Friday, May 31, 2019

Review: Blood Beyond Darkness (Darkness #4) by Stacey Marie Brown

Title: Blood Beyond Darkness
Series: Darkness #4
Author: Stacey Marie Brown
Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing
Published: August 25, 2014
Pages: 335
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Ebook
~~~~~
After months of searching, Ember and her friends have finally located the Sword of Light, the only weapon capable of destroying Queen Aneira and ending her rule. This is Ember’s destiny. Or so she thought. Now a pact to save the man she loves changes everything.

In this final installment in the Darkness Series, when the truth comes to light, Ember will learn some things are better left in the dark as her world is ripped even further apart. It is no longer a rabbit hole, but a never-ending black void full of endless lies, betrayals, and secrets.

The fight for Earth has begun, and Ember will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save millions of innocent lives and those she loves.

But this price may be too high—even for her.



MY REVIEW
DISCLAIMER: This review MAY contain spoilers. 

Blood Beyond Darkness is such an incredible end to such an awesome series! I jumped into this book (and the series) with reckless abandon and I was swallowed whole. This series will seriously consume you. I read each book of this series in a day, all back to back. I couldn't get enough! 

The plot of this book series is excellent! It is clever and is executed very well. This book is exciting and thrilling from start to finish. It will keep you on the edge in suspense. I loved the plot twists and the foreshadowing in the series was done quite well. The premise of the series is original and interesting. There were many grammatical errors in this book like there were in the other books in the series, but apart from that, the writing is quite good. 

All of the emotions come full circle with the characters in this series in Blood Beyond Darkness. The family aspect that has developed between all of the characters is heartwarming. I like the idea that you choose family is present throughout the series. Most of these characters are family when they would normally be adversaries, all because Ember is the glue that holds them together. There are so many lives intertwined in this series. The chemistry between characters has been amazing in this series and I think that it only gets better in this book. You can feel how close the characters are becoming and what they mean to each other. 

I loved the romance in this series, apart from book one. After the first book, the romance really became incredible. Eli and Ember travel the mountains and valleys of their relationship hitting every bump along the way. Their romance was full of conflicts and struggles, but they managed to overcome them. Their romance was full of every emotion you can imagine and it was so satisfying. I love the way things ended. 

The ending was satisfying as a whole, but I honestly would have liked more. The ending leaves off after the villain is defeated, but after that, there is only an epilogue. The epilogue clears up the aftermath, but I would have liked some more interaction between the characters after the boss fight. Sometimes those emotions from the characters and their dialogues can say much more than an epilogue ever could. I am not saying that I didn't like the epilogue though, because I did. I just felt that there should have been more between the end of the fight scene and the epilogue. 

Overall, I am jazzed with this book and with this series! It is hands down on my favorites list now! This is a series that I will definitely be rereading in the future. It has been an amazing ride from start to finish. If you love paranormal romance or urban fantasy with interesting characters, a well-developed plot, and fresh ideas then you will love this series! I highly recommend it! I am only glad that the Lightness series by Stacey Marie Brown is set in this same world and contains some of the same characters. I am excited to hear their stories as well. 


Check out my reviews for the other books in this series!


Darkness of Light (Darkness #1)

Find my review here.

Fire in the Darkness (Darkness #2)

Find my review here.

Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness #3)

Find my review here.


I read Stacey Marie Brown's Collector series prior to this one and then I binge read this series. I fell so in love with her writing. She is now one of my all-time favorite authors. What was the last author that you discovered and binge read their entire back library? Which new releases are you looking forward to?

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Review: Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness #3) by Stacey Marie Brown

Title: Dwellers of Darkness
Series: Darkness #3
Author: Stacey Marie Brown
Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing
Published: February 11, 2014
Pages: 344
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Ebook
~~~~~
Some days feel like years, but in Ember Brycin’s case just the opposite is true. She had only been in the Otherworld for a day or two when she returned back to the Earth's realm. But it is three years later on Earth. Em is now 22. It would matter if she was human, but she’s not. She is a Dae, part Demon and part Fay, with a little Dark Dweller thrown in to make her even more of a freak.

Seeing Seattle rebuilt only confirms she has been gone three years. For her it was not long ago that the Seattle area was just rubble of concrete and death. All done by her hand. 

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is her undeniable connection to Eli Dragen, who is sexy, gorgeous, and even more volatile and frustrating. But her problems go way past him. The Seelie Queen of the Otherworld still holds Mark, Em’s father, and her friends, Ryan, and Josh as hostages. Em needs to rescue them without, once again, getting caught and being used as a pawn to help the Queen regain possession of Earth. At the same time Ember is in hot water with Lars, the Unseelie King, after breaking her contract with him.

As some secrets have come to light others seem to become even more enigmatic. The only truth Ember knows is,everyone is harboring secrets. As Eli’s past is revealed, Em understands more clearly why he acts the way he does and how much their lives are intertwined. But she also knows Eli is holding something back, something that could change their relationship forever.

Em herself continues to wrestle with her feelings toward Torin and her own secret she’s withholding from Kennedy. As the tension for war mounts between the Seelie and Unseelie (Light and Dark), the tension at the Dark Dweller’s compound mounts even more as they prepare to obtain the sword no matter what the price. But is Ember the answer to the location of the sword? Is she the one to fulfill the prophecy? As usual nothing is ever what it seems.



MY REVIEW
DISCLAIMER: This review MAY contain spoilers. 

Wow, this fucking book! It was tantalizing from the beginning and it did not let up for a moment. It was one astonishing ride that I am grateful to have had. I can only imagine that reading this book is as adrenalizing as Ember felt riding on the back of Eli's Harley. 

I am pretty impressed with the plot in this series and where the story is going. It really does get so much more intense in this book. There are high stakes and conflicts around every corner. I am liking the foreshadowing coming back from previous books and shocking me with new developments. The plot feels very well put together. Everything fits and works perfectly. I love the plot twists and the suspense to know more. 

I really love this intricate cast of characters. The chemistry and interactions between these characters really vitalizes the story. The plot is excellent and very clever, but the characters are the meat of the story. They make it worth reading. I have come to really adore most of these characters. I love how the addition of Cal and Simmons brings some humor to the series that was lacking in the first book. I love how developed most of the characters are and how they embody the concept that no one is purely bad or good. Most of these characters have a bit of both, and I like that. It makes them seem more real. Everyone has flaws so it is good to see some in these characters. I have come to love them so much.

The romance in this series is so hot. It burns and devours. There is more love-to-hate in this book with Eli and Ember. They seem to go back and forth between aggression and passion with all the events happening in the story. An underlying theme is trust. Every time Ember feels her trust has been shattered she closes herself off and their relationship takes the hit. They build it back up in the only way they can - by yelling at each other and throwing biting comments back and forth until they can't deny their attraction anymore. And damn, if it isn't glorious! I wasn't sure that I would like their romance when I read Darkness of Light, but it has grown into something I can't get enough of. 

The world-building was well written. Most of the characters take a trip to Greece and the details were very vivid. 

As with the last book, I found way too many grammatical errors in this book. It could use a serious editing session. I can't usually enjoy a book with spelling or grammatical errors, but surprisingly they did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. 

Overall, I want to scream out to everyone to read this series. I personally wasn't fully invested until book two, so if you decide to give it a try I would keep going because it definitely gets better in book two. This book was infinitely better than book two. This series has become one of my favorites. I am eager to read the next book in the series. Stacey Marie Brown is now on my auto-buy list!


Check out my reviews for the other books in this series!


Darkness of Light (Darkness #1)

Find my review here.

Fire in the Darkness (Darkness #2)

Find my review here.


This series has quickly become one of my all time favorite series. What was the last book series that you read that claimed a top spot in your heart and on your shelf? What is on your summer TBR?

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Can't Wait Wednesday/WWW


Can't Wait Wednesday is a meme hosted by Wishful Endings. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday which was hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post, we spotlight upcoming releases that we are super jazzed about.

WWW Wednesday is a meme currently hosted by Taking on a World of Words and previously hosted by A Daily Rhythm. This meme tackles three questions each week:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?


Title: The Chosen
Series: Contender #1
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends
Published: June 4, 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
~~~~~

Introducing an epic new trilogy from Taran Matharu, author of the New York Times–bestselling Summoner series. 

Throughout history, people have vanished with no explanation. A group of teenagers are about to discover why.

Cade is settling into a new boarding school, contemplating his future, when he finds himself transported to another realm. He soon discovers their new world is populated with lost remnants from the past: prehistoric creatures, ancient relics, and stranger still — people. Overwhelmed by his new surroundings, Cade has little time to adjust, for soon he and his fellow classmates are forced to become contenders in a brutal game, controlled by mysterious overlords.

But who are these beings and why did they choose these teens? Cade must prepare for battle . . . because hiding is not an option.




Thoughts


I am about to read this ARC and I am so stoked. It sounds incredible and I'd be lying if I said that cover didn't make me drool. 


Currently Reading

  
(All rereads.)

Recently Finished

I have regrettably not finished any actual books this week. I have been reading a lot of Jurdan (The Folk of the Air) fanfiction though, so there's that. ðŸ™ƒ

Reading Next

  


What is a book that you are patiently (or not so much) waiting on? What books have you been reading recently? Feel free to leave the link to your Waiting on Wednesday and/or WWW post!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books Released in the Last Yen Years


Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a different question for book bloggers to ponder over. 

This week's topic is:


FAVORITE BOOKS RELEASED IN THE LAST TEN YEARS
~~~~~
I forgot to schedule this one so it's a day late. Whoops! Anyway, I am not counting 2019 since the year is not yet concluded and there are more wonderful books coming. I am also not counting sequels or else this post would be flooded. ðŸ˜„ And there is no way to narrow it down to a single book per year, so whatevs. ðŸ˜œ
~~~~~
2009


2010

 

2011

   

2012

   
   
  

2013

  

2014

   
  

2015

   
   
  

2016

   
   
   
  

2017

   
 

2018

   

What are some of your favorite books of the past ten years? Feel free to leave the link to your Top Ten Tuesday post!
 

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