Legends of Andolin: Adella of the Campos

Author: A.M Portman

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Set in medieval lands, Legends of Andolin is a wonderful fantasy story by A.M Portman following a fearless young lady on a dangerous journey with reluctant allies.

Adella’s life takes a drastic turn when a group of soldiers attacks her home and she is forced to flee for survival. On top of that, her brother disappears without a trace leaving her desperate for any leads. In the search of her missing brother, Adella finds herself on a quest to magical lands filled with mystery and adventure. During the journey she is faced with numerous challenges, assassins, sea monsters and pirates (whohooooo!).

I mean… who doesn’t love pirate books with crazy adventures and a wonderful cast of witty characters?! I was holding my breath hoping for everyone’s survival because they make you fall in love so easily! The group dynamic is truly fantastic and I ended up adoring them all – Adella, Kol, Armand, Tess…

The story is very well-written and engaging, done with perfect world-building and attention to detail. I loved the mysterious aspect leaving you questioning who you can actually trust! Once it picks up, it is super fast-paced and a real page-turner filled with pirate pursuits, betrayals and unexpected twists! Honestly it was quite impossible to put down!

I love books with strong courageous protagonists who don’t stop before any obstacle or hardship! Adella ventures into enemy territory swinging her sword like a fearless young lady ready to unleash her full potential. Women really can do anything, can’t they?

The ending left me more than eager for the next book and i need to know what is going to happen asap. It is truly a wonderful story showcasing the lengths people will go for those they love!

Thank you to the author and Bookstagrammers.com for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

SAFE from the Pain

Author: Poonam Bhuchar

Genre: Non-Fiction

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Safe from the Pain is an extremely valuable book which delves into difficult topics such as physical and SA, suicide attempts, a life under limits and dealing with emotional trauma.

This book felt very special, personal.. because the author allowed us readers to take a glimpse into her own life struggles. At times I felt like an intruder into someone’s vulnerability, as if I am right there along her on this difficult yet important journey.

It illustrates how deeply emotional pain can affect us as human beings and our daily lives – something which you cannot easily escape and put aside. It takes a healing process, the right mindset and guidance to achieve inner peace. And this is exactly what the author delivers to her readers. Safe from the Pain is short but extremely impactful. Usually non-fiction books tend to fall on the ‘more difficult to read’ side of literature but here this was not the case. It is very fast – paced and engaging. Through sharing her inspirational message Poonam Bhuchar teaches readers what is the power of their inner thoughts and how strong we can become as people if we manage to have the right mindset. The book includes valuable lessons and excersies on self-development, finding a place in society despite having a “baggage” and most importantly practicing equal love and respect towards yourself as you do to others.

I don’t normally gravitate towards self-help books but this one was very meaningful to me because of its central topics. And I highly appreciate the author’s ability to share her story and inspire others. Often people do not realise how difficult it is to open about such experiences even if it is to install strength, courage, hope. It is important to keep a reminder that there is always something better waiting for us and all we need to do is find strength in ourselves to reach for it. The SAFE method is simple yet effective way to take measures into your own hands and overcome emotional pain.

Thank you to the author and Bookstagrammers.com for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Sing for Me

Author: Maggie Clare

Genre: Adult Romance

Rating: 4,5 / 5 stars

Jake encounters Fiona at a wedding and while completely taken aback by her singing performance, he can’t also deny that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Fiona on the other hand is not interested in his flirtation attempts and can’t be easily to charmed despite his best efforts. Though with some convincing by her friends, she gives him a chance and soon after that the two become inseparable.

Jake and Fiona are the two opposites of the same coin. Their chemistry builds up rapidly and it is not possible to deny their great attraction. So from something that was supposed to be temporary both develop feelings for each other. And even with Jake getting deployed in the military, they still decide to give their relationship a go.

The story spans over a period of a few years where we follow the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship. The longing, the love, the heartache… You might get quickly immersed into their swoon-worthy love story but just like everything in real life, it is not always rainbows and sunshine. Now 4 years later, both of their lives look significantly different. Jake and Fiona, similar to their relationship, go through extreme difficulties and struggles. They are faced with life changing experiences forcing them to endure not only physical but mental changes.

It is very fast-paced and easy to read. The first half focuses on building up the romantic relationship between the two characters while the second half is more suspenseful, mysterious.. There is tension, angst, steam but also heartbreak and emotional turmoil. Overall everything you would expect in a well-written romance novel that once you dive into it’s practically impossible to put down.

I had such a great time reading it and I want to say huge thank you to the author Maggi Clare and Bookstagrammers.com for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book of Night

Author: Holly Black

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Rating: 3 / 5 stars

Book of Night is a dark and creepy new adult fantasy by Holly Black following a former thief known as the Charlatan who tries to live a rather normal life, however, she always ends up in the middle of a new scheme. She gets tasked to find a very important ‘missing’ book with forbidden dark magic and discover who is responsible for the mysterious murders around the city. Char is a morally grey character driven by vengeance and hatred who decides to uncover secrets of the past and finally get her desired closure.

The magic system deals with manipulation of shadows and Holly did an amazing job in building it up and setting everything for the final reveal. The world building was absolutely great though it took most of the story, however as a first book in a new series that is quite understandable. The plot is very character driven so nothing major happens until 85% of the book. There are mostly flashbacks from the past and gathering information in order to solve the mystery. I know a lot of people got excited that it is an Adult book but I’m sorry to disappoint the romance is like 1% of the story and still very much fade to black. Though it is definitely in the Adult category in terms of trigger warnings and language.

What I personally felt lacking was character depth. Considering it’s a character driven story I needed a stronger connection with Char, however her delivery felt very ‘flat’ and therefore I wasn’t quite invested in her story. Also the plot is very predictable and the crazy twist is not at all unexpected. The ending definitely made me feel some type of way and fortunately there will be a sequel where I hope things get resolved because I hate leaving on a cliffhanger.

One thing to say is go into this story with a fresh mind and do not expect something similar to the Cruel Prince. It is it’s own story and the only similarities would be the strong, morally grey female lead. 

Thank you to Tor Books and Macmillan USA for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Through Titan’s Trail

Author: Austin Dragon

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Through Titan’s Trail is an epic high fantasy series by author Austin Dragon following a peculiar group of people set on the journey of their lifetime where many go but none return.

The story introduces a mysterious person calling himself the ‘Traveller’ and his dog companion who have the important task of gathering a skilful group of people to join the King’s Caravan – a special gathering organised every three years that takes its participants on a dangerous quest from the human realm to long forgotten lands of the Fae where evil lurks in the dark and hinders their journey at every stop. The group has to find a way to survive this dangerous journey and reach the land of Atlantea filled with magic and riches.

I thoroughly enjoyed Through Titan’s Trail – the fantasy elements combined with the medieval setting were great and I loved Austin’s introduction of fantastic creatures and magic. The first book sets up the story for our characters and we gradually discover more details about the quest and their individual journeys. There are some great action scenes and villains you come to despise. My favourite stories to read are about impossible quests with extremely high stakes and reluctant allies all tied together by impeccable world building which is introduced one step at a time so it does not overwhelm the reader! I found the intrigue and action very well balanced just perfect to my liking.

Book one of the saga leaves you with impending questions which I am eager to find out in the next instalments. It is more than certain that the journey has more to bring and I’m curious to see what happens next in the Fabled Quest Chronicles.

It’s a story perfect for fans of Realm Breaker, The Shadow of What Was Lost and Lord of the Rings. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the author and Bookstagrammers.com for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.