whimsydearest

The Court of Venus by Bel Banta is an enthralling fantasy inspired by Tudor England (plus a hint of Shakespeare). It completely swept me away into a transportive world with dueling magicians, a deadly tournament, and court conspiracies abound. First and foremost, the magic system is truly unique and well-wrought. The story incorporates an astrology-based magic system where the planet's alignment at the moment of a magician's birth determines their powers. For instance, Mercuryborns can create binding cyphers and can understand any language (because Mercury is the messenger god, get it?). On the other hand, the main character, Bianca Mortlake, is a Moonborn. Consequently, her powers wax and wane with the phases of the moon. She’s also a shapeshifter (because the “face” of the moon constantly changes). She’s capable of turning into animals and disguises herself as other people in order to spy. Overall, I think it’s a really clever magic system that interprets the planets and is...

Absolon Creed by R.S. Ford is a grimdark fantasy that's steeped in cosmic horror—filled with mad science, people turning into fleshy abominations, and a mysterious codex. The pages drip with atmosphere, and the decay of the city of Bastion is practically palpable. However, it’s not without flaws. The mystery component of the story was unfortunately the biggest letdown of the book for me. I felt like information was obtained way too easily. Instead of conveniently overhearing conversations, I wish the characters could have used more of their wits to discover clues. Also, (and I’ll try not to get into spoilers here), but a certain big plot twist toward the end left me incredibly frustrated. It didn't make logical sense to me. I feel like the character withheld the information for the sole purpose of creating a shocking reveal. Qualms aside though, the two compelling leads held the story together for me. Plus, plenty of sword-slashing action and snark still make this an engaging ...

Grandmaster Shea Fury enters a deadly chess tournament for a chance at rescuing her sister from the Fae King of the Otherworld. Immortal Game by Allison Saft breathes magic into chess.  Here the states are high. Cheating or committing any sort of fairy faux pas may result in an unpleasant death, and at least one competitor may be willing to kill to win. Who knew fairies and chess could go so well together?  I admit, I'm a complete beginner at chess, so occasionally the terminology and strategies went over my head, but this was still a deeply enjoyable read. It made me appreciate the psychological warfare aspects of the sport (psyching out your opponent so that they make mistakes) that I hadn’t considered before. I’m also happy to say that there’s a sapphic subplot in this one! Throughout the tournament, Shea has to wrestle with her growing feelings for her longtime rival, Ciara … who also happens to be the siter of the king. Overall, I thought their relationship was more beli...

A Snake Among Swans  by  Hannah Kaner  is a dark fantasy retelling of The Wild Swans that teems with rage and political intrigue. I mean it when I say it’s dark; it puts the grim in Brothers Grimm. The author has also mentioned House of the Dragon as an inspiration, and I can definitely see it. This is a ruthless fantasy with sharp teeth and claws that hook into you and don’t let go. There are morally grey characters, a succession war between family, and tons of scheming and backstabbing. Be forewarned though, there’s a lot of moving chess pieces on the board. The story immediately throws a ton of different empires, nations, and clans at the reader from the first few pages. Thankfully there’s a map and dramatis personae, and once I got a hang of the various factions, I became utterly engrossed in the story. The ending was heart-wrenching, and I’m interested to see what sort of terrible choices characters will make in the sequel. Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Voyager,...

The Demon Star by Jesse Aragon is riveting sci-fi fantasy that completely blew me away. It reminded me of why I fell in love with epic fantasy in the first place. It has immersive, well-wrought worldbuilding and a compelling cast of characters who you can’t help but root for. There’s a guilt-ridden priest grappling with his faith, a crippled boy trying to harness the powers of an ancient demon, and his estranged mother who is desperate to protect him. Together they join forces in order to stop tyrannical gods from harvesting human sacrifices from their planet. This book checked off so many boxes for me! It’s got telepathic priests, messed up familial relationships, plenty of action, and, to top it all off, it doesn’t shy away from body horror. Some scenes were so visceral they left me squirming in my seat. Overall, this was a stellar debut that sets Aragon on the map of authors to look out for. Thank you, NetGalley and DAW, for providing me with an ARC.

The Eye of Leviathan by M.A. Carrick delivers an interesting spin on faeries that I haven’t seen before. Set in an alternate Spanish Golden Age, fae are trying to avoid prosecution from the Spanish Inquisition. Discovered faeries are stripped of their wings since they are a “blasphemy” against angels. The author also takes the Spanish Age of Exploration and expands it onto the Spaniards trying to conquer all of the faerie realms as well. I thought this was a clever blend of fantasy, religion, and history. Moreover, Estevan is a really fascinating MC. He’s an ancient fae trapped in the body of a human child, watching the world he knew drastically change around him. He’s forced to watch his own kin get persecuted as he tries to maintain his human disguise. I really got a sense of his confliction and turmoil. Him I actually I cared about. On the other hand, I found I wasn’t as invested in the mortal girl's storyline. The Hungry Girl is infuriatingly naïve, and the fae she’s living wi...

I’ve watched Cindy’s channel for years. I adore her hilarious reviews, so I'm sad to say that her debut novel fell short of my expectations. The Secret World of Briar Rose alternatives between two main timelines. We follow Amelia, the Sleeping Beauty-esque princess who is cursed to fall into an eternal slumber on her eighteenth birthday. On the other hand, there’s Corin, one hundred years in the future. She’s a jaded thief who falls into the princess’ dreams in search of her missing sister. I ultimately think the book is so preoccupied with creating fantastical dreamscapes that the character writing, plot, and everything else falls to the wayside. For instance, Amelia and Malicine’s dynamics were like a watered-down version of the Maleficent movie without feeling earned. I also wish the worldbuilding had been fleshed out more—like there’s no sense of culture or customs to Gyldan. The time period is also vaguely ambiguous. It’s odd to have a quasi-medieval castle setting and then ...