Little Red's Reviews: February 2019

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Bright We Burn (The Conqueror's Saga #3) by Kiersten White

Summary: Haunted by the sacrifices he made in Constantinople, Radu is called back to the new capital. Mehmed is building an empire, becoming the sultan his people need. But Mehmed has a secret: as emperor, he is more powerful than ever . . . and desperately lonely. Does this mean Radu can finally have more with Mehmed . . . and would he even want it?

Lada's rule of absolute justice has created a Wallachia free of crime. But Lada won't rest until everyone knows that her country's borders are inviolable. Determined to send a message of defiance, she has the bodies of Mehmed's peace envoy delivered to him, leaving Radu and Mehmed with no choice. If Lada is allowed to continue, only death will prosper. They must go to war against the girl prince.

But Mehmed knows that he loves her. He understands her. She must lose to him so he can keep her safe. Radu alone fears that they are underestimating his sister's indomitable will. Only by destroying everything that came before--including her relationships--can Lada truly build the country she wants.

Claim the throne. Demand the crown. Rule the world (Via Goodreads.com).

Pages: 378

Release Date: July 10th, 2018

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Review:

Bright We Burn is the third and final novel in Kiersten White's The Conqueror's Saga. The trilogy is a gender bender retelling of the story of Vlad Dracula. The inspiration behind Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, is reimagined as Lada Dracul. Lada, a political hostage along with her brother, Radu, from their father, the king of Wallachia, are sent to the capital of the Ottoman Empire as children to be under the watch of the Sultan. They quickly befriend the son, Mehmed, of the current Sultan, but Radu and Lada's loyalties become split as they grow older and Radu continues to support to Ottomans while Lada wants to obtain independence for Wallachia.

This trilogy has been one of my absolute favorites since the release of the first novel, And I Darken, in 2016. When I read And I Darken, I immediately became immersed into the story and absolutely fell in love with the characters. I had tried to read other Kiersten White novels in the past, but I could never get invested. And I Darken, however, was a complete game changer. I was able to read advanced copies of both And I Darken and Now I Rise and I read each one in a sitting. They are extremely addictive and immersive stories.

The novels are told in alternating chapters between Radu and Lada. The siblings are two of my absolute favorite characters. They are the complete opposite of one another. Radu is the sweet, yet cunning one while Lada is pure passion and extremely direct. The one thing they both have in common is their desire to protect those they love; however, they show their love and protection in different ways. It is refreshing to have two very different characters. The chapters do not always directly list who is the narrator, but it is always easy to tell, they have such distinct voices and characterizations.

I am sad for the trilogy to be over. Generally speaking, I am okay with how the trilogy ended. I never thought it would have the traditional "happy" ending, but I also hoped for my own love of these characters that they would be truly happy. I believe they were all "happy" in their own way; however, I am extremely saddened by the characters we lost along the way. I actually felt betrayed by some of the deaths that occurred. I knew there would be loss, but the amount of loss broke my heart. No matter the loss, my heart was somewhat mended by the last scene. It was nice to have the core three characters reunited one last time.

The Conqueror's Saga is one of my absolute favorite trilogies. I highly recommend the trilogy if you enjoy action, adventure, and historical fiction. The Ottoman Empire is my second favorite empire, I first being the Mongols. I loved reading a novel heavily featuring the Ottoman Empire. It is difficult for me to choose my favorite novel in the trilogy. I loved the characters meeting in And I Darken, the shifting of loyalties in Now I Rise, and the full out war of Bright We Burn. The characters grow more mature as the books progress and their stories slowly escalate. If I had to choose though, I would probably pick Now I Rise, I loved the changing of loyalties and the fall of Constantinople was absolutely amazing. I love this trilogy dearly and I hope that Vlad would be impressed by how Kiersten White retold his story.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Sightwitch (Witchlands #2.5) by Susan Dennard

Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard, Sightwitch is an illustrated novella set in the Witchlands and told through Ryber’s journal entries and sketches.

Before Safi and Iseult battled a Bloodwitch...

Before Merik returned from the dead…

Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.

Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight—and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.

On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.

Set a year before Truthwitch, Sightwitch is a companion novella that also serves as a set up to Bloodwitch, as well as an expansion of the Witchlands world (Via Goodreads.com).

Pages: 233

Release Date: February 13th, 2018

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Review:

Sightwitch made me so excited to be back in the Witchlands world. I was a part of the original Street Team for the Witchlands series when Truthwitch was released in 2016. I did not love fantasy series as much as I do now; however, I absolutely fell in love with the Witchlands series. It is perfect for fantasy lovers and haters alike. The series takes place in a world of witches, with some normal beings, but the witches belong to one of the six elements, air, water, earth, fire, void, and aether. The main series follows a range of characters and Sightwitch, a novella set prior to the main series, follows two secondary characters in the main series. While Sightwitch does technically take place prior to the first novel, Truthwitch, I would recommend reading the series in its publication order, which is Truthwitch, Windwitch, Sightwitch and Bloodwitch.

One of the main reasons to read it in that order is that a large plot twist is revealed in Sightwitch that you probably should be unaware of when you first meet those two characters in Truthwitch. Sightwitch, however, has made me want to reread parts of Truthwitch and Windwitch to see if I can pick up on any of those plot twists.

I loved that the novel explored more of Ryber's backstory. Little is revealed about her in either Truthwitch or Windwitch so it was great to learn more about where she came from and how she meet Kullen. I loved both Ryber and Kullen in Truthwitch and Windwitch, but somehow I adore them even more after reading Sightwitch. I am hopeful and interested to see more of them in Bloodwitch. Susan definitely set up an interesting plot twist that I am excited to see come into play in the main series. I hope Sightwitch also gives both Ryber and Kullen a more central role in Bloodwitch because their exit in Windwitch left more to be desired.

Something I did not realize about Sightwitch prior to reading it is that it is told in journal entries and also features illustrations. I loved the pace of the novel and how the characters could interject with one another since it was told in a written format. I also enjoyed the illustrations because sometimes I find it difficult to conjure images in my mind of certain objects, monsters, or scenes in fantasy series. It was nice to have the supplemental illustrations, plus they were absolutely beautiful.

I loved getting back into the Witchlands world with Sightwitch. It was a fast, engaging, and adventurous novel that complemented well with the rest of the series. I am extremely excited for the publication of Bloodwitch, the third novel in the Witchlands series, on February 12th. I was fortunate enough to get an advanced copy, which is on my immediate to-be-read pile. Sightwitch was a nice refresher into the world before I begin Bloodwitch. I would highly recommend starting the Witchlands series if you have yet to. It is a wonderful Young Adult fantasy series that includes a large cast of phenomenal characters and a heart-racing and intricate story. I also highly recommend picking up a copy of Sightwitch if you have yet to. The release of Bloodwitch is just around the corner.