Fable was exactly what I didnt even know that I needed. I've been struggling to connect with YA for awhile now. I think I was just missing the right kind of YA. The kind that isn't defined or constrained by it. This was escapism at its finest. Young's writing has a way of sweeping you away right along with the characters. You feel as though you are deep diving side by side with Fable the whole wild journey. And what a turbulent journey this is!

Not only was this story incredibly atmospheric but the characters were very well written too. This ragtag crew of Waterside strays aboard the Marigold became the family you choose, which sometimes means even more than the one you're given. I feel like we've only scraped the surface of their uncharted depth and I look forward to discovering more hidden treasures there. The ending was quite explosive. I already knew I'd want more of this exquisite world, but those last few pages made me hurt for it. Marvelous beginning to an epic tale!

I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

I've been eagerly awaiting this book since the minute I finished The Rogue King! While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I think Kasia stole the show in a lot of ways in the first book and Skylar was a bit more enigmatic and more standoffish in this one so it made it harder to connect. It also made the connection between Skylar and Landon a bit more fickle. The chemistry was there but there was less longing and more of them scrambling to push back apart from each other. It was kinda the opposite of what I felt in The Rogue King, I was more into Kasia and in The Blood King, Landon was the beacon for me. His role and his drive to protect and do right by his people was admirable and made him more accessible. Undoubtedly they make a good pair though. He clearly needed a strong match and Skylar was definitely that.

This sequel hit every other key perfectly for me. It enriched the already lavish world, the overall plot furthered, the dragon politics raged on, characters we've previously seen were expanded on, and we meet some new ones with sure to be interesting roles in the coming novels. I have to say I'm completely fascinated with Meira and what she has been up to. I'm hoping to see a bit more of the gargoyles she's been hanging around with in the next book! Also, very curious about the Black Clan dragons and how that'll all play out. Each addition to the series only makes me want more and more!

I received an arc of this book from Entangled: Amara via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

A little bit of mixed emotions about this one, but all together a good first book in a series. It checked all the boxes for me, I'm interested and invested at this point, I only wish there would have been a bit more solidity in certain things by the ending.

The writing was quite beautiful, it skirted the edge of purple prose at times but ultimately I felt it wasn't too over the top for me. I thought the author did a great job at setting the scenes. There was a captivating contrast between the cold bleak backdrop of a dying town and the invigorating colorful splashes of magic at play. The fact that magic also held this undertone of mystery and danger only made it that much more exciting and intriguing.

I could see some having issue with how boisterous and exorbitantly headstrong Kallia can be. Honestly, I loved every minute of it. I loved how daring and passionate she was. In the face of a world where magic was a man's game, she unabashedly held nothing back when flaunting her talents. I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the story. Were there times where she used excess bravado to push back? YUP. Were there times she could have let someone in and shown a bit of the worry she struggled with? Uh huh. But I honestly totally get putting on your game face and not letting your haters, and even sometimes your friends, see the obstacles get you down. I think it made a lot of sense after Kallia was so deeply violated recently for her to be more on guard for awhile in who she let fully in.

I really enjoyed a bunch of the other characters too. Jack is a big ole mystery that I really want to know more about. He falls pretty well into this dark grey place right now, he's not the hero but I'm not sure he's the fully the villain either. There's so much to be learned about him still. I would have liked to get even a few more morsels of information about him before the end, the few crumbs we got really only made like 20 new questions emerge. Demarco was one I wasn't quite sure if I'd end up liking or not for awhile. I was glad more about him was revealed towards the end, it gave him depth that seemed to be lacking the first half of the book with him being so closed off and broody. Aaros brought a much needed cheeky lightness to the fold. I hope to see even more from him in future books. Also, the entire magic circus, more of that whole troupe please, because they were fabulous!

There was a ton of intrigue throughout this one, but ultimately not many revelations by the end. I would have liked at least a few of the many mysteries to come to some sort of fruition, but as I said before, this author can really set a scene. Where Dreams Descend set the stage for the second act and it is full of many deliciously wicked possibilities!

I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Booka via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

I think I figured out why Crouch books suck you in so effectively. You always kinda hit the ground running. There's immediately urgency and mystery and it keeps you on that edge, with the stakes raising and game fields changing right up till the very end. I read this all in one night. It grabbed me from the very beginning and I could not put it down until I finished. Looking forward to book 2.

This book was all kinds of cute and totally refreshing to read. Sloane was so darn relatable. It can be hard to express yourself sometimes, especially when the feelings are overwhelming. It was a fun and relatively lighthearted journey watching as Sloane's inadvertent thrust into the spotlight helped her really come out of her shell and connect with so many people near and far.

I quite enjoyed the setting too. The quirky southern small town of Arbor Bay added an extra fun dynamic to the mix. I have to say I'd love to see more of some of these characters in a future book! This was a perfect feel-good escapism romance, with some of my favorite tropes, sunshine/grumpy and fake dating. I highly recommend to fans of contemporary romance.

I received an arc of this book from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley and this is my honest review.