4 Stars!!
“A queen without a crown, without a throne, without a coronation. What, exactly, do you imagine you're queen of?”
Lady Smoke picks up right where Ash Princess left off. Theo is trying to get everything in order on her travels with Dragons-bane and her fleet. They are all looking for allies to take down the Kaiser and Cress.
Things I Liked:
Theo shows a ton of growth in this book as her character falls in line with the title of Queen. Shes starting to come into herself and really see what kind of leader she will make. She has lots of hard decisions to make and she is learning everything as she goes along.
My ship.... oh my ship .... ITS STILL KICKING!! Things may be a little rocky but Im telling you Im going down with this one!!
The Shadows - They bring so much more to the book! I just love them- Heron, Blaise and Art all protect and handle Theo in their own individual ways. Art doesnt take any crap and is always mouthing off to her, but at the same time has Theo's back no matter what. Heron is quiet - yet he also will stand up to Theo when he is not on board with something. Blaise.... will do anything for Theo even if it means he has to pay with his life. He loves her and is so loyal- as her oldest friend- these two have an unbreakable bond.
The ending... I NEED BOOK 3 now!!!!
What I didn't really like:
Some parts dragged a bit unlike the first book. There was also something major that happens towards the end - and the way it was handled had me scratching my head.. like is this really how this is about to go down?? I needed something bigger after everything Theo went through. I dont want to spoil anything but I personally needed this person to be put through HELL.. And maybe he was a little but not to my satisfaction. It just felt a bit lazy.
Lady Smoke was a really good read. I have seen some people like this one more than Ash Princess. But for me, I find that Lady Smoke suffered a little bit of middle book syndrome. I cant put my finger on what it was, but something was missing. Im not worried though- I think whatever it was will come back in full force once I read the final book. I still 100% recommend this series!
4 Stars!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Death wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning…
Before reading this- I re-read Grave Mercy and then finished off the series reading Dark Triumph and Mortal Heart. I think my favorite of the 3 was Mortal Heart, probably because it was the last in the series and everything just came together for me in that last installment. I will point out that if you have not read the first trilogy - I would not read this one until you do. I know the author says that you really dont need to read it first, but trust me - I literally just finished the trilogy and still found myself having to take a minute to remember certain things from the other books.
This book is told from two POVs and follows Sybella (an OG from book 2 Dark Triumph) and a new Character Genevieve. I am going to just call her Gen. Gen is also a daughter of Mortain- which basically means she is another bad ass nun assassin hidden behind a sweet girl persona.
In a desperate bid to keep her two youngest sisters safe from the family that nearly destroyed them all, Sybella agrees to accompany the duchess to France, where they quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies. Sybellas only hope is to find two fellow sisters of the convent, disguised and hidden deep in the French court years ago by the convent—provided Sybella can find them.
Gen was sent undercover years ago and struggles remembering what her end game is. She wonders why after all this time- why she was sent here and what she is supposed to be doing because she is ready to return safely to the convent. She finds solace in a prisoner she stumbles across whom which the guards have forgotten about. As Sybella and Gen’s paths draw ever closer, the fate of everything they hold sacred rests on a knife’s edge. Will they find each other in time? Or will everything come together only to fall apart?
I really liked Courting Darkness!! I found the beginning to be a bit confusing and long winded- but I think maybe that was a little info dumping for those who have not read the trilogy. Once all that was done- the plot began to take shape and things started to pick up and get intense. There was not very much world building in this one- she covered that in the first books, thats why I feel to truly be able to appreciate this story, you need to read the trilogy.
I really liked Sybellas role in this one. I liked seeing a little softer side to her hard personality. Gen was a pretty interesting new character, once I realized what she was and her purpose. After the half way point things really start happening and picking up. There are some really hard situations to read - I wanted to jump into the book a few times and punch a few people. My emotions were all over the place in some parts. Which is a good sign I was invested. I think my favorite thing about these is not only the writing but the french atmosphere. It is so rich and I love that about it. It makes all the politics and war talk a little more interesting since its sorta based off of something that really happened in history. LeFevers just puts her spin on it and its unique and awesome for someone like me who isn't into history.
Overall I found this to be a really intriguing read and look forward to the second part of this Duology. I hope more people read the first series so that can truly give this one a chance. :P
4 Stars!!
“We are all of us, gods and mortals, made up of many pieces, some of them broken, some of them scarred, but none of them the total sum of who we are.”
This was my favorite of the series I think.... LaFevers did an amazing job with this last installment.
In this book we follow Annith, like her sisters, she has been trained to be Mortain's assassin. We know from the previous books that the Abbess wants her to be the new Seeress. Annith is not having it though. She has always wanted to leave the convent so one night she takes off in the night, a few exciting things happen along her way to find Ismae and Sybella. Once she reaches the girls though, things start to unravel and secrets unfold!
I thought this installment was a bit different that the first two. I found it to be more exciting- and the love interest was unique. There were so many plot twists that I did not see coming and it was awesome!! I loved how the story just grabbed my attention and made me want to find out what was going to happen. I am so ready for Courting Darkness and hope that it does not disappoint!
Series Overall 4/5 *'s
3 Stars!!
“The sky was a road and the stars made pathways; the moon was a watchtower, a lighthouse that led you home.”
Whew! I have officially finished the MONSTER~and it feels fantastic! Another Shadowhunter story DOWN! So where do I start to review this monstrosity ?!?! Bare with me... while I activate my runes.
Let's start at the beginning- It started right where LOS left off. Having to relive that tragic moment AGAIN wasn't fun but all the character babies needed to grieve and I get that. I was there with them, in "black ink" spirit.
Soooo yeah we grieved.... for half the book it seemed like - to the point where I was done and over it. Like can we please talk about something else? Everyone is sad and it's depressing but can we fight someone or something??
In my opinion, the first half of the book seemed to just go on and on about nothing really... It didn't pick up until part 2 for me. And from that point on I was invested. Things slowly started to pick up and things started happening.
I don't really feel the need to talk much about the plot of this story- because if you are reading this review, you obviously are invested enough to know that you are getting the WRAP UP to this trilogy. Seems like so much happened but at the same time, not much.
I will talk about the Menage a Trois though- how can I review this and NOT. Can I just say that every time the book got to these three I could not help but think of Lito, Dani and Hernando from the Netflix Show Sense8 - Raise your hand if you know what Im talking about ???
Yeah… You know I'm right… (ps- if you have not watched Sense8 WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE??? GO WATCH IT!!) So … did I like this aspect?? Meh- I don't know honestly, I kind of do - but not for a YA book. Yeah I'm sure lots of teens get their groove on this way and that.. whatever- their prerogative... but as a mother, I just think this type of scene should be in an adult/new adult book.
Here is the thing. I think I am basically tip toeing around this review bc I know I'll probably be a minority- but let me just get on with my REAL FEELINGS. I have been a Shadowhunter fan since Jump Street. I have read all the books and have watched it evolve. The MI and TID books were fabulous and I absolutely loved them. I do not feel the same way about this new Trilogy. While I have my favorite characters and LOVE LOVE LOVE the family dynamic in these- I just honestly feel like a huge portion of this new series was just recycled.
This book has a lot of the original schemes and themes from the first books. As a reader, I don't want recycled plots. I need something new, I don't want to have to worry about someone we defeated in the first series to come back and haunt me again through another book OVER AND OVER again. It is just not fun or original. This was my main issue with this book. Could we not have made up some other bad guy or something - did we really have to go back to YOU KNOW WHO?? In some cases it works - but sadly, in this case- it did not work for me. Also what's with the ending?? The whole thing with Zara- Just WHY??
I really did enjoy parts of this book. I really enjoyed seeing all the REAL OGs from the past play a bigger role in this book. I am so glad that everyone's relationships got all worked out. I needed that closure, so i'm glad that part did come to pass. Also, I appreciate that Clare tackled some real world issues, and used diverse characters. The illustrations were phenomenal as well!
Overall- I feel like this book was way too long and all over the place - Kinda like this review but clearly I am not a writer :P I feel a little off after reading it to be honest. I've said this in an earlier review of Clare's books- but I will say it again, I would really love to see her write another Fantasy or something that does not depend on her love interests to build conflicts in her story. Regardless Kudos Clare - you will probably still be an Auto Buy author even after today. Because lets face it- I am here for the long haul. #shadowhunter4life
4 Stars!!
“Hate cannot be fought with hate. Evil cannot be conquered by darkness. Only love has the power to conquer them both.”
Another one down 1 more to go in this fun and exciting Nun/Assassin Series!!
The story takes off right where Grave Mercy left off. In this installment we follow Sybella's story. She has a few secrets, one being- that she is D'lbrets daughter. As a handmaiden of death, she is left with the task of returning to her fathers home to act as a spy. There are so many dark memories of things that await her there.
I wasn't sure how I would like this one since it didn't follow Ismae and Duval- but I am glad I gave it a chance. It only took a minute to get wrapped up in Sybellas story. She has a horrific past. It was a little harder to read than the first. There are some disturbing things that take place and by no means, does she have a pretty story.
Enter Beast- not easy on the eyes, and the name Beast may fit his body, but not his personality. It wasn't hard to fall for Beast and his big heart. The writing was once again beautiful, and pacing flowed nicely.
I really enjoyed Sybellas whole personality a little more than I did Ismaes from Grave Mercy. She wasn't as soft and I liked that. But I do have to admit- I liked Grave Mercy a little more than Dark Triumph. I think maybe since it was the first in the series, but this was still a great follow up to GM! I'm looking forward to the last book, Mortal Heart, so that I can get all caught up for the new series Courting Darkness!
4 Stars!!
This was such a cute and sweet read! It warmed my heart this winter- with its sunshine and summer feel.
In When Summer Ends, we follow two teenagers Aiden and Olivia - who discover how an unexpected turn of fate can bring new love to heal old wounds. I really enjoyed the characters and the book as a whole was just a quick fun read. The writing was simple and flowed nicely. The story was about how when you're in high school you think your life is headed in one direction but then something happens and it makes you rethink where you are headed. Or in this case, make you wake up to realize there is more to your future than you thought there could be.
I totally recommend this one!
Thank you to netgalley for this arc. Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
