Happy Friday everyone! Today, I'm sharing three ARC mini reviews - The Burning God (The Poppy War #3) by R.F. Kuang (available November 17, 2020), These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights #1) by Chloe Gong (available November 17, 2020), and A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton (available December 8, 2020). I received these ARCs from NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews. Read on to see my thoughts:
The Burning War (The Poppy War #3) by R.F. Kuang is the perfect finale to what has been an outstanding series. I'm so lucky to have been approved for this ARC! Let's just say that my expectations were through the roof for this and it totally lived up to them. This might actually be the best installment of the series. I loved seeing what was next for Rin. She gone through quite a journey over the course of this series, hasn't she? I knew this was going to be absolutely brutal with such high stakes and it really was. That final showdown - holy moly! After I finished this, I stared at the wall in shock and then yelled at my Kindle in shock. In a good way, honest! I know my review doesn't do this fantasy novel that's based on real world history justice at all, but I can't recommend this entire series enough because it's brilliant. Brutally ruthless, but brilliant.
My review is also on Goodreads.
I was sold immediately as soon as I heard about These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights #1) by Chloe Gong. I mean, a 1920s Shanghai set retelling of Romeo and Juliet with rival gangs, politics, and a side of magic. I can now officially say that this is great YA debut. I'm especially impressed that the author is still a college undergraduate. I have a feeling we can expect great things from her in the future if this novel is anything to judge by. I was especially intrigued by the world of the novel and I enjoyed getting to know the cast. On the whole, it's not quite as vibrant as I was hoping since it slacks off in the middle after kicking off at full throttle. I wasn't quite to the "I would die for my gang" point, but I was still pretty invested. If you're a fan of The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell and Jade City by Fonda Lee, I have a feeling you'll want to give this new series opener a chance. I can't wait to read the upcoming sequel and whatever else the author would like to write.
My review is also on Goodreads.
A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton is an exceptional YA fantasy anthology. There are a lot of great authors that have contributed to this We Need Diverse Books collection of short stories. My favorite story hands down was easily "A Royal Affair" by V.E. Schab. I didn't know exactly how much I needed to the world of the Shades of Magic series. It was brilliant to see Rhy, Alucard, Kell, and Lila again. Kell reminds me of myself when it comes to how protective he is over his family and friends. Otherwise my favorite stories were "The Takeback Tango" by Rebecca Roadhouse, "Cristal y Ceniza" by Anna-Marie Mclemore, "Dream and Dare" by Nic Stone, and "Unmoor" by Mark Oshiro. The only story I wasn't invested in was "The Scarlet Woman: A Gemma Doyle Story" by Libba Bray. I usually love Bray's style, but the Gemma Doyle Trilogy just wasn't for me. Overall, this imaginative collection is well worth reading through even if you're mostly only interested in V.E. Schwab's new short story. Have I mentioned how much I'm looking forward to the upcoming Threads of Power trilogy?
My review is also on Goodreads.
Have you read or are you looking forward to any of these books? What are you reading this weekend? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
I still need to read These Violent Delights, and I'm glad to see you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll enjoy it when you get to it. :)
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