Review: The Accidental Apprentice (Wilderlore #1)

Title: The Accidental Apprentice (Wilderlore #1)
Author: Amanda Foody
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 30, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A boy who accidentally bonds with a magical Beast must set off on an adventure in the mysterious Woods.

The last thing Barclay Thorne ever wanted was an adventure.

Thankfully, as an apprentice to the town’s mushroom farmer, Barclay need only work hard and follow the rules to one day become the head mushroom farmer himself. No danger required. But then Barclay accidentally breaks his town’s most sacred rule: never ever EVER stray into the Woods, for within the Woods lurk vicious magical Beasts.

To Barclay’s horror, he faces a fate far worse than being eaten: he unwittingly bonds with a Beast and is run out of town by an angry mob. Determined to break this bond and return home, Barclay journeys to find the mysterious town of Lore Keepers, people who have also bonded with Beasts and share their powers.

But after making new friends, entering a dangerous apprenticeship exam, and even facing the legendary Beast of the Woods, Barclay must make a difficult choice: return to the home and rules he’s always known, or embrace the adventure awaiting him.

Review:

Barclay Thorne is an apprentice to a mushroom farmer in Dullshire. He’s an orphan, whose parents were killed by a massive beast. In Barclay’s town, they keep the beasts away. No one is allowed to go into the forest where the beasts live. When his friend goes running into the forest while they’re gathering mushrooms one day, Barclay follows him. Barclay’s worst nightmare comes true when he encounters a beast, who creates a bond with him, turning Barclay into a Lore Keeper. Barclay is run out of town when the townspeople realize he has a magical connection to a beast. He meets Violet in the forest, who brings Barclay to a town to have his bond with the beast removed. However, the bond is not easily broken, so Barclay is convinced to participate in an apprenticeship contest in order to get his beast bond removed.

This was a fun twist on the middle grade fantasy story. Usually, the main characters in fantasy stories are eager to find and connect with animals. In this case, that was the worst thing that Barclay could imagine. His bond with a beast ruined the plans he had to live a quiet life in his town as a mushroom farmer. The life he wanted to live was so quiet, that the town is actually called “dull.” He didn’t want to go on an adventure, unlike most fantasy characters.

There were some surprising twists throughout the story. Some characters weren’t what they seemed, which really surprised me. The story ended with another adventure beginning, so I’m excited to see what happens in the next book.

This was a fun middle grade fantasy.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong

The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz

Have you read The Accidental Apprentice? What did you think of it?

Review: The Near Witch

Title: The Near Witch
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Titan Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 12, 2019 (originally August 2, 2011)
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Brand new edition of Victoria Schwab’s long out-of-print, stunning debut

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. 

There are no strangers in the town of Near. 

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. 

But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true. 

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. 

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Review:

A stranger comes to the town of Near one night. Lexi saw him before he disappeared. The night after he appears, a child goes missing. Everyone in town thinks the stranger must have stolen the child. Then more children disappear. A group of men start tracking the stranger to find the missing children. Lexi keeps thinking about the bedtime story of The Near Witch. She’s sure that the Near Witch is responsible for the missing children. Lexi meets the mysterious stranger, who helps her search for the Near Witch and the missing children.

This story reminded me of a children’s fairytale. Lexi was told the story of The Near Witch when she was a child. It was about a witch in their small town who was banished. The townspeople are divided on whether it was a true story or not. There was some mysterious magic in the town, which made Lexi believe the Near Witch story could be real. Both the Near Witch story and Lexi’s story had fairytale qualities.

This story had the beautiful poetic language of V.E. Schwab. The sentences read like a poem. There was a nursery rhyme that the children would sing about the Near Witch which was a poem. This was V.E. Schwab’s first novel, but it has her voice woven throughout it.

I really enjoyed this fantasy story!

What to read next:

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Have you read The Near Witch? What did you think of it?

Review: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1)

Title: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Chain of Gold, a Shadowhunters novel, is the first novel in a brand-new trilogy where evil hides in plain sight and love cuts deeper than any blade. .

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like those Shadowhunters have fought before—these demons walk in daylight, strike down the unwary with incurable poison, and seem impossible to kill. London is immediately quarantined. Trapped in the city, Cordelia and her friends discover that their own connection to a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers—and forced a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

Review:

Cordelia Carstairs’ father was accused of a crime and arrested, so her mother and brother brought their family to London to start over their lives. Her mother wants Cordelia to be married, but Cordelia is interested in learning how to fight as a Shadowhunter. Cordelia is reunited with her childhood friends Lucie and James Herondale. The world of the Shadowhunters has been quiet for years, without demon attacks to train the younger generation. However, after Cordelia arrives, they encounter some demon attacks during daylight. These demons aren’t like ones they’ve ever fought before because they appear in the daytime. The new generation of Shadowhunters has to figure out how to defeat the new demons while also dealing with their personal relationship problems.

This is the first series I’ve read that follows different generations of a family. The Infernal Devices, which is about the parents of the characters in this book, is one of my favourite series. I loved this continuation of their story. I thought I would miss the parents in this story, but they were in the story enough. There were things the kids had to keep secret from their parents, including their demon battles, which made the story exciting.

Though there were about 6 primary characters in this story, they were all distinct people. It would definitely be helpful to read The Infernal Devices first, because the parents of these characters were introduced in those books. I actually had to make a family tree when I first started reading so I could keep all of the characters straight. However, they each had different personalities and storylines, so it was easy to keep them distinct in my mind.

I loved this start to the new Shadowhunters series!

What to read next:

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Other books in the series:

  • Chain of Iron

Have you read Chain of Gold? What did you think of it?

Review: City of the Plague God

Title: City of the Plague God
Author: Sarwat Chadda
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 12, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents CITY OF THE PLAGUE GOD, an adventure based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology written by Sarwat Chadda, author of the Ash Mistry series. Characters from the Epic of Gilgamesh populate this high-stakes contemporary adventure in which all of Manhattan is threatened by the ancient god of plagues.

Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents’ deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life.Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn’t know it, and that’s about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble. 

Sik’s not in this alone. He’s got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they’ll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares.

Review:

Thirteen-year-old Sik helps out with his parents’ deli in Manhattan. One night, he’s attacked by demons who were working with the plague god Nergal. Their deli is destroyed and his parents are left in the hospital with a mysterious virus. Sik is rescued by his new friend Belet who lives with a god of her own. Nargal insists that Sik is hiding an item that Sik’s brother sent back from Iraq just before he died. Sik and Belet have to find this item, with the help of the hero Gilgamesh, to save their city and Sik’s parents.

I have never read Mesopotamian mythology before, or even the epic story of Gilgamesh, so this was all new to me. I loved learning about the different gods and their stories. The story was set in the familiar city of New York, so I could picture everything that happened, even though the characters were all new.

This story addressed racism and Islamophobia. Sik’s friend Daoud was an actor, but he had accepted the fact that he was always going to be cast as the villain or a terrorist. He wouldn’t be the hero. Luckily in this story, Sik is a Muslim hero. This racism was disturbing because it’s so outrageous and doesn’t make any sense. I’m glad that books like this can be published, because I love reading about different cultures. My favourite books are the ones that teach me things, and I feel like I learned a lot from this one.

This is a great story in the Rick Riordan Presents collection!

Thank you Rick Riordan Presents for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Tristan Strong Punches a Hold in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Have you read City of the Plague God? What did you think of it?

Review: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)

Title: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Review:

The Shadowhunters of the London Institute must find Mortmain before he can release his automatons on the world. Tessa and Jem are engaged to be married, but the countdown is on when his condition worsens. After a battle with the automatons, Tessa is kidnapped, leading the Shadowhunters on a mission to save her and stop Mortmain.

This was a fabulous finale to this trilogy! There was so much love and heartbreak. I felt like there were so many endings to the story. Halfway through, I felt like the story could have been finished, so I didn’t know what would happen next. The same thing happened with 100 pages left. The ending was quite drawn out but it completed each character’s storyline.

The ending of this book was both beautiful and heartbreaking. I didn’t see how the love triangle between Tessa, Will, and Jem could possibly end happily. There was a much more positive conclusion to that story than I could have predicted, even though it was still so heartbreaking.

I’m very curious to see what happens in Chain of Gold, which is the start of the series that follows this one chronologically. The Infernal Devices was such an amazing series!

What to read next:

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Other books in the series:

Have you read Clockwork Princess? What did you think of it?

Review: Cemetery Boys

Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Source: Purchased
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 1, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Review:

Yadriel’s brujx family has trouble accepting him as a transgender boy. He wants to prove to them that he can be a brujo, so he summons a ghost. The problem is that he can’t send the ghost on to the afterlife. The ghost turns out to be a bad boy from his school, Julian. Julian wants to make sure his friends are okay before going to the afterlife because he can’t remember the final moments of his life. Yadriel agrees to help Julian, but as they get closer, Yadriel gets more reluctant to send Julian’s spirit away.

I loved the way this story looked at gender through traditions and magic. Yadriel’s family was very traditional. They didn’t want to accept him as a brujo because he was born a girl. Some of his family members refused to use his correct pronouns or his preferred name. This was a little complicated, since the Spanish language uses only male or female genders. Similarly, their magic system only identifies someone as a brujo (a boy) or a bruja (a girl). That becomes a problem when someone identifies as male, but the family sees them as female. Yadriel had the support of a couple of family members who helped him find his true magic.

I was shocked at the ending. I didn’t see the final twists coming at all. During the last few chapters, I was getting worried that the story wouldn’t end the way I wanted it to. However, there were some surprises and I was pleased with the ending.

This is an amazing debut! I’m so glad I finally read it.

What to read next:

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

Love and Other Curses by Michael Thomas Ford

Have you read Cemetery Boys? What did you think of it?

Review: The Memory Thief (Thirteen Witches #1)

Title: The Memory Thief (Thirteen Witches #1)
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Aladdin
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, this fantastical and heartfelt first book in a new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson follows a girl who must defeat thirteen evil witches.

Twelve-year-old Rosie Singer’s mom is missing whatever it is that makes mothers love their daughters. All her life, Rosie has known this…and turned to stories for comfort. Then, on the night Rosie decides to throw her stories away forever, an invisible ally helps her discover the Witch Hunter’s Guide to the Universe, a book that claims that all of the evil in the world stems from thirteen witches who are unseen…but also unstoppable. One of these witches—the Memory Thief—holds an insidious power to steal our most precious treasures: our memories. And it is this witch who has cursed Rosie’s mother. 

In her quest to save her mom—and with her wild, loyal friend “Germ” by her side—Rosie will find the layers hidden under the reality she only thought she knew: where ghosts linger as shades of the past, where clouds witness the world, and a ladder dangles from the moon leading to something bigger and more. Here, words are weapons against the darkness, and witch hunters are those brave enough to wield their imaginations in the face of the unthinkable. 

At the core of this stunning novel—the first of the Thirteen Witches trilogy from critically acclaimed author Jodi Lynn Anderson—is a passionate argument that stories have the power to create meaningful change…and a reason to hope even when the world feels crushing.

Review:

Twelve-year-old Rosie Oakes has always made up stories to comfort herself. She lives with her mom, but her mom has never been like other moms. She can’t seem to hold on to any of her memories. One night, Rosie wakes up to find ghosts in her house. The ghosts show her a book that holds her mother’s secret history as a witch hunter. The witch called The Memory Thief cursed Rosie’s mother after Rosie was born. Rosie, along with her best friend Germ, have to hunt down the witch to get her mother’s memories back.

This was a fun paranormal story. My favourite books in middle school were about ghosts, so I loved this one. Rosie was a strong character who practically had to raise herself since her mother wasn’t present in her life. She was brave since she insisted in hunting down the witch who had cursed her mother. I love reading about brave, determined young girls like Rosie.

There were some subtle plot lines that were woven throughout the story. The prologue shows the night that Rosie was born, which ended up being important to the end of the story. There were also lots of references and similarities to Harry Potter, which I also love in a book. Despite the problems with the Harry Potter world, I find the references comforting and they connect me to the story.

This was a fun first book in the Thirteen Witches trilogy!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. by David Levithan

The Wide Starlight by Nicole Lesperance

Have you read The Memory Thief? What did you think of it?

Review: Red School (Part 2)

Title: Red School (Part 2)
Author: Victoria Aveyard, Soman Chainani, Joel Gennari (illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: N/A
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: December 2, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Fantasy titans Victoria Aveyard and Soman Chainani team up in a two-part graphic novel event! Featuring your favourite characters from ‘Red Queen’ and ‘The School for Good and Evil’ series.

Review:

The characters from Red Queen and the School for Good and Evil are still fighting a plague at the school. Mare, Maven, Cal, Agatha, Sophie, and Tedros must find a way to get to the School Master’s Tower and get the magical Storian pen to stop the virus that is infecting everyone at the school.

This was a great conclusion to the Red School graphic novels. There were some more cameos of characters from the novels that appeared at the heart of the problem. I would recommend reading at least the first book of the Red Queen series and The School for Good and Evil series before reading this one because the action begins right away without much of an introduction to the characters.

These comics were such a fun collaboration. It was exciting to see characters from two great series come together in this short adventure.

I hope there are more collaborations between these characters or other series in the future.

What to read next:

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Other books in the series:

Have you read Red School (Part 2)? What did you think of it?

Review: Hall of Smoke

Title: Hall of Smoke
Author: H.M. Long
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Titan Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 19, 2021
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

An epic fantasy featuring warrior priestesses and fickle gods at war

Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, with the power to turn an enemy’s bones to dust with a scream. Banished for disobeying her goddess’s command to murder a traveller, she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside.

While she is gone, raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood. Grieving and alone, Hessa – the last Eangi – must find the traveller, atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path, Hessa strives to win back her goddess’ favour. 

Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Soon Hessa’s trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer.

Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death. Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. And they’re about to wake up.

Review:

Hessa is an Eangi, a warrior princess of Eang the Goddess of War. Hessa was instructed by Eang to kill a traveller to her town. When he arrives and Hessa doesn’t kill him, she is banished from the town. But while she’s gone, her home is invaded and her family and friends are killed. Hessa must try to regain her goddess’s trust while also avenging her people.

This was an incredibly detailed fantasy world. I was drawn into the world right away, and I was rooting for Hessa. The story started out with just a couple of characters being introduced in the story so that the reader can get comfortable in this story.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of by the end of the story, and their names were similar so I found it confusing. There were multiple layers of gods as well as the characters in their world. Hessa went through many different groups on her journey, so she met recurring characters along the way. If these characters had names that weren’t so similar, it would have been easier to keep them straight.

This was a great fantasy debut.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Have you read Hall of Smoke? What did you think of it?

Review: The Lives of Saints [audiobook]

Title: The Lives of Saints
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Short Stories, Audiobook
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: October 6, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Enter the world of the Grishaverse and Shadow and Bone, soon to be a Netflix original series!

Dive into the epic world of international bestselling author Leigh Bardugo with this beautifully illustrated replica of The Lives of Saints, the Istorii Sankt’ya, featuring tales of saints drawn from the beloved novels and beyond. Out of the pages of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, from the hands of Alina Starkov to yours, the Istorii Sankt’ya is a magical keepsake from the Grishaverse.

These tales include miracles and martyrdoms from familiar saints like Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses and Sankt Ilya in Chains, to the strange and obscure stories of Sankta Ursula, Sankta Maradi, and the Starless Saint.

This beautiful collection includes stunning full-color illustrations of each story.

Review:

The Lives of Saints is a collection of short stories from the Grishaverse. Each story tells the origin story of a saint in that series. This book was actually mentioned in the Grishaverse books, so it was like reading a book that the characters have read too.

This audiobook was short at just over two hours long. The narrators were great. There were two narrators that alternated between chapters. The male narrator was Ben Barnes, who is one of the stars of the upcoming Shadow and Bone show. This is a great way to connect this new book to the upcoming show.

I’d love to see a physical copy of this book one day because it is supposed to have beautiful illustrations. I highly recommend this audiobook!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Other books in the series:

Have you read The Lives of Saints? What did you think of it?