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Crooked Kingdom is the second book in the Six of Crows duology, and continues to follow the adventures of the characters we've grown so familiar with from the first book, essentially picking up where the first book left off and giving us the aftermath of the heist. A whole host of unanswered questions remain as to the fate of the crew, and Crooked Kingdom does not disappoint in giving us what we want from a sequel.

My love for this book and the duology as a collective can't be understated. It's so incredibly well written and rich in world building and character depth, which only seems to deepen and unravel with each chapter. The book, although a fairly long read, didn't fail to keep my attention and always kept me eager and excited for my next reading session when I could delve deeper into the world and learn more about the crew's adventure.

It's seriously impressive to me just how well written Kaz and all of the other members of the crew were. The author does an amazing job of pouring such depth into each of her characters. You can tell she really put her heart and soul into the backstories of each one and their identities, and this effort rewards the reader as you savor each interaction between them and are able to understand and appreciate why certain characters are the way they are as a result of their backstories and history.

The plot itself was another strong point of this novel. The author really keeps you on your toes when reading through as the plot twists and turns delightfully, keeping things exciting and unpredictable throughout. Trying to second-guess Kaz Brekker's schemes went about as well for me as it does for most others in Kerch!

Fair warning: this book will certainly make you feel things! Ultimately each of the crew have fairly complex and traumatic pasts that make up who they are, and throughout the story these characters have to wrestle with their own individual traumas and challenges, manifesting for some in physical limitations and pretty much for all in their mental states. There's a lot of heavy and heart-wrenching stuff here as a result of that, and I certainly felt it as a reader. It was also rewarding as a reader to experience some of the characters taking steps to heal from these experiences, or finding other ways to overcome their limitations.

Another part of this whole series that I enjoyed was the diversity of the crew, and how the plot-lines explored bigotry in various ways. Not only bigotry, but in some cases perpetrators of such being able to heal from their indoctrinated views when allowed to make their own discoveries in life outside of their echo chambers and views they once held as sacred. Some of the budding romances here were adorable, and also a major heartstrings-puller as things fully unfolded. Matthias and Nina's arc is certainly very memorable.

I think my only criticism here would actually be the age the characters are portrayed as. I think when reading through this story, I had mentally aged the characters up by 10 years from the stated ages in the book as I found it to be more fitting. Ultimately I feel the author/publishers wanted the characters portrayed as younger to capitalize on the YA marketing hype, but it feels more right from a story perspective if you imagine them to be a little older, in my opinion.

Ultimately if you love epic quests undertaken by groups of flawed, but lovable, rogues, some fantasy elements and a tale of learning to adapt and overcome your fears and shortcomings, or turning those perceived shortcomings into advantages, this is a series you'll love. It's not understated when I saw this is one of my favorite fantasy series. I shall be moving on to watching the Netflix series set in the same universe and featuring some of the same characters from the Six of Crows duology called Shadow and Bone.

"No mourners."

Six of Crows is an epic tale following the journey of 6 bandits looking to pull off the heist of their lives, with plenty of twists, turns, and some unexpected romance along the way!

This was my first foray into the universe created by this author which began with earlier novels. As such, I was a little trepidatious about not being able to fully enjoy Six of Crows due to not being aware of the lore and backstories that came before it. Thankfully, however, I didn't find that to be a barrier at all. This novel more than stands on its own in that regard with no previous knowledge of the universe being required, although I'm sure a more full knowledge of the universe may have made reading Six of Crows even more enjoyable for those who have.

Six of Crows takes us on a gritty adventure to the seedy underbelly of Ketterdam, where we meet a motley, rag-tag bunch of criminals who all find themselves aligned despite coming from very different backgrounds. One of the major strengths of Six of Crows is the depth of these characters, whose backstories are slowly revealed to the reader at appropriate intervals during the story. The interweaving of each characters' personal journeys and history is seamless alongside the main plot; the author strikes a masterful balance of introducing backstory for each character at very timely moments that help the reader understand precisely where characters are coming from and their motivations.

The plot twists and twists-on-top-of-twists are deliciously executed that will have you as a reader guessing and second guessing where the story is going. One thing is for sure though: The cunning of Kaz Brekker is never to be underestimated!

This book will have you feeling all the things and ultimately take you on an excitingly deep journey into this world filled with a lot of moral ambiguity, characters wrestling with their own emotions, struggles with past trauma, and feelings. There'll be joy, triumph, setbacks, and tears with some epic magic along the way too! There's also some awesome female badasses who were very easy for me to root for as well.

This was a top drawer fantasy novel for me, and I'll immediately be reading the second book in this series: Crooked Kingdom.

"No mourners. No funerals."

This is a horror story, but not in your typical setting. This one takes place 300 feet under the ocean as a dive team is sent to explore the wreck of the SS Arcadia that sank in the 1920s. We experience the story in two timelines: one in the days leading up to the ship's sinking, and in the present when the dive team goes to explore the wreckage on the seabed.

I didn't really expect to be learning about the intricacies of deep sea diving from a horror book, but I want to commend the author in doing an excellent job of explaining some of the protocols and challenges when diving (and surfacing) in such a place. I found this insight to be fascinating as someone unfamiliar with the subject and appreciated the author's research into it to add realism.

As someone that generally consumes horror in more typical haunted house style stories, this book stood out to me as unique due to its setting. This is what caused it to catch my eye and make me enthusiastic to read it. I was expecting claustrophobia and suspense that the setting lends itself to and I wasn't disappointed. From Below delivers both in spades.

So, why I do I rate the book a high-three-but-not-quite-four stars? For me, there were a couple of factors that made it a good read but kept it from being great. The strongest of these factors, in my opinion, was the length of the book. Now, I'm not opposed to a long read if I felt the literary real estate was well used, but here some of the present day, middle chapters centering around the dives and exploration of the wreck did drag on a little. I felt there was a lot of repetition and descriptions of navigation within the ship and scenery (and specifically, silt and sediments) which began to go from suspenseful to trite pretty quickly. I feel the book could have used a stronger attention to editing in places; realistically it could probably have been 150 to 200 pages shorter, or that space could have been used to flesh out some of the characters, backstories or explanations, and reasoning for what was going on. With the story essentially being extremely limited to a singular setting due to its premise, it was important it didn't overstay its welcome but in parts I feel it did just that sadly. The increasingly contrived reasons for the crew to end up back in the ship was just too much by the end also.

The other issue I had was the ultimate nature of the antagonists in the present day timeline. I don't want to delve too much into that due to being mindful of spoilers, but it pretty much just stuck to the same trope and nothing more. Not really my favorite sub-genre of horror, but I recognize this is highly personal preference. I was sort of hoping for a twist or unique spin on the concept, but left disappointed. Once the nature of the antagonists were revealed, it shaved off a little of the intrigue, horror, and mystery for me and because that reveal happened fairly early on, it caused the parts that were meant to be scary to get repetitive with limited scope for surprise or evolution in the plot beyond that point barring some creativity to add uniqueness that ultimately, unfortunately, didn't come.

With that said, I particularly enjoyed the past timeline chapters documenting the ship's increasing descent into the state that ultimately led to its sinking. These chapters were very well written and as a reader I got the increasing sense of foreboding doom with every past timeline chapter that came up. I feel the book could have been improved if this timeline was perhaps featured more prominently and fleshed out.

The end was okay, but just that: okay. I feel there was room perhaps for a few more twists and turns, but the conclusion fell a little flat for me. It wasn't terrible, but I was hoping for a little more revelation by the end or perhaps a surprise which ultimately didn't come.

With those things said, this wasn't a bad book by any means and I don't regret reading it. If you're into slower horror stories that linger in claustrophobic scenes that are vividly described and don't mind undead horror elements you'll enjoy this, and have nightmare material to dwell on for a good while! The unique setting was creative and Coates is an excellent and descriptive writer whose writing style I largely enjoy. This isn't the first Darcy Coates horror I've read and certainly won't be my last, but I did prefer her previous work that I read: The Haunting of Ashburn House, which was a more traditional horror setting.

This was my first reading of an Loreth Anne White novel and I’m delighted to say I’ve absolutely found another top tier thriller author to add to my reading list. The characters, the plot, and the twists and turns were all sublimely interwoven to create a truly entertaining page-turner that I couldn’t put down once I’d started getting into it.

One aspect of the novel that I felt was particularly on point was the pertinent social commentary accompanying the plot, highlighting areas that really make you ask yourself a lot of questions about society as a whole. From the faux nature of social media narratives to deeply disturbing inequalities in how certain elements of society are able to escape justice and pay to make certain “inconveniences” disappear with the right amount of money and connections, this book will really make you think and truly is a reflection on reality, unfortunately, in some aspects.

The book goes deeper than this, though, with the multi-narrational elements. You get to see the effects of trauma play out on both sides of the fence of inequality, and while generally critical of the patriarchal society that enables certain ways of thinking and behavior by men, the author also isn’t afraid to show how women, too, can be caught up in the web and act as enablers or attempt to cover things up that are inconvenient for the sake of their own families or reputations, even at the expense of other women’s well-being. A bold narrative that unfortunately reflects accurately on how things sometimes play out outside of the world of fiction.

I found the manner in which the story was told to be excellent as well. We get fragments of the story from multiple characters’ points of view, in a non-sequential manner that leaves you, the reader, to piece everything together. The multi-timeframe narrative where we get some pieces before and some pieces after the incident mixed together adds to that jigsaw puzzle feeling and allows you as a reader to build up the scenes in your head and piece things together. This was enjoyable, as you quickly realize what seems like a relatively straightforward event has layers and layers of complexity that you’re treated to as you slowly unpeel the onion.

The other aspect I felt was strong in this novel was the character work. I wouldn’t particularly say there were any overtly likeable characters involved in this story, but that was entirely understandable in the narrative that played out. Everyone’s a shade of gray to some extent, and that mirrors reality and is very in-keeping with the themes used in the storytelling here.

Overall the pacing was good, the plot was enjoyable and there’s a lot of complexity there that really makes you think and reflect on how the world can be. It can be emotionally heavy and deal with some very disturbing topics, such as rape, sexual abuse and gaslighting, but I found a certain sense of contentment with how it all came together in the end.

Thoroughly recommended and a must-read for any fans of murder mysteries and crime psychological thrillers.

If you've been enjoying the Kingdom of Runes series up to this point, book 4 in the series isn't going to disappoint. It gives us precisely what we've all been wanting and what has been building up over the course of the previous installments, and so much more!

Kingdom of Runes just keeps getting better with each book, taking us deeper and deeper into the characters' backstories, expanding the world and showing us the development of the relationships between characters along the way. Light Singer was easily yet another five star installment, with the delightful promise of an epic crescendo that should come with the fifth book: Dark Bringer.

Back to Light Singer though, and we finally get an installment that's almost entirely dedicated to exploring the relationship between Haven and Stolas, featuring all of the Stolas we've been craving for in the past books. You'll get plenty of pay-off from Light Singer if you've been rooting for the Goddess-Born and Shade Lord this whole time, and the romance doesn't disappoint.

That focus on their relationship is underpinned by the very solid main storyline, which is of course Archeron's betrayal and the ever-looming threat of the Shadeling. We get to see plenty of political jockeying, as Haven and the freshly re-established Shadoria seek to consolidate alliances for the battles they know are to come.

This book and series has all of the perfect components for an epic fantasy tale, and the exciting part is there's still the grand finale yet to come, which this book sets us up for nicely.

If there is one thing I would criticize about this book, though, it's probably the fact it is a tad lean on main story progression. A lot of the build up and set up certainly make things more intriguing, but in terms of how far we actually moved it wasn't all that much from where we left off in book three. Still, we got plenty of progression between Haven and Stolas and that certainly wasn't a bad thing and well worth dedicating a whole book to!

The book ends on a nasty little cliffhanger with some things left unresolved from within the book. Grey seems to like this style, but personally I feel we could have got a little ways further by the ending. We're all already well hooked on the series by now; I'm not sure cliffhangers are necessary at this point to get us to read the final installment!

It goes without saying that I am thoroughly looking forward to the conclusion of this series and cannot wait until it comes out! This series has solidified Audrey Grey as one of my favorite fantasy authors, and seeing her writing improve along with the series and her own style emerging from the shadows of the authors she personally has been inspired by has given me great pleasure as a reader too!

Audrey Grey does it once again with an epic third instalment to the Kingdom of Runes series, taking the reader on a spellbinding emotional rollercoaster full of twists, turns, betrayals and romance that culminate in a monumental crescendo of revelations, action and world-defining moments.

While the previous book took us on a world-spanning quest to end the Curse, events in King Maker are largely centered on Solissia where we learn more about the politics of the Sun Sovereign’s court and how her rule and familial relations play out.

One could be forgiven for thinking the fairly localized setting for the book was constricting, especially given the novel’s length. It turns out to be anything but, however, as Audrey Grey’s masterful world building and vivid descriptions take us deep into the journey of our main characters and their mental and emotional paths. We get to learn a lot about our, by now, established cast of characters and see even more character development, for better and for worse, in each of them; as well as getting some surprising revelations about some of their previously unexplored backstories that may be quite pivotal.

This story will have you guessing throughout as to the motives of our main characters, who can be trusted, and who some people are truly working for which leads to some satisfying and unpredictable twists and turns along the way.

The ending is incredible and every thread of story comes together to explain the events that end up transpiring, as well as setting the stage for the future of the world to be explored in future novels.

Since this is a long book, certainly the longest in the series so far, a lot more time was dedicated to the build-up to the main storyline and I found that to be awesome from someone already invested in the series. It may take a little time for some readers to get into it though, but the delivery is well, well worth it.

Overall this was an outstanding book that will take you on a journey, and you’ll almost be disappointed that it’s over. It’s emotionally charged at times, making you feel everything from sadness to joy and everything in between. The good news is, there’s two more books in the series: Light Singer and Dark Bringer, and I absolutely cannot wait to devour both!

Book two of the Kingdom of Runes series starts where we left off in the first installment, following Haven and her band of immortal misfits on their journey to save the prince and end the curse...

Having only rated the first book three stars of five, my main issues were some confusing or spotty backstories for certain characters, a complex and confusing magic system that seemed a little hard to fully grasp with the descriptions provided, and the way the book ended unresolved. I saw a lot of potential in the series, but book one fell a little short in these areas.

All I can say is that I am delighted that I trusted the author to build upon her intriguing foundations and stuck with the series! What a freakin' journey this book was!

Curse Breaker puts us into the meat of our heroes' epic quest right away, with plenty of action, twists and turns, and a couple of really emotional moments that profoundly reverberate in their impact. It's total non-stop action from the beginning, and it does not let up until the epic crescendo in the final scenes.

It felt as though Audrey Grey herself had become more comfortable in her own world that she created in this sequel, truly allowing her creativity to flow and cementing her characters' backstories, motivations and personalities a lot more sturdily than the opening book in the series. Her amazing world building also continued, which really enables you to see and feel the environments Haven and crew had to contend with on their quest.

I particularly liked how we actually saw a lot more character development and growth from some of our main characters in Curse Breaker, which was certainly lacking before. The pacing of that development I also found to be on point. The romance elements for several of the characters was also kicked up a notch, which certainly added to the gravity of some of the situations that played out. You will definitely feel things during this adventure!

My sole criticism is that book one and book two could probably have just been a single installment. Having said that, the slow burn was well worth it and the additional pages doing it that way allowed the author to do the story full justice without having to abbreviate, which would have detracted from how epic the world and expedition felt, in my opinion.

Overall this was an enthralling journey and I can now safely say I'm fully hooked on this series. A true gem from Audrey Grey. Hats off. I cannot wait to see where the series goes from here in book three: King Maker.

I am retroactively picking this series up having discovered Audrey Grey through her later series: Evermore Academy, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

In Oath Taker, we follow the journey of Haven, our female main character, and a band of immortal protagonists who are seeking to save Prince Bellamy, the Crown Prince of one of the last mortal kingdoms, who was taken by a very dark force...

My overarching feeling towards the book is one of intrigue and excitement for what comes next in the series. Oath Taker certainly gets the series off to a good start, and lays the foundation for what could be a very interesting series of twists and turns, with a tantalizing struggle between light and dark seemingly on the cards as well as the romance sub plots hinted at which are almost certainly likely to come to a head as the story progresses.

I personally felt the world building elements of this book were a stand-out strength, and one I've come to expect from Grey whose previous books I've enjoyed shared the same trait. The author does an excellent job of painting the picture of an immersive and complex world, full of danger, intrigue and plentiful mythological elements to draw and maintain your interest, which expands as you progress through the book.

While I see the complexity of the world as a strength broadly, I also felt a little overwhelmed at times as there's just SO much to learn, and not all of it is particularly well demonstrated and explained at points. I frequently found myself reaching for the world map and glossary sections to try and piece together elements of my understanding, as I felt like I was missing some understanding just by reading the prose. The magic system in particular, specifically how runes and rune stones were used, who could use them and how and why they were important all felt confusing for me at first, particularly when at the beginning it was made clear that mortals weren't able to use magic then suddenly magic was being invoked through the carving of runes by our MC, as apparently some runic engravings were possible to use, some were off limits and some were just intrinsic to certain races. It was hard to keep up with and it felt there was just so much to learn in relatively short periods of time as story progression was rather fast-paced.

I'm a fan overall of Grey's writing style where she has characters take common words from the universe she creates and has them mutter them as expletives during moments of frustration or exasperation. With that said, this added to my confusion on a couple of occasions at first when attempting to wrap my brain around the magical system of runes, particularly as "Runes!" was one such word that some characters seemed to yell out sometimes!

The characters' relationships to each other and how they all came into being in their current states was also a lot to understand and take on board at the pace it was being delivered; some characters' backstories weren't even fleshed out to the point where it all makes sense yet, and the first book definitely reads like the first book in a series where a lot of aspects will be revealed over time and make things retroactively make a little more sense, hopefully.

I was also a little disappointed by the ending, since nothing was actually resolved and it was clear this book was not designed to be a stand-alone story unto itself, but rather the first part of a story which will continue with the future books in the series. I am very much intending to continue this series to find out more, but still I am of the opinion that a book should be a complete story that is able to stand on its own merit, which isn't the case with Oath Taker because it's incomplete and the ending is just a lead-in to the next book.

Overall though, I found this to be a high fantasy story well worth investing in as the story and world are certainly interesting and intriguing enough. I am excited to continue on with book 2 of the series: Curse Breaker and the twists, turns and hopefully character progression that is to follow!

What an engrossing police procedural thriller/mystery which is well written and delightfully complex, both in plot and in the characters portrayed within. It's a little dark and morbid in parts, but that's unfortunately the reality for a homicide detective in the Windy City.

The character work really stands out in this novel. Just like the real world, if you've lived long enough, particularly in the type of job Foster, our main protagonist, is in you'll bring a significant amount of baggage wherever you go; which in turn makes you who you are today. The author does an excellent job of allowing you to see the different facets of both Foster and the other characters within, allowing you to really get a sense and understanding of what motivates them, for better or for worse. The quality of writing here is to be commended. It cannot be understated how impressed I was with how deep the author was able to convey many characters' motivations, backstories and personalities in a relatively short novel. There was very little wasted literary real estate here, and everyone has their issues to contend with.

With that said, I certainly feel there's room for a little more when it comes to certain characters which I will presume will continue to be a fixture in future books of this series. One character in particular came across as quite one dimensional and played into a certain stereotype, to the point of almost unbelievably in some scenarios. It was particularly stark given that most other characters were a lot more complex. I'm interested to see further character development maybe later in the series and to get more of an insight into their backgrounds, which I'm almost certain will come given the author's attention to detail when it comes to her characters.

The setting and how the author portrayed it is also a strength of this book. At the beginning I was feeling like things were a little sterile and folks a little apathetic, but then it hit me: that's the point. That's how it is in big cities like Chicago, and Clark does a really good job of imbuing that atmosphere into the proceedings and environment which I felt through her words.

The story contains some excellent twists and turns which will keep you guessing and attempting to piece together evidence or motivations in your head. Even if you're particularly sharp and can get an idea of who may be responsible early on, the satisfaction in seeing how the detectives work through the case and piece things together is the real meat of the story which I found to be thoroughly well written and enjoyable.

You certainly have to keep your wits sharp when reading Hide. This isn't a book you can casually skim read, given the number of characters you encounter and the different points of view you'll experience the story from. I definitely had to maintain a degree of focus when reading, which wasn't difficult given the captivating nature of the story.

I found the ending to be satisfying, although there were a few minor inconsistencies with how I may have expected some characters to act in order to set up the scene for the finale which I feel were a little out of character, perhaps.

I'm thoroughly excited for the next book in the series! I will certainly be continuing to keep up with the adventures of Detective Harrier Foster in the second book: Fall, when it is released.

If you're a fan of complex mysteries full of complicated characters whose motivations are often ambiguous, told from different points of view and whose reliability you cannot be fully certain of, this will be right up your street!

I found this book to be a captivating read that gripped my attention from the start. The author does an excellent job of drawing you into this small little UK town and its atmosphere which appears almost quaint at first, but quickly begins to feel sinister and oppressive when the town's dark secrets and seedy underbelly begin to unravel. The use of UK lingo, UK references and British manners of speech within the book are also delightful and would be relatable to anyone from the UK themselves, enhancing the atmosphere. This style may also perhaps appear quirky and unique to readers from other countries outside of the UK.

I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of hints of paranormal/supernatural elements, and the characters' reactions to that. As someone who enjoys supernatural thrillers and mysteries, the hints at these elements were initially what drew me to this book and their inclusion really helps build a more sinister feeling around the town, and adds to the mystery component of the story.

One element of the book that really stood out for me was the complexity of the characters, which made them very relatable. Many crime mysteries or thrillers I've experienced have suffered a little with characters who are a little easy to read or one dimensional, but this book does an excellent job of making the reader really begin to distrust everyone or question their motives, which I found to be a lot more realistic when it comes to real criminal cases of this complexity and magnitude. Almost every character unto themselves is an enigma and has something to hide here; be it minor and trivial which turns out to be for small personal reasons, or the seemingly minor that turns into something so much more.

I enjoyed receiving the backstory of the BBC reporter who came to the town to make a podcast about the disappearance, which was the premise for the story. It made her a real and relatable character and also played in to the minor romance elements included within the book, which I also enjoyed. Definitely had that "Will they? Won't they?" vibe going on, which kept me invested further.

The book touched upon several elements of problematic and abusive relationships, which are again unfortunately common and relatable. The book definitely made you feel for certain characters in some situations, particularly as gaslighting was used as an element within the story to keep certain characters vulnerable and dependent.

At the end, both the historical recounts within the book and the modern-day happenings came together to resolve the central mystery well. I found the end satisfying as a reader, particularly as I certainly didn't see some components coming.

I found the way the historical recounts were delivered in the book a little frustrating and confusing at first, as it took awhile before you began to see how they could relate to the main story. I also found a little suspension of disbelief was perhaps necessary, as there were a lot of people involved in how the plot all tied up and it was a little difficult to believe elements of it wouldn't have unraveled in a 20 year span of time passing since the disappearances, and initial police investigation of the incident. The police officer in the story was also very forthcoming with information, much more so than they likely would be in reality but I appreciate that was a necessary component to move things along.

All in all though, minor nitpicking aside, this was an excellent book and one I'd thoroughly recommend to anyone who enjoys complex crime thrillers/mysteries with complex characters each with their own story to tell.

I've never read this author before, and I was looking for something within the realm of fantasy as my next read. When I learned of the premise of an epic quest in a medieval world involving magical instruments, warriors, bards, fey, and druids I was intrigued and excited, especially considering how well this book was received generally upon its release in 2019. The author also has glowing reviews for multiple of her earlier fantasy series, making me feel as though I was on pretty solid ground when choosing this. A "safe" pick almost guaranteed to assure satisfaction, as it were. So, why only 2 stars?

First of all, I very much enjoyed the setting of this book and the Celtic lore references within. The author did a fine job of transporting me to this medieval world; it was well written, descriptive and whimsical. I also enjoyed the references to hearth magic, the inclusion of fey according to ancient lore and references to the Tuatha Dé Danann. This was a rich experience for anyone familiar with old folk tales.

The issue certainly wasn't with the world, but the plot and characters were where things fell a little short for me.

To me, a good story needs a sense of danger and a strong antagonist to bring such. A strong, well-written adversary brings that sense of high stakes, high danger and peril that thwarts our heroes and frustratingly stands in the way of them achieving their goals. In order to overcome that, the protagonists typically need to overcome fears within themselves, grow and develop as characters, grow as a team, learn new skills or unlock secrets or abilities within themselves that they otherwise didn't know they possessed. Absolutely none of this was present in The Harp of Kings, which I think was the main reason I felt that the book read as something quite flat, with a minimal sense of drama and suspense. This ultimately led me to not being as invested in the story as I should have been, given its premise.

There were certainly setbacks our heroes faced, but they either felt underwhelming or disjointed and didn't provide the sense of danger and peril that I felt the book needed to make it interesting. Never once did I feel those "just one more chapter" vibes that I so often get when reading a truly engrossing and compelling story that I just can't put down; at times, quite the opposite, in fact, where I either had to find some extra motivation to pick the book back up or chose to end a reading session early.

So, without drama and suspense there was surely at least some mystery to keep the reader engaged, right? Unfortunately, that was where the story also didn't deliver for me either. The outcome of the story I found to be predictable, because it was largely outlined in the book itself. There wasn't much room for interpretation of where things could go, since the reader is essentially told fairly early on the likely whereabouts of the harp and why it was taken, which turns out to be exactly as it was. There was no interesting twists, no hidden motivations on behalf of some of the characters, just things presented as they are being precisely what they are. All in all, for me, this made the quest, which was the premise of the story, rather bland and insipid. I felt the quest itself was a good potential vehicle to create engagement for the reader, but even that failed to deliver in my eyes. It was obvious where the plot was going throughout the entire novel and the ultimate outcome was predictable, and to me this this wasn't really a good thing.

With the plot leaving a lot to be desired with no particular drama and suspense, sometimes the enjoyment in a book comes with the characters themselves and their development throughout the story. Once again, I found this to be an aspect of the story which unfortunately was lacking for me. We get minimal backstory about our protagonists, minimal character development and certainly nothing beyond the superficial. I found the cast of characters to be lacking in a frustrating kind of way, because as a reader I was so desperate to learn more or to see more of how they change throughout the course of the quest, but the simple truth is that ultimately they didn't have to develop all that much due to the weak plot. As I mentioned, the lack of adversaries attempting to truly thwart their progress didn't really exist; massive setbacks that could have forced some character development on our heroes just weren't there, ipso facto neither was that character development itself.

I walk away from this book with the feeling that it could have been so much more than it was, given the premise. What if the druids were working covertly in tandem with the fey to manipulate human politics for less benevolent reasons, given their increasingly dwindling status with the crown, particularly if Rodan were to take the throne? What if others were intent on making a claim to the throne and had a hand in disrupting the coronation? What if there was an adversary who saw the kingdom as weak as a result of a reluctant claimant and a coronation that was already delayed and made a play for power? What if there were hidden tensions or reasons that Rodan felt the need to claim the crown to keep his brother off the throne and instead exiled in the druidic nemeton? What if the spies were discovered by folk in the court not privy to the fact they were there, and this created tensions between those in the court and the regent? Or perhaps between regent and prince? There were so, so many possibilities for twists and turns here to imbue a much-needed sense of drama, and sadly absolutely none of them materialized.

The last criticism I have for the story was the lack of action. I went in expecting a little more from a series entitled "Warrior Bards", but the action was limited and the story plodded along to its slow and obvious conclusion.

Given the author's writing style, I cannot discount the fact that I'll be reading other books by her particularly as some reviewers specifically praised her earlier works. I don't feel The Harp of Kings was necessarily a bad book and it certainly made me feel all kinds of emotions at times, but I just feel an overwhelming feeling of "meh" when thinking about the story. If you're looking for a lighter read that doesn't involve too much drama or unpredictability, this might be precisely the type of cozy book which might appeal to you. It just wasn't what I personally expected, given the premise and setting.

This book was okay and I enjoyed it in so far as that it was a quick and easy read that was unpredictable and kept me guessing, but it wasn't great and I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to recommend it. Here's why:

The entire story hinges on the protagonist, Brooke, making the absolute, most stupid choices possible at every turn in the book. She really takes naïveté to the next level; beyond what is reasonable, in my opinion. I don't feel any sensible, rational person who went through what she did would reasonably make most of the decisions that underpinned the premise of this story. You can justify the odd irrational or stupid decision here and there, we all make poor choices after all, but it was just every single one in this novel, almost to the point of insulting the readers' intelligence.

For the story to be enjoyable, you also have to overlook the absolute incompetence of the police and justice systems and how they operate in this book. While, as a writer, you're probably on stronger ground relying on flaws here, it seems justice in this book is largely meted out to whoever our dear protagonist feels is guilty du jour as opposed to proper police investigative work and reliable testimony in court. You also have to go along with the premise that, after a high profile trial, the protagonist is able to get a job putting her in a position of medical responsibility over a person she had such a history with and who attempted to murder her. I feel this would certainly come up in a background check as a conflict of interest, and even if it did not why would you even be willing to put yourself in a position where you'd likely see the man who tried to kill you again? The attempt to explain away why it was "impossible" for her to get other nursing jobs was also weak. Even if it worked, if it had been me, I'd rather have taken a job outside of nursing for awhile rather than work at that exact prison.

Even if you're willing to overlook these things as a reader for the sake of the story, the third hurdle is the underpinning motives which led to those ultimately responsible for the murders carrying them out. It was extremely hard to see the strength of the motives that led to what went down in that farmhouse that night. This was a stretch too far for me where the author clearly tried to come out of left field with a twist, at the expense of rationale and believably.

How everything was resolved was also super convenient and relied on a string of improbable and increasingly unlikely coincidences, some bordering on stupidity.

Oh and on top of all of this, you also have to overlook the fact that we're suppose to believe that Brooke's kid was actually bullied for being a "bastard" and being born out of wedlock. In modern day Queens, NY. Yes, the author actually seems to think this is why kids are bullied these days.

Overall if you're willing to shut your brain off and overlook a LOT of things, you may get entertained by this book purely on the basis of it being difficult to pin down where the author's going with it right up until the end. I just largely wasn't buying what the author was attempting to sell us, which is unfortunately really as I was excited for the premise and setting. What could have been a dark, gritty, prison-based thriller turned out to be something much weaker than I had desired.

While certainly making use of some of the standard tropes of the genre it does so well, making Hidden Pictures a compelling paranormal thriller/mystery with horror elements that had me enthralled fully to the extent that I read it over 2 sessions. I found the story to be unique and inventful that had me just wanting to continue reading to find out what happens next. There are a few occasions where if you were really questioning the plot you might consider a couple of things pretty convenient and suspension of disbelief to a degree is necessary, but that goes with the genre's territory and doesn't detract from the story. The illustrations within the hard copy of the book enhance the experience significantly and is another unique aspect of the book that it pulls off well. All in all a fantastic page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to any readers who don't mind supernatural elements to an ultimately well-told thriller/mystery/suspense story, although if you're expecting a heavy focus on horror you may find it lacking.

This was a good book overall and an enjoyable read, certainly one I'd recommend. Higher than 3, but not quite 4 star for reasons I will go in to.

I particularly liked the depth of storytelling, which frankly caught me by surprise. I went in expecting a somewhat run-of-the-mill, family-moves-into-haunted-house scenario but interwoven were some very interesting social themes which make the book feel very grounded in reality, particularly when looking from the perspective of minority communities:

- Racism;
- Gentrification;
- Addiction, anxiety, paranoia and the mental health struggles surrounding such.
- Blended family challenges, touching upon some struggles of both parents and the children involved;
- Use of religion and televangelism as a tool to influence the masses and prey upon peoples' poverty through religion while making those 'preachers' rich in the process;
- Major businesses/money backers and the influence they have over communities;
- The heavy-handedness of the American justice and penal systems when it comes to minor drug offenses, specifically when it comes to minorities and minority communities;
- The issues with policing in minority communities;
- The very real reference to "Devil's Night," which was an actual thing where arson plagued Detroit for decades, primarily in the low-income minority areas.

Warning: Spoilers beyond this point.

Marigold was a very polarizing main character throughout this story, and that was actually a good thing. It made her feel like a real and very believable main character struggling with some major problems in her life. Given her age, this compounded these struggles somewhat. You really do get the impression of a young girl trying to do the right thing and go down the right path, but struggling to do so due to her issues. Her tale is pretty tragic really, ultimately feeling as though her history makes her a very unreliable witness to certain events to the point of her testimony being discarded at best and blamed on a relapse at worst. As the reader, knowing this wasn't the case was certainly frustrating but I think that's the entire point that Jackson, as the author, was trying to get across: it is exceptionally hard for recovering addicts, as well as those struggling with anxieties and phobias who may sometimes appear irrational in the case of panic/anxiety attacks, to appear as credible even when they're telling the truth sometimes. Feeling that frustration is a glimpse into the existence of anyone who has been through that, and I can't imagine how frustrating that must feel for real, particularly when your own mom would rather give you a drug test than believe there's a shred of truth to what you're saying. Ouch.

I think the parents in this scenario are the most unfortunate aspect of the story. While Marigold could be criticized to a degree for falling back on marijuana as a means of coping and dealing with her problems, this is what makes her character so believable to me. This is what actual people do. I think most of us have engaged in unhealthy ways of coping with our problems, and Marigold resonates with me as a person because of that. This is particularly true due to her age, I feel. It's the parents in this case who should have recognized that she's going to need more than just a "fresh start" where they run the risk of a repeat of the past, just in a different location. They should have been the ones who set up healthy ways of her addressing her problems, including therapy and psychiatry if necessary. They seem so blind to their daughter's enhanced needs, and that certainly is a source of genuine frustration for me as a reader, particularly as the incident that caused them to move in the first place was by no means a triviality but ultimately goes unaddressed by those who should care the most. Instead, they just seem to think a change of venue will make all of her problems magically go away. If only that's how it worked.

In fact, the journey of Marigold's character development I'd argue was one of the best aspects of this book for me, as a reader. I didn't go in expecting this from a horror book, but that's the feeling I ultimately left with. Watching her take on board Yusef's advice and attempting to emphasize with her step-sister, as well as seeing her gradually stop viewing her own behavior in a vacuum and beginning to understand how and why certain choices she makes could be problematic and even traumatic to others and affect them negatively was a satisfying journey to take with her as the reader.

So with all those good parts, why only a 3 star rating? I felt the book let me down primarily in its initial hook: the horror aspects. More so the reveal in what was causing the "supernatural" phenomena to occur, as the suspense and atmosphere that comes with good horror was certainly present. It was a little unbelievable to me that Ms. Suga and Jon-Jon were still alive and living with the family the whole time, and even moving around the house so frequently (including Jon-Jon's sleep walking) without being seen by anyone other than Marigold, at least for most of the book. There's just so many questions and plot holes you'd have to overlook to allow this to occur, including what they were doing before Mari and her family moved in. You also have to suspend disbelief quite heavily to allow the plot of this whole thing being orchestrated and part of a larger plot to reignite tensions, ultimately leading to the destruction of the place purely for redevelopment, to make sense. There are many factors which could have gone wrong with this plan and ultimately would have if this was a real scenario, I feel. It was all a little too perfect for me to explain how everything came together, and quite the stretch at that.

The other aspect of this book which felt like a let-down was the ending, as many others have touched upon. The ending came out of nowhere for me, to the point where I went back and read the final page again just to be sure I didn't miss something. It literally ended without really delving into any of the aftermath of what happened and how things played out. A lot of questions went unanswered and there was a lot of room to resolve many burning questions you'd have by the end of the book. A couple of extra chapters to sate that curiosity would have been enough, if not an epilogue to wrap things up. This certainly dropped the rating for me. I think with a more round ending I'd have given this 4 stars even with the barely believable resolution of the main horror plot.

This was my first read by Tiffany Jackson and it certainly won't be my last. I really enjoyed the writing style throughout and the way she chose to interweave pertinent and challenging topics into the story in a natural way while making her story's characters both believable and, in some ways, relatable in their imperfectness.

What a journey this book, and series, takes you down! Full of twists and turns at seemingly every single chapter, the book doesn't disappoint with its suspense and intrigue. Even chapters that start off seemingly innocuous often end with yet another plot twist in the tale of Summer Solstice, which kept me, as the reader, invested and in an eternal loop of those "just-one-more-chapter" vibes in those early morning hours.

What an emotional journey you get to experience too (There are likely spoilers beyond this point):

I laughed: C'mon, Ruby has to be one of the most hilarious supporting characters ever. Her quips are great and, even if her actions sometimes caused even more trouble, you can always feel her sense of duty and desire to do the right thing even if it didn't always quite work out! I absolutely loved this brave little Sprite!

I cried: There's a lot in the series that tugs at your emotions. From Summer's background, to Vi and Zinnia and their backgrounds and how Summer came to be in their care, to the love between Summer and Valerian and how, over the series, Valerian came to truly understand and express human love when at one point it seemed beyond his comprehension as a Fae. There's just so much emotional energy to unpack in the best way possible. The author does a great job of really making you relate to and feel each of the characters' emotional struggles. I was a mess by the end of the book and surrounded in tissues.

And I felt everything in between. From the pain of the two lovers being forced apart, to the concern each had for the other in their darkest moments when faced with losing the other and the eventual release they had when finally consummating the bond. This book, on an emotional level, truly had it all for me.

So, with the clear understanding that I rate this book and series with nothing less than 5/5 stars and consider it a must-read for anyone who considers themselves a connoisseur of the fantasy genre, there were still some minor things I felt could have been done a little better:

Firstly, I think ending the book as a trilogy in terms of the main story was probably the right decision. There was only so much you can drag out the will-they, won't-they aspect of the Summer and Valerian relationship and the entire premise of the series essentially hinges on them being forced apart. It was showing signs of getting a little too drawn out by the end of this book and any further would have been too long.

With that said, I'm unsure enough time was dedicated to the ending of the series. I hate to agree with others that it felt a little rushed, but that's the only conclusion I'm able to draw based on the fact that the "reveal" chapters of how everything was wrapped up essentially came within the last 5% of the book. I'm not really sure I truly bought into the redemption of both Inara and Hellebore by the end. Of both, Inara's was slightly more believable considering what she'd been through leading to her ostracization and having to fight alongside Summer during the portal incident, but even then most Fae were portrayed of being largely incapable of such a turn-around. I get that Hellebore felt fury toward Rhaegar after learning about what had happened to his own, seemingly genuine, love interest with his shadow and gratitude to Summer's aunt for saving his sister, but I'm not sure his actions as a result of that made all that much sense in the grand scheme of things and only really served as a means to provide an "out" for a really tricky situation that Summer, Valerian and friends found themselves in at the end. Up to that very point, his character was portrayed as steadfastly Teflon to feeling any form of compassion and almost entirely devoid of a moral compass, which made the turn-around all the more confusing for me.

I also have sooo many questions about the fates of our supporting cast. We never got to see Mack and "Dragon Boy" hooking up. We didn't really get too many details on Eclipsa and her unfinished business with Hellebore. We didn't really learn much about how Valerian won his court back, if at all. His mercy plea at Summer's Nocturus would surely make him an outcast even more so in the eyes of most Fae, even those within his court. And we never really learned all that much more about the Summer King. I live in hope that some of these topics can be explored in future spin-off books, as I'd love to get some proper closure on some of these things and re-visit this cast of characters whom I grew so fond of over the course of this series.