The teenagers of Four Paths must save their home.
Though the Beast is seemingly subdued for now, a new threat looms in Four Paths: a corruption seeping from the Gray into the forest. And with the other Founders preoccupied by their tangled alliances and fraying relationships, only May Hawthorne seems to realize the danger. But saving the town she loves means seeking aid from the person her family despises most–her and Justin’s father.
May’s father isn’t the only newcomer in town–Isaac Sullivan’s older brother has also returned, seeking forgiveness for the role he played in Isaac’s troubled past. But Isaac isn’t ready to let go of his family’s history, especially when that history might hold the key that he and Violet Saunders need to destroy the Gray and the monster within it.
Harper Carlisle isn’t ready to forgive, either. Two devastating betrayals have left her isolated from her family and uncertain who to trust. As the corruption becomes impossible to ignore, Harper must learn to control her newfound powers in order to protect Four Paths. But the only people who can help her do that are the ones who have hurt her the most.
With the veil between the Gray and the town growing ever thinner, all of the Founder descendants must put their grievances with one another aside to stop the corruption and kill the Beast once and for all.
But maybe the monster they truly need to slay has never been the Beast… 

I was so ready to return to Four Paths, The Devouring Gray was a stand out read for me last year, and I could’t wait to get back to it’s forests full of secrets and twists. If you can read book one again before picking this up, then I would really recommend that you do, it took me a beat to get back in the mindset and remember which character came from which founder and what their powers were, it’s not essential but I think I would have been absorbed by the world more fully had things been fresher in my mind. The one thing The Devouring Gray left me with was questions, honestly, I got answer’s in abundance in what is probably the most satisfying conclusion to a story I’ve ever read.

With the presence of the corruption comes a ticking time bomb that drives the story forward in a way full of urgency. The group must find answers whilst also traversing the messy and fragile emotional connections they have made, trying to find their way together following the conclusion of book one. There are power struggles and a strong sense of morality which ultimately leads them down the same path, even if they take different roads to get there. I also enjoyed that the Beast takes their own little dig at how they can’t keep up with the ever changing friendships between them. Breadcrumbs of a story to follow are left in respect of the lives of the founders themselves and I really enjoyed each discovery and revelation as the pieces of the true history start to lock into place. It really is one hell of a ride so you’ll need to hold on tight for it. The only thing about their investigations that frustrated me was that every time the main four discovered something huge, their parents were all like “yeah we knew that – oops guess we should have told you.” As a parent, I can totally understand wanting to shield your child, for me it would have worked better if some of what they discovered came as a surprise, especially given just how great the interference from Augusta is in adjusting peoples memories.

Isaac remains my favourite character of them all, beautiful, sorrowful boy that he is. The return of Gabriel brings with it the truth behind what happened that fateful day at the Sullivan manor and it will break your heart just a little bit more for him. All the characters really come into their own in this book, they’re sensitively written and the weight of responsibility against trying to make sense of their own feelings is incredibly well balanced. Their time in the Gray feels more naturally part of the story this time which becomes clear why as we move forward, but the relationship feels more symbiotic as May explores her power with the cards through the roots of the Hawthorne tree. I really felt drawn to May in these moments, her readings of the cards and how they relate to players in the story was interestingly done, especially when her father returns to the scene. Harper I felt for greatly, displaced from her home and then pulled between the Saunders and the Hawthorn’s, she knows she needs help with controlling hew new found powers but knowing who to turn to to not be used for personal gains is just so much for her shoulders. I do feel that the emotional strength she obtained through her ritual really helped her through this. Violet, so much the focal point of book one did feel a little like a sidekick this time round sadly.

The Deck of Omens, is an incredibly hard book to review though because on almost every page there are spoilers, so I hope I’ve been able to convey how much I enjoyed the story and characters without giving anything away. I felt that everything was wrapped up beautifully, with spectacular answers to earlier questions and as I said at the start a wonderfully satisfying conclusion.

A huge thank you to Titan books for providing a finished copy for review – Deck of Omens is out now!

A thousand years in the future, the last of humanity live inside the walls of the totalitarian Kingdom of Cutta. The rich live in Anais, the capital city of Cutta, sheltered from the famine and disease which ravage the rest of the Kingdom. Yet riches and power only go so far, and even Anaitians can be executed. It is only by the will of the King that Nate Anteros, son of the King’s favourite, is spared from the gallows after openly dissenting. But when he’s released from prison, Nate disappears.
A stark contrast, Catherine Taenia has spent her entire life comfortable and content. The daughter of the King’s Hangman and in love with Thom, Nate’s younger brother, her life has always been easy, ordered and comfortable. That is, where it doesn’t concern Nate. His actions sullied not only his future, but theirs. And unlike Thom, Catherine has never forgiven him.
Two years pass without a word, and then one night Nate returns. But things with Nate are never simple, and when one wrong move turns their lives upside down, the only thing left to do is run where the King’s guards cannot find them – the Outlands. Those wild, untamed lands which stretch around the great walls of the Kingdom, filled with mutants and rabids

Firstly a thank you to Rebecca Crunden for providing me with a copy of her novel for review. Whilst there was a lot about this book that I did enjoy, there was also a lot that I unfortunately didn’t. The start is strong, the opener is vivid and really drew me in, the mystery of the person who escaped the gallows only to be treated with utmost cruelty was intriguing and the hints of characters from whom I expected big things from. However, we then cut to a period two years later and that’s where things got confusing. The blurb helps and I wish I had read it again before starting the book, however, I was left with a sense of not really understanding who our characters were, why they were in their current situation and why they sounded like a down and out, alcoholic old married couple, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. I struggled to like either of them, which was a surprise given how much the prison guard from the opener had instantly endeared himself. Because of this I didn’t really feel like I was attaching enough weight to things I should have in this first part. These 2 are our protagonists Catherine (Kitty) and Nate and truly I didn’t feel like I got to grips with them until they found themselves on the run which is when they started to come into their own.

Kitty has the bigger arc of the two, she starts as your typical bratty daddy’s girl but her ability to quickly adapt to her surroundings and become resourceful was great to read. The two find themselves in situations which aren’t for the fainthearted and I found many parts compelling and I was quickly swept up in their journey. I struggled with Nate throughout though, despite his physical plight, I did not enjoy his attitude towards Kitty and the way he felt she should respond to his unrequited feelings, The narrative choice was to reveal things as the story went on, giving me little lightbulb moments in which the confusing opening stages started to fit into place, personally this didn’t work for me and I would have liked some hand holding at the start as I think had I felt clearer I would enjoyed the first part of the book a great deal more.

The author pitched the story to me as a sci-fi/dystopian/romance, usually I’m not a huge romance reader and whilst there is not a large amount in this book, it’s clearly a prelude to what comes next. This will be a relationship that I know I will find problematic because of it’s beginnings. We are firmly into enemies to lovers territory with the whisper of a potential awkward triangle looming. Kitty and Nate however, do make a great team despite their medical anomaly forcing them into it, they bounce well off one another to find ways around their problems.  The sci-fi is subtle and I particularly liked the way the showers worked with their healing lotions and potions, but other than the use of the hovers to give a futuristic twist we’re quite firmly into traditional dystopian territory.

Crunden has a lovely descriptive writing style though and I really felt in the moment for most of the story. I could visualise clearly the landscapes and Nate’s deterioration as well as the happier moments when they are camped. The final stage had a completed different feel to me and almost had a historical fantasy vibe which i actually quite liked, Kitty’s transformation is wonderful and despite the situation she finds herself in it’s clear that everything she has been through has built to that point. It was both frightening and uplifting with an ending which felt that the story had found itself finally comfortable in it’s skin.

This is a story which has a ton of potential and I can see why so many have found it enjoyable, it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

3*

Sometimes it takes a pirate to catch a pirate.
With weather magic on her side, Lady Vice is the bane of the high seas, but she isn’t captain of her own ship. Yet. If she can persuade her captain to give her a command, she’ll be in charge of her own fate.
To pay off his family’s debts, Knigh Blackwood hunts pirates for the Royal Navy. And he’s damn good at it. When the bounty on Lady Vice increases, he’s determined to make her face justice, even if that means using unorthodox methods.
Forced to work together, neither can deny their mutual attraction. As the pair faces battles at sea and schemes aboard their ship, they discover hints about a long-lost treasure that could be the answer to both their problems.
But treasure isn’t the only thing buried. Secrets best forgotten lie in wait that could blast them apart. And the closer Vice and Knigh grow, the greater the threat – to her freedom and to his family. Because for one to succeed, the other must fail.

Beneath Black Sails is a high seas adventure, full of pirates, fae, amazing characters and some steamy romance, it’s a great read and I’m grateful to the author for providing me with an advance copy for review.

Having read part of the authors earlier series, one thing for sure is that Clare Sager is brilliant at writing amazing characters, Lady Vice is no shrinking violet, she is able to hold her own against traditionally male counterparts, and as the story continues she is a character with many complex layers and vulnerabilities forged through her earlier life experiences. I initially, albeit briefly, struggled to warm to her though I have to admit, I think I found her early scenes to be a little hammy and I was worried that she would be a bit like a female Jack Sparrow, however as soon as she finds herself on deck with Knigh, the story and her character find their flow and she was wonderfully compelling to read. Knigh as well, vastly went up in my estimations as their characters become more entwined and their complicated back story comes to life. I have to come clean and say enemy’s to lovers is probably one of my least favourite romance tropes, but I never hugely felt that this was a large part of this tale, the story moves quickly and it’s clear from their first meeting that the enemies part really never came into it much. The steamy scenes are written well and whilst little is left to the imagination it doesn’t feel over the top – hand fans at the ready people.

The story is very much driven by it’s two leads, however, I found Vice’s friend Perry to be a lot of fun, she is great counsel too and is a good balance to Vice’s sometimes careless ways, I also have to say that as animal sidekicks go, Barnacle the cat is up there with my favourites and I had to enjoy the little nod back to the Counterfeit Contessa series with the mention of Sabrecats!  I do hope we get to spend more time with her and Vice’s friends in the next book. I’m also trash for Fae so I’m crossing my fingers for some greater fae involvement next time too, especially as Vice’s talents with the oceans and the weather is one of the biggest mysteries of the story. Whilst I’m happy to accept that’s just the way it is for this book it’s too huge a deal to not know more about, I also get the feeling that there is more to Knigh’s talents to find out about. Thinking back it’s clear that there is a lot of groundwork laid for future books in the series and it’s nice to have some questions hanging in the balance.

The battles and ship boarding are done particularly well, there is a lot of attention to detail here to paint the picture of the masts and deck – and hours of me playing Assassins Creed: Black Flag, probably helped a little too. The closing stages are wonderful reading, I honestly couldn’t put it down from the moment they arrived in Albion to the end page, devastating and exciting my heart was pounding for a lot of it, willing the story to play out the way I was hoping, holding my breath at every turn. It looks like book 2 will be out this year and honestly I can’t wait to see where the adventure goes next!

4.5 Stars

A lost prince
Between years surviving on the streets and an ill-advised stint with Kien’s group of half-blood fae, Fen has seen his fair share of darkness. Sure, he helped capture Kien and put an end to the trouble he caused, but his actions contributed to one of the greatest upheavals of all—the return of magic to Earth. Now Fen’s mother has named him the heir to the Unseelie throne, and he has discovered he has two mates he is unworthy to claim.

A deadly healer
The daughter of a Seelie artisan and a human woman, Maddy can’t find anyone among her father’s people willing to teach her to heal without causing harm. But finally, she has hope—a healer on Moranaia has agreed to help her. The problem? Maddy will have to travel to their world, leaving her girlfriend Anna unprotected on Earth. For the return of magic has awakened Anna’s latent water abilities, and the temptation of the nearby river could prove too much without Maddy near.

A canny enemy
When a slip of the tongue reveals that Fen could share a mate bond with both Maddy and Anna, all three must come to terms with their insecurities—and quickly. The poison they believed eradicated has appeared again, and Meren, the traitorous Seelie noble who had once worked with Kien, has returned from hiding. Together, Anna, Fen, and Maddy might be able to defeat the rising threat. But first, they must conquer their pasts.

Ascent has been a book that I have been really looking forward to, Fen finally gets his turn in the spotlight and considering his journey up to this point there was certainly a lot to love. We find out more about Fen’s life before, and during his time with Kien which really served to endear him even more to me.  The main thing that struck me about Ascent was that it had a such a different feel to earlier books, more of the action takes place on Earth which led to a bit more of a contemporary vibe, it also had a more relaxed story giving the characters a much needed breather from the huge battle of Awakening. As heavily indicated from previous books, Fen has the potential to be bonded with both Maddy and Anna, and this is dealt with in a quite beautiful way. As I mentioned before, the book has a more relaxed feel and this is mainly down to this coupling and the time taken to get it right. The way they take the time to communicate, give each other space to consider and consent was fantastic. This is a real testament to Bethany Adam’s writing skill as this Polyamory coupling could have been awkward and clumsy.

Aside from this element though there is still plenty going on and actually thinking back on it there are a number of new threads within Ascent which pave the way for future books. There are a some new characters introduced from Maddy and Anna’s families, and also we get to meet some of those impacted by the release of magic on Earth – they all have great potential and also assist with back story, I’m interested to see where new discoveries take us, mainly in relation to Anna and the new elemental introduction of those who have an affinity with water.

Fen though really is the shining star, he embraces his naming of heir with brilliant awkwardness and more than a little Earth inspired attitude. His time in the Unseelie court is wonderful fantasy though, his interactions with his mother and the pomp of court life are both serious and snarky, but the trio settle in well. I really loved how their coupling really complimented their powers and their situation with Meren forced them to be creative with how they used them – I can’t say much more about that though.

I really enjoyed this return to the world and the series continues to be consistently amazing, I think Fen may have over taken Kai in my affections though!

5*