novelyjaded's reviews
517 reviews

ARC Review 

 

The Melody of Shattered Gold by James Michels 

 

I am privileged to have been chosen to receive and review an advanced copy of The Melody of Shatter Gold by James Michels. This is a mafia/crime thriller that is centered around several different crime families in New York City. 

 

War seems to always be simmering under the surface between the various crime families in NYC. Most often, there is a begrudging peace out of mutual benefit. But all that is going to change with the hasty actions of one underboss trying to move his family to the top of the food chain. 

 

I found this book to be kind of like potato chips. I would start to read and there would be a point where I would look down, realize I had just read 50 pages in what felt like the blink of an eye. Kind of like when you pop open a bag of chips intending to eat a few and the next thing you know, you’re staring at the bottom of the bag. 

I did find the story to be a little predictable. I do read quite a bit of thriller/psychological dramas so that could be why. 

The characters were almost all stereotypical representations of the various ethnicities associated with organized crime. Their actions were also typical of an organized crime themed book or TV show. 

 

One of the interesting things that I ran into with this book was that it is being narrated in the third person but follows many different characters. While this is normally not an issue for me, in the version I read, there are no page breaks or headings to denote that we are now following a different character. I had to be a little more vigilant about my character tracking than normal. 

It is possible that this is a formatting issue in the version I read but I think that some sort of page break or header when changing to a different character that is not already in the scene would be helpful in keeping the storyline straight. 

All the switching between multiple character storylines did make for a fast read. 

 

Something else to watch out for is the number of characters portrayed, many of whom were referred to by nicknames or aliases. For me personally, I think a character list at the beginning of each chapter, divided into the various represented families, would have been helpful in keeping everyone straight. With all the crime families involved and the shifting alliances, it would also be a good way to keep track of everything that was happening. 

 

While being as spoiler free as possible, I felt that the ending was fairly open. It definitely left an opportunity for books to follow. If not, I guess the ending could be seen as leaning more toward a “real life” portrayal. All in all, I wanted to know if there was going to be more in store for the Oro family. 

 

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

ARC Review 

 

Prelude to Fire by Christine E Schulze 

 

I am privileged to have been chosen to receive and review an advanced copy of Prelude to Fire by Christine E Schulze. This is actually the first ARC I received and I was so excited it’s fantasy. This is the powerful beginning to a YA epic fantasy series. 

 

Ashlai finds herself in the position of every 15 year old: feeling like she’s being left behind while those around her move on to bigger and better things. Her brother, her friends, everyone seems to be growing up and moving on faster than her. That all changes in the blink of an eye when her village is attacked by the empire’s newest threat, Ragnar, who also happens to be their newest ruler. Now Ashlai is on the run among an unlikely group, all of whom are tied closely to the ultimate fate of their world. It’s up to them now to band together for the greater good. 

 

This has been likened to many different fantasy classics. But I did not see the one it most resembles to me mentioned. This has a very Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan) feel to it. An epic quest against a far reaching evil, an unlikely group (that skews young) traveling far and wide in search of a way to defeat said evil, all while struggling to master their magics. I get Moraine vibes from Lea and definite Thom vibes from Chamblin. And if Mat Cauthon was a sprite, he would be Aryl. 

 

And like Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series, this book is quite long. I was warned about this by the author when I was given the ARC. The ebook is just under 650 pages and the printed version seems to be about 450 pages. That might be a daunting size for the average YA reader, especially for being the first installment in a series. But there is always something happening.  The book is action packed without an overwhelming amount of world building or history that you find in some larger fantasy books. There is a definite world build but it happens gradually. 

 

And the length was my only issue with this book. I feel like it puts a little pressure on the other 3 books that are to come with such a large introductory book. 

That being said, it was well written. The characters are accurately portrayed for their respective ages and show a definite development throughout the book. 

 

My only request of the author would be a glossary at the back since there are so many characters introduced throughout the book. It would have helped me keep better track of everyone. It could also include a general description of each region and its respective magics as they do a lot of traveling. 

 

Overall a good fantasy read for someone of any age that is familiar with the genre. It released October 25th so if you are looking for a good new fantasy series I highly recommend heading over and preordering Prelude to Fire. 

 

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

I received this advance copy from the author via BookFunnel in exchange for an honest review and feedback. 

This is a reread of this book for me. The last time I read it, I rated it 4 stars. That was several years ago so I came in thinking I would hopefully like it just as much. Well, I liked it even more! 

 

Grey comes home for the summer to the town of La Cachette. But it’s not like her normal summer homecomings. Her best friend since birth, her twin flame Elora, has gone missing. And even this town full of psychics is unable to find her. Grey is determined to find out what happened to the person she considers to be her other half. But just like any small town, this one is full of lies and secrets that even a psychic would have a hard time sorting through. 

 

Sain does a wonderful job of capturing teen angst and turmoil without making it grating or overwhelming to the plot. And she makes sure that the plot moves along at a quick pace. I was reading and the next thing I knew, it was 3 weeks into Grey’s visit and it felt like no time had passed. 

 

One of my favorite things about this book were all the twists and turns that you don’t see coming. Even a season thriller reader like myself was almost surprised by a few the first time I read this book. 

 

This is a well written book that falls on the older end of the young adult spectrum. It has mild spice that is well within the realm of appropriate for older or more mature teen readers. I think this is a perfect spooky season read for anyone.