The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens

The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens

My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Margaret K. McElderry Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ellinore is more than ready to retire from her adventurous life as a quester. It’s too bad that fate has other plans for her because her twin brother, Zig, will lose his life if she doesn’t get her hands on the horn of a mythical Elder Beast! The problem? Her entire questing history is a lie! Ellinore always finds a way around killing the beasts on her quests, but now she has to put off her retirement one last time and go on a quest with her brother and Princete Aven or risk losing her brother forever.

This is one of those books that I really enjoyed while also struggling to read it. It had a really fun and upbeat vibe with a fairly slow pace, and the two didn’t quite align for me. That said, it was really enjoyable to follow Ellinore as she embarked on her final quest. Unlike her previous quests where she occasionally had her good friend and dragon, Dave, by her side, she has two people she wouldn’t choose to take with her: Zig and Aven. If there’s one thing I love, it’s people going on an adventure with people they wouldn’t choose and then seeing the shenanigans start to unfold.

There are some truly excellent characters. Dave, Zig, and Aven were easily my favorite characters. I personally feel they really brought a bright light into the story. There were other characters that I loved too, like Farrah and Rylan, but what I loved most is that there was such a range of characters that really added to the story. Honestly, I almost wished this was told in rotating perspectives over just following Ellinore because that’s how good several of the characters are.

All in all, this was a fun read. The humor was excellent, I had my favorite characters, and I just enjoyed watching everyone come together. My only issue came down to the pace, which didn’t really match the overall vibe. Otherwise, if this sounds up your alley and you don’t mind modern slang being used in a fantasy universe, then it might be worth picking up.

Stella Must Die 1 by Yasunori Mitsunaga, Ine Ohtaka

Stella Must Die 1 by Yasunori Mitsunaga, Ine Ohtaka

My Rating: ★

I received a copy from Kodansha Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When the King of Hillvalley passes away without a male heir, the question of succession becomes an outright battle. Princess Stella is content to sort things out peacefully, but her two step siblings just painted a target on her back! Unfortunately for them, Stella is mysteriously indestructible and seems to survive everything they try. Little do they know that she has a terrifying parasite protecting her, and he’s originally from another world!

This started out great. Then it turned out that this is actually a story about a Japanese man reincarnated as a parasite living inside of Princess Stella, and he’s determined to make sure they both live. Based on the official summary, there is absolutely no way anyone could ever predict the direction this book takes. I think it could’ve worked if it was a comedy, but it was a weird horror with zero humor. The artwork is great and the opening of the story pulled me in, but the rest was just really bizarre. This is one of those stories that you need to know what you’re getting into or there’s a good chance you’re going to struggle your way through it. I think there’s definitely an audience for it. Unfortunately, I am not among that audience.

Black Torch, Vol. 5 by Tsuyoshi Takaki

Black Torch, Vol. 5 by Tsuyoshi Takaki

My Rating: ★★★★

This was a great volume, but I was left wondering if there was supposed to be a second series or something with how it ended. So many plots were left open! It turns out the series was cancelled during its run, which makes so much sense. However, the character panels at the end should've wrapped things up; it made me think a follow-up series was coming because this major arc had finished. It turns out there's an anime adaption, so hopefully it'll run long enough to wrap the series up properly.

Bull Moon Rising (Royal Artifactual Guild #1) by Ruby Dixon

Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon

My Rating: ★★★★★

As the daughter of a Holder, Aspeth Honori grew up around her family’s powerful magical artifacts that were excavated from Old Prell. Unfortunately, her family is broke, and her father’s gambling addiction has left them without the artifacts that protected them. Aspeth’s knowledge combined with her fascination with Old Prell leads her to cook up a plan: she’s going to join the Royal Artifactual Guild and steal some artifacts to restore the Honori Hold! Armed with Squeaker the cat, Aspeth and her close (and only) friend, Gwenna, are about to shake things up and join a heavily male field not open to accepting women. One thing leads to another, and Aspeth marries her teacher, Hawk, because it turns out she needs a chaperone to join!

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into when I picked this up since Hawk is a minotaur, but Ruby Dixon is always putting out excellent books, so I decided to check it out anyway. It turned out I didn’t have anything to be scared of, especially since this turned out to be a fantasy adventure vs a fantasy romance! That said, the romance has a large plot. Just don’t jump in expecting a super spicy story. I would say this was 1-2 chili peppers out of 5 if anyone asked what the spice rating was! Just tuck in and prepare yourself for the Conquest Moon, which is when Hawk and all Taurians go into a rut. Spice? It’s going down!

Plus, the story is absolutely hilarious on and off. I had such a good time reading this. There’s an excellent cast of characters, but Gwenna, Lark, and Sleth are my favorites! I also liked that we saw Aspeth learn that you should never meet your heroes. I feel for her! I’m looking forward to continuing to get to know the supporting characters as the series progresses, especially since there’s new leads in each book. I’m not sure how many books this series will turn out to be, but I’ll be along for the ride either way.

Voices in the Sea Foam by Kotaro

Voices in the Sea Foam by Kotaro

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Vertical Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first time Aioto fell in love, he remembered his past life as a mermaid princess who gave everything up for a chance at love. Things didn’t end well for the mermaid princess, but now that he’s human, he’s determined not to suffer the same fate. Love’s a curse, and in Aioto’s case, he loses his voice and walking is incredibly painful every time he’s in Toru’s presence. Will he find a way to break the curse or swear off love forever?

I’ve always been a huge fan of The Little Mermaid, so of course I had to pick up this retelling! We follow Aioto as he tries to figure out how to break the curse he’s carried with him into his first life as a human. Along the way, we get to know him, his close friend and roommate, and of course Toru! I enjoyed watching them get to know each other and eventually watch Aioto come to terms with the trauma that his very soul has been carrying. It was a wonderful story, and of course the artwork was amazing!

Strange Lights by Mira González

Strange Lights by Mira González

My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Bindery Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reggie enjoys life on the road in their beat up old Winnebago. It’s not exactly a normal RV… and their daughter may or may not be a Chupacabra. They spend their days investigating all things paranormal while making sure their so-called mortal enemy and paranormal podcaster crush, Calvin, doesn’t stumble on anything legit. Things were going well until the anti-supernatural agency that Reggie’s been hiding from finally catches up to them, and their poor daughter, Eldi, is caught in the cross-fire! Now Reggie is ready to put everything on the line as long as they’re able to help Eldi escape to safety.

While I enjoyed reading this, I felt like the story was told out of order. We follow Reggie through the book, which is told in five parts. The first half was one crazy and wild ride that’s told in two parts. There was so much going on that it occasionally got overwhelming, but I was fully entertained and having a great time while reading it. Part 3 was totally out of place and should’ve actually been part 1. I was extremely confused at first because the story suddenly jumped into a very serious prequel detailing years of parental abuse without warning.

Other than this feeling like three books squished into one while being told slightly out of order, I did enjoy reading this. Just prepare to get your heart stomped on several times! I highly recommend starting with part 3 and then read parts 1-2 and 4-5. Trust me, it will make so much more sense this way!

The Book of Blood and Roses (The Callisto Chronicles #1) by Annie Summerlee

The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee

My Rating: ★★★★★

Rebecca Charity is a vampire hunter working her way up the ranks, and her latest mission is to go undercover at a vampire university that’s recently started accepting human students. Finding the rumored Book of Blood and Roses will help Rebecca finally get closer to finding out who killed her parents, but at what cost? Not only is her roommate a vampire, but she’s also from the extremely powerful Astra family! Things only get worse when she accidentally becomes Aliz Astra’s familiar, amping up the attraction she was already failing to hide.

I liked this book so much that I forgot it was a new release and was ready to go buy the next book and start it ASAP! We follow Rebecca in this slow burn romance that makes her question everything she’s learned from the moment she learned of her parent’s murder at the hands of vampires. I don’t read a lot of dark academia, but this checked off every single box. I especially loved the supporting characters, which I hope to learn more about in the next book. Plus, the romance is on fire. The chemistry between Rebecca and Aliz was sizzling from the second they were finally face to face. I’m looking forward to the next book!