Category: Historical Paranormal/Fantasy

Chaos Beckons by Sophie Gabrielle

On By TracyIn Book Publicity, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

Chaos Beckons (The Chaos Chronicles #1)Chaos Beckons by Sophie Gabrielle

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Chaos Chronicles, #1

Release Date: October 14, 2024

Hidden away in an Eden-like paradise lies a village dedicated to the worship of the goddess Laastra and her husband Arthai. When villagers reach the age of eighteen, they are forced to marry and bear children – but Nadia has other ideas. Tired of the endless worship, torture and oppression of the fanatical cult, Nadia concocts a plan to flee the walled compound before her dreaded wedding day. Despite being an outsider and a troublemaker hated by all, Nadia enlists the help of her husbands-to-be, High Elder candidate Venne and warrior guardian Emiil. Yet along the way they discover terrifying secrets about their existence and all that has been hidden from them. After a life of being powerless and punished, Nadia and her friends begin to realize they may be something more than mere mortals. The world beyond the village walls is nothing like they had dreamed. Will the price of freedom be too much to pay?

The Chaos Chronicles is an exciting fantasy romance series, filled with action, morally grey characters and dark themes. Inspired by the Grishaverse and Dragon Age, this series offers a twist on mythology, magic and mayhem. It also features a variety of LGBTQIA+ characters and found family.

My thoughts: This was a well written, interesting book with a strong YA/Coming of Age vibe. I found the idea of the story to be intriguing – a group of young people who escape their village to learn that they are not who they thought they were. There is a lot of mythological inspiration, as well as magic, a love triangle, new friends, a bit of heartache, a dash of darkness, action and life-altering events. I personally felt it was a bit young for my taste, it was also a little wordy and dragged in places – but overall, it was a good read and if you prefer a YA fantasy – I am sure you will find this book to be a wonderful read. As it is the first book in the trilogy, this story is just the beginning of an epic adventure.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

The Ink Master’s Silence by C.J. Archer

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Ink Master's Silence (Glass and Steele, #6)

Barbara’s rating: 3.7 out of 5 Stars
Series: Glass and Steele #6
Publication Date: 9/4/18
Period: Fantasy Victorian London
Number of Pages: 245

Oh! Happy Days are here again – sort of. In the last book, they found the physician magician and he and India worked together to create a new magical watch for Matt. Matt is hale, whole, and filled with more energy than he’s had in a long time. The only fly in their ointment is that Matt’s family still expects him to marry his cousin, Patience. Matt swears that won’t happen, but nobody can figure out how he can get out of it without causing a scandal and hurting his cousin.

With Matt’s health restored and no magicians to track down, they are getting bored. Boredom doesn’t last long and they are soon on the trail of a murderer. Oscar Barratt, the journalist who had written articles introducing the fact that there was magic and magicians in the world, has received threatening letters from someone – and when his editor is murdered, he believes he was meant to be the victim instead. When the police don’t think the murder and the letters are connected, Oscar asks India and Matt to investigate.

The investigation is filled with red herrings, twists, and turns and you’ll be wondering until the end. Are the Guilds trying to silence the journalist? Was the journalist the real target? Was the editor the real target? Is Coyle involved or is he a red herring?

On the romance front, things have moved – sort of. India and Matt have declared themselves to each other – but they have not made it public. So, Matt’s family still expects him to marry his cousin Patience. Matt’s uncle is holding something over his head – and Matt has to get sneaky and underhanded to get out of the betrothal. First though, he will try to convince Patience’s original betrothed to marry her. Barring that – well – you’ll have to read it and see.

In the meantime, India does something she must keep secret from Matt. We all know that will work out well somewhere down the line don’t we? 😊 So, while we don’t get a wedding, we do get declarations.

I can recommend this book if you like a quick, interesting mystery with a bit of romance. The characters are interesting and Aunt Lettitia is less annoying than in previous books. Hopefully, we will get a wedding in the next book.