The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding

Series: The Darkwater Legacy (#1)

Format: 824 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published: May 2, 2019 by Gollancz

Fantasy/own

This was a good old school fantasy.

Aren lives in a country taken over by invaders. He follows their laws, he tries to be like them. Then his dad is killed and he is sent to a prison camp together with his best friend Cade.

Maybe the invaders are not so good after all? Oh it takes a long time for him to get that and we see what a tight grip they have and how they oppress women and others.

There is a talk of an ancient sword to unite the land. They will meet more people and is is a journey to be taken.

Yes I enjoyed it. I will def want more. I need these people to win.

A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man’s journey to find his destiny.

Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He’s never questioned it; that’s just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend Cade are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free . . .

But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie. The rules are not there to protect him, or his people, but to enslave them. A revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it, whether he likes it or not.

The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up . . . but it’s locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land. All they have to do now is steal it. . .

Audio. Seatmate by Cara Bastone

By: Cara Bastone

Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi, Zachary Webber, Josh Hurley, Carol Monda, Corey Allen, Allyson Johnson, Eric Yves Garcia, Tanya Eby, Dina Pearlman

Series: Love Lines 3

Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins

Release date: 03-24-22 by Audible

Contemporary romance

I have listened to the two previous ones so I wanted to try this one too.

Sam and Gwen are seatmates on a bus. Over 5 hours before the reach their destination. They can ignore each other, or well talk and that they do. They joke, they get to know each other. Then there is bus drama and the clock is ticking.

Sam is going on a blinddate that his mother set up. Gwen is going to a interview and it is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Obviously in the end they will realize that they want to give each other a chance.

It was fun and it works so well when all they do is talk. Perfect for audio. The narrators were great too, she doing her parts, him doing his and then there were some narrators were a few side characters that jumped in quick too.

I have exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get from Boston to New York City or the professional opportunity of a lifetime disappears. My only travel option? The second to last seat on a discount bus. Across from the bathroom. Wearing last night’s clothes (don’t ask). All worth it if I can make it in time.

My nerves almost get the best of me, but then there he is, sitting down in the seat next to me. Tall. Friendly smile. Bright indigo streak in his brown hair. The perfect distraction. Turns out he’s on his way to reconnect with an old flame. The one who got away. We can both make it on time - just barely - if the traffic keeps flowing.

Playing road-trip games, avoiding calls from his mother, and effortless conversation keeps us from clockwatching...until the bus breaks down. And my seatmate turns into my copilot as we wrangle a ride in a car three decades old. And hit all the traffic. And oh, Lord, the detours. And somehow I end up careening cross-town on the handlebars of a Citi Bike carrying a box of kittens. (Yeah, don’t ask.)

He’s my hero every step of the way...and I might be falling for him. But what happens when we reach our final destination? Could my seatmate really be my soul mate?

Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

Series: The Shepherd King (#2)

Format: 437 pages, Paperback

Published: October 19, 2023 by Orbit

Fantasy /own

Honestly, it is so refreshing to read a duology. The end. YES.

There was hardly any Elspeth in this book, sad. But yes she was stuck in herself as the Nightmare had taken over her body and mind. And she was also in a prison cell.

Ravyn was trying to hard to save her.

Lots of pagetime for her cousin Ione who is trying to save herself from a prison cell, and gets help from a handsome prince.

And then there is the hunt for the Alder cards.

So I guess this is romantasy, I just saw it under something, and it said the romance drives the plot...eh, no it does not. Elspeth has been taken over by a guy who died 500 years ago, there is no romance there. Her cousin has some romance bit, but she is under a spell and actually feels nothing. So no, the romance does not drive the plot. The romance is there, but the plot drives the plot. Trying to save a kingdom. This is not romantasy.

I liked it, and I liked it more that it was two books and the end! So satisfying finishing something. An interesting fantasy world, great characters and fascinating magic. Great series.

Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.

If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.

And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.

Carole´s Monday: Binding 13

Author: Chloe Walsh

Title: Binding 13

Series: Boys of Tommen #1

Genre: YA Romance, Contemporary, Sports

Format: ebook

Pages: 626

Published: July 18, 2018

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

He wants to save her. She wants to hide. She's damaged. He's determined. Fate brought them together. Love binds them. Johnny Kavanagh has everything going for him. On the rugby pitch, he's a force to be reckoned with, even plagued with a hidden injury. Everyone knows he's heading straight for the top—but that means there's no room for mistakes or distractions. Not even the shy new girl at Tommen College, the one with the sad eyes and hidden bruises. He needs to stay focused, keep his cool, and not let anything get in the way of the bigger picture.  Except before he knows it, this lonely girl has become his only picture. Life has never been easy for Shannon Lynch. Bullied and tortured, she arrives at Tommen College mid-way through the school year praying for a fresh start and desperate to shake off the demons that plague her. But when she meets the notorious Johnny Kavanagh on her first day, her plans to keep a low profile are at serious risk. As they fall into a complicated friendship and grapple with their undeniable chemistry, hidden pain and complicated secrets threaten to be their undoing—but Johnny won't give up on Shannon. No matter what it might cost them both.

Review:

This was a picked by a member of my community over on my Twitch account (Carole_Rae). 

Here we follow Shannon and Johnny. Shannon has not had the best go of it. She was relentlessly bullied at her school, her dad is terrible, and her mom is working so much. She finally convinces her mom to let her go to the private school just to have a fresh start and reconnect with old friends. Her plan is to keep a low profile and just get through school. However, when she meets Johnny all her plans are destroyed. They fall into a complicated friendship and deny any sort of chemistry. Johnny wants more but he'll take what he can get...for now. 

This was really, really, really long. I enjoyed the story for what it was but man....it needed some trimming. Some scenes felt like they were NEVER going to end. Some scenes didn't seem to help the plot move forward at all. Honestly, just shaving 50-100 pages would've helped the story immensely.

Nooooow don't get it twisted...I love a good slow burn. I love watching people deny their feelings and then finally overcome themselves and just be together. It's great! But man the slow burn here sometimes felt like watching paint dry. However, I will say that when I felt like giving up some scenes would happen and I would be hooked again. The author did a good job keeping you reading even with the slowness. 

The characters also helped keep my attention. They were sweet kids who deserved happiness. I just wanted them to be in love though. Shannon especially needs solid love man. I can't believe the bullying she witnessed. It was ASSAULT in many cases. Yes, I was bullied in school but MAN. 

Nice side characters too. I loved Shannon's one brother. He was an angel. 

All-in-all, I did like the story and characters. But the length was too much. It really killed some of the story for me. I think a nice edit was needed. Maybe 50 or 100 pages could've been shaved off. The flow would get so slowed down that I felt like we were wadding in a puddle. I'll give this 3 stars overall. The characters and some scenes really did help me stay attached to the story. 

Favorite Character(s): Shannon and Johnny

Least Favorite Character(s): Too many people to count. So many mean people

 Challenge(s):

- Library Love #21