The Monarchs Review

*THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD*

The sorority girls at Kappa Rho Nu—the Ravens—are determined to restore balance to the world. After destroying an ancient talisman and barely saving their sorority in the process, they’ll go to any lengths to keep their secret as Westerly’s most powerful coven of witches. Unbeknownst to the Ravens, new rivals and ancient evils lurk on Westerly’s campus. With Kappa Rho Nu’s future on their shoulders and their pasts still haunting them, will Scarlett and Vivi be able to save their sisterhood once again?

Scarlett just came across and very insecure throughout the course of this book. Always second guessing all of her decisions and not really standing up for herself as the president of the sorority. It makes sense now having finished the book why the other sisters kept making remarks about Scarlett’s presidency but the fact that she would just take it and not call them out on being rude and toxic didn’t make sense to me.

Vivi also didn’t really grow in any kind of way throughout the course of this book. She realises at the end how some of her actions and decisions weren’t the best but I feel like if she went back she would absolutely do the same thing. I think she really disregarded the feelings of her sisters when they tried to have the intervention with her despite saying over and over how much of a raven she is, immediately becoming super defensive and dismissive and ran straight over to the Theta’s and joined them. I also don’t understand why she didn’t just explain to Mason about Tim and why she was meeting up with him. She totally just did what Scarlett did to him and I thought it wasn’t nice of her to just blow him off time and time again and then be surprised when he breaks up with her.

I didn’t enjoy the fact that we get this new storyline with the Hadesgate but we don’t get a history of who contained it last time, or who the witch was in the old house that Vivi had the vision about. Also we find out in this book that there are guardians/witch hunters that Scarlett was warned about her whole life which is one of the reasons why they are so serious about containing the secret about their magic. But again were just given kind of the bare minimum that is told to us by Xavier but we don’t get any kind of in depth explanation about who they are and how they were established.

The whole plot was just everything turning against the Kappas all at once and them just being like oh is someone sabotaging us??? It was blatantly obvious that there was someone out to get them but there just wasn’t that sense of urgency until they lost their magic. I feel like the girls are all so cavalier about their magic and will just do a spell whenever something inconvenienced them and it was definitely interesting to see them having to try and navigate their lives without it. There was just nothing that was super surprising or gripping about this book, I was interested enough to see how it would end but this didn’t leave a lasting impression on me at all!

⭐️2/5 stars Underwhelming and forgettable!

Anticipated Releases 2022

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is my most anticipated releases for the first half of 2022!

Gallant by V.E. Schwab (expected publication March 1st 2022)

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas (expected publication February 15th 2021)

There the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire (expected publication January 4th 2022)

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (expected publication February 22nd 2022)

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo(expected publication May 10th 2022)

League of Liars by Astrid Scholte (expected publication February 22nd 2022)

Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes (expected publication January 4th 2022)

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins (expected publication January 4th 2022)

The Monarchs by Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige (expected publication January 11th 2022)

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett (expected publication June 21st 2022)

July Wrap Up

I feel like I’m finally getting back into the swing of things in regards to my reading. I had a really great reading month in July and I am really happy with what I chose to pick up! We have a mixture of new releases, romance, fantasy and a bit of historical fiction which was an interesting time for sure! I can’t wait to hopefully continue on with this bit of momentum I have and pick up some more good books!

In July I read:

Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima – ⭐️5/5 stars

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir – ⭐️4/5 stars

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert – ⭐️5/5 stars

Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms by Anita Heiss – ⭐️4/5 stars

Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss – ⭐️4/5 stars

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo – ⭐️3/5 stars

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid – ⭐️5/5 stars

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides – ⭐️4/5 stars

Survive the Night by Riley Sager – ⭐️4/5 stars

Windwitch by Susan Dennard – ⭐️4/5 stars

The Project by Courtney Summers – ⭐️3/5 stars

The Ravens by Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige – ⭐️3/5 stars

3932011554869217._SY475_5182438430526196bila-yarrudhanggalangdhuray-9781760850449_hr55169019._SY475_554045464530056755628983windwitch5313809349046937

The Ravens Review

*A Few Spoilers*

Kappa Rho Nu isn’t your average sorority. Their parties are notorious. Their fundraisers are known for being Westerly College’s most elaborate affairs. But beneath the veil of Greek life and prestige, the sisters of Kappu Rho Nu share a secret: they’re a coven of witches.

I liked the dual perspective. We have Vivi who knows nothing about magic and witches and what the sorority is all about, young and naïve and then we have Scarlett a legacy at Kappa and a shoe in to become the next president. Vivi at the start I can totally relate to wanting to have some consistency in her life and get away from her mother and start fresh. Meanwhile Scarlett is very comfortable in her role at Kappa and is wanting to build upon her life and establish herself as the best and better and stronger than her sister and live up to her mother’s expectations.

At first I was a little salty at Scarlett for being so nasty to Vivi and being so threatened by her. I know she is under a lot of pressure from her family and her own insecurities but I don’t think that excuses you from treating someone badly. She is so set in her thoughts about what her life ‘should’ be like and she really projected that onto Mason instead of really hearing him out and sympathising with his feelings. I can see why he would end the relationship but I think it was a little shady of him to move straight onto Vivi like 5 minutes later at the homecoming dance.

Vivi really just wants to fit in and find a place where she feels wanted and accepted and she really found that with the Kappa’s the other freshman. She is very loyal very quickly to her sisters and even though I find it commendable I think putting them over her mother and not sitting down and listening to her for five minutes instead of just taking the necklace was a bit much.

The mystery surrounding Gwen was interesting but when we find out what actually happened and how Harper was killed was kind of anticlimactic for me. The magic though we do learn a lot through hell week I would of liked a more in depth run down of how the system works. I definitely found it to be quite original and exciting. Overall I am intrigued and enjoyed the story but it felt kind of more YA than what I was expecting despite the quite macabre nature of the storyline, but I am still excited to pick up the next book in this duology.

⭐️3/5 stars Witchy vibes are real!!

✨ Witchy Books ✨

I love Witchy Books and since this week’s Top 10 Tuesday prompt is a Halloween Freebie I figured this was the perfect time to list 5 books I’ve read and loved as well as 5 books I am dying to pick up that have some form of witches in the narrative!!

The Wicked Deep & Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

3529739443822698

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

The Ravens by Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige