We have reached May 12. Another week has passed us by. This week, I read through an advance reader copy (ARC) of a book that will be coming out tomorrow. I then started a library book that’s been sitting on my shelf for a few weeks. It’s the first in a series, and I’ve actually had the second book for even longer (oops). It was time. Here’s the full recap.

1. A Fairy Hunter’s Guide for the Recently (Un)Dead – Cynthia Prith

CW: Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, Suicide, Death of Parent, Kidnapping, Captivity, Torture, SA, Abandonment, Anxiety Attacks, Trauma Bonding, Toxic Relationships, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Gaslighting, Chronic & Terminal Illness, Body Horror, Drug Abuse, Drugging

This one will be officially released tomorrow, May 13th. It’s currently available for preorder on the ‘zon. Thank you to The Nerd Fam for an eARC.

Summary:

Gwendolyn did not expect to wake up again. She was certain that her long battle with illness had finally reached its end. Even less expected was finding herself in a fairy realm when she did awaken. She knows the signs of a deal with the fae because her mother trained her rigorously as a fairy hunter all throughout her younger years. By day, she finds herself back in her life she thought had ended, free to investigate who made the deal to resurrect her, why they bothered, and what the specific terms were. By night, she’s trapped in the nightmarish court of the fairy lord. There, the closest she has to an ally is a patchwork knight who seems to want to help her. Unfortunately, he’s cursed to obey the fairy lord.

My Thoughts:

The title of this book is what initially drew me to it. Ultimately, it’s why I decided to apply for the ARC even though I already had a few to get to. I thought it was delightfully tongue-in-cheek and the premise had caught my interest as well. I was looking forward to seeing that story told with that tone. It had a different voice than I had expected.

Instead, the lens was darker. There was a greater focus on building up the terror of the fairies and the chaos of their realms. There was also a lot of attention toward developing complicated and deeply-scarred characters. This book does a very good and very thorough job at both of those aspects. Gwendolyn’s experience is truly frightening. While neither she nor “her knight” as she comes to think of him are what she’d call “beautiful,” what blossoms between them can be. It’s not a healthy relationship, but it is one that’s intriguing to watch in a fictional setting. The same is true for many of Gwendolyn’s other connections. Her trauma makes bonding with others an awkward and unusually-handled endeavor.

Rather than the light, offhanded sarcasm I expected from the narration, the prose was very flowery with copious metaphorical language. This can come across as atmospheric and lofty, or as cumbersome and confusing. The distinction will fall to the reader. I really don’t mind dark reads, but I wasn’t expecting this to be one. If I’d had my expectations more accurately set, I may have enjoyed this one more. It gets very dark at some points. I recommend paying extra attention to the content warnings on this title before reading, and ensuring you aren’t in a fragile headspace.

2. A Fire in the Sky – Sophie Jordan

CW: Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, Child Abuse, Forced Marriage, Graphic Sexual Content, Abandonment, Genocide (list may be incomplete)

Summary:

Tamsyn is used to sacrifice and enduring for the sake of others. Her whole life, she’s been raised as the royal whipping girl, taking any punishments on behalf of the crown princesses she’s lived beside. It’s better treatment than she’d get elsewhere, especially looking the way she does. Those with her appearance are believed to have magic, and its wielders are being hunted out of existence as the dragons were before them. However, she has no special powers except the way she’s learned to bear pain to spare her sisters. When a celebrated warrior of the north nicknamed Lord Beast demands a princess as a bride in reward for his deeds, Tamsyn is once again willing to stand in their stead. Embarking on her new life as a northern lady at his side, she finds much she did not expect – in her new husband, the world at large, and especially in herself.

My Thoughts:

At this point, I’m about two thirds of the way through this one. I picked it up from my local library a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve had so many ARCs to read with release dates approaching that I hadn’t been able to get to it until this week. However, one ARC in my reading queue is for this book’s sequel A Scar in the Bone. I want to make sure that I don’t dive into that one without any needed context. While this series is set in the same world as Sophie Jordan’s series Firelight, it’s not required reading before A Fire in the Sky. So far I haven’t felt at any point like there are unexplained parts of the world or other notable gaps in my understanding. I may go back at some point and read Firelight simply because I’m enjoying this.

There are multiple POVs, each delving in to a unique character psychology. The personalities and inner voices are distinct. I’m really liking the relationships as well and seeing the different dynamics between characters. The chemistry between the main characters is palpable. Scenes between them could easily have been fumbled awkwardly at several points, but Jordan has been able to pull them off tactfully in a way that satisfies and keeps you turning pages.

I’ll be giving my final update on this one next week once I’ve finished the book.

May 12 is Now in the Books

That’s all the reading I got done last week (aside from audiobooks and what I read to my daughter). Monday, May 12 is the start of a new week. We’ll see how much of a dent I can make in my TBR list this week. I’ve got a few more ARCs to get to plus a great big stack of physical books gathered from all my indie bookstore adventures. I plan to visit every single one in the state. Since I’m in Massachusetts, I’m lucky enough to have a lot of them. You can join in along with my partner and I in our explorations – we have a whole playlist of bookstore videos for you to check out!

Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel or the main updates page here to follow along on all my bookish adventures. My reading recaps go out on Mondays and bookstore adventure videos go out on Thursdays. Plus, there are lots of little shorts in between. As always, I want to hear from you! What have you been reading lately? Are you having fun with it? Have you read any of these titles, and if so, what did you think of them? Tell me everything, and follow along for more!