Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict

Marriage of a Thousand Lies by SJ Sindu isn't quite a romance but digs into what it means to love. 

Lucky marries her gay friend Kris to appease her family and remain accepted by her Sri Lankan immigrant community in Boston. A marriage of convenience that works well on the surface. Everyone believes she married for love and escaped the fate of an arranged one. Kris and Lucky can be who they are together in LGBTQ spaces, taking home whoever they want. But things get tricky when Nisha comes back into Lucky's life. Nisha is her childhood best friend and former lover. But Nisha is getting married to Deepak and being the good daughter. The women steal kisses in dark rooms and spend time together while Nisha plans her wedding. They dream of running away together. Is Lucky ready for the fall out if they do? The book explores all the feelings that surface with Nisha back in her life. She's at a crossroad and not sure which way to go.

When my Mocha Girls Read book club voted for this book, I expected a very depressing book. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was a well-written and easy read about embracing your authentic self. It felt almost like a Young Adult novel centered on a grown woman sifting through confusing emotions and trying to find the way to the other side. Lucky is an interesting protagonist who didn't want to give up her community but can't escape who she is. We learn about her feelings with lyrical musings throughout the book.

I would recommend this book for YA fans and anyone looking for a romance mixed with self-discovery.

As a big fan of Amanda Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles, I was pumped for her new book Nightchaser. This is the first book in her new sci-fi space series, which centers on Tess Bailey. She is a space captain with a troubled past who has become a sort of Robin Hood in space. She and her crew steal vaccines and supplies to give to children in need.

At the start of the book, we find her on the run with a stolen lab. The Dark Watch is closing in and attempting to retrieve the lab by any means necessary. She doesn't even know what she stole, but she'd rather blow it up than surrender. To escape, she takes a dangerous gamble with the ship. She is ready to sacrifice her life, but not her crew. She gives them a choice to bail, but they like her are loyal to the end. They narrowly escape to hide out in a faraway star system to recover before meeting up with the other rebels. Unexpectedly, she meets a devilishly handsome mechanic named Shade Ganavan with secrets of his own. They attempt (and spoiler! they fail) to keep things professional while he repairs her ship. We see the slow romance unfold from both their perspectives. Each character worries about getting too close. They have very good reasons for the walls they've put up around their hearts. The book explores their fears of the vulnerability of relationships. Before they can really get to know each other, danger comes knocking.

This was a book that checked all my favorite story boxes. The perfect mix of action, mystery, and romance with a strong female character. Tess herself was a mystery to unravel. I'm excited about the next book where the stakes are raised and we learn more about her past. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a new romance series set in space with major physical stakes. 

If you're a big fan of Farscape's Aeryn Sun or Captain Janeway, you should definitely give this book a try.

Good Omens, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch was my first foray into the mind of Terry Pratchett. It was my fourth read from Neil Gaiman. I know, I know, I need to read more Pratchett. Since I enjoyed this collaboration, I definitely will soon.

The book follows two unlikely friends Aziraphale, an angel, and Crowley, a demon, who must stop the end of the world. They've known each other since the Garden of Eden. They kept in touch despite working for opposite sides. I especially loved Crowley and how he didn't mean to become a demon, just sort of happened. He definitely was my favorite character in the book. He has a love of Queen music and house plants. All the scenes with them were my favorite. The BFFs have grown accustomed to their lives on Earth. They aren't big on the whole Heaven vs Hell battle thing. They enter a secret pact to influence Satan's son while he grows up on Earth. The hope is that he ends up human and the apocalypse is delayed. Problem is they've been tempting and teaching the wrong kid! They have misplaced the Antichrist. They must locate the child and prevent him from bringing on the end times. Said child is foretold to bring on the final war between the angels and fallen, which won't turn out well for humans when the dust settles.

Image Credit: @LarksArt

I'm a big fan of the tv show Supernatural and most fictional stories that deal with angel and demon mythology. I really wanted to love this book. But I experienced information fatigue at times. Perhaps, this is because I read the audiobook while driving to work. It took me ages to finish and I missed a few things. Thankfully, the tv show cleared up some introductory stuff I had confused especially during the baby switch part. I finally understood the Swindon jokes about Adam's dad. I was also slow to realize that was Famine in that section until much later in the book. I did love the four horsemen as bikers to make them modern. The Them sections had me nodding off early in the book. However, by the final scenes, I was more invested in the gang. The scene at the roadside diner was a delightfully fun. The ending was nice but felt like it dragged to the ineffable climax. I wanted to have all the players in place much sooner. Agnes was such a fun character that I wished there was more of her. I found the Newt romance lacking or making sense to me. Shadwell seemed like a doddered old man who takes his life too seriously. I was glad he softened towards the end.

Overall, I'm very glad I read the book before starting the Amazon miniseries. It was a fun read, but not something I would re-read at all. I have a few eps to go on the tv show. Michael Sheen and David Tennant's performances are pitch perfect. Really like the stronger emphasis on their friendship and added backstory in episode 3. I am also LIVING for the Aziraphale and Crowley romance fan art on twitter!

Image Credit: @thatmightyheart

I would recommend this book for fans of satirical humor and books poking fun at religion and human existence.

A Perfect Blood is the tenth entry in Kim Harrison's series about a witch bounty hunter, Rachel Morgan. 

This time around, it's not supernatural beings out for her blood but...humans. Rachel believes the I.S. has called her out to consult, but really they wanted to see if she was the culprit of ritual witch killings. The victims apparently are being experimented upon with illegal demon curses by a group of human terrorists who want to rid the world of all supernatural creatures. Seems a bit counterproductive to use demon magic to rid the world of witches and other such beings. But hey criminals don't think logically and the ends totally justify the means.

Rachel finds herself forced onto the case to clear her name since she is the only sort of demon the I.S. have on record. A very sneaky way they think to get her to decipher demon magic for them. Instead, it just pisses her off more. Her friend Glenn in the F.I.B is on her side, but his superiors want her demon knowledge too. As usual, she walks the line in between while trying to solve these murders. Especially when she discovers the terrorists are really looking for witches with demonic links in their genes, which Rachel is the closest possible one in existence. These dirty humans are calling her out with their bloody killings. Just begging her to find them and allow them to do even stronger demon magic. Demons and Elves have been warring for eons, so the idea of humans poking around with that level of magic aimlessly isn't good for anyone.

Book ten saw Rachel in a more helpless situation than previous books. To fly under the radar and attempt to live among humans, Trent binds her demon magic. She can't even do leyline magic, which isn't great when sadistic terrorists are out for your literal blood. Quite a bit of the book is her soul searching on whether she should embrace her true nature or not. In the end, she honestly doesn't have a choice. Earth magic means lots of spell books and prep, not very helpful to call upon when her life is on the line. The audiobook was pretty good, which I used to finish up the book when my hardcover version had to be returned to the library. It was nice to listen to the suspenseful action sequences of which there were many in this novel. I wouldn't recommend jumping into this series so late, but the author does give enough backstory that you wouldn't be totally lost. I can't say it was my favorite, but it was a pivotal arc in Rachel's life story. Three more books until I am done with this series, so the end is in sight. I have no idea where it will take me, which is exactly what keeps me returning to Harrison's supernatural world!

With only a few hours left in Cannonball Read 10, this is likely my last review for the year. Onward to CBR11 registration and excellent books in my future.

Iron & Velvet by Alexis Hall is a paranormal F/F romance mystery. I'm always up for anything paranormal with a broody detective, so this was right up my alley. Kate Kane is a private investigator for the supernatural underworld of London. Even though she has a fairy mother, she lives her life as a human, only calling on her untested powers for emergencies. The book opens with a werewolf's murder outside an elite vampire club. Kate's called onto the case by her ex-boyfriend Patrick who basically a vampire fixer. The vampires would like her to wrap up the case quickly and quietly lest a vampire-werewolf war breaks out. Because of course, the victim just has to be related to the werewolf ruling family. A case wrought with supernatural politics, but she is up to the challenge. Even when her ex-boyfriend tells her to walk away.

In the course of the investigation, she crosses path with the club's owner, Julian, a former nun now turned vampire prince. Talk about dating someone with a ton of baggage. Kate simply can't resist getting to closer to this deadly femme fatale. Kate's last girlfriend moved out over a year ago, so she is a bit lonely. Before she can even regret going on a first date, the vampire and she are attacked by an assassin. Proving this killer isn't only targeting werewolves. Kate has to follow the trail wherever it leads, even if that's right into a werewolf funeral and their magical hunting rite that follows.

I enjoyed reading this story on my Kindle whenever I had time. It took me a while to finish because I simply because I would forget about it. I decided to finish it when I realized I had inadvertently purchased the second book. I buy so many books and sometimes it's hard to keep track. And now it turns out both are out of print and a copy is going for $65-466 online, which is nuts. I liked this story, but I can't imagine anyone spending that much for it. Hopefully, Hall is simply in between publishers and the digital versions will be available again soon. His other contemporary novels seem to have digital and print distribution. There are a few similarities to the Kate Daniels series, but I don't think it's as criminal as some of the goodreads reviewers did. Yes, the main character is named Kate and has a rough exterior with a mysterious supernatural background. But the London setting and nuances of the supernatural politics are enough differentiation for me. Not to mention the lesbian romance plot. If you're looking for a standard urban fantasy with a romantic b story, this is a great read. I'll be reading the second book for CBR11 and wouldn't mind reading other books from Hall.  

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is a coming of age story written in poetic verse. 

Xiomara Batista attends Catholic high school and forced by her mom to attend catechism classes. Her mom has a very strict idea of what her daughter should be. Boys are definitely off limits. Thus, she pours all her teenage angst into her prized notebook. Also lots of feelings about her cute classmate named Aman. It's only when she joins the poetry club does she begin to find her voice. Unfortunately, she has to lie to her mom about it. Her mom thinks she is at church while instead, she prepares for an amateur poetry slam night. Everything comes to a head when her mom eventually uncovers the truth.

I really loved this audiobook, which was narrated by the author. Acevedo squeezes in so many feels into a short read. It was definitely my favorite Mocha Girls Read book club read. The story may follow that familiar coming of age arc, but the journey is so vividly written especially Xiomara's poetry performance. The mother was painted with such intensity and the confrontation with her daughter brought tears to my eyes. It's not abnormal for parents and teens do not understand each other, but her mom had such a terrible iron fist over the household. What other choice did Xiomara have but to hide her creativity less it be smashed to pieces by her?

I highly recommend this book for Young Adult book fans looking for a strong female protagonist. Even if you don't like poetry, I guarantee you'll like this novel. And it's such a quick and captivating read. A very worthy recipient of this year's Young People's literature National Book Award.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was a more recent CBR9 book exchange gift. The backlash for the book was pretty intense, but with the recent film adaptation, I was curious to read it for myself. Thus, I was glad my Mocha Girls Read book club picked it for our white male author theme. I ended up finishing it over 4th of July and surprisingly enjoyed the pop culture filled story.

The story follows Wade on an epic quest to essentially save the internet from a fascist capitalist demise. A genius programmer, Halliday created The Oasis, a virtual world so amazing that everyone prefers to live in it 24/7. When he dies, instead of leaving the game to his board or even his former partner & best friend, he creates a contest to find his egg, a nod to game easter eggs. He hides 3 keys to the egg within The Oasis. To inherit the whole shebang, you follow the clues and defeat challenges for the keys. He was so good at hiding it that years go by before anyone finds a key. That is until Wade cracks it. Deciphering the clues isn't the only obstacle. An evil corporation exploits people who are addicted to virtual reality. They loan out virtual money and enslave people who can't pay their bills. To protect their own profits, they are willing to literally kill to win the egg for themselves. They employ game experts called Oologists and an army of gamers to throw at the challenges.

To protect the integrity of Halliday's creation, Wade and his fellow true gamers set out to win the egg. Wade's BFF Aech and Wade's love interest, the mysterious Artemis, are close behind him in the race. Wade becomes slightly obsessed with Artemis before ever meeting her, which I have to admit is very problematic and unhealthy. He doesn't have many social skills since living his life including school online in a virtual reality. His obsession with Artemis eventually creates a rift between Aech and himself. Instead of listening to her when she rejects him or his friend's warning, he decides to become to win the contest to woo her back to him. In the end, he learns that being alone isn't the answer.

As a child of the 80s and early NES adopter, this book was catnip for me. The love story was pretty weak, but thankful it wasn't a bigger focus in the book. I kept turning the pages expecting a big offense to my sensibilities but none arrived. Some of my fellow book club members couldn't stomach a white male protagonist with poor social skills. The movie softened the plot, which was not unexpected for a PG-13 Spielberg adaptation. I would actually recommend the movie over the book if you rather not be caught up in Wade's mind for 300+ pages. It's one of those movies when they're on, I will watch it and enjoy the ride.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory was simply lovely. Alexa and Drew meet when stuck in a hotel elevator together in San Francisco. Alexa is on her way to meet her sister to celebrate a promotion. Drew is begrudgingly going to his ex-girlfriend's wedding. The two strangers hit it off immediately, so Drew takes a chance and invites Alexa to the wedding. He gets a bit carried away and tells everyone she's his girlfriend. Luckily, Alexa doesn't mind and they have an amazing time at the wedding and eventual sleepover. The chemistry is electric between them as they spend the next day together. But alas, they have to return to the real world - Drew back to LA to his doctor duties and Alexa back to Berkeley and her job in the mayor's office. But they both can't get each out of their heads.

The couple embarks on a long-distance romance to court each other on weekends. Drew is determined to keep it casual but can't stop wanting to see Alexa more and more. Alexa hasn't had the best luck with men, so she goes into every date as if the fun may end any second. The romantic conflict and their dialogue while fighting via text were very relatable to me. They didn't have any epic force tearing them apart. Instead, it was their own insecurities, some cultural differences, and career aspirations. The narration switched between the two, so it was fun experiencing the relationship from both sides. The book wasn't just about them getting together, but whether their relationship could really work with their actual lives.

I loved everything about it - the LA/SF setting, the love interests and of course all the food they ate together. If you're looking for a light romance with medium stakes, this book is for you.

I received Boy, Snow, Bird from an earlier CBR book exchange, but it had been collecting dust for a few years. I finally had a reason to pick it back up when my Mocha Girls Read book club selected it for a fairytale's retold theme. Helen Oyeyemi's novel is a VERY loose version of Snow White set in the 1950s.

Boy Novak runs away to a small town to escape her abusive father. She meets a man named Arturo who isn't quite a prince, but he adores her. After sort of wearing her down and her own loneliness, she marries him and becomes stepmother to Snow, his beautiful daughter. Boy's childhood made her very cold and odd, but she becomes almost terrified with jealousy of Snow. When her own child is born, Bird, she banishes Snow to live with Arturo's sister out of state. The remainder of the book is told through Bird's eyes as she observes her dysfunctional family.

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW

When Bird is born, Boy learns that her husband Arturo isn't Italian but actually black. His light skin allows him and passing parents all the caucasian benefits of the time. Even tho they live in the North, they decide it's better to be passing than live as African Americans. Snow is the actual fairest of them all and forced to live in the South with her Aunt who herself was banished for being born with dark skin. But that's not why Boy hated Snow, she literally thinks Snow has malicious intentions for her. Boy's abusive upbringing left her it seems with some PTSD. She stares into mirrors and sees the worst in herself and others. Bird eventually brings them all back together to uncover a secret this time from Boy's childhood. As if the story needed another twist, we learn her physically and verbally abusive father was actually HER MOTHER. Boy was a product of rape and to cope with it, her mother decides to dress like a man and eventually lives as one moving forward. As her father, he tortures Boy for years. When Boy learns the truth, she decides to take Snow and Boy on a road trip to reunite with her mother. The end! That ending left me more confused and suspect of the gender implications of the entire book.

My book club, needless to say, wasn't a big fan. I think I was the most generous to the story that meeting. It was well-written, but at times overly poetic. My biggest issue was the gaps in the story from the multiple narrators. Once we start moving along with the drama, the part ends and a new narrator takes over years in the future. Bird's section took me several pages to realize she was the protagonist.

I am curious to read other books from this author since her writing did hold my attention. If you are a fan of family drama with dark twists, this is an interesting read. If you need a very tight plot, this is probably not the book for you!

Kindred was the June Cannonball Read book club pick. I decided to read both the original novel by Octavia E. Butler and graphic novel adaptation by John Jennings and Damian Duffy. 

Both works focus on Dana, a young writer living in 1970s northern Los Angeles (much like Butler herself). She is recently married and moving into her new home with her older white husband, Kevin. They seem quite in love and happy. Dana is unpacking some books when suddenly and inexplicably she travels through time to 1815 Maryland. This will unfortunately be one of many trips back in time where she encounters Rufus Weylin, the son of a plantation owner. She first meets him as a child drowning in a river. She saves him, but then rewarded by a hysterical beating from his mother and rifle in the face from his father. A likely typical reaction to a strange black woman wearing men's clothes touching their child. It doesn't matter she saved his life. Then boom! Dana is pulled back to her present day where a confused husband claims she was only gone a few minutes. For Dana it was much longer. All her next visits will be longer still.

The second time, Dana saves Rufus once again, this time from a fire he accidentally set in his bedroom. She puts out the fire and with his help slips out of the plantation house. She seeks refuge in a free woman's cabin and ends up meeting Alice Greenwood, one of her ancestors, as a child. Dana pieces together that she has a familial connection to both Rufus and Alice. She never quite understands why, but eventually realizes she must play her part in her own family history.

Her next trip drags Kevin back with her. They both stay for several painful months on the plantation where they have to pretend he owns her as a slave. As the story goes on, it explores the race relations centering on the dynamic between Dana and Rufus. Their lives are intertwined whether they like it or not.

This novel is known as great work of speculative fiction. The powerful critique of America's dark past drives the narrative engine. However, the only sci-fi elements seem to be the time travel aspects. The majority of the story is more historical fiction set in the antebellum South. Her depiction of slave life as both mundane and visceral was important. Especially when they had the party and the slaves got married, it really struck me how it all added up to the present. The slaves had to go on, otherwise Dana (nor I) wouldn't exist. They managed to have joy, but also were bored of their work. It wasn't whippings every day. Sadly, the threat of selling ones children was enough to keep slave women in line.

Butler is such an amazing writer that you become engrossed in the story almost immediately. The reader is pulled into the narrative as powerfully as Dana is pulled through time and space. Dana does her best to not tell anyone she is related to Alice and Rufus. I think that was Butler’s way of saying don’t totally wreck the past with information from the future. I think the idea of cause and effect is the crux of a time travel tale. Would Dana exists without her having gone back in time? Likely not as she helped Rufus get closer to Alice. The past and future were always joined in this book it seems. 

As Dana mentioned to Rufus, she repeatedly saves his life when she could easily do nothing. Her compassion speaks louder to him than her words. They are from two different times. She attempts to overcome his upbringing when she enters his life sporadically. Rufus is reckless and seems to call Dana through time to him. Instead of becoming self reliant and kinder, he uses her as a crutch to solve his problems. Dana always feels sick or in danger when she is ripped through time and space. It fills her with dread, but eventually she finds a solution to take control and survive the ordeal. On the whole, Dana's actions are a testament to her survival. She gets all sort of flack from the other slaves, whipped by Master Weylin, even hurt by Rufus. Her willingness to act, even if it may kill her, seems to be the only way to really reach them. Dana and Alice’s guilt over caring for Rufus really captivated me. Their lives are more intertwined than they ever could have imagined.

The graphic novel was a very swift read. I read it the same day as reading the original novel. It's quite thorough in capturing the full narrative. If you loved the original novel, I highly recommend! As the themes were dark and violent, much of the illustrations use dark browns and blacks. I would have liked a bit more color to break things up perhaps in the 1970s scenes. I did love how Dana was drawn. I still say you should read the original novel even if you read the graphic novel first.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan was the April Mocha Girls Read book club selection. The story revolves around the romance between Rachel Chu and Nicholas Young. The two NY based professors are in love. Nick invites Rachel to spend the summer in Singapore with his family. Nick is the best man for his friend Colin Khoo's wedding. The plan is to get the big event over with and travel around Asia.  Sounds fun, right? However, Nick fails to explain exactly how extensive and wealthy his family is... Rachel is woefully unprepared what to expect. Thankfully, Rachel has a college friend, Goh Peik Lin, from Stanford living in Singapore to help her out. She was one of my favorite characters bringing humor and lightness to the book. Her Singaporean family were especially hilarious because of how curious they are about Nick's family. The Goh's became rich from success in business rather than inheritance like Nick's family. It also doesn't help Nick was taught by his family to be particularly modest about their wealth. I absolutely loved how Kwan satirized the levels of wealth by contrasting all the families. It exposes the holes in the class system. They seem to envy and criticize one another to ridiculous levels.  

The majority of the book's conflict comes from Nick's mother, Eleanor. She has certain expectations of her son and isn't afraid to do some questionable things to do what's best for him. Her refusal to accept Rachel brings out some serious skeletons in the Chu family closet. This of course puts Nick's and Rachel's relationship in crisis. What Eleanor doesn't expect is that she may have ruined her relationship with her son as well. Poor Rachel sets off on this amazing vacation only to be hit with so much unexpected hostility. I 100% blame Nick. By the end of the book, I think he finally understands his mistake. But honestly, it was quite shocking how much he didn't tell his girlfriend or his mother before they met each other.  Not everyone is awful in Nick's family though. Most of the family welcomes Rachel, including his grandma Shang Su Yi . She is the wealthy head of the family living in an actual palace with her own royal servants! Astrid, the haute couture obsessed housewife, has met Rachel previously and adores her. Astrid was a very interesting character that I hope is expanded upon in the follow-up novel. In addition to the family conflict, Nick happens to be one of the most eligible bachelors in Singapore. Several women set their sights on him and don't care that he's in love with Rachel!

The novel has a huge cast of characters with each chapter being told from a different character's POV. I was so thankful for the detailed family tree outlined in my hard cover copy. I don't know how I would have kept all the family connections and straight. I also read this book in less than 24 hours as part of the Dewey's 24 hour readathon, which helped. I'm so excited for the film adaptation hitting theaters in August. It will be amazing to see all the fashion & architecture details brought to life on screen. There is some backlash surrounding the lack of brown Asian representation in the book and the film. It's definitely a Western take on Singapore. I didn't find the book over-glamorized anything especially since most of the wealthy characters aren't painted in the best light. However, their servants and the politics of the region have definitely been glossed over. All in all it was fun read and wouldn't mind reading the rest of the trilogy. I'd say the book is not required reading but certainly will help you become familiar with the huge cast of characters. I highly recommend the novel for Gossip Girl fans and readers of Candace Bushnell.

Breath of Fire is the second book in Amanda Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles series. 

This novel picks up moments after the end of book one with our heroine, Catalia Fisa, healing from deadly wounds. She has a knack for playing fast and loose with her life, much to the chagrin of her lover Griffin. Cat is the Kingmaker, she can detect lies from anyone. Possession of her is quite handy for anyone in power.  Cat's mother, Alpha Fisa, would rather manipulate her powers to maintain her iron fist upon the realm. She is basically magical Mommie Dearest. But Cat can steal magic even from fire from dragons to fight against her! Pretty neat, huh?

Cat only risks danger to save the people she loves, which has grown exponentially since the start of book one. She ran away from her kingdom of Fisa to hide amongst a magical circus with characters and powers alluded to in Greek mythology. Griffin disrupted Cat's semi-peaceful existence to drag her back to his kingdom of Sinta. Griffin and his family want Cat's help who to unite people within the realm of Thalyria. He didn't really ask, more so kidnapped her. One my peeves with the first book is his Alpha Male tendencies. Eventually, Cat joined their cause willingly when she recognized the Sintan royals truly want to help people rather than rule upon them. Also, Cat's mother sent magical creatures to attack them doesn't exactly entice a homecoming reunion.

Cat and Griffin fell in love in A Promise of Fire, but Breath of Fire solidifies their romance. Things start off a bit rocky because they both are stubborn and love to toss out ultimatums like candy. Eventually, they find their equilibrium. However, before they can live happily ever after, they must protect their kingdom from encroaching enemies in Tarva. And let's not forget Cat's mom in Fisa. Together with their band of warriors, they set off on an epic journey to beg the Ipotane, Centaur-like creatures, to protect the borders of Sinta. This journey extends into Odyssey-esque quests for Gods and battling mythical creatures like The Hydra. Luckily, Cat's Grandpa is Zeus, so she literally has the Gods on her side. That doesn't make the journey any less dangerous. Cat also wrestles with prophesied destiny: to rule all of Thalyria. The fate of the realm in her hands terrifies her. Much of the novel is her personal journey to understand her heritage and embrace her strengths.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to read the next book, Heart on Fire. I pray Cat will kick her mom's ass by the end of the trilogy. Her mom is really an awful sociopath who would sacrifice her own blood to save herself. Cat and Griffin's romance hit an unexpected wall at the start of the book. At first, it threw me for a loop and had me wary of Griffin's character development. But Bouchet deftly steered them through their emotional crisis to become even more bonded. Besides their steamy romance, Bouchet really kicked the mythical action into overdrive. Cat and Griffin are push their physical limits several times over the course of the book. However, they realize only together can they complete these epic some would say impossible tasks. Instead of sacrifice, they refuse to give in and leave destiny to the Gods who empower them to survive.

I highly recommend this book for fans of Game of Thrones who seek a non-doomed romance in their fantasy epic adventures. Book one is mandatory reading before delving into book two.