Sarnai Briar (Author of Changing Waters)

Sarnai Briar rated a book it was amazing Echo Sight (Tainted Faculties Book 1) by Cian Verati (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I had an absolute blast with this! The story is written in 1st person POV and I really feel like it made the most of this perspective. It doesn't just feel like Enaka is explaining information to you. It feels like you’re in their head. Sometimes, it ...more
Nov 15, 2025 10:07AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Echo Sight by Cian Verati. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Echo Sight by Cian Verati <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarnai Briar is now following jamie hana's reviews
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Sarnai Briar rated a book it was amazing The Court of Dreams (Kingdoms of Kaelum #1) by A.J. Nora (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This was a short but sweet story! It’s one-part urban fantasy and one-part medieval fantasy, so you get to enjoy them both in this. The horror aspects of this book were really great to me. With this type of story, the Hollows are meant to represent s ...more
Sep 04, 2025 07:44AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Court of Dreams by A.J. Nora. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Court of Dreams by A.J. Nora <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarnai Briar is now following Steph Manser Author of Residual Hate
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Sarnai Briar is currently reading The Court of Dreams (Kingdoms of Kaelum #1) by A.J. Nora (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Sarnai Briar is now following A.J. Nora Author of The Court of Dreams (Kingdoms of Kaelum #1)
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Sarnai Briar rated a book it was amazing Residual Hate by Steph Manser (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this! It’s a classic fantasy in a sense of having in-depth and vast world-building as well as various forms of magic. You get a little bit of everything from song mages to powerful barriers, illusions, and more. Each time a new mage ...more
Aug 07, 2025 07:31AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Residual Hate by Steph Manser. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Residual Hate by Steph Manser <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarnai Briar rated a book it was amazing Replaced by S. Safi (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this a lot! It's a quick read with likeable characters. It really makes you think about what it takes to be human. ...more
Jul 03, 2025 10:26AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Replaced by S. Safi. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Replaced by S. Safi <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarnai Briar rated a book it was amazing Changeling (Fey Touched #1) by Arista Holmes (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This was a fun read! Hoping that the next part comes out soon! It was neat learning about the different characters and the way this world works.
Jul 03, 2025 10:25AM · like · see review
Sarnai Briar rated a book it was amazing Waltzing hues of affection : A timeless banquet where the soul waltz with the emotions by Casia vae	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I thought this was really great! The poems are so much fun and really deep. Can't wait to see what the author does next! ...more
Jul 03, 2025 10:21AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Waltzing hues of affection by Casia vae. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Waltzing hues of affection by Casia vae <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

Sarnai Briar rated a book it was amazing

Echo Sight (Tainted Faculties Book 1)
by Cian Verati (Goodreads Author)

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I had an absolute blast with this! The story is written in 1st person POV and I really feel like it made the most of this perspective. It doesn't just feel like Enaka is explaining information to you. It feels like you’re in their head. Sometimes, it I had an absolute blast with this! The story is written in 1st person POV and I really feel like it made the most of this perspective. It doesn't just feel like Enaka is explaining information to you. It feels like you’re in their head. Sometimes, it’s like you become Enaka. This creates such an immersive experience as we’re fed bits and pieces of information right along with our resident Scorcher. It’s truly a high fantasy, so there are a lot of different fantastical characters. I enjoyed this since it created variety within the story. Even within Scorchers, Watchers, and more, you have tribes. For instance, Enaka’s adopted father/guardian is like a giant bird, but Enaka tends to be much more humanoid (barring the claws). I haven’t read too many stories about shapeshifters, so it was neat to see that play such a role here. Something else that I enjoyed was the disability representation. On a mission, Enaka lost a leg. It realistically slows them down at times, but it doesn’t feel like they can’t do anything because of this. In spite of it, Enaka is still a fighter and wants to protect others. As a major love of action, I particularly adored how this didn’t detract from the intensity of fight scenes. When there’s a battle, you’re on the edge of your seat. Somehow, even these beings who are supposed to be able to heal still have very real stakes and you hope that they’ll make it out of the situation at least mostly in one piece. A final element that I thought was neat was how the chapters were organized. Almost every other chapter was an “interlude” where we get to see some of Enaka’s past. At first, I thought it was just a way to learn more about them, but pay attention to these scenes. They matter as the story continues.

This leads me into the characters. I adored them so much. Enaka especially was fun. They’re the type of character who can be very cool with different lines and abilities, then also be the biggest goofball. Enaka feels like a flawed, broken person who isn’t letting that get in the way of the mission or their sense of humor. It really made me root for them. I just wanted them to succeed and be truly happy for once. And then we have Rowan, the love interest. I do want to say that this is not a hardcore romantasy by any means. It gets spicy in one moment, but otherwise, it’s mostly action and fantasy. Despite that, a deep love is very prominent, and who better to direct that towards than Rowan? This mysterious man is as charming as he is spirited. He never comes across as pushy, irritating, or cruel. He’s the type of character where you’re like, “Okay, yeah, you two should run off together. Go for it.” I don’t think I’ve shipped two book characters together this hard in a very long time. The side characters are great too like Enaka’s adopted older brother figure, Hauk, a well-meaning college student, Cavid, and his friends/family.
If I had to critique anything, I’d say that because of this being such a high fantasy, there are a large amount of words that are going to be unknown to readers. Thankfully, there’s a glossary at the end. Still, I did start getting mixed up from time to time, wondering if a word was referring to a new type of species, a term of endearment, a general title, etc.

Overall, as I’m sure you can tell, I highly recommend this. At the heart of it is a story about someone learning to fully love who they are. I would recommend it for fans of fantasy just because of that aspect being so strong in the story. So, it might not be great for someone who’s easing into the genre. If you already love fantasy like I do, then you should absolutely check this out. It's adorable, funny, action-packed, and emotional. What more can you ask for in a great read? ...more

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Sarnai Briar rated a book it was amazing

The Court of Dreams (Kingdoms of Kaelum #1)
by A.J. Nora (Goodreads Author)

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This was a short but sweet story! It’s one-part urban fantasy and one-part medieval fantasy, so you get to enjoy them both in this. The horror aspects of this book were really great to me. With this type of story, the Hollows are meant to represent s This was a short but sweet story! It’s one-part urban fantasy and one-part medieval fantasy, so you get to enjoy them both in this. The horror aspects of this book were really great to me. With this type of story, the Hollows are meant to represent serious dangers, so I love that they felt like the threats that they were. They are essentially fast, zombie wolves and I’d like to not ever be hunted by one of them. The build-up was handled very nicely in this story as well, both with setting up these creatures and by gradually revealing more of the world to the reader. Something that I thought was fun was how the chapters would switch POVs, so you’d get to read what was going on with Lana’s side of the world, then with Vas.

The characters were also very likeable in my opinion. I was able to quickly understand Lana’s motivations with wanting to find her mom, be there for her stepdad and friend, all while maybe seeing more of the world and just being afraid to really leave. Fear is a huge part of her life, and it’s represented by the darkness. I interpreted that as the darkness symbolizing the unknown. Lana knows there’s more that her life can mean, but she’s afraid of figuring out what. It’s not until she’s forced into an impossible situation that she must act. For his part, Vas was also very endearing. I felt bad for him since he was discriminated against for having horns. Despite that, he doesn’t let it make him stay home and mope. He works to better himself and train with magic, getting strong enough to hopefully protect everyone one day. The side characters were very fun too, notably the parents. I loved that Lana’s dad, Marty, was nice. I expected him to be a classic fictional stepparent and be cruel to her, but he genuinely seems to have loved her mother and her. The same goes for Vas’s parents. They easily could’ve been stuck-up, unsupportive parents for their son, but they love each other and him so much that it just made me happy to see their scenes together.

There were times when I wished the novel was a little longer. It’s great for a quick read, but there were a few scenes that were mentioned that I would have really enjoyed getting to see. Still, I don’t think that it hurt the story.

All in all, it was a fun start to the series. It introduced me to the world and characters in a way that made me understand them and want to learn more. I’ll be excited for the next installment! I definitely recommend this for others who love fantasy (especially if you have a particular interest in monsters and fae!). ...more

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Author of Residual Hate

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The Court of Dreams (Kingdoms of Kaelum #1)
by A.J. Nora (Goodreads Author)

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Sarnai Briar is now following

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Author of The Court of Dreams (Kingdoms of Kaelum #1)

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Residual Hate
by Steph Manser (Goodreads Author)

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I really enjoyed this! It’s a classic fantasy in a sense of having in-depth and vast world-building as well as various forms of magic. You get a little bit of everything from song mages to powerful barriers, illusions, and more. Each time a new mage I really enjoyed this! It’s a classic fantasy in a sense of having in-depth and vast world-building as well as various forms of magic. You get a little bit of everything from song mages to powerful barriers, illusions, and more. Each time a new mage was introduced, I had fun learning about what kinds of magic they could perform. Along with this, each form of magic (as well as each mage) had different levels of power. So, it was fun to see one person excel in an area that someone else could not. It helped to put into perspective what everyone’s abilities were. This was linked to how well the fight scenes were written. I would certainly classify this as an action-fantasy (which is something I’m especially fond of). In these battles, you feel like you’re right there with the characters. When they’re attacking someone or getting hurt, you’re cheering or wincing accordingly. It created a very engaging and immersive experience for me. Sometimes, it’s not always the flashiest person who can do the most damage. Looks can be deceiving and underestimating someone is the worst mistake you can make.

In particular, I want to give credit to how the lighter moments were handled. This reminded me of what I wish that most MCU movies could do. There would be serious moments, but even if there was a comedic one later, it didn’t feel like the earlier scene had been undercut. I never saw a scene where I felt like there was a cheap joke or that I got cheated out of an important plot point. There was a good balance, so you feel the weight of the situation while not getting overwhelmed. Levity does exactly what you want it to. It’s quite literally comedic relief, not an escape or a distraction, just a relief to remind you that these characters have each other and will do anything they can to fight the good fight and win. (Of these characters, my overall favorite was Faylin’s bodyguard, Kalen. He is such a sweetie pie who I didn’t originally think was going to be that interesting since he seemed like the “regular guy” of the group. Don’t let that fool you. He’s a great warrior, is courageous, and has the type of heart that can warm even the coldest of people.) ...more

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Replaced
by S. Safi (Goodreads Author)

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I enjoyed this a lot! It's a quick read with likeable characters. It really makes you think about what it takes to be human. ...more

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Changeling (Fey Touched #1)
by Arista Holmes (Goodreads Author)

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This was a fun read! Hoping that the next part comes out soon! It was neat learning about the different characters and the way this world works.

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Waltzing hues of affection : A timeless banquet where the soul waltz with the emotions
by Casia vae

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I thought this was really great! The poems are so much fun and really deep. Can't wait to see what the author does next! ...more

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