Friday Face-Off: Chaotic Colors

Posted on July 30, 2021 7 Comments

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.

This week’s theme is:

“Maybe too much going on…”
~ a cover featuring CHAOS

Warcross by Marie Lu

I’m a fan of minimalistic and subtler styles when it comes to art, so whenever I see covers with lots of color, they always seem more chaotic to me!

From left to right:
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (2017) – Penguin Books (2019) – Spanish Edition (2018)

German Edition (2018) – French Edition (2018) – Polish Edition (2019)

Winner:

Well, I probably gave away my pick in the intro. I prefer clean, simple and elegant covers but I also like the colorful design of the G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers edition, so that’s my favorite this week.

But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Review: The Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley

Posted on July 29, 2021 13 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of Ashes of the Unhewn Throne

Publisher: Hardcover: Tor Books | Audiobook: Brilliance Audio (July 6, 2021)

Length: 752 pages | 35 hrs and 33 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrators (Audiobook): Moira Quirk, Joe Jameson, Oliver Cudbill

The Empire’s Ruin is epic in every sense of the word—epic in scope, epic in ambition, epic in its delivery. But if you’re familiar with Brian Staveley’s other works in The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne universe, this should come as no surprise. It has been more than four years since his last novel, the standalone Skullsworn, but clearly he has lost nothing of his craft as he returns to the Annurian Empire with a furiously bold and inexorable new tale.

As the opening volume of a new trilogy called Ashes of the Unhewn Throne, this novel begins a new adventure in a world on the brink of ruin following the decimation of the Kettral and the fact that the kenta gates, long used by emperors to instantly travel to any point in their vast empire, are now defunct. Of course, reading the previous trilogy is highly recommended before tackling this one, but it is not completely necessary; Staveley does a bang-up job rehashing the details of past events you need to know, and newcomers will not miss a beat. A handful of years have passed since the end of The Last Moral Bond, and the story now shifts to a new group of POV characters, though longtime fans may recognize a couple names. First, we have Gwenna Sharpe, our favorite Kettral—a member of the emperor’s elite warriors, named for the giant war birds they ride into battle. Faced with their dwindling ranks, Gwenna sets out on a journey to the faraway land of Menkiddoc in search of their fabled kettral nesting grounds, tasked to bring back new eggs.

Meanwhile, in the swamp city of Dombâng, a young priest named Ruc tries hard to forget his blood-soaked past as he dedicates his new life to Eira, the goddess of love. But Dombâng is now a city freed from the yoke of the Annurian Empire, and worship of the local deities have resurfaced. Residents conduct violent practices such as human sacrifices in the name of the Three, making it a dangerous situation for Ruc who is in a constant battle to resist an overwhelming instinct threatening to pull him back into the darkness. His fellow priest, friend, sometimes lover Bien helps to keep him in the light, but she also has her own secrets. As the dangers close in, the two of them must find a way to escape. And then there is Akiil, a monk-turned-grifter who uses his past connection with the emperor’s brother to ingratiate himself into her court. As the last surviving Shin monk, he may have the information Adare needs to unlock the secrets of the kenta gates, which would the use of them again.

Of the three perspectives, there was definitely one that outshone the others. If there was a main character, it would be Gwenna, who storyline easily dominated this novel, both in breadth and interest. Of course, she had the advantage of being a standout already from the previous trilogy, but if you are meeting her for the first time, I think you’d agree too—she’s a force to be reckoned with! Of all the characters in the supporting cast of Staveley’s novels, I’m glad he brought her back to have a starring role in a new series. I think fans both new and old will find her storyline to be the most fascinating and gripping. The runner-up would probably be Ruc, whose origins in the swamps and his subsequent misadventure in the ever changing social and religious landscape of Dombâng made for compelling character development. From the brackish waters of the delta to the harrowing life-or-death struggles in the arena, there was never a shortage of grit in Ruc’s chapters.

So that leaves Akiil. To be fair, there were some inherent reasons why his chapters might have been the weakest, which had nothing to do with the writing or storytelling. For one, his character’s role in this novel was relatively minor, and his time on the page was also the shortest. While there may be more planned for him later in the series, for now it appears his storyline is in the process of being established, and so we don’t get as much activity compared to the other two POV threads. That would be one of my criticisms, and there were a few other hiccups, including pacing issues cropping up here or there as momentum ebbed and flowed with the different character perspectives. However, in some ways that is to be expected with a novel of this size, and I think epic fantasy readers will know to roll with the punches.

All in all, I enjoyed my return to the world of The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, and with this introduction to a new series, we also got to see more of the universe. For me, it was a perfect mix of the new and the old, and the addition of more exciting action and magic on top of a solid foundation. Brian Staveley has come a long way since The Emperor’s Blade, and his talent and reputation as a fantasy genre powerhouse has only grown with every novel since his debut. Reading his books is always a pleasure, and The Empire’s Ruin was definitely worth the wait.

Waiting on Wednesday 07/28/21

Posted on July 28, 2021 9 Comments

Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy’s Pick

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten (March 29, 2022 by Minotaur Books)

After having such a good time with The Lost Village earlier this year, I’m definitely up for another book by Camilla Sten. The premise sounds absolutely chilling.

“The medical term is prosopagnosia. The average person calls it face blindness—the inability to recognize a familiar person’s face, even the faces of those closest to you.

When Eleanor walked in on the scene of her capriciously cruel grandmother, Vivianne’s, murder, she came face to face with the killer—a maddening expression that means nothing to someone like her. With each passing day, her anxiety mounts. The dark feelings of having brushed by a killer, yet not know who could do this—or if they’d be back—overtakes both her dreams and her waking moments, thwarting her perception of reality.

Then a lawyer calls. Vivianne has left her a house—a looming estate tucked away in the Swedish woods. The place her grandfather died, suddenly. A place that has housed a dark past for over fifty years.

Eleanor. Her steadfast boyfriend, Sebastian. Her reckless aunt, Veronika. The lawyer. All will go to this house of secrets, looking for answers. But as they get closer to bringing the truth to light, they’ll wish they had never come to disturb what rests there.

A heart-thumping, relentless thriller that will shake you to your core, The Resting Place is an unforgettable novel of horror and suspense.”

Audiobook Review: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Posted on July 26, 2021 19 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Penguin Audio (July 13, 2021)

Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrator: Adrienne King

Leave it to Grady Hendrix to write an exceptionally unique and fun story! This is my fifth book by the author, and the original ideas just keep on coming with no signs of slowing down. In The Final Girl Support Group, he once more blends pop culture and quirky horror, this time centering on the phenomenon of slasher fan films which hit its heyday in the 1970s to 80s. It riffs on the concept of the archetypal “final girl”, or the sole female survivor of the blood-soaked massacres typically featured in those kinds of films, and the idea that a group of them get together once a month for therapy sessions to help overcome their trauma.

Our protagonist is Lynnette Tarkington, who technically isn’t a final girl even though she was the only one to emerge alive from the horror of her own encounter with a psychotic killer—but more on that later. First you have to know that the experience scarred her deeply, both physically and mentally. Lynnette trusts no one and lives alone in an apartment that she’s practically turned into a mini-fortress, though to most it will seem like more of a cage. Her only real contact with the outside world is the support group she’s joined with other women who have lived through a similar ordeal, led by the kindly psychologist Dr. Carol. Aside from Lynnette, there are five others who attend regularly: Adrienne, Marilyn, Dani, Heather, and Julia. Over the years though, the topics have gradually exhausted themselves and the benefits of therapy have either waned or stalled, and this fills Lynnette with anxiety, as she fears it means that the group’s days are numbered.

At the latest session though, Adrienne doesn’t show up, and soon all of their worst fears are realized when they find out why. Adrienne is dead, fallen to the monster that finally got her, and Lynnette is convinced someone is coming after the final girls to finish them all off. Whoever it is though, they are good at covering their tracks. They’ve even found ways to sow doubt among the final girls, and before long Lynnette finds herself on the run, cut off from the support system she’s come to rely on. Luckily, she’s used to being by herself, and if she’ll take matters into her own hands if it means preventing anyone else from dying.

As with Hendrix’s other books, The Final Girl Support Group features a main hook or gimmick. In this case, it’s the idea that all the classic slasher movies that have found their way into mainstream popularity are based on real events. The movies themselves in the book are fictional but they all have their real-world analogs, among them Halloween, Friday the 13^th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scream, and there are of course Easter Eggs and subtle references aplenty to hint at which final girl belongs to which franchise. The women of the support group whom these films are based on, however, are an ugly reminder that, contrary to the rosy picture Hollywood likes to paint, the futures of these final girls are often very bleak.

Take Lynnette, for example. The others don’t really consider her a “true” final girl because she’s the only one who didn’t manage to kill her monster, but the experience has left her no less changed. Ever since then, she’s been looking over her shoulder expecting the horror to come back, and in a way, she was right to. All final girls get sequels, after all. Part of Lynnette’s way of coping is to come up with a plan for every contingency, investing in surveillance and keeping her body in tip-top shape for the day when her monster may rise again.

Next, we have a story that’s pretty over-the-top, but given this is Grady Hendrix, did you really expect anything less? I have to say though, once I managed to wrap my head around the meta vibes, falling into the flow of things was relatively easy. In fact, it was quite brilliant the way the author paid homage to the horror classics, employing all the favorite tropes while simultaneously exploring the psychology behind society’s fascination for the violence and thrills of slasher films, until ultimately the novel becomes the very thing Hendrix set out to caricaturize.

Needless to say, I had a lot of fun with The Final Girl Support Group. It’s probably one of the better books I’ve read by the author, which is no surprise given the way his talents have evolved and improved over time. Conceptually, this was probably the most unusual and complex of all his works, but rest assured it loses none of the quirkiness and entertainment.

Bookshelf Roundup: 07/24/21: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads

Posted on July 24, 2021 27 Comments

Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.

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Received for Review

My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!

The amazing folks at Subterranean Press were extremely good to me this week, with this trio of new arrivals: A Twist of Fate by Kelley Armstrong, the second book in the author’s gothic paranormal time travel mystery series, A Stitch in Time. Next up is another exciting sequel, Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold which is ninth in the Penric and Desdemona sequence. Luckily for me the books are mostly standalone because I’m definitely not caught up with all of them, but I love these characters. And finally Belladonna Nights and Other Stories by Alastair Reynolds is the fourth collection in his long career of publishing short fiction, and features much sci-fi including some tales from his Revelation Space universe.

With thanks to Redhook, I also received an ARC of The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess by Andy Marino, a horror thriller about a woman’s spiral into madness as she wakes up in the hospital after a traumatic event that everyone seems to remember differently than her. It’s sounds absolutely harrowing and intense.

And speaking of horror, last but not least thank you to Inkshares for an ARC of The House of Dust by Noah Broyles, a haunting southern gothic blending mystery and spooky small-town folklore. Releasing in late September, this one will be just in time for the creepy season, and I can’t wait to read it!

Another light week for the digital pile. With thanks to Penguin Audio, I picked up a listening copy of Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger, an action thriller about an astronaut who risks it all aboard the International Space Station to save what matters to her most.

And from Audible, I was super excited to receive Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan, the first book of the Rise and Fall trilogy that takes place in the Riyria universe but is a standalone tale. From the publisher I also received Lux by Brandon Sanderson and Steven Michael Bohls, technically the fourth book in The Reckoners series, but it too appears to be separate from the original trilogy and can be read as a standalone. This one wasn’t even been on my radar until an email hit my inbox on release day, I love being surprised like that!

Reviews

Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena (3.5 of 5 stars)
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (3.5 of 5 stars)
Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep (3 of 5 stars)

What I’ve Been Reading

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Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read!

Friday Face-Off: Deep into the Ground

Posted on July 23, 2021 15 Comments

This week’s theme is:

“In the universe or going deep into the ground”
~ a cover featuring A BLACK HOLE

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

After a dig through my sci-fi bookshelves for any covers featuring black holes turned up nothing, I decided to explore the other interpretation, which was a hole going deep into the ground. That search wasn’t that much more successful, though I did find The Luminous Dead, a novel I had mixed feelings about, but it follows a caver who gets hired onto a dangerous mining mission to map the deep dark tunnels of the planet. More importantly, it has covers that sort of fit the bill, and they will be compared against each other today in a head-to-head:

Harper Voyager (2019) – German Edition (2021)

So hard to choose this week. In many ways, the two covers are almost antithetical to each other, with one predominantly blue featuring someone reaching out of a hole, while the other one is fiery red and features a person reaching in. I do find the German edition slightly more interesting to look at though, and that perspective (and the skull) definitely puts you more on edge, so I think I’ll go with that one.

But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Thriller Thursday Audio: Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena

Posted on July 22, 2021 16 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena

Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Penguin Audio (July 27, 2021)

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrator: Ellen Archer

Shari Lepena’s mystery thriller novels are always a ton of fun, and Not A Happy Family is a whodunit that will definitely keep you guessing. At the center of this story is the Merton family. Fred is the patriarch, who founded a highly successful robotics company that made him rich. He’s also a cold man who has never shown much love for his children, and in fact, he delights in humiliating them every chance he gets by pointing out their failures. His wife Sheila is mostly a passive bystander, powerless to stop this cruel treatment. Oldest daughter Catherine is the one who has been spared the brunt of Fred’s wrath, growing up to become a respected and well-to-do doctor. Middle child Dan, however, is the least favorite, and his father’s greatest disappointment. Even youngest daughter Jenna, the rebellious artist who still lives off her parents seems to catch more slack than she should.

As the book begins, the Mertons are just about to begin their Easter dinner at Fred and Sheila’s home located in their swanky neighborhood of Brecken Hill in upstate New York. Catherine, Dan, and Jenna have all brought their significant others, and also present is Irena, the Merton’s housekeeper, who practically raised the kids. Everyone sits down to a lavish meal, but unfortunately, it isn’t long before Fred unleashes his mean streak. Catherine, who has always dreamed of inheriting her parents’ gorgeous multimillion dollar mansion, feels the rug pulled out from under her as her father informs them all that he has decided to sell the house. He had already sold his company six months ago to spite Dan, denying his son the chance of ever taking over one day. Jenna is also threatened with the cutting off of her financial support. All in all, everyone leaves the house that night in frustration and rage.

Then a few days later, Fred and Sheila are found brutally murdered in their home. While it was made to appear like a burglary gone wrong, the police don’t buy it. They suspect one of the three Merton children, who now stand to inherit millions. All of them also have a reason to want to kill Fred, a psychopath who was so awful to them, and Sheila, who was neglectful and let the abuse happen. Fred also has a sister, Audrey, who claims that her brother had been planning on changing his will to bequeath her half his wealth, leaving Catherine, Dan, and Jenna to squabble over the rest. Audrey believes that one of the Merton children must have found out about his plans and decided to kill him before they could be carried out, but at this point, with all these hidden motives and secrets flying around, anyone could be the killer.

The way the plot unfolds is pretty standard, via a tried-and-true formula, but there’s a reason why stories like this work so well, and why they are so successful. Readers get to follow along with the police as they interview all the family members and their friends involved, bringing to light their financial troubles, odd behaviors, and other reasons that would make you suspect all of them at some point. As the POVs switch between the different characters, we also find out more about the Mertons’ backgrounds and Fred’s past history, all of which are clues that make up the available evidence. Of course, there are also red herrings aplenty, and you can’t always trust what anyone says because as we find out early on, everyone in the Merton family is a compulsive liar.

Fans of thrillers who like to read about dysfunctional families and characters you just love to hate will also have a blast with this one. The reason why there is so much suspense surrounding this murder mystery is precisely because any of these narcissistic, greedy, and impulsive people could have done it, as they all stem from the same psychopathic gene pool. None of them are all that bright either, which also goes for the investigators who feel incompetent at times for the sake of dragging out the story.

With that said, I wouldn’t say this is Lapena at her best, and there were a few instances in the book where you would need to suspend your disbelief. Still, on the whole, I thought Not A Happy Family was a very entertaining read and will be a great treat for fans both new and old. My family listened to this novel as an audiobook on a road trip and the compulsive nature of this mystery simply made the hours and miles fly by, while we all had fun trying to guess who the killer was as each chapter and POV revealed new information. Ellen Archer’s narration was on point and made this format a fantastic way to enjoy the book.

Waiting on Wednesday 07/21/21

Posted on July 21, 2021 6 Comments

Mogsy’s Pick

Sundial by Catriona Ward (March 1, 2022 by Nightfire)

I just started The Last House on Needless Street but so far I’m enjoying it a lot – so much that I’m already looking forward to another book by the author. This one sounds creepy!

“Sundial is a new, twisty psychological horror novel from Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street

You can’t escape what’s in your blood…

All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. Far from her childhood home, Sundial, hidden deep in the wild Mojave Desert.

But beneath the veneer, Rob is terrified for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind.

Running from her past has led her directly back to it — what’s buried at Sundial could never stay a secret forever, and Rob must risk one last trip out there to protect her family, and her future.”

Audiobook Review: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Posted on July 20, 2021 19 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Book 1 of Monk & Robot

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (July 13, 2021)

Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrator: Emmett Grosland

A comfy read for when you need a quick pick-me-up story to warm your heart, A Psalm for the Wild-Built is the first novella in a new series by Becky Chambers following a sojourning monk and a precocious robot as they wax philosophical about the meaning of life.

A long time ago, in an event known as the Awakening, the robots of Panga chose to take their newfound sentience and venture into the wilderness, never to be seen again. Humans, respecting their choice, in turn learned to adapt and live without their A.I. helpers. Centuries later, when a society with robots have become a mere memory, a monk named Sibling Dex has decided to follow a different calling, taking to the road as a traveling Tea Monk. Drawn to the idea of a quieter, simpler life outside of the city, Dex is convinced it is their new purpose.

However, instead of the solitude they were looking for, Dex meets a robot named Splendid Speckled Mosscap, who takes a curious interest in the monk. Much to Dex’s annoyance, Mosscap informs them that it is on its own mission collecting information about humans, tasked with finding out what they need and what they want. Feeling unqualified to answer those questions, Dex reluctantly allows the chatty robot to journey with them, but then later learns to appreciate the companionship. The two of them have a lot to teach each other, as it turns out, and the rest of the novella is a chronicle of their different conversations while traveling together.

I’m going to be honest here. A Psalm for the Wild-Built was a good book and I enjoyed my time reading it, but nonetheless, I was left feeling oddly unfulfilled after I was finished. Of course, I can think of a couple reasons why. First, I make it no secret I am very picky when it comes to novellas because I need well-developed characters in order to care about what I’m reading, and I find few are able to satisfy \those expectations. Granted, Chambers did a better job than most when it comes to making both Dex and Mosscap feel like fully realized and well-rounded characters, considering she was working within the limitations of a 160-page novella.

That said, I don’t think there was anything too profound or that complex when it comes to its contents. Sure, our protagonists discuss a wide range of topics, from what it means to be human (or robot) to whether the divine exists. I suppose you’re meant to feel all overwhelmed and moved by the intensity and deep insight into their conversations, but sorry to say that’s where I was not completely on board. Like the author’s Wayfarer series, A Psalm for the Wild-Built will give you all the warm and fuzzies, but ultimately I felt it lacked the depth you’d find in her novels. This being my sixth book by Chambers might also have something to do with influencing my expectations, because this feels rather typical and simplistic compared to some of her best work.

In other words, yes, I think I’ve been spoiled. Still, I’m not sorry I read this. Honestly, I’ll pick up anything Becky Chambers writes because I love her style, and as ever her brand of hopeful optimism is a breath of fresh air. If you’re a fan, you are not going to want to miss A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and despite it being on the lighter side, this novella would also make a fantastic introduction to the author if you’re new to her work.

Audiobook Comments: Solid narration for the audiobook edition by Emmett Grosland, who provided just the right amount of emotional weight and emphasis to the characters’ voices. I would recommend.

Review: Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep

Posted on July 19, 2021 17 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of Gargoyle Queen

Publisher: Harper Voyager | Harper Audio (July 6, 2021)

Length: 416 pages | 13 hrs and 30 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrator (Audiobook): Lauren Fortgang

Since I loved Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards trilogy, picking up Capture the Crown was a no-brainer, as it is the first book of a new series set in the same world. In this novel, we follow protagonist Gemma Ripley, the cousin of Everleigh. On the outside, she may appear to be your typical pampered princess—self-absorbed and shallow, concerned only with parties and pretty gowns. However, the reality of it is more complicated. The spoiled princess image is merely a mask she puts on to hide her true activities working as a spy for her kingdom. She’s also a mind magier, which gives her a range of abilities from reading people’s thoughts to moving objects with her mind. In her disguise as a commoner, Gemma works undercover as a miner in the border town of Blauberg, where large amounts of tearstone have been going missing from the royal mines.

Before long, Gemma uncovers a smuggling ring operating in town. But her mission hits an unexpected snag as she encounters Prince Leonidas Morricone from the rival kingdom of Morta, who is in Blauberg carrying out his own mysterious plans. Due to something in their shared history, Gemma does not have a high opinion of Leonidas, who appears not to recognize her. In order to maintain her cover, she decides to let him whisk her back to Morta where she can convalesce from her travels, while also using the opportunity as a way to spy on the enemy and perhaps find out who is really behind the stolen tearstone.

Fans of the Crown of Shards trilogy should find plenty to like in this first installment of the Gargoyle Queen trilogy as well. Still, a caveat: don’t expect Gemma to have the same charisma or presence as Evie. In case you’re wondering though, you can indeed read this one without having read the previous series, and in fact, to tell the truth, I might even have enjoyed this book more if I hadn’t. While I wouldn’t say Capture the Crown was bad by any means, I wouldn’t call it really memorable or meaningful either, and while the sequels may change this in the future as the characters and story become more developed, for now I remain slightly underwhelmed.

I’ll begin with my thoughts on the protagonist. I liked Gemma; she had spirit and she had style. But her voice also sounded young, making this book feel skewed more towards Young Adult (and as far as I know, this book was not marketed as YA, featuring content that would definitely be considered as more “adult”). This in turn set the tone for her eventual romance with Leonidas, which was filled tropes and angst. I didn’t feel that there was much chemistry between them either, despite the “mortal enemies to lovers” arc the author was clearly trying hard to set up. Instead, their romance felt awkward and forced.

Then there was the plot. Look, I get it. Gemma’s a spy, and as such a lot of her work involves snooping and observing the people around her, and not everyone can be like Evie, who joins a gladiator troupe and kicks some serious ass in Kill the Queen. But for much of this book, and especially after the intro, it just felt like not much was happening. Mostly, the story was dominated by court intrigue and relationship drama, lots of dialogue, and at times it was a struggle just to stay focused.

On the plus side though, magic played a huge role in this book, and I also delighted in the different creatures like Grimley the gargoyle, who’ll no doubt be a fan favorite. Fantasy fans will also appreciate the many cool ideas kicking around here, I’m sure. That said, world-building is definitely not the novel’s forte. Cultural differences between the various kingdoms were overly simplistic, for example. And while Gemma’s magical abilities were impressive, it was rather unclear what the extent or limits of her powers were, and there appeared to be no rhyme or rhythm to how they worked. As a result, the fantasy aspects were not quite as well integrated with the rest of the story, feeling more like an affectation. It’s probably not a deal breaker in the scheme of things, but it still might be a source of frustration for some.

All in all, I can’t deny I’d hoped for more out of Capture the Crown, but even with its weaknesses, this was a fun romp. Besides being on the lighter side for epic fantasy and the fact that the story has a mild taste of YA despite being an adult novel, it was an entertaining read that went by quickly. I’m still greatly interested in following Jennifer Estep’s work and my admiration for her storytelling will be the main reason I’ll most likely pick up the next volume.