Book Review: William Bradshaw, King of the Goblins (by Arthur Daigle)

Just a quick review today of William Bradshaw, King of the Goblins by Arthur Daigle. If you need a laugh, try this series. It’s a hoot and a half. XD

This review is for book one, and I’m currently reading the second book and highly entertained!

The author also wrote the Dana Illwind books (or, as I call them, the Jayden and Dana books) which are top favorites of mine! (Book 1 review.) (Book 2 review.)

Title: William Bradshaw, King of the Goblins

Author: Arthur Daigle

Series: William Bradshaw, #1

Goodreads • Amazon

This book is utterly hilarious. Entirely delightful. Deliciously entertaining. A blast. Sheer fun. However you say it, it’s a great book if you need a laugh or twenty. I loved it so much!

William Bradshaw, who’s from our world, gets tricked into becoming the king of the goblins in a fantasy world. The goblins are hilarious, chaotic, destructive (but in a funny, mostly-harmless way), can warp space with their craziness, and are a blast to read.

Will is not a fan of being king of a run-down kingdom but his contract is pretty inescapable. Doesn’t mean he’s not going to try…

Throw in some twists on fantasy tropes, an amusing writing style that had me in stitches at nearly every sentence, and an unexpected war from another king who manages to be as incompetent as the goblins, and you have a tale of hilarious shenanigans sure to brighten anyone’s day!

Except Will’s. His day is by no means brightened. XD

I can’t wait to read the rest of the books!

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Silverblood by Jamie Foley (Review)

Today’s treat is a review for a book that is definitely going to be on my top-favorite reads of the year list! (Also, fun fact, it won the 2022 Realm Award for Fantasy!) It’s just soooo good!

Some info first, and then I’m going to dive in. (Beware: there may be far too much fangirling shrieking!)

Title: Silverblood

Author: Jamie Foley

Series: The Katrosi Revolution, #2 (Book 1: Emberhawk. Read my review.)

Fantasy • YA • 2021 • 335 pages (paperback)

Read May 11, 2022 • 5 stars • Favorite character: LYSANDER FOREVER (I’m also partial to Felix) • Source: preordered from the author’s website (psst, it comes with goodies!)

Goodreads • Barnes & Noble • Amazon • Publisher • Author Website

Silverblood is definitely a book for the top-favorites-of-the-year list! AAAHHH! I loved it so much and I have such a book hangover after finishing it. I need book three yesterday! *flails around* *hugs all the characters*

Okay, I’ll attempt to corral my thoughts into a smidge more order. (But really, all I want to do is fangirl incoherently!) I know I can’t do it justice in a review, but better something than nothing, I suppose!

I loved being back in this series/world SO MUCH! Silverblood is the second book in the Katrosi Revolution series, after Emberhawk, which I also loved. But I think I loved book two even better! It’s just sooo good!

Jamie Foley’s writing is delicious, as always. The perfect blend of heartpounding action and suspense, a dash of gorgeousness, and plentiful helpings of witty, snappy dialogue and banter. It’s hilarious, really, at times, and I am HERE for it! I just love how much of a blast it is. The sheer enjoyment level is high, for sure!

LYSANDER AND BROOKE. They’re my absolute favorite part of this book! I’ve been waiiiiting for Lysander and Brooke to have a story, ever since reading book one, and I finally read it and it’s everything I wanted and LYSANDER AND BROOKE FOREVERRR! I’m having an emotion.

Seriously, though, Lysander is a fabulous character and I loved reading about his adventures, struggles, and overcomings. (That should be a word, hush.) Ex-assassin, finally no longer controlled and striking out on his own, trying not to be torn down by bitterness and darkness, using his amazing herbalist skills alongside his epic fighting abilities (I want all the tea he makes!), and his sign language and aether powers . . . I just love everything about this guy! I basically just want him to be happy. *cries* LYSANDER’S THE BEST AND HE’S MINE. *wraps him in bubble-wrap to protect him*

I loved getting deeper into Brooke’s life as she tries to navigate being a leader and make the best choices for her people and for the amazing treetop city of Jadenvive—and, you know, not fall for a certain ex-assassin. 😉

Ryon and Kira! I loved continuing their story from the first book. They’re adorable and hilarious at turns and just yessss! It’s hard to talk about Ryon especially without spoilers, but I’m here for all the characters I adore!

AND THEN WE HAVE FELIX. This shape-shifting fox guy is THE GREATEST and his snark and unexpectedness gives me life! I’ve adored him since reading the Sentinel Trilogy, so I’m SO PLEASED he’s also in this prequel series set hundreds of years before the other series. (In fact, something about this book felt more connected to Sentinel in several ways which makes me happy.) Felix is fabulous and all his lines are so quotable!

Okay, but everything is quotable in this book. I mentioned it with the writing already but it deserves repeating: The snark and bantering dialogue is all SHEER GOLD and often hilarious. And don’t even get me started on certain amazing and unexpected proposal scenes. XD I CANNOT EVEN. ABSOLUTE GOLD. XD

Princess Vylia is growing on me more than in the first book and Sousuke is AMAZING of course, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where their story goes in the next book! I’m kind of internally screaming waiting to find out what happens about Certain Not-Wrapped-Up Plot Points leaving me hanging! O_O

The plot is super exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Court intrigue and peril and a super-satisfying way for certain things to work out and I just loved all of the thingssss! It’s simply an EXCELLENT book in so many ways and it felt like it checked off all the boxes on a list for One of Deborah’s New Favorites.

The setting is also so absolutely vivid and delicious and I just love everything about it. I felt so THERE and the colors and sensations and cool places just made my day! Just love this world so much.

ALSO, I NEED A GRYPHON, THANKS, THAT IS ALL.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book! It’s a new favorite and I want to hug it forever. Check out Emberhawk first, and if you already have, you must read this ASAP! It’s an absolute delight. (Also, I need book three in my life!) Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just be over here having a book hangover after reading this fabulous book. *all the hearts*

Aaaand that’s a wrap! With this, I’ve finally caught up on review posts I planned this year!

Time to take a break for Christmas and see what the new year looks like for this blog now that I’m FINALLY caught up on ARCs and books I 100% planned to review. (It. Feels. Great! I definitely need to take a little reviewing breather, but don’t worry, the blog isn’t going anywhere and there will still be bookish things.)

Have a great rest of the year, and thanks so much for reading my li’l (and sometimes not-so-little… XD) reviews!

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A Most Irregular Prophecy by Ness Kingsley (Review)

I haven’t a clue how to properly talk about this fabulous book so . . . basically, expect some pterodactyl shrieking in this review!

Title: A Most Irregular Prophecy

Author: Ness Kingsley

Planetary Fantasy • YA, ish? • Published 2021 • 322 pages (paperback)

Read May 12, 2022 • 5 stars • Fave character: Mr Sorrow • I received a no-pressure free e-book ARC of this book from the author and voluntarily wrote a review; all opinions are my own.

Goodreads • Amazon • Author Website

WHAT DID I JUST READ? I haven’t the faintest notion, to be honest, but I do know that it was GLORIOUS and a smashing good time! And yes, I do intend to talk in a faintly posh manner this entire review — blame it on the book, why don’t you! (You should. The book is entirely at fault. Fabulously so.)

At any rate, here are my discombobulated flailings and/or pterodactyl shrieks about exactly WHY you should find a copy of this book somewhere and devour it post-haste!

Firstly, we must discuss the genre. Genre? WHAT IS GENRE, I ASK! *unhinged laughter* (Ahem. This is . . . I suppose . . . fantasy, on a foreign planet, with a Victorian-era heroine and a character from modern day too. Essentially planetary fantasy with dashes of portal fantasy, but throughout time?? What does genre matter when it’s this delightful is all I’d like to know.)

Secondly, as to the matter of my favorite character: What a ridiculous question. Who’s asking these questions, anyway? (Oh, wait, that would be me.) Oh, all right, my favorite is MR SORROW, naturally (he and his — well, green eyes but with, like, the spirit of a grey-eyed Heyer hero, are superb), but Vi and Rugby are also fabulous.

Now that these important questions have been addressed, I find myself QUITE AT A LOSS as to how to discuss this wondrous and unusual tale. This is a sort of Georgette-Heyer-meets-Enchanted-Forest-Chronicles-on-a-fantasy-planet-with-a-dash-of-Diana-Wynne-Jones book, and it’s just as delightful as that makes it sound.

From our heroine, Vi, who narrates the book in a deliciously dry and amusing fashion (I tell you, Ness Kingsley’s writing is SHEER BRILLIANCE and every sentence is a JOY to read), to the Thrawk characters (which are sort of Pegasus-type creatures with telepathy and Rugby especially is my favorite, but also THEY HAVE GREAT NAMES like Tennis), to Mr Sorrow who is a surprising sort of scholar and somewhat drily amused and scathing in the best possible way . . . these pages are inhabited by stupendous characters whose witty banter absolutely makes my day.

Throw in an almost dystopic sci-fi-fantasy society which one loves to hate, a prophecy that goes haywire, some screaming rain, several mishaps gallivanting all over the place, numerous ridiculous characters who are alarming with their ineptitude and simultaneous ability to make things Truly Horrendous for our heroes, as well as some depressed unicorn-pegasus creatures, a dash of monsters such as the Natterdash *ominous music*, and did I mention the screaming rain? Also TWISTS GALORE. You may gasp. Several times. I know I did.

The plot is at turns whimsical, hilarious, intense, and surprisingly dark later on, in fact, and yet I was glued to the page for the entire tale! (Not literally glued. That would be rather inconvenient for turning pages.) It is at times not for the faint of heart due to some truly horrendous characters, as noted, but it’s absolutely worth it and I was Supremely Attached to these heroic characters such as Vi and Mr Sorrow and Rugby. (Supremely Attached as opposed to glued-not-literally. There we are.)

My ability to express the sheer enjoyment level of this bafflingly strange and yet hilarious and brilliant book is simply not adequate. I can only say that I ABSOLUTELY ADORED IT and hope that gets across somewhat my love for this book and how unexpected and unique it is. And so funny, too! I ADORE books that make me laugh, and this one absolutely did. The lovable characters and genre-bending suspense are the icing on the cake. But you really must discover it for yourself!

It must be confessed that I committed the nearly-unforgivable bookish atrocity of dogearing several of this book’s pages to mark my favorite hilarious bits. And by “several” I here mean “approximately half of the total pages in the book.” (YOU THINK I’M JOKING? Ha. Far from it. It’s simply SO QUOTABLE and had me rolling with laughter or at the very least internal chuckles for most of the book.)

To save me the trouble (and the questionable legality) of sharing approximately half of the book here in quote form, the reader is recommended to immediately acquire a copy of A Most Irregular Prophecy and to experience the zany delight of this book at once.

I received a free e-book ARC of this book from the author (with, let it be noted, ZERO PRESSURE to review it, positively or otherwise). (I also, it must be admitted, later snagged a paperback off Amazon and actually mostly read that copy, but DETAILS.) At any rate, all opinions are my own, so there.

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Songflight by Michelle M. Bruhn (Review)

Another review today, this one for a fascinating Celtic-esque dragon-y fantasy novel!

Title: Songflight

Author: Michelle M. Bruhn

Series: The Dragon Singer Chronicles, #1

Fantasy • YA • 2020 • 444 pages (Kindle)

Read October 28, 2021 • 4 stars • Favorite character: Falier

I started this as an ebook and finished it as an audiobook on the audiobook subscription site, Scribd. (If you’re new to Scribd and would like to try two free months, you can use my link — I’d get a free month too. ^_^)

I received a free e-ARC of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Goodreads • Amazon • Author’s Website

Songflight has a wonderful Celtic fantasy feel in a very cool world that I enjoyed getting pulled into. Filled with chiefs and dragons, mountains and forests, a chieftain’s daughter and several scheming plots, it was an epic read! It’s kind of like Brave meets How to Train Your Dragon and I’m here for it. grinning

Alisa’s song magic was sooo cool! I loved it, and I loved that the songs were IN the book. They were delightful. The worldbuilding was neat, too, and I loved the sense of past and history that the book was steeped in, while still feeling present. It almost had a historical fantasy feel despite being in a fantasy world!

Dragonssss! Okay, obviously the best part of this book is that there are dragons in it. Sooo many dragons, and I loved how there were lots of different kinds of characters among them. And there were also . . . TINY DRAGONS! Called Dreki, the tiny dragons were the absolute greatest, and I loved that they existed as well as the big, ridable kind. The Dreki make me so happy!

Alisa’s a relatable heroine and following her on her journey was so cool, especially continuing against all odds, and as she meets others on her quest. There’s a great cast of characters, like the different dragons, such as Graydonn who is epic and loyal and I would like to ride him, yes please; and Sesina, young and playful and energetic; and Chri, one of the precious but wise Dreki! And, yes, even humans, like Falier—he’s the best! I wanted more of Falier. XD They and others are all such loyal friends for Alisa and—I’m having a feeling. Loved these characters!

This book lost a star from me because of a character death which was Not Okay. AHEM. That may be just me, though. (But it’s like killing the dog, okay! T_T Ahem. XD) But otherwise, this was an immersive Celtic fantasy with DRAGONS and song magic, and I really enjoyed it! I’d recommend it and I’m looking forward to reading more in this world!

Special audiobook note: I had started this in ebook form, but later switched to the audiobook version, and it’s delightful! It’s read by the author, and she SINGS the song parts! I always listen to audiobooks around 2x speed, but I slowed it down every time singing came up. Loved it! Just saying it’s worth checking out the audio (if you’re an audiobook person). I also enjoyed the short story prequel which is also on audio.

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World Diver by Haylie Hanson (Review)

A review today for a fun urban fantasy with a dash of sci-fi!

Title: World Diver

Author: Haylie Hanson

Series: The Luminaut Trilogy, #1

Urban Fantasy • YA • 2021 • 352 pages (paperback)

Read May 8, 2022 • 4 stars • Favorite character: Nemo! • I received a free ARC copy from the publisher as part of an Instagram book tour. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

Goodreads • Barnes & Noble • Amazon • Publisher • Author Website

This was a gripping YA Urban Fantasy novel! It’s well-written and I loved the humor—that and the voice/style was a blast! I just really enjoyed that aspect of it. The robots, the kinda-magic, the modern setting, and a hint at multiple worlds, all made this book super unique and fun, and was a winning combination!

The characters were all interesting, even the ones I didn’t click with, and it was an enjoyable story with a vivid setting, like getting sucked right into a movie. (Anyone who’s into surfing or robotics will enjoy this one, even if those parts went over my head. XD) The plot and growing mysteries, the emerging Luminaut backstory, the engaging writing style, and the wide range of challenges Callie faces on all sides kept me flipping pages. I HAD to know what happened next!

Then we have NEMOOOOO! I adored Nemo the tiny robot! He is SUPER CUTE and has such a great personality and is so fun. He’s the absolute best and I adore him! Nemo made the book so incredibly fun in every scene he was in. 😀 The way Callie was trying to train him to pretend to be a “real” robot instead of the sentient one he is was hilarious and I loved it so much! XD (Nemo forever, okay!)

And Diver! I loved Diver too. Super cool, and such a neat concept! Almost like a giant Baymax but with telepathy and you can, like, drive him, and I DON’T KNOW IT WAS REALLY COOL.

Basically, I’m absolutely here for the robot characters and they make me happy! XD Especially Nemo. 😉 hugs him forever

Any less-favorite things were personal preference things. Like I don’t tend to generally enjoy modern drama (like family/school issues), and some types of YA drama (like love triangles…but also not!), or the MC being (I thought) slightly unfair to another character or deceiving others (with a purpose, but still), or the fact I was right about a spoilery character—but I didn’t want to be! (Feels. XD) So a few things frustrated me slightly or at least weren’t my favorite, but that was certainly a me-thing of not clicking with contemporary high-school type stories, not anything “wrong” with the book itself, which was extremely well done!

I’m very excited to read the next book because THAT CLIFFHANGER, THOUGH! :O I’m so glad the next book is on my shelf and I will definitely continue this series because I must know what happens next! Plus, you know, that fun writing. And Nemo… 😀

Overall, a compelling, unique book that pulled me in and kept me reading late into the night. If you love modern YA fantasy you should enjoy this one!

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Wraithwood by Alyssa Roat (Review)

A review today for a very fun book that I enjoyed so much!

Title: Wraithwood

Author: Alyssa Roat

Series: The Wraithwood Trilogy, #1

Modern Fantasy • YA • 2021 • 340 pages (Kindle)

Read April 27, 2022 • 5 stars • Favorite character: Merlin • I received a free e-ARC of this book from the author and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. (And I also ended up mostly listening to the audiobook which I picked up on Audible anyway. XD)

Goodreads • Barnes & Noble • Amazon • Publisher • Author Website

This was such a delight! I wasn’t sure what to expect but I had a blast experiencing this modern fantasy adventure mostly set at a mysterious mansion, the Wraithwood Estate. It gave me such a nostalgic summer-holidays-book vibe like some books I loved reading when I was younger (like The Dark Hills Divide meets Over Sea, Under Stone), but it was unique too! I loved disappearing into this lovely setting.

It was fun following Brinnie around and seeing her discover this greater fantastical world around her. I’m curious to see what she’ll do with some of it in the future! Her uncle Merlin was fabulous too and I wish he’d have been in it even more, but I loved him and his mysteriousness. The other characters made for an excellent cast, particularly Ms. Tynsdale and Quentin, who were great! Loved these characters!

The plot was exciting and kept me invested and curious at turns, guessing and second-guessing. And the setting was so cool! I especially loved the maze! No spoilers but there were so many great moments involving the maze and just—yesss. So cool. More books should have magical mazes, TBH. It made me so happy. *grinning* Definitely my favorite part of the book! Oh, and the flying chairs were cool . . . 😉

A note, too, that listening to the audiobook was a blast and I highly recommend it! The narrator did an amazing job of bringing each character to life and making a thoroughly enjoyable book all the more delightful. I highly recommend both the book and the audiobook!

It was simply a blast and I ended it going WAIT! COME BACK! Especially with that not-quite-a-cliffhanger-buuuut . . . So I’m super looking forward to checking out the sequel, Mordizan, soon. I need more! I can’t wait to go back to this series!

Definitely recommended if you enjoy light YA modern fantasy, a dash of peril and suspense, and Arthurian vibes. It was a blast!

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