I've become hooked on this dark urban fantasy series! It had Mortal Instruments (by Cassandra Clare) vibes--a hidden world inspired by Christian mythology but with plenty of uniqueness that kept things interesting. The powerful Lorns looked like humans but had divine souls--they were descended from fallen angels and therefore had some angelic abilities. They fed upon the energy of living things and each had one or more abilities, such as reading minds.

I loved the grey area between good and evil, and how it was sometimes hard to tell who was in the right. There were good people on both sides (two warring Lorn organizations, each fighting over the protagonist, who had a rare power). The backstories did an excellent job at making readers feel for every character, even the morally-grey ones.

I would have enjoyed seeing the protagonist, Ethan, involved in more of the action, but from the sounds of it, that will be coming in the next books as he learns more about his powers and how to wield them. Looking forward to the sequel!

I chose to read this book because another reviewer compared it to "How to Train Your Dragon" with a pre-2000s vibe. That was an accurate comparison, and I definitely felt that it was inspired by classic sword and sorcery books from the 80s and 90s. In addition, this was an adult book with mature language and themes (often a bit silly and crude).

We are introduced to a Norse-inspired setting, complete with appropriate-sounding names (minus a silly name the boy-king gave the protagonist, Jorn, while completing missions in disguise).

There is magic, and a magic school, in this world. There are also plenty of dragons (who are referred to as "wyrms", even though they have legs and wings whereas traditional wyrms do not).

The action scenes were very well written, some of them aerial battles between wyrms carrying riders. The tension and conflicts between characters were also well done. The mythology / history of the wyrms was interesting--the elder wyrm especially.

The only critique I have is that the characters seemed a bit distant and hard to relate with. The protagonist, Jorn, seemed to "go with the flow" more than most protagonists I've read. His marriage seemed too sudden, as were many instances where he was told to do certain things by other characters. Some of these moments felt like side quests where he had more important things at stake but agreed for some reason; I would have liked his choices and personality to be more of a focus. Regardless, I'd recommend this to readers who enjoy dragons and Norse mythology.

This book had so many of my favourite things: fantasy/sci-fi setting (advanced tech, yet not everyone has access to it); action; elemental powers; romantic subplots; vibrant worldbuilding; unique humanoid races (with skin colours such as blue and green); creature companions; and political intrigue. There was also a love triangle. I usually don't enjoy love triangles, but this one fit well with the characters and storyline.

The story was told in multiple points of view, focusing mainly on Riane, the Amedtad. An ancient being who reincarnates, the Amedtad is capable of wielding all five elements. She has a male counterpart, the Praeco, who has the same abilities. They're destined for each other, and together, the two are incredibly powerful. Only they have the power to unite the races and genders (males are treated as second-class citizens in this matriarchal society) and bring peace.

The villain in this story was especially ruthless yet relatable in some ways. I enjoyed despising her and cheering on the good guys. But I'd have to say my favourite was a charming roguish side character called Niko. He gave Aladdin vibes.

It looks like this is the author's debut, but it was so well done, it read like it was written by a seasoned author. The worldbuilding was exceptional! Looking forward to the sequel.

What an awesome debut! Of Sky and Sea is a dark romantic fantasy set in a world with elves, dwarves, unicorns and dragons (who can take the form of humans), faeries, sirenians (merfolk), and deymons (immortals with four sharp teeth, eyes that turn red, and superior strength and healing that increases the older these beings get).

This book had plenty of action and spicy scenes, though the romance between the two protagonists was a slow burn that was really well-written!

Seraph--half sirenian and half angel (angels descend once every thousand years, so a half angel is super rare)--was destined to fulfil a prophecy to rid the world of the evil faerie queen. Watching her struggle with her destiny and take charge of her own life was so satisfying. So was the blossoming romance between her and the thousand-year-old deymon, Venyx. Venyx was my favourite character--expert swordsman, reader of poetry, and grumpy yet fiercely loyal lover. Looking forward to book 2!

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well-researched story about the lives of bugs such as ants, bees, spiders, and termites. The editing was well done and the explanations of insects' bodies, behaviours, and relationships between various species was, as far as I know with my limited Biology knowledge, accurate.

The story began with bugs being mysteriously transported from Earth to a planet in another galaxy due to a giant meteor strike opening up a wormhole. They named the new planet Poo-ponic after the hydroponic system that relied on poo and algae to provide for the fungi food source for the colony insects. The insects and other bugs then had to learn to work together to survive.

Anyone considering reading this needs to go in expecting a particular genre: the same one as movies such as "A Bug's Life" or "Antz" (but for adults). The bugs in this book spoke and acted like humans, not only in regards to intelligence levels but with humour, language, and proverbs only a human would have experience with. This could be explained away by the story being modified from bug language (which involved a lot of expelling bodily gases to communicate) to human language. The bugs' names were also modified, such as Beefirst, the first queen bee. A written language existed, too, as well as mathematics, chemistry, etc.

Other reviewers (on Goodreads) have said that they couldn't place this story in terms of audience, and I'd have to agree. The name of the planet and the light, often silly humour seemed directed more towards a young audience, but there was too much heavy subject matter for a young reader (lots of death, martial law, brainwashing, genocide, suicide, etc). The language was also at a higher level. Therefore, I'm not sure who I'd recommend this book to--I suppose an adult who loved A Bug's Life and is interested in a more mature version of it.

This is the first book I've read that was written from a cat's perspective, and what a wild and hilarious ride it was!

Mischief (“They call me Mischief. It’s less a name and more a warning”) is a curious, sassy, intelligent familar to a witch named Felicity. The familiars in this book (crows, foxes, badgers, etc) can talk. Mischief is unexpectedly transformed into a human and sent to another dimension. He in his new dimension, as well as Felicity in hers, then have to solve the mystery of the disappearing familiars.

Mischief still acts and thinks like a cat, demanding to have a box in his room and attempting to fold his new spindly legs into it. He twitches phantom whiskers and flicks his nonexistent tail, craving sardines. I laughed out loud several times throughout this story.

I'd describe this book as a science fantasy. While it has witches and familiars, there was more of a focus on alternate dimensions, the author going into great detail about the sci-fi aspects. It was interesting but may be a bit too much detail for the average reader to keep focused. But that may just be me as a reader of mainly fantasy.

(Another note: I'd actually been on the lookout for a story written from the perspective of a familiar ever since I read Leigh Bardugo's book, The Familiar. I had assumed it was told from the perspective of a cat or other creature, but it wasn't. So if you're like me and think witches' familiars would make fun storytellers, you'll love this book!)

I really enjoyed this high fantasy action/adventure! It had strong DnD vibes due to its unique characters and roles, elves, dysfunctional group working towards a common goal, etc.

For the first half of the book or so, it was just Del and Maug against the world. Those two were my favorites. Del had a mysterious past and a little dragonoid creature companion. Maug was a lovable rogue. Both were intelligent and witty, and their banter was fun to read.

The plot was a bit predictable, but there were also unexpected twists that kept things interesting. It was a satisfying read that was shorter than most high fantasy books but just as long as it needed to be.

I chose to read this book because it has both fauns and merfolk in it, and I was not disappointed! What I didn't expect, however, was how the various races of Harukai--fauns, merfolk, harpies, fairies, and centaurs--could have blended families, their offspring having various features. It was such a creative and unique touch.

The worldbuilding and lore were exceptional. I felt completely immersed and would very much love to live in Harukai. Ivy was a fun, relatable character. Alvaro the faun--my favourite--gave Mr. Tumnus (Chronicles of Narnia) vibes but was far more of a mentor character. And Theon the merfolk--sweet, good-natured, brave Theon...

The only thing I had an issue with was the occasional breaking of the fourth wall by the narrator, sometimes in brackets, to give readers a tidbit of humour or information. It broke the immersion a bit for me, but it wasn't enough of a deterrence to dissuade me from reading the sequel, which I'm looking forward to. Excellent debut!

This was a fun story about two teenaged best friends who got caught up in the paranormal world, which, as it turned out, was very much real. The banter between the protagonists, Shay and Max, was hilarious and well-placed, making the story lighthearted and Ghostbusters-esque despite some spooky scenes (which were entertaining too).

Shay discovered she could not only see ghosts, but touch them as if they were solid. But they could do the same to her, and not all of them were friendly...

I chose to read this book for #nonbinarynovember (Max is non-binary) and loved it. My favourite character was Shay's brother, Duncan "Donuts". It was refreshing to read about a supportive, fun-loving older brother and family and friends who would protect each other no matter what it took. I'd like to read the sequel and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys paranormal / sci-fi genres and/or Ghostbusters.

Awesome urban science-fantasy novel with queer, racial diversity, and mental health rep!

Set on a continent home to elves and other non-human races, this book tells the story of a diverse group of friends working together to catch a killer. The protagonists go to a college that teaches them how to become othars (people who deal with crimes amongst the non-human races) and to control their magic. The story goes into detail about how magic exists (chromosomes, etc).

This was some Game of Thrones-level storytelling. Lots of characters, each so unique and memorable. Lots of violence, gore, sexual content, and racism, but the protagonists came from many racial backgrounds, so it was satisfying to watch them come together to solve the mystery and bring the killers to justice. The worldbuilding was so detailed and unique. Satisfying conclusion, yet an ending I was totally not expecting and that leads into the next book. Can't wait for the sequel!

This was well-written. I enjoyed the multiple points of view, including women, which aren't often seen in older books. There wasn't enough of Dracula, though, and some scenes dragged on so much that I had to re-listen (I usually read physical books, but this one I chose to borrow as an audiobook. The voice performance was very well done!). Van Helsing was an especially interesting character.

This was an action-packed short story with a dash of romance. It reminded me of a D&D campaign--a dysfunctional group of elves, dwarves, etc heading for a common goal. The fight scene was exhilarating, and I enjoyed the lesbian rep (without spice).