Kingsbane Review

*Spoilers below*

40523458._SY475_Kingsbane continues pretty much straight after where Furyborn left off. Eliana is trying to come to terms with her new powers and Rielle is assuaging her guilt over the deaths of her father and the king by locating the legendary castings to fix the Gate containing the angels.

I just straight up don’t really like Rielle’s character. I can appreciate how she is pushing the plot forward but I find her to be incredibly insufferable. First of all having to be talked into saving the capital of Borsvall from the tidal wave by Ludivine and Audric, almost condemning all of those innocent people because she was outraged that they would dare threaten her and had absolutely no remorse doing so. Then slaughtering all of those Obex members because they were rightfully mistrustful of her after she weakened the Gate further. She has no humility and believes that her power gives her the right to just do whatever she wants with no repercussions and that doesn’t sit well with me at all. I’m very much on the Queen’s side about her thoughts for her.

Audric is just so blindly in love with Rielle that one or two little placations from her and he just dismisses all of the problematic things she says and does. Granted he does finally stand up for himself after finding out about what happened with his father but I felt like it was a little too late at that point. I don’t trust Ludivine at all at this point either. She stepped up and played more of a role in this book than the previous and I am curious as to whom she truly is and what her intentions are.

I MUCH preferred Eliana’s storyline compared to her mothers. Seeing her make her castings and tapping into her powers kept me very much engaged in the plot. Even though she was quite closed off and standoffish in the first book she starts to open up more and develops more relationships with those around her. She is still making some questionable decisions but overall I really like how her character is evolving.

Now we come to Simon. Once again he killed me in this book! I was always attached to him the most out of all the characters and he definitely took us on a journey of discovery in this book. We gain a little more insight into what he has doing all these years and the level of devotion he has for Eliana is touching bordering on the side of being a little too possessive. He really opens up to Eliana and they find salvation in each other only for it all to be ripped away and we discover who he truly is. UGH!!!!

I have to say Claire Legrand has masterfully developed each character and have given them all a purpose in the plot. The pacing was too up and down for me, we have large sections of nothing really going on and then all the action seemingly taking place all at once. I am still very much invested and can’t wait to find out what will happen next!

⭐️4/5 stars that ending …. WOW!

Books that make me smile

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday prompt is books that make me smile. One thing I am a sucker for and that makes me smile is a good romance in a novel, so these are 10 romance/contemporary books with a seriously cute romance that had me cheesing!

Get A Life, Chloe Brown & Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

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Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali

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Heartstopper Vol 1 by Alice Oseman

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When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

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The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

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The Kiss Quotient & The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

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Beach Read by Emily Henry

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The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

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🎲Becca’s Bookopoly Readathon🎲

I made the last minute decision about three hours already into the readathon to participate, which is pretty much how I roll. For all the information about the Readathon see Becca’s announcement video HERE. I have been watching her Bookopoly TBR videos pretty much since she started them so I was only too happy to participate in the first round! I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete all 8 of the prompts but I am happy I did end up finishing four books which was pretty much the overall goal.

The first prompt I chose was the Chance card pick from the 2020 board

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The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai

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For the second book I was able to combine both prompts of Culturally Diverse & Reader Recommends

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Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

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The third prompt I chose was a Mystery/Thriller from the 2019 board

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The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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The fourth prompt I chose was also from the 2019 board for a contemporary/romance

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The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

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The City of Brass Review

36215220._SY475_For some reason I didn’t think I was going to like this book, I’ve been putting it off for months and months now and I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved this book!

It follows Nahri a young woman in 18th century Cairo, who masquerades as a healer for the wealthy  but ends up stealing from them to make ends meet. During one of her ceremonies Nahri ends up inadvertently summoning a djinn, thrusting her into a magical world she didn’t believe existed.

I really liked Nahri’s character and her development over the course of the story. It was a subtle shift but we really see her become a lot more open and honest both with Dara and herself. She was a little frustrating at times, especially when she refused to see the patients and didn’t even try to listen to Nisreen about the Daeva clan and what was happening to them out in the city. I’m glad Nisreen gave it to her straight and tried to make her accountable for her actions.

I’m not a fan of how Dara kept so many secrets from Nahri and just expected her to follow him with no explanation on his part. He did become a little too possessive over her in the end there and that did grate my nerves a little. He still intrigues me a lot and I am so very much invested in his storyline, what really happened all those years ago, who freed him from his slavery and what other secrets he is hiding.

Ali’s plotIine I wasn’t as invested in as the others, I guess I am a bit more biased towards the Daeva clan than I am with his family. I appreciated that he is trying to go against his father and help the Shafit plight in the city but he gives up to easily in my opinion, and I thought he deserved the punishment he got in the end. He was completely outclassed by his father and the Sheik’s death was pretty much in vain at this point. I guess I just expected more from his character, especially since he is built up to be this feared warrior.

I loved the overall concept and the premise of the story. The world building was wonderful and highly atmospheric. I could do with a little more information about the magic system and the extent of the powers of the different clans. I can’t wait to find out this world and how each of the characters develops as the story continues!

⭐️4/5 stars I need to continue ASAP!