Fantasy Archives - The Book Nerd Mom

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I received a free e-ARC of Firekeeper’s Daughter thanks to Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I absolutely loved this book. I’d been anticipating this book since I found out about it’s existence, so when I found out I won an ARC, I was so excited.

Let me tell y’all, it lived up to the hype. I still find myself thinking about this story, Daunis, and the cast of characters we journeyed with even after the last page has been turned.

Firekeeper’s Daughter: Strengths

I’m a huge fan of strong female protagonists, and Boulley hit the nail with Daunis. She is biracial and a product of teenage pregnancy. Neither side of her family really embraced her, but she is heavily involved with both. She feels like an outsider but is trying to find her place.

I loved the insight to the Ojibwe community that Boulley weaved into the story. The language and traditions that we learned about was such an important inclusion into the story and an important piece of Daunis’s identity. Another aspect that we see is loyalty. Loyalty is shown in many different ways in this book, but we can see it throughout. Women were loyal to each other during a specific tradition even if they didn’t want to participate. Later, toward the end of the book, we see the elders being loyal to Daunis; I won’t say more as it would be a spoiler. Throughout the book, we see Daunis being loyal to her community during her time with the FBI as she’s constantly wondering whether she should tell Jamie and Ron or keep something to herself for a while.

The storyline itself is so powerful. It covers a plethora of issues including violence (gun, domestic, etc.), drug addiction, grief, sexual assault, racism, unfit parents, corruption, and greed. What starts as an investigation into a drug-operation turns into an eye-opening experience for Daunis into the lives of those around her. We’re taken on a thrilling, dangerous, hope-filled ride as we search for answers with Daunis.

Boulley’s masterful telling of Firekeeper’s Daughter is one that won’t be forgotten. I highly recommend this book. I’ll be keeping Boulley on my radar.

Firekeeper's Daughter ARC Cover Page (blank title)

Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

I won a free ARC of Amari and the Night Brothers during NYCC/Metaverse in exchange for an honest review. Special thanks to Epic Reads and the publisher Balzer + Bray for the physical copy I was provided. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this book we follow Amari Peters, a young girl who just wants to find her missing brother, Quinton. When she gets an opportunity to visit the special camp that he used to attend every summer, she’ll find that things aren’t always as they seem, and she’s off to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Soon she finds out what her supernatural talent is, but will she be able to save Quinton in time?

I really enjoyed this book. It had everything I like in a middle grade novel. There were interesting characters, it was set in a fun world, there was magic, and we got to follow a strong Black female main character. So let’s get a little bit more into the specifics of what I really liked.

Amari and the Night Brothers: The Breakdown

First, let’s talk about this world building. This book has dual worlds in it: the natural world and the supernatural world. Alston did a great job juxtaposing the two throughout the book. Along with this, there were the specific jobs and departments that were a part of the supernatural world that I especially enjoyed. These included: Department of Coverups, Department of the Unexplained, etc. I thought these were fun additions to a book about a supernatural world and I can only imagine what a middle grade reader who enjoys magic would think.

So what about the magic? I’ll admit, I do hope there is more about this in the second book. What we were given was interesting, but I wanted more about how it worked. I don’t want to give any spoilers away about this aspect so I’ll just leave it at that.

Alston wrote interesting and recognizable characters. I love that the hero of our story is Amari, a young Black girl from the “wrong side of town” who just wants to find her brother. I love that we see her internal struggle with self-worth, because that is such a true-to-life issue, and it’s been validated for her by her peers. Alston did a great job with Amari’s character and showing her growth from self-doubt to self-assured. I also liked that he made her best friend, Elsie, a weredragon who is a science genius. The characters in here were so thought out and had such awesome quirks, I loved them!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I fled through it, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next with Amari and her friends. I can’t recommend this enough! It’s due for publication on 1/19/21 so be sure to get your copy!

The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly

*Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. You can read more here.

I received a free e-ARC of The Frozen Crown thanks to BookRiot and HarperVoyager US in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this story we’re following Princess Askia of Seravesh as she travels to Vishir hoping to procure an army to defend her land. Radovan, the ruthless ruler of the Roven Empire, has been slaying villages inside her borders. Askia has run out of options. But life at Vishir takes political finesse, which is something Askia has little experience in. But Askia has a secret that is dangerous should it be found out. Can she secure an alliance while maintaining her secret? Can she save Seravesh?

Okay y’all, when I read the premise, I knew I had to read this as soon as I could. This book did not disappoint. It has a little bit of everything in it: politics, magic, romance, and war.

The Frozen Crown: My Thoughts

The magic system in this book is awesome. I look forward to book two because I really want more of it. The magic is in the form of witches, of which there are different kinds. I don’t want to give too much away, because I think it’s better to find out about it all as you’re reading. However, Kelly included that part of the magic system can be manipulated. That was very interesting and although I’ve seen similar things done in other books, I liked the way it was portrayed here. I’d really like to see more of it fleshed out in book two.

The characters were written well. Kelly did a great job portraying the conflicting emotions and situations that Askia and others were/would be in. We could see from some actions that certain characters took the slippery political slope and the games that they had to play at court.

One thing that I will say about this book is that I was confused at the beginning. Once I figured out what was going on, it was still a while for me to get into the “can’t put it down” groove. The ending felt a bit predictable and rushed. I enjoy a good cliffhanger, but I wish the ending would have happened a little differently. Regardless, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy!

The Frozen Crown will be available for purchase in January 2021.

City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

*Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. You can read more here.

I received a free e-ARC of City of the Plague God thanks to NetGalley and Rick Riordan Presents/Disney Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this story we follow 13-year-old Sikander Aziz as he battles the God, Nergal, for the fate of Manhattan. To succeed, he’ll have to join with his friend Belet, former hero Gilgamesh, takeover where Ishtar—Goddess of war and love—left off, defeat demons, and find the Flower of Immortality.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: whenever I see Rick Riordan is coming out with something, whether it’s from him or his imprint, I immediately hit my to-be-read button. I love the stories that he writes and that his imprint puts out. They’re full of adventure and tell wonderfully epic tales of unlikely heroes and show teens and young adults that they can make a difference. They also do a great job of reviving and giving a new spin on classic tales and myths.

This story was no different. I loved it right from the beginning. I’d been in a bit of a reading slump when I got the email saying I’d been approved to read this. I knew this was the ticket to getting me out of it. From the very first page, I was hooked. This is my first book by Chadda, but it won’t be my last.

City of the Plague God: My Thoughts

Sik is an unassuming hero. He’s used to being in the background while others do the glamorous or important things. When Nergal comes for him, he’s genuinely perplexed. This is part of the book that I really liked, because I think it will resonate with a lot of readers. The idea that you can have extraordinary things happen to you, or make a difference in the world, no matter your circumstance is so important. It’s reiterated throughout the book, while Sik is constantly doubting himself and others are reassuring him.

I liked the inclusion of the Islamic faith. It’s important for everyone to grow up seeing their cultures and values represented in the books that they’re reading.

Overall, I enjoyed this story from start to finish. Although this is a middle grade read, I think anyone can pick it up and have a great time joining Sik while he fights Nergal to save his family and Manhattan. I hope we get more stories following Sik and his friends. Be sure to pick up your copy in January when it hits shelves!

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

I read Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo as one of my buddy reads for this month. I enjoy Bardugo’s writing; I’ve only read the Grishaverse trilogy so far, but I loved it. When I heard she had an adult book coming out, I had to read it. Then the content warnings and trigger warnings came out (list is courtesy of Roe from Goodreads) and it was all over Twitter. And I became wary…but also a little intrigued. Because as I mentioned in my Banned Books post, when people talk about a book, I need to read it. So, I read it.

Ninth House: Thoughts

Honestly, I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. It was predictable, so for that I didn’t find enjoyment. I also found things too convenient at times. The book was written in multiple aspects, implementing flashbacks as a way to get to know the different characters. I didn’t mind this style and actually at different parts of the story I found myself wishing to read more from different characters point of view because that character’s story was intriguing.

I didn’t really care for Alex, which is a shame since she was the main character. Strong female protagonists are favorites of mine to read about, but I could not get behind her. She was just bland. It may be a bit of an unpopular opinion but I wanted to know more about Darlington, or even Dawes. They seemed interesting. I also wanted some clarity surrounding the societies. They seemed to jumble together for me. Perhaps that’s just for me personally, but I didn’t get a clear sense of them and their differences. They just felt too similar.

Bottomline

Overall, I am not sure Ninth House really was as great as I thought it would be. Will I pick up book two? Yes. After that ending, I have to know what happens. And again, I do love Bardugo’s work. The potentially triggering content that everyone mentioned is there. It’s a lot of gore and sexual violence, and it is throughout the entire book, so you can’t really just skip a certain chapter. Just stay true to yourself and your own limits.

The Book Nerd Mom

ABCMouse

Category: Fantasy