Book Review: The Guardians of Alistile: The Ashborn by Samantha Vargas

After the ending to book 1, I immediately opened book 2 and got to reading. I'll admit, I was trying to ignore the myriad of things that were just bringing me down in life, but there's nothing better for the soul than opening an anticipated sequel and diving in. Vargas has created this expansive landscape, a world that feels like something you could believe in, and has filled it with so many familiar faces while also expanding it in ways that were unexpected. I had some new favorite faces and while some information was discovered, there are still so many questions left unanswered which means I am sitting patiently while waiting for book 3 to arrive.

After the events that ended the first book, Kienna and Moira have decided to try to make a home in Dove Port, where they first stay with someone who turns out to have been a friend to both of their mothers. They are told that they will find an occupation so that they can earn funds that will pay for everything they need, including a place of their own. Kienna decides to work for a woodcarver, a person she was told to find to help her. It was interesting to see the group placed in different settings. Dove Port was a piece of the past for Kienna and Moira and it showed how their lives could have been different had Vaerin not stolen them away. Both women manage to establish a home and set down roots that start to feel like a real home, somewhere that they would not only feel safe but would also want to defend. Seeing the both of them work hard and come together as family was heart-warming to see which definitely left me on edge because with the way these books go, I knew the peace would only last so far. Danek is still working on his magic but Broan has been sent to find his family and ask for their aid in the war. There are so many moving pieces and while readers have an idea of what the end goal is, there are still so many moving pieces in play before we get there. Showing more of the world helped to up the stakes, showing exactly who was at risk while Vaerin was still in a position of power.

As for characters, Kienna still got to me but her relationship with Ruva and with the woodcarver helped me to like her a little more. Ruva is the voice of reason in Kienna's head, literally, and I liked the pair of them together more than keeping them apart. The woodcarver was the perfect example of what I thought Kienna was turning into, someone keeping themselves cut off because of losses and haunted by things in the past that are painful. The fact that Kienna was able to change the way things were for the woodcarver showed me that there was hope for Kienna and that's why I liked her more in this book. I loved the developing friendship that Moira had with Tislin, the trust she had in him to help her when she needed it. I liked how she could see what she had before and how this new friendship was already better than her past and I want Moira to have everything possible to keep her happy. Danek grew so much in this book but I'll admit, I wish he wasn't so hung up on Kienna. Kienna had too much around her going on for them to really feel like their relationship was developing into something more and I just feel like he deserved more. Thankfully, Kienna agreed with me. As for Broan, he was much of the same, which I could appreciate because as much as his circumstances have changed, he was still the same Broan I was growing to appreciate. After a particularly gut-wrenching development, there was a moment where Broan made a stand that made my eyes get misty and suddenly Broan became so much more important to me. I just hope my favorites continue on to fight for more and than they get what they want when all is said and done in this series.

As for the plot, there are several key turning points in this book that just made me sit up straight and others that just flat out made me gasp. I have a few questions about where Kienna grew up that still need to be answered so here's hoping we see some more come from the reveals that Vargas gave us in this book. There are so many pieces moving across the board, some have changed sides, others are more important than we thought, and everything has been woven into a story that still has so many twists and turns to come and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Read this book if you love stories about finding where you belong and making a stand.

Rating on my Scale: 9 Stars. There was a particular twist that felt like a knife to my gut and I'm still not over it, two whole weeks later, writing this review. I need time to mourn and recover.

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

Book Review: Guardians of Alistile: Risen from Ash by Samantha Vargas

I've said it before, how sometimes cover art manages to catch my eye and I just can't get that image out of my head so I go back to find out more about the book. That is what happened with Risen from Ash, the first book of the Guardians of Alistile. The burgundy offsets an image of a wolf and it just stayed in my head. I had to read this book but at the same time, I had to recover from reading this book. Vargas has created a truly brilliant, realized world, while at the same time, has made us care so deeply for the people in it. There are questions that have had answers and answers that still need to be found. Once I was done reading Risen from Ash, I had to take time to myself, to really consider the events, and then dove right into book 2. I loved this world and I can't wait to see where the series goes in the future.

The world-building caught my eye from the start. The Guardians live behind an orb that circles their city of River Storm. They train and fight together on a daily basis and are responsible for keeping the orb up so the city will be safe. Right away, Vargas throws us into a training, showing lead character Kienna trying hard to prove her worth in a fight, basically hitting the ground running, and the book keeps a steady pace as everything continues. We have multiple points-of-view, seeing things from the point of view of every Guardian as well as a few other important characters we meet along the way. By having so many voices, the book is able to show every aspect that could be explored while also giving the personal impressions of every character. We know some are impulsive while others hate certain characters. We know that some have pinned their hopes on others and others could not care less about certain people. All of this builds the world into something that lives and breathes on its own, filled with people with real emotions and a real threat hanging over their heads.

Here's where things get a little awkward though, so bear with me. I do not like Kienna. There, I said it, and really I'm so sorry about that and after two books with her, I still only barely think she's okay. I'm much more interested in Danek and Moira, sometimes Broan and only a little bit of Baila. Vaerin could take a long walk off a short pier. I don't know, there was something about Kienna that I couldn't relate to as much as the others. I didn't understand her motivation and a lot of the book had it so that Kienna figuring out who she is was the point, it just felt like she waited for things to happen instead of actively trying to understand herself. She could fight and she made so many strides that proved she was brave but I still felt a little removed from her so I'm not much of a fan. As for the rest, I loved Danek and his ability to really see the best in people. I loved Moira's sunny attitude and the secret she was keeping as her driving force to get somewhere safe. Broan grew on me but it took a while but I did love how much he loved his brother Danek, his chosen family after growing up in the orphanage together. It took time to understand Baila but at the same time, I could only stand so much of her. She felt like the other side of Kienna, what Vaerin wished Kienna to be but wasn't turning out that way. As for Vaerin himself, his actions appalled me and the less seen of him the better. And who could resist Ruva and her steady support?

Plot-wise, readers have to know from the start that a city that keeps a magical barrier up to keep them "safe" probably has more than a few skeletons in the closet. What I was not expecting was the true origin of each Guardian and how they came to be in River Storm. Vargas didn't pull any punches here and the circumstances continued to be more and more intense as events passed. The reality of the situation served as wake up call and now the Guardians were going to have to figure who they each truly were and what that meant in the war they were thrust into and it all was so much to take in but so deftly written that the story just flowed. I wanted so much more for these characters by the time the story ended and I was so grateful that I had book 2 to start once I was finished.

Read this book if you like magical wars and people who are meant for greater things being the ones that will save the day.

Rating on my Scale: 8.5 Stars. The less said about Vaerin the better but his actions in this book but my stomach turn a bit so when I compare this book to book 2, that one rates higher than this one.

My thanks to Rattle the Stars PR and Samantha Vargas for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Phantom of the Opera: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Paul and Gaetan Brizzi

I don't remember all the points of the original novel and I'm only marginally familiar with the musical. I have read several adaptations of this book, The Phantom of the Opera, and I've come to conclusion that I'm just not a fan of the love story at all. I'm a fan of the Phantom and Christine but not necessarily the two of them together (awkward, I know), so why did I pick this up?

That cover art is exceptional.

So I thought, yes, give this a read, if the book is half as beautiful as the cover, it'll be worth it. And it is worth that and more because I was awed by every page of this graphic novel.

I don't profess to be any kind of expert in art. I can't tell you what tools were used in the creation of this work, only the impressions that I got from the style. It seems to have been done in graphite, giving the impression of someone sketching this out in practice for themselves only they are a genius, so nothing more it needed to convey the scenes of the book. There are shadows and blurring, adding to the mystery of the Phantom at the center of the story. There is more grays and blacks than white used in the artwork, the idea being the shadows where the Phantom feels safest being everywhere in the art for this adaptation. Details can be seen on every page in the clothes and the surroundings. The design for Erik is particularly impressive, the choice to use a full mask paired with the hat and long hair giving Erik more of an aristocratic appearance as opposed to the usual impression given as the tragic outcast hiding in the depths under the theater. The impression also seems to be that of a plague mask, emphasizing the distance that Erik feels because of his appearance and his treatment by others. The half mask seemed to be for the sake of showing the two warring sides of the character, the angel of music and the phantom, so to switch to a full mask makes it intentional. Erik is no longer the tragically misunderstood figure of the past and he has cut himself off from everyone, including himself.

A lot of the emotion comes through in the eyes of the characters. Christine could run the gamut of emotions within a couple of pages, her pain and anguish coming through with a shift in her eyes and her brows. At the same time, the lack of eyes for the Phantom helped with showing how far his obsession with Christine went because when the art actually showed his eyes within the mask, one could tell that emotions were running higher for the Phantom.

I found it interesting that several of the men in this story handle the women with violence. There's the page where Madame Giry is thrown out of office by the new owners and the way it's drawn made me recoil a bit. There are a few instances where Erik throws Christine aside when she goes against him and I thought yes, this makes sense, she won't love him because he's violent, there's no middle ground with the way he treats her in person compared to when he tutored her for her singing. There's also the way Raoul comes across with his eyes, almost the other side of the same coin that Erik is, because as quickly as he looked concerned, he could switch to being judgemental and controlling and it was all seen in the eyes. Both men want to control Christine, they want more from her than they should, that's what I've always thought, and in this art, I can really see that coming through, at least for me.

I guess I need to finally pull my book off the shelf and give it a read again. This adaptation has inspired me to rediscover that classic and if anything, it will help me appreciate this work of art all the more for the way it brought this story to life.

My thanks to NetGalley, Abrams ComicArts, Paul Brizzi and Gaetan Brizzi for the eARC of this graphic novel in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Don't Fall by B.B. Reid

When the cover of Don't Fall first caught my eye, it was the red hood that I paid attention to. That red hood is familiar and I figured this would be a Red Riding Hood inspired story which the synopsis proved right. What really caught my attention was the idea of our lead character, Nyx, being a descendant of Red Hood Witches. I immediately thought, SOLD, and was looking forward to reading this book. Of course it would have the wolf and the hunter, necessary elements of the original fairytale but I wanted to see exactly how the lead character would come into their own as a witch and how she would be pulled between the wolf and the hunter.

That is not this story.

I don't know how else to explain it except that there is no choice made and if that had been apparent in the synopsis, I most likely would not have picked this up to review. I might have given it a shot in the future but who knows because right now, I had to call it quits at the 75% mark. I know, I had about 100 pages left to go, why not just finish the book? But, ack, I just can't anymore with these characters, I don't like them and the story about witchcraft and a curse is still so up in the air and it's been 300 PAGES, so yeah, I'm moving on.

First of all, pacing wise things are moving fast. We start with Nyx getting fired from her job and then she's home with her sister who reads her mail telling her that Nyx's grandmother is sick and this might be her last chance to meet her. So onto a plane she goes and fine, things are moving along to getting Nyx to France, where her witch family is, so we need to get her there quick. Nyx is supposed to be extremely smart and has made learning and hard work her entire life. But if she's so smart, how does she accept an empty plane so easily when she gets there? It just BUGS me because okay, the plane is empty, sure, find a seat and focus on your destination. Instead, Nyx seats herself right next to the only other passenger, a man she immediately lusted over once she laid eyes on him, and I'm left thinking REALLY?? The whole plane to practically to yourself and you sit right next to him? She should have just climbed onto his lap to begin with because there was just no real connection between them. We were "told" they had been talking for hours and that Nyx really likes Michael, and then she's off to the bathroom and he's waiting outside the door when she's done. Three guesses what happened next, the first two don't count.

If there had been more development, I might have understood this supposed connection more but we are only about 30 pages in at this point. There has been no time for anything to really develop between these two and I find it hard to believe that a woman who has not had relations with anyone before would be so quick to jump a guy she just met. And then she does it again back in their seats and they get caught?! I'm starting to side-eye this book because this was not the story I thought I was going to find. I need development before characters get intimate, I need to believe that yes, this scene has been placed here for the emotional development of the story, isn't their deepening connection moving?

Nope.

So we get to France and Nyx meets her aunts and after 300 pages I really can't tell you a lot about them because Nyx does not spend a lot of time with them learning about her magic because she's exploring the town and meeting the rest of the Volkov wolves and the hunter, Gray, who is also supposed to turn her head. I wanted more spells, I wanted more acceptance and learning. It was good that Nyx was a sceptic but it got to the point where I wanted to smack her upside the head because come on, MOVE ON already. She's supposed to be the Volkov wolves last chance to lift their curse and she's acting like Michael stabbed her in the back because he left her behind at the airport when they landed. What exactly did she expect? To bring him home to meet the family she literally met 2 minutes ago? Not that I wanted him to join her, I think Michael is the worst and he did not get any better by the time I put this book down. 

I was under the impression that Nyx would be learning about her heritage, and that this would create tension because why is this curse so important? Instead, yes, we learn about the curse but good grief, overreaction is not even sufficient enough to explain the pain wrought by the curse or even why every woman in the family does not fall in love or get married. Someone make it make sense because I just don't get it, I'm with Nyx on this one. But the book spends so much time having Nyx "struggling" with her feelings for Michael that I just ended up not caring after a while. I wanted to rip her aunts' heads off because they were kind of despicable, but I guess the supposed love connections were more important.

There's a lot of telling in this book. They talked for hours. Nyx misses her mom who has refused to speak to her since she went to France. I wanted to see more time spent developing this supposed love connection between Nyx and Michael. I needed to see more interactions with Nyx's mother because with the way things were in the book, I thought the woman should have been cut out of Nyx's life forever. I don't believe any of these emotions because there is nothing there to see. Instead, Nyx meets Gray and she maybe cares about him but the truth is he had more of a relationship with Michael, which fine, okay, let's see how this goes except again, Michael is the absolute WORST so I wanted Gray to find someone better. Which is when this book switches gears and makes it that apparently these three are meant to all be together and now I've got a headache because why?? Why did it have to be that because I don't buy it. I barely saw any attraction between Gray and Nyx and I really didn't think Michael and Gray worked together so why mix all three of them together? At this point it feels like "just because" and I don't see it working out at all.

I didn't like Nyx. I didn't like Michael. Gray was marginally better but again, that's not saying much.

I cared about the curse. When the full details of it were revealed, I was absolutely appalled. The idea of it left me chilled almost and instead of really focusing on that, we get a lot of Michael deciding that he wants everyone and everything and Gray and Nyx just go with it because that's their dynamic and I just can't read this anymore. I don't want to shame anyone that loves this book. It's just definitely not for me.

I wanted to love this book. Instead, I'm taking it off my TBR. I'm truly sorry, it's just not what I expected at all. I'm leaving this as 2 Stars because I didn't finish it and I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one so there we go.

My thanks to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and B.B. Reid for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson

It probably goes without saying now that this is, let me check my notes, yes, the SIXTH Truly Devious novel but I am a big fan of this series. I've followed Maureen Johnson since The Name of the Star in 2011, so when the original opening book came out in 2018, I knew I had to read this book. I've held a fascination with mystery novels since discovering The Boxcar Children when I was in elementary school and anything that sounds like it has a good hook will grab hold of my sternum and yank me along. Hearing this idea of a student, Stevie Bell, who has planned to solve the cold case that is centered in the school she will start attending was just the right amount of everything needed for me to grab that first book and here we are, eight years and six books later and I still want to be Stevie Bell when I grow up.

Having Ellingham Academy as one of the main settings of these books is always a plus for me. This is a place where Stevie has been able to grow into herself, where her fascination with solving mysteries, finding the things the others don't see and putting the puzzles together in her head actually makes her belong amongst her peers. This is their home, more so than any other place and The Velvet Knife opens with Stevie back at Ellingham, trying to understand the bombshell that blew up what she thought she knew at the end of Nine Liars. Stevie needs to make a change, to snap out of what is bringing her down, so she asks Nate if she can go with him to New York for the winter holidays. Each book has Stevie and her friends start at their home base and then they move on to another location, where Stevie's luck usually leads her to another case to solve. This time around, Stevie and Nate are staying in an apartment building that is filled with various kinds of people, where a lot of them are focused on the writer (Nate) staying in the apartment on the eighth floor. One person recognizes Stevie for the cases she has solved and this brings Stevie into the fray of solving another mystery, this one being the mysterious sudden death of a neighbor. We have the same back and forth in time, showing the case as it unfolded in the past and then joining Stevie again in the present as she starts to find the pieces of the case and puts them in the right order. I love how accepting her friends are about her ability to solve cases and I loved the fact that someone recognized Stevie because I truly believe it's impressive, the way her brain works. The case itself was a little more on the tragic side but I still loved the way the world of this book worked and how Stevie fit in it.

I said it before and I'll say it again, I want to be Stevie Bell when I grow up. The way her mind works felt familiar, made me smile and laugh because she felt like someone I could be and for the length of a book, I get to watch her be brilliant and solve another mystery. I loved the fact that Stevie, in her way of realizing that her future would be changing soon, has decided to push back on her parents and the way their relationship has been going. Stevie is definitely growing up and the break she took away from her parents for the winter holidays was exactly what I thought should happen for her. She needed that space to be independent and then see how things would be when she reached out to her parents again. The fact that she had her friends around her proved that she'd found the people she belongs with and I have no idea what college will bring them but I do hope this group stays together. I love Nate, Janelle and Vi. I love the trust that Nate has in Stevie and the love that he has for his friend, knowing she needed somewhere to run to and agreeing to let her accompany him to New York even though he needed to focus on his own work. I love and adore Janelle and Vi, Janelle especially though, the mama bear best friend who would take down the world if it hurt Stevie. Vi is the balance to Janelle, the voice of reason and the three of these friends together are the pillars that Stevie needs while at the same time the kick she needs to be better for them in return.

As for the plot, Johnson has these mysteries fine-tuned, without a doubt. Everything unfolds at the pace needed, clues are found with some effort and pieces are put together in ways that lead Stevie and the reader wherever they need to go. This one was a little sad for me but Johnson handles the case with deft care and by the time Stevie is back home in Ellingham, I was happy with where the group had ended up. I know this series will eventually end but I really hope there is another book after this one. I'm not ready to let Stevie go yet and I'm not sure if it's possible to follow her to college after we've spent so much time with this group at Ellingham. So, in conclusion, fingers crossed we readers get one last hurrah with our girl, Stevie. No matter what, I'll read the book as long as Maureen Johnson has written it.

Read this book if the ending of Nine Liars left you wanting more. Read this series if you love smart kids being awesome at different things and mysteries that only make sense once all is said and done. If you haven't read this series yet, what are you waiting for?! Go meet Stevie Bell and marvel at the way she solves mysteries and gaze in wonder at the amazing school she attends.

My thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books and Maureen Johnson for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: These Bloody Thoughts by Auden Patrick

There are a lot of things I can remember clearly, like the fact that the first time I learned about Shakespeare, I was 12 years old and all the girls in my class were celebrating my birthday by watching the latest big screen adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in my living room. I didn't care for it and went to sleep in my parents' room, leaving them to watch the movie on my couch. The next Shakespeare I remember was trying to convince my parents to go watch another Shakespeare adaptation, this time it being an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew, but I didn't get the chance to watch it until it premiered on television after which no one in my entire grade could stop singing that song from the grand gesture on a soccer field. I studied Shakespeare my freshman year of high school, officially reading Romeo and Juliet for the first time and also studying Much Ado About Nothing. But it was senior year where I was introduced to Macbeth and to Hamlet, two plays that I have gone back to again and again in my head for years. I went on to study Shakespeare again for my undergrad and for my graduate studies, slowly expanding the total number of plays I'd read but I'll admit, there has been something about Hamlet that has haunted my thoughts whenever I consider the plays in general. The story about a young man driven to enact revenge for his father's death and the many consequences that come from that. Where was the line supposed to be drawn, who was the most responsible for every pain and death in that story? I've always felt the play was exactly what it was meant to be, a tragedy, but in Thoughts Be Bloody, this was the first time I truly sat and became angry with what transpired in that story. In some ways I LOVE this book but in others, I am sitting with the mirror that Auden Patrick has put in front of this play and I am enraged by the events I have witnessed in this book. Those stories are always the best, the ones that rearrange what you though you knew and showed you something you never actually considered could be true.

The world-building is straight-forward with the idea of Elsinore as a school for magic, hidden away in a dome that keeps non-magic people from discovering it. The setting was easy to imagine, this college out in the middle of a forest, hidden away with it's own way of life and the quirks of its weather and the protection it is supposed to provide. But what is truly impressive is the magic system. Patrick has put a lot of thought into the addition of magic in this play and the way it has been woven into the threads of this story still leave me a little dumbfounded because the possibilities are endless and what readers see here is only a piece of what could be. The choice to follow Horatio as a character allowed the reader to see the world through the lens of someone who has a foot in both worlds, having gained magic but not having been born with it, therefore having been from our regular world before joining the ranks at Elsinore. Horatio is struggling to catch up on a lifetime's worth of knowledge and the journey of this story only works because of our ability to learn with Horatio. Close enough to the main part of the story to be important but far enough away because of the only recent joining to the world of magic allows our lead to consider the ways that those with magic have cut themselves off, for the betterment of themselves as opposed to helping the rest of the world. Patrick has created a world that seems like it would have been the ideal escape for Horatio but, again with the mirrors, we are shown the true reflection of this school and those who run it and those who graduate from there and that is something that Horatio comes to terms with by the end of the book.

Horatio, dear, loyal to a fault, Horatio. I wanted the world for you but I'm happy with where you will leave the world instead. This was a character that yearned for so much, a person who has made so many difficult decisions, hoping to finally get to that more moment of finally having everything. I could understand the appeal that Hamlet and Lia had for Horatio, to finally feel accepted and wanted but at the same time, I wondered if Horatio had built up these figures in his head. That and more is explored in the book and Horatio's growth made me, if not smile, then at least feel satisfied at the way the events unfolded or will unfold, as the story liked to move between tenses for Horatio. I loved Lia but I wanted more time spent with her. Ophelia was always the character I respected the most from the play and Lia was a worthy and respectable incarnation of her. I just wish Horatio had the opportunity to spend more time with her compared to the amount of time spent with Hamlet. As for Hamlet, the idea of giving a character like that the amount of power he had is a frightening concept to accept. Patrick has done something unique here, giving the tragic title character of the play the power to do anything they wish and then showing how no one would want someone like that to have that kind of power. I never truly considered the fact that in a lot of ways, Hamlet was a monster, determined to wreak his havoc for the sake of his revenge, uncaring towards everyone who stood in his way or ended up a victim of his actions. The play almost moves too fast to truly have that settle in one's mind but in book form, we are given the chance to really sit and absorb what Hamlet does, to see the ways he manipulated and plotted, and I'm sitting here thinking he deserved worse but I know we have to work within the confines of the play so bravo Auden Patrick, for creating such complex characters that stand apart from what has been seen so many times before.

The story starts off with a simple idea of getting revenge and then quickly developed into an exploration of power. Who deserves to have such power and influence? How can anyone justify the actions that have taken place at this school? Horatio wanted to gain power over his life, to finally be the one in control but was magic really what he needed to get away from his life or was magic just something that almost destroyed it? There are so many threads to consider in this story and it will haunt my thoughts just as much as the play ever has. Patrick has taken something familiar and managed to rework it into a story that asks the question, just because you can do something, does it mean that you should? When there are so many possibilities to consider, how does anyone know if they are right or wrong?

Read this book if you like considering the possibilities that magic could bring to everyday life and then seeing just how much better it is that it doesn't exist after all. Or if you're just a fan of magic and have wondered who was the actual, true villain, or even villains, of Hamlet. 

Rating on my Scale: 9.5 Stars. I loved this book but in a lot of ways, it has left me feeling almost bereft after absolutely everything that happened in this book. It'll live on in my head for decades but I won't be able to read it again after the wounds it left behind.

My thanks to NetGalley, Daw and Auden Patrick for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Book Review: Chateau Valmont and an Inheritance of Thirst

Due to unforeseen life events, I am hideously behind schedule on my writing reviews but coming back to this book, I can say I still distinctly remember that ending and all I can say is, "Don't end it there!!"

I loved this book. It has been ages since I read a vampire novel that I can honestly say that I enjoyed but I did love this story and its characters and I have recommended these books to a lot of people in the time since I devoured this book. I love the characters and the lore and Somerset has created something so interesting here that I still have so many questions but really, I can't wait to see what comes next for Jacques and Annie. 

In terms of world-building, Somerset brings readers right back into the thick of things, opening the story moments after the ending of Beecham. After the first book being set in London, Jacques takes Annie and Amah with him to his home in Paris where he has an established home life and neighbors who have known him for ages. Due to the changes Jacques has undergone since the first book, we see a lot of Jacques learning the limits of what he has become while trying to understand where these changes will take him. I thought it was interesting to bring the story back to where Jacques calls home, showing the way the house is kept and the things that have been left behind by his departed family. It felt like Jacques had been living at a standstill, waiting for something to help him move on from his loss and now with the addition of Annie, he is ready to make the place he called home in name an actual place where he could make a family. The fact that the only family he has left comes in contact and readers travel with our characters to that abode really served to highlight how different Jacques is overall in terms of his peers and endeared him to me because of how open he was with change and acceptance.

As for characters, I keep waffling between who I loved more, Jacques or Annie, but sometimes, I think Amah is the best out of all our characters. I loved the fact that Annie kept Jacques at a distance, forcing him to work hard to gain her trust and prove that it wasn't a mistake that she was now in his home. She had been forced to flee everything she had created for herself in London and that loss was something truly important to her and the fact that Jacques understood that and tried to make amends made my heart grow three sizes because it took a while but the evolution of their connection was worth the wait over the course of the story. The fact that they challenged each other and at the same time would do what they could to keep each other safe made them couple goals by the end of the story. Notice I did say the "end" though because come on, Jacques, that was a poor decision at the start of the story. As for Amah, I loved her no nonsense attitude and the way she knew everything about the truth to Jacques while at the same time working behind the scenes to make sure Annie and Jacques were safe. I hope Amah is in every installment because she was that pillar of strength you want your leads to have in their corner.

The plot had so many different threads and Somerset wove them together brilliantly. Everything was revealed at a pace that felt natural, keeping readers interest in turning pages and making each new discovery something that kept the tension building as we worried about what would happen to our new favorite characters. I want to say so much more but honestly, the experience of reading this book is best without spoiling the story and can I say again, that ending? I'm still reeling from it a month later because oh goodness, that was so completely unexpected. I have no idea where readers are going to be taken next but I can confidently say that I will follow this series to the end.