Thoughts On…| 80 Thoughts I Had While Reading Kingsbane

Friends, I just finished reading Kingsbane, the second book in the Empirium Trilogy, and

OH.MY.GOSH. I HAVE ALL THE FEELS. I’m continuing my “Thoughts On” series that I started with Furyborn because I physically cannot write an actual review. All you need to know is this book will hurt you BADLY and that you will want it all because it is UH-MAZ-ING.

*THERE WILL BE SPOILERS* because I’m using this as a hardcore, much needed therapy sesh (it was that traumatizing). SO, continue on at your own risk. If you haven’t read this series, please come back when you’re caught up so you can join the support group with me Kal – @Reader Voracious and Jess – @Fiction No Chaser. We need more brains to collaborate with on theories!

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1. SIMON. Seeing 8 year old baby Simon is breaking my heart 😭

2. I’m only on page 6 and I have questions. Who is the prophet? Do I know them? Probably…but who is it?!

3. Rielle laid out because she’s on her period is like the most relatable thing I’ve ever read.

4. “Nothing is more suitable than cake when you’ve been traveling for a month and your body feels like bruised mush.” Lololol yes.

5. “My light and my life.” OMG AUDRIC.

6. The sun guard – 7 women strong…YES. So much yes.

7. THANK GOD Eliana isn’t healing anymore. I was worried for a hot minute. (Cause like, that woulda been a half-angel baby and I would NOT have been okay with that.)

8. Not Navi 😭

9. If I were Rielle, I’d be pissed that Lu is always right and I’m always wrong. But that’s none of my business.

10. Rielle, you are making it SO hard to like you right now.

11. Eliana saying her dress is too fine and fussy is me whenever I need to dress up and/or be profesh.

13. Eliana threatening to not save Commander what’s-his-name’s sorry ass the next time danger comes is a MOOD.

14. “Coming from you, a paragon of manners and etiquette, that means almost nothing.” LOL Zahra I am living for this SASS.

15. OMG Rielle is like ELSA.

16. Rielle’s moods are honestly so relatable and now I know I could never be trusted to be a diplomat.

17. RIELLE, your Slytherin is getting too much into Draco territory and I DO NOT APPRECIATE IT.

18. WTF IS THIS PLOT TWIST. They were LYING to the angels THIS WHOLE TIME? Vengeance seems like the only option at this point.

19. So many Supernatural vibes! Zahra = Castiel, Angels hate humans for being “better”.

20. Also, why does it make me so happy that there are different worlds “beyond the fold” THE ANGELS NEED TO FIND THE HOME THEY DESERVE.

21. Rielle throwing a temper tantrum and throwing herself at the gate caused my eyes to roll so hard they almost got stuck.

22. ALSO HOW DARE YOU TRAP ATHERIA. YOU WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN.

23. If this gate isn’t like Ganon being trapped in the void by the mages idk what is.

24. I’m literally starting a Zelda Game. A mix between Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. I’m here for this. ZOMG.

25. Jodoc is out here spitting truth bombs about Rielle instead of coddling her and I RESPECT THIS.

26. Eliana lives without magic her whole life and automatically knows how to fix her issues. Rielle lives in a world with magic her whole life and NO ONE THINKS OF THIS SIMPLE IDEA?

27. Corien chapters!? Yaaas.

28. Corien in a random frozen land drinking and talking to himself is Jack sparrow in Davy Jones locker

29. “Now that I’ve known a life with you by my side, I’m not sure I could bear that kind of loneliness again.” UGH, I LOVE YOU SIMON.

30. Simon: Yes my queen. Anything to please you. ME:

31. “I need your passion, and you need something steady to come home to. An anchor, warm and sunlit.” THESE ARE THE DECLARATIONS OF LOVE I NEED IN MY LIFE.

32. “Every day I love her more deeply than I did the day before.” Omg Audric. You are giving Simon a run for his money.

33. Harkan chooses NOW to be a little b*tch?

34. I NEED MORE SIMON CHAPTERS

35. “We will be there, with our army if strays, and we will be at her side, and we will not let her fall.” #Navi2020

36. “We are the light against the darkness, and we must continue to burn brightly, so others may find their way out.”

37. I’m so pissed at Harkan. I knew I didn’t like him.

38. Eliana talking about leading her life the way she sees fit and not having a man chose for her is a MOOD.

39. 👏🏼Corien👏🏼 Is👏🏼Using👏🏼You👏🏼 🙄🙄🙄

40. Rielle’s so conceited and I cannot with her stupidity right now.

41. Oh, all of SLUDDEN Harkan wants Eliana to use her castings even though it’s HIS fault Corien found them.

42. Simon came for her! 😭

43. Corien is BURNING people and Rielle still helps him?!

44. OMFG NOT. REMY. HOW DARE YOU.

45. SH*T IS GETTING REAL. SIMON CAN TRAVEL AGAIN 😭

46. Rielle DOESN’T DESERVE ATHERIA!

47. Simon and Eliana sleeping underneath a tree is too precious.

48. “I’m tired of bearing the burden of you alone.” YOU GO TAL.

49. SIMON AND ELIANA FINALLY HAPPENED AND OMG I LOVE THEM.

50. Corien and Lu really need some therapy sessions.

51. WHAT IS EVEN REAL AT THIS POINT?

52. OMFG AUDRIC KNOOOOWWWS. Amen to Rielle GOING DOWN.

53. Okay, so Audric and Rielle DEF need therapy too.

54. “I don’t love you…I refuse to love you.” “I know. I don’t love you either.” OMFG CUTEST AND SADDEST THING I’VE EVER READ IN MY LIFE.

55. RIELLE WHY ARE YOU SO DUMB?!

56. Rielle is the Spongebob meme. Everyone: “Rielle, Corien is trying to break you.” Rielle: “CoRiEn Is TrYiNg To BrEaK mE.”

57. WHY DOESN’T ANYONE TELL RIELLE THAT SHE IS F*CKING UP.

58. Detective Devon ON THE JOB.

60. JESSAMYN IS THAT YOU? WHERE DID YOU GO? *We are so inappropriate sometimes, but at least we’re funny.

61. How is so much supposed to happen with 100ish pages left? I’M NOT PREPARED.

62. RIELLE AND ELIANA JUST MET AND I AM LIVING BACK TO THE FUTURE. OMG.

63. Eliana just f*ucked up the timeline and I’m so confused with life. WHAT IS GOING ON?

64. Corien is such a tantrum-throwing man child. I love it.

65. Why does no one care about someone coming from THE FUTURE? Why isn’t this a bigger deal? I’m concerned.

66. The wedding just happened and I want to die happy even though I know I’m not.

67. Corien just broke Audric and why does this hurt so much?

68. This masquerade is GOING TO HELL. I should have seen it coming.

69. NO. No, no, no, no, no, no.

70. SIMON?! Are you seriously doing this to me right now?!

71. WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON RIGHT NOW?

72. THE DAD?! WTF? It’s always the offing parents. No f*cking way.
73. I just finished and I’m raging. I’VE NEVER FELT SO BETRAYED.

74. You can’t just DO THAT, Claire. I refuse to believe this is happening right now.
75. Good day. Please send your favorite books to my funeral.

76. Honestly, this is worse than if Audric would have died at the end.

77. Days later…I’m still in denial. I don’t believe this is happening right now.

78. I need to just start this series again to collect all the clues.

79. Seriously…if you want to join the mind map club PLEASE TELL ME.

80. I will never be over this. I can’t believe I was duped. #Deceased

Talk To Me

Have you read Furyborn or Kingsbane? Did you love it? Hate it? Will you be adding it to your TBR pile?

Thoughts On…| 50-Something Thoughts I Had While Reading Furyborn

Hello, from the new Devon who survived Furyborn and is currently dying while reading Kingsbane. This series is one of my new fantasy favorites, and to be honest I didn’t think I would be able to write an actual review without fangirling for four full pages, raging for another ten, and then incoherently rambling for fifteen more about the crazy plots, writing style, and characters.

So, I decided to share my live reactions instead.  This way you can all experience the emotional rollercoaster ride that was my first experience with Furyborn. Check out the below for Trello notes, some live tweets, Goodreads updates and a handful of Discord posts between me and the squad (Kal – @Reader Voracious, Jess – @Fiction No Chaser, and Loretta – @Laughing Listener)! And special shoutout for Jess for getting me to drop everything I was reading for Furyborn. It was a good decision.

* Before you start, I want to call out that there are a FEW spoiler-ish things you might see, but as long as you’re past literally page 1 of Furyborn you should be good to go. If you want to go into this story blind, come back to this at a later time! THEN, we can fangirl and rage together. For everyone else…

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1. Okay so 0 to 100 in less than 1 page and I’m here for it.

2. The Wolf is hot AF and he hasn’t even taken his mask off yet or said more than, like, one full sentence. All he’s doing is fighting…

3. What’s with the sketch poem about Lu’s family?? I don’t like her. She is too perfect? I will find her evil ways!

4. Remy is the sassiest 12 year old and I love him.

5. This timeline is going to KILL. ME.

6. “I’m just going to keep rolling my eyes until you stop talking.” – BEST. LINE.

7. Simon saying little dread does something to me.

8. This Linnet story…I can’t.

9. OMG THESE TRIALS. Am I watching the Hunger Games remix of Aang (or more like Zuko) from Avatar competing in the Tri-Wizard Tournament? 🤔

10. How is this book making me feel so many things!?!?

11. Omg Rielle is going Magneto status and I love it.

12. #DetectiveDevon on duty.

13. I FREAKING KNEW IT.

14. What does it say about me that I know this is the villain but he is super hot and I love him?

15. ‘This war has claimed the lives and bodies of too many women.” FEMINISM FOR THE MASSES.

16. Everyone in this book is hardcore slytherin and I’m here for it.

17. Have I mentioned Simon? Adding him to my book boyfriend list ASAP.

18. Of course the 12 year old is the smartest person so far.

19. OMFG shit just got REAL up in here.

20. Yup, I ship Simon and Eliana. Move along everyone else.

21. Alright, Lu. You’ve proven yourself. I don’t hate you like I thought I should. You are a true homie.

22. “Kissing involves not just one person, but two. If there is blame to be placed, it isn’t only for you to bear.” YAS QUEEN CLAIRE

23. Omg baby Simon. I can’t. So cute. #Dead

24. I want to hate Corien but I also love him. *Starts Singing*: “…I wanna hate you, ’cause I still love you…”

25. Middle of the night woke up thinking: Rielle is like the Dark Phoenix rising. And if she’s Dark Phoenix, then Eliana is low key Wolverine in the making. I’m ready.

26. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Rule #1 NEVER SEPARATE.

27. I TOTALLY FREAKING CALLED THAT.

28. Baby Simon with Audric and magical beasts warms my heart. Omg. #Dead.

29. Alright, Audric I see you. Daddy vibes going on.

30. Zahra throwing shade at Simon and saying he can’t be trusted makes me question my feelings…but only a little.

31. 100% into Zahra and her ghostly angel vibes.

32. Ludivine out her becoming the next Cinna with her trial outfits.

33. THE FIRE TRIAL. NO. TAL. WHY??

34. Did Rielle really just unknowingly DO THAT? I’m pretty sure she did and I’m pissed at her.

35. NO. NO. NO. NO.

36.  Remy is the smartest of the crew and they need to listen to him more often. HE IS THE ONLY RAVENCLAW. LET HIM TELL YOU THINGS.

37. You’ve been lying to me this whole time, Lu?!?!

38. Simon cannot catch a break. Guy needs a drink.

39. “Be still, my wicked black heart.” – ERMAHGERD SIMON.

40. There are so many words and names in this story that I know I am 100% pronouncing incorrectly. I NEED HALP. (Luckily, Loretta is listening to the audiobook. YAY, teamwork.)

41. Reading Rielle’s plot line is like watching two cars driving towards each other knowing they are going to crash…but not being able to do anything about it.

42. NAVI PLEASE BE OKAY.

43. I really need to know Simon’s story. STAT.

44. Okay, so that’s how we’re ending things…Got it.

45. I immediately started to plan a trip to the bookstore to buy Kingsbane because WTF. You can’t just end it that way.

46-50something:

CAUTION SPOILERS AHEAD READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. 

Talk To Me

Have you read Furyborn? Did you love it? Hate it? Will you be adding it to your TBR pile?

Review | The Phantom Forest

The Phantom Forest

By: Liz Kerin

Overall Rating: ★★★★

*Thank you Liz Kerin and Inkshares for providing an e-book for my honest opinion!

From Goodreads

Seycia’s father told her this story as a child — a story of the most holy place in the Underworld, The Forest of Laida, where all souls go to rest before embarking on a new life. But Seycia’s father is dead now, and his killer has put a target on her back.

After being chosen for her village’s human sacrifice ritual, Seycia is transported to the Underworld and must join forces with Haben, the demon to whom she was sacrificed, to protect the family she left behind from beyond the grave. In this story of love, survival, and what it means to be human, Seycia and Haben discover that the Underworld is riddled with secrets that can only be unlocked through complete trust and devotion, not only to their mission, but also to one another.

Theme Song

TL;DR:

The Phantom Forest has a bit of every good fantasy story weaved into it – Gods/Goddesses, a post-apocalyptic setting, evil overlords, premonitions of the future, and a brave heroine to tie everything together. The dark & haunting mood sets this story about the nature of humanity and what we’d do for love apart. I can’t wait for the sequel!

The Good

The Plot

Seycia believes that all souls are either good or evil, and that they all come from the Forest of Laida. Simeon believes Dohv, the ruler of the underworld, wants him to rule over his land with an iron fist, and sacrifices innocent youths to keep his power. Haben is a demon, cursed by and bound to Dohv. Miko is a 12 year old boy, destined for greatness. They all come together in a battle between good and evil, living and dead, and it does not disappoint.  If you love mythical lore, magical beings, and epic journeys, you’ll love this book!

*Don’t mind me, I’ll just be heavily researching Hades/Underworld lore for the next year.*

The Characters

I found myself forgetting that half the characters in this book are children. So many brutal, soul-crushing things happen and yet Miko, Minari, and Seycia all manage to pull through and revolt against their captors and torturers. They are stead-fast in their beliefs and still manage to make the mistakes you would expect of younger characters. I also love that there are multiple villainous characters to contend with. It keeps action coming from every angle. My only wish is that character growth and the relationships between them would have had more time to evolve and blossom. The relationship between Haben and Seycia seemed a bit rushed into, and it has so much potential!

The Writing

Liz Kerin’s writing is solid. Also, shoutout to the editor. I’m so glad I didn’t have to read through a mess of typos and grammatical errors! If you like dark, eerie moods and questions about humanity and what come after death, you’ll enjoy The Phantom Forest.

The Bad

I Need More (And I Have to Wait For Book 2)

I read an advanced e-copy of Phantom and I just want to know what happens! I needed the conclusion like yesterday.

The Ugly Truth

If you love stories of survival, haunting moods, and are in need of a new fantasy world to get hook on, grab The Phantom Forest when it debuts on July 16th!

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Will you be adding The Phantom Forest to your TBR list? How do you feel about the concept?

 

Review | Sorcery of Thorns Is Every Bookworm’s Fantasy

Sorcery of Thorns

By: Margaret Rogerson

Overall Rating: ★★★★

*Thank You Simon and Schuster

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and Margaret Rogerson for providing an e-book for my honest opinion.

From Goodreads: All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

Theme Song

TL;DR:

If you enjoyed Margaret Rogerson’s first novel, An Enchantment of Ravens, you will LOVE Sorcery of Thorns. There are magical books, evil (and not-so-evil) demons, sassy sorcerers, and a strong-willed heroine. The feminist themes, slow burn romances, and unlikely friendships will leave you bewitched and wanting more.

The Good

The Plot

Let me repeat, there are. MAGICAL. LIVING. BOOKS. Readers, you should binge this book based on this alone. Who doesn’t want to read about a brave librarian facing off against an evil sorcerer? And who doesn’t dream of living in a magical library full of living, breathing books? There’s a dash of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Hogwarts Library vibes (think the restricted section times 100), hints of The Pagemaster, and a unique flare to piece it all together.

The World Building

For being a standalone novel, I was definitely impressed with how well the world of Austermeer was thought out. There’s so much magical knowledge to devour in this story and it left me wanting more. Fantasy lovers will be highly impressed with callouts to the Enochian language, the use of salt & iron, the creation of grimoires & maleficts, and even the summoning of demons.

The Characters

Every character in this story is amazing in their own way – yes, even all the grimoires! Elisabeth is a fearless, strong-willed bookworm who meets her enemies head on. Nathaniel Thorn is my new favorite sorcerer. He’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet and I lived for all his sarcasm. Silas is your favorite grumpy cat and will melt your heart. And Katrien will be the best friend you want in your life.

The Bad

It’s A Standalone

I didn’t want this story to end! The world was so well developed, the characters were amazing, and I didn’t want it to end. This isn’t technically “bad”, but if you know me then you know I’m a sucker for long-lived stories. I just want more of Nathaniel and Elisabeth!

The Ugly Truth

If you love magic and mystery, add Sorcery of Thorns to your June wishlist!

Talk To Me

How do you feel about sorcery and books about magic? Will you be adding this to your TBR list?