As a book lover and avid reader I find myself coming across parts of books, whether it is dialogue, description, or just narrative, that is too amazing not to share with others.
Summary: In the stunning conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology, A Fire Endless finds the delicate balance between the human and faerie realm threatened by Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, whose defeat can only come through fire, song, and heart-rending sacrifice.
East and West. Humans and Spirits. Breccans and Tamerlaines. The Isle of Cadence has always held itself and its residents in a tenuous balance. But now Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, has pushed everyone and everything in his path off-kilter in a bid to claim dominion over all.
In the West, Adaira struggles to adjust to the more brutal, bitter ways of life among the Breccans. Striving to find her place in the clan, she swiftly realizes that it just might be the last role she desires to hold. And while magic blooms effortlessly for the Breccans in the west, the spirits continue to suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind.
In the East, Jack is adrift without Adaira until he sings to the ember-weak fire spirits, acquiring a dangerous mission he never expected. One that is destined to lead him westward. Likewise, Torin and Sidra are consumed by a new mystery as sickness spreads first amongst the crops, and then to the people of the Tamerlaine clan. While Sidra desperately searches for a cure, Torin dares to strike a bargain with the spirits—a precarious folly anytime, but especially now as the days grow darker.
With the island falling further out of balance, humans and spirits alike will need to join together to face Bane, and Jack’s gift with the harp will be called upon once more. Yet no one can challenge the North Wind without paying a terrible price, and the sacrifice required this time may be more than Jack, Adaira, Torin, and Sidra can bear to pay.
*Opinions*
I had read A River Enchanted as part of a year-long reading challenge I was participating in, but was desperate to know how the duology ended after everything that was revealed at the end of the first book. I was not disappointed with A Fire Endless as Rebecca Ross delved deeper into the turmoil happening on both sides of the clan line and with our four main characters: Jack, Adaira, Torin, and Sidra. Yet, even as the story zooms out from our main characters, this is still a quiet tale focused on relationships, compromise, and forging your own path. This is a tale that is worthy of a bard to tell in front of a tavern fire that will keep every listener hooked to the very end.
A Fire Endless picks up a couple of weeks after the end of A River Endless, with Adaria in the West and attempting to fit in with the Breccans even though their way of life is very different than that of the West. Jack is attempting to understand why Adaria left him in the East, as music is banned in the West, but the longer they are apart, the more he wonders if perhaps they made the wrong decision. Torin, now the Laird of the East, is attempting to figure out how to be everything to everyone in the clan, when this was not a position that he ever wanted. Luckily, he has Sidra at his side, especially when a Blight starts to affect the land and spread to clan members. Yet, as the spirits start to meddle in mortal affairs, they have their sights set on Torin to assist them in fixing it. As Bane of the North wind exerts more force in the isle, all of these treads will converge to see if the isle of Cadence can be saved or if Bane will take over the isle once and for all.
As with the first book in this duology, while there are far-reaching implications to the events happening in both the East and West, the main focus is the characters we have come to know in A River Enchanted. Adaria is attempting to understand the more difficult and brutal life in the West, but we also see her struggling to connect with the West Laird and their partner. Adaria and Torin are both dealing with a crisis of self and how they are going to navigate the new positions they are thrust into. Meanwhile, Sidra and Jack are attempting to find a way to navigate being the partner to someone going through so much turmoil while also dealing with feelings of loss and abandonment themselves. This is definitely a character-driven story, and while there are numerous plot threads, they are close to these characters' hearts.
In terms of the characters, I appreciate that Ross made every character multidimensional, even those are were seen as antagonists at the beginning of this book. The one exception to that is Morray, I don’t feel as if we got enough about his life growing up in the West to understand the desire for power and hatred that he held in his heart. Even Bane was given more characterization, and it really stood out that Morray was not treated with the same care as everyone else. While we are able to learn so much about even side characters, it made Morray seem like more of a plot device than a character in this story.
The romances were so well done and each one felt different, yet understandable. Adaria let go of Jack because she didn’t want to take his musical craft from him without talking to him about what he wanted. This is a young love that is full of passion, but also fear that they will hurt each other and themselves. Torin and Sidra’s romance is one of adults navigating responsibility while also attempting to be there for one another and their daughter and clan. I will say that Torin has the same character progression in this novel as in the first one, so I was less interested in him than our other main characters. We also see the love of parents for children and the long and comfortable love of established couples. Every one of them feels real, and every emotion felt is understood, even when the couples are not on the best of terms.
Ross made this story feel like a tale that would be told by a bard like Jack and while there were a lot of dangerous parts of this novel, you were also sure that our heroes would prevail somehow. I really enjoyed this duology, the tone, the lore, and the magic, and the way that it ended was all satisfying and left me with a warm feeling. A 4-star read and one that I would highly recommend.
Content Warning: Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Infertility
Summary: Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t set foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind; plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instil fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.
*Opinions*
One of the prompts for the reading challenges I am doing this year was to read a book with the word “river” in the title. Somehow with my 180-book physical TBR, I did not have a book that had the word ‘river’, so to Libby I went. I had read Rebecca Ross before, but wasn’t sure what to expect from this tale of magic and music. What I found was a quiet tale about people and how they deal with grief, loss, love, and attempting to find their place in the world.
A River Enchanted follows Jack Tamerlaine, a man who has not been home for over eleven years after being sent to the mainland to study music. His home of Cadence is full of magic and the Folk of water, earth, fire, and air. It also holds Adaria, the heirless of the East, and Jack’s tormentor as a child. They have to put old feelings and rivalries aside when girls on the island start to go missing, and Adaria needs Jack’s music to help her reach out to the folk. As Adaria and Jack navigate their relationship as adults, they find that perhaps they are not as different as they once believed. Torrin, the leader of the East watch, feels the burden of the missing girls and fear for his own five-year-old daughter. As he spends more and more time away from home, Sidra, his second wife, grapples with everything that is happening on the island and with her position in the family she joined. As more girls go missing and secrets start to unravel everything that generations have been brought up on, Jack, Adaria, Sidra, and Torrin will do anything to make sure that the missing girls come back safe.
This story definitely has a fairytale and musical quality to it, much like the songs that Jack plays on his harp. Between the folk being very much a character in this story and the way that the island itself is a character, this is reminiscent of ballads of old. Yet, instead of being focused on epic battles or heroes of old, this is a quiet story about people attempting to do their best for themselves and their community. While there are very serious themes, missing children, the death of loved ones, finding community and purpose, there is this sense of calm over the entire story. If you are expecting an epic, you will be disappointed, but if you ever wondered what happened to the normal people during all those tales, this is a story you will enjoy.
In the author's note, Ross stated that she came up with the island of Cadence before any of the characters, and it is obvious by the loving way that she describes all areas of the island. The way that the ground shifts itself to help people move quickly or make them lose their way if they aren’t on the enchanted paths makes the island alive. Ross based the island on Scotland, and it was easy to impose the flora and fauna over pictures I have seen of that country. It will be interesting to see how the West, which is only discussed in this novel, will look when we see it in the next novel. The magic is a living thing as well, and while it is more of a vibe-based magic system, it is clear that there is a price and danger to harnessing the magic of Cadence.
There are two romance tropes in this novel: childhood enemies to lovers and a marriage of convenience, and I think that Ross does them both well. I make the distinction of childhood enemies because Jack and Adaira find common footing pretty early into their reunion. The way that neither one of them wants to admit that they care about one another was not annoying in some novels, and just a small part of the overall plot. I also just loved that a bard was a main character because it does not happen as much as I personally think it should. Ross navigated Sidra and Torrin’s relationship well, both of them being people outside of the relationship they formed. Both of their insecurities made perfect sense and are not dragged out to the point of annoyance. I really enjoyed both of the romances that Ross starts in this novel, and I am interested to see how they end.
Overall, I was surprised how much I liked this novel and even enjoyed it more than Divine Rivals, which everyone was talking about a couple of years ago. This is a 4-star read, and I am interested to see how Ross presents the themes that she focused on in this novel.
A man couldn't be expected to survive on three hours' sleep without coffee. Sex might satisfy, food might fuel, love might sustain, but without coffee, what was the point?
Content Warning: Death, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Death of a parent, Grief, Sexual content, War, Emotional abuse
Summary: Where the Library Hides is Isabel Ibañez's stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!
Inez Olivera traveled across the world to Egypt, seeking answers into her parents' recent and mysterious deaths. But all her searching led her down a perilous road, filled with heartache, betrayal, and a dangerous magic that pulled her deep into the past.
When Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.
Marriage to Whitford Hayes.
Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.
*Opinions*
After rereading What the River Knows and once again being hit with that cliffhanger ending, I was excited to finish up the duology with Where the Library Hides. It took me a while to gather my thoughts on this novel because while I enjoyed the story and did not expect the plot twist at the end, I liked Inez less in this novel than in the first one. While I realize that this is a YA novel and therefore know I am not the intended audience, Inez doesn’t seem to learn, even when she is put into danger again and again. That was all the more jarring because Isabel Ibañez doesn’t pull any punches with the brutality and the serious dangers that Inez and Whit face.
Where the Library Hides picks up right where What the River Knows, with Whit proposing marriage to Inez so that she can stay in Egypt outside of the guardianship of her Uncle. Inez wants to right the wrongs she committed for her mother and attempt to find out what happened to her father since his body was never found. However, Whit is working numerous angles of his own and when he betrays Inez’s trust, it seems as if she is truly alone in this world. When an unexpected relative appears and Inez is reminded of her loss when her grieving aunt and cousin arrive, she is more determined than ever to have her mother pay for her crimes. Inez infiltrates the illegal artifact market in an attempt to find Cleopatra’s missing items, as well as the mummy itself, and return them to the Antiquities Department so that there is hope of them being preserved. With the magic of Cleopatra still providing Inez visions, and Whit at her side whether she wants him there or not, it is a race against the clock to save Cleopatra and herself from the nefarious forces at work in Egypt.
It is clear that this was one continuous story that Ibanez wanted to tell, but needed to be divided due to length. Certain parts felt a little jarring, such as Leo Lopez being introduced as if we knew all about him from the first novel, which might have been true in previous drafts that had more sections from Whit’s point of view. We also don’t learn about the titular library and where it relates to the story until halfway through the novel. There are also numerous obstacles that Inez runs into without facing a lot of consequences, she doesn’t even come to much harm, not that I wanted her to. You learn why at the plot twist, but when reading it seemed as if she was given far too much grace, which was unrealistic with the amount of death in these novels. I was interested in the ancient ruins and the history around Alexandria, but it is hard to say more without spoiling important parts of the duology.
My biggest annoyance in this novel is the main character, Inez. Somehow, in every situation, she makes the wrong decision. Every. Single. One. She has been characterized as stubborn and headstrong, which is fine and can even be fun, but also seems to refuse to learn in any of the situations she has been thrown into or to anyone else when they attempt to show her just how bad of an idea she is having. I understand that she had been traumatized and abandoned by just about everyone in her life, but by God stop and think for half a minute. It got to point that whatever Inez did, I knew it was going to end in trouble that Whit was going to have to save her from. In fact, Inez is saved by Whit or visions from Cleopatra throughout the entire novel, robbing her of a lot of agency she showed in the first book. Luckily, I like the plot because she really took down my rating of this novel.
The romance, while sweet, didn’t address the main issue at all before Whit and Inez made up again. It is a pretty big reveal at the beginning that I don’t want to spoil, but the break in trust is just kind of forgotten as the stakes get higher. Sure Whit shows through actions his care and devotion and Inez understands why he did it, but Whit just confessing his feelings while risking bodily harm should have come with an on-page in-depth conversation. Still, I am a sucker for a man being in love with the woman, but refusing to admit it to himself, though the reader can easily tell. This book made me like Whit a lot more than the first novel and I like them together, but I wanted that issue addressed far more concretely.
Again, I can’t get into too many details without spoilers, but I just wanted more and got too much all at once. Not enough time is spent dealing with the revelations about her parents, who were the catalyst for the entire series, or the real aftermath of everything that happens to them in this novel. Too much time was spent on Inez making stupid decisions that would have gotten her killed without one individual having an interest in keeping her alive. Yet, I loved the Egypt that Ibanez brought to us, the magic that she wove into the story, and the characters that she brought into Whit and Inez's sphere. I think this is a 3.5 rounded down to a 3. Perhaps when I revisit this series I will enjoy it more seeing what threads I didn’t pick up on the first time through.
Dropping the first BONUS Sketch-a-Wish this year, frequently requested by my lovely Patreon members! Featuring Inez and Whit from WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibañez!
Absolutely adore these two and the abrupt twists and turns in their relationship while they were unraveling the mysteries of Egypt. As a fun Easter Egg, I took the passage from this scene, used a phonetic translator, and drew it as hieroglyphics in the back. Starting from 'Do you always kiss your friends like this?' to when the candle goes out.
Content Warning: Death, Murder, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Violence
Summary: The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez's lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.
Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that's been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents-who frequently leave her behind.
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there's more to her parent's disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.
With her guardian's infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent's disappearance-or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.
*Opinions*
I had heard good buzz about this novel and when I saw that the pitch was The Mummy meets Death on the Nile, I had to give it a shot. I am happy to report that this novel was just as delightful as those two comp titles would suggest. This is not a perfect book by any means, but it was an enjoyable read and at times it had me very stressed. As someone whose favorite book series is based in Egypt around this time (Amelia Peabody Mysteries) it was also delightful for me to see historical figures that I had met in those novels be reinvented in this novel. I would suggest that anyone who enjoyed this series check out the Amelia Peabody Mysteries if they enjoy mysteries.
What the River Knows follows Inez Olivera who has been left in Argentina with her aunt half the year while her parents are in Egypt on archaeological digs. Archaeological digs that they never allow her to join them on, even as she gets older. However, when she receives a mysterious package from her father including a small golden ring and then another letter from her Tío Ricardo stating that both of her parents are dead. This sets Inez on the path to Cario to figure out what happened to her parents. Unfortunately, her Tio is not happy to see her and determined to send her back to Egypt, enlisting one of his employees, Whitford Hayes, to put her back on a boat to Argentina. Inez will not be so easily dissuaded and when magic that is embedded in the ring latches on to her, her Tio has no choice but to take her to the dig site and help her search for the lost burial site of Cleopatra. However, no one can be trusted, her parents death might not have been an accident, and Inez’s heart keeps getting pulled closer to Whit even if it means ruin for them both.
One of the things that I found annoying about the plot, which is because I am an old person reading YA, is that no one would explain ANYTHING to Inez. This is something that teenagers face a lot, being on the edge of so many conversations and events that adults tell them they don’t need to know about to ‘protect them.’ However, as someone reading a novel it seems to be that at times Ibañez used it to keep the tension up and plot moving in the novel when focusing on the archeological dig and character moments. Also, to be honest, a lot of the plot in the novel wouldn’t have happened if anyone had told Inez the truth. If this was an adult novel, that would annoy me, but as a YA I am going to be slightly more lenient for the reason listed above.
I did not expect how dark and brutal this novel got at the end of it, but also to have this huge shadowy and deadly organization appear in the last 80 pages of the book was slightly jarring. I am guessing that they are going to play a much larger role in the second novel, but I would have liked a mention of them here and there throughout this novel. Especially when they were so unbelievably evil. While I enjoyed there were real consequences in this novel, I don’t think that they had the emotional hit they were supposed to because some characters did not get the amount of page time needed. We were told and not shown the connections, was blunted the blow.
I like Inez a lot as a main character, she was stubborn and impulsive, but that is consistent throughout the novel. She is also a teenage girl dealing with grief, betrayal, and suspicion as the story progresses and no one is telling her anything to help her make decisions. Whitford Hayes was a more interesting character because the small snippets in his head make it unclear whether you are supposed to like him or not. He is a damaged and complicated character, which makes me like him more. Another character who I found really interesting and never really got a clear understanding of is Isadora. She had these flashes of sharp edges, but also truly wanted to be friends with Inez. I don’t trust her, but I hope she shows up again in the second novel. However, while Inez and Whit are really round out, the rest of the characters did not seem really fleshed out in comparison.
I have loved Ancient Egypt since I was little, it was my special interest instead of Ancient Greece as a child. As I stated before, my favorite book series was following archaeologists in Egypt, so I was familiar with some of the locations and individuals that were discussed. However, I appreciated that Ibañez focused on a couple of locations instead of discussing the whole of Egypt. Ibañez did a very good job of describing physical discomforts, which added to the feeling of camping and being on the edge of civilization. Also all the descriptions of the tomb were beautiful and I loved that sketches were included in the text.
Overall I enjoyed this novel and am excited to get to the end of the duology to see how this is all going to end. I like Inez and Whit, but couldn’t get too invested in their relationship because everyone still had secrets that they are not sharing, aside from Inez as we are so close to her. There are some gripes that I have about pacing and plot, this was so entertaining that I couldn’t stop reading. A 4 star read and on the recommendation list.
Summary: Star-crossed lovers learn that practicing romance leads to the perfect happy ending in this steamy reimagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Since heartbreak entered the scene, Juliet Wilmot, once a hopeless romantic, has sworn off love. But when she's presented with the chance to revisit romance-purely for practice-with the gorgeous, off-limits guy she keeps serendipitously running into, it feels like a sign from the universe.
Quiet, shy Will Orsino knows happily-ever-after isn't on his horizon. Problem is, for the sake of the family business, marriage is. Resigned to the inevitable, but with no confidence he can woo a wife, he can hardly say no when fate hands him the alluring, unattainable woman he keeps crossing paths with, offering to help him learn the ropes of romance.
Neither of them looking for love, Jules and Will agree they're the perfect pair to practice romance. Except that practicing to perfection leads to an irresistible attraction. Their once smitten hearts, though still twice shy, might have happily-ever-after written in the stars for them, after all.
*Opinions*
I got this book as a free add-on during Independent Bookstore day (Shout out White Whale books). If you spent a certain amount of money, you got to pick a book off a cart. As I had never read a Chloe Liese book before, I figured this was the best time to pick one up since there was nothing to lose. I was a little leery as it was promoted as a Twelfth Night retelling and that is one of the Shakespeare Plays I haven’t read, but I am happy to say than other then some name nods, I don’t think you need any information about the play to introduced this story.
Once Smitten, Twice Shy follows Viola Juliet Wilmot and William Orsino, two individuals who have not had the best luck in love. Juliet was in a toxic relationship that when it ended, really ended her belief in romance and trusting her instincts. It is also when she started dealing with her physical health, making Juliet feeling as if she has lost who she is. Will is neurodivergent, so new situations and loud areas can be hard for him. This has made him think that someone like him will never find a true love, but at this point he wants to find someone to help manage his farm and distillery business. Yet, he has no idea how to find a partner in his business when he has no idea how to date. After a chance meeting, Juliet and Will decide to be each other’s romance work-out buddies to let them both practice their skills in a safe way, no strings attached. Yet, as the two of them start this practice, they learn that perhaps they didn’t need practice, they just needed to find the right person.
To start this review, I am not neurodivergent, have a rheumatological condition, or celiac, so I will not be touching on those areas of the novel. I do love seeing representation and different individuals in romance novels and as Liese deals with these conditions, I trust her to represent them as she feels best.
If you are looking for a very low stakes and cozy romance, this is going to be the romance for you. While Juliet wants to get back into the dating game and Will feels as if it is time to find someone to partner with him to help take care of his business, there is no timer ticking, death on the horizon, or even real issue that would cause Juliet and Will a lot of issues. In fact, the biggest tension is that both of them are attracted to one another and don’t want to act on it. While I do enjoy a low stakes story, it did make this story seem to drag on a little for me because there was literally no reason that Juliet and Will couldn’t be together than the fact that they were connected by a friend group and have been burned in romance before. I think that is the perfect thing to focus on, on being brave after being hurt, but I need a little more plot in my novels. I kept waiting for something to happen.
The biggest issue that I had reading this novel was that Will and Juliet didn’t feel like actual people when they were talking to one another. Their internal monologue was fine and their banter was fun, but their moments of sincerity were too perfect, they always said the right thing to one another. For two people who have stated that they aren’t sure how to interact with other people or are rusty at it, they never have serious slip ups. While I appreciate that we didn’t have the normal miscommunication trope, they didn’t feel like actual people. It was more like the author playing with dolls, which technically they are, but I just didn’t connect with either of our leads, which means that I didn’t connect with the novel as a whole.
As this is part of a companion series, there were also a lot of characters that are thrown in as I am sure they had their own novels at some point, but in this series it was just a lot of names to keep up with. While Liese did a good job of giving them all a unique personality, they didn’t add anything to the story other than being an easter egg for those who followed the companion novels from start to finish. Also, the whole eclipse part of the story seemed like it was just added to add page count. If there was an eclipse coming, it would have come up at some point in the novel before the last 50 pages? It just seemed like an extended epilogue before the epilogue.
There is open door sex scenes in this novel and I think those are well done, taking the characters diagnosis into account without making it seem forced. If there is one thing that bothers me, it is a characters physical limitations magically disappearing during a smut scene (looking at you Fourth Wing) so I am glad that it is something that Liese included. I think that the scenes were will written and didn’t find them there for the sake of being in the novel.
If you are looking for a light-hearted romance that has very low stakes and lots of cute moments, this will be right up your alley. I just like a little bit more plot and a little more tension in my novels. There is nothing wrong here, just a preference issue. A 3.5 rounded down to a 3.
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