Sara Machado

This book! The story! The ending! The epilogue! Carissa I need the 4th book immediately!

The Songbird and the Heart of Stone book consolidated Carissa as my current favourite Romantasy writer. She writes the perfect blend of fantasy and romance, full of complex and layered characters, wrapped in a beautifully and imaginative setting.

Mische, alongside with Vincent, was my favorite character in this series and I had high expectations for her story. Still, I couldn't imagine how complex her background story was going to be, and how emotionally engaged I would feel with her journey.

I loved Mische before, and I love her even more now. This is a character full of hope, courage and kindness, and exactly the type of FMC I like to read about.

And Asar... what a perfect match for Mische he is! He's the farthest possible from a Heart of Stone and I can't wait to see more of him. It's difficult to resist sharing some quotes by him (I have so many highlighted) but I refuse to spoil others the discovery of this character... Still, I'm obsessed with his heart and quiet, but fierce, love.

This is a story full of vulnerability, pain and love, and I loved every minute of it. Carissa Broadbent writes romantasies like no one else.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Pan Macmillan | Tor Bramble and NetGalley for the eARC!

How can I even attempt to describe or review this book? I have no words! Golden Son is an exhilarating blend of political intrigue, intense action, violence and emotional depth, wrapped in twists and surprises from the beginning until the end. Even when I know something

And the pace? I haven't read anything like this! Each chapter is masterfully crafted to make you want to keep going, I could hardly breathe. So here I am, trying to write something after not having slept a minute because I couldn't stand not knowing what was going to happen to the characters.

I bloodydamn love this books and I bloodydamn love your writing Pierce Brown!

Also, a huge appreciation for all the fantastic female characters you've written. Reading these books made me understand how much of a disservice fantasy and sci-fi writers have been to women because I keep expecting certain things to happen and they never do.

There are no mentions of breasts, their bodies are described as much as any male body, they are not sexual magic entities, they are not one-dimensional, they are smart, confident and not socially awkward, they can be smart and not evil, and we can even find call outs for sexist behavior 😮

Whether they are female or male, antagonist or protagonist, Pierce writes characters based on their virtues and role in the story, not their identity. I'm half in love!

This is a must read sci-fi series but please, do not start this book without having Morning Star ready, you'll need it. (less)

This book! The story! The ending! The epilogue! Carissa I need the 4th book immediately!

The Songbird and the Heart of Stone book consolidated Carissa as my current favourite Romantasy writer. She writes the perfect blend of fantasy and romance, full of complex and layered characters, wrapped in a beautifully and imaginative setting.

Mische, alongside with Vincent, was my favorite character in this series and I had high expectations for her story. Still, I couldn't imagine how complex her background story was going to be, and how emotionally engaged I would feel with her journey.

I loved Mische before, and I love her even more now. This is a character full of hope, courage and kindness, and exactly the type of FMC I like to read about.

And Asar... what a perfect match for Mische he is! He's the farthest possible from a Heart of Stone and I can't wait to see more of him. It's difficult to resist sharing some quotes by him (I have so many highlighted) but I refuse to spoil others the discovery of this character... Still, I'm obsessed with his heart and quiet, but fierce, love.

This is a story full of vulnerability, pain and love, and I loved every minute of it. Carissa Broadbent writes romantasies like no one else.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Pan Macmillan | Tor Bramble and NetGalley for the eARC!

I LOVED Strange the Dreamer so my expectations might have been too high for this one, but Muse of Nightmares fell a bit short to me.

The story picks up immediately after the events of the first book, introducing us to two new characters, while diving deeper into our beloved characters' and Weep’s pasts. Liani introduces in this sequel more dimensions to the world as well as connections with her previous series, which I haven’t read yet, keeping the exploration of themes such as love, revenge and redemption.

As in the first book, the writing is absolutely gorgeous and Liani does a stellar job creating emotional depth, complex character arcs, and intricate world-building, leading to an unforgettable read.

So, why didn’t this work as well for me as the first book?

• Muse of Nightmares, as foreshadowed by the title, is more focused on Sarai storyline and on her powers, leaving some of my favorite characters longer in the shadow.

• I probably wouldn't have noticed this if I hadn't read both books in a row, but this sequel was written a bit differently. Although we keep experiencing third-person omnisciente narration, the POV shifts more, resulting in something like internal dialogues, though the characters didn’t really know what the others were thinking. This is a pet peeve of mine because I don’t like to be told what to think and feel.

• Additionally, the story felt rushed, and some events happened in a too convenient way, creating in me the impression that this book was more focused on expanding the story for a future series/ sequel rather than for the sake of this duology.

Still, this was a satisfying end for the duology and I will wait expectantly to be back into this world. Both books were a very emotional read, and my heart was aching for the whole time (there were also many tears along this journey), so I definitely recommend this reading 🙂