The Descent Of The Drowned

Author:  Ana Lal Din
Publisher: White Tigress Press
Pages: 360
On Sale: March 15, 2021
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology
Stars: 4/5

From the Publisher:

She is bound to serve. He is meant to kill. Survival is their prison. Choice is their weapon.

As the sacred slave of a goddess, Roma is of a lower caste that serves patrons to sustain the balance between gods and men. What she wants is her freedom, but deserters are hunted and hanged, and Roma only knows how to survive in her village where women are vessels without a voice. When her younger brother is condemned to the same wretched fate as hers, Roma must choose between silence and rebellion.

Leviathan is the bastard son of an immortal tyrant. Raised in a military city where everyone knows of his blood relation to the persecuted clans, Leviathan is considered casteless. Lowest of the low. Graduating as one of the deadliest soldiers, he executes in his father’s name, displaying his worth. When he faces judgement from his mother’s people-the clans-Leviathan must confront his demons and forge his own path, if he ever hopes to reclaim his soul.

But in the struggle to protect the people they love and rebuild their identities, Roma’s and Leviathan’s destinies interlock as the tyrant hunts an ancient treasure that will doom humankind should it come into his possession-a living treasure to which Roma and Leviathan are the ultimate key.

Set in a colonised Indo-Persian world and inspired by Pre-Islamic Arabian mythology, The Descent of the Drowned is a tale about power, identity, and redemption, and what it takes to hold on to one’s humanity in the face of devastation.

From Me:

I really enjoyed this book, and it was a really refreshing change to other YA Fantasy stories. I loved the Indo-Persian setting and I felt her world-building was really well done. I enjoyed most of the characters, but some of Leviathan’s boys blurred together a bit for me. Overall the book wasn’t predictable, but I did feel that some parts were rushed or jumped too quickly from one to another. Not that I was expecting chapters of Lord Of The Rings style travelling, but it felt like they occasionally teleported from one spot to another with no time passing. I’m still really looking forward to her next book and finding out what happens next.

Would fit The 52 Book Club’s 2021 prompts:

7 – An Author With Only 1 Published Book
12 – Title Starting With The Letter D
17 – A Character On The Run
26 – An Author Of Colour
32 – A Selfish Character
40 – Found Via #Bookstagram
47 – A Character With A Disability
51 – Published in 2021

The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes

Author:  Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 517
On Sale: May 19, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Stars: 5/5

From the Publisher:

Ambition will fuel him.
Competition will drive him.
But power has its price.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out-charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined—every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

From Me:

I am so in love with this book I am hesitant to start something else. I loved The Hunger Games, but found this to be almost better. Between the characters and the world building it was really well done, and even though the ending was a bit rushed and very “wait, what’s happening” it explains a lot about him and their future. I thought it was fascinating that she was able to turn the character from someone we disliked to someone we really liked to someone becoming the person we disliked. I am really impressed.

Smoke And Ritual

Author:  Melissa Sercia
Publisher: City Owl Press
Pages: 301
On Sale: May 5, 2020
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Fiction
Stars: 2/5

From the Publisher:

The voices haunt her…

Their whispers taunt her with a war she never wanted…

But Arya Frost has more to contend with than the cryptic voices disturbing her sleep.

Protected inside the haven of Sanctum after losing both her parents in the Blood War a decade ago, Arya is different from other witches. She’s the only witch without a coven.

Or so she thinks. 

As her powers accelerate, so do the revelations about her true lineage.

Destined to become the Aether—a witch who can control all four elements—the Elemental covens want her magic, power she didn’t even know she had.

And when the sexy and mysterious god, Chaos shows up, Arya’s place in the world is put even more at risk.

But learning who and what she is, and how to wield her power only tips the surface of the battle raging inside her. She’ll have to find a way to awaken her magic, deal with her growing attraction to Chaos, all while being thrust into the middle of a magical feud that has been building for centuries.

The Blood War might be over, but the war between witches is just beginning

From Me:

This was a pass for me. It had a lot of potential, but it just felt too superficial and rushed. It was hard for me to believe in the characters and it felt like there was a lot of jumping around and not enough building or depth. I can see this being more for fans of P.C. Cast.

The Stone Of Sorrow

Author:  Brooke Carter
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pages: 312
On Sale: April 7, 2020
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Mythology, Fiction
Stars: 5/5

From the Publisher:

In a land of myth and ice, seventeen-year-old Runa Unnursdottir is not the runecaster her clan has been hoping for. She spends her days daydreaming of sailing away and exploring the world instead of studying the runes and learning her spells. The villagers consider her odd, in looks and in manner. She’s nothing like her talented sister, Syr, keeper of the sacred moonstone that ensures the village’s continued survival. But when a rival clan led by an evil witch raids the village and kidnaps her sister, Runa is forced to act. With a fallen Valkyrie by her side, and the help of a gorgeous half-elf Runa is not quite sure she can trust, the apprentice must travel to the site of an ancient runecasting competition to try to win back the magical gem. But the journey will not be easy; the three unlikely companions encounter malevolent and supernatural creatures at every turn. Somehow, Runa must summon the courage and strength to face her destiny, a destiny she never wanted. Or die trying.

From Me:

I would like to thank LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program for giving me a copy of this book, because I was blown away. I loved the setting and the mythology and the entire journey. I would love to see the Valkyrie expanded on more and to learn more about the spellcasting, but the whole thing was really well done. The Icelandic setting was a refreshing change and I look forward to the next book!

Deny All Charges

Author:  Eoin Colfer
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 336
On Sale: October 20 2020
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure
Stars: 3/5

From the Publisher:

Myles Fowl has found what he thinks is a source of knowledge, the likes of which humanity has never seen before, and so he goes after it. But what he doesn’t know is that there are also some renegade fairies who are going after this source too. So when they both arrive at the same place at the same time to find this knowledge, which is not what they think it is, shenanigans and adventures ensue.

From Me:

This is the second installment of The Fowl Twins, and I felt like it lacked a bit of the magic the first one had.  I really enjoy the character of Beckett and his friendship with Whistleblower and I wish there was a bit more of them and a bit less of Myles. Myles appears to have all of the most annoying traits that Artemis had, and I hope he comes back in future books. The plot didn’t really keep my attention, I felt like every time I put the book down I had to read back and figure out what was going on again since it was all over the place. Overall it was good, just not my favorite of the Fowl novels.