Tag: Series

Book Review

Immortal Consequences

TheShelfLife

Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie

Publication Date: July 2025 |Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: Unique fantasy world filled with memorable characters and survival.

5/5 Stars

Book Summary: Blackwood Academy is located on the outskirts of the afterlife. Students here are living in a purgatory of sorts, helping lost souls find their way to move on. Every decade Blackwood hosts an opportunity for one lucky student to showcase their skills and win the choice to either live among the Ascended with a permanent place in society with full access to magic, or to cross to The Other Side. This year, students become a part of a competition, pitting friends against one another to win the coveted chance to choose their fate. When this celebration becomes a competition, survival becomes paramount and relationships are tested.

My Analysis: Now THIS is a book! Any synopsis of this novel doesn’t do it justice. This is so much more than a book about a competition – that element just adds to what is an amazing story. I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of these characters in a purgatory, and thought that the author did a great job developing this entity. The plot was continually interesting, kept me wondering what was going to happen and wanting to read more. The characters were well-developed and I adored their relationships with one another. This is the first in a series (or perhaps a duology?) and I cannot wait to see what happens next after a cliff hanger ending. If you enjoy a unique fantasy world that combines together friendships, romance and survival…then you need to read this one. I can see a wide audience of YA fantasy readers liking this one. I highly recommend it!

Book Review

The Davenports: More Than This

TheShelfLife

The Davenports: More Than This by Krystal Marquis

Publication Date: November 2024 | Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: Worth the read if you enjoyed the first novel, but know going in you’re going to have to get to know the characters all over again. This novel shares impactful stories of an important historical group.

3.5/5 Stars

Book Summary: Sequel to The Davenports. Four Black young women from wealthy families living in the 1910’s share their stories. Ruby is newly engaged, but battling rumors that could ruin her reputation and her father’s campaign for mayor. Olivia is committed to change and social justice. She hopes to reunite with the traveling activist Washington DeWitt, until her parents suggestion of a suitor catches her interest. Amy-Rose is finally fulfilling her lifelong dream of owning a hair salon, but this puts her back in proximity of the dashing John Davenport. Helen is determined to bring the family carriage company forward by introducing a motorcar. Teaming up with the rake racer Swift, she puts a plan in motion.

My Analysis:I absolutely LOVED the first Davenports book, so as soon as I saw this was available I jumped at the chance to read it. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed in it overall. The writing was good, as it was in the first novel, but the characters actually bothered me. Without giving too much away, there are not one but several characters that simply choose not to read letters they had and make very large assumptions which lead to some significant miscommunications. If you aren’t into miscommunication tropes, steer clear of this one. In the first novel there was a lot of character development and build up (particularly with love interests) and it almost seemed like I was getting to know new characters (with new love interests) instead. In the sequel I also felt as if the character development wasn’t as well done. I think it may have been the multiple POV’s this time around, even though that didn’t seem to interfere with the first. It was hard to really get to know any of the POV’s in a deeper level. I did however like the new character additions and the push for these Black female characters to strive for their goals and show that they are More Than This. That message is an important one, and you can tell this author did her historical research of this time period. There aren’t many novels out there (particularly YA) that share this specific viewpoint in this time in history, so it is definitely worth reading.

Book Review

The Prisoner’s Throne

TheShelfLife

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

Publication Date: March 2024

Overall Verdict: A satisfying end to the duology, full of everything fans of Holly Black love about her work.

4.5/5 Stars

Book Summary: Prince Oak is imprisoned for his betrayal to the new Queen Suren. High King Cardan and High Queen Jude will do whatever is necessary to retrieve Oak, even if that means war. Faced with impossible circumstances Oak must decide where his loyalties lie while also using his charm and wit to prevent catastrophe.

My Analysis: This was a very satisfying end to the duology, and I liked how things wrapped up. She also left things open plot-wise for her to continue with another supplemental series if she wishes. I’ll admit it did take me until about halfway through to really get into this one, it was a little slow moving to start with. But I really love the characters Oak and Wren and their relationship with one another, and that alone was enough to keep going. Once things started picking up though, there were some interesting twists and turns! Fans of the Folk of the Air original series will appreciate the appearances of Jude and Cardan throughout this one. Overall, if you love this world Holly Black has created, you need to read this one as well.

Book Review

This Cursed Light

TheShelfLife

This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede

Publication Date: December 2023| Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: An underwhelming conclusion to the duology, but worth reading if you really liked the first novel.

2/5 Stars

Book Summary: Six months after saving the world, a new threat emerges. Desperate to seek answers to what is coming, Alessa, Dante and their friends try to locate the exiled Ghiotte to recruit as allies. Between Dante’s lack of powers and Alessa’s new growing darkness, it’s more challenging than ever. What does it cost to save the world again? And who will be willing to pay the price?

My Analysis: I was very underwhelmed by this conclusion to the duology. To me, the best part of reading This Vicious Grace was the banter and relationship between Alessa and Dante. In this one however, I found that to be severely lacking and their interactions seemed more immature than before. I was also put off by the repetition and inconsistencies that were present throughout. Hopefully this is something that will be fixed as a final edit, but the fact that I noticed so many was disappointing. What do I like about this series? The magic system. It is very creative and I really like the idea of the Finestra amplifying powers of those around her. The underlying concept was there but just didn’t work well with how it was written. If you really enjoyed This Vicious Grace then it is worth a read to have a conclusion and to learn a bit more about the magic the characters hold.

Book Review

A Curse for True Love

TheShelfLife

A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber

Publication Date: October 2023

Overall Verdict: A satisfying ending to a magical trilogy full of fairytale curses and stories.

4.5/5 Stars

Book Summary: Evangeline has come a long way in her adventure for a happy ending. Now she is married to a prince and it seems as though things couldn’t be better. Little does she know exactly what she has sacrificed to gain this happiness. True love is put to the test and the battle for a happy ending wages on.

My Analysis: This was a solid close to this fantasy trilogy. The author did a nice job of wrapping the story up and tying loose ends together. This novel did share a dual POV, unlike the first two, which I didn’t really care for. I can understand wanting to gain additional perspective based on what is going on in the plot, but I definitely found myself liking one much more than the other. I have loved the relationships Garber has built between these characters and this one did not disappoint as they only continued to develop. If you’re looking for a magical series that is very heavy on fairytale concepts this will be right up your alley! I highly recommend this series!

Book Review

The Scarlet Veil

TheShelfLife

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin

Publication Date: September 2023 | Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: Give it a read if you really enjoyed the Serpent and Dove series and it’s characters and are willing to put up with a slow moving and sometimes predictable plot.

3/5 Stars

Book Summary: Set after the Serpent and Dove series. Celie has taken her vows to become the first female Chasseur. A new evil is on the horizon, resulting in many dead bodies. As Celie works to investigate, she finds herself in the company of vampires. How far is she willing to go to do what is right? What will she learn about herself in the process?

My Analysis: I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it fell short for me. I am a big fan of Mahuin’s Serpent and Dove series, and as soon as I heard this was coming out, it was immediately on my TBR list. The same world and characters and the inclusion of vampires? Sounded like a win. Overall there were some really interesting parts to the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the vampire characters. To me, getting to know them was absolutely the best part. My biggest hang up with this story was Celie’s character development. I can understand the author trying to share the feminine side of this protagonist, but to me she seemed to come off as way too weak and innocent. More so than she really needed to be to get her point across. The Scarlet Veil is written as Celie’s story and as such the first 60% of the book was rough for me to get through because of her character. The story does pick up though towards the end and it is action packed (although somewhat predictable) until the last page. Ultimately, if you really enjoyed Serpent and Dove, want to read more about those characters and can put up with a slower pace, this is worth a read.