by  T. Kingfisher. This is an adult fantasy novel where we follow our main character Marra, who’s the youngest princess of three in a small insignificant kingdom. The middle sister is married to the prince of the Northern Kingdoms to prevent a war. Only problem is that this prince, soon turned king, is abusive and has already killed Marra’s oldest sister.  Now, Marra is determined to not only avenge her dead sister, but also save her sister Kania from the same fate before it’s too late. To help her with killing the prince, she enlists a powerful gravewitch, her reluctant fairy godmother, and strapping former knight called Fenris. Together, they embark on a dark and magical journey to end the reign of a bloodline protected by some powerful magic.  I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I honestly picked it up mostly because of the really great looking cover. As soon as I started this book, I was thinking I’d made a mistake. I found the opening chapters confusing and hard to read and so strange that I wasn’t sure what I was reading.  It had some really interesting elements to it, and I wanted…

by Emily Thiede. In this book we follow Alessa who’s been chosen by the goddess Dea as their next Finestra. A person who has the power to amplify the magic of those blessed with it. The reason for this is so that she, together with the blessed partner (Fonte) of her choosing, can save the people of Saverio when the unnatural armies of Crollo attacks in a recurring event called Diverando.  But becoming Finestra means not only luxury and fame but shedding all ties to your old life and live in solitude and isolation until Diverando. For Alessa, that’s a fate worse than death. And death is something she’s become familiar with because she’s proven to be controlled by her power rather than her controlling it, which means the next Fonte of her choosing might be the fourth that dies by her hand.  This was another unexpected hit for me. I had heard nothing of this book before I picked it up, and I hadn’t even read the blurb for it. It’s a wonderful and easy book to read, it’s full of tension and stakes and a ticking clock to an epic battle you in all honesty don’t know how…