An interesting new fantasy with an unexpected twist
921301
Midnight Thief came highly recommended by one of my fave canaries and book bloggers, Alyssa from The Eater of Books, since it was one of her few 5 stars and fave books of the year, with this recommendation and the fact that I am very much in the mood for fantasy, I knew I needed to read this one as soon as possible!

As always, I will try my best to keep spoilers out of my review as much as possible, but that might make the review a bit more vague.

Kyra is a thief and has been pretty much since she can remember. She was one of the kids living on the streets and started doing better for herself using her abilities and some friends she made. We meet her when she's doing a special job for a new employer, James, a powerful man of the underworld of the city, and we see how she ends up recruited into the Guild of Assassins.

There are two different but intertwined plot lines & POV, one where Kyra is employed by the Assassin's Guild to do some special jobs for them and we meet James and some of his best men. And the second one is Tristam's, a knight that is working on discovering and fighting the threat of the Demon Riders.

Both POVs were very distinct and I cannot say which one I liked most during the first half of the book, but during the second half I prefered Tristam's POV because I was growing uncomfortable with Kyra's involvement with James and his plotting. I was really enjoying the book and the plot till we got to the point of the Demon Riders revelations... I was just bewildered and I'm not sure how everything will tie together and there's too many unknowns about them.

Since this is the first book and there are more to come, I'm hoping we'll get more about the Riders and it will be making more sense. It's probably the part that makes this book more fantasy than just historical fantasy, but still it didn't work entirely too well for me, and I'm not even sure why!

I liked Kyra's character and her not-by-blood family and I liked how the interactions between Kyra and Tristam worked. There really wasn't much romance per se, just a few little hints here and there, but it worked very well with how the story progressed.

Despite some of my reservations, I really enjoyed the story and kept on turning page after page! I give this very interesting debut 3.5 stars and I'm looking forward to read the sequel!
4170286
I got this book for free. I didn't expect much, but as I like fantasy in general, I thought it might be interesting, especially because of unusual theme. I admit I was hooked at once, and enjoyed the story very much! Stories are set in two worlds - one was fantasy, the other our contemporary, and both exciting and definitely something I haven't encountered before (note to me: read more). It was obvious the author made fun of today's popular epic fantasy series, but that fantasy world he created wasn't all for pun. I truly wondered how interesting another book, all set in that world, would also have been. The only things I missed at the moment were more details about the characters in the contemporary setting. Now, a few months later, I think those details would probably have been the hindrance to the story itself, because what I lacked there on the spot, I compensated for in my mind, because the contemporary characters weren't so much different from us, the readers.
3321145
Fantasy is always such a tricky genre as there are so many elements needed to make it work. Good world building, strong characterization and development, as well as an engaging storyline are what make a good fantasy in my opinion. I felt Wings of Arian did a commendable job at striving to integrate the above elements in the novel. I did feel it was a bit on the longer side and I found myself distracted at times, as I was ready for the plot to move forward a bit faster than it did.

I like Kiora's character for the most part. She is sweet and good and has the fate of the world on her shoulders. She is the Solus, the one who can defeat the power-hungry Dralazar. However, she will not be able to do it on her own. She will need the strength of a Protector to assist her and balance her weaknesses. Kiora's Protector comes in the form of Prince Emane, who is quite stubborn. The two do not get along in the beginning, but once they realize the dire nature of their situation they must put their own issues aside and work together. I do appreciate that Walls did not give us a situation of insta-love with these two. Instead, Emane and Kiora must learn to tolerate one another first, and then we see them develop a friendship and respect for each other, and eventually a romance. I liked Kiora's empathy, but I felt it could be a hindrance to her task at hand. She is fighting a war whether she likes it or not and unfortunately war means casualties. As our heroine, I did feel she was a bit excessive in her crying though. I am glad we got to see her toughen up as the book grew on, and I think she is finally starting to realize what all is at stake and what needs to happen to persevere.

I felt a bit overwhelmed reading this one as there is so much to learn. I didn't feel like it was info-dumping, however. Kiora and Emane both have a lot to learn about their new roles, as well as the history of Dralazar and I felt like I was right there alongside them processing this information.

We have some great side characters in this novel. Arturo and Morcant were by far my favorites and we even have some twists and turns concerning other characters I did not see coming! I like that Kiora had so many allies that were willing to train her and aide her in the battle for good versus evil. For so long she has felt alone and alienated because of her gift of vision and my heart really ached for her at how her own flesh and blood treated her. Of all the people that end up supporting her, I think she was most surprised by Emane and how he really stepped into his role of Protector. He's actually a good guy, but being heir to the throne he has so many responsibilities that his life does not feel as his own. He is shocked when Kiora asks him what he wants as he's never been asked that before.

I am curious as to what will happen next for Emane, Kiora, and crew, especially after new revelations have been brought to light.
3431193
The Lord of Snow and Shadows is the first in a new fantasy series.  Although there are many familiar fantasy elements in this novel (sword fights, magic casting, dragons), Sarah Ash manages to put a little twist into her world by injecting some gothic romance into the mix.  Thus, on the one hand we have a young innocent painter as our protagonist, who quickly finds himself under the power of the family curse (he is becoming a creature he does not want to become) while on the other hand we have the young serving girl who eventually begins to walk the path of her own magical destiny.

  Ash keeps the story moving quickly as she cuts quickly to each scene, describing where necessary to create her version of frozen Russia, but never letting the prose bog the story down.  At the same time, she unveils the plots and politics of her world in a clear manner.  Characters are developed over the course of the novel; Ash reveals new layers of personality as the story progresses (although sometimes these revelations tend to the melodramatic).  There is also a nice balance of story and action.  In one chapter characters may be exploring secret hallways and uncovering secret tomes within the mysterious castle and in the next, they are battling werewolf type beasts out in the frozen wasteland.

  Overall, Lord of Snow and Shadows is a nice start to a potentially fine fantasy series.  It seems to me a particularly well paced and engaging novel, one that has the potential to engage both younger and older readers.
3293242
In an interesting twist in the magical fantasy genre, those with magic are pretty much all evil or at least severely flawed, and the heroine (who has no magic at all) fights against the magical and saves the world.

The pace is wonderfully fast, the world captivating, and the characters well done.  There's a nice balance between tragic setbacks and stunning victories, with good prevailing over evil in the end.
664865
Island of Exiles is a wholly unique fantasy created on a desert world with a city that is a warrior community and ruled by immortals. At the start, the world takes some time to sink into, because there is a lot we are not explained, and terms that were created for the novel specifically. What we know is that magic users are a big part of the population here, and being adept at using it gives them a higher place in society. Khya, a user of rare skill magic (she can create wards, and shields - basically barrier magic, but also sense the flow of energy in the world), naturally wants her younger brother Yorri to also be placed as a warrior or higher. But when he dies, and she finds out everything is not right in her world, she and her rival, Tensen, set out with her brother's love interest, Sani, to figure out what shadiness is their council upto?

The main reason I would recommend this book is for its diverse world-building. Shiara is a desert island, and its population is heavily POC. Even the immortals who rule it are East-Asian coded. They do not have a traditional family structure in Shiara - there are terms like blood-parents and blood-siblings to indicate biological relationships, but true family is with their warrior cohorts as they are around the kids of their own age from when they are young, and later on live in barracks or alone (if they have high enough status). Also, the attitude towards sexual relationships and preferences is pretty relaxed - in fact, the society as a whole presents mostly as bi/pansexual, with some prominent ace characters thrown in. There is also a third gender (ebet/eir/ey) and a pronounced awareness of physical space (even among familial relationships), and boundaries. On the magical side, there is wide range of abilities - from controlling the elements, to telekinesis, to super speed and strength - and they are all classified, so make sure to refer to the glossary at the end of the book. The unskilled magic users or those who can't use magic, are like the untouchables of this world, so they have some class boundaries to consider dismantling in future installments. (It is so wrong that they aren't considered good enough to marry/bond with)

Onto the plot - there is an undercurrent of shadiness established from the beginning, when the religion on the land has a believe-or-be-cast-into-hell sort of attitude. It is so extreme that Khya fears to even investigate at the start, thinking she will doom herself and her companions to eternal damnation or something. Obviously, that's a cover to whatever those immortals are cooking up, which is never made clear actually. The reason for them being on the island, I get, but why that particular rock in the middle of the ocean was made for its purpose, that I've yet to understand. Perhaps it will be explained in sequels, but as of now, it doesn't fit with the backstory given. Also, I was low-key amused by the fact that no one on the island has even heard of the concept of a boat.

Overall, an interesting start to a unique fantasy series, and I'm looking forward to reading its sequel soon.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Entangled Teen LLC, via Netgalley.
4861173
Excellent introduction to an interesting new world and a new take on super heroes and villains .  The pacing is good and the plot takes some unexpected turns
1900556
This isn't my typical read, but a friend suggested I check it out, so I did.  After a slightly slow opening, things picked up and I was compelled to keep turning the pages.  The story takes an unexpected and powerful twist at the perfect moment, transforming what might have been a routine dark fantasy tale into something considerably more thought-provoking.

I'd say this would probably be four stars if you enjoy the genre.
3515002
This was an interesting mesh of YA contemporary, mystery, and North American fantasy. The mythology and fantasy part was completely unexpected, and I found myself wishing it wasn't there, so I could concentrate on the contemporary mystery.

The mystery portion is all about Shelby, and who she is, and what is going on with her mother. I liked the way this plotline unraveled. There were multiple twists and turns, and was very exciting. I found that I didn't even try to guess what was coming next because I was too busy enjoying the story.

In contrast, the fantasy-based part of the story moved very slowly for the first three quarters of the book. It really picked up once Shelby was most of the way through a journey, but I found it a little too late to really redeem that element.

Overall, this was an unexpected mesh of genres, and while it worked overall, I would have preferred this book without the fantasy element (you won't hear me say that often). The contemporary mystery element was done so well that it didn't need anything else.
2449447
A solid and unique fantasy novel with some great characters, cool plot twists, and subtle (ish) nods to Heavy Metal.
4694055
Great novel with a fresh take on the Fantasy genre. I recommend it!
4217876
I was impressed by this- it's a fresh new epic fantasy (It sounds as if this book will be one of five or six!), at least to me. There is a lot of action, but there are also a lot of thought provoking events going on throughout. We have a handful of characters and it's very intriguing to see how they will meet, will they be allies or enemies?

I would definitely consider reading the next installment in the series.

The narrator did a good job differentiating most characters, and I would absolutely listen to more of his work in the future.

I received this book for free from the publisher, authors or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.
2623556
I like good fantasy, but it's hard to find, so it's nice to give something a positive review.  What intrigued me about this book was the weirdness/creepiness of the dragons, not to mention their very alien minds.  Kind of like getting into the head of a T-rex (or a sociopath?) and seeing the world from that perspective. Bizarre stuff. The twist is that we also get to experience what happens when dragonish sensibilities are transposed into human bodies and minds.  The result is nicely original and a little mind-bending. And without giving anything away, I think it is always moving when a character knowingly or unknowingly burns bridges, when irrevocable changes shift reality and make it impossible to go back.  At those times, the book feels bigger than just a light fantasy read - though there's plenty of action if that's all you're looking for. I get the sense that the author is just getting started, and I'll be curious to see what happens in any sequels.
3174053
This short story felt lush and emotive.  It was easy to fall into its magic.  Some of the ideas could have been developed more, but the core conflict was fresh and imaginative.  I could feel the protagonist's angst and Lord Idris's pain.  The ending was a bit rushed.  It was meant as a surprise, but it left me slightly unsatisfied.  Still, the author's voice alone was worth the read.  An intriguing, quick take on fantasy.
1311455
I have to admit. I've been on a bit of a YA fiction reading binge. Particularly fantasy, and while all fantasy seem to have the same theme, (a teenage girl discovers she's either faery or other type of mythical creature or at least partially mythical and she's thrown into this new world she always believed was fiction) however, I thought this book had a bit of an interesting twist.  This was the first time I've read where the 'human world' is fully aware of this other 'mythical world'.

Dana Hathaway knows she's half faery, and her drunken mother keeps them moving around so her fae father won't find them.  She knows her father lives in the city of Avalon.( A city which is a sort of between worlds where human and fae live together in their own sort of country, similar to the Vatican City.) Deciding life in Avalon would be far better than a life with her non-functioning drunk mother, she runs away to find her Dad and a new life.  Dana soon discovers life and politics in Avalon are nothing like she expected.  Especially when she discovers no one is above using her as a political pawn for the upcoming elections.

While this was a typical teen-fiction fantasy, I did enjoy the intrigue and the author's spin on the fae world.
124272
I found this to be a great introduction to a new fantasy world.  While several fantasy tropes are on display, none were overwhelming or came off as overly forced.  Embracing Norse culture and mythology as an inspiration was a noted departure from the army of Tolkien clones I have come across lately.  The world building evoked some great imagery and left me craving more.

Dialogue between characters starts off a bit stilted but clears up towards the end.  The writing style (not the content) was reminiscent of The Black Company to me.

This was a great introductory novella from a new author and I will absolutely be picking up the next installment.  The style and substance showed great promise so it will be interesting to see how Duckworth evolves and develops alongside his characters.
2124958
I was underwhelmed with Leblanc's 'A House Divided' and didn't have very high hopes going into 'Water Witch.' I was surprised and actually glad to have underestimated the experience I would have with this book. I picked it up yesterday and just a few short hours later, I was closing the back cover and recommending it to my husband. It had an interesting premise with unique elements that aren't overdone and haven't been seen a dozen times before. There are certain core concepts and elements of alchemy, dowsing, magic, and energy that are repeated from one story to another, but the author found a way to incorporate a few small details that changed the story enough to hold my interest and wonder how the ending would unfold. The characters were developed to an above average level, and I could picture the characters easily. This is a good, quick read for anyone looking for a short escape, lovers of magic, suspense, and those with an appreciation for character development.