For fans of “A Broken Blade,” “Daughter of No Worlds,” and “Throne of Glass” - Steelborn follows Reya, an apprentice blacksmith turned thief. Reya is on the eve of being able to buy herself out of her contract when a job goes sideways and she is forced to go on an incredibly dangerous and possibly deadly job to try and recoup the coin she needs. She teams up with Caelyn - a Sage who might just hold the key to her freedom. Secrets are kept, secrets are shared, secrets are used for blackmail galore.

This is a high fantasy world with intriguing characters, a dynamic plot, and compelling relationships. While you may be able to label this book “romantasy,” I believe you could remove the romantic relationship from the book and the plot would be able to stand on its own two feet (which I really appreciate). It’s filled with sneaky adventures, a woman finding love for herself after years of abuse, fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves, and so much more. I loved getting to follow Reya’s journey through her own self discovery and coming into own power as a strong woman who has been beaten down and told she was only what other people made her.

The relationships Reya forms with those around her was so fun to get to read about. There was a great variation in the level of trust and friendship that was developed that made things more believable and made me feel like we will get so much more “found family” vibes in the second book as these relationships are developed even more.

I loved all the different places in this world we got to visit. Despite being limited within the current borders, we get to experience a couple different cities and lifestyles that make the world feel so large and expansive. I truly felt like we were traveling all over and it made the story feel like it was moving so fluidly. It makes me excited for what we get to see beyond the borders one day.

The pacing of this book was perfect for me. I felt like we were getting lots of action and movement while also taking the time to live in the moment and experience what was around us. I never felt bored and just had to keep reading. I definitely stayed up too late reading, just so I could finish the chapter and find out what happened next.

Heads up - there is the dynamic of the 20 year old girl and the immortal warrior here, which I know is not everyone’s cup of tea. I do feel like it was handled relatively well and didn’t feel too weird for me to read, if I kind of put that idea away in the back of my head.

This book was right up my alley when it comes to some of the books I’ve loved over the years. I loved all the twists and turns we got to take and all of the important things we got to see that sets up the second book so lovely. I can’t wait to see what Taylor J. LaRue has in store for us in the future!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Requited, and Taylor J. LaRue for this advanced copy of Steelborn in exchange for my honest review.

The Dancer and the Dream Thief is a historical fantasy taking place during the prohibition era. We follow a taxi dancer, Evelyn, and her encounters with a nix bootlegger, Raife. The nix subsist on dreams and Raife is working with a group of bootleggers attempting to infiltrate the dreams of young women in her town. Evelyn finds herself front stage and center of this plot when Raife takes an interest in her - thinking she is a rare, strong dreamer.

For me, this was definitely not one of my favorite reads of the year. I felt like the beginning of the book was rather slow paced and I found the world building a little boring. I found myself dragging through the first part, trying to get to the more interesting parts. It does start to pick up towards the end of part one where both Evelyn and Raife find out more information about the girls going missing and turning up dead around the city. Unfortunately, it felt like some of the information Raife finds feels forced and not natural to the story - with very little to entice the reader with deeper information.

Part two kept me a little more entertained because it was a little more high fantasy in the dreamworld. The story definitely picked up pace as the stakes were raised and the characters felt the pressure of outside forces. Unfortunately, I just felt a little out of the loop when it came to functions of the dream world and the nix. We get little bits and pieces from Raife talking to Evelyn or when we’re in his POV, but I feel like I would have liked more information about the mechanics. (And that could just be me, I like the nitty gritty of magic systems and magical worlds like this.)

This was a dual POV book that certainly threw me for a loop on the choices the author made about them. In part one and three, Raife is in first person and Evelyn is in third person. In part two, they are both in first person. I do understand that once we are in Evelyn’s dream that it’s interesting to have her POV - but after reading the epilogue and post script, it doesn’t make a ton of sense. I feel like there were a few parts where things happened and then we were given a reason that was more “told” than “shown.” I was also not a huge fan of the post script and the implications that made for the rest of the story. Especially for the purposes of the POVs.

The writing overall was good. The writing was very flowery which lends itself to the style of the story. The imagery was nice and did help to flesh out the vividness of the dreams and how Evelyn viewed the world versus Raife.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, OrbitBooks, and Rowena Miller for this advanced copy of The Dancer and the Dream Thief in exchange for my honest review.