Fantasy – Page 2 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: Realm United (The Felserpent Chronicles #3)

Title: Realm United (The Felserpent Chronicles #3)
Author: Katie Keridan
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: SparkPress
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 8, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

This enemies-to-lovers YA romantacy is the last book in the popular Felserpent Chronicle series, bringing the story full circle with timely themes of sacrifice, war, and love.

Sebastian Sayre and Kyra Valorian, the former Felserpent King and Queen, thought they knew what reuniting the divided realms of Aeles and Nocens would require of them. But fulfilling their promises to stop Tallus and bring peace between those with silver and gold blood will require sacrifices they didn’t expect to make.

Furious over Kyra’s refusal to help him turn Daevals into Astrals, Tallus assumes control of Aeles and announces he’s developed a weapon capable of killing everyone with silver blood. Kyra discovers a way to defeat him, but it will require her to perform a terrible act she isn’t sure she can live with. Sebastian loathes becoming a recognized public figure, and given his dark past, there are those who don’t trust him to hold a position of power, even as he and Kyra race to reunite the realms.

Filled with old friends and new allies, devastating betrayals and surprising revelations, this heart-pounding conclusion to the Felserpent Chronicles ends where it began: in the grey waters of Death. Controlling the past might change the future, but will saving their world cost Sebastian and Kyra the very bond that binds them across time?

Review:

This book is a great finale to the Felserpent Chronicles! Kyra and Sebastian had a lot to do to complete their goal of uniting their two realms, and I wasn’t sure if they would be able to do it in the space of this novel. I loved the ending! All of the questions I had were answered, and there was also a heartwarming surprise!

Realm United is an exciting conclusion to the Felserpent Chronicles!

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Content warnings: kidnapping, death, murder, death of parent (off page)

Other books in the series:

Have you read Realm United? What did you think of it?

Review: Magician and Fool (Arcana Oracle #1)

Title: Magician and Fool (Arcana Oracle #1)
Author: Susan Wands
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: SparkPress
Source: BookSparks
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Pamela Colman Smith, newly arrived from New York to her birthplace of London, is received as an oddball in Victorian society. Her second sight helps her in her new illustrating tarot cards for the Golden Dawn, a newly formed occult group. But when Pamela refuses to share her creations with Aleister Crowley, a controversial magician, he issues a give up the cards’ power, or he’ll harm her muses.

In the midst of this battle, two of Pamela’s idols, the actors Henry Irving and William Terriss, take her under their wing. Henry, who tutors her as the leader of the Lyceum Theatre, becomes the muse for her Magician card. William Terriss, teaching her by examples of instinct and courage, becomes the muse for her Fool card. As Pamela begins to create the tarot deck, she is almost overwhelmed by the race to possess the magical power of her cards. In order to defeat Aleister, Henry and William will have to transform into living incarnations of the Magician and the Fool—and Pamela will have to learn how to conjure her own magic.

Review:

This book is an intriguing historical fiction about an occult group in the Victorian era. The men who created the group were all well known men in their fields, such as Bram Stoker and Henry Irving. The story also followed a young girl, Pamela Colman Smith, as she experienced strange magical powers during her childhood until she became an adult. I recognized some of the characters as real historical figures, but I didn’t realize Pamela was a real person too until the end. I’m looking forward to continuing the series!

Magician and Fool is an interesting magical historical fiction!

Thank you BookSparks for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parents (off page)

Other books in the series:

High Priestess and Empress (Arcane Oracle #2)
Emperor and Hierophant (Arcane Oracle #3)

Have you read Magician and Fool? What did you think of it?

Review: The Mafia Nanny, Vol. 1

Title: The Mafia Nanny, Vol. 1
Author: SH00, Violet Matter, Rouusuu, Drawniels
Genre: Graphic Novel, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Webtoon Unscrolled
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 4, 2025
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

For fans of romances with dashes of action and comedy, this hit WEBTOON comic with over 1.7 million subscribers follows Davina on her first assignment out of the Elite Nanny Academy: protect the young son of notorious mafia underboss, Gabriel Angelini.

Being an Elite Nanny is simple: protect the charge, obey the principle, and don’t get emotionally attached.

This is easier said than done when Davina’s first client is a dangerously compelling Venetian underboss who’s determined to get under her skin. What he wants from her, she can’t imagine, but Gabriel Angelini drags her back into the glittering world of organized crime she thought she’d left behind forever.

Davina might get answers about her past if she digs deep enough, but her challenges will be protecting Mikey from his father’s ambitions and keeping her heart from getting tangled up in their treacherous web.

This volume collects episodes 1–12 of the smash hit WEBTOON series The Mafia Nanny.

Review:

This graphic novel follows Davina, a nanny from the Elite Nanny Academy, on her first assignment to protect the son of a mafia boss. The young boy tried to outsmart her many times, so Davina had to keep on her toes. There were some hints to her backstory that led her to this kind of job, which I hope will be explored more in the next books.

The Mafia Nanny is a funny action graphic novel!

Thank you Wattpad Books for sending me a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent (off page) kidnapping, knife violence

Have you read The Mafia Nanny, Vol. 1? What did you think of it?

Review: Blood Divided (The Felserpent Chronicles #2)

Title: Blood Divided (The Felserpent Chronicles #2)
Author: Katie Keridan
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: SparkPress
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kyra Valorian and Sebastian Sayre have finally remembered their pasts as the former Felserpent Queen and King, and now it’s time for them to change the future―by reuniting the realms and bringing peace to Astrals and Daevals. But tensions between Aeles and Nocens have never been higher, and those of silver and gold blood are more divided than ever.

In addition to improving her recovrancy abilities and completing internship, Kyra is determined to uncover her father’s role in the evil Astral experimentation program, no matter the danger. As Sebastian learns to be in a relationship, he finds himself facing the traumas of two very different pasts, forcing him to make tough decisions about his chosen profession and who he wants to be. Meanwhile, Tallus, arch-enemy to the Felserpent monarchy, has also returned―and it will take help from Cyphers, as well as friends both old and new, to find and stop him.

As Kyra and Sebastian struggle to navigate the differences between their past and current relationship, one thing’s part of fulfilling their destiny means accepting their fate. The choices they make will reach all the way into Death in this thrilling found family sequel to Reign Returned .

Review:

This book is a thrilling sequel to Reign Returned! There was more action in this story since the characters and world were introduced in the first book. I loved how more of Kyra and Sebastian’s past lives together were slowly being revealed to them. They found more people who were also been reincarnated with them. I’m excited to read the final book in the trilogy!

Blood Divided is a great fantasy sequel!

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Content warnings: death of parent, knife violence, child abuse, fire

Other books in the series:

Reign Returned (The Felserpent Chronicles #1)
Realm United (The Felserpent Chronicles #3)

Have you read Blood Divided? What did you think of it?

Review: Reign Returned (The Felserpent Chronicles #1)

Title: Reign Returned (The Felserpent Chronicles #1)
Author: Katie Keridan
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: SparkPress
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 1, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kyra Valorian is the most gifted Astral healer the golden-blooded realm of Aeles has seen in ages. When tragedy strikes, Kyra discovers she possesses a life-changing she’s a Recovrancer, able to enter the realm of the dead and recover those who’ve died before their time. Unfortunately, recovrancy is outlawed in her realm. Desperate for answers, Kyra will do anything to get them . . . even partner with a dangerous enemy.

Sebastian Sayre is the most sought-after Daeval assassin in all of Nocens. A silver-blooded Pyromancer, he wields fire and dreams of finding Rhannu, a legendary sword that makes its holder invincible. Since the sword was long ago stolen from Nocens and hidden where no Daeval can retrieve it, however, such a dream seems impossible … until he encounters the one Astral who might be both able and willing to help him.

As Kyra and Sebastian work together to uncover the secrets of their realms, they also uncover secrets within their own pasts—pasts that are far more intertwined than they ever imagined. Ultimately, in this tale of discovery, destiny, and a love strong enough to outlast time, remembering the past just may prove to be the only way to change the future.

Review:

This book is an exciting story about a couple from opposing regions who have been reincarnated from a past King and Queen. There was a complex magic world, which included animal companions for each of the characters. I loved the main characters Kyra and Sebastian. They had well developed backstories, and they had some secrets in their past too. I’m so excited to continue reading this trilogy!

Reign Returned is a great beginning to this series!

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Content warnings: death of parent, child abuse (off page), murder (off page)

Other books in the series:

Blood Divided (The Felserpent Chronicles #2)
Realm United (The Felserpent Chronicles #3)

Have you read Reign Returned? What did you think of it?

Review: Orphan’s Quest (The Great Forget Fantasy Series #1)

Title: Orphan’s Quest (The Great Forget Fantasy Series #1)
Author: Terry Ironwood
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Independent
Source: Author
Format: Ebook
Release Date: June 13, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The weapons master once said, “Everything we want is on the other side of fear.”

The journey begins…

Long ago, a mysterious event ravaged Earth. Magic was born.

Millennia later, a baby with red eyes is abandoned at the gates of a small kingdom. The orphan, Chip, is condemned by a spiteful king to a life of servitude in the royal kitchens until he serendipitously finds himself before the powerful wizard Xander, who sees something special in the boy. From the rhythmic, sleepy life in the kingdom to seeking the fabled Pass of Death for his Manhood Quest, Chip’s story is brimming with arcane magic, gut-wrenching emotion, and lessons about the tenacious will of the human spirit.

Follow the orphan as he encounters an ancient evil and makes a stunning revelation…

Enter an addictively satisfying world of bravery, battle, friendship, and ferocity. Orphan’s Quest is an action-packed journey replete with hard-fought lessons of wisdom and impossible choices. This series delves into the illusion of self-imposed limits and entices us to break through our walls.

Join Chip as he grapples with friendship, love, hate and betrayal in an epic adventure inspired by the timeless, unparalleled works of the fantasy legends.

Review:

This book is a thrilling start to a fantasy series. It starts at the beginning of Chip’s life as an abandoned baby and ends in his adolescence, when he was embarking on an adventure. I felt completely immersed in this world. It had an interesting magic system, with the type of magic the wizard had being shown in their eye colour. This book is a short and exciting introduction to this series!

Orphan’s Quest is a great fantasy story!

Thank you Terry Ironwood and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Content warnings: parental abandonment, bullying, violence

Other books in the series:

Defender’s Hope (The Great Forget Fantasy Series #2)
A Dim World (The Great Forget Fantasy Series #3)
Guardian (The Great Forget Fantasy Series #4)
Wizard’s Guild (The Great Forget Fantasy Series #5)
Stone Kingdom (The Great Forget Fantasy Series #6)
Light Seeker (The Great Forget Fantasy Series #7)

Have you read Orphan’s Quest? What did you think of it?

Review: The Elf Witch (Plot of the Six Saints #1)

Title: The Elf Witch (Plot of the Six Saints #1)
Author: Jacquelyn Gilmore
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Independent
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

For fans of One Dark Window and From Blood and Ash comes a haunting, slow-burn fantasy romance about villains. It follows a formerly magicless elf as she suddenly comes into powers that her kingdom has never seen and the duplicitous prince she must bargain with to save them at whatever cost—even her soul.

After her grandmother’s execution, a formerly magicless elf is suddenly the most powerful witch in her village. Magic is disappearing, though, and Imani is thrust into the treacherous court of her kingdom, forced into trials against the most lethal witches in the world.

As she unravels the perilous plan her grandmother plotted before her death to save magic, Imani unwittingly dives deeper into a web of magical and political intrigue that puts her on a collision course with dangers beyond anything she imagined.

But Imani is harboring illicit knowledge of her own—a forbidden dark magic that’s getting more difficult to hide by the day. Now, she must decide whether to make herself a threat and an enemy to her country or risk becoming a pawn and the realm losing magic forever.

Stuck in this predicament, Imani sees only one path forward: a dangerous deal with the duplicitous prince—one she might be falling for.

Readers Beware: This book is for adult readers and contains mature and explicit content (see the author’s website for a complete list of trigger warnings). It’s a villain romance with morally black antihero characters that ends on a cliffhanger.

Review:

This fantasy was suspenseful and fast-paced. It was thrilling right from the start, with a mystery about Imani’s powers. She had to enter a competition that put her magic against other witches, while spinning a web in the royal politics. There were twists and betrayals at the end that left me wondering what will happen next!

The Elf Witch is a thrilling fantasy!

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com and Jacquelyn Gilmore for sending me copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Content warnings: violence, death of grandparent, death by burning, blood, sexual assault

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

Review: The Fairy Tale Fan Club: Legendary Letters Collected by C.C. Cecily

Title: The Fairy Tale Fan Club: Legendary Letters Collected by C.C. Cecily
Author: Richard Ayoade, David Roberts (illustrator)
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Publisher: Walker Books US
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

What if you could send fan mail to your fairy tale idols? And what if they wrote back? “Happily ever after” takes on a new meaning in this book from actor-comedian-author Richard Ayoade and best-selling illustrator David Roberts.

It’s once upon a time . . . as only the irreverently witty Richard Ayoade can tell it. In this series of letters organized by C. C. Cecily, Senior Secretary of the Fairy Tale Fan Club, the fairest of them all (and a few bitter foes) correspond with curious—and opinionated—fans. So if you’ve ever wondered how a less-than-genius (and less-than-clothed) emperor fell for a certain con, how the Big Bad Wolf is handling meatless Mondays, or whether Rapunzel recommends going for the big chop, no need to look far, far away. Multihyphenate Richard Ayoade, author of The Book That No One Wanted to Read, hilariously imagines what questions modern children would have for characters such as Sleeping Beauty, Prince Charming, and Little Red Riding Hood—and what they might have to say in return. Complete with clever, spoof-gothic illustrations from David Roberts, this wry storybook may have even the Brothers Grimm cackling in their graves.

Review:

This book is a collection of fan letters written to fairy tale characters, as well as their responses. It answers questions about what happened to them after the “happily ever after” of their tale. There were letters from Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and the Big Bad Wolf. These letters were quite funny. I liked seeing these characters tell their side of the classic fairy tale and what happened after the story was finished.

The Fairy Tale Fan Club is a fun book for all fans of fairy tales!

Thank you Walker Books US for sending me a copy of this book!

Have you read The Fairy Tale Fan Club? What did you think of it?

Review: Stone of Hope (Stones of Iona #4)

Title: Stone of Hope (Stones of Iona #4)
Author: Margaret Izard
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 13, 2025
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a twist of fate, Dominic DeVolt is shown archeologist Moira Joanna White’s beauty through the Eye of Ra. Trying to save his niece and nephew from evil Fae powers, he’s sucked into the past and dumped in the middle of her Egyptian archaeology dig.

Moira fears the attractive man who appears at her dig is partnering with her archnemesis. That is until the bold fighter distracts her with a kiss. His duty as uncle tugs her heart, but is he only after her precious artifacts?

He’d fight mystic forces to be with her. She sees her future in his love.

Review:

This book was a fun adventure story with some spice. Even though there were some teenagers in this story who were some of the main characters, it is meant for an adult audience. It was fun to see the characters travel back in time to an Egyptian archaeological dig. This book is the fourth in the series Stones of Iona. It took a couple of chapters to figure out all the characters, because I haven’t read the first three books, but this one can be read as a stand-alone.

The Stone of Hope is a great romance and adventure story!

Thank you The Wild Rose Press for providing a digital copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Content warnings: death, murder, kidnapping

Other books in the series:

Stone of Love (Stones of Iona #1)
Stone of Fear (Stones of Iona #2)
Stone of Lust (Stones of Iona #3)
Stone of Doubt (Stones of Iona #5)

Have you read Stone of Hope? What did you think of it?

Review: (S)Kin

Title: (S)Kin
Author: Ibi Zoboi
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Poetry, Contemporary
Publisher: Versify
Source: BookSparks
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her groundbreaking contemporary fantasy debut—a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore—about the power of inherited magic and the price we must pay to live the life we yearn for.

Fifteen-year-old Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own. But Brooklyn is no place for fireball witches with all its bright lights, shut windows, and bolt-locked doors.… While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by the one person who keeps her chained to her magical past—her mother.

Seventeen-year-old Genevieve is the daughter of a college professor and a newly minted older half sister of twins. Her worsening skin condition and the babies’ constant wailing keep her up at night, when she stares at the dark sky with a deep longing to inhale it all. She hopes to quench the hunger that gnaws at her, one that seems to reach for some memory of her estranged mother. When a new nanny arrives to help with the twins, a family secret connecting her to Marisol is revealed, and Gen begins to find answers to questions she hasn’t even thought to ask.

But the girls soon discover that the very skin keeping their flames locked beneath the surface may be more explosive to the relationships around them than any ancient magic.

Review:

This is a beautiful novel in verse. It follows two girls: Marisol and Genevieve. They were connected through their shared power, where on every new moon, they shed their skin and fly like a comet with the ability to hurt someone who has harmed them. I read most of this book in one sitting. It was fast paced and so hard to put down. It addressed racism, bullying, and slavery in an intense and engaging plot.

(S)Kin is a beautiful story!

Thank you BookSparks for providing a copy of this book as part of the Winter Reading Challenge.

Content warnings: bullying, racism

Have you read (S)Kin? What did you think of it?