Kara's Book Cravings: Kingdom of the Wicked

 

I've been on a romantasy kick lately, and so I've been buying a lot of these types of books. Naturally, when I saw KINGDOM OF THE WICKED by Kerri Maniscalco I was immediately drawn to the cover. And then the blurb sold me, so I went and bought the entire trilogy. 

I eagerly dove right into the first book, Kingdom of the Wicked, and... well, it took me a while to get through it. I really wanted to love this book more than I can say, but the pacing was rather slow, in my opinion. Felt like it took a long time for anything major to happen, and then once it did, we were at the end! 

But this book does have a little bit of everything: witches, death, lots of secrets, princes of Hell, dark magic... it really has everything I love in a romantasy. I'm not sure why I struggled so much. Maybe I wasn't in the right mindset or mood when I started this, or maybe I simply don't vibe with the author's style. 

I do own the other two books in the series, and I'm sure I'll eventually read those because I'm a completionist, and because everyone who's read this series promises it does get better. I was told the same thing when I struggled to get through the first ACOTAR book, and everyone was right, so I trust that they'll be right about this series, too. I'm taking a break from this for now, but I'll try book 2 soon. 

Kara's Book Cravings: The Four Horsemen Series

 

THE FOUR HORSEMAN SERIES by Laura Thalassa is a very adult book series that features each of the four horseman -- Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death -- as they come to destroy the world. In each book, a sole woman falls victim to the horseman when she tries to stop him. Throughout the journey, the horseman finds humanity and love. 

This type of series isn't my go-to genre by any means, but I kept seeing these books on the shelves at Target every time I was there (which is a lot!), and I kept going back and forth. I love the covers, and I'm a sucker for anything that's end of the world or dystopian. I figured, what the hell? 

And I am sooooo glad I bought these books. Yes, they are dark in certain parts. I mean, it's the end of the world. I didn't expect anything less. What I wasn't expecting, though, was the humor and the heat! Both were an extremely pleasant surprise. My favorite of the series is hands-down PESTILENCE with DEATH being a close second. The others are great, too, but the first and last really stood out to me. 

I really enjoy the author's writing style, too, and so I've since bought two more of her series, and I'll be diving into those soon. So, if you're a fan of heat and humor and stories that are a little out there, then you're going to want to pick up this series. I recommend it to everyone now! 

Kara's Book Cravings: ACOTAR Series

 

So, I have finished all five books in the A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES Series by Sarah J. Maas. If you want to catch up on my thoughts about book 1 and book 2, you can do so HERE and HERE. All set? Okay, then let's move on to books 3-5, and boy do I have some thoughts...

In book 3--A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN--we get a lot more fantasy aspects with the Fae courts and politics and the eventual big war. While the pacing was good and I was fully engaged, something about this book fell flat for me. In the first two, we're just learning about Rhys and Feyre and becoming invested in their love-hate relationship. In this book, they are fully mated and together. From a story telling perspective, I get the need for that, but as a reader, I really missed the tension between them that had been so strong in the first two books. 

The 4th book--A COURT OF FROST AND STARLIGHT--is a really short companion book that takes place after the war and shows Rhys and Feyre settling into their lives. This also focuses a bit more on Feyre's sisters, Elain and Nesta, which leads into the fifth book. While this was a quick read, it wasn't my favorite. It lacked any real conflict and romantic tension. 

A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES, the fifth and (so far) final book in this series is a beast. It's by far the longest, and it took me a while to get through it. Not because it was bad, but because we shift from Feyre and Rhys's story into Nesta and Cassian's story. The shift took a big of adjustment, but once I got into it, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. 

Nesta gets a lot of hate from a lot of people, and with good reason, but she has the best character arc, in my opinion. The amount of change she goes through, both internally and externally, is astounding. I came to really like her by the end of this book, and I was rooting for her.  She knows she hasn't been a good sister, or person overall, but she works hard on herself and by the end, this book had me in tears. I'd venture to say this final book was probably my favorite of the entire series. And the romance between her and Cassian --- wooooo! Make sure you have a fan handy. Or access to a cold shower. 

GOALS: 2024

 

Usually, I love writing this post each year. I like to have a semi-plan in place about what I want to accomplish in any given year. At the start of 2024, though, I'm a little hesitant to put anything in writing. Why? Because life seems to have other plans for me lately that don't always involve writing and publishing. And when I don't reach a certain goal I set for myself, I feel like I've failed. So this year, I've decided to be a bit more vague and go easier on myself. 

So, here's what I'm going to focus on in 2024...

1. Maintain My Health

I'm finally on a good dosage of my Fibro meds, and I've added in some new supplements that's really helping with my fatigue, so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm also going to get back into a routine of working out. Once the weather clears up, I'd like to start taking Crowley on walks again, too. 

2. Gain More Financial Freedom

I'm still working for Anaiah Press, and I plan to keep doing so. However, I've applied for a new work-from-home job that's within the publishing industry, and I'm really optimistic that I'll get a position. This will take a lot of stress off our household finances, but it will also give me a bit more freedom in terms of funds to keep publishing and marketing my books. Ideally, within the next 3 to 5 years, I want to be making enough income from my books alone that I don't *have* to work anywhere else unless I want to. 

3. Keep Blogging

I've made some good progress with my blog this past year, and I want to keep up the momentum. Between a weekly group post I've joined (Tell Me Something Tuesday), my book thoughts, and anything else that pops into my head, I shouldn't have any issues keeping up with this. 

4. Read

I read more in 2023 than I have in years, and I've really enjoyed branching out into new genres. My total last year was 43 books. This year, I'm aiming for 50! I've even started a reading journal so I can keep better track. 

5. Write

As of right now, I don't have any set in stone plans of what I want to write. I have a couple co-authored projects I'm working on, and I'll keep moving forward with those. Beyond that, though, I'm going to try my hand at a New Adult romantasy for my new agent to send out on submission this year. I'm also going to rework some older projects to re-release, and hopefully that will snap me out of whatever writing funk I've been in. 

6. Take a Vacation

Yes, I'm going on a cruise in February, and that's a wonderful vacation, but I'm going on that for a specific reason. I can't share what that is just yet, but I promise to tell you all about it when I return home. Beyond that, though, I want to take another Mother-Daughter Vacation this summer. Our goal is to visit Covington, Georgia and take The Vampire Diaries tour, along with visiting the Atlanta Zoo and Aquarium. 

What are your goals and plans for 2024? Share in the comments!

Kara's Book Cravings: A Court of Mist and Fury

 

After being very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, I immediately jumped right into the second book, A Court of Mist and Fury. 

This is one big book, coming in at over 600 pages, so it was a little intimidating at first. But then I started reading it... and I couldn't stop! I finished this entire book in 3 days flat. 

ACOMAF is definitely much better than ACOTAR, but the reason for that, in my opinion, is that we get a lot more Rhysand in this book, and he's my favorite!

We learn so much more about him and why he's so misunderstood. We also learn more about Tamlin, and as I mentioned in my last review, my suspicions about him are confirmed. He's not as great as he's portrayed in book 1. I don't hate him, and he's not really a villain, but he makes some really dumb decisions. 

Feyre, our heroine, becomes a lot stronger in this book as well, and while I find some of her reactions annoying, she's a solid character, and I like her more and more. 

The ending of this book had my jaw on the floor, though, and then I couldn't stop smiling. Maas is a master of the plot twist, and she's damn good at the enemies-to-lovers trope, too. I hope to one day be as good as she is. 

And now, I will dive into book 3, which is even longer than this one. I hope I'm not disappointed. 

Kara's Book Craving: A Court of Thorns and Roses

 

After reading and enjoying Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, I decided to really give romantasy (romance + fantasy) a shot, and so I asked in several groups for recommendations on other series to try, especially for someone so new to the genre. And let me tell you... I got a LOT of great recommendations! 

The one that seemed to come up more than anything else was the A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES (ACOTAR) series by Sarah J. Maas. People warned me that the first book isn't all that great, and that it's slow, but I really need to push through to get to the second book, and then the series is one of the best they'd ever read. 

And so, I dove in head first...

I'm still very new to this genre, but I know that Fae are huge within fantasy, like vampires are in paranormal. I've never liked Fae, though. I don't know why, but something about them--especially as leads and heroes--just never set right with me. Maybe it's the pointy ears... 

Anyway, this series is all about Fae and the various courts they rule. The heroine is a human, and she's unwillingly sucked into this world. 

Was this book slow like everyone said? Yes. Did I skim read a lot of sections that were heavy with descriptions? You bet I did! But I don't think this book was as bad as people say, nor do I think it's a weak start to the series. Is the second book better? Without a doubt! Still, I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would! 

I'm sucked into the world Maas has created and the politics with all the various Fae courts. How the human world clashes with the Fae is really intriguing, too! I liked Tamlin, though something about him felt off at times, and my suspicions were confirmed in the second book. 

Rhysand -- who is portrayed as the "bad guy" is a heck of a lot deeper and more complicated than he appears, and I absolutely adore him! He's my new Xaden from Fourth Wing. lol. I seriously love Rhys, and I can't wait to read more of him.

Overall, this first book did its job and sucked me in. I'm hooked and will continue to read the rest of the series. 

Anyone else read this? 

What did you think?

Kara's Book Cravings: Fourth Wing and Iron Flame

 

Like all the other book lovers out there, I'm not immune to the hype surrounding Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. I am, however, immune to the epic fantasy books or anything that requires heavy worldbuilding. Or... I used to be anyway...

A very good friend of mine had read Fourth Wing and insisted I needed to read it, despite knowing I'm not a fan of fantasy. But I trust her, so I decided why not? Let me see for myself what all the hype is about. 

I read Fourth Wing in a matter of days! In fact, I hadn't even finished it when Iron Flame released, but I was at my local Target bright and early to ensure I got my copy, and I even splurged on a second copy of Fourth Wing so I could have the pretty sprayed edges and the bonus content. 

I've read both sides of the arguments surrounding these books -- those who love them and those who hate them -- and I can see value in both opinions. Personally, I really enjoyed these books. Yes, they're long, and yes there are some things that don't make a lot of sense. But I read for the enjoyment of it, to escape the dumpster fire that is the world, and these books gave me that. I was sucked into the world almost immediately. I LOVE the dragons and their lore. 

And don't even get me started on Xaden -- I have a new book boyfriend, y'all! He's the type of strong, silent, brooding hero I wish I could write. My heart raced every time he showed up on the page. 

I will admit I did struggle just a bit with Iron Flame, mostly because the middle sagged a bit, and some things happened that stole the magic I'd found reading the first book, relationships to be specific. (Don't worry -- I won't say because I don't want to spoil anything.) 

Overall, these books were fun, and I'm (im)patiently waiting for book 3, because WOW does book 2 end on a wicked cliffhanger! Fair warning. But what I think I like most about taking a chance on these books is that it's opened me up to an entirely new genre that I was adamant I wouldn't like -- fantasy romance. 

I can admit when I'm wrong, though, and now I'm doing a deep dive into this genre and reading everything I can get my hands on!

Anyone else read this series? 

What are your thoughts on it?