[Review] King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Series: Nikolai Duology #1

Rating: 4.5 stars

Published: January 29th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

The monster is me and I am the monster. - p. 89

What a pleasure it was to jump back into the Grishaverse again!

This time we're back in Ravka (and also in Fjerda, a new change of pace), with three POVs: Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina. Nikolai has to fight to contain the monster that's within him from the time he was captured by the Darkling's creatures in the original trilogy. Zoya, General of the Grisha Army, is there to protect him. Nikolai's got to consolidate his rule by finding a consort, and eventually have an heir. Meanwhile, Nina is off in Fjerda saving missing Grisha and trying to lay Matthias to rest. But while this is all happening, a young priest, Yuri, wishes to expand his worship of the Darkling to the rest of Ravka.

[Review] Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Series: Graceling Realm #1

Rating: 4 stars

Published: October 1st 2008

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.
She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

Recommended by Yiling!

Graceling reminded me of Tamora Pierce's books, in which a girl is given the means to break free from the misogynist and overly sexist society she was placed in.

Katsa is born with the Grace of killing, making her the personal hitman of King Randa, her uncle. This ability of her makes her feared among her peers, which keeps her alone and isolated. But, she meets Po, who has the Grace of combat, and soon becomes his friend. The two embark on a mission to discover the truth of Po's kidnapped grandfather and the mysteriously kind King Leck of Monsea.

[Review] The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

Rating: 4 stars

Published: May 28th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:

Welcome to the Kingdom... where 'Happily Ever After' isn't just a promise, but a rule.
Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, The Kingdom is an immersive fantasy theme park where guests soar on virtual dragons, castles loom like giants, and bioengineered species--formerly extinct--roam free.
Ana is one of seven Fantasists, beautiful "princesses" engineered to make dreams come true. When she meets park employee Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including, for the first time... love.
But the fairytale becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting the trial of the century. Through courtroom testimony, interviews, and Ana's memories of Owen, emerges a tale of love, lies, and cruelty--and what it truly means to be human.

I feel like people have been sleeping on The Kingdom but they honestly shouldn't. Going to plug my ShelfLove Crate subscription here and say I got this from July's box.

[Review] The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Series: The Beautiful #1

Rating: 2.5 stars

Release Date: October 8th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis: 

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.
When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

"I am not so captivated by the beautiful, monsieur." Celine met his gaze without wavering. "For I know beauty is only a moment in time." p. 365

Buddy-read with Yiling and Vicki! 

The Beautiful takes place in New Orleans, 1872, following Celine Rousseau as she escapes from Europe to find new life in America (with a dark secret, of course). She initially seeks a life of anonymity with a convent of sisters, but becomes acquainted with the La Cour des Lions, a coterie of otherwise otherworldly beings. As Celine gets involved with this group, a murderer descends upon New Orleans, and Celine may be the next victim. 

[Review] The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ARC

Published: August 13th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:

By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.
While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.

After being fired from her job as a hat milliner, Jo finds a position as a maid at the Payne household. Because of laws against Chinese (and other POC) being citizens, Jo and her adopted father Old Gin have to hide in the basement of Nathan Bell and his family, without them knowing. After years of being oppressed and being told she's too much of a 'saucepot', Jo starts moonlighting as the agony aunt for the Bell newspaper, The Constitution, going by the pseudonym Miss Sweetie. But when Miss Sweetie starts speaking about the racial and gender injustices that run throughout Atlanta, enemies start popping up.