ARC Mini Reviews: Army of the Cursed, The Endless Skies, Paper & Blood, & Velvet Was The Night

Happy Friday everyone!  Today, I'm sharing four ARC mini reviews - Army of the Cursed (War of the Last Day #1) by Karim Soliman (released February 23rd, 2021), The Endless Skies by Shannon Price (released August 17th, 2021), Paper & Blood (Ink & Sigil #2) Kevin Hearne (released August 10th, 2021), and Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (released August 17th, 2021).  I received Army of the Cursed from the author in exchange for an honest honest review and the rest of these ARCs from NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.  Read on to see my thoughts:

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Army of the Cursed (War of the Last Day #1) by Karim Soliman is a fantasy series opener that I'm so glad I decided to take a chance on. I wasn't at all familiar with the author before going into this book, but this impressed me enough that I'm going to have to try more of his past works soon. His character work is excellent. I feel like everyone including the side characters are just about ready to walk right off the page. All of the cast are given their chance to shine. I also liked getting to know the world of Gorania. I know this book is the first installment of a spin-off which I've never read, but while reading this I never felt terribly out of the loop though I definitely wanted a little more detail that I've missed. I highly recommend this engaging and fast-paced fantasy even if, like me you aren't already familiar with the previous series. This definitely won't be my last read from this author. I can't wait to see what's more for this series, and more of Soliman's past work.

My review is also on Goodreads.

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The Endless Skies by Shannon Price is a YA fantasy romance with a lot of potential to be a truly great standalone novel.  It came pretty close to great too and it mostly worked for me.  I loved the vivid world-building.  The floating cities just sound so fantastic, don't they?  I also really liked the idea of the inhabitants which are winged-lion shapeshifters.  I wasn't as particularly sold with our lead characters, but it's still worth following their journey.  In the end, this is a unique YA fantasy that  is well worth your time.  I know this is a standalone novel, but I wouldn't mind revisiting this world again. 

My review is also on Goodreads.

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Paper & Blood (Ink & Sigil #2) Kevin Hearne is a great follow up to Ink & Sigil.  It's such a fun little spin off to The Iron Druid Chronicles which is one of my favorite urban fantasy series.  It was great to see Al and his ragtag gang again.  Let me just say that the sense of humor in this was just right.  There are quite a few laugh out loud moments.  To be honest, my favorite parts were getting to see Atticus (aka Connor) again.  Atticus, Oberon, and Starbuck just made my day.  I can't wait to see more from Kevin Hearne in the future.

My review is also on Goodreads.

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Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an adult historical mystery thriller set in Mexico City.  If you're at all interested in edgy and modern noir novels, this new standalone novel is a must read.  Moreno-Garcia is quickly becoming an author that I can't miss.  Her writing style is incredibly lush and detailed.  The setting of this novel really jumps off the page.  It's practically a character in its own right.  I didn't realize going in that this story is inspired by events.  You're going to have to stick around for the acknowledgments which are quite intriguing.  I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.  I need to get caught up on her work soon.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Have you read any of these books?  Are you planning on reading any of them in the future?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!