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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Shadow Study (The Chronicles of Ixia #7) in Books

Jun 11, 2020

Shadow Study (The Chronicles of Ixia #7)

Maria V Snyder | 2020 | Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Contains spoilers, click to show

102 of 200
Book
Shadow Study (Chronicles of Ixia book 4)
By Maria Snyder

Once, only her own life hung in the balance…

When Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. She survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia.

Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.

Suddenly, though, dissent is rising. And Valek’s job—and his life—are in danger.

As Yelena tries to uncover her enemies, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked.And now she must find a way to keep not only herself but all that she holds dear alive.

This is the first one in this series I’ve struggled with! Usually I devour her books in one or two days this took 4 days not like me at all!! I knew from that first chapter the whole reason she lost her magic and it drove me crazy. Not sure some of Valek’s chapters were needed but I loved janco and Ari’s I did miss those two!! Nice to catch up with Opal and clan and it was still a very good read think It’s more a personal opinion on how I wanted this book to go. I’m not surprised about the commander and I worry about Valek confronting him! I enjoyed the last 10 chapters a lot more than the first 23!

Kudos

Ari Augustine (10 KP) rated His Hideous Heart in Books

May 4, 2020

His Hideous Heart

Dahlia Adler | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Young Adult (YA)

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

His Hideous Heart is an anthology collection of 13 re-imagined tales inspired by works of Edgar Allan Poe. The book is split into two sections: The Tales Retold and The Original Tales. What I liked about the layout of this collection is that its easy for those of us whove read the originals to revisit them before or after reading the retold stories and its also convenient for readers whove never been introduced to Poe before. When it comes to retellings in any form, catching on to the fact that a story was inspired by another can be a challenge, especially if the inspiration is rather loose. But thats another reason why I love the layout of this collection: Its clear as to which original story inspired a retelling, and I loved reading along, connecting the dots and yet, being surprised by all the new twists and turns.

In a perfect world, Id love to review each and every retelling in this collection, because many of them were downright gorgeous and grotesque. However, my absolute favorites were:

1. Its Carnival! by Tiffany D. Jackson
2. Lygia by Dahlia Adler (inspired by Ligeia)
3. Happy Days, Sweetheart by Stephanie Kuehn
4. The Glittering Death by Caleb Roehrig

Check out my full review to find out WHY I adored these stories: https://bookishvalhalla.com/his-hideous-heart-by-dahlia-adler-a-poe-etic-review-of-genre-bending-tales/