I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
Today, I’m sharing three review I’ve been holding while the HarperCollins strike was ongoing.
First up, I’d like to talk about This Cursed Crown by Alexandra Overy. Thank you to Harper 360 YA for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Awakening to find herself trapped in a strange tower, Izaveta knows she must find her way back to the Tóurensi palace and claim the throne. But even with an unexpected ally’s help, she worries she might not be able to get news of her survival to her sister and escape this frozen land.
Back at home, Asya enlists Nikov’s help to prove Izaveta is still alive, even as she finds herself forced to navigate the political world she always sought to avoid to save her queendom, her loved ones, and herself.
But as the sisters work independently to reunite, a dangerous force lies in wait, trying to regain power in order to overthrow the monarchy…
Publication Date: 5th January
TW: confinement, violence, dead bodies, torture, blood & gore, decapitation, fire, injury detail, suicidal thoughts, character death, emotional abuse, physical abuse
My Thoughts:
This Cursed Crown elevates an already amazing fantasy story, imbuing it with heart and wonderfully flawed characters.
I loved These Feathered Flames, finding an incredibly strong debut with a gorgeous story of power and love in its many forms. Its ending was the type to make your jaw drop, so I needed the sequel immediately. Luckily, this sequel is just as strong as its predecessor. The characterisation is so nuanced and intriguing to follow along, with yet more shocking twists in store. Overy has brought new spirit to the fantasy world with this ethically provoking duology.
This duology really finds its strength in Izaveta and Asya. They are definitely fractured, flawed characters who often make dangerous choices. I like how Overy always shows the consequences of their actions and the longer ramifications of these decisions. The stakes are high and often deadly, with plenty of blood being shed. There is no room for error or escape here. At their core, both of these sisters are deeply determined and passionate, wanting to succeed in their own goals but also with a deep rooted love for one another. Their environments growing up have vastly shaped them and that battle between duty and love shapes a lot of the plot.
As previously, I absolutely adored Overy’s writing. It has that grit and depth, not being afraid to plunge headfirst into the darkness. However, there remains that glimmer of beauty throughout. The magic system is evolved even further and the worldbuilding brings us new complications and challenges. It feel lush and fleshed out, spinning my senses into a trance. You discover things that shift everything that has gone before and shake the very foundations of this world and society. Do not trust anything or anyone.
This Cursed Crown places its heart on its sleeve, inviting you into this duplicitous world of magic, promises and betrayals.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao. Thank you to Harper Voyager for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Once, Lan had a different name. Now, she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and spends her days scavenging for remnants of the past. For anything that might help her understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother, in her last act before she died.
No one can see the mysterious mark, an untranslatable Hin character, except Lan. Until the night a boy appears at the teahouse and saves her life.
Zen is a practitioner – one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom, whose abilities were rumoured to be drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Magic to be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.
Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.
Publication Date: 2nd February
TW: genocide, massacre, war, blood, violence, gore, knife violence, death of loved ones, child abuse, attempted rape, mind control, colonialism, racism
My Thoughts:
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night was a lushly imagined, detailed and fully immersive fantasy tale.
As ever, I was totally focused on our protagonists. Lan and Zen have such interesting perspectives, with conflicting ideologies and motivations that we slowly begin to uncover. They are such nuanced characters, creating compelling narratives and challenging decisions. Zhao allows you to invest in these characters to just make that heartbreak all the more impactful. I also liked their love story, with the naturally increasing chemistry and some surprisingly tender moments.
The influence of Chinese mythology and folklore really enriches this book tenfold. Zhao has crafted an immense world and I loved the chronology set out at the beginning of the world. This is somewhat info-dumpy, with a lot of exposition at the start to explain the world, magic and mythology. However, I really enjoyed getting caught up in all this information and appreciated the structure it gave me for what came next. Personally, I loved the magic system and the interplay between gods and humans. This is a fascinating and unique element to the story that really pulled me in.
As you can tell from the content warnings, this book really goes there at times. There is a profound exploration of colonisation and the process of eradicating language, cultures and entire ways of life to create a uniform culture of what is ‘acceptable’. This violent erasure is one that has affected so many countries and I appreciated the acknowledgement of that reclamation process in some small steps. The forced assimilation and cultural appropriation are horrifying, as are the depictions of racism and sexism. The resistance necessary is an overwhelming battle and the question is raised of violence, what ends justify the means? Zhao sits with that question for a long time, leaving the reader to wallow in those dubious waters with her.
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is an incredibly immersive, rich and intricate fantasy novel that kickstarts an intriguing series.
Finally, I’d like to delve into My Flawless Life by Yvonne Woon. Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
At the most elite private school in Washington, DC., whenever anyone has a problem that they need to go away, they hire Hana Yang Lerner.
Hana is a fixer. She knows who to call, what to say, and how to make sure secrets stay where they belong–buried. She can fix anything. Except her own life, which was destroyed when her father, senator Skip Lerner, was arrested for an accident that left one woman nearly dead.
Now Hana’s reputation is ruined and her friends are gone. So when she gets a job from an anonymous client called “Three” to follow her former best friend, Luce Herrera, Hana realizes this might be her way of getting back her old life.
But the dangerous thing about digging is that you never know what you’ll unearth. As Hana uncovers a dark truth about her supposedly flawless classmates, she’s forced to face a secret of her own.
Publication Date: 14th February
TW: cheating, car accident, imprisonment, blackmail, manipulation
My Thoughts:
My Flawless Life was one hell of a wild ride to read.
I was instantly sold on the premise of a teenager ‘fixer’, solving all problems except her own, getting caught up in a web of dark secrets and earth-shattering truths. Hana is a fascinating and deeply flawed character with an intellect that is terrifying. She is intensely analytical, spotting every possible advantage and twisting it her way. The scenes where she mentally dissects people or situations were incredible and reminded me of the mind palace scenes from Sherlock. These ‘fixes’ were always so engaging and stimulating, unlike anything I think I have read before. They added this extra layer of puzzling to the story that I personally adored.
You become invested in her twisted view of the world and highly intrigued by the dark plot she has become enmeshed in. Woon plots perfectly here, with plenty of twists, turns and intrigue. The suspense is thick and there is always a relentless push towards that explosive conclusion. The pacing is incredibly compulsive and engaging. I really enjoyed how much the book is about manipulation and how the book itself manipulates you, pushing you into subtle assumptions and judgements. There is a total ambiguity and moral murkiness to the book. It allows for so much thought-provoking discussion and the type of nuance that I adore.
Throughout the book, there is an interesting thread surrounding privilege, particularly financial privilege. This added more social commentary about victimisation, exploitation and how those with more privilege are able to bend situations to their own advantage more easily. It becomes about who is able to have a seat at the table to plead their case and who cannot even get into the room.
My Flawless Life is fierce, fantastically plotted and full to the brim with twists and turns that will destroy you.
A Short Book Lover 
2 thoughts on “Mini Review Monday #97”