Our Lady of the Streets

Our Lady of the Streets by Tom Pollock

This is the third book in the Skyscraper Throne trilogy; I reviewed the first two here:
BOOK ONE: THE CITY'S SON
BOOK TWO: THE GLASS REPUBLIC

Undoubtedly, this review will contain spoilers for the previous two books in the series. If you do not want anything spoiled, do not read this review. Dun dun dunnnnnn

An amazon summary, "Ever since Beth Bradley found her way into a hidden London, the presence of its ruthless goddess, Mater Viae, has lurked in the background. Now Mater Viae has returned with deadly consequences. 

Streets are wrecked by convulsions as muscles of wire and pipe go into spasm, bunching the city into a crippled new geography; pavements flare to thousand-degree fevers, incinerating pedestrians; and towers fall, their foundations decayed. 
As the city sickens, so does Beth--her essence now part of this secret London. But when it is revealed that Mater Viae's plans for dominion stretch far beyond the borders of the city, Beth must make a choice: flee, or sacrifice her city in order to save it." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

To recap the end of The Glass Republic, in a super brief way... So it turns out, Senator Cane was helping the reflected Mater Viae enjoy memories of the other side, by removing the essential essence of people who had just reflected over, and feeding it to Mater Viae. That's what happened to Pen's reflected sister, Parva. After a series of more events, Pen has returned from the mirror world, and the reflected Mater Viae has come back as well.

Onto Our Lady of the Streets...

London is sick. Some of the streets are plagued with street fever reading a thousand degrees to incinerate unsuspecting pedestrians, the reflected Mater Viae is kidnapping people with her masonry men, her sewermanders are making rescue efforts from the outside world useless, and Beth has started to sicken from the reduced state of the city. They've rounded up as many allies as they can to keep them safe, but Beth, Pen, and Beth's father are struggling to find ways to save the city.

To increase their strength, Pen rejoins with the wire mistress. Beth's father volunteers himself for a deadly mission, and Beth is trying to hide from Mater Viae who wants to kill her.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the other book, but I have a confession; I'm kind of at a loss with how the book ends. I'm not crystal clear on what happens to a few characters and I'm a little vexed. Perhaps it's trying to go for a more ambiguous ending to kind of let the reader choose? But I want to know what happened to them, but maybe that's a commentary on war where you don't always know where each person (or body) wound up. Or something less.... intense.... eh???

I don't know.

It still had great characterizations, I didn't find any issues with the pacing, but in some of the action sequences, I did get a little lost, but I thought I found my way back, but maybe with my perplexed state over the ending I didn't find my way anywhere??

I still liked it.

Happy reading!

The Glass Republic

The Glass Republic by Tom Pollock

The Glass Republic is the second book in the Skyscraper Throne trilogy. I reviewed the first book, The City's Son, HERE.

If you don't want The City's Son to be spoiled/know anything about how it ended, don't read this review.

Spoilers ahead for The City's Son.

YE BE WARNED.

An amazon summary, "Pen Khan is burdened by a life of secrets, the biggest of which is written across her face. Following a devastatingly close encounter with a living coil of barbed wire called the Wire Mistress that almost killed her and her best friend Beth, Pen's face is strangely disfigured by dozens of crisscrossing scars, making her an outcast among her peers. The only person who understands her-and the trauma she's experienced-is her mirror sister, Parva, a twin confined to the world of London-Under-Glass.

Following Parva's abduction, Pen strikes a terrible bargain with the unforgiving Chemical Synod in exchange for the means to track her down, and she ventures into the unknown. In London-Under-Glass, appearance is everything, and Pen's peculiar scars make her a valuable ally. But some in the reflected city are doing everything they can to prevent Pen from learning the truth about the disappearance of a girl who shares her face." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

So, to recap the final notes of The City's Son.

Pen was captured by the wire mistress, her body is horrendously scarred, but Beth managed to free her. Beth took a dip in a chemical pool courtesy of the Chemical Synod which gave her the same abilities as Fil. Fil paid the price for Beth's dip, and paid the Synod with his death. They managed to take down Reach because Beth killed Fil, which summoned the Synod to collect his death, but the Synod are in possession of Mater Vae's ultimate weapon - the great fire. They use the great fire to take out Reach so they can collect Fil's death. Beth learns the truth behind the pavement priests and Gutterglass, reveals it to the city of London with the help of the spiders. Beth is mending her relationship with her Dad slowly. Pen is also coming to terms with the sexual assault she went through courtesy of their teacher, Salt and is making plans to bring him to justice.

COOL. Onto The Glass Republic!

Pen has decided to return to school despite the extensive scarring...and well everything else she's gone through. Beth kind of can't because of her drastically altered appearance, but would attempt if Pen asked (Pen doesn't ask). Pen also accidentally created a mirror image of herself; meaning a mirror sister that lives in the mirror world (in the last book, we had a couple scenes with mirrorstracy). She visits her sister in a shut down women's bathroom at school at agreed upon times. Pen experiences some pretty awful high school dynamics, and goes to seek her mirror sister's counsel...only to discover a bloody hand print waiting for her on the other side of the mirror.

Pen seeks out the Synod to give her a way to the mirror world, but the price is high; her parents memories of Pen.

Meanwhile, Beth is struggling with her body slowly becoming something...more. There are whispers running through the streets that she may be the next Mater Viae...

That's enough summary.

SO. Like the previous book, I liked this book a lot because of the crazy levels of fantastical realism, consistent world building, and unique character building. It picks up right where the first book left off, and I think the pacing struggled a lot less in this book (which I deeply appreciated). There was a lot of time spent in the mirror world, but I think it helped the chapters focusing on Beth stand out more from the chapters focusing on Pen. It brought a whole new level of WAIT WHAT?! to end of the book which I wasn't expecting. It was pretty fantastic.

Happy reading!!

The City's Son

The City's Son by Tom Pollock

I read this wayyyy back when it first came out, and kept getting haunted by a description of one of the characters years later. I pestered one of my book buddies', and together, we figured out what my brain was desperately trying to recollect. I hadn't read the sequels, but you could say I've recently taken a vested interest in it. As in, impulse buying the entire trilogy, because you know, books.

An amazon summary, "Hidden under the surface of everyday London is a city of monsters and miracles, where wild train spirits stampede over the tracks and glass-skinned dancers with glowing veins light the streets.

When a devastating betrayal drives her from her home, graffiti artist Beth Bradley stumbles into the secret city, where she meets Filius Viae, London's ragged crown prince, just when he needs someone most. An ancient enemy has returned to the darkness under St. Paul's Cathedral, bent on reigniting a centuries-old war, and Beth and Fil find themselves in a desperate race through a bizarre urban wonderland, searching for a way to save the city they both love.
The City's Son is the first book of The Skyscraper Throne-a story about family, friends, and monsters, and how you can't always tell which is which." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

The book begins with Beth and and her best friend Pen sneaking into their high school grounds, and Beth spray painting a rather unflattering picture of one of their teachers on the asphalt. Beth thinks she does a pretty good job at hiding her spray paint, etc; but it turns out Pen has revealed that Beth is the tagger. Furious, Beth abandons home, home meaning, a father who is physically there, but not mentally; and takes off into the streets of London. She encounters a rail wraith; a sentient rail car who longs for passengers. While she's being blown away by encountering a rail wraith and the surreal-ness of it, a train car attacks them. The rail wraith and Beth are rescued by Filius Vae; a humanoid whose skin is gray and seems to draw strength from the streets he roams. He also carries around a giant iron railing, and manages to kill off the train car.

Beth is thrust into the other world of London; where creatures of the city come to life, and are desperately fighting the Crane King, Reach.

There are a few things I LOVE about this book. Beth; she's a different kind of strong female character who makes a lot of decisions with sound logic, has a good sense of humor, and is fiercely loyal. The creatures of London; they're unlike anything I've come across in other books, they all have very unique ways of interacting with the world, and they also make sense based on the book being set in London. I also loved the reveal at the end, which took my breath away.

For those of you who have read the books already, the description of Gutterglass is the character that haunted me.

I did struggle with the pacing of the book. Sometimes it seemed really slow, drawn out, and a sudden influx of background/story on a situation that I thought we were already well acquainted with. Overall, I really did enjoy this first book. We'll see about the rest of the trilogy. ;)

Happy reading!

The Dragon's Curse

The Dragon's Curse by Bethany Wiggins

The Dragon's Curse is the sequel to The Dragon's Price, which I totally reviewed here: CLICK THE LINK OF MAGICCC (maybe not all magic but another book review!)

If you don't want anything spoiled for The Dragon's Price, don't read this review. Cool?

...cool???

COOL.

An amazon summary, "An action-packed fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Julie Kagawa's Talon and Renée Ahdieh's The Wrath and the Dawn about a princess who must fight the dragons trying to destroy her world.

Six months ago, Princess Sorrowlynn stood beside Prince Golmarr to defeat the glass dragon. But when the prince almost killed her after inheriting the dragon's curse of hatred, he went into hiding to keep Sorrow safe . . . from himself.
Now the princess has been training to become a great warrior, with the hope of finding Golmarr. But her search proves difficult when she discovers she has been wed to the prince of an enemy kingdom. Desperate to end her forced marriage and be reunited with her true love, Sorrow must find a way to escape her captor husband. But there's just one more dangerous obstacle in her way. A two-headed dragon is hunting her and will stop at nothing until she is dead. 
Can Sorrow summon the courage to wield the only sword that can defeat the beast and save her world from the destruction of the dragon's curse?" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

To recap. In The Dragon's Price, both Princess Sorrrowlynn and Prince Golmarr slayed a dragon. The princess gained the treasure of knowledge, and the prince gained the treasure of hatred...for the princess. But don't worry about it, they're hopelessly in love with each other. But Golmarr hates her...and left to figure out if there's a way to not hate her. It's fine....right?

So Princess Sorrowlynn has been staying in Golmarr's kingdom with his family, training with their warriors, and waiting for news of Golmarr. But some armed forces start appearing, and it turns out a third country, who appears to be a little power hungry crazy, with her father, and demands to meet.

Princess Sorrowlynn goes out to meet the prince of the power hungry crazy country, and her father... who reveal that she's been married to the new prince. Sorrowlynn is understandably outraged, a fight breaks out, one of Golmarr's brothers is killed, and Sorrowlynn escapes. Only to be captured by the new prince. Who takes her back to his country. Where, lo and behold, Golmarr is hanging out, reading all the books in the library (ayyyyyyyye) and researching a way to remove the dragon's curse.

That's enough, super glossed over summary without trampling into spoiler land.

So in this book, we see a lot more of the dragon history, and of the Golmarr/Sorrowlynn dynamic, but the pacing of the book felt really weird to me. There also seemed to be a lot of inconsistent emotional turmoil. PLUS! There was a wizard in the last book who is mentioned in this book, and seems to be this mystic far into the future, predicting everything in just such a way, that when the plot starts getting a little iffy, it was suddenly the mechanisms of the wizard, so the wizard seems to have become a plot device bandage, which is pretty sad. The new prince was also entirely fascinating; back story build up, get a sense of his morals amongst his father's madness, and all that good jazz... but seemed to have fallen out of the picture. I really hope he comes back into play in book 3.

Also, there was more magical elements to the story (which we saw in the last book), but they felt kind of haphazardly thrown in there.

There's going to be a third book (there has to be with the ending), and I'm going to read it. I'm going to go into it with some more reservations than last time, but I'm still pretty excited.

Happy reading!

The Dragon's Price

The Dragon's Price by Bethany Wiggins

I've previously reviewed books by Bethany Wiggins, STUNG and it's sequel CURED. I was pretty excited to pick up this new series.

AND, if there's one genre, story element I'm truly obsessed with, it's dragons. I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading stories about dragons.

Anyways, an amazon summary, where I omitted the rave reviews from other people (you can get the full deal by clicking the link below), "When two warring kingdoms unified against a deadly dragon laying waste to both their lands, they had to make a choice: vow to marry their heirs to one another, or forfeit their lives to the dragon. Now, centuries later, everyone expects Princess Sorrowlynn to choose the barbarian prince over the fire-breathing beast—but she is determined to control her own destiny or die trying.
 As she is lowered into the dragon’s chamber, she assumes her life is over until Prince Golmarr follows her with the hopes of being her hero and slaying the dragon. But the beast has a different plan. . . ." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Soooooo, that amazon summary is kind of eh. The one inside the book flap is better as it starts with, "For centuries, an age-old binding spell protecting two kingdoms from a powerful fire dragon has required a sacrifice to renew its power." Let's use that to talk about the book summary.

Princess Sorrowlynn grew up in a very strict palace life, where she wasn't really able to make decisions for herself despite her best efforts. To make sure she attends the ceremony with the neighboring kingdom, her father sends a group of guards to escort her there.

The ceremony begins, and Princess Sorrowlynn chooses the dragon. She enters the mountain, and a short while later, the Prince Golmarr also chooses the dragon. Here comes the tricky part, whoever lives, wins. So if the princess and prince manage to slay the dragon, they live and get the dragon's treasure.

If the dragon kills the princess and prince, it is released from the mountain.

But what is a dragon's treasure?

So the book is PRETTY FREAKING AMAZING, exceptttttt, a lot of times the relationship between the princess and prince seems really halting and kind of false. There are moments where it feels gut wrenchingly authentic, and other times where you just kind of stare at the page, reread it, and then go, "Really?"

I did like a lot of the cultural background, world building, and haphazard sibling relationships. I also liked how each country had their own, very distinct culture. Kingdom versus Queendom kind of deal, but much more fascinating than that simplistic presentation.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but there were too many moments that felt like a hallmark card for me to make this a recommended book.

Happy reading!

The Hearts We Sold

The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

After two advanced reader's copy books...here's one that's published! YAY!

There is still a disclaimer. This book does deal with abuse; abusive situations, relationships, and the long lasting effects of experiencing abuse (trauma if you will). It's not something I was expecting when I picked up the book, and I know the subject can be very uncomfortable for people to read, and they seek to avoid it. So just a heads up.

An amazon summary, "An intoxicating blend of fantasy, horror, and romance--a Faustian fable perfect for fans of Holly Black, and Stranger Things.

Dee Moreno is out of options. Her home life sucks (to put it mildly), and she's about to get booted from her boarding school--the only place she's ever felt free--for lack of funds. But this is a world where demons exist, and the demons are there to make deals: one human body part in exchange for one wish come true. 
The demon who Dee approaches doesn't trade in the usual arms and legs, however. He's only interested in her heart. And what comes after Dee makes her deal is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she ever could have imagined. Reality is turned on its head, and Dee has only her fellow "heartless," the charming but secretive James Lancer, to keep her grounded. As something like love grows between them amid an otherworldly threat, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give James her heart when it's no longer hers to give?
In The Hearts We Sold, demons can be outwitted, hearts can be reclaimed, monsters can be fought, and love isn't impossible. This book will steal your heart and break it, and leave you begging for more." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Dee Moreno is enrolled at a prestigious boarding school on a scholarship. She rubs elbows with the sons and daughters of the upper class, and is actually only concentrated on her studies. One day, she's summoned out of class to be informed the school can't reach her parents, and by the way, she's losing her scholarship because they lost the funding.

Elsewhere in the world, demons have made themselves known to humans. In exchange for a body part, they will grant you a wish. They also prefer to be called daemons, not demons.

Dee goes home to tell her parents about the funding being gone. Her Dad insinuates that she'll move home of course, her mother is pretty excited to have her around the house again, but Dee wants to stay at the school. This throws the Dad into a tantrum of how Dee think she's better than them, how their home isn't good enough for her, and oh by the way do all of these chores now that you're home.

Understandably upset, Dee returns to school. As part of the student requirements at school, the students all have to volunteer. Dee does her volunteer work at the hospital and is startled when she sees a daemon knitting. She has a brief conversation with them, before she returns to school. To get her mind off of her troubles, she decides to accept her dorm mates casual offer to attend a party. Once she's there, she runs into another girl who has made a trade with a daemon.

Dee decides to find the daemon she saw at the hospital, and make a deal. She also doesn't realize that by taking this deal, she has joined a side in a war.

DUN DUN DUNNNNN. Stopping all the summary there.

So, I LOVED this book. It's a very Faustian kind of mythos, and it's absolutely enchanting between the character growth, alternating narrators, and how the mystery of the daemons are revealed.

A lot of the emotional turmoil Dee experiences feels very, very authentic; and how the abuse is portrayed in this book also felt realistic. Now, I've made comments in past book reviews about how I dislike when authors write about a subject like abuse, rape, murder, etc; some kind of tragedy and they just kind of throw it into the book as a plot device and trying to add depth, but don't give the topic the gravitas and reverence it deserves. This book does give the subject of abuse the gravitas and reverence it deserves, while not losing sight of the plot, and maintaining great world building.

So good.

Happy reading!

Isle of Blood and Stone

The Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier

This book will be released on April 10, 2018. I got my hands on an advanced reader's copy, it is uncorrected proof. There will undoubtedly be some changes to it before it is published on April 10, 2018.

I also tend to enjoy books with political and historical intrigue in alternate timelines/history with mythical or supernatural elements.

I mean, if you're a follower of this blog/me/whatever, you may have figured out I pretty much love a lot of different genres. Except for horror...they know what they did.

Anyways, here's an amazon summary, "Isle of Blood and Stone, the first in a duology, is a sweeping historical fantasy full of intrigue and schemes, romance and friendship, and fearless explorers searching for the truth.
 Ulises asked, "How can I look at these maps, see this riddle, and do nothing? They are my brothers."
Elias reached across the table and flicked aside two shells with a fingertip. The map curled into itself. "It's bound to be a goose chase. You know that?"
"Or a treasure hunt," Ulises countered, "and you've always been good at those."
Nineteen-year-old Elias is a royal explorer, a skilled mapmaker, and the new king of del Mar's oldest friend. Soon he will embark on the adventure of a lifetime, an expedition past the Strait of Cain and into uncharted waters. Nothing stands in his way...until a long-ago tragedy creeps back into the light, threatening all he holds dear.
The people of St. John del Mar have never recovered from the loss of their boy princes, kidnapped eighteen years ago, both presumed dead. But when two maps surface, each bearing the same hidden riddle, troubling questions arise. What really happened to the young heirs? And why do the maps appear to be drawn by Lord Antoni, Elias's father, who vanished on that same fateful day? With the king's beautiful cousin by his side-whether he wants her there or not-Elias will race to solve the riddle of the princes. He will have to use his wits and guard his back. Because some truths are better left buried...and an unknown enemy stalks his every turn." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Elias returns to del Mar from a long voyage and is immediately told to see the King. He cannot stop to bathe, change, anything; just go see the King. He is greeted at the docks by Mercedes, the King's cousin whom he has known for most of his life.

Now Elias is a mapmaker, a cartographer, and he has a deep love for adventure. Something doesn't feel quite right about this summons.

He meets with the King, the royal mapmaker, an apprentice, and Mercedes. They have discovered a map. A map of del Mar they think was created by Elias father. Elias' father has disappeared over 18 years ago, alongside the two brothers to the king, the first two in line for the throne on which the king now sits. There is not one map, but two maps. They look to created within the past 18 years, they are not quite identical, but they are in the definite style of Lord Antoni (Elias' father). Is Elias' father still alive? Are the other two brothers still alive? ...and do they want to find out, or is it best to leave it in the past?

That's enough summary. I know I said a lot of what the amazon summary said, but, but but but, this is another intricate book that a fact revealed too soon, may ruin the mystery for a future reader.

That being said.

I cherished this book. I loved going along for the adventure with Elias, I loved how authentic the relationships felt between the characters, and I loved, no, absolutely adored the hints of magic of the world rather than it being the focus of the story. I loved how the seas were filled with serpents, but again, it's not the focus. The heart of the story is around Elias and Ulises, and the mystery surrounding their families.

I only wish we could have seen a little more of Mercedes, to really understand her background better, but I can also appreciate why we weren't given that, which kind of makes me love the book more.

The explanation of society, the roles, the dynamics that fell into place, and even the smallest little characterizations about the culture painted (har har) such a beautiful picture of the whole world.

It was glorious.

Happy reading!

The Forest Queen

The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell

This book will be released on August 7, 2018. I got my hands on an advanced reader's copy, it is uncorrected proof; there will undoubtedly be some changes to it before it is published on August 7, 2018.

Soooooooo, I'm also a sucker for the retelling of fairy tales. Let's just jump to the amazon summary, "From a New York Times bestselling author, a fresh, female-centered take on “Robin Hood” in which a young noblewoman, like the legendary hero, becomes an outlaw fighting for social justice. Perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Sarah J. Maas.

When sixteen-year-old Sylvie’s brother takes over management of their family’s vast estates, Sylvie feels powerless to stop his abuse of the local commoners. Her dearest friend asks her to run away to the woods with him, and soon a host of other villagers join them. Together, they form their own community and fight to right the wrongs perpetrated by the king and his noblemen. Perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings or anyone who loves a strong female lead, this gorgeously written take on the Robin Hood tale goes beyond the original's focus on economic justice to explore love, gender, the healing power of nature, and what it means to be a family." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

I loved Mechanica and Venturess (yes, I read for the past few years, I just didn't blog about it, because REASONS), so I was pretty excited to picked up The Forest Queen. 

The Forest Queen is the retelling of Robin Hood, but it definitely brings a new aspect and depth to the story. The general gist of Robin Hood: Robin Hood lives in the woods with his merry men (notably Little John and Friar Tuck), he steals from the rich and gives the wealth to the poor. He's in love with Maid Marianne, and thwarts the Sheriff who unfairly taxes everyone.

This retelling features Robin Hood as a woman, Sylvie. Slyvie's brother, John, is a tyrant over her life, and takes over ruling Loughsley as their father falls ill. The moment John betrothed Sylvie away, Slyvie knows she has to escape. She asks her best friend, Bird, to follow through on a promise he made her long ago; to run away into the woods together. Slyvie and Bird gather supplies that night, and leave for uncertain future in the woods, but a future away from John.

That's enough summary.

So, throughout the book, there are some dark themes touched upon that unfortunately women are still dealing with, but they're done in a way that sheds some light to those struggles. I enjoyed the way Slyvie's character grows, as it's not all rainbows, sunshine, song, and dance, but it felt far more authentic. There was a very good balance to this book, but I hesitate to give it a recommended book review. I wonder if the subject matter presented, and the voices representing that subject matter, I really wonder if they give enough gravity to the situation. At times, I wished those situations were given a little more page time, but others were given just enough page time before the path moved forward (so to speak).

I don't know, deep philosophical thoughts. I did enjoy the book, and I think it'll linger with me. If there's a sequel, I would definitely be curious enough to read it.

Happy reading!