Short AF Book Review | Blood Over Bright Haven | ARC Received By Netgalley

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Blood Over Bright Haven" by M.L. Wang. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost - and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fuelled by a mad  desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran's magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Though their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever - if it doesn't get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth the fate of civilization in the balance?

A standalone dark acedemia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V.E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

(Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation.)

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

So the reason I wanted to read this is because the synopsis looked really interesting on Netgalley. I'm not gonna lie friends, I was very 50/50 on this book. First, we'll talk about the good. I have not read a book so far that has been this relevant and realistic in how governmental bodies treat their citizens compared to people who migrate into their systems. This book is so important especially with everything that is currently going on in the world right now. This story was so sad, and beautiful and really installed the hope that it was trying to do so. Now for the bad, I did not feel as emotionally attached to some of the characters as much as I felt I should have, especially with how much of the story we spent with them. Now, this could absolutely be just a me problem, but it made the ending of this book really underwhelming for me and I was low key disappointed. I 100% understood why the book ended the way that it did, but I wish I just felt more about it. All in all, I would absolutely still recommend this book to everyone and anyone because of the importance of it's contents, however I do not think I will be buying myself a physical copy of this book.

I gave this book a 3/5 star rating on Goodreads!

This book is already out!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | The Last Hour Between Worlds | ARC Received By Netgalley

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "The Last Hour Between Worlds" by Melissa Caruso. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"A whip - smart adventure fantasy packed with rival guilds, reality - bending magic, and sapphic pining, The Last Hour Between Worlds is the brilliant launch of a new series from David Gemmell Award - nominated author, Melissa Caruso.

Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she's determined to enjoy herself at this party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She is a Hound, after all, and she can't help picking up the scent of trouble.

She's not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what's causing the a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood - soaked ritual.

As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they'll need to rely on their wits - and each other - to unravel the secret of the clock and save their home."

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

So we all know me well enough by now to know that the reason I wanted to read this book is because it's a queer fantasy right? I applied for this book on Netgalley and I'm not gonna lie friends, at the start of this story I was going to DNF this book. I am SO GLAD that I didn't. Friends, this book was genuinely so much fun to read. If you do get a chance to read it, there are a couple of chapters that are a little boring and make it seem like motherhood is Kem's only personality trait, but I promise you if you just push through a little bit the story actually gets really amazing. I found the magic system within this book so interesting and I loved getting to learn more and more about each and every character. There were so many cool side characters that I grew to know and love, (and a small few who I grew to hate). The witty banter and yearning within the enemies to lovers relationship in this book genuinely had me giggling in the early hours of the morning. I genuinely had evenings where I struggled to put this book down. There were a few twists and revelations that literally made me gasp out loud. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who wants a good sapphic enemies to lovers romantasy and I will be picking up a physical copy of this book, as well as the rest of the series as/when it comes out.

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads!

This book is already out!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!