Book review- Song of the Forever Rains by EJ Mellow

Series  The Mousai

Genre: Fantasy ,Fantasy romance

This is a  sweet romance set in a fantasy setting with a feisty, heroine and a tortured hero but I really wanted to learn more about the world and the Thief King and his kingdom.

Larkyra is one of the Mousai, a trio of sorceresses, who just happens to be sisters. The Mousai helps the Thief King reign over his kingdom where magic exists hidden away from the rest of the world.  Larkyra power lies in her voice, and she can slay monsters with her voice but this is a gift she uses sparingly. On becoming an adult, she is given an assignment to pose as the Duke of Lachlan’s potential bride to stop him stealing drugs from the Thief Kingdom then using this to fuel his magic and abuse his tenants. But of course, her mission is complicated by her growing attraction to the tortured ( literally)  Darius who happens to be the Duke’s stepson.

There are vivid descriptions that bring the world of Aadilor to life- I loved the description of the thief kingdom as seen through Darius’s eyes when he visits the land for the first time.  I was really intrigued by the premise of the weather being permanently stormy and grey in Lachlan as a result of the Duke’s sadness. The story is told from both Larkyra’s and Darius’s viewpoint, so there we know straight away Darius is a good man, who cares deeply for his people and is horribly abused by his uncle instead of having to wait several hundred pages for the Larkyra to find out. The romance between Darius and Larkyra is sweet but runs a predictable course and in my view is the main focus of the story rather than part of it. The Duke is an unpleasant villain and truly creepy leaving me genuinely feeling sad for Darius and the awful childhood that he had.

If you wanted a book with a strong romance in a fantasy setting with interesting characters then this is a perfect book for you. But if like me you wanted more fantasy and more action, then you may be disappointed. I really wanted to learn more about the Thief King and his Kingdom- how did he manage to create an invisible kingdom, why is it invisible and more about the people who live there but most of the book was set outside of the Thief Kingdom. I was expecting a lot more intrigue and ninja action from Larkyra and her sisters especially as Larkya was sent to spy on the Duke.

Descriptions of cutting, self-harm.

Romance

Yes. Lots of angst, deep looks and flirting.

Any Cliffhangers

No cliffhangers and no overriding series arcs that I could pick up on

Perfect for Fans

Anyone looking for a strong romance in fantasy with vivid and descriptive writing.

Summary

4 stars,  this book wasn’t for me but I’m sure other people will love it.

Book review

Last smile in Sunder City

Book one in the Fetch Phillips series

Author : Luke Arnold

Publisher: Hachette

Genre :Urban(ish) Fanatsy

Image and blurb from amazon

I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are three things you should know before you hire me:
1. Sobriety costs extra.
2. My services are confidential.
3. I don’t work for humans.

It’s nothing personal – I’m human myself. But after what happened, it’s not the humans who need my help.
I just want one real case. One chance to do something good. Because it’s my fault the magic is never coming back.

Plot

Fetch Phillips, a human private investigator of sorts, who is trying to make a living in Sunder city. He is hired by the headteacher of a school for magical young ones, to find a teacher a former vampire who has gone missing. The teacher like all non-humans is struggling to come to terms with a new way of life since the Coda, a sudden event that led to magic disappearing from the world. Fetch takes the case but faces challenges from all directions, well, because he caused the Coda in the first place. Throw in a missing young siren, corrupt builders and a doomed love story and you have an urban fantasy with a unique take on a familiar story.

The good

I was hooked on this book from the first page with lines such as “I was still pulling complaints out of my ears with tweezers”.

The world of Archetellos is well described with a consistent feel to the magical creatures who have now lost their magic after an event called the Coda which was caused by humans who destroyed the source of magic. The Coda in the book is a major event that leads to seismic changes to the lives of magical creatures and how they have to learn to live as beings with no magic. The feelings of despair and anxiety have parallels in our world as we have to deal with life-changing events in the last century and more recently covid-19.

There are many magical beings that are familiar to all readers of fantasy but we see a different side to them such as ageing elves, vampires are no longer nourished by blood and werewolves stuck between their human and wolves. I really enjoyed the fact that humans and magical creatures were neither good nor bad but a mix of both.

The plot races along without a dull moment and Fetch does grow as a character but remains realistic. His actions are questionable and although he wants to redeem himself, he can’t help but put his needs first when it comes to Amari., the love of his life.

Fetch is the main character and the book revolves around him, but a few of the secondary characters such as Hendricks and Baxter interesting with varoius shades of grey. 

Fetch is a fascinating character, with the usual sarky tone of voice you would expect in a first-person urban fantasy but Fetch is not the usual hero. He is flawed and as is his decision making but you do empathise with him as a character trying to redeem himself but not doing a very good job of this. Flashbacks to his backstory are woven into the story and I like the fact these snippets just appeared instead of long, artificial conversations, I have seen in some other books.

The bad

Amari, Fetch’s lover is boring and a bit too perfect and while Fetch’s description of how much he loves her is touching, it doesn’t ring true given his actions in the past.

The ugly

Some people might find the plot thread around the missing child difficult.

 Any Cliffhangers?

No, The book resolves the main storyline with no unresolved subplots

Perfect for:

Fans of the Rivers of London ( Ben Aaronovitch) and Dresden Files (Jim Butcher).

Summary

 Five stars.

I can’t wait till to read the next book in the series Dead man in a ditch.

Check out the series review here

Hi

I love reading  especially science fiction and fantasy but will read any book including historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and non-fiction ( well any book except romance). If I’m not reading, I’m usually running slowly, crocheting, or watching fantasy or sci-fi on tv while trying to finish writing my book.

Why create another blog about books?

During the pandemic, I was desperate to find books that were part of a good series or trilogy after devouring the Witcher books which I didn’t expect to like. I love the feeling of finishing a book and knowing that I can pick up the next book and fall back into the same world with the same characters but there was little out there.

 So I thought why not start a blog about books in series, duology, or trilogy- which ones to read, which ones to avoid, which book to stop at when the series loses its way, and which ones to keep reading even though the first book isn’t so good.

I will be reviewing new books and series, some old ones and some really old ones, and hope I can find some new books along the way.

Do you have any recommendations or ideas on good fantasy or science fiction series or trilogies?