The Fire Mages by: Pauline M. Ross I gave this three out of five stars for a lovely fantasy world, a well defined magic system, and a plot that pulled me through from start to finish. What I liked: 1) The magic system. It has layers and levels of mysteries. Most of the magical things were defined through the action of the story or in bits of exposition as needed. For the amount of magical material it is a feat that readers are spared from lengthy info dumps. I especially loved the library and the city built for mages. I really thought the dangers in this city for non-mages was wonderfully constructed and made for a great twist towards the end of the plot. 2) The plot. I was rooting for the young Kyra from the beginning, hoping she saves the needed money to attend school and pursue her dreams. It was a fun ride watching her navigate obstacles capable of derailing or destroying her. 3) The fantasy realm. It’s well defined and different enough to feel like a strange and foreign place, but relatable with human customs and behaviors. What I didn’t enjoy. 1) The protagonist. She was too selfish and emotionally immature for my taste. To me her inability to read other people or empathize with them meant she is at best sitting somewhere on the autism spectrum, or at worst is some form of sociopath. It was detectable in the beginning when she easily loses all sentiments and ties to her family. She was far too willing, and had zero emotional reaction to the contract forcing her to give up her child. It took far too long for her to decipher her attachment to Cal. I also think it’s the only way you can explain a character saying in all sincere honesty to her long-term mentor, “I didn’t know you had a mother.” 2) The lack of dialog. The best scenes in this book are ones where the ongoing action of the story is presented in a scene with dialog. Too many of the dramatic character interactions are filtered as a memory or passively mentioned with major emotions about the other character stated as a fact of how the protagonist felt at the time. It killed my emotional tie to the ongoing action. 3) The romantic pacing. The romantic tie was in the scenes presented, but if more of the moments mentioned in passing had been presented and not filtered, the emotional resolution would have had a greater impact. The ending left me a little cold. If their confessions had come before the final climactic arc, the entire ending would have been more dramatic.

Time Heist (Firstborn Saga #1) by: Anthony Vicino

I gave this four out of five stars for the break neck pace of an action movie, the beautiful language of a beloved classic, and the vivid imagery I wish existed in more contemporary works of this genre.

What I liked:

1) The characters, each one was full of hidden surprises that were just as intriguing as the plot of the book. In the beginning most are sketched together and appear very typical to the crime-thriller genre, they evolve and transform which made them fresh and added depth to the novel.

2) The Futuristic world, in my opinion is one of the stand out features of the book. I like being taken to new places that are strange and different, and Vicino took me somewhere new with gusto. Nano technology that does everything from brushing teeth to fixing a broken leg, flying cars, hologram clothing, and air transport that works off of a real scientific theory.

3) The plot, there are a lot of moving parts in it. Some of the early scenario’s seemed to bump against my suspended disbelief, but somehow the protagonists impending death made it work. I like the role of time in the plot, and how as time wore out it became more important.

Radiance (Wraith Kings, Volume 1) by: Grace Draven

I give this book four out of five stars for a beautifully constructed romance, an authentic and engaging fantasy realm, and well done plot pacing. I audio binged my way through this book, and was upset to discover I have to wait to binge on the second book.

What I liked:

1) The fantastic execution of the plot of two royals from opposing worlds being married off as part of a treaty and falling in love. Ildiko and Brishen come to terms with the hideous appearance of their spouse, and slowly grow attached to admirable qualities of each other. Sound familiar, maybe, but it’s a plot that when done well stands out against a romance market saturated with characters in love over appearances. I got a happily ever after high when these two no longer cared about the others ugly appearance, and actually started to see things they admired in the unfamiliar features. The way their relationship builds is lovely and I enjoyed both characters.

2) There’s some great humor throughout the book. It’s clever how the protagonists meet for the first time. The tension built in a real and honest way and was broken with moments that had me laughing out loud. Their observations are candid and a lot is revealed about them in just that scene. I laughed through scenes where they are forced to eat new foods, and at the pair playing off the others culture shocks.

3) The fantasy realm. Draven’s constructed a world and cultures on par with traditional epic fantasy. It’s not a romance set in troupe like fantasy so fantastic plot devices can be used when the authors writing fails. This world felt genuine, was vividly captured, and held my interest. It’s a place with some grit and ugly realities. With fight scenes that have consequences, and a magic system I want to learn more about.

What I didn’t like:

1) The interactions between Brishen’s mother and Ildiko. It seemed odd to me that Ildiko’s noblewoman character would choose to verbally spar the way she did with her new mother in law and Queen. It still worked, but I thought it was a little out of place.

I listened to this book through audible and thought the narration by Gabrielle Baker was excellent.