Tag: Book review

Book review: House of Salt and Sorrows

Published on by Tiffany Lafleur1 Comment

Oh, I liked this book.

House of Salt and Sorrows (HoSS) is a Young Adult fantasy novel written by Erin A. Craig. It is a dark and twisted fairy tale retelling, with elements of mystery and horror woven through that keep you wondering what’s really going on the whole time.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

HoSS is one of the best standalone YA Fantasy books I’ve read, and is one of my top picks so far for this year. Unsurprisingly, I was first drawn to the book because of the title and the beautiful cover. The blurb also had me hooked – it seemed full of mystery and intrigue, and I immediately wanted to know more.

I had high expectations for this story for a few reasons, mainly because of the amount of positive reviews on Goodreads, but also because I’d heard so much about it from other fans in the genre. I’m very happy to say I was not disappointed. HoSS is a beautiful read that incorporates elements of magic effortlessly. These elements become so infused with the story as your progress that it’s easy to miss when this book goes from a creepy thriller to a full-on low fantasy novel, with mischievous forces hovering nearby, wreaking havoc.

Even if the novel is aimed at a YA audience, it deals with very real and very raw issues, such as the loss of a sibling (or rather, several siblings), the death of a parent, and what to do when the remaining parent remarries.

Craig masterfully created tension, friction and emotion through the character of Morella, new wife of Orton Thaumas and now stepmother to his collection of daughters. Morella instantly ignites frustration within the reader, after co-opting the funeral of one of Annaleigh’s recently deceased sisters to announce the happy news that she is pregnant with Orton’s child. She then continues to spark ire when she assumes that her son – as she is positive she is pregnant with a boy – will inherit the Thaumas fortune and estate.

Morella becomes an early target of dislike, however, as tragedy strikes the Thaumas household over and over again, it becomes apparent that there is more to this tale than just an evil stepmother. Soon, Annaleigh finds herself at the center of a high-stakes game played by mischievous divinities, where the veil between what is real and what is imagined wears thinner and thinner.

And as Annaleighs comes closer to solving the mystery of what evil is beseeching her family, her grip on reality also begins to loosen, leaving the reader confused as to what is actually happening. This is emphasized by the fact that Annaleigh is the only character through which we see the story – meaning her perceived reality, be it true or false, is the only one we are subjected to.

As mentioned, HoSS is a wonderfully crafted story with a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. One note, however, is that is can sometimes be confusing to remember which sister is which, and distinguish between their personalities. But even with this confusion, it isn’t terribly difficult to keep the characters separate from one another.

Review: A Lair of Bones by Helen Scheuerer

Published on by Tiffany Lafleur3 Comments

How far would you go to follow your ambitions, regardless of how grand?

That’s the question that Roh, a cyren in Saddoriel, must ask herself after hearing that there will be another Queen’s Tournament, the first in 50 years. The tournaments are deadly, ruthless. But the winner – should anyone survive – will be crowned the next ruler.

A Lair of Bones (YA fantasy) by Helen Scheuerer is the first story in the upcoming Curse of the Cyren Queen Quartet. I had the absolute pleasure of reading an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the story. Here’s the synopsis:

A deadly contest. A vaulting ambition. How far will one cyren go to win?

Mighty cyrens have ruled the ancient lair of Saddoriel for centuries. A cavernous fortress, a subterranean labyrinth of tunnels and levels, powered by magic and music…

From the moment she was born, Roh, the daughter of an infamous criminal, has been despised by her own kind. Restricted to the Lower Sector and forced to work as a common bone cleaner, she has always believed she belongs above: where lies adventure… and power.

Opportunity arises in the form of the Queen’s Tournament, a treacherous set of trials that could see the victor crowned ruler of the entire lair. Up against the most cunning, dangerous cyrens in all the realms, does Roh stand a chance?

THE REVIEW

I absolutely loved this story, and had a hard time putting it down. It is dark, delicious, and filled with intricate culture and lore. One of the aspects that I enjoyed the most was that sirens (referred to as cyrens in the book) were the focus of the story. The beginning of the book was a tad slow, as there was a lot of information that needed to be conveyed to readers on the hierarchy, culture and society of the cyren characters portrayed. But the story quickly picked up, and as soon as the action ramped up, I raced through the rest.

These creatures, portrayed in Greek mythology as being half human and half bird, would lure sailors to their deaths through their song. The cyrens in A Lair of Bones are equally as ruthless, except that instead of being half bird they have more aquatic traits, such as the ability to breathe underwater and scales that appear on their skin. I’d never read a story featuring cyrens as the main characters before, and so it was very interesting to have them be the focus of the story.

Roh and her cyren folk are cunning and ambitious, with a deep appreciation for music and melody. They also have a healthy distaste of humans. Their lust for music and song often send members of Talon’s Reach up to the surface, to kidnap humans that display particularly gifted musical ability so they can play for them.

A Lair of Bones focuses on Roh and her ambition to win in the Queen’s Tournament. Roh wants nothing more than to don the coral crown and lead her people. She is the lowest of the low – the daughter of one of the worst criminals in history. Roh hopes that winning the crown will bring her the respect and appreciation she wants so badly. But to win the crown, Roh will need to be more cunning, ruthless, and brutal than all of the other competitors, who want the crown just as much as she does. The trials are designed to test participants in the most brutal ways possible, both physically and mentally. And for this edition, the designers of the trial have thrown in an extra twist by giving each cyren a human to take care of. Should the human die or become injured, then that means expulsion for the cyren.

At first, Roh is loath to take care of Odi, her designated human. She, as all cyrens, views humans as weak. Inferior. Easily dupped by the magic that surrounds the Lair. She grudgingly protects Odi from the wrath of other contestants. But with time, Roh comes to appreciate Odi’s presence – and his surprising insight.

One of the aspects that I appreciated the most about A Lair of Bones was the intricate culture and world that author Helen Scheuerer created. The cyrens have an intricate class system, a rich and vibrant culture, and an appreciation for music that runs so deep that it heavily impacts how cyrens live their lives and form their societies.

I highly recommend this story to readers who enjoy stories with fantastical creatures, dark storylines, and strong female characters. Roh is a well-rounded protagonist who is cunning, ambitious, and willing to do anything to achieve her goal. But she is also empathetic and kind, even though she doesn’t necessarily want to be.

A Lair of Bones will be available on Amazon as of July 20. You won’t want to miss the epic Dark Fantasy story!

Review: Throne of Glass series

Published on by Tiffany LafleurLeave a comment

There’s no rulebook for what to do once you finish a series that’s so epic that you question your abilities as a writer. At least, that’s how I felt earlier this week after finishing Kingdom of Ash, and therefore, finishing the entire Throne of Glass series for the first time. And let me tell you, it has been a wild ride.

Warning: this series review has spoilers. So if you haven’t read every book, from The Assassin’s Blade to Kingdom of Ash, I strongly recommend you stop reading this review, and instead read the series. Then make sure to tell me once you did, so I can talk to someone about it!

I’ve been very open about the fact that I had a ten-year long reading slump while I was finishing school, and that finally, mercifully, ended last year once I dove head-first into the publishing world and saw the wonderful books, especially in young adult fantasy, that had come out while I wasn’t paying attention.

Throne of Glass was one of the fantasy series that immediately caught my eye, for many reasons. The covers were neat. I heard good things about a strong female lead, whispers of a romantic interest, and a very good friend of mine confirmed it was one of the best series she’d ever read. And that for me was the final push I needed. Plus, the hardcover set was on deep discount, so…

The memory of reading the first book brings back a chuckle, because although I was fairly confident the story would be good, based on the hype I’d noticed for the series, I really had no idea of what to expect. An assassin? A king’s tournament? Alright, fine.

Now here’s an important point I want to clarify. As much as the series was amazing, it wasn’t perfect. But I truly believe that the merits of this series far outweigh any negative points. And the progression of Maas’s writing was something that was also really interesting to see.

It would be impossible to write a fully comprehensible review of the entire series while only having read it once. But there are several aspects that I really enjoyed that I want to focus on, so let’s do that.

The first is a little obvious, but let’s talk about the story for a minute.

THE STORY

The series begins with Celeana Sardothien imprisoned in Endovier, where she undergoes forced labor and whippings for bad behaviour – which is often. It ends with Aelin Galathynius Whitethorn Ashryver, in her palace in Orynth, overlooking a field of Kingsflame flowers – a divine approval of her as ruler of Terrasen.

And there’s a lot that happens in between.

The story, from start to finish, was always engaging and interesting. And it was really refreshing that the series had an ever-evolving goal, that changed with the information that was made available to the reader. It made sense for the goal to change, because our understanding of the world of Erilea changed. And while the goals themselves were lofty and grand (killing the king, bringing magic back, wiping Erawan out of existence), the obstacles that were in the way of the goals were equally just as insurmountable.

One thing I also appreciated about the series is how everything tied in together. Characters that we met in passing in The Assassin’s Blade suddenly became really important in Empire of Storms. Conversations and threads that were spun in Throne of Glass kept re-appearing throughout the series, such as the Wyrdmarks, Wyrdstone, or tales of great shadows and evils of the past.  

So yes, the story remained fresh over the course of eight books, which is a huge undertaking. And each book was its own self-contained narrative, while also fitting into the broader series ecosystem. The planning that author Sarah J. Maas had to do before even laying pen to paper must have been incredible to see.

Now on to the second part of what made this series so awesome: the characters.

THE CHARACTERS

As with most fantasy stories, there are a ton of characters in the Throne of Glass series. Some are part of each book, some only make a brief appearance. And then some come to play a much larger role than anyone would have thought. But there are two particular strengths that applies to all of these characters that I was to draw attention to.

For one, each of these characters is vastly different. Aelin is a much different person than Sorscha or Elide, for example. And Chaol is different from Aedion and Rowan. This is really a testament to Maas’s character-building skills. It’s difficult to write so many characters and have each one feel like a real person with goals and aspirations. And in a world with as many characters as the Throne of Glass series, it can be difficult to remember each of their names. But if each of these characters feels like its own unique person, then it’s easier to distinguish them.

For example: I cannot remember each name of the Khagan’s children. But I recognize their personalities enough to know who the Ruk-rider one is versus the horse-rider one. And that in itself is an important accomplishment, because it is difficult to make an entire cast of characters all feel different from one another. Some characters are deeply flawed, but those flaws make them who they are and help in turn to advance the narrative.

Secondly, nearly every single important character goes through a change. If characters did not change over the course of eight books, then the series would have been stagnant. But miraculously, every single character goes through a drastic arc, some even going through multiple changes over the course of the series.

This development, to me, was crucial in keeping me glued to the series and reading as fast as I could. Character arcs like Manon’s, for example, made me feel invested in the series. And her redemption arc, if you will, was one of the strongest. Even Aelin goes through a host of changes, some brought about by internal goals, some by external circumstances. These character arcs kept the reading fresh and went hand in hand with what they were experiencing around them in the story.

So what does one do, after reading an epic series of this magnitude?

I’m asking for myself, because I’m not sure what the answer is. As a reader, the series was incredible in ways I never could have anticipated. But as a writer, a not insignificant part of me is jealous. Jealous of how this series came together, and concerned that I might never be able to tell as good a story.

Oh well. Brooding on that point won’t accomplish anything. I’m better off honing my craft and sharpening my skills.

On to the next read, right?

If you’re curious, I did find that Maas’s writing style, and mine, are similar. So if you’re looking for a high fantasy read, consider giving the Sapeiro Chronicles: A Forgotten Past a try!