A failed rebellion leaves a nation in chaos. The aftermath is devastation. No one is coming to save them.
Everything has changed. Friends have turned against each other. Foes have become allies. And it seems as though everyone has an agenda. The dark secrets and pasts will unravel everything they’ve ever perceived as truth.
When nothing is as it seems, who will you trust? Choose wisely because everyone is someone else’s villain.
Raised in Tucson, Arizona, JB Wright was always encouraged to explore her creativity. She's moved around the US, but her heart will always be in the desert with her large, and incredibly supportive, family. JB has always loved writing and daydreaming, living in worlds all her own for as long as she can remember. During her very limited free time, JB enjoys reading, painting, baking, and hanging out with her three amazing kiddos.
I am the Son of Astoria. Born of shadow and dlight. A descendant of both Haile and Egon. Life and Death. I am the god of vengeance. And I am coming for you Erebus. I'm coming for you, Aislinn.
⚜Genre: Epic Fantasy Romance ⚜Theme: Portal Romantacy ⚜Targeted audience: Adutlt ⚜Characters: Everyone from Book 1 (Aislinn, DeLuca, Erebus, Lysette, Rett..) ⚜Representation: depression, mental disorder ⚜TW: child abduction, manipulation, kidnapping, torturing, grief, ⚜ tropes: chosen-one, true-love, forced proximity, friends to lovers, parallel world, ⚜ POV: multiple first person ⚜ spice 🌶🌶 ⚜ rating: 4.25 🌟🌟🌟🌟 🔅 ⚜standalone: No, 2nd book in a trilogy ⚜Ending: cliffhanger
First, a thank you to the author for providing the ARC for the 2nd book. I enjoyed Book 1 so much and was looking forward to continuing reading to see what happened with many of the characters.
So, if you haven't read Book 1, stop now and go read it because it will hook you.
Son of Astoria continues where Tears of Astoria left. Aislinn was taken by the god of trickery Erebus who happens to be Deluca's father. Deluca is a god himself because he is the direct descendent of Erebus and the beautiful Astoria. Aislinn is a seer and she apparently possesses something Erebus wants, so he forces her to "willingly" come with him to Kaoket, the realm of the gods.
So now, our story takes place in two places, Stellera, following the aftermath of a rebellion, and Kaoket, with the egotistic gods.
I absolutely love so many things in this book
1- The Multiple POVs
book 1 had only Aislinn's, and as much this was imperative to the story, book 2 could not be told from her POV only. But I was surprised and delighted to find that many of the key characters in book 1 had their own chapters. Sometimes, you would think that they are unimportant or irrelevant, but by the end, you get why it was crucial for each to have their perspective.
2- True Love
The way Aislinn and Deluca love each other was so beautiful. Several times Aislinn sees Deluca in her visions holding or laughing with Lysette. And as much as Erebus tried to plant the seed of doubt in her heart, she had complete trust in Deluca's love. Same for Deluca. Not once he doubted that Aislinn was waiting for him to come for her.
The love Erebus has for Astoria!!! Oh my God!! now that is a man who is literally willing to destroy not just his world but all the worlds for his love.
and can we just take a moment to admire the utterly breathtaking art of Astoria and Erebus!!
3- The rise and fall of relationships
after the brutal betrayals that happened in book 1, our heroes would have severe trust issues. It was delightful seeing the friendship blossoming between Deluca and Lysette, Rett and his "Mortal Combat" club - yes, yes, I know, and between Aislinn and Helena
on the other side, no one was happier to see how Iris and Rett turned out more than me. Their relationship was seedy from the start and their scenes in this book are icky as fuck.
4- Greek mythology allusion
although this series has a completely made-up world with its own gods and myths, there is no denying that the inspiration came from Greek myths, and like the former, the gods in the Astoria series are just as assholes and conniving. Which proves to say "the only good gods are the made-up ones".
However, there were a couple of things that just did not do it for me
1- The multiple POV
yeah yeah I know :), as much as I enjoyed the multiple POVs here, there were just too many. Sometimes I would flip to the next chapter and get confused about who is talking because suddenly we have a new POV. Also, some of the chapters were just too long for them.
2- By 3/4 of the book things started to get stretched and confusing. I had to reread some passages to understand what was going on.
3- Aislinn
Aislinn was the main character in book 1. She was this shy, sheltered, naive woman but smart deep down. She was manipulated by her family to the point that she had to hide her power. Everything happens around her and rarely by her which was expected. I was looking forward to see her growth and development in this book. Unfortunately, it did not happen. She is as she was. I know not to expect her to be head-to-head with the gods, but I was hoping for some smartness or usefulness. It seems whatever her fate is, it is by coincidence and not choice.
For me, Deluca and Lysette had a better development than her. Even Erebus got his.
Let's hope she doesn't remain this bland in book 3
Overall, I absolutely applaud the author for the sheer imagination and hard work that went into creating this world. This shows that originality to some extent is not dead.
"You may think of me as your villain, but surely, you must know everyone is someone else's villain. Even you."
I would happily give JB vials of my tears if stories like this are the outcome. There is no way for me to thoroughly describe the brilliance that lives in JB's brain that result in these stories. Like I am convinced these characters are 100% real and she's just sitting there watching them through some portal mirror and telling us everything she see's and hears.
In book One we primarily follow Aislinn as her whole life was turned upside down and new truths revealed. Book two steps it up with even more POVs. We learn SO much in book two, like a seriously crazy amount. I am still trying to scrape my jaw off the floor and get it back in place. And all the NEW characters and their stories. I think out of all the new characters we are introduced to Helena is by far my favorite. She's who Aislinn deserved to have in book one.
In Book one we learn about certain individuals that come from some particularly special blood-lines, well we get a deeper dive into that in book two. I particularly enjoyed learning more about Lysette's and what happens in certain situations.
I swear everything is basically all connected. Follow the breadcrumb trail. 👀
Literally so honored at have arc read this. I will wait however long it takes for book three. Don't mind me reread the first two books a lot in the mean time. It's just what I do.
If you enjoyed the first book in this series you’re going to love this one and if you thought the cliffhanger in the first hits hard this one takes your breath. I really like JB Wright’s writing style. Her imagination is wild, her characters are well written and the worlds she’s built are a dream. Have to say Erebus is 👌. Thank you to the author who kindly provided me with the ARC and I can honestly say I cannot wait for the final book in this series.
This book was amazing!! You won’t want to put it down. You’ll fall in love with Aislinn and Deluca and you’ll even develop a soft spot for a certain shadow daddy 😏can’t wait for the next one!! Many thanks to the author for the ARC !
I’m absolutely unhinged by book two. The emotional rollercoasters of each character is insane and wonderful and I just loved to be in the world. J.B. Does a phenomenal job of transporting you there with details without making you want to snooze off. The highs and lows are wonderful, the Gods are fascinating. I found myself trying to predict what happens next but never could! I am dying for book 3 now!
Everything about this book is absolute perfection. J.B. knows how to shred your soul and put it right back together again. I LOVED having 5 different POVs this time instead of just one! It really helps you get into the world and the story! Please just read it. You will not be disappointed. Unless maybe you don’t read book 1 first..
I really enjoyed this book. It was a much slower read for me because there is so much more information you are learning about the realms. It also was a long book! There is a ton of storyline that you have to focus on!
This book was done in multiple POVs as you travel between realms. I was also excited that I did not get the “ick” with Deluca because of his use of “baby” like in the first book.
Characters: Lissette - found family aspect with Deluca; we find out who her love interest is; her storyline is left on a cliffhanger and her fate is left to the Hunt that will occur in the next book.
Deluca - still trying to harness his fire; doing everything he can to get to Aislinn; has to fight off a lot of different people and creatures and we meet the sirens through him
Aislinn - she finds home in the shadow realm with the gods and even gains friendship and trust; we also learn her fate after she was sacrificed.
Iris - I never liked Iris’s character and with good cause after this book. She is a little too possessive and we learn that she is bossy between the sheets.
Rett - I always felt bad for him and we find out why!
There is so much storyline built between these characters that kept me going to the end! I cannot wait for the final book to be completed!
theme: found family save to world and rebuild what you will do for the people you love
trigger warnings: definitely check trigger warnings as there is a lot of death, murder, loss, guilt, grief, pregnancy, etc.
The plot are depicted from multiple POV, which enriches the world building and creates depth to the characters without becoming to wordy. Even if this story is given to us by five different characters, it never strays and comes together beautifully as a whole. Personally, I had a bit of a hard time trying to remember how all the gods were connected and what domaines they ruled, but that didn't take away from the reading experience. I can't wait to see what lies ahead for Aislinn, Deluca, Erebus and all the others in next book in the Astoria series!
Welp… JB has done it again. I had the absolute honor of Beta reading this and My emotions throughout this book was crazy!! You ever listen to a book or story and you can see everything you hear? That is the imagery and continued world building or should I say world crumbling that I saw while reading this book. The continued development of each character and their growth was amazingly done. From the secrets to the lies from cover to cover the adventure continue with more trials and tests for everyone. Stories started to unfold in massive ways and the agenda of some became clear omg I could talk about this book all day. You know how they say the sequel is never better than the original but these books it just keeps getting better. Can’t wait for more…
I can’t even begin to put into words how much I loved this book! The emotional roller coaster I went on had so many highs and so many lows. Truly extraordinary!! Beautifully written. I love the detail of every place every person. I felt like I was truly there amongst the characters and their happiness, their sadness, their anger and grief. There so many emotions to this book. I highly HIGHLY recommend Son of Astoria to all my Dark Fantasy lovers. You will be swept away into a realm of enchantment among so much more!
This book was full of emotion! If you have not read Tears of Astoria please read that one first this is the continuation of that book. I had the privilege of Beta reading this book and it was amazing! The imagery once again was perfect! Character development and storytelling was on par and it sucks you in and makes it to where you can not put the book down. The amount of emotion you go through in this book will have you laughing crying in shock and throwing your kindle. 5 out of 5
I could not put this book down. The first book was heartbreaking, but this one gets you in the feels again. Not as bad as book 1, but it still gets you. I can't wait to see where this goes, and I want to read the next one as soon as it comes out!!!
This is a 3.75 for me. I did enjoy the plot and the characters and was happy to see real growth from Deluca and Aislinn from book 1 to book 2. This is the 2nd book in the series of a 3-book series with an ongoing plot, so you do have to read all the books in order to enjoy the series.
I did enjoy the book with the plot and characters I just feel a lot of the book was surface level and I read through a scene even the ones that were supposed to be emotional and it would just feel like they were resolved or moved on from a little quickly before I was able to be emotionally invested in what happened. While I may say they moved a little quickly it's not that I am saying the scenes felt rushed just that we never got into the nitty gritty of what could be happening or what someone was feeling so things just felt surface level except for maybe 1-2 moments in the book.
As I mentioned I did enjoy the characters especially Deluca and Aislinn's growth. She has come a long way from the restricted highborn lady. This has forced her to grow up and to adapt to things she never thought possible especially as she tries to navigate the god realm and all the secrets being revealed to her and their possibilities/meanings. She became a much more enjoyable character for me to read. With Deluca he is coming to terms with who he is, his abilities and the things he has done and the effect that has had the people of this kingdom. With the growth both these two characters and their desire to get back to one another was one of the highlights of the book for me as well as some of the side characters especially those from the god realm. I will say I also enjoyed Erebus as he was portrayed as someone we should hate and be afraid of and is so evil but while he has done bad things, they were usually done with a reason or something he was forced into because of the alternative. I am not saying he is a good guy, but he is definitely morally grey and his relationship with Aislinn was ....interesting.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and found it to be an interesting read. It does leave on a cliff hanger so keep that in mind but there is one more installment to the series as I understand it and I will be interested in seeing how this story is finished up.
this book starts off where book 1 ended with Aislinn being taken by Erebus and taken to the god realm leaving Deluca behind. Erebus is Deluca's father and is responsible for the madness Deluca's mortal mother suffered towards the end of her life causing her and the family a lot of pain. And now Aislinn Deluca's love is in the hands of this horrible god. The reason... Aislinn is a strong seerer and has a connection to the gods that can be used to Erebus's advantage especially with the plans he has. However. Deluca is not going to stand around doing nothing leaving her in the hands of this dangerous god and is doing everything he can to reach Aislinn, but things are not good in Stellera after the rebellion and there are issues in the mortal realm that are getting in the way of his plans. Will they ever be reunited or will some gods' plans keep them forever separated.
I received a free arc copy in exchange for an honest review.
*I was provided an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review*
This was an epic continuation of this series!
In book one we follow a young girl as she does her duty and tries to marry the man she has always looked to as a friend and complete her betrothal. She comes to find that he, who has always loved HER, has found another. The life she thought would be hers is gone, that family she has been raised to become part of is slipping away. She thinks this is the worst thing that will ever happen to her. Soon she will long for the days this was the worst she could think of.
Through the rest of book one the myths of old become history, fantasy creatures become reality and our main character has to finally reveal her deepest secret and learn how to use it.
Book two picks up where one left off, and gives us the gift of multiple POVs so we can explore all the different story lines that are happening. We also get to look inside and see what all these AMAZING characters are thinking and feeling. The world has changed and they all have some very strong feelings about it. They also have important roles to play.
Passionate love, deep betrayals and everyone fighting for their lives! That is what this book is all about.
JB Wright has such a wonderful, intricate fantasy adventure here that feels like the fantasy novels of old. There are mythical creatures, dangerous missions, a love worth dying for and amazing friendships along the way. There are so many twists and turns that I NEVER knew what was going to happen next. I was always on my toes reading page after page to find out what she was going to throw at us, and always satisfied with where I was led.
All of her plots lead to satisfying conclusions through shocking twists and turns. All of her characters struggle and grow through the experience. All of the relationships are built slowly, with care and attention to detail and feel so real and strong. She leaves breadcrumbs that are so subtle at first, enough for you to make note and call back to them later.
This is such a beautiful world she has built, with amazing characters and a rich detailed history. I can not WAIT for the next book! You are doing yourself a disservice by not checking out the full Astoria series.
3.75/5 - I received the ARC for Sons of Astoria, and was just so excited to get started. I read the prologue and then took a break before I continued, and once I picked the book back up I couldn’t put the book down. Overall, I thought it was good and I thought the plot was interesting (which is why I couldn’t put it down). There is sort of a mystery of trying to understand the Gods realm, and seeing Aislinn’s true purpose. However, I felt like there are some flaws - part of it I felt could be worked on and part is just more me and my preferences. I read Tears of Astoria last year, so some of the first book references took some time to resurface in my memory (so this could be a me problem) but I felt like there wasn’t enough world building. I thought the God realm was a bit confusing, and wasn’t explained enough. I felt like the story kind of went everywhere, and it was hard to understand what Aislinn truly was and her purpose. I know it’s suppose to be a mystery, but it was more confusing than a mystery. However, I was interested to see how everything played out wanted to continue to see if I would get a better understanding/explanation later as the book went out. (Honestly, still kind of confused over everything, but also kind of understood what happened.) I also couldn’t pinpoint what timeframe/era this set in. Is it suppose to be modern? Because Rett’s modern dialogue and Erebus’ suits throw me off. I wish the tug/pull between Aislinn and Erebus was explain more (maybe in book 3?) because I was intrigued by them and their connection. Controversial Take: I also couldn’t help but root for the (literal) Shadow Daddy to be with Aislinn. I liked DeLuca in TOA, but found him annoying in SOA however I didn’t dislike him. I thought the book was good, and I will be reading the last book in the series. Excited for when that comes out!
First let me say, my general rating for this book is 4 stars. My personal rating, however, is a 3. I think most people who enjoy fantasy would like reading this as a follow up to the first book, which was OUTRAGEOUSLY good. This book fell a little short for me. I felt like I got whiplash from the different points of view and would have liked it better as a third person omniscient POV. I also would have liked clearer descriptions of people and places (especially the relation of places to each other). I kept having to pause to check the map because I was so confused at multiple points as to where the characters were in all their travels. The inner and outer dialogue of a few characters was cringy for me (Helena), but I see how the author was trying to give them unique personalities. My favorite things about this book are the deep relationships between characters, and the uniqueness of the realms and magics. I don’t feel like I’ve read anything else like this before, and I love it for that! Excited for the third book and will definitely be reading as soon as it’s available!
✨️Magic✨️ ✨️Slow Burn Romance✨️ ✨️Multiple Realms + POVs✨️ ✨️Medieval Class System meets Innovative Tech✨️ ✨️BLOOD✨️ ✨️WAR✨️ ✨️SPICE✨️ Listen. There are two books I've read this month that wrecked me in the best way. The reviews are late because I needed to process them. Forgive me, babes, but here it is: Books 1 and 2 of the Astoria Series by @heyj.b.writes 💖
I met this author at a fantasy ball this year and knew I had to read her books. She was a gorgeous human, and her booth had me sucked in! I was NOT expecting it to hurt this good. If you're a gluten for fantasy punishment, like me, this is for you!
No spoilers but warnings and a brief summary. Books 1 and 2 both end on a cliffhanger. Book Three is in the works now! Aislin is a highborn lady in a world where class means wealth and power. You wither have it or you don't. Lowborn serve the highborn houses, think Hunger Games world style. She is engaged to her best friend, the heir of another house named Rhett. They were betrothed at birth, and she thinks this is the best she can expect from life. But she keeps meeting a stranger with striking blue eyes in her dreams. He keeps the nightmares at bay. One day, she meets him in real life, and everything changes. Enter the mayhem!
The first book takes you through the discovery of true identities, the connections between the gods' realm and the mortals, and the conflicts that will alter everyone's reality. The second book deep dives into the gods' realm and the stories behind motlrtals that are more than they seem. I was CRUSHED at the end of both.
I could not put these down! I need all the fan art, commentary, and extra content I can get! This series is so well written. I never felt like it was dragging or speeding over events. The character development and world building were top-notch! I was irritated at Aislin's reaction to (what I perceive as) severe violation of her personal autonomy, but that's a personal thing. I loved the freshness of an FMC that was not a physical badass but used her mind and her resources as her greatest asset. It's giving soft girl era, and I'm here for it! Just do yourself a favor and read it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is great. My only drawback is a “me” drawback, and nothing the author did. This book offers several more POVs than book 1. I am not a fan of more than 2 POVs, 3 at max. Thats why I said it’s a me problem. The book is written well, the story is great, and keeps you on your toes. Can’t wait for book 3.
This Fantasy Romance is Book 2 of the Astoria series. This book needs to be read after book 1, so that you can understand whats going on. The Romance in this book is pre established relationships. The book does offer peeks into other characters relationships. This book is spicy. There is quite a bit more spice than book 1. The plot still remains the focus of the book. The book moves at a quick pace following the rescue of the FMC, as well as what’s happening while she’s trapped in the god realm. The characters are great. This book offers more POVs than book 1. Giving us a intimate look into many characters thoughts, and actions, The world building remains complex. There is now an entire new realm woven into the story. It is done seamlessly.
I absolutely adored Son of Astoria. This world that J.B. Wright is just so well written, magical, and keeps you on your freaking toes!
The character development of the characters in this book was so well developed and written. Felt so real and believable about how they would react to situations and just made me love them more.
The story itself and the plot kept me on my toes and second guessing myself. I would think one thing was true, then BAM plot twist! Miss Wright is the master of plot twists and I am here for it.
I am so happy and honored to receive Son of Astoria as an ARC and cannot wait for book 3.
First off, let’s just say that I did not know what to expect with this novel - do to the cliffhanger of book 1 oof. There are more POVs which had me so excited! The book alternates between POVs, slowly weaving pieces together. Each story line had me captivated and wondering how everything would come together in the end. I couldn’t guess the twists and turns in this book, it was so fun to read!
THANKYOU to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review, I have had so much fun reading this series!!
A beautiful, fantasy adventure featuring a uniquely dynamic cast of characters. I enjoyed reading book one, but book two led me on a proper journey.
I was a bit concerned seeing more POV's because book one felt a bit jostled, but this time the story feels more polished and allows the threads of each character to blend more seamlessly. The growth in J.B. Wright's storytelling and flow can truly be seen throughout the pages of this book. Wonderful job.
Another thing to mention is the increased amount of spice. It didn't bother me either way, but for those hoping for more spice in this series, you can expect more open-door scenes among the pages.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series and piecing together the loose threads yet to be secured.
An absolutely thrilling book!! This is a must read following Tears of Astoria!! Readers are able to learn more about the characters who were introduced in Tears of Astoria. This fantasy novel is hard to put down as each chapter is even more captivating than the one before! J.B. Wright is a terrific author who takes her audience into another realm. I highly recommend!!
Wow!! Of course I knew book two was going to be great because book one was amazing but did I think it was going to leave me stunned?!? There is so much to unpack and I just love this series!!! We get multiple POV’s and are introduced to more characters!! I love this world!!
This was a fabulous sequel! I was enthralled the whole time, especially in the last quarter of the book with the twists and turns and reveals. I love multi-pov fantasy book and this one is somehow even better than the first installment!
Deluca, Lyssette, and Rett confront what has happened to them, what their families did, and how they can help reshape the world in the aftermath of the uprising. Aillie tries to find ways to help herself and the mortal realm while she’s kept prisoner in the god’s realm.
I truly love this series. The Multiple POV just makes the world that much bigger. Im definitely cozy with the world building, and the character development. The cliff hangers keep getting and I can’t wait to find out more about Astoria!
Seriously so good, I read the first book a few months back and it was also really good but this one tops it by far. It does have some content warnings but doesn’t alter the story in any way. It also ends on a cliff hanger that will leave you REELING! I’m already so impatient for book 3 to be out. I hope you love Ailie and Lucs story as much as I do.
“You may think of me as your villain, but surely, you must know everyone is someone else’s villain. Even you.”
Son of Astoria is the second book in the Astoria Series, continuing directly from where the first book, Tears of Astoria, ends.
The book is told in multiple POV. The characters from the first book are back in action, and there are also some new characters introduced. The characters were well developed, and the new ones were well introduced.
The world building continues to be very interesting and well written. There’s again so much happening and multiple plot twists in this book. I never knew what was going to happen next.
Once again, there were some romantic elements in the book, but romance wasn’t the main point of the plot.
I wasn’t mentally prepared for the ending and can’t wait to read the next book!
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.