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Cosmina
“We can’t be monsters, Nix. We’re the good guys.”
Five years before the events of Cantamen, Lilac Frazier is convicted of a crime she did not commit. Before she reaches the prison, she’s taken by a band of criminals who tell her the reason for her fate: the Council wants to eliminate all witches with dark affinities. They offer protection, and a home, in exchange for her Magic and the darkness within it. With no other options, she’s plunged into a new world of codenames, fighting, spying, broken families, and ruined futures. Revolutions are hard-won, and the lines between right and wrong, friend and foe, and even leader and lover soon blur. Someone else decided her name should go down in Cantamen’s history, but she’s going to make sure she earns more than a mention.
Five years before the events of Cantamen, Lilac Frazier is convicted of a crime she did not commit. Before she reaches the prison, she’s taken by a band of criminals who tell her the reason for her fate: the Council wants to eliminate all witches with dark affinities. They offer protection, and a home, in exchange for her Magic and the darkness within it. With no other options, she’s plunged into a new world of codenames, fighting, spying, broken families, and ruined futures. Revolutions are hard-won, and the lines between right and wrong, friend and foe, and even leader and lover soon blur. Someone else decided her name should go down in Cantamen’s history, but she’s going to make sure she earns more than a mention.
309 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2021
6 people want to read
About the author
Calista Graylock
6 books7 followersCalista is a lover of birds, reptiles, and dogs, half-believer in the paranormal, collector of rocks and fancy pens, listener of podcasts, burner of candles, taker of photos, reader of books, fan of the fantasy/romance combo, and enjoyer of lemon-flavored sweets.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 20, 2021
Cosmina is set in the world of Cantamen, where everybody has an affinity to magic and some an affinity to dark magic. This book is a medium-fast pace fantasy with a lot of action. It is heavily plot driven. You follow codenames: Cosmina, Nix, and others across many places in Cantamen and eventually to Earth in their quest to be a more proactive group against Council Witches who hold those with an affinity to dark magic prisoners (amongst other things).
Personally, I struggled to get through this book - mostly because it didn't focus on characters long enough for me to hold interest. I prefer a character-driven story, especially when it comes to a fantasy book. I loved Nix and Cosmina though. I wish I could've read more of them.
I'd recommend this to people who love a plot-driven fantasy, fade to black romance, major action-adventure with magic involved.
CW: injuries, murder, suicide, suicidal ideation, depression, PTSD
Disclosure: I received Cosmina as an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Personally, I struggled to get through this book - mostly because it didn't focus on characters long enough for me to hold interest. I prefer a character-driven story, especially when it comes to a fantasy book. I loved Nix and Cosmina though. I wish I could've read more of them.
I'd recommend this to people who love a plot-driven fantasy, fade to black romance, major action-adventure with magic involved.
CW: injuries, murder, suicide, suicidal ideation, depression, PTSD
Disclosure: I received Cosmina as an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
September 1, 2021
One of the many noteworthy qualities of Cosmina is how the story starts and progresses in a world already established in Cantamen. There is no need to take up extra space explaining the magic system, witches and their abilities, or the rogue group we follow throughout the story. The only piece of information that I would have liked sooner is clarification of Cosmina's old name and her relationship to her sister Daisy, as this is touched on in the previous book. Because there is no need for explanations and world building right away, the action is front and center and sets a fast pace to engage the reader from the get go. I found the story easier to read because there was so much going on with the group's missions and focus on rescuing more of "their kind", however, this does limit the character interactions and conversations used for their development. In fact, most of the relationships grow or fade within the final third of the book as opposed to being balanced throughout. To me, this focus on action is more entertaining than dialogue normally; Graylock found a way with this plot to use conversations only as necessary, which I appreciate considering the setting is better suited for break-ins, escapes, rescues, etc. Another aspect of this explained world is that there are much less descriptions. This was something I wasn't too fond of from Cantamen because I thought it was excessive, so again the reader can keep their attention on the action and established relationships.
It's a tricky thing to balance so many aspects of a story, and Graylock chooses those that fit the plot best. One of the more interesting aspects is that we are able to see the back side of the scheming and rescue missions (and more later on), including how the families of the missing children react and the results of the group's actions. I also really enjoyed reading the emotional discussions and after effects of violence and murder done to and from the group. A lot of times the moral ambiguity is glossed over to show how tough the characters are, but this places doubts about the group's members' convictions and purpose.
Although there were some improvements in my opinion to how Cantamen's plot flowed, Cosmina is still unable to shy away from magic being used to make everything easier. There are just some moments that I think we aren't supposed to question that seem like cheats, such as a witch being able to teleport a bus or voice manipulation being an ability, both of which are used to help the main characters escape. Similarly, there is a convenient magic spell or item for every situation (create stairs to climb over a wall or suction cups for climbing). These little things eliminate issues for the plot's sake, and when it is over done you just have to shrug and move on.
Another shortcoming of the book is the main cast. Until the second half of the story, most are pretty interchangeable as they don't have unique personalities. As mentioned earlier, this is a downside of having an action-based plot because there wasn't time to really highlight each person's characteristics until later. Even then, Nix was the one with the most unique personality and development without fighting with someone else. Without the leader, the group turns into a Lord of the Flies ensemble and that is used to bring emotional depth to the members. For example, we follow Xia's perspective after a tragic loss and this is used to give her more depth. This picks up the pace near the end and brings about more personal struggles for everyone. This sets the tone for the final act of the book, breaking away from the group settling in a new location.
There is a lot thrown in once we get halfway through the story that breathes new life into the book, however it could have been fleshed out better. There is a homosexual relationship hinted at about halfway through the book that, for me, came out of nowhere, similar to another in Cantamen. This adds to the relationship conflict and fits well, and the overall issues are handled well by Graylock. The second aspect I found unfitting the plot is the leaders' decision to go after one of their own who leaves for revenge. All of the members understand they would not be rescued if they were caught. Their decision to rescue their comrade because they felt they were to blame didn't have enough strength behind it to convince me it was worth risking their lives for. Another reason could have been to protect their image from what that member might do, giving the enemy a reason to use defamation with the public.
After that and the romantic drama, the book ends. I found it difficult to tell what the climax was since the most eventful moment took place a while before the end, which was a glimmer of hope for the group via an item. There is also no connection to Cosmina's relationship with her sister when they meet in the first book. It seems odd for it to end where it did as it is meant to be a prequel, but nothing supports Cantamen in that way (i.e. the rescue at the end of the first book).
I found Cosmina a smooth read as the plot moved and its action set a steady pace from the beginning. This allowed me to dive into the rogue group's motivations without being distracted by wondering how the world functions, who the characters are, or what everything was or looked like. The balance of romantic dialogue and arguing with that action meant the reader doesn't have to sit on one spot for too long. The book sheds a lot of light on the background of Cantamen while establishing its own important points necessary to understand the entire story. I'm excited to see how Cosmina's story continues and how the group expands to take on the government's secret experiments while tying in the characters from Cantamen!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
It's a tricky thing to balance so many aspects of a story, and Graylock chooses those that fit the plot best. One of the more interesting aspects is that we are able to see the back side of the scheming and rescue missions (and more later on), including how the families of the missing children react and the results of the group's actions. I also really enjoyed reading the emotional discussions and after effects of violence and murder done to and from the group. A lot of times the moral ambiguity is glossed over to show how tough the characters are, but this places doubts about the group's members' convictions and purpose.
Although there were some improvements in my opinion to how Cantamen's plot flowed, Cosmina is still unable to shy away from magic being used to make everything easier. There are just some moments that I think we aren't supposed to question that seem like cheats, such as a witch being able to teleport a bus or voice manipulation being an ability, both of which are used to help the main characters escape. Similarly, there is a convenient magic spell or item for every situation (create stairs to climb over a wall or suction cups for climbing). These little things eliminate issues for the plot's sake, and when it is over done you just have to shrug and move on.
Another shortcoming of the book is the main cast. Until the second half of the story, most are pretty interchangeable as they don't have unique personalities. As mentioned earlier, this is a downside of having an action-based plot because there wasn't time to really highlight each person's characteristics until later. Even then, Nix was the one with the most unique personality and development without fighting with someone else. Without the leader, the group turns into a Lord of the Flies ensemble and that is used to bring emotional depth to the members. For example, we follow Xia's perspective after a tragic loss and this is used to give her more depth. This picks up the pace near the end and brings about more personal struggles for everyone. This sets the tone for the final act of the book, breaking away from the group settling in a new location.
There is a lot thrown in once we get halfway through the story that breathes new life into the book, however it could have been fleshed out better. There is a homosexual relationship hinted at about halfway through the book that, for me, came out of nowhere, similar to another in Cantamen. This adds to the relationship conflict and fits well, and the overall issues are handled well by Graylock. The second aspect I found unfitting the plot is the leaders' decision to go after one of their own who leaves for revenge. All of the members understand they would not be rescued if they were caught. Their decision to rescue their comrade because they felt they were to blame didn't have enough strength behind it to convince me it was worth risking their lives for. Another reason could have been to protect their image from what that member might do, giving the enemy a reason to use defamation with the public.
After that and the romantic drama, the book ends. I found it difficult to tell what the climax was since the most eventful moment took place a while before the end, which was a glimmer of hope for the group via an item. There is also no connection to Cosmina's relationship with her sister when they meet in the first book. It seems odd for it to end where it did as it is meant to be a prequel, but nothing supports Cantamen in that way (i.e. the rescue at the end of the first book).
I found Cosmina a smooth read as the plot moved and its action set a steady pace from the beginning. This allowed me to dive into the rogue group's motivations without being distracted by wondering how the world functions, who the characters are, or what everything was or looked like. The balance of romantic dialogue and arguing with that action meant the reader doesn't have to sit on one spot for too long. The book sheds a lot of light on the background of Cantamen while establishing its own important points necessary to understand the entire story. I'm excited to see how Cosmina's story continues and how the group expands to take on the government's secret experiments while tying in the characters from Cantamen!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 7, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Cosmina is a captivating prequel to the Cantamen series by Calista Graylock. The story opens with Lilac Frazier, the main character, who lives on the magical planet of Cantamen. She enjoys a good life, excelling in everything, until she is wrongfully convicted of a murder she didn’t commit due to her dark affinities. Given the codename "Cosmina" after her conviction, she finds herself on the way to prison, only to be rescued by a group of criminals.
These criminals, operating under codenames such as Rinna and Nix, are fighting against the council's unjust detention of witches with dark affinities, who are even being kidnapped from their homes. Cosmina never imagined she would be running for her life and joining a resistance movement. This group, bound by a blood bond, is determined to free those kidnapped and experimented on in labs.
As the story progresses, the group faces moral dilemmas and dark choices, including going on a killing spree to prove their point and bring the council to its knees. Their mission becomes more complex when they meet Tiz Agathe, a witch who brings new challenges.
Graylock weaves a tale filled with action, intrigue, and the fight for justice. Despite its dark undertones, including assassinations and ethical conflicts, the narrative highlights the importance of unity and strength in numbers. Individually, friendships and romances bloom, but the most significant theme is the power of teamwork.
Cosmina is perfect for fans who enjoy a fast-paced plot, strong characters, and a richly built world filled with magic and action. Though the story begins dark and intense, it ultimately underscores the power of working together to overcome adversity.
Cosmina is a captivating prequel to the Cantamen series by Calista Graylock. The story opens with Lilac Frazier, the main character, who lives on the magical planet of Cantamen. She enjoys a good life, excelling in everything, until she is wrongfully convicted of a murder she didn’t commit due to her dark affinities. Given the codename "Cosmina" after her conviction, she finds herself on the way to prison, only to be rescued by a group of criminals.
These criminals, operating under codenames such as Rinna and Nix, are fighting against the council's unjust detention of witches with dark affinities, who are even being kidnapped from their homes. Cosmina never imagined she would be running for her life and joining a resistance movement. This group, bound by a blood bond, is determined to free those kidnapped and experimented on in labs.
As the story progresses, the group faces moral dilemmas and dark choices, including going on a killing spree to prove their point and bring the council to its knees. Their mission becomes more complex when they meet Tiz Agathe, a witch who brings new challenges.
Graylock weaves a tale filled with action, intrigue, and the fight for justice. Despite its dark undertones, including assassinations and ethical conflicts, the narrative highlights the importance of unity and strength in numbers. Individually, friendships and romances bloom, but the most significant theme is the power of teamwork.
Cosmina is perfect for fans who enjoy a fast-paced plot, strong characters, and a richly built world filled with magic and action. Though the story begins dark and intense, it ultimately underscores the power of working together to overcome adversity.
November 12, 2021
I received this book as an ARC (early reader), it is my own honest review.
I have read this book from cover to cover and I liked it a lot.
It is based on a girl called Cosmina and a group of rouge witches or V.I’s, variant idealists, who have been convicted of false crimes because they have a dark affinity, as well as their main magic. It doesn’t mean that they are bad or evil, it’s just the government doesn’t like the idea of witches having a second type of magic.
They are living wherever they can to hide and be safe, when they come across a cottage that seems to be vacant they decide to hide there for a while. But the owner comes back a surprises them and ends up helping them out. When the team splits and becomes two groups the story continues to follow Cosmina’s group who set out to free more of the imprisoned and falsely convicted children and young adults. The group ends up on earth and it is an amazing story on what they do and why they are there. Which I don’t want to give away spoilers do I will leave it at that.
There is a few thing that could be trigger things for some, insert violent behaviour. Which the author has put a warning at the start of the book.
I have read this book from cover to cover and I liked it a lot.
It is based on a girl called Cosmina and a group of rouge witches or V.I’s, variant idealists, who have been convicted of false crimes because they have a dark affinity, as well as their main magic. It doesn’t mean that they are bad or evil, it’s just the government doesn’t like the idea of witches having a second type of magic.
They are living wherever they can to hide and be safe, when they come across a cottage that seems to be vacant they decide to hide there for a while. But the owner comes back a surprises them and ends up helping them out. When the team splits and becomes two groups the story continues to follow Cosmina’s group who set out to free more of the imprisoned and falsely convicted children and young adults. The group ends up on earth and it is an amazing story on what they do and why they are there. Which I don’t want to give away spoilers do I will leave it at that.
There is a few thing that could be trigger things for some, insert violent behaviour. Which the author has put a warning at the start of the book.
August 28, 2021
Cosmina, aka Lilac Frazier, has been convicted of a crime she hasn’t committed. After a summary trial, and about to be sent to prison, she is rescued by a group who want to help. They are all Magical, but have been classed as enemies of the state, for one reason or another. Cosmina struggles to settle in and this is the story of what happened next, also serving as a prequel to the next book in the series, Cantamen.
This is an interesting premise for a series where everyone has magical abilities of one sort or another, being regulated, apparently almost arbitrarily, by The Council. I wasn’t sure at first where this was based - Cantamen -but it did become clearer as the book progressed. It took me a while to get to grips with the characters but again the further I got into the book the easier it got. For me this was a bit of an uneven read but ultimately I enjoyed it and am grateful that I now am able to read Cantamen. Worth not giving up on this as hopefully the characters will build more in the next instalment. 3 1/2*
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is an interesting premise for a series where everyone has magical abilities of one sort or another, being regulated, apparently almost arbitrarily, by The Council. I wasn’t sure at first where this was based - Cantamen -but it did become clearer as the book progressed. It took me a while to get to grips with the characters but again the further I got into the book the easier it got. For me this was a bit of an uneven read but ultimately I enjoyed it and am grateful that I now am able to read Cantamen. Worth not giving up on this as hopefully the characters will build more in the next instalment. 3 1/2*
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 6, 2021
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Cosmina serves as a prequel to the Cantamen series and follows the adventures of Cosmina after she is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit. She and other people who are in a similar position to her try to survive in the world and make others known of their plight.
Much luck Cantamen I enjoyed this book and to an extent I found it to be done a bit better than that book. This book had distinctive line breaks between scene changes which made it a lot easier to follow what was happening. It also had very solid world building and there was a lot of depth put into everything. I did find the perspective of how the story was told to feel a bit weird at times but it didn’t really take away from the experience though. I did find aspects of the plot to be a bit confusing at times but there were also a lot of characters to keep track of and a lot of action that happened during battles.
Overall 4/5 stars.
Cosmina serves as a prequel to the Cantamen series and follows the adventures of Cosmina after she is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit. She and other people who are in a similar position to her try to survive in the world and make others known of their plight.
Much luck Cantamen I enjoyed this book and to an extent I found it to be done a bit better than that book. This book had distinctive line breaks between scene changes which made it a lot easier to follow what was happening. It also had very solid world building and there was a lot of depth put into everything. I did find the perspective of how the story was told to feel a bit weird at times but it didn’t really take away from the experience though. I did find aspects of the plot to be a bit confusing at times but there were also a lot of characters to keep track of and a lot of action that happened during battles.
Overall 4/5 stars.
November 22, 2021
Cosmina is a prequel to the Cantamen series and it follows the story of a girl, aka Lilac Frazier, who has been areested and put on trial for a crime that she didn't committ. But not all hope is lost, because she is saved by a group of rogue magicians.
I had many hopes for this book, especially because it has to di with magick, which I love as a book element. I got Cosmina's struggle for fitting in this group and how she wanted to show that she is able to do so much more than what people think. I did like her character, even though she infuriated me sometimes.
But I found the book slow for me, characters' name just couldn't stick to me and I had to constantly turn back the page to understand who spoke and whey they are important. Also, for me, the world-building wasn't that transparently understood as I thought it would be.
Nonetheless, I'll probably read the next book, there's always room for improvement and great job to Ms. Graylock for trying to be better!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I had many hopes for this book, especially because it has to di with magick, which I love as a book element. I got Cosmina's struggle for fitting in this group and how she wanted to show that she is able to do so much more than what people think. I did like her character, even though she infuriated me sometimes.
But I found the book slow for me, characters' name just couldn't stick to me and I had to constantly turn back the page to understand who spoke and whey they are important. Also, for me, the world-building wasn't that transparently understood as I thought it would be.
Nonetheless, I'll probably read the next book, there's always room for improvement and great job to Ms. Graylock for trying to be better!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 3, 2024
I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.
Overall, I did enjoy the story! Following Lilac through her arrest as well as her escape.
This is a very plot driven story, versus character driven. Which is okay, but definitely not something I’m use to. It’s medium ish paced but some of it felt very slow to me. I wish there had been more obvious world building.
All in all I’m glad I picked it up, this would be the perfect book for someone who loves plot driven fade to black romance that is a decently quick read.
Love magic. Love adventure.
As always don’t forget to read content warnings.
Overall, I did enjoy the story! Following Lilac through her arrest as well as her escape.
This is a very plot driven story, versus character driven. Which is okay, but definitely not something I’m use to. It’s medium ish paced but some of it felt very slow to me. I wish there had been more obvious world building.
All in all I’m glad I picked it up, this would be the perfect book for someone who loves plot driven fade to black romance that is a decently quick read.
Love magic. Love adventure.
As always don’t forget to read content warnings.
November 3, 2024
Prequel to Cantamen, by Calista Graylock, Cosmaina is a narrative in its own right. I found the story a little cold, I wanted to invest in the characters but I couldn’t warm to many of them. The book is full of peril, contains some interesting world building and fleshes out Cantamen but left me wondering how it might have been possible to tell the same story with the same depth but more heart.
If you read and enjoyed Cantamen then do read Cosmaina.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
If you read and enjoyed Cantamen then do read Cosmaina.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 20, 2021
This is a prequel to Cantamen by Calista Graylock. I really wanted to love this book because the description sounded great, however this book did not grab my attention. I did finish the book but it was strictly because I wanted to leave a truthful review. I rated it 3 stars because towards the end it got a bit better and I’m actually considering reading the next in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 24, 2021
I loved this book. The story is excellent, really well thought out, planned and explained. The characters are great in their individualities, and even better as their bonds and relationships unfold.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 15, 2021
I really enjoyed the background on cantanmen before what happend to her big sister but they didnt get to what happend to her. I was so looking forward to that part of the book. But it was a real good read and awaiting the next part of the book to come out Please come out soon so I can hear what happend to Daisy and her sister
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews