Fantasy – World of Bai

Book Review: “Half City” By Kate Golden

I Picked this book as my September book club pick for Bai’s Reading Corner on Fable with high hopes that my club and I would be raving about this book by the end of it. We had all heard such great things regarding this book, it even has a pretty high rating on GoodReads and Fable. So imagine our disappointment when no one enjoyed it in the club. I hope to highlight our experience for you in this review and I hope you are willing to share your opinions good or bad in the comments below.

“Don’t confuse courage with recklessness”
Kate Golden, Half City

About The Book

Author: Kate Golden

Publisher: Ace

Published Date: February 17th, 2026

Page Count: 496 Pages

Main Genre: Romantasy

GoodReads Rating: 4.05

Format: Physical

“Life’s too short for multiple-choice questions.”
Kate Golden, Half City

Synopsis

Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.

Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.

She also happens to be a demon hunter.

Ever since her father’s murder, she’s been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider . . . until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like her: Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she’ll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about, not if the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv’s father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, all while trying to ace her classes, avoid falling for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

Synopsis From GoodReads

Rating

Review

I picked this book as my first book club pick because I have only heard good things and I wanted to start my book club off with a BANG! Man of man do I have regrets.

Some of my favorite booktubers rave about this book and I really trust their opinions so I felt a little betrayed by them if I am being honest with you. I completely understand that people are entitled to their own opinions but I just don’t see what they see.

This is your warning, I will have major spoilers written in my review below this line so Please do not read any further if you have not read the book. Thank you!

I desperately want to start this review with a few positive things I took away from this book but I am struggling to come up with much of anything. Let’s see here, I liked our MMC for the most part Reid was probably the most interesting character in the book. The twist with her Sister in-law at the end of the book was the one and only thing that surprised me. Hmmm… Yep, I think that is all I liked about this book.

I feel like a kid on Halloween, filling my bag with all the goodies only to get home and realize all the candy has been replaced by my mom with “healthy” treats. So where do I even begin on my long winded rant?

Our FMC (whom I struggle to remember the name of because she was that forgettable) Oh right, Viv, She was insufferable. She felt like she knew everything because she has been hunting since she was a child. Even though she went to this school for hunters I don’t think she learned a damn thing. By the end of the book she still didn’t think things through before jumping into danger. A good hunter, Aeon Blood or not, would have at least a little self awareness. She consistently put herself and her friends in danger despite everyone telling her not to go at it alone.

Great, so she probably has a character arc that shows some growth, right? Wrong! While we were left on a cliff hanger at the end of the book there could be hope that she might have some character growth in book two, but there was not enough growth in the first book to make me care at all about her. I didn’t even feel like she cared about her friends, family or boyfriend all that much. I was really hoping that by the end of the book I would care to find out how all these stories ended but I found that I wasn’t caring about a single character due to being in Viv’s POV. She was very one note and that just made the book drag on and on and on.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand that characters can’t always be likeable and I am not saying that I hate all unlikable characters. I just expect to understand the motivation behind these characters so I can grasp their personality. Viv watched her father die when she was young and felt like her mother hated her. Great, I get her back story but it didn’t seem like she once tried to overcome her grief or let anyone in to her true core. She became Ice and this is why her character was one note. Even her best friend whom she lived with didn’t know her. MAKE ME CARE!

Okay lets move on just a tad to the relationships in this book. We slightly discussed her friendships (if we can even call them that) so lets discuss the romantic plot line with Reid.

I LOVE a professor – student story line, when done well. This one did not hit the mark at all for me. Reid didn’t really feel like a professor in my eyes. Sure he taught them a class in the school but he acted more like one of the students to Viv in my opinion. They each felt an Immediate connection to one another that frankly made their relationship dull. Sure it took till chapter 30 something for anything to happen but it felt forced to me as I never once felt like they would actually make a good couple.

I really like a protective male character but the way this book presented that side of him didn’t quite work because Viv is just so head strong. Their relationship didn’t really have the most convincing storyline and ultimately fell flat. Maybe book two will expand upon this flimsy foundation? Only time will tell.

I found this book to be highly predictable. Within the first few chapters I knew the Dean was suspicious and ultimately that ruined my reading experience for me. If you are going to have someone be a plot twist charcter you can not make them so obvious or else the pay off when the main character comes to the realization will just fall flat.

Viv is constantly talking about how much her friends and family mean to her, despite having a rocky relationship with some. Yet she hardly spent any time with them in the book and consistantly made choices that contridicted her intentions. I wish that we got to see Viv interact more with her roomate and family members.

I could honestly discuss my hatred for this book for hours but I really don’t want to bore you much further. If you also have strong opinions please share them with me. I am dying to discuss this with anyone who will listen.

“People don’t like people who make them question their own biases. They don’t like looking their own judgments in the eye.”
Kate Golden, Half City

QOTD: Please share an overhyped book that you think people should skip.

Book Review: “Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous” By Autumn K. England

I recently received a Kobo Libra Color from my husband for my birthday and this book was one of the first things I saved. The colors on the cover just really popped out to me but once I read that this book gives off Stardew Valley vibes I knew I couldn’t pass it up. Lucky for me and my really awful reading slump, this book did not disappoint.

“Well, did being in a cult really count as socializing?”
“Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous” By Autumn K. England

About The Book

Author: Autumn K. England

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Published Date: May 26th, 2026

Page Count: 368 Pages

Main Genre: Fantasy

GoodReads Rating: 3.82

Format: E-Reader

“Sometimes it was nice to be wrong about people.”
“Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous” By Autumn K. England

Synopsis

When Oaklin Nettlewood accidentally joined an evil world-ending cult, mind control magic forced them to do unspeakable things. Years later, the realm’s heroes have finally saved the day, defeated the villain, and shattered the last remnants of the spell…leaving destruction in their wake. And so, with a spell-damaged memory and whole bushel of trauma, Oaklin escapes to a small farm on the edge of Mossley’s Rest and swears an oath: After all the things they were forced to do with their magic, they will never use it again. Ever.

The no-nonsense ghost granny who lives in Oaklin’s house has other ideas. As she coaxes Oaklin out of their shell and back into the world, they find companionship (a grumpy horse and a very good dog), friendship (a local bard and magical baker who should just kiss already), and tentative romance (a paladin-librarian who makes Oaklin’s heart come alive for the first time in ages.) Magic even seems possible again―though strictly for foraging magical mushrooms and protecting the farm from bugs.

Healing comes in gentle waves, and Oaklin doesn’t have to do it alone. So what does it mean when an inquisitor comes to town to hunt former cultists just as Oaklin begins to think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve a happy ending after all?

Synopsis From GoodReads

“What’d they just done…was good. Oaklin was good.”
“Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous” By Autumn K. England

Rating

Review

This book sold me with the synopsis immediately. The instant cozy vibes were exactly what I needed for my reading slump. This book may have taken me about three weeks to finish but everytime I picked it up I had a great time which is all that really matters, especially when you are in a reading slump.

The book didn’t seem to have too crazy of high stakes which I appreciated. Our main character has a pretty harrowing backstory that haunts their daily life, making them their own worst enemy. Despite them struggling to accept themselves they had new friends who rallied around them and we all know how big of a sucker I am for a found family plot line.

I really loved the use of a non binary character for our main character. When I think of Stardew Valley I think of the character customization. Having the Non Binary character almost felt like that character customization screen got to come to life, so anyone who is reading this book could feel like they are this character feeling their emotions and experiencing this story right along side Oaklin. Along those same lines I loved how the town accepted Oaklin as they were and respected their pronouns without question. This all felt like such a breath of fresh air.

I know that this is going to be at least a two book series. I am really hoping that the second book follows the town baker Ryn and their potential love story. The bakery in this book left me enchanted, dying to know more. I could see myself getting sucked into that book just as quickly as I did with this one. Ryn is one of the most hardworking characters in this town and he truly has his hands full.

This is not me saying that Oaklin doesn’t deserve love or that I don’t like Oaklin and Lior together cause that’s not entirely true. I just feel like this book didn’t have to have the romance to make me enjoy this book. I would have been perfectly content to see Oaklin struggling the way they were while taking care of the farm and working on themselves while having support from just friends. If you can take a romance out of a story and still have a really solid plot line then why not let that main plot line shine a bit more and save the romance for a later book?

Overall I really enjoyed my reading experience and I can not wait for the second book to come out. I am hopefully that I will absolutely devour the next one.

“Why do you think cults work so well? They are literally designed to entrap people. They lure you in under false pretenses and wait to reveal their truth until it’s too late.”
“Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous” By Autumn K. England

QOTD: What video game do you think would make a compelling book?

Book Review: “We Who Will Die” By Stacia Stark

This is a new release as of late 2025 that I heard phenomenal reviews for non stop so I was beyond excited to start the book. I even purchased myself a special edition copy which was also signed. I had no doubts that I would enjoy this book but man oh man do I have regrets.

“One of my worst realizations was how many people will—without a second thought—trade other people’s freedoms for their own minor comforts.”
Stacia Stark, We Who Will Die

About The Book

Author: Stacia Stark

Publisher: Avon Books

Published Date: December 30th, 2025

Page Count: 423 Pages

Main Genre: Romantasy

GoodReads Rating: 4.08

Format: E-Book

“It takes strength to mourn. It’s . . . it’s easier to wrap yourself in numb apathy and refuse to think of the people you’ve lost”
Stacia Stark, We Who Will Die

Synopsis

Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.

Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.

She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.

With her brothers’ lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart… and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.

To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…

Synopsis From Goodreads

Rating

“Loving an addict is like being an addict yourself. Only you’re addicted to hope. You constantly tell yourself that this time will be different. Things will get better. And always”
Stacia Stark, We Who Will Die

Review

I had very high hopes for this book. I had only heard great things regarding it but in all honesty I am so disappointed now that I have finished reading it.

The book started off strong, so strong that I went and bought a special edition copy which was signed. I should have waited to drop all that money till I had finished the book. Regrets were made.

As the book went on the plot lines got blurred. At times the main plot line got lost by the sub plots. Even the ending didn’t really satisfy any of the plot lines we were given.

The main character was annoying.. I’m honestly tired of reading books where our main FMC is supposed to be some big baddie just to find out she’s weak and can’t do anything unless it’s out of pure luck or someone swooping in to save them.

The main MMC was boring which I understand why as I see where book twos plot lines for the romance is headed but honestly we didn’t need the second chance romance plot lines as it didn’t feel important to the plot. Just let them be best friends. It would have been a much more enjoyable book this way.

I wish that we had gotten a whole book before this one where we got to see her grow up with her best friend so we could actually care for all these past history plot lines and even to help us not only understand the world a bit better but also the magic system and her relationships. I really do hope a prequel is in the works as I feel like it is really needed.

I honestly struggled keeping up with all the characters. At times someone would get mentioned in detail and I am like “How the heck did she even know this person?” I feel like important details got missed or glance over. The world was also really hard to picture in my head. Again the details just weren’t vivid. The magic system was lacking. I get that we have three types of people but I didn’t understand their powers as well as I feel like we should have.

This book felt extremely repetitive to the point where paragraphs would get repeated as a memory shortly after we just read them. It made me feel like the author just assumed we would not be smart enough to put things together without things being repeated. But to be honest the things that I wouldn’t have minded being addressed again felt like they were just skimmed over. The writing just left me extremely frustrated.

Ok so what did I like? I love Rorrik and their “relationship”. I liked her brothers plot line a lot. I also enjoyed the few friendships she created along the way. But so many things got in the way that it was hard to remember why I was enjoying the book. I just wanted to scream at our main FMC to get a grip.

The ending did make me interested in reading the second book but IDK if I can get myself to go through this again unless the author really changes the writing style. I need paragraphs to feel cohesive and things to not repeat nearly as often.

“That’s the thing about rights—you don’t realize you’ve taken them for granted until one day, you wake up, and they’re no longer a right. They’re a privilege reserved for other people.”
Stacia Stark, We Who Will Die

QOTD: If you read this book please let me know what your thoughts were. I need to discuss this.

Book Review: “Dungeon Crawler Carl: A Parade Of Horribles” By: Matt Dinniman

Now Before you ask “Wait Bailie, where are the other seven book reviews for this series?” I will tell you. I read the first 7 books in the last half of 2025, and if you look at my blog post history you will see hardly any posts during that time. I was in a writing slump. So some of my DCC series reviews are on my Bookstagram and some are not. I just honestly wanted to enjoy these books and not have to think too much about my thoughts and how they would be perceived. Lets just say this is an all time favorite series of mine and upon my re read I will post deeper reviews for the rest of the series.

I have been waiting for this book to release since early December when I finished the 7th book. I even requested May 12th off months in advanced so I could just read on release day. So lets just say I had very high expectations for this book. Did this book meet my ever growing expectations for this series? Read to find out!

“Sometimes we don’t need to know someone’s full life story to understand them.”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

** There Will Be SPOILERS Ahead!!**

About The Book

Author: Matt Dinniman

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Published Date: May 12th, 2026

Page Count: 704 Pages

Main Genre: Sci-fi

GoodReads Rating: 4.73

Format: E-Book

“And what about the biscuits!” “The what?” Mordecai asked. “Biscuits, Mordecai! I need to make biscuits!”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

Synopsis

It’s off to the races in the explosive eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they’re forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon.

Races. Get from point A to point B, and don’t come in last. After each race, they pick an upgrade for their vehicle and the track gets more challenging. It all seems a little too normal, a little too simple.

Ignore those strange glitches that are occurring with increasing frequency. Don’t listen to those whispers about what’s happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means. Just that the AI has ominously dubbed it “a coming-out party for the ages.”

Everything is fine, Crawler. I repeat, everything is fine.

Carl hates that it’s business as usual. The rules of this floor have taken away his agency. That just will not do.

So Carl is planning a party of his own. It’s a plan so dangerous, so insane, he can’t even consult his friends lest the AI put a stop to it. Because if it goes wrong, it’s not just the end of Carl and Donut. No. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been.

Synopsis from Goodreads

“Sometimes there are no good choices, and we just do what we have to.”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

Rating

Review

** NEW ACHIEVEMENT**

“Way to go! You have officially finished 8 books in the most gut wrenching series you have ever picked up!”

REWARD

“Emotional trauma while you wait for books Nine and Ten. “

Okay but in all seriousness this one wasn’t as gut wrenching as I expected it to be. And again one finally time there will be spoilers so if you have not finished this yet DO NOT READ the rest of this!

I think I only teared up once in this whole book which is really odd for me. In the past I have sobbed my way throughout most of the books. I am not saying I hoped for some of my favorite characters to die or anything but maybe a bit more plot that tried to rip my heart out or something. I think the most I sobbed at was when Rend “Died” and literally came back to life.. Like okay not that big of a deal I suppose.

I personally thought that floor ten was quite boring compared to the rest of the floors we have seen. We hardly spent any time on the floor when you consider that each heat of the race was pretty different and the timelines were relatively short for most of the heats. My favorite parts were in between races as this is where most of the plot happened.

By no means is this me saying I hated this book. I really did have fun reading it but it did remind me why the series was so addicting at the beginning. I was missing the atmospheres of past floors, The consistent loot box opening but mostly, I have been missing the character interactions. We used to spend a lot of time with our fellow crawlers getting to know them but now everything is so high stakes that they don’t get those brief moments to breathe and develop as much with other crawlers. But that is the nature of this series and I do need to remind myself this is exactly how it is supposed to feel. Like we are in the dungeon with them not getting a second to take a break and relax. Did you notice they just didn’t even mention sleep at all? So sad that something as simple as sleep is just non existent now.

Despite me missing “simpler” days of the early dungeon, I truly did enjoy this book. We are getting so many more details into the AI and outer world that my brain feels like its swimming with nonsense. I can’t wait for all the dots to connect, even if that means the series and the crawl all come to what I assume will be a classic explosive Carl plan.

Seeing Donut drop her guard more in this book and see how the Dungeon has been affecting her has been breaking my heart. She is so strong but the strongest people tend to hold everything in till the metaphorical river overflows and everything comes streaming out. I love seeing her step up so well into a motherly role for Mongo and Rend, its the one thing outside of a performing that she can really fall back to and feel like a “normal” being.

Carl is even more Unhinged than ever. One of my favorite quotes is from Chapter 94. (see below) Somehow Carl’s chaos plans seem to always pan out, god knows why but everyone is so very thankful for them.

“Carl: Plan C. Gotta go with plan C. Donut, be ready. Elle: Of course. The Psycho Plan. Got It. Donut: It’s CALLED PLAN CARL. Florin: We really need to start making plan C the primary one.
DCC 8 Chapter 94

Imani and Chris! Enough said there, but dang, I need a side book just for their relationship. I really hope that they can reconnect soon. They both have been through enough!

Okay, Now it is time to discuss my favorite character from this floor, Drum Roll please! Prepotente (AKA Pony)!! Ugh the few background pieces we got for him were everything! Merium Dom in the apartment living a life where she never had Pony nearly Broke me! Basically all of chapter 77 had a hold of my heart,

“Carl,” Prepotente said, stopping me. He wiped his eyes again. “yeah?” “You can call me Pony if you like.”
DCC 8 Chapter 77

Now that I have discussed some of my favorite characters I would like to discuss the ending of this book. The ending was literally where I felt like all the meat and potatoes were. All shoved into the last 100 maybe 150 pages of the book.

So much was revealed on floor eleven. I can barely even process everything that happened. I am so glad that all of our main characters made it through this floor despite the craziness. I mean Carl really said “fuck it” but somehow those things work out well for him.

I am left with so many more questions than answers. Like who the heck is Samantha? What kind of Chaos is Eris going to bring? The history of the AI and how a Princess lost everything just to give the universe another chance.. Does that mean Donut will live while everyone else she loves dies? What do you mean everyone went to the 15th floor and not the Pineapple Cabaret?

Ugh so much yet to unfold and we only have two books left? I have no clue how Matt is going to pull this off but lets just say I am terrified! I can’t get all my thoughts out here but hit up my DM’s and lets chat!

Quotes

“It’s okay to forgive yourself. Sometimes there are no good choices, and we just do what we have to.”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

“You keep trying to divide us. Don’t you realize what you created? We have been tempered in the fires of Hell, and we are now passed the point of being broken. Your downfall has already been written in the stars. You may hurt us. You may kill us all, but it’s not going to matter. Don’t you realize? Don’t. You. Realize?”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

“If you go to war against drugs, drugs will always win. Drugs will win because what you’re really doing is going to war against the biological imperative all living creatures have to find comfort and happiness. And if you’re unwilling or unable to first provide that, artificial alternatives, no matter how destructive, will always prevail.”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

“Since you’re new to this, let me give you your first lesson on being a princess. Lesson one, don’t put yourself in situations where you’re so afraid that you piss yourself. It shows a lack of decorum.”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

“I don’t even know what the hell this is. This bitch is coloring outside the lines.”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

“We sluggalos have a code. That code is ‘unity, support, family, and kneecapping bitches.”
Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles

“Elle: I’m alive. Barely. Someone help me dig me and Bodi out of this truck. It’s wrecked pretty good. I haven’t been folded like this since Brandon showed us how to use Tinder.”
DCC 8 Chapter 96

Book Review: “The Rose Bargain” By Sasha Peyton Smith

I have owned this book since the day it was first released. I have been wanting to read it since I laid my hands on the beautiful cover but kept putting it off as I didn’t want this five star prediction to let me down. I am glad I waited as I think I picked this book up at the perfect time. I had just finished reading book six of the Bridgerton series and got fully caught up on season four of the TV Adaptation. I even went to a Bridgerton styled event on a local book store. So picking up this book and falling right back into the Regency Era felt like coming home but with a twist.

“Sometimes I feel like one day every other girl was given instructions on how to grow up, and I missed the lesson.”
Sasha Peyton Smith, The Rose Bargain

About The Book

Author: Sasha Peyton Smith

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published Date: February 4th, 2025

Page Count: 389 Pages

Main Genre: Romantasy

GoodReads Rating: 3.94

Format: Physical Book

Synopsis

London, 1848—For four hundred years, England has been under the control of an immortal fae queen who tricked her way onto the throne. To maintain an illusion of benevolence, Queen Mor grants each of her subjects one opportunity to bargain for their deepest desire.

As Ivy Benton prepares to make her debut, she knows that not even a deal with the queen could fix what has gone wrong: Her family’s social standing is in shambles, her sister is a shadow of her former self, and Ivy’s marriage prospects are nonexistent. So when the queen announces a competition for Prince Bram’s hand, Ivy is the first to sign her name in blood. What a bargain can’t fix, a crown certainly could.

Ivy soon finds herself a surprising front-runner—with the help of an unexpected ally: Prince Bram’s brother, the rakish Prince Emmett, who promises to help Ivy win his brother’s heart…for a price. But as the season sweeps Ivy away, with glittering balls veiling the queen’s increasingly vicious trials, Ivy realizes there’s more at stake than just a wedding. Because all faerie bargains come with a cost, and Ivy may have discovered hers too late.

Synopsis From GoodReads

“But I know now, the thing about love is that you don’t realize you’re in it until it’s too late.”
Sasha Peyton Smith, The Rose Bargain

Rating

Review

I picked this book up during a busy time in my life and that is what I regret the most. I could not stop thinking about this book, I was trying to sneak a chapter in where ever I could. It even got to the point where the characters started to sneak themselves into my dreams. That is how I know I am truly obsessed with a book.

I believe that if I had more free time on my hands I would have finished this book in one sitting. The writing had every ounce of my brain power turning over the plot and trying to figure out any hidden secrets that might have been seeping through the pages.

The characters in this book were a little hit or miss for me at the beginning but I started to appreciate them more as we got to know their background a bit more. The way Sasha formatted this book, sprinkling in different POV’s as we went along, really helped this story build a plot with a lot of depth.

The different POV’s gave us as readers insights into the book that we would have never of gotten from our main FMC. I am not saying Ivy was an unreliable narrator but she truly did not have all the insight into what was happening around her and why. So the little added tidbits we got from the other girls POV’s really helped our characters grow in my eyes.

My favorite character is Emmett, I mean come on, when is the MMC not my favorite character in a book? Emmett has a tough exterior and a reputation that precedes him but there is more to him than meets the eye. I adored getting to see him from Ivy’s eyes as she was forced to be in his proximity but you could feel his attitude changing as we moved through the story. Even though we see him mostly through Ivy’s eyes the little tidbits from Faiths storyline that we were given gave us enough information about Emmet’s true character to know when he started to fall for Ivy. A man who falls first will always make me melt.

The family dynamics seemed to play a pretty big part in this story. Each person had a different relationship with their families that shaped their individual characters and their motivations. I think this is a big reason why I ended up caring for each character in their own way. Everyone seemed to be facing their own battles internally so by the time you finally read first hand what issues they were facing you could grasp why they were saying and doing the things they did. I really appreciated that part of the story telling as it really felt integral to the plot and didn’t just get swept aside like they so often do in these kinds of books.

Sasha really had me trying to guess how this story was going to go, it felt like she was leaving me little bread crumbs that had me thinking one thing but then by the next chapter I was second guessing everything I had came up with. There were a few plot points that I caught onto pretty quick while others left my mouth gaping. I am so glad I waited to read this book until closer to the release date of the second book as I am not sure I can wait to find out what happens.

“I’ve spent my whole life on my hands and knees, clamoring for crumbs of love. I don’t know if there will ever come a time I am not hungry for it.”
Sasha Peyton Smith, The Rose Bargain

QOTD: Do you like Regency Romances?

Book Review: “Glow Of The Everflame” By Penn Cole

Immediately after finishing the first book in this series I dove right into the second. The cliff hanger at the end of book one might have been predictable but it did its job well as I am very intrigued as to what happens inside those palace walls.

“Perhaps, for the right person, we endure the pain, because the torture of never having them at all is the more unbearable fate.”
Penn Cole, Glow of the Everflame

“Spark Of The Everflame” Full Review

*Possible spoilers ahead*

About The Book

Author: Penn Cole

Publisher: Atria Books

Published Date: July 18th, 2023

Page Count: 610 Pages

Main Genre: Romantasy

GoodReads Rating: 4.34

Format: E-Book

“It’s a reminder that no challenge can destroy the parts of us that truly matter. We’re not reborn in the flames. We’re revealed.”
Penn Cole, Glow of the Everflame

Synopsis

An unexpected gift offers the power to change everything. Keeping it could cost Diem her life.

The threat of war has arrived at Diem’s doorstep, along with a new discovery that could save her people. To use it, she must survive the next thirty days by forming a devil’s bargain with the people she hates the royal family of House Corbois.

But as she dives into the world of the Descended elite, Diem quickly realizes good and evil aren’t as simple as they seem. Old prejudices are challenged, and new loyalties blur the line between friend and foe.

Meanwhile, her mother is still missing, and the secrets she left behind can no longer be ignored—and neither can the Guardians and their demands. Caught between an old flame and a sizzling new spark, Diem must confront the truth about who she is and what she wants before time runs out.

War is coming, and dangerous enemies wait on all sides.. but the most deadly battle Diem faces may be the one for her heart.

Synopsis From GoodReads

“Burn, my Queen. Glow so bright, the darkness trembles.”
Penn Cole, Glow of the Everflame

Rating

Review

I had a false hope that wearing the crown would force Diem to make better choices. She claims her choices are for the betterment of all but girl your emotions are going to get everyone killed.

This book started to feel more YA than Adult and I think that is the main reason why this got a lower rating than the first book. I just really expected more from Diem now that she became queen but maybe that wasn’t fair of me to expect.

While the World building and politics were amazing and kept me interested in the book The character growth was still not up to my standards, at least not for Diem. If any of our characters had strong developmental growth it would have to be Teller. Teller really stepped into his role towards the end of this book and I appreciated getting to interact with him more.

Every decision Diem was making I was saying “ohhhh Girl, no.” I just really need her to step up and make some decent choices for once and not just giving in or giving up. She really needed to practice her magic but was acting like a baby whenever she did. Going into the challenging felt useless to me cause she clearly can’t use her powers. I truly believe the only way she could destroy her opponent is because of the goddess herself. I just needed more from Diem herself and not just pure luck from being “The Chosen One.”

The ending of this book really pissed me off as well because I completely saw every step of it coming. Diem is her own worse enemy which bleeds into basically sabotaging the whole world.

My only wish is that we see more of her and Luther and less of them fighting. If she self sabotages this relationship anymore I might freak out. He literally tells her the most romantic and cute things and she just doesn’t let herself see his intentions, its annoying! Please no more Henri, nothing about that relationship is interesting.

“That if a man made you doubt whether his love for you would survive anything, he does not deserve you.”
Penn Cole, Glow of the Everflame

QOTD: At what point do you start to DNF?