Past Due Reviews [10] +I Am Made of Death Giveaway

Knocking out a few more of my Past Due Reviews! I really need to start typing them up as soon as I'm finished. 😅

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

🎧 Barrie Kreinik

Synopsis (via Goodreads): The New York Times bestselling author of Hotel Magnifique returns with another glittering dark fantasy about a deadly mystery that spans worlds and a teenage girl who must risk everything to uncover the truth.

Seven years ago, Maeve Abenthy lost her world, her father, even her name. Desperate to escape the stain of her father’s crimes, she lives under a fake name, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots.

Then she receives a mysterious letter with four impossible words Your father was innocent.

To uncover the truth, she poses as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, where she’ll be trained in the art of scriptomancy—the dangerous magic that allows couriers to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. But looking into her father’s past draws more attention than she’d planned.

Her secretive, infuriatingly handsome mentor knows she’s lying about her identity, and time is running out to convince him to trust her. Worse, she begins to receive threatening letters, warning her to drop her investigation—or else. For Maeve to unravel the mystery of what happened seven years ago, she may have to forfeit her life.

The Otherwhere Post exceeded my expectations and was an immensely enjoyable read. I really loved the scriptomancy aspect and learning how it works. The author does a good job of allowing us to learn alongside the main character, describing the process and its results without overwhelming the reader with too much information. Maeve is already familiar with scriptomancy after watching her father work as a child, but she doesn’t fully learn the intricacies of the magic until she’s at school. 

I also enjoyed Maeve's relationship with Tristan. They both have secrets they want to keep buried, yet they form an unlikely friendship that felt both believable and relatable. Maeve is used to doing everything on her own, and her secrets could get her killed. Tristan doesn't want to expose her, but her identity and personality intrigue him enough to do some digging. Once he learns the truth about her, she has no choice but to trust him, and we really see her struggle with letting someone else in.

The entire story revolves around Maeve trying to prove her father's innocence while avoiding being caught and imprisoned herself. There’s world-jumping, an Aldervine capable of paralyzing its victims before slowly feasting on them, and a determined main character who refuses to stop searching for the truth—no matter the cost. We know Maeve is innocent, but no one else is inclined to believe her, which takes us on a journey of self-discovery as she unravels the mystery surrounding her father and Inverly (the world lost to the Aldervine and the crime her father was accused of committing).

Not everything was completely believable, so you’ll need to suspend your disbelief in places, but the overall story was very enjoyable. I liked the world we're thrown into, and I thought Maeve was a flawed yet relatable MC. I would have liked more romance between her and Tristan, but this is very much a slow burn with a stronger focus on character development. Both characters will have to make sacrifices if they want to clear her father's name and keep their world safe from the Aldervine. The ending definitely leaves you wanting more! (★★★★☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

🎧 Andrew Fallaize

Synopsis (via Goodreads): In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.

This was my first book by Robert Jackson Bennett and I wasn't disappointed! While it did take some time for me to adjust to the writing style and setting, I was completely immersed after a few chapters. The world-building is slow but very descriptive. We learn a lot about where we are and the people we're around, but we don't get the full picture of the world we're in. I'm hoping to see more of it in the next book. 

Andrew Fallaize’s narration also took some getting used to, but I found myself falling into the rhythm and cadence of his voice after a while. That said, I’ll probably read book two with my eyes to better enjoy the overall story. For example, while I loved Ana Dolabra’s character, the narration made her come across as a little off-putting at times. Din, on the other hand, was a standout for me, and I thought the narrator did an excellent job with his voice. Din has a unique approach to situations that Ana finds useful in her investigations, and he’s probably one of the few people who can tolerate her eccentricities. The two of them make an unlikely pair, but they were super fun to read about.

The Leviathans are mentioned throughout the story, and their remains are experimented on and used for magic, yet we don’t learn much about them. They attempt to storm the cities, but there’s little explanation as to why. I really hope the author expands on them in the next book, because I thought they were fascinating.

All in all, The Tainted Cup was a really creative story with original characters and imaginative world-building. There were mysteries to solve, people and places to investigate, and clues to uncover. I thought the suspense was really well done, and I can't wait to solve more cases with Ana and Din. (★★★★☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Synopsis (via Goodreads): The blockbuster co-writing debut of Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman, All of Us Villains begins a dark tale of ambition and magick...

You Fell in Love with the Victors of the Hunger Games.

Now Prepare to Meet the Villains of the Blood Veil.

The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world—one thought long depleted.

But this year a scandalous tell-all book has exposed the tournament and thrust the seven new champions into the worldwide spotlight. The book also granted them valuable information previous champions never had—insight into the other families’ strategies, secrets, and weaknesses. And most important, it gave them a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their legacy.

Either way, this is a story that must be penned in blood.

When a blurb references The Hunger Games, I expect lots of killing, violence, and political intrigue. Unfortunately, All of Us Villains fell short of those expectations and left me wanting more. Don’t get me wrong—I liked the characters and the premise—but I think the authors could have done a lot more with this story.

Only one person can survive the tournament, yet the characters seemed reluctant to eliminate their competition. I’m all for banding together to survive and fighting against the expectations of others, but that wasn’t how this book was set up. As a result, the villains didn’t feel particularly villainous.

I thought the twist at the end was interesting, so I might pick up the second book in the future, but it's not a priority for me right now. If you've read this series, does it get better? I think the story has so much potential, and I know a lot of other people really loved it, but I don't want to be disappointed again. (★★★☆☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew

Synopsis (via Goodreads): From bestselling author Kelly Andrew comes the most electrifying dark romance of the decade...

Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother's medical bills. When he's offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas -- the hearing child of a Deaf adult -- jumps at the opportunity.

But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.

She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.

A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years -- not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.

Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn't hers. It's something with teeth.

Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She's finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can't afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he's quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.

I really enjoyed I Am Made of Death, though it felt more like NA than YA. Neither of the main characters are in high school, and I think a slightly more mature tone would have strengthened the story, especially given its darker elements and the characters’ emotional struggles.

Vivienne has been possessed by a demonic entity since she was a little girl. Her voice is now a weapon—one she doesn’t want to use—but her stepfather has no qualms about exploiting her for his own gain. She has gone to extreme lengths to rid herself of the entity, even though doing so might cost her life. Her secrets and manipulations have cost her friendships and potential allies, yet she justifies her actions by believing it will all be worth it in the end.

Vivienne learned sign language to communicate, and I thought the author’s inclusion of it was excellent. Kelly Andrew, who is deaf, represents ASL authentically, describing the hand motions in a way that adds depth to the story and makes both Thomas and Vivienne more complex characters.

Thomas has had to fight for everything most of his life, and now he chooses to fight for Vivienne. What starts as a job and a paycheck quickly grows into something more. At first, they aren’t exactly frenemies, but they aggravate each other and use underhanded tactics to get what they want. Over time, a tentative bond forms, though Vivienne never fully trusts Thomas or includes him in her plans. Still, he keeps showing up, even when she thinks she’s finally driven him away.

I did get frustrated with Vivienne toward the end of the book. I understand why she was reluctant to let Thomas in, but it got on my nerves after a while. I would have loved to see their bond deepen into a meaningful friendship that turned into something more. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen until the very end, and by then it felt too little, too late—for me as a reader, not for the characters. The ending also felt rushed, leaving me confused about some of the things that happened.

I wish I Am Made of Death had been longer, with a more fully developed ending and earlier growth in Vivienne and Thomas’s relationship. I would also have liked the secondary characters to play a more prominent role, as many of them were interesting but ultimately felt expendable. (★★★⋆☆)

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

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Apparently Rafflecopter shut down on October 1st of this year, so I'm looking at alternatives. I'm going to try SweepWidget for this one and see how it goes (if you have any suggestions, please share)!

This giveaway opens on January 2nd and will close on January 16th at 11:59 PM. Winners will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Please read my full giveaway policy for additional details and information. Good luck everyone! *due to shipping costs, this giveaway will be for US residents only