Review - The Beating of His Wings (The Left Hand of God Book 3) by Paul Hoffman

 

4 in 5 stars rating

Last book of the Trilogy of The Left Hand of God this books take action after Redeemer Bosco become Pope and Redeemer Gil order 2 persons to kill Cale for good. At the same time Cale is trying to find a way to be free in the Spanish Leeds where is late lover (now married and pregnant) with the rest of the Materazzi are also in that lands and where everyone made clear they don't like him at all. To add to this Kleist is in his way to the same lands and it feels that it will not end very good to have everyone in the same place again. 

I reach that part of the trilogy where I expect already a lot of information regarding any kind of battles and also I'm used of Hoffman writing style. 

The book all itself is about Cale make an army and attack the Redeemers but we have more space regarding Kleist and Henri Vague.

To my surprise we have a lot of dialogue in this volume and it was more easy to follow each POV when it change. We clearly can see that Cale, Kleist and Henri are still kids and even with a dark humor, they make jokes and try to find an happy ending. 

The fact everything turn around Cale being successful is more at the same but now the side changed and it's the Redeemers that need to survive to each attack of Cale. The way they all see him only as a weapon is clear that he will not have an happy ending at all but at least in this volume we have the opportunity to have more side characters emerging and having parte of the action. 

The frustration about this book is about the fact that Kleist and his wife are in the same lands and only at the very end of the book they found each other. It was very annoying to see that they was literally 2 steps from each other and didn't notice the other at all...

Nothing new about the hate state Arbell and Cale are but I was thinking about more action between them or at least a decent end... it was very but very vague how they settle their differences. 

The Sanctuary battle scene was more than expected and I was very curious about it. Not only to see what the Redeemers and Bosco will do but also about how the 3 friends will deal to be back there where everything is linked to bad memories and pain. 

I was not excepting at all the resolution they found to deal with Cale. It was a real scene that a cult ask for you: massive suicide

It was only at that moment that I understood the extend of the craziness of Bosco but in another hand I can't say it came from nowhere and wasn't expecting it. It was more than obvious that Bosco was not full mind regarding Cale and to interpret the messages of his God.

The ending? It was too short and was not as complete as expected: 1 paragraph about Cale, 1 line about Arbell and nothing more about the rest of the world.... sad ending actually

Review - The Last Four Things (The Left Hand of God book 2) by Paul Hoffman

 

3 in 5 stars Rating 

This is the sequel of The Left Hand of Good and if you remembered my review I was not impressed at all by that book and ended up with more questions and a confused face each time the POV changed. 

Well this book was better in a way but worst in another. 

This book start right after Redeemer Bosco take back Cale to the Sanctuary to follow his plan. The plan itself is to become the Pope and start to "clean" the Earth from humanity so God can start again.

Cale is now under the Redeemer control and need to prove to everyone in Chartres that he is the Wrath of God and came to help the Redeemers against the Antagonists and everyone that don't follow the same faith

I still feel that we have so much ground for Cale to explore that it hurt that he is still making the same again and again: he make fights, don't make friends and seems to want to destroy everyone and everything. 

His actions are all mixed like a fight is inside him for Good and Bad: he can kill and be the most cold person in the world and 2 seconds after he is the most devote friend ever wanting to save as much as possible. Well... he is a teenager with the burden of being a Death Angel so it is only normal this fight but sometimes it feels like he is not even opening with himself. 

While the first book was a complete mess to follow who's POV is in this one it's much better! We can understand more easily with who we are checking the events. However.... we have pages and pages of war description and without dialogue and for me it was the worst ever as personally I like description but not for 5 or 6 pages in a row! 

We have also a lot of new characters here that became important and it was more easy to follow them and there actions than in book one. Every character have something that will link to Cale: Redeemer Gil, The Materazzi, Kleist and the Clepto Clan,.... you may think at the beginning why it is important to follow Kleist POV until you understand where they are going and the same apply to the Redeemers. We have old characters coming back to the plot with a little bit of information of what happened to them but even that was not very well explored for me: The Materazzi situation was vague and letting go some suspense but not explaining a lot for example . In another hand we have a complete focus in Kleist situation after leaving Henri Vague alone with IdrisPukke and that part seems to be very important as I feel they will all see each others and that can make a big difference in the storyline of book 3.

We have more twists and turns that make it more easy and passionate to read but we need to take special attention all the time to better understand why that event was happening. 

The Redeemers part of the story was very good and made my day while I was reading the scheme of Bosco: it was intriguing, fast action with the good amount of description and suspense. 

In general this book was better in therms of action and plot and action but the massive description took away stars for my rating. I don't mind the author describing stuff to make it clear and easy to the reader imagine the surrounding but when is too much it feels like we are reading a war book for History Classes. 

Again not very impressed in overhaul by this volume but hope the last book if this trilogy will save the storyline and explore finally all the potential of Cale 

Review - The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman (The Left Hand of God Series Book 1)

 

3 in 5 stars rating

This is a re-read book. Do I remember when I read it and if I like it or not? NO 

I only remembered the name of the MC and the city! But in my defense I'm not a big fan of Dystopian or Si-Fi genre in general. 

Let's talk about this book: 

In the hellish Sanctuary of the Redeemer, young boys are trained from the age of five to be unthinking soldiers. Cale, the most promising, is singled out for punishment for the most trivial offenses but one day, Cale stops a Redeemer from dissecting a girl and he and his two friends, Vague Henri and Kleist, escape the Sanctuary with the girl named Riba and go on the lam with the destination of Memphis.

The Redeemers believe life is sin and salvation only comes through blood and pain. Thus, torture is a common form of discipline and the methods used made me uncomfortable as well as how they brainwashed the boys as well as how the conditions they where. 

While Cale is in Memphis learning about everything, Bosco (his Redeemer Tutor) believe that Cale is the most important human being in the world and will stop at nothing to secure his return. Cale has a destiny that is not revealed until the end, but we do learn that, as the result of a particular “talent,” he’s virtually unbeatable in combat. And here comes the bigger hole ever: Bosco decide to attack the city with the only purpose to have Cale back.

Where is the logic of that? I mean I understood that the information from the spy was that the 3 boys was in the city but even... how to make sure that they was still there during the attack or that they will came back for any reason? How to confirm that Cale was not dead when he run to save Simon? Or that he didn't run away with his friends as so many times they talked about? 

Bosco got lucky as Cale found a correspondent love and he didn't got killed by the Mond during is stay in the city!  

Also the violence is extreme and well described but the story is told through multiple viewpoints with clumsy transitions as look like the author remembered an idea and follow it. 

We jump from Cale to a Redeemer without notice in the same chapter where we pass from a friendship to a plot to conquer the city. And the same happens when we talk about Riba... she appear from nowhere with an update of her new life and then it get suspended in the middle to come back to Cale and his friends trying to understand everything.

We have very good aspects to the story and very good charactes with tons of room to develop and to connect with the MC so I hope the book 2 will be better but I'm not impressed at all so far

 

Unboxing - December 2022

 

Hey Readers! 

Today I want to share my newest box from Fairyloot.

What is Fairyloot? It's a monthly subscription group that will provide you fantasy books for YA and NA! 

At the moment Adult box is only for the book but the YA one have also cute stuff coming with. 

If you want to know more click HERE and subscribe! 

And now let's go to the unboxing! 

The YA Box came with: 

• Book Sleeve inspired from the Book Caraval
• Carousel Bookends inspired from the theme of the month (Come one, Come All)
• Mythology Bookmarks: Aphrodite and Ares 
• A Face Towel inspired by The Night Circus
• Tarot Cards set features Lei as the Sun and Wren and the Moon (characters from Girls of Papers and Fire)
• YA Book of the Month with redesigned cover, sprayed edges and artwork on the endpapers + signed

And the book is Cruel Illusions! 

For the adult book the subscription is only for the book and the theme was Faerie Lore and this is the book: 

January themes are:

• YA: Hidden Worlds
• Adult: Sinister Secrets

 

Review - The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

 

5 in 5 star review book

TW: this book have several triggers so please make sure to read them before reading the book: rape (mention of) and extreme violence described) are 2 of them

Ok after 3 chapters done I had 4 questions: 

Who is Anna? 

Who and why Aiden is there? 

Who is the Footman? 

The Black Plague Doctor is an ally or an enemy?

In the first 30 pages of this book I got very confused as I was expecting that Aiden was introduced as a guest and only after the host situation will start... but to think that I was as confused as Aiden itself was something that the author took time to plot and I simply loved it! 

Aiden (that have no memories of his life) need to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle in 8 days otherwise he need to start over and without the information he collected so far. But the Plage Doctor advise him: 2 more persons also are trying to solve that mystery.

While Aiden start his journey he want to know who is Anna and if she is a friend or not as it's the only name that he remember so far. 

He will make allies and 1 big enemy that have also a say so to the infamous Footman (who's mission is making sure Aiden's hosts dye)

During my reading I was certain that the killer was one person and BAM a twist making sure it was not that person.... change my mind to point to another suspect and BAM another twist! So after a while my mind started to work to find answers and to seed if a new clue was there but always with the theory of a suicide going wrong.

I was grabbing my book and my mind was like this: 

I was thrilled by all the information and was trying to find answers but some mentions in the book was like clues to solve this mystery and the biggest question was indeed why the guns was different! 

I can tell that the last 10% of the book was not easy to follow as it was so much information that I needed to re-read some parts because I wanted to know the true! 

Not only we can finally understand who is the killer of Evelyn Hardcastle as we uncover the truth about Thomas death, a missing boy, why Helena Hardcastle went missing the full day and some more mysteries.

Also I got under the impression that the Plague Doctor will simply accept any proof and name from Aiden as it was clear that he wanted him out of that situation.

Did the Plague Doctor got his hand all over this situation to make sure Aiden's wish came true?

Also the last information given from The Plague Doctor suggest that this never happened and that actually events change according with what Aiden decisions was.  So my biggest mystery question is: The killer is anyone that Aiden's events lead on and any name could have free then at any moment?

Simply Genius! 

An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan

 

A Romeo and Juliette retelling but with Chinese mythology?

Sure it will not be a pick up from a store but since it was part of a Fairyloot box I gave a try

Also the cover is simply stunning!

I was pretty ready to DNF this book as soon as I saw the description BUT after a few pages I was not ready to leave that story like that...

Luna and Hunter was born in the same year, month and day and yet their lives are a complete opposite: 

Hunter's family live in a constant state of fear due to one bad choice and they simply can't see the good in their oldest son.

Luna's family is the portrait of a perfect family and yes, you got it, they are proud of Luna in everything! 

But both families have secrets and while the worlds of Luna and Hunter start to fall they can only focus on themself and on their love. 

While I was reading it I was passing from a lovely moment to a very sad one in result of how both families put such pressure in the kids: Chang family want Luna to have the best of the best and Yee family keep putting all the frustration in Hunter but and their fear in Cody. 

At the end, as soon as I finished the last page I knew it was a 5⭐ rating book! 

You may thing that is not worth it as you have a lot of Chinese expressions but nothing that a translate can't solve and actually it's part of them and it's cultural so no cutting stars due to that for me! 

A book full of magic with a mix of lovely and sad moments. Really beautiful to read! 

The Darkening by Sunya Mara

 

Vesper only wanted to saver her father

Dalca wanted to save everyone from the Storm. 

To understand that they are all in this situation because 300 years ago 1 Regia wanted to reign alone full of power.... it's like "oh really? how it that even possible?" 

And no one was remembering the other God? Really?

Well ok... 300 years is a long time but not all proofs can be erased like that.... 

Loved the fact that Vesper always want to help everyone (and fail most of the time or the price to pay is always very unfair)

But my big issue was that Iz was also an important character and his story stoped in the Storm... 

Where is he now? 

Did he came back to normal?

I need the book 2 as I have a lot of questions and I need answers and I really need to see if that 2 Gods will have a decent conversation instead of starting a war that make no sense!

Overall this book got a 4⭐ rating!

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

 

I'm surprised that I actually enjoyed this book as I was hooked by the cover but the description was something that I actually was not sure to like. 

Everything in Saiorse is connected: families, business, traditions and of course secrets. 

14 years ago a violent fire started in the island and the body of a young girl named Lily was found. Everyone blamed August and even if no proof it was him, he was forced to leave the island with his mother. 

But the old people of the island keep saying that Saiorse call everyone back and it's true: August need to go back to bury is mother. 

The plan is to go, bury his mother and leave. He never wanted to stay in the island even when he was 18 and he knows that the people will know he's there and will not be happy. 

And they knew and was not happy: not only because they still believe he killed Lily but also because the council have a big and dark secret that they don't want to come to surface! 

The island itself have a will and will help, or not, the villagers. 

That's what she have done once and will do it again! But this time in the form of a true love and redemption. 

Secrets uncover, lies discovered, an unsolved murder and the truth about everything got me gripped in this 4⭐  story

The only thing that I was not ok was with Leoda. She have so much to tell and we only heard of her twice. She is the villain of this book and only at the end we understand how her influence go and how she put her wanting before everything else.

Lakesedge (World at the Lake's Edge #1) by Lyndall Clipstone

 

Language: English

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 380

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: 3⭐

This rating is not because the story is bad but more because you turn in circle for a while and nothing "important" happens. 

However, Leta is one of a MC! 

Nothing was easy to Leta when her parents got the sick and died. She was alone with her brother and then "mother" came but it was not the same... 

Until one day darkness took care of her brother during his sleep and while she was thinking that he was safe... Rowan appear and took them to Lakesedge.

When she arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. 

She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. 

As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…


Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under but the cost can be hard to handle.

Why is the Lord Under saying "for now" at the end?

The Gunslinger by Stephen King (The Dark Tower #1)

Language: French

Format: Paperback

Pages: 378

Genre: fantasy, horror

Rating: 4⭐

 "A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake."

This book is basically an introduction to this world and to Roland role here. 

The book is full of details and time to time you travel to the past. It makes a total sense to better understand the present story. 

Roland follow his way to find the Man in Black and during his journey i found Jake, a little boy that claims to not be from this land but another one. 

Jake follow Roland knowing that something will happens and until the very last minute i believed that this kid will be present in all books but no.... 

Even if I wanted to know more about some parts it was only for curiosity since the plot line was very complete. 

I was thinking to end this book in 2 days but it took me more due the details of everything!

Again I found necessary to tab this book and I think I'm getting better at it! 

Also this book have a little story that show a part of Roland's route until when this book start. 

I didn't saw the movie but will do it as soon as I end the serie!

Stitched by Elena Sobol

Language: English

Format: ebook

Pages: 200 aprox

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5⭐

"Time to put down the beer and pick up the daggers.

My name is Dmitry, and I’m your local harvest demigod—but don’t tell my boss at the bar.

Ever since Baba Yaga hid me and my magic daggers in Salt Lake City, it’s been nothing but fun and games with my metalhead roommates. Who cares if my cousins are out to kill me?

Now portals to my home world are opening across the city, trashing my hard-won new identity. Not to mention all the human-snacking monsters they’re letting through.

My shifter friend, Alysa, wants me to help hunt down the shidiot tearing open reality and, even worse, the universal police are threatening deportation.

This about to get messy. And if my cousins follow the commotion? I am one dead demiguy."

***Please note that you have a big reference of mythology in this book***

It was fun to read and my heart race in some scenes!

It started like you will need to wait like 5 chapters to see any action or to understand what is going on but no! You have the right to have a blue ferret running for her life, bad goblins (a special kind) and to understand why Dmitry is like that!

Love the fact that Dmitry carry all the legacy of his mother and that he is aware of the weight if you decide to accept this future. Not only that! He knows exactly what kind of problems will come to him and he have notion that he is not ready for it.

Alysa (remember the blue ferret? yap she is a shifter!) got a very important role in this book and I know that in the second one she will have more but if the author will make a book only from her past until now I will drop any book in read to read it instead! 

The Desolations of Devil's Acre by Ransom Riggs

 

Language: English

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 512

Genre: YA fantasy, mystery

Rating: 4⭐

"The fate of peculiardom hangs in the balance in this epic conclusion to the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.

The last thing Jacob Portman saw before the world went dark was a terrible, familiar face.

Suddenly, he and Noor are back in the place where everything began - his grandfather's house. Jacob doesn't know how they escaped from V's loop to find themselves in Florida. But he does know one thing for certain: Caul has returned.

After a narrow getaway from a blood-thirsty hollow, Jacob and Noor reunite with Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children in Devil's Acre. The Acre is being plagued by desolations - weather fronts of ash and blood and bone - a terrible portent of Caul's amassing army.

Risen from the Library of Souls and more powerful than ever, Caul and his apocalyptic agenda seem unstoppable. Only one hope remains - deliver Noor to the meeting place of the seven prophesied ones. If they can decipher its secret location."

What a book! 

The full story book made me shiver! First I was really lost: not sure if it was Jacob or Noor. It took me the entire 1st chapter to understand what happened at the end of the last book and to understand what was going on (great job Riggs!)

After come Devil's Arc situation: Desolation everywhere and the atmosphere full of fear, terror and mistrust that was tangible.

We are talking about Caul, a very bad guy that want to be treated like a God and if you don't want it, he simply go to make you suffer a lot.

Caul and his allies show the real faces and power they now have thanks to the Library of Souls. 

Not only you have the Hollowgates and Wights but also a lot of Peculiares that are just mean like Caul and the worst part is that they don't care of the consequences or who they gonna hurt: they just want to create caos and please Caul. 

And now you think of the Americans: how about them? Allies or enemies? Well it's a mix of both: they don't want to have Caul as a cruel god but they want to be free looped (free to get out of the loop without the problem of dying in 24h). It's a 50-50 situation.

One of the best part was to discover the true meaning of the prophecy regarding Noor and the 6 others special kids and also the origin of Jacob's peculiarity.

The ending? WOW but the last chapter? ahmmm sorry but I was thinking about something else but the kids deserved it just like it was.

The Conference of The Birds by Ransom Riggs

 

Language: English

Format: Paperback

Pages: 336

Genre: YA fantasy, mystery

Rating: 5⭐

"With his dying words, H--Jacob Portman's final connection to his grandfather Abe's secret life entrusts Jacob with a mission: Deliver newly con­tacted peculiar Noor Pradesh to an operative known only as V. Noor is being hunted. She is the subject of an ancient prophecy, one that foretells a looming apocalypse. Save Noor--Save the future of all peculiardom.

With only a few bewildering clues to follow, Jacob must figure out how to find V, the most enigmatic, and most powerful, of Abe's former associates. But V is in hiding and she never, ever, wants to be found."

This book start in the middle of the last scene of the previous book so you start already with the element of "please get out and be safe".

Jacob show to be way more adult than most of them in this book and if you think all the American's clan wan war you can actually change your mind. They are hostil but they only know that actually and they understand that they have 1 comum enemy: the Hollowgates with theire wights.

And you need to add that Jacob and friends need to understand the full prophecy, help Noor to find V and help Miss Peregrin. All that in kids....

And I'm glade to now go to read the last book of this serie because the end... OMG! Got a lot of questions during the entire chapter! 

Covet by Tracy Wolff

 

Language: English

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 680

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: 5⭐

"I may have reached my breaking point. As if trying to graduate from a school for supernaturals isn’t stressful enough, my relationship status has gone from complicated to a straight-up dumpster fire. Oh, and the Bloodletter has decided to drop a bomb of epic proportions on us all... Then again, when has anything at Katmere Academy not been intense?

And the hits just keep coming. Jaxon's turned colder than an Alaskan winter. The Circle is splintered over my upcoming coronation. As if things couldn’t get worse, now there’s an arrest warrant for Hudson’s and my supposed crimes—which apparently means a lifetime prison sentence with a deadly unbreakable curse.

Choices will have to be made...and I fear not everyone will survive."

This book was.... OMG! 

If it was to leave only emojis it will be: 👀👏👿💣😡😡😨😱😰😰😲😭😭😭😤😤

The scenes are just WOW! 

All the interaction with Grace and Hudson leave you to the edge and wanting more!

New characters are just so intense as the "old" ones and yes, I've some questions about Remy.... Do I trust him? something tell me only a bit!

The prison is just..... a big fraud? ahah Sorry guys it just that it was odd and now that I finish it I can truly say: even for Paranormal the justice is just like here in real life, a corrupt system!!

Now it comes the big question: Is really Grace the only one of her kind? 

I think that in book 4 I have the question solved but its still on the mail and on the way to me so I will need to wait and pick up another book meanwhile... 

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

 

Language: Portuguese

Format: Paperback

Pages: 419

Genre: YA fantasy, mystery

Rating: 5⭐

"A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all."

I wish to tell you it was as perfect as book 2 but the truth is that I got bored in the middle of the book. Why you may ask? Because I wanted action and some answers from some characters...

at the end I got my actions of course and it saved the rating!

Did I thought this was the end of this serie? Yes

Did I thought that evil will win? Yes

Did I wish for another end of book? Yes

Did I got mad with how it ended? YES

Thats why I checked for a book 4 and found out that this end in book 6! 

Crush by Tracy Wolff

Language: English

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 704

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: 5⭐

"Everything feels off—especially me. I’ve returned to Katmere Academy, but I’m haunted by fragments of days I have no recollection of living and struggling to understand who, or what, I really am.

Just when I start to feel safe again, Hudson is back with a vengeance. He insists there are secrets I don’t know about, threatening to drive a wedge between Jaxon and me forever. But far worse enemies are at our doorstep.

The Circle is caught in a power play and the Vampire Court is trying to drag me out of my world and into theirs. The only thing Hudson and Jaxon agree on is that leaving Katmere would mean my certain death.

And not only am I fighting for my life, but now everyone else’s is at stake—unless we can defeat an unspeakable evil. All I know is that saving the people I love is going to require sacrifice.

Maybe more than I’m able to give."

OMG! It was so easy to read this one! 

The development of the characters in this volume is just perfect and you can see true faces coming!

Hudson and Jaxon need to solve some business because I don't see how it will work in the future but knowing that the Vampire Court made a great work regarding the hate for humans just make me believe that they also work to make sure both brothers hate each other more. Everything regarding them is just 😱 and honestly I'm not sure about the rest of the Circle... or they accept for fear or they are just sick like the King and Queen (probably more the King)

Book 3 is already in my hand and ready to show me Katmere and Alaska once more!