in the world just that much more. I loved the development and the way Azizi gave each part of the story the information as it was needed. Enemies to lovers as a trope usually doesn't work for me but it was done to perfection in this novel because I believed everything about the developing relationship between the leads. Their story as a driving force for the novel kept my attention riveted because believe me when I say that I had to finish this book in a day, I couldn't put it down.

The characters in this book were perfection. Yildiz was a gjrl after my own heart with her fiery spirit and her fighting ability. I knew that Dayyan would be tragic somehow but the way Azizi developed his character into something so strong while sympathetic at the same time made me eager to see how this newly married couple would finally be on the same page together. Thanks to Azizi's writing, I was just as invested in the rest of the cast of charactets, including Dayyan's closest friend Zeki, and Bazmara, Omid and Delara, the siblings Dayyan would do anything for. Every character gets their chance to make an impact on the story and I loved them all by the end of the book.

As for the plot, I found the struggle of choosing between duty and love to be a particularly good driving force for this story. Trying to find a way for two people who have grown up being used as tools by the family that was supposed to protect them to finally accept a true and everlasting love made this just a beautiful story in the end. I wanted these two to grow together and find an understanding and their journey to find a way to be together and help their people made for such a fun adventure to go on. All in all, a very satisfying novel about taking chances and finding somewhere to belong for who you truly are.

In the end, this book was the perfect story that I was looking to read and I'm so grateful to have gotten the chance to meet Yildiz and Dayyan and have a chance to spend some time in this world.

Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars. I might have shed or two at a particular reveal so bear that in mind because it's good to know when an author has the talent to make you care that much about the people they have created.

My thanks to Behind the Pages and Israh Szizi for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Has-Been by Wren Riley

It's been a while since I found a really good sports romance to read which is why I took the opportunity to read The Has-Been by Wren Riley. I've usually found sports romance to be charming, showing the pressures of being a professional sports player and how the lead has to figure out the balance of making a relationship work with their career. What makes The Has-Been different is that fact that it follows a couple where the lead MMC is a year out from a career ending injury with no hope of being to return to his sport and the future he envisioned for himself going pro. Instead, this book focuses on the fall-out of losing that dream and the future you put years of your life into and the ramifications that come from that loss and that was something that I found both unexpected and unique as it is not a subject matter I've seen covered as much in the genre. In the end, I really respected the way the various subjects were dealt with and the realistic approach to rebuilding your life. My only wish is that I would have wanted the book to spend more time with the couple once they are finding their peace in present after spending our time watching them deal with their grief.

The Has-Been follows former hockey player Liam Anderson, who has returned to school at Delleth College after taking a year off to deal with the career ending injury he suffered from and the many trials he went through after, including a break-up with his girlfriend. Liam is trying to take on enough of a course load to allow his to make up his junior year and still graduate not far behind the rest of his class. On the other hand, the book also follows Aubrey Vaughn, a student at Delleth College who has been dealing with her own issues after choosing to break up with her boyfriend, Liam, after she realizes that she could not help him with his trauma and health. The two of them are brought together again once they have to start doing clinical hours with the hockey team for the degrees. As they continue to spend more time together, the former couple have to deal with the feelings they still have for each other while also trying to deal with grief over the issues that drove them apart in the first place.

First of all, I really enjoyed the way that Riley set up the world here. It had the perfect small town vibe with its easy to find main areas to see the main characters, like the hockey rink and the local bar, alongside a full cast of characters that will most likely be seen in various other installments for the series. I love when a series opener does this, allowing the readers to learn the world and the various people in it, seeing the connections between other potential matches and showing just where the series might go next. Riley has developed a believable world and the people that populate it are complicated and realistic, filled with hope and grief and I am looking forward to see who will be the focus of book 2.

As for the characters, I wanted to give Liam and Aubrey big hugs because of everything they had to go through. The mental health representation was done beautifully here, showing the realistic way that depression and anxiety and other issues manifest in various ways and the ups and downs they take people through. It was gut-wrenching at times but Riley was able to give these issues the respect they needed as the story progressed. There was no shying away from the reality of these situations and Riley was able to use a deft hand in showing just how much these characters were worth with their emotions and the way they came through to the other side to find something they could want again.

As for the plot, second chance romances are a favorite of mine, the whole right person at the wront time leaves hope and this book had that and more. Readers get to see a couple who are still figuring out themselves so they can figure out how to be their new selves together and I love stories like that. This was wonderfully done and I can't wait to see what Wren Riley has in store next for this series.

Read this book if you like sports romance stories with a healthy dose of real issues and couples that learn to communicate and understand themselves and each other again.

Rating on my Scale: 8.5 Stars. I wanted more time with this couple but I'll just hope we get to see a little more of Liam and Aubrey in the next book.

My thanks to Rattle the Stars PR and Wren Riley for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: How to Survive Camping: The Ancient Things by Bonnie Quinn

I used to read a lot of horror back when I was in school. I started drifting away from it over the years, frustrated with villains that felt like they were one step away from twirling a mustache or monsters that didn't do enough to make the scares haunt my dreams. I stayed away from it for years but horror has always had a special place in my soul and I knew that one day I'd make my way back to the genre. So I made it a point to start seeking out more horror books this year and I found How to Survive Camping: The Lady in Chains on a list of titles to look out for in 2026. The title caught my ear and I looked up the book, realized it was a book 2 and promptly got the first book, The Man with No Shadow, from my library. I stayed up all night reading that book and by the time I had reached the last 50 pages, I had already gone online and ordered copies of the whole series. I loved the book and its sequel so much I bought copies of the first two books for my Dad to read. Cozy horror is a genre I had no idea would be a balm for my soul because something about these books just resonates with me. I've sat down to read each one and been done before going to sleep the same day. Without a doubt, these books are absolute favorites and the latest installment, The Ancient Things, is no different.

How to Survive Camping: The Ancient Things returns to follow camp manager Kate, who runs a campground that is also a home (or a cage) to otherworldly inhabitants. In an effort to keep her campers safe, Kate has compiled information into rules for a pamphlet that she sends to her campers entitled, "How to Survive Camping." Now the land is turning ancient and the threat is leaving the campground. Kate has every inhuman on her land eager to get rid of her so that they can take control of the land but Kate is going to fight back, hunting those that are after her and killing anything that is a threat. When the ancient land draws an ancient thing to the campground that has it out for a particular inhuman, Kate has to find a way to help that will leave the campground safe before it is too late.

I've loved this series from the start and a lot of that has to do with the writing. This book follows Kate's narration and the tone it takes is so matter-of-fact and no nonsense that it works perfectly to convey her character. This book works because of the tone it takes, it wouldn't work any other way. There's nothing flowery about the language which helps to drive home the fact that this character, Kate, has had to deal with things no one should have had to, and that goes for the inhuman inhabitants of the campground and the residents of the town who know what happens at the campground. This woman has a spine of steel and calculating mind and she needs that, so every word is concise, every reason makes sense, and every move is well thought out and every word in this books shows that. Each book follows the seasons of the year, from when the campground opens until it goes back to out of season and it is separated into parts to show that so everything follows a linear course. Readers get a sample of the "Rules" Kate has put together and as the book unfolds, readers get to see exactly what happened to inspire certain things. All of this just clicks together and feels so well-developed that it's easy to feel like this could be a real place and that the things Kate is telling us could save our lives. Quinn has made something really unique here and I love the research that is so easily woven into each story. I always end up with a few things that I want to research for myself once one of these books is done and this one was no different. I'm still in awe a little with the development that this book had.

As for the characters, I have loved each of them from the start and all the old favorites have returned for this installment. I love Kate, just completely love her, and I know she herself states that she can be difficult but I actually feel that sometimes she has too much patience for what happens on the campground so obviously she and I are two peas in a pod. I love the Old Sheriff and while he wasn't in this book as much, his presence is enough when he does appear, his wisdom and his patience and his genuine affection for Kate making him as important to readers and he is to Kate. I loved how this time around, Quinn gave us a little more about some of our recognizable names from previous books, like Bryan and his pack of dogs and the Children with No Wagon. Quinn has created so many interesting characters that when the time is taken to really delve into them in a book, the impact hits a little harder because we are already familiar with these faces and now we are given more and a lot of the time, what we learn is heartbreaking. This time around we also got to spend more time with Kate's brother, Tyler, and his family, which really shows more about the family dynamic as Kate and her brother were growing up and how they are together in the current timeline. By this point in the storyline, we love these characters and Quinn has developed a well-rounded cast that continues to make every moment of these books worth reading.

As for the plot, Quinn has been moving towards this development, the land turning ancient, for some time now and the way it was dealt with had me turning pages as fast as I could. Besides the fact that land is turning ancient, there are two inhuman inhabitants of the campground that are in a battle and the outcome of that fight will decide the fates for a lot of the inhabitants of the campground and it was fascinating to read. This is where I wanted to do some of my own reading because of the conflict between these two inhumans. I want to know more about this and the fact that Quinn used this folklore was impressive to me. All of the folklore that Quinn uses in these books appeals to me as a reader and sincerely, these books feel like they were made for readers like me. Also, I saw that the book originally had a different subtitle and I understand now why it was changed to The Ancient Things. It works a lot better without giving too much away and a lot of the plot works because of the discovery about the two inhumans and their battle and the whys for the fighting. In the end, I can't wait to see how all of this wraps up with the next book because we have seen and learned so much already and we care so much for Kate and her family that I am counting down the days to see what happens next for them and the campground and the town.

I can't repeat it enough, I LOVE this series. I am planning to read them all again once my Dad starts reading the books so we can go over every detail and just marvel over the world-building and the characters. Read this book if you love folklore, horror and the people who choose to stand between us and the monsters hiding in the dark.

Rating on my Scale: 10 Brilliant Stars!! I can't wait to see what happens next with these characters. Seriously, I'm camping out with my books while waiting for the next one to be released. Here's hoping it's sooner rather than later because I really need to know what happens next.

My thanks to NetGalley, Saga Press Books and Bonnie Quinn for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Our Strange Duet by Erin A. Craig

I remember the first time I was introduced to music from the Phantom of the Opera. Once upon a time, a friend had gifted me a snow globe, something with a wizard and a dragon in the glass with the base being this intricate castle set in the clouds. When I realized it had music, I quickly wound it and was mesmerized by the tune it played, a portion of the song, Music of the Night. It haunted me and I finally looked it up and listened to Michael Crawford sing this amazing piece of music. It's still a favorite of mine, decades later. When I heard that one of my favorite authors was going to write a Phantom of the Opera inspired book from Christine's point-of-view, I knew I had to read it. I wanted to be swept away by the story but unfortunately for me, I didn't fall in love with the book.

Our Strange Duet follows Christine Daaé, a young soprano who works at the Paris Opera House. She catches the eye of the masked figure that lurks beneath the place, a mysterious person who has, for years, made demands on those that run the Opera House. He falls in love with Christine and decides to do whatever is necessary to help nurture her singing ability and get his music out into the world.

The writing was extraordinary, there was never any doubt in my mind about that. It was haunting and atmospheric. I could see every location so clearly in my mind from the way it was described in the book to the dusty room that Christine was moved to where the Phantom first makes contact to the lake hidden down in the depths beneath the Opera House. Everything seemed so beautiful, drawing the reader in with the setting, and I was so impressed with all of the visuals. Craig was able to make the characters sing when they were hitting their cues, the connection between Christine and Erik, the opera ghost, being a little more believable than the connection to Raoul. When Christine and Erik were together, I could see how much Christine wanted to believe in Erik as her Angel of Music thanks to the way that Craig wrote them, showing the growing tide of emotion overtaking Christine in a way that felt like the best of romances. 

What bothered me was the characters. I was looking forward to a story showing everything the way that Christine saw it but in the end, I didn't really like her as a character. It felt like her choice in Erik or Raoul changed with a flick of her hand. I didn't believe her passion for either of them being a lasting thing, something she truly felt had changed her in the deepest parts of her being, because it felt like she kept choosing the one who could better her situation for the moments she considered her choices. Erik was an option because of the way he could help her with her music and singing. Raoul was an option because he made her remember a past where she was happy when her father alive. I believed she felt desire for them in the moment but it didn't seem to last once she was on her own. They both felt like horrible choices for her, one being a murderous villain and the other thinking he could make Christine want a life as just his wife, and I wanted the story to end with her choosing herself and leaving the both of them behind. If neither of them was truly making her happy, what was the point?

Also her friendship with Meg seemed very surface level. Christine would reminisce about Meg, how they were very best friends, almost sisters, and that they shared everything together but they were barely together on the page. Then when they were together, they were working on their parts in the opera production or they were out with a group. Christine would lament the loss of Meg and I would just shake my head because the relationship was not developed enough for me to believe that Meg was actually important to her. It felt like we were constantly being told that this was the truth but Christine never did anything more to keep the friendship she had with Meg strong so I didn't believe her when she felt "bad" about the distance growing between them. It almost felt like her constant lamentation was to convince herself that she was a good friend and not someone who would leave behind what she once treasured in order to gain something out of reach.

That brings me to the pacing. It felt like there was so much that was glossed over with words like "months" or "weeks" placed somewhere to indicate the passage of time. One moment we're meeting the Angel of Music for the first time and the next page, it has been months of lessons where Christine has been developing her singing voice, getting stronger under the tutelage of her teacher. At another point, Christine is staying with Raoul while the Opera House is being repaired and it has been weeks since Christine tried writing to Meg. I was surprised when Christine woke up and it was actually the following morning. It felt like the focus was too much on hitting the points made in the opera leaving only so much time to fill in the in between bits with Christine. With the issues with pacing, I felt like the development of the tragic love story didn't have the time it needed to expand correctly on the page. I didn't care for Christine in the end, I thought she was a bit selfish and extremely, if not naive, then at least foolish for continuing to back and forth with the two men she was stringing along. She knew the truth about the both of them and yet somehow, kept going back to them both, and I didn't believe her when she claimed she couldn't bear to be apart from either of them.

I wish I loved this more. There is no easier way to say that. There were some brilliant moments in the book and that final line almost made me reconsider my entire view of the story. Still, I had too much swimming in my head about the characters and the pacing to make me change my mind and believe me when I say, no one is more heartbroken about that fact than me.

Rating on my Scale: Solid 5 Stars. I still love Erin A. Craig and will continue to follow and read every book that Craig writes unto the end of time. This one, however, will not be the favorite I was hoping to read.

My thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, Delacorte Press and Erin A. Craig for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen

I still remember the first time I found a book by Sarah Addison Allen. I was browsing a table of discounted titles and found a hardcover of The Sugar Queen. I took it home and read it over the course of a weekend, falling in love with the way that Allen spun her words, the images she created, the magic that infused her words and her world. I kept buying her books from there and went back to find Garden Spells when I realized there was a book released before The Sugar Queen. The Girl Who Chased the Moon is my favorite though, that book left its mark on my soul, it was beautiful and enchanting and just absolutely everything. I check every year if there will be a new Sarah Addison Allen book and when I saw that Paper Ghosts was being released, my heart lurched and then got lodged in my throat. I NEEDED  to read this book and yes, it is another brilliant addition for Allen fans. Paper Ghosts was haunting and magical, so much so that I wish there was more to it, more time for us to spend with these characters. 

Paper Ghosts follows two separate storylines, one focused on Willamena Wester in 1976 and the second focused on Bailey Wester in present time. Readers are introduced to the Wester women, who have lived in their house for decades and who the town avoids because somehow, the Wester matriarch, Willamena's grandmother, seems to know things that she shouldn't, things that keep the order she likes with a simple whisper in the right ear. Willamena ends up falling for a stranded musician, something she needs to keep secret, something that is just for her, at least until her grandmother finds out and she is forced to make a decision that changes everything. In present time, Willamena is trying to change things for her granddaughter Bailey, making new choices and hiding things about the Wester family. Trying to keep history from keeping her granddaughter stuck in their house, she forces her out into the world even though all Bailey wanted was to stay with her grandmother. Now things are changing again and Bailey has returned home for the answers and the secrets that have been kept from her.

First of all, Allen has done it again, creating the perfect small town world that feels like the kind of place that would be the setting for something magical. Allen has a way with creating a town that has a twist of difference, where readers can feel at home and where wondrous things could be possible. In this town, the people feel real because of their struggles and their secrets and their pain. I loved the little traditions that Allen added to the town, where people could get tea-themed ice cream at a local shop and apparently everything was named with a chicken theme in mind because of the town's name. All of these details added whimsy and yet at the same time, felt like it could be a real place. Every setting in Allen's books are like this and when opening this book, I knew I was coming in to a place where something more was possible again and it's something that I always look forward to when it comes to an Allen book. Every turn of phrase can conjure images, weaving an almost fairytale quality to the writing. Allen has always been a talented writer and does not disappoint with the talebshe has woven here.

The characters this time around though were a little more tragic for me than usual. I felt so sad for Willamena and the dreams she had and the control that was used to decide every part of her life. I wanted her to achieve everything she wanted and I loved when she took a chance and fell for a musician. At the same time, I felt so sad for Bailey, living with the Wester name in modern times and with maybe not so much overt control as had been seen with Willamena but still being led down a certain path by her grandmother, as had been done before. I felt so much heartache for these women, wishing for different things and suffering consequences for things outside their control. I wanted these characters to have more and because of that, I feel like this book left things on a quieter note for them. Not necessarily happy but maybe more at peace with the way things turned out. Still, I wanted more time with them, for readers to spend more time with them and for Willamena and Bailey to have spent more time together on the page. Unfortunately, it felt like these two spent more time apart, talking about each other while doing other things rather than spending that time together and that made me feel a little disappointed.

This leads me to the plot. It felt like the kind of story that was geared more towards quiet contemplation by the time the ending hits. I thought it was interesting to show how determined Willamena was to be different from her own grandmother, only to turn around and change things she thought she had a right to do, repeating the past for her own granddaughter and understanding that enough to try to change it again before Bailey becomes a permanent fixture in the house. But after spending the time that we did with Willamena as a teenager and then Bailey growing up, I thought the book would then go through a segment where we see both characters in present time together, working through what it meant to be a Wester and how Willamena wanted Bailey to be able to finally escape their town. Bailey has had to return home, something she is only doing because of the circumstances that are calling her home and I thought it meant that she would spend more time with her grandmother, working through the heartache she felt at losing the life she thought she wanted and what she thought being a Wester meant. Instead, after all the development that we were given about the Wester women, their legacy and the particulars of these specific Wester women, Bailey only spends a few days having tea with her grandmother and then something happens and is revealed and then POOF, we're done with the book. My lasting thought is still, "That's it?" The book just kind of ends, with only a little hope left for the characters and it feels incomplete. I still love these characters and the ideas that Allen put in this book, I just wanted to spend more time with them. The book just ends and because of that, while I love the book, I didn't LOVE it.

Still, this is a quietly moving book and for that alone, I am grateful I had the chance to read it. I loved the town and the people that were in it, just like I expect to do when I open an Allen book. That being said, I wanted to stay in this town longer. I wanted to force Willamena and Bailey to finally talk together. As a result, I feel like I'm left holding some threads of the book that didn't get the finish I thought they would and that leaves me a little dissatisfied overall.

Rating on my Scale: 7.5 Stars. This is a very respectable entry for Allen's shelf of magic but it hasn't taken down my favorite from its pedestal. Read for the usual magical prose and settings that fill Allen's books. I hope that Allen might go back to this town again and gives us another chance to spend time with the Wester family.

My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sarah Addison Allen for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Four Women in the River by Theo St. John

It's been a while since I read a thriller, one that keeps me turning pages and ruining my eyes while reading until the text blurs and I can't see anything anymore. I have read a few but I mostly stick to watching thrillers and I've always enjoyed the gathering of clues and the way my mind whirs, processing details and picking a villain until the ending arrives and I find out if I'm right. Four Women in the River started strong and just kept getting better, keeping the pages turning while the gears in my head ran down all the possibilities about what would happen. I'm still going over the book in my head, hours after staying up way too late to see what would be revealed and I'm happy to see that there is another book in this universe already published because I need to read more of Emily Watson and I'll be working my way through more of Theo St. John's books as soon as possible.

Four Women in the River follows journalist Emily Watson, called to Japan by veteran reporter, Reina Kubo, after four women have been pulled out of the Sumida River and are called suicides. Reina believes differently and so does Emily, who agrees to help with the investigation. In just a few days after her arrival, Emily has evidence of drugs that link the victims together, proving the suicide story false. As Emily works with her allies, trying to find justice for these women, she starts to realize that these four women were only the start and the men who are behind this are now watching her.

I have to hand it to St. John, this book is so well-written, the turns of phrase, the tone, everything is so very succinct, precise, even meticulous with the writing and the unfolding of this story. The way the information hits, the stark details, helps with the characterization and the threat that is hanging over the heads of the leads. This reminded me of some of the best thrillers I've watched in recent years, sincerely so well-developed with every piece of this story. Every word is carefully considered and each carries so much weight, making this such an enthralling read.

As for the characters, I want to read more about Emily Watson, I want to know what goes on in her head and where she came from. The way this woman was able to calculate her risks, to understand the threats and come up with ways around the obstacles she faced was incredibly impressive. I enjoyed spending the time with her as she worked to figure out how far up in government the threat went as to who had not only ordered that these women be removed but was also covering up how they'd done it in the first place. Emily had her journalist friend Reina for help, showing us the way these two worked to find their sources and how they used the information in their writing and I thought she was a great ally for Emily, showing the lengths these two were going through to find justice. There was also Tetsuo, who worked almost as a conscience for Emily as she kept pushing herself to try riskier things to find the truth, and Detective Haruka, a source of Reina's that started to work more and more with the group as the investigation continued. Each character had strong contributions, their risks felt palpable on the page and the tension kept ratcheting as reveals were made. Even the victims were given time, to learn who they were, who cared about them, why they had become victims in the first place and it made everything a little heart-wrenching to think about as they were gone. St. John wrote characters that felt like people and these people were worth caring about as they worked to find justice.

For the plot, it seemed straightforward enough, find who was responsible for ordering the deaths of four women, but it evolved into so much more before the story was over. Emily comes from a family with a lot of history and the things that she learned from her parents had a lot of bearing on the way Emily handled the investigation and the lengths she pushed herself to and it was all so cleverly plotted. It was chilling to consider exactly what was going on in this story and the way it unfolded kept me riveted to the page. I can't wait to read more from Theo St. John in the future.

Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars. I'm just so impressed with everything in this book. I want to see more of these characters so this is me, getting comfortable and waiting to see what comes next.

Book Review: Suhwa: The Guardians of the Dawn by S. Jae-Jones

I've been a fan of S. Jae-Jones since Wintersong and had been waiting for ages for a new book by the time Zhara was announced. I was determined to read it and while it wasn't an instant favorite, I still loved the fact that Jae-Jones was writing and publishing again so I kept going with the series. So of course, it turned out that each book was better and better than the one that came before it and overall, I LOVED this series and Suhwa was exactly the book I needed to close out the whole storyline.

Suhwa follows the title character, Min Suhwa, a young woman with a gift for illusions who has been living in a convent for the last decade. When the Bangtan Brothers come to a town not too far from the convent for a performance, Suhwa decides to take the chance and sneak out to go see them. Except Suhwa has walked into a world that is more than what she expected as the Morning Realms are in a civil war and Hunstmen are occupying towns, searching for magicians and the Guardians of Dawn, the fabled elemental warriors. Suhwa ends up almost captured by the Huntsmen and flees into the forest to try to figure out her next move and stay safe. The story also follows Zhara, Ami and Yuli, the Guardians of Dawn, who are trying to keep the north from claiming the throne and destroying all magicians while at the same time, trying to find a way to defeat the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons. The Guardians are on a quest to reach the Azure Isles to find the Guardian of Water so that they may save the Morning Realms and bring balance to the world.

Writing style wise, Jae-Jones has a way with words that make these books fun to dive into with each story. I was trying to find the time to read the first three books again but that plan quickly went up in flames so when I opened Suhwa, I was happy to see an opening that summarized the first three books, giving key story details that were needed to be able to read this book and yes, THANK YOU, I needed to read that, just a little refresher, no big deal. At the same time, Jae-Jones has created this entire world that is so easy to step back into, to recognize the aspects of the fairytale that is woven into and then also see all the various details that were made to make the Guardians of Dawn world its own creation. Everything felt familiar because of past books and gave a sense of comfort because, let's be honest, if you're reading book four of a series, you already know that you want to step back into this world and see what comes next for the characters you've come to know and love and it was just a delight to see how everything was finally going to be settled once and for all in this final installment. Jae-Jones had so many threads to weave for the overall plot and each was handled expertly, giving details when they were needed and hitting reveals at just the right moment to keep the pages moving.

In terms of characters, I grew to really love Suhwa over the course of the book. Knowing what I did because of the other stories, I was a little frustrated with her when she decided to leave the convent for a performance despite having been warned of the danger but she quickly grew on me. I loved how she was this girl who really wanted to know people her own age, to experience the world and have new adventures and I couldn't fault this kid for having big dreams and then trying to finally have a new experience. Then we get to see the rest of the Guardians and their banter is just as fun as I've come to expect because each girl is so unique and the way they meld together makes for a joyful reading experience. I loved how each girl was so strong, with Zhara trying to find a way to lead them, Ami working on her translations to find a solution to their problems and Yuli being a little brash at times but still so loyal to her friends and loved ones and the addition to Suhwa to their mix was just the right amount of a new level-headed and thoughtful personality to make these girls complete. I loved seeing all our previous leads back, Han, Gaden, Xu, and Jiyi, amongst others, and it goes to show how much each of them are essential to the outcome of the whole series that they are all back in this book. Each character had a role to play, a way to move the storyline where it needed to go and while the cast is kind of a lot, there was not a single unnecessary character in the bunch. When you have a cast this big, it takes talent to make each one important in their own way and I loved that about the way Jae-Jones developed these books.

I'm just going to go right out there and admit this now, this book made me tear up. There's a point in the story where everything seems to be going wrong and Jae-Jones takes a step back and only describes the characters and what they are doing without naming names and it was this moment that just made me choke up a little because I have spent so much time with these characters, years at this point, that those little details to explain who each person was and what they were doing to fight just filled me with so many emotions. I know who these characters are, I don't need their names anymore, and the imagery that those lines evoked just felt so all-encompassing in a way that I was just a little overcome because they were going into the end of the story, the big battles were culminating and I, hand to heart, got misty-eyed. The whole of this adventure had so many highs, so many reveals and twists and moments of triumph coupled with unexpected lows and I was just happy to be along for the ride one last time. I wanted to see how everything would play out and the entire journey was just, as I said before, exactly what I needed to close out this series. I love these girls and while I could have spent a little more time with Suhwa on her own before she joined the rest of the group, I can't complain about how this book manages to wrap everything up.

Read this book if you like fairytales, Sailor Moon and people trying to save the world all mixed together.

Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars. It made me cry, automatic 10 Stars when a book does that. I tested it, actually, and went back to read the scene again two more times and yep, still get teary. So there you have it, the end of a series of great adventures. I really hope S. Jae-Jones has something else in the works because I am ready for more books by one of my favorite authors.

My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and S. Jae-Jones for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.