This was my first by Coralee June. Ashleigh is our female MC and raised as a Walker slave in the governor’s household. Ashleigh falls impossibly in love with her holder, Josiah Stonewell. He is also the son of the powerful man in the house and their love for each other could never be realized. After Ashleigh finds out that Josiah is to be wed, she finds her heartbroken self traded to a foreign land with Cyler Black and his other realm leaders. Ashleigh finds freedom in an unexpected place. June created a convincing dystopia atmosphere with all the intrigue and betrayal between provinces and one evil emperor. Ashleigh was my favorite character and I enjoyed getting to watch her find herself after she lost her slave cuff. Her surrounding characters were beautifully flawed but encouraging as they began to care for each other. This book sets up the rest of the series well and that cliffhanger will force me to keep reading this series. (3/5 rating)
Tag: dystopian
Book Review – Savage Lands (Savage Lands 1) by Stacey Marie Brown
My first by Stacey Marie Brown is a tale of war between Earth and the Fae of the Otherworld. The female MC Brexley is raised within the confines of privilege with humans on their side of Budapest. After one fateful night, Brexley is captured put on the Fae side and forced into Halalhaz, the House of Death. Within Halalhaz, she must kill or be killed to survive. I know I’m not the only one who found the heroine to be frustrating and a bit annoying. Warwick was a nice point of mystery. The political intrigue and dystopian angle of this novel was interesting but not enough to carry me to book 2. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – The Queen of All that Lives (The Fallen World #3) by Laura Thalassa
This is the third book in the, The Fallen World trilogy by Laura Thalassa. This is set in a dystopia world amid war in a future version of our world. Serenity quickly became one of my favorite female leads with her no apology attitude and pure badass-ness. King Montes Lazuli becomes her soul mate and partner in crime. This finale was a mesmerizing tale of good versus evil as they try to build a better world. Prepare to buckle up for a wild ride if you choose to give this a try. (5/5 rating)
Favorite Books for 2021
I was trying hard to single my read list for 2021 down to 1 book and realized how impossible that was to accomplish. For that reason, I have narrowed it down to my top 5 of the year. Please note that my list does not comprise of what came out this year, merely what I read this year.
1 – A Clash of Fates by Philip C. Quaintrell.
This series I fell in love with last year and the final installment was published this Spring. This is a self-published author that is a must read if you enjoy high fantasy, epic fantasy tales. It also has dragons and dragon riders and no romance. I do enjoy romance novels but sometimes I need something epic and this filled that hole.
2 – The Queen of All that Lives by Laura Thalassa.
This book is the third of a dystopian trilogy. It has a wonderful blend of romance, war, intrigue, technology advances, and betrayal. I love that the main character is this bad ass, fighting chic that becomes queen. I discovered Laura Thalassa this year and have worked my way through many of her novels.
3 – Vinyl by Sophia Elaine Hanson
This was another self published series with a dystopian setting. While it is a young adult, it was no high school drama. This book was a unique plot around subjugating the population to control measures by those in control. You need to read this right now.
4 – For the Wolf by Hannah F. Whitten.
I fell in love with the unique magic system and who could say no to a setting within a magical forest.
5 – A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene.
This was a new series this year by Breene based on Beauty and the Beast. Meant to a three part tale, I also fell in love with her woven drama and magic aspects. While it is definitely filled with romance, Breene is my favorite author for balancing both romance and the plot and she delivered here.
What were your favorites this year?