A sound awakens her. There’s darkness all around. And then she’s falling…
She has no idea who or where she is. Or why she’s dead. The only clue to her identity hangs around her neck: a single rusted key. This is how she and the others receive their names—from whatever belongings they had when they fell out of their graves. Under is a place of dirt and secrets, and Key is determined to discover the truth of her past in order to escape it.
She needs help, but who can she trust? Ribbon seems content in Under, uninterested in finding answers. Doll’s silence hints at deep sorrow, which could be why she doesn’t utter a word. There’s Smoke, the boy with a fierceness that rivals even the living. And Journal, who stays apart from everyone else. Key’s instincts tell her there is something remarkable about each of them, even if she can’t remember why.
Then the murders start; bodies that are burnt to a crisp. After being burned, the dead stay dead. Key is running out of time to discover who she was—and what secret someone is willing to kill to keep hidden—before she becomes the next victim…

Smoke and Key is a really hard one to rate and review, the premise whilst not unusual, is executed in a pretty unique style and the final third of the book is fantastic with great reveals and a race against time feel. However, there was also I lot that I didn’t enjoy about it too which was a shame.

But starting with what I loved! Firstly, the cover is fantastic and the blue tones have an eerie quality really fitting with the story. I found it refreshing that the story actually started at the beginning. I know that sounds strange, but too often books start at a random point throwing the reader into the middle of everything straight away, but our journey starts as Key’s does and we are in the dark just as much as she is. The use of items the dead were buried with to name the residents of Under was a lovely touch and it actually made it easier to remember the characters, of which there are a lot. It’s a very character driven story and whilst there isn’t really scope in the Under for world building the vision elements that Key undergoes gives the story it’s depth and colour.  Although the first vision felt strangely placed in the story I found their continuation was done really well with Key gliding between the two as she puts the pieces of her history and the Under together. At it’s heart Smoke and Key is a mystery which I don’t read a lot of and I have to say that I enjoyed this part of it very much, the closing stages are really exciting and I was really willing Key to figure it all out.

Smoke and Key as characters make for interesting protagonists, whilst I found their initial connection a bit creepy (because well, they’re dead) that dissipated as we learn more and whilst there were the beginnings of a triangle, the period setting of the piece stopped that from forming strongly. I don’t really want to say much more about the characters as it’s their mystery that needs to be solved! I just wished we learnt more about Brooch as her character seemed the most intriguing, yet she ended up pretty redundant in the story.

However…..Much of Under was put down to magic, which wasn’t for me really ever properly outlined or explained, so a lot of the time I found myself questioning what was happening which led me to become needlessly distracted – if there is no air how are the torches staying lit? is it magic? – which took away from the story. My biggest bug bear though was the use of working class “cockney” British English, I have to say that it was utterly cringey and I’m surprised it’s excessive use wasn’t picked up at editing stage. It’s like watching Dick Van Dyke during Mary Poppins; “parf” instead of “path” and “nawmal” instead of “normal” were some of the worst inflections.  A working class accent can be easily attributed without feeling like a parody, and I was left wondering if the author has even spoken to a working class Brit? I can tell you I sound nothing like that!! I don’t like it when authors force readers into an accent because it makes me think to much about how i’m reading it rather than what i’m reading and I end up pulled from the story. It also felt for the first half at least that the story didn’t really know how to get to where it needed to get to and lacked real structure. I also have to say that after vividly describing people in various states of decomposition, the quick flip then to Key’s fluttery feelings about Smoke and his “generous” mouth were pretty mistimed in the story line and felt a little gross.

Ultimately, I feel like Smoke and Key was a real missed opportunity, the premise was great, the last third was outstanding but I can’t let that cloud my judgement that I very nearly DNF’d this halfway though. If you don’t mind ploughing through the start, the pay off is a rich reward in this book but I can’t let my love for the closing pages pretend that this is more than a 3* read.

Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, dreaming of an unremarkable life. But when her beloved father is found dead, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of a surprisingly unstable kingdom. What’s more, Hesina believes that her father was murdered—and that the killer is someone close to her.
Hesina’s court is packed full of dissemblers and deceivers eager to use the king’s death for political gain, each as plausibly guilty as the next. Her advisers would like her to blame the neighboring kingdom of Kendi’a, whose ruler has been mustering for war. Determined to find her father’s actual killer, Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by
death, since magic was outlawed centuries ago.
Using the information provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of Yan at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

Thank you to Albert Whitman Company and Netgalley for the Arc copy.

Honestly this was a complete cover request for me, it’s utterly gorgeous and this is definitely a case of DO judge a book by it’s cover as the words inside were just as beautiful.  It’s not often that books leave me lost for words with where to start but truly Descendant of the Crane is something pretty special. Every time I thought I had the genre pegged in this own voice story the tables turned, from YA fantasy, to thriller, to mystery, to court room drama; Descendant has a bit of everything and they are all seamlessly woven together in a delicate tale of intrigue and misdirection. It would be remiss of me however to let the brilliance of the last 2/3 gloss over the fact that it wasn’t the easiest book to get into. It must always be a hard decision to find the right place in the story to start but given the mythology and magics in play, some detailed background early on would have helped as I often felt like I was on the back foot in the opening chapters. The story does fall into place by the conclusion of the first of the three parts though, however, the quotes from the Tenets at the start of each chapter never flowed well for me.

Descendant celebrates all that is good about standalone novels. Does it have the potential to expand; yes, but I’m glad it didn’t as I absolutely adored the ending and the trust was put in the reader to consider the future. It would have been easy to spread such a intense tale over 2 or 3 books but by being a standalone it means that there are just wave after wave of twists and turns really bringing the reader into Hesina’s world where the feelings of confusion, elation, and betrayal are acutely felt.

The characters are wonderful though and I felt like I had really bonded with Hesina by the end, so much weight on her shoulders and the distance and indifference of her mother really tugged at me as I’m a parent myself.  Akira is a really complex character and we are left guessing for much of the time but he’s effortless in all he does, and his Atticus Finch esq approach to trials was jaw dropping at times. All the characters are layered though and that’s what helps Descendant really pack a punch, so much mystery surrounding so many of the players both large and small, the comparisons to Game of Thrones is well founded and means I will say little else about them!

Despite the shaky start once everything had fallen into place in my mind I found it a difficult book to put down. The attention to detail from the clothing to the buildings, the descriptions about books and engravings felt alive in my mind, like I could almost reach out and feel them. Despite this though Joan He created a world that felt very muted (not dull!) but it was clearly against a back drop of mourning and it was a really subtle way of reminding the reader that actually everything is not okay. The magic system was wonderfully simple and the way it walked side by side with Hesina growing with each discovery left the lines feeling blurred.

Descendant of the Crane is a great stand alone read which will leave your head spinning and your jaw on the floor, just give it the time to get there!

4*

An unexpected duty
For three hundred years, Princess Dria has avoided the drama of the royal court by training as a battle mage. When her father summons her back to court just as she begins to rise up the ranks, she’s furious. Even worse, she must work with her estranged brother Ralan on a mission to Earth. But as soon as Dria arrives at Moranaia’s new outpost, her brother drops the leadership of the entire place into her hands. Now she’s in charge of fortifying a new outpost on a planet she’s never even visited.
An abhorrent task
Prince Vek of the Unseelie has spent millennia as his father’s enforcer, working in the shadows to eliminate evil, but after sparing his nephew Fen from the king’s judgement, Vek must tread carefully. One false move, and he will lose the king’s trust–and Fen’s life. But when the king gives Vek a new, more sinister task, Fen becomes the least of his worries. The Moranaians have a new colony on Earth, and King Torek wants the energy source that’s contained within. Vek must retrieve that power–even if he has to kill the Moranaian leader to get it.
A threat unknown
From the moment she catches Vek sneaking into the cavern, Dria knows the truth–the dark and mysterious prince is her soulbonded. But she’s certain he’s up to no good, and although she’s drawn to him, there is no way she can trust him. His reputation, and that of the Unseelie in general, precedes him. Unfortunately, more than desire is awakening. As they dance around their budding attraction, Dria and Vek uncover a deathly illness lurking among the fae–and a sinister plot that will damage both their worlds

I have to admit that when I discovered that Awakening was Vek’s story I was a little apprehensive, honestly, he’s not one of my favourites although I know I’m in a minority with that! The introduction of Ralan’s sister Dria as the other main protagonist was intriguing – a new character and a not so favourite character, I was scared that I may not enjoy this book as much as the others, especially after the intensity of Abyss. I should have trusted Bethany Adams though in that her writing would banish all my worries.

One of the great things about this book is that it’s opening pages give you a recap on all that has come before, the story arc is wide and the character list expansive, so having this little bite sized rundown of each book was a real bonus. That being said, I did find it took me longer than usual to get settled in the story this time round. Dria is a fierce new character, she’s been through a lot, and Ralan is really in the dog house, she has a tough shell to crack and that really translated across the page. Dria is far from your typical princess. We get to see a whole new side of Vek too and their snarky back and forth is pretty hilarious at times, building up on ever present tension between them.

Whilst the story was very much focused on Vek and Dria, that’s not so say that our old favourite characters don’t get their turn, even if only fleetingly for some. There is a really touching scene at a dinner for the sake of Arlen and it just goes to show how much of a long way all the characters have come since the very formal and etiquette driven pages of Soulbound. There is a lovely banter which has built up from them being a wonderfully inclusive and diverse friendship group, the shock of this to Dria is almost reflected from earlier books, in that it is now her formality that felt out of place.

Whilst not as dark in overall tone as Abyss, Awakening still has plenty of intensity and stand out moments. Bethany Adams has now firmly proven that she can write amazing action in among court intrigue and intricate plots. The set pieces are really something, weaving swordplay and magics seamlessly together – I just hope that Lial gets a helping hand, he’s had more than his fair share of work of late but the mysterious illness lurking doesn’t fill me with hope that he’ll be kicking back any time soon . The story flips so well between high and low fantasy that the scenes on Earth don’t feel at all out of place and I’m massively intrigued by the ongoing impact of additional energy on humans and how that will play out as the series continues.

What I really loved though was Fen, his character has grown so much and his back story gets more and more heartbreaking. As we get to understand more about his potential bond I’m worried that he’s not going to get an easy ride there either but I’m really hoping that the guy catches a break.

Awakening was such a good read and the series as a whole remains at a consistently great standard, it certainly feels like things are ramping up and I’m excited to see where things head next for the characters

5*

Sorrow Ventaxis has won the election, and in the process lost everything…
Governing under the sinister control of Vespus Corrigan, and isolated from her friends, Sorrow must to find a way to free herself from his web and save her people. But Vespus has no plans to let her go, and he isn’t the only enemy Sorrow faces as the curse of her name threatens to destroy her and everything she’s fought for. 

State of Sorrow was one of my favourite books in 2018 so it’s no surprise that Song of Sorrow topped my most anticipated reads list of 2019 and deservedly so. Before I get into the story I just want to talk about the book itself. I, like many, received State of Sorrow from a Fairyloot subscription as an exclusive hardcover edition. I do like my editions to match so I was really sad that there was only a paperback release for Song, however, have you seen it?! It’s gorgeous, the Waterstones edition has a stencilled sprayed edge that’s pretty unique and it released early!

But on to the story. The conclusion of State left me reeling, honestly I felt lost after such a high came crashing down. Unsurprisingly, we find Sorrow in a bit of a pickle. But something has changed with both the tone and the feel of the writing to reflect that Sorrow’s experiences in the election have certainly changed her. Despite everything she felt like she had become a force to be reckoned with, never stopping in her plans to try and out play Vespus, even when those plans are misguided. Sorrow is such a tough character, I felt like fist pumping so many times as well as just wanting to give her a huge hug with the ways she decided to deal with what what being thrown at her. The writing felt more relaxed, where State was full of insecurities Song is full of snark and great banter I really was left feeling like I was among friends, Sorrow and her Scooby gang. All the characters are strong, their experiences during the election cementing their places both good and bad. There were no side players who felt out of place, everyone had a purpose which really helped with the great pace and flow of the story. I know that often gets overused in reviews and may sound trite but the pacing really was exceptional, chapters ended leaving me wanting more and more, every time I tried to stop I just picked right back up again. It really helped that Song takes place over a pretty short period of time, whilst State needed to be a slow burn, a mystery – it was right that Song really needed to be the flip side of that, and it gave it a real thriller race against time feel.

I’m usually pretty bad at figuring things out and I was convinced I had it pegged this time, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Wonderful misdirection woven into the pages left the twists even more jaw dropping and the story went to places I never imagined it would. Violent and terrifying at times as the true power of Starwater makes itself clear alongside the desperation of those so resistant to change. There are plenty of breath holding moments and I often had to stop myself from scanning ahead to really savour the wonderful crafting of the words in these sections. There are some wonderful and unexpected relationship dynamics running through the story as well, these are beautifully delivered across the pages with everyone being comfortable in their own skin.

I also have to admit that I’m a little bit in love with Luvian. Ridiculously hot, bookish, charming, clever and his revelation to Sorrow made me love him a little bit more. I desperately need a Luvian origin story please! I’m not one to advocate defacing books with writing but oh my, hand fans at the ready for Luvian and all that he brings us.

Song of Sorrow was everything I hoped it would be and more, and then a little extra on top. It was a phenomenal read and it’s a duology that I know I’m going to return to time and again.

5*