Month: December 2023

It is the nineteenth century and Inez Olivera is part of the upper society of Buenos Aries. She has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who leave her in the care of her aunt and two cousins.

When Inez receives word of the death of her parents, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in Egypt. When her guardian does not provide details on her parents, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping. Upon her arrival in Egypt, the magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s fate than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that may kill her.

This is such a beautifully written book. It is a unique historical fiction book with elements of fantasy and is filled with magic, mystery, secrets, lies, betrayal, slow burn romance, and unexpected twists. Ibanez’s ability to immerse the reader in the setting is wonderful – I felt like I was walking through a Cairo market or an archaeological dig. I thought I had the mystery figured out about 2/3 of the way through the book, but Ibanez pulled out a cliffhanger that changed everything. My only complaint is that the story started off a bit slow, but Ibanez’s descriptive imagery and the discussion of Egypt’s history and mythology kept me interested. By the second half, the story picked up the pace, becoming more action-packed, so be patient and you will be rewarded. This book managed to feel unique as a historical fantasy read. This book is the first part of a duology, and I am very eager to read the second part.

Thanks to NetGalley, Isabel Ibanez, and St. Martin’s Press for providing a complimentary copy of this book in hopes that I will leave my unbiased review. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and the above review is simply my opinion of the book.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Queen Mara, who led the Witches of Britain to victory during the Blood Massacre of 1888, must once again face her old enemy as well as a group of rebels with seemingly no motive. Queen Mara is ready to retire and wants to pass the baton on to her only living heir, Lumen, who doesn’t want to be Queen.

Lumen must claim the title of Heir to the Blood Crown when she turns twenty-one in a few short weeks. She is determined to spend her last moments of freedom having fun, but fate has a different idea. Lumen is caught up in a mystery that will rewrite history, shed light on the recent attacks on Witches, and send her on a path to discover the true culprit behind her parents’ murders.

From the book description, I assumed this would be an adult fantasy. However, it reads more like a young adult novel, or perhaps new adult because there are some explicit scenes. The romance was a little too back and forth for me, although others may not find it as annoying as I did at times. I did enjoy King’s worldbuilding and it is clear she put a lot of thought into it. The first part of the book is a bit slow as King creates the setting for what is to come, but it is worth it. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes new adult fantasy romance books.

Thanks to BookSirens, Evelyn King, and Black Cat Press for providing a complimentary copy of this book in hopes that I will leave my unbiased review. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and the above review is simply my opinion of the book.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5