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The Bliss Wars #1
Savage City
For Talia, death is only the beginning of survival...
When a tragic accident cuts my lonely life short, instead of heaven or hell, I’m stolen away to a terrifying city of warring shifter clans—the Nimali and the Fai. The Nimali mistake me for their missing princess. Her father, the dragon king, is identical to my own. But in this world, he dotes on me with the love and affection I always craved. And in a land with no tolerance for outsiders, feigning amnesia and impersonating shifter royalty may be the only way to survive.
For Ryin, falling in love is the worst kind of betrayal...
As a Fai warrior in captivity, I'm forced to serve my enemy even as I plot their destruction. The lost princess returned much changed, now the heat between us crackles irresistibly. While helping her heal using my magical talents, I begin to question what I thought I knew about the Nimali. She remains as forbidden as ever, but she also might be the key to freedom for me and my people.
Caught between two enemy factions balancing on the knife-blade of annihilation, our lies are the only thing keeping us alive, but they just might be our undoing.
When a tragic accident cuts my lonely life short, instead of heaven or hell, I’m stolen away to a terrifying city of warring shifter clans—the Nimali and the Fai. The Nimali mistake me for their missing princess. Her father, the dragon king, is identical to my own. But in this world, he dotes on me with the love and affection I always craved. And in a land with no tolerance for outsiders, feigning amnesia and impersonating shifter royalty may be the only way to survive.
For Ryin, falling in love is the worst kind of betrayal...
As a Fai warrior in captivity, I'm forced to serve my enemy even as I plot their destruction. The lost princess returned much changed, now the heat between us crackles irresistibly. While helping her heal using my magical talents, I begin to question what I thought I knew about the Nimali. She remains as forbidden as ever, but she also might be the key to freedom for me and my people.
Caught between two enemy factions balancing on the knife-blade of annihilation, our lies are the only thing keeping us alive, but they just might be our undoing.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2021
About the author
L. Penelope
37 books1,107 followersL. Penelope (also writing as Leslye Penelope) has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She is an award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal romance.
She was born in the Bronx, just after the birth of hip hop, but left before she could acquire an accent. Equally left and right-brained, she studied Film at Howard University and minored in Computer Science. This led to a graduate degree in Multimedia and a career in website development. She's also an award-winning independent filmmaker, co-founded a literary magazine, and sometimes dreams in HTML.
Leslye lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents. Sign up for new release information and giveaways on her website: http://www.lpenelope.com.
She was born in the Bronx, just after the birth of hip hop, but left before she could acquire an accent. Equally left and right-brained, she studied Film at Howard University and minored in Computer Science. This led to a graduate degree in Multimedia and a career in website development. She's also an award-winning independent filmmaker, co-founded a literary magazine, and sometimes dreams in HTML.
Leslye lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents. Sign up for new release information and giveaways on her website: http://www.lpenelope.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
March 17, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up
Savage City is the kind of book that has interesting ideas, but feels underbaked in execution. Talia dies but instead of an afterlife, she ends up in a parallel version of San Francisco where two factions of people with magical abilities are at war. Talia is mistaken for the missing princess of one faction and she must survive in a brutal world where prisoners of war are enslaved and people risk their (3!) souls to gain power through a symbiotic relationship with a daemon.
Again, cool ideas. But Talia is very NICE, very concerned with other people being hurt, willing to sacrifice herself on behalf of others. None of which is bad, but she ends up feeling a bit one dimensional. And when paired with a plot that lacks tension for most of the book, we end up with a rather bland reading experience. And while there is a romantic subplot, the characters feel underdeveloped which made it hard for me to care about their romance. Which is unfortunate, because I think the ideas have potential. This just feels like an early draft that needed some fine-tuning, deeper character work, and added plot tension. The audio narration is done well with two narrators. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Savage City is the kind of book that has interesting ideas, but feels underbaked in execution. Talia dies but instead of an afterlife, she ends up in a parallel version of San Francisco where two factions of people with magical abilities are at war. Talia is mistaken for the missing princess of one faction and she must survive in a brutal world where prisoners of war are enslaved and people risk their (3!) souls to gain power through a symbiotic relationship with a daemon.
Again, cool ideas. But Talia is very NICE, very concerned with other people being hurt, willing to sacrifice herself on behalf of others. None of which is bad, but she ends up feeling a bit one dimensional. And when paired with a plot that lacks tension for most of the book, we end up with a rather bland reading experience. And while there is a romantic subplot, the characters feel underdeveloped which made it hard for me to care about their romance. Which is unfortunate, because I think the ideas have potential. This just feels like an early draft that needed some fine-tuning, deeper character work, and added plot tension. The audio narration is done well with two narrators. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
March 31, 2022
3.5
An easy to get into and fast paced fantasy novel with an interesting concept right off the bat. While the romance isn’t the most interesting it never gets in the way or detracts from the story itself.
Talia is surprised when she dies to find herself waking back up. But she wakes up in an entirely new world where they believe her to be the Princess. She has to find her way through a world with political intrigue and super powers, all while wondering how she got there and where she even is.
The story is pretty short, the audiobook being a little less than 10 hours for a fantasy novel. But Penelope manages to fit a lot of lore and worldbuilding into a small package without it ever feeling too weighed down. The concept of being thrust into this world allows for Talia to have a lot of leeway in discovering new things and can take us along for the ride. I always love the idea of being dropped into a fantasy world so I gave this one a lot of points for providing that.
The characters are pretty fine but I didn’t feel anything too special about them. Talia felt like an absolute perfect person which honestly made her harder to relate to. She could have been a little bit more well rounded. Reyin too, didn’t feel like he had too much depth. This obviously left a lot to be desired for their romance together. It wasn’t bad but I wasn’t cheering for it either.
I actually really would have liked more with her ‘father’. I thought that was a really interesting relationship that could have been explored more.
Oh and there’s dragons!
So a pretty fun book and overall enjoyable read. I would check out the next in the series when it comes out.
Thanks to Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The narration was done by Caroline Sorunke and Nathan Lang. She did fine but I wasn’t a huge fan of his narration.
An easy to get into and fast paced fantasy novel with an interesting concept right off the bat. While the romance isn’t the most interesting it never gets in the way or detracts from the story itself.
Talia is surprised when she dies to find herself waking back up. But she wakes up in an entirely new world where they believe her to be the Princess. She has to find her way through a world with political intrigue and super powers, all while wondering how she got there and where she even is.
The story is pretty short, the audiobook being a little less than 10 hours for a fantasy novel. But Penelope manages to fit a lot of lore and worldbuilding into a small package without it ever feeling too weighed down. The concept of being thrust into this world allows for Talia to have a lot of leeway in discovering new things and can take us along for the ride. I always love the idea of being dropped into a fantasy world so I gave this one a lot of points for providing that.
The characters are pretty fine but I didn’t feel anything too special about them. Talia felt like an absolute perfect person which honestly made her harder to relate to. She could have been a little bit more well rounded. Reyin too, didn’t feel like he had too much depth. This obviously left a lot to be desired for their romance together. It wasn’t bad but I wasn’t cheering for it either.
I actually really would have liked more with her ‘father’. I thought that was a really interesting relationship that could have been explored more.
Oh and there’s dragons!
So a pretty fun book and overall enjoyable read. I would check out the next in the series when it comes out.
Thanks to Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The narration was done by Caroline Sorunke and Nathan Lang. She did fine but I wasn’t a huge fan of his narration.
March 28, 2022
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 Hearts
Savage City follows a girl after her death to a different earth in the multiverse where she is mistaken for the missing princess. An Earth where after a drastic life altering event the planet has changed and humanity was split into three different people: The humans, Nimali and the Fai. Talia must pretend to be the missing princess if she wants to survive this new world. This is the first book of The Bliss Wars and my first L. Penelope story.
This is a world with magic. Where the Nimali can shift into animal form to be better and stronger warriors, while the Fai channel the essence of the animal without changing their physical appearance. As Talia learns about this world she craves love and attention from her doppelganger’s father, the attention she never got from her own father. But she sees the imbalance of power also and how cruel her father is this world is. Maybe she can find a way to help the captive Fai in this land and find her place in this world at the same time.
I enjoyed this story. The world was pretty cool and I liked how the two different peoples basically had the same kind of ceremony to receive their spirit animal but channeled them so differently. The plot was interesting and kept me very engaged in the building love story between Talia and Ryin. There are undertones of a conservation story happening as the Nimali need a mined type of mineral to run all of their technology while the Fai find those deposits sacred and do not touch them. The conflict between the two races is over a mineral called Bliss and the Nimali’s dependence on it.
I have a few nit picks. The first chapter was a bit jumbled, that could be on purpose because how clear should someone who is dying’s perception be. But I wasn’t sure what was going on in the first chapter. Then the insta love was totally insta-lovey. The characters got barely anytime together and then all of the sudden they had sex. A lot of the characters seemed a bit flat and could have been a little better fleshed out. Especially Talie herself.
Still overall, I really liked the idea of the world and the bound creatures from a spirit realm of sorts. It was a very cool take on a shifter premise. I like it enough that I’d give the second book in the series a try to see if the author couldn’t flesh out the next story just a little more fully.
Narration:
I always appreciate it as a reader when a book with multiple PoVs does multiple narrators too. Caroline Sorunke and Nathan Lang were good story tellers for this and I liked how they portrayed each character’s PoV. I did enjoy Nathan slightly more than Caroline. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 Hearts
Savage City follows a girl after her death to a different earth in the multiverse where she is mistaken for the missing princess. An Earth where after a drastic life altering event the planet has changed and humanity was split into three different people: The humans, Nimali and the Fai. Talia must pretend to be the missing princess if she wants to survive this new world. This is the first book of The Bliss Wars and my first L. Penelope story.
This is a world with magic. Where the Nimali can shift into animal form to be better and stronger warriors, while the Fai channel the essence of the animal without changing their physical appearance. As Talia learns about this world she craves love and attention from her doppelganger’s father, the attention she never got from her own father. But she sees the imbalance of power also and how cruel her father is this world is. Maybe she can find a way to help the captive Fai in this land and find her place in this world at the same time.
I enjoyed this story. The world was pretty cool and I liked how the two different peoples basically had the same kind of ceremony to receive their spirit animal but channeled them so differently. The plot was interesting and kept me very engaged in the building love story between Talia and Ryin. There are undertones of a conservation story happening as the Nimali need a mined type of mineral to run all of their technology while the Fai find those deposits sacred and do not touch them. The conflict between the two races is over a mineral called Bliss and the Nimali’s dependence on it.
I have a few nit picks. The first chapter was a bit jumbled, that could be on purpose because how clear should someone who is dying’s perception be. But I wasn’t sure what was going on in the first chapter. Then the insta love was totally insta-lovey. The characters got barely anytime together and then all of the sudden they had sex. A lot of the characters seemed a bit flat and could have been a little better fleshed out. Especially Talie herself.
Still overall, I really liked the idea of the world and the bound creatures from a spirit realm of sorts. It was a very cool take on a shifter premise. I like it enough that I’d give the second book in the series a try to see if the author couldn’t flesh out the next story just a little more fully.
Narration:
I always appreciate it as a reader when a book with multiple PoVs does multiple narrators too. Caroline Sorunke and Nathan Lang were good story tellers for this and I liked how they portrayed each character’s PoV. I did enjoy Nathan slightly more than Caroline. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
April 8, 2022
Savage City follows our MC Talia who dies but wakes up on a different Earth within the multiverse wherein she faces eminent danger in a world with dragons?! Talia fortunately looks identical to the missing princess of this Earth where she learns that there are three different types of beings: humans, Nimali, and the Fai. Talia quickly learns that she must convince everyone that she is actually the princess, including her father look alike who is the dragon king, in order to survive this new hell.
This story is a fantastic start to The Bliss Wars series. The worldbuilding, lore, and magic system are all incredible. You have Nimali who can shift into animal form to become fierce warriors (dragons included!) and the Fai who can channel the essence of animals but who don’t actually shift. There’s a hierarchy within this world, and I enjoyed learning the politics and inner workings especially when contrasted to Talia’s experiences of her Earth.
The pacing of this book was spot on. Lots of action and me constantly being on my toes to find out what was going to happen next.
The dual audiobook narrators really nailed this performance and made this story a fully immersible experience for me, so I highly recommend it!
Thank you to OrangeSky Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
This story is a fantastic start to The Bliss Wars series. The worldbuilding, lore, and magic system are all incredible. You have Nimali who can shift into animal form to become fierce warriors (dragons included!) and the Fai who can channel the essence of animals but who don’t actually shift. There’s a hierarchy within this world, and I enjoyed learning the politics and inner workings especially when contrasted to Talia’s experiences of her Earth.
The pacing of this book was spot on. Lots of action and me constantly being on my toes to find out what was going to happen next.
The dual audiobook narrators really nailed this performance and made this story a fully immersible experience for me, so I highly recommend it!
Thank you to OrangeSky Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
May 24, 2022
Talia is propelled into a parallel world after dying while in ICU (she had been in a car accident). She discovers she's a doppelganger for the land's princess, Celena, and must behave as if she's only lost her memory (at the request of her stepbrother Shad).
While the land looks like a post-apocalyptic San Francisco with magic powering it, it's also a land of tremendous division and inequality. The princess is part of a race of shapeshifters, the Nimali, who enslave the Fai. There's actually not that much difference between the two groups, except the Nimali transform into their animals, while the Fae are paired with a daemon who grants them a power.
She's thrilled when one of the Fai, she sees when she first arrives, Ryin, resembles a former neighbour from our Earth, whom she had had a crush on when younger. He's both disgusted by the Njmali and the princess, and fascinated by this version of the princess, as Talia is very different from the princess he's familiar with, who is cold, and comfortable with the enslavement and bigotry that upholds her life.
Talia and Ryin become closer as it becomes clear that Talia is radically different from Celena, and Talia wants to change the situations for everyone, and help the Fai.
The world is interesting, with its shapeshifters, daemons, and conflicts. Talia's struggles in her new world and how she tackes things are believable, and Ryin's slow development of positive then romantic feelings for Talia is also believable.
I liked the ideas that the author is playing with, and it was interesting to see the new world through Talia’s eyes, as she comes from a place of neglect and racial injustice, then was pulled into a world where now she has tremendous privilege.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Heartspell Media for this ARC in exchange for my review.
While the land looks like a post-apocalyptic San Francisco with magic powering it, it's also a land of tremendous division and inequality. The princess is part of a race of shapeshifters, the Nimali, who enslave the Fai. There's actually not that much difference between the two groups, except the Nimali transform into their animals, while the Fae are paired with a daemon who grants them a power.
She's thrilled when one of the Fai, she sees when she first arrives, Ryin, resembles a former neighbour from our Earth, whom she had had a crush on when younger. He's both disgusted by the Njmali and the princess, and fascinated by this version of the princess, as Talia is very different from the princess he's familiar with, who is cold, and comfortable with the enslavement and bigotry that upholds her life.
Talia and Ryin become closer as it becomes clear that Talia is radically different from Celena, and Talia wants to change the situations for everyone, and help the Fai.
The world is interesting, with its shapeshifters, daemons, and conflicts. Talia's struggles in her new world and how she tackes things are believable, and Ryin's slow development of positive then romantic feelings for Talia is also believable.
I liked the ideas that the author is playing with, and it was interesting to see the new world through Talia’s eyes, as she comes from a place of neglect and racial injustice, then was pulled into a world where now she has tremendous privilege.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Heartspell Media for this ARC in exchange for my review.
March 26, 2022
More on Chill and read
Talia is just a normal girl, living with her father and his family. She had been living with him, ever since she lost her mother, but she was not as equal a daughter as his wife’s daughters. Some would say this reminds them of Cinderella, alas, there is no Prince! Well, at least not that clearly. Her life is not going well, and for the second time she finds herself in a hospital seriously injured. Until she actually dies. And then, she is not found neither in heaven, nor in hell. However, her first experience of this place definitely gives her the hell vibes. Thankfully she is saved by the mighty beasts that attack her by a dragon! The dragon is actually a man that can shift forms and so are the rest of the people in this strange world. These are the Nimali and Talia… Talia looks like their lost princess and they are now celebrating her return. Along them is the dragon king, a man that in form looks exactly like her father. Only this king, this father, loves his daughter and is so very much happy to see her again. He is a loving father, but he is also a cruel king. He rules the Nimali with strength and no tolerance for outsiders. He and his savage people are determined to use every resource this planet has to keep them alive and prosperous. This is why they are in war with the Fai.
The Fai, who also have powers like the shifters Nimali, don’t shift forms, but co-exist with their daemons, those spiritual creatures that give them their power willingly. The believe in saving the nature and the Bliss, this mighty power that the Fai adore and the Nimali use as their basic resource. When the Nimali capture Fai, they enslave them, taking part of their daemon’s power away, so that they cannot escape. Fai and Nimali need to have all their three souls to feel complete. The Nimali take one of the Fai souls away, so as to ensure they won’t try to escape. No Fai wants that fate, but Ryin is a captive with a plan. He is a warrior that is plotting against his enemy, collecting information that could be useful for his people. Because of his healing abilities, the king puts him next to the princess, in case she needs his help. She has returned a bit different. She seems to have lost her memory soul but Ryin finds himself warming up to this new version of the princess, the one that says “Thank you” to everyone, even those who serve her.
The concept of this book is multi-dimensional and pretty awesome! We have a heroin who, through her death, is transferred to this parallel universe, where a person that looks exactly like her father exists, a person looking exactly like her exists and a person that looks exactly like a childhood friend also exists. The cool thing is that her father is also her father in this universe and he actually loves, her, something that she didn’t experience in real life. We don’t really understand where this universe exists, but we do get to know a lot about it, which helps to understand the rules of the society we meet. There are also powerful creatures, not exactly human as they carry a daemon inside them, a daemon that is the source of their power. We also get to see that this is somewhat a post apocalyptic society, as we learn that this is how their life is after the Sorrows, which is probably a huge disaster or war.
I loved the magic system! How people get their magic and how this magic works. How different it is for the two tribes, based on their beliefs and customs. There were some strong messages portrayed as well. Like all people are equal and we should all be treated with respect. And also how the planet was destroyed and how we need to be careful not to eliminate the resources of the planet.
The narrators did a great job bringing the story to life. They brought their characters to life, making their personalities visible, or may I say audible, to the reader, or rather listener in our case.
This book is expected to be published on March 31st 2022.
Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.
Talia is just a normal girl, living with her father and his family. She had been living with him, ever since she lost her mother, but she was not as equal a daughter as his wife’s daughters. Some would say this reminds them of Cinderella, alas, there is no Prince! Well, at least not that clearly. Her life is not going well, and for the second time she finds herself in a hospital seriously injured. Until she actually dies. And then, she is not found neither in heaven, nor in hell. However, her first experience of this place definitely gives her the hell vibes. Thankfully she is saved by the mighty beasts that attack her by a dragon! The dragon is actually a man that can shift forms and so are the rest of the people in this strange world. These are the Nimali and Talia… Talia looks like their lost princess and they are now celebrating her return. Along them is the dragon king, a man that in form looks exactly like her father. Only this king, this father, loves his daughter and is so very much happy to see her again. He is a loving father, but he is also a cruel king. He rules the Nimali with strength and no tolerance for outsiders. He and his savage people are determined to use every resource this planet has to keep them alive and prosperous. This is why they are in war with the Fai.
The Fai, who also have powers like the shifters Nimali, don’t shift forms, but co-exist with their daemons, those spiritual creatures that give them their power willingly. The believe in saving the nature and the Bliss, this mighty power that the Fai adore and the Nimali use as their basic resource. When the Nimali capture Fai, they enslave them, taking part of their daemon’s power away, so that they cannot escape. Fai and Nimali need to have all their three souls to feel complete. The Nimali take one of the Fai souls away, so as to ensure they won’t try to escape. No Fai wants that fate, but Ryin is a captive with a plan. He is a warrior that is plotting against his enemy, collecting information that could be useful for his people. Because of his healing abilities, the king puts him next to the princess, in case she needs his help. She has returned a bit different. She seems to have lost her memory soul but Ryin finds himself warming up to this new version of the princess, the one that says “Thank you” to everyone, even those who serve her.
The concept of this book is multi-dimensional and pretty awesome! We have a heroin who, through her death, is transferred to this parallel universe, where a person that looks exactly like her father exists, a person looking exactly like her exists and a person that looks exactly like a childhood friend also exists. The cool thing is that her father is also her father in this universe and he actually loves, her, something that she didn’t experience in real life. We don’t really understand where this universe exists, but we do get to know a lot about it, which helps to understand the rules of the society we meet. There are also powerful creatures, not exactly human as they carry a daemon inside them, a daemon that is the source of their power. We also get to see that this is somewhat a post apocalyptic society, as we learn that this is how their life is after the Sorrows, which is probably a huge disaster or war.
I loved the magic system! How people get their magic and how this magic works. How different it is for the two tribes, based on their beliefs and customs. There were some strong messages portrayed as well. Like all people are equal and we should all be treated with respect. And also how the planet was destroyed and how we need to be careful not to eliminate the resources of the planet.
The narrators did a great job bringing the story to life. They brought their characters to life, making their personalities visible, or may I say audible, to the reader, or rather listener in our case.
This book is expected to be published on March 31st 2022.
Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.
March 15, 2022
Talia dies but instead of entering the afterlife, she ends up in a terrifying city with kings, dragons and war. She is mistaken for the princesses and is brought to the dragon king that looks just like her real father. Ryin is a warrior that doesn't want to fall with Talia, especially since she is the daughter of the enemy. But the more time he spends with her the more he realizes he isn't who she thought she was.
As soon as I saw the cover of this book I knew I needed to read it. This was an easy read that felt like a young adult book while not being one. There were some slow moments, but overall I found it interesting and unique. I enjoyed the magic system and thought the universe-building was well done. This book had castle vibes but took place in the city which was fun.
I liked the concept between the Nimali and the Fai and enjoyed the characters even though at times they felt one-dimensional. The romance felt odd at first because a lot of Talia's feelings were driven by old relationships we don't see. But as soon as it started to pick up I totally wanted them to be together. I didn't expect smut so I was very happy that this got steamy.
My favourite part of this book was the Antagonist. He was clearly a psychopath but also complex with a pretty big soft spot. I enjoyed all his scenes and was honestly taken aback by his heart at the end. Talia's relationship with him was complicated and I appreciated his uncertainty when it came to it. He allowed horrible things to happen but I also understood how he ended up the way he did.
I think this was a great read and I am excited to see how the rest of this series unfolds. If you haven't added this book to your tbr yet, what are you doing? Despite its flaws, it was enjoyable and I totally recommend this if you love young adult romance but want it more adult.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As soon as I saw the cover of this book I knew I needed to read it. This was an easy read that felt like a young adult book while not being one. There were some slow moments, but overall I found it interesting and unique. I enjoyed the magic system and thought the universe-building was well done. This book had castle vibes but took place in the city which was fun.
I liked the concept between the Nimali and the Fai and enjoyed the characters even though at times they felt one-dimensional. The romance felt odd at first because a lot of Talia's feelings were driven by old relationships we don't see. But as soon as it started to pick up I totally wanted them to be together. I didn't expect smut so I was very happy that this got steamy.
My favourite part of this book was the Antagonist. He was clearly a psychopath but also complex with a pretty big soft spot. I enjoyed all his scenes and was honestly taken aback by his heart at the end. Talia's relationship with him was complicated and I appreciated his uncertainty when it came to it. He allowed horrible things to happen but I also understood how he ended up the way he did.
I think this was a great read and I am excited to see how the rest of this series unfolds. If you haven't added this book to your tbr yet, what are you doing? Despite its flaws, it was enjoyable and I totally recommend this if you love young adult romance but want it more adult.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 14, 2022
Such an intriguing concept! I can't wait to see where Penelope brings this series... I have so many questions! This series could go in so many directions and honestly I'd be okay with anything. I'll be checking out more of Penelope's books because I really enjoy her writing style.
The strong points are a diverse cast of characters (our main character is a woman of colour), the multiverse, and an intriguing mythos. I'd say the only downfall is Ryin, He's just a bland character and I felt that he dragged Talia down.
The strong points are a diverse cast of characters (our main character is a woman of colour), the multiverse, and an intriguing mythos. I'd say the only downfall is Ryin, He's just a bland character and I felt that he dragged Talia down.
March 23, 2022
I enjoyed this book. The world was different and unique. I like the parallel universe coming into play for this story. I really wished I loved it but it just fell a little flat for me. Talia and Ryin were fine characters but I didn't feel anything heat leap off the pages or feel any chemistry between these two characters. It sort of felt rushed at the end as well. It was pleasant read just being picky.
April 22, 2022
Savage City bends the borders of fantasy, by inviting in the messy concept of alternate realities and the multiverse. The story follows Talia and Ryin through a battle of and for souls.
I loved the chemistry, the fae-daemon issues, the forbidden love, the madness! This was a very enjoyable book. Most certainly a rollercoaster, but really good. I did initially choose this book because I fancied the cover, however, I was drawn to the storyline, almost immediately. It was also incredibly diverse, which made the book all the better.
Personally, I found that the world-building at the beginning was a bit too long and a bit too confusing, however, considering that this is the start of a series, I wouldn't necessarily say that this is bad. My main issue was that I was still questioning what was going on when I was about 40% through, which made me loose some interest in the book.
(Top marks for including the title in the book.)
Another aspect that I must highlight: I've read this book as an Audiobook. I have to say that I think the narration was excellent. I loved the dual pov actually spoken by two different people.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for providing me with this Audiobook.
I loved the chemistry, the fae-daemon issues, the forbidden love, the madness! This was a very enjoyable book. Most certainly a rollercoaster, but really good. I did initially choose this book because I fancied the cover, however, I was drawn to the storyline, almost immediately. It was also incredibly diverse, which made the book all the better.
Personally, I found that the world-building at the beginning was a bit too long and a bit too confusing, however, considering that this is the start of a series, I wouldn't necessarily say that this is bad. My main issue was that I was still questioning what was going on when I was about 40% through, which made me loose some interest in the book.
(Top marks for including the title in the book.)
Another aspect that I must highlight: I've read this book as an Audiobook. I have to say that I think the narration was excellent. I loved the dual pov actually spoken by two different people.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for providing me with this Audiobook.
Read
April 2, 2024Full Review coming later this month for a FanRo vlog leading up to Apollycon!
February 20, 2024
I wasn't sure at first, but this short shifter fantasy ended up being a page turner.
April 6, 2022
Radiates fire and ice in this excellent soul catching fantasy novel which in a flash makes perfect sense.
July 29, 2023
This was good! And a complete story even though there is an enticing tidbit for the next book. I'm thinking I will continue. Happy reading.
March 18, 2022
Thank you to netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!
I think what I loved most about this book was how different it is! It feels dystopian but has fantasy elements and sci-fi elements as well, and I devoured every part of that! It felt like nothing I've ever read before, and that was super refreshing. The worldbuilding was a little slow and patchy at first, but once I got into it, everything made sense and I was able to get past that and more into the story.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Talia and Ryin. They both were learning a lot about themselves and their world, and the fact that they just kind of fell together was very sweet. Their relationship developed as sort of a side thing as they were both learning bout the world and who they wanted to become. Talia was so strong and brave even though she had no idea what was going on, and she took her story and made it into her own without needing Ryin to save her. I loved her character and growth as a whole!
The way that this book tackled a lot of deeper topics like death, grief, slavery, was done really well. It integrated these things into Talia and Ryin's stories and made them feel more real and raw. They held a lot of depth but didn't overpower the story itself, and I really appreciated that.
If you're a fantasy lover, or a sci-fi lover, or a dystopian lover, you definitely need to check this series out!
I think what I loved most about this book was how different it is! It feels dystopian but has fantasy elements and sci-fi elements as well, and I devoured every part of that! It felt like nothing I've ever read before, and that was super refreshing. The worldbuilding was a little slow and patchy at first, but once I got into it, everything made sense and I was able to get past that and more into the story.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Talia and Ryin. They both were learning a lot about themselves and their world, and the fact that they just kind of fell together was very sweet. Their relationship developed as sort of a side thing as they were both learning bout the world and who they wanted to become. Talia was so strong and brave even though she had no idea what was going on, and she took her story and made it into her own without needing Ryin to save her. I loved her character and growth as a whole!
The way that this book tackled a lot of deeper topics like death, grief, slavery, was done really well. It integrated these things into Talia and Ryin's stories and made them feel more real and raw. They held a lot of depth but didn't overpower the story itself, and I really appreciated that.
If you're a fantasy lover, or a sci-fi lover, or a dystopian lover, you definitely need to check this series out!
February 11, 2024
3.5 stars, after many attempts. I am so glad that I never gave up on this series. I love they story line, the romance, the political intrigue... The beasts. I'm so fully engaged in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
My actual star rating is 3.5! I have mixed feelings about this book. The world-building and magic systems in this were interesting enough that I wanted to learn more about them. But, the book only goes into a surface-level exposition of what the magic system in this world is like, and not too much beyond it. The part of the magic system that involves "animal-type daemons that are connected with people's souls" did give me pause. As the book first explained how daemons work, I thought, "This sounds a LOT like how the daemons in His Dark Materials work...", but beyond the daemons being animal-shaped and connected to the soul, there are little to no similarities. The main plotline of this book is actually a very popular and common plot trope in many manhwa series. The entire "I died in my world, but I woke up in this world, and they think I'm their princess!" is a SUPER common type of "isekai" manhwa. Even the trope of the main protagonist dying because they got hit by a car is an incredibly common opener to this type of story. I have read so many of that type of manhwa, but I honestly like the trope, so I don't mind reading more of the same. This plot was the same old, same old for me, but I feel like I don't see this plot trope in standard novels, so it would probably be "fresh and new" to those who don't read manhwa. The opening scene of this book is very abrupt and very confusing. I think it's meant to be that way? I still was sitting there like "What the hell is going on, did I skip or chapter or something?!" while reading through. The mentions of there being a multiverse or parallel worlds in this story were interesting, for what few of them there were. The romance between the two main characters was very "eh" in my opinion. The way they fell in love felt very sudden and almost out of the blue. I really didn't expect Ryin to suddenly act as if he was madly in love with Talia. I honestly was confused why he suddenly was acting so strongly towards her. Also, was the random sex scene really needed? It was so out of place and it honestly felt like it had been thrown in randomly. My personal pet peeve is a book adding random sex scenes for no real reason. There was a line that made me pause near the beginning of the book; it actually made me put the book down for a minute. "My muscles are leaden and my blood has turned to wood." I have heard "my blood turned to ice" or "my blood ran cold", but I have NEVER heard "my blood turned to wood". There were also scenes that didn't seem to flow all too well. It felt like they were written to be cliffhangers, but when you can just flip the page to find out what happens, the cliffhanger falls a bit flat. It also felt a little bit like the author had written themselves into a corner, and had to do one of those "AND SUDDENLY!" type of moments to get out of it. Thought that could have been because of the weird way some chapter ends felt like cliffhangers. The actual ending of the book (excluding the epilogue) I really didn't like. Others might like it, but it was way too bland yet cheesy for me. Very, the car driving off into the sky at the end of Grease. Also, with how the ending is written (again, ignoring the epilogue) it feels like the book was meant to be a single novel, not the beginning of a series. The epilogue feels a bit slapped on; like they scrambled to figure out how they could continue to another book. I really did like some of the concepts the author had, and they made a really interesting world, but the weak ending soured me a little to this book. I doubt I'll be looking for the next book in the series.
Merged review:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
My actual star rating is 3.5! I have mixed feelings about this book. The world-building and magic systems in this were interesting enough that I wanted to learn more about them. But, the book only goes into a surface-level exposition of what the magic system in this world is like, and not too much beyond it. The part of the magic system that involves "animal-type daemons that are connected with people's souls" did give me pause. As the book first explained how daemons work, I thought, "This sounds a LOT like how the daemons in His Dark Materials work...", but beyond the daemons being animal-shaped and connected to the soul, there are little to no similarities. The main plotline of this book is actually a very popular and common plot trope in many manhwa series. The entire "I died in my world, but I woke up in this world, and they think I'm their princess!" is a SUPER common type of "isekai" manhwa. Even the trope of the main protagonist dying because they got hit by a car is an incredibly common opener to this type of story. I have read so many of that type of manhwa, but I honestly like the trope, so I don't mind reading more of the same. This plot was the same old, same old for me, but I feel like I don't see this plot trope in standard novels, so it would probably be "fresh and new" to those who don't read manhwa. The opening scene of this book is very abrupt and very confusing. I think it's meant to be that way? I still was sitting there like "What the hell is going on, did I skip or chapter or something?!" while reading through. The mentions of there being a multiverse or parallel worlds in this story were interesting, for what few of them there were. The romance between the two main characters was very "eh" in my opinion. The way they fell in love felt very sudden and almost out of the blue. I really didn't expect Ryin to suddenly act as if he was madly in love with Talia. I honestly was confused why he suddenly was acting so strongly towards her. Also, was the random sex scene really needed? It was so out of place and it honestly felt like it had been thrown in randomly. My personal pet peeve is a book adding random sex scenes for no real reason. There was a line that made me pause near the beginning of the book; it actually made me put the book down for a minute. "My muscles are leaden and my blood has turned to wood." I have heard "my blood turned to ice" or "my blood ran cold", but I have NEVER heard "my blood turned to wood". There were also scenes that didn't seem to flow all too well. It felt like they were written to be cliffhangers, but when you can just flip the page to find out what happens, the cliffhanger falls a bit flat. It also felt a little bit like the author had written themselves into a corner, and had to do one of those "AND SUDDENLY!" type of moments to get out of it. Thought that could have been because of the weird way some chapter ends felt like cliffhangers. The actual ending of the book (excluding the epilogue) I really didn't like. Others might like it, but it was way too bland yet cheesy for me. Very, the car driving off into the sky at the end of Grease. Also, with how the ending is written (again, ignoring the epilogue) it feels like the book was meant to be a single novel, not the beginning of a series. The epilogue feels a bit slapped on; like they scrambled to figure out how they could continue to another book. I really did like some of the concepts the author had, and they made a really interesting world, but the weak ending soured me a little to this book. I doubt I'll be looking for the next book in the series.
My actual star rating is 3.5! I have mixed feelings about this book. The world-building and magic systems in this were interesting enough that I wanted to learn more about them. But, the book only goes into a surface-level exposition of what the magic system in this world is like, and not too much beyond it. The part of the magic system that involves "animal-type daemons that are connected with people's souls" did give me pause. As the book first explained how daemons work, I thought, "This sounds a LOT like how the daemons in His Dark Materials work...", but beyond the daemons being animal-shaped and connected to the soul, there are little to no similarities. The main plotline of this book is actually a very popular and common plot trope in many manhwa series. The entire "I died in my world, but I woke up in this world, and they think I'm their princess!" is a SUPER common type of "isekai" manhwa. Even the trope of the main protagonist dying because they got hit by a car is an incredibly common opener to this type of story. I have read so many of that type of manhwa, but I honestly like the trope, so I don't mind reading more of the same. This plot was the same old, same old for me, but I feel like I don't see this plot trope in standard novels, so it would probably be "fresh and new" to those who don't read manhwa. The opening scene of this book is very abrupt and very confusing. I think it's meant to be that way? I still was sitting there like "What the hell is going on, did I skip or chapter or something?!" while reading through. The mentions of there being a multiverse or parallel worlds in this story were interesting, for what few of them there were. The romance between the two main characters was very "eh" in my opinion. The way they fell in love felt very sudden and almost out of the blue. I really didn't expect Ryin to suddenly act as if he was madly in love with Talia. I honestly was confused why he suddenly was acting so strongly towards her. Also, was the random sex scene really needed? It was so out of place and it honestly felt like it had been thrown in randomly. My personal pet peeve is a book adding random sex scenes for no real reason. There was a line that made me pause near the beginning of the book; it actually made me put the book down for a minute. "My muscles are leaden and my blood has turned to wood." I have heard "my blood turned to ice" or "my blood ran cold", but I have NEVER heard "my blood turned to wood". There were also scenes that didn't seem to flow all too well. It felt like they were written to be cliffhangers, but when you can just flip the page to find out what happens, the cliffhanger falls a bit flat. It also felt a little bit like the author had written themselves into a corner, and had to do one of those "AND SUDDENLY!" type of moments to get out of it. Thought that could have been because of the weird way some chapter ends felt like cliffhangers. The actual ending of the book (excluding the epilogue) I really didn't like. Others might like it, but it was way too bland yet cheesy for me. Very, the car driving off into the sky at the end of Grease. Also, with how the ending is written (again, ignoring the epilogue) it feels like the book was meant to be a single novel, not the beginning of a series. The epilogue feels a bit slapped on; like they scrambled to figure out how they could continue to another book. I really did like some of the concepts the author had, and they made a really interesting world, but the weak ending soured me a little to this book. I doubt I'll be looking for the next book in the series.
Merged review:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
My actual star rating is 3.5! I have mixed feelings about this book. The world-building and magic systems in this were interesting enough that I wanted to learn more about them. But, the book only goes into a surface-level exposition of what the magic system in this world is like, and not too much beyond it. The part of the magic system that involves "animal-type daemons that are connected with people's souls" did give me pause. As the book first explained how daemons work, I thought, "This sounds a LOT like how the daemons in His Dark Materials work...", but beyond the daemons being animal-shaped and connected to the soul, there are little to no similarities. The main plotline of this book is actually a very popular and common plot trope in many manhwa series. The entire "I died in my world, but I woke up in this world, and they think I'm their princess!" is a SUPER common type of "isekai" manhwa. Even the trope of the main protagonist dying because they got hit by a car is an incredibly common opener to this type of story. I have read so many of that type of manhwa, but I honestly like the trope, so I don't mind reading more of the same. This plot was the same old, same old for me, but I feel like I don't see this plot trope in standard novels, so it would probably be "fresh and new" to those who don't read manhwa. The opening scene of this book is very abrupt and very confusing. I think it's meant to be that way? I still was sitting there like "What the hell is going on, did I skip or chapter or something?!" while reading through. The mentions of there being a multiverse or parallel worlds in this story were interesting, for what few of them there were. The romance between the two main characters was very "eh" in my opinion. The way they fell in love felt very sudden and almost out of the blue. I really didn't expect Ryin to suddenly act as if he was madly in love with Talia. I honestly was confused why he suddenly was acting so strongly towards her. Also, was the random sex scene really needed? It was so out of place and it honestly felt like it had been thrown in randomly. My personal pet peeve is a book adding random sex scenes for no real reason. There was a line that made me pause near the beginning of the book; it actually made me put the book down for a minute. "My muscles are leaden and my blood has turned to wood." I have heard "my blood turned to ice" or "my blood ran cold", but I have NEVER heard "my blood turned to wood". There were also scenes that didn't seem to flow all too well. It felt like they were written to be cliffhangers, but when you can just flip the page to find out what happens, the cliffhanger falls a bit flat. It also felt a little bit like the author had written themselves into a corner, and had to do one of those "AND SUDDENLY!" type of moments to get out of it. Thought that could have been because of the weird way some chapter ends felt like cliffhangers. The actual ending of the book (excluding the epilogue) I really didn't like. Others might like it, but it was way too bland yet cheesy for me. Very, the car driving off into the sky at the end of Grease. Also, with how the ending is written (again, ignoring the epilogue) it feels like the book was meant to be a single novel, not the beginning of a series. The epilogue feels a bit slapped on; like they scrambled to figure out how they could continue to another book. I really did like some of the concepts the author had, and they made a really interesting world, but the weak ending soured me a little to this book. I doubt I'll be looking for the next book in the series.
March 24, 2022
Savage City is an engaging story, if not a bit underdeveloped. Either way, it is always refreshing to see Black women as the MCs in adult fantasy novels (especially when the author is also Black). The first two chapters were off to a rocky start, things were hard to follow at first; it evens out pretty fast. The writing is straightforward and simplistic, which isn't a bad thing. I think the story does a good job in providing worldbuilding details as needed and I never felt overwhelmed with it. What I did feel overwhelmed with was so many bland background characters who didn't have anything distinctive about them, and so they were forgettable. To be honest, the secondary main character Ryin is also forgettable. Talia, the primary MC, was flat. She is kind of adrift in a plot and doesn't really take much action of her own that's meaningful to the plot's development. Things just happen to her. And she's a bit one-dimensional.
While I did enjoy this story overall, I do have some minor gripes like the development of the romantic subplot (it was supportive and non-toxic, which I appreciate, but I didn't really believe they were in love). There were a few other moments in the story that I felt were glossed over and maybe needed to be developed more. The ending felt a bit rushed. Sometimes the dialogue felt overly formal and stiff, even for the main character, who is from our Earth in modern times.
Speaking of worldbuilding, I can't quite understand why there are royals in an alternate world that seems to be post-apocalyptic modern Earth set in the United States. This isn't something that is addressed, but I did wonder why they would resort to kings and queens in a place with a history like the U.S. And if this alternate Earth had a different history, that wasn't addressed so the readers are left to wonder. Not necessarily a bad thing, just something that caught my attention.
Also of note: I did also listen to the audiobook of this series while reading along, but I stopped listening to the audiobook because I felt the performances of the readers - particularly the voice of Ryin - was stilted and made reading unenjoyable. I think for this book if you're debating between audiobook and ebook, maybe pass on the audiobook!
Either way, I enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to the sequel.
Trigger content warnings: brief mentions of a bad car accident and then another mention of a pedestrian being struck and killed by a car; slavery, torture, violence, sexual content (between consenting adults), imprisonment.
I recieved the audiobook and ebook versions in advance in exchange for my honest review via Netgalley.
While I did enjoy this story overall, I do have some minor gripes like the development of the romantic subplot (it was supportive and non-toxic, which I appreciate, but I didn't really believe they were in love). There were a few other moments in the story that I felt were glossed over and maybe needed to be developed more. The ending felt a bit rushed. Sometimes the dialogue felt overly formal and stiff, even for the main character, who is from our Earth in modern times.
Speaking of worldbuilding, I can't quite understand why there are royals in an alternate world that seems to be post-apocalyptic modern Earth set in the United States. This isn't something that is addressed, but I did wonder why they would resort to kings and queens in a place with a history like the U.S. And if this alternate Earth had a different history, that wasn't addressed so the readers are left to wonder. Not necessarily a bad thing, just something that caught my attention.
Also of note: I did also listen to the audiobook of this series while reading along, but I stopped listening to the audiobook because I felt the performances of the readers - particularly the voice of Ryin - was stilted and made reading unenjoyable. I think for this book if you're debating between audiobook and ebook, maybe pass on the audiobook!
Either way, I enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to the sequel.
Trigger content warnings: brief mentions of a bad car accident and then another mention of a pedestrian being struck and killed by a car; slavery, torture, violence, sexual content (between consenting adults), imprisonment.
I recieved the audiobook and ebook versions in advance in exchange for my honest review via Netgalley.
March 17, 2022
Thank you to the author and the publisher, OrangeSky Audio, for sharing with me an audio form of this book through NetGalley!!
“I am a dragon… hear me roar”
This book was absolutely amazing!!!!
I had the chance to experience it through audiobook form and I really enjoyed it!!!!!
The combination between romance, sci-fi and fantasy all together made a beautiful story I could stop listening to!!!!!
Talia was a great character and I fell for Ryan as soon as his name was pronounced !!!!
They both had so many Poppy and Casteel vibe I couldn’t just not love them !!!
This book had the right amount of spice, just enough to make you relax right before putting you through such terribly real and still discussed themes such as slavery and power dynamics between who’s considered to be good and bad !!!!
And the most important thing of all … SUCH AMAZING POC MAIN CHARACTERS !!!!
It’s true that there was an amalgama of different cultures and populations but, at the end, the most important thing this book and this author highlighted was that we’re all humans !!!!
We can be fae, shifters, white or black but we all should be treated with respect !!!
And another important theme was family and love … honestly this story was just something so great.
I’m left absolutely speechless !!!!!
Truthfully the only thing Talia wanted was to be loved and cherished and Ryan felt something special in her, something worth protecting !!!!
Watch out for this book because you won’t regret it !!!
Oh and watch out for a certain side character that may hide something for the future I’m more than interested in !!!!
“I am a dragon… hear me roar”
This book was absolutely amazing!!!!
I had the chance to experience it through audiobook form and I really enjoyed it!!!!!
The combination between romance, sci-fi and fantasy all together made a beautiful story I could stop listening to!!!!!
Talia was a great character and I fell for Ryan as soon as his name was pronounced !!!!
They both had so many Poppy and Casteel vibe I couldn’t just not love them !!!
This book had the right amount of spice, just enough to make you relax right before putting you through such terribly real and still discussed themes such as slavery and power dynamics between who’s considered to be good and bad !!!!
And the most important thing of all … SUCH AMAZING POC MAIN CHARACTERS !!!!
It’s true that there was an amalgama of different cultures and populations but, at the end, the most important thing this book and this author highlighted was that we’re all humans !!!!
We can be fae, shifters, white or black but we all should be treated with respect !!!
And another important theme was family and love … honestly this story was just something so great.
I’m left absolutely speechless !!!!!
Truthfully the only thing Talia wanted was to be loved and cherished and Ryan felt something special in her, something worth protecting !!!!
Watch out for this book because you won’t regret it !!!
Oh and watch out for a certain side character that may hide something for the future I’m more than interested in !!!!
April 6, 2022
Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? Where you / your soul goes? Other than the mythical heaven or hell? - As an over-thinker, I have wondered a lot about this!! But if there is an afterlife that is similar to the world Penelope has created in Savage City, it’ll be interesting 😉
First chapter starts off with a tragic death of Talia, our lone protagonist. She’s confused as to where she is moving on to -an alternate universe- with different beings the Fai and the Nimali shifter clans who are at war with each other. Our confused Talia knows that only lying can keep her “alive” in whatever this place is.
The story is magical and thrilling! The author has tried to introduce a lot of ideas into the story and it showed. This is one of the fantasy books that doesn’t bombard the reader with world building without point. It has the right amount and most of it is told from Talia’s perspective, a human pov which makes us visualise better. The story is also told in m povs other than Talia which explains the cause of war and such! It was exciting. Like I said Penelope has created an interesting afterlife world (except for the war and blood of-course). I didn’t care much for anyone except for Talia, but if you are a reader who likes to relate with the characters in the book, you ~might~ find this less exciting.
I read this book via audio, and the narrator did a great job with modifying their voice according to the characters and it was easy to follow.
Thank you Orange Sky Audio, the author and TLC book tours for the ALC via Netgalley.
First chapter starts off with a tragic death of Talia, our lone protagonist. She’s confused as to where she is moving on to -an alternate universe- with different beings the Fai and the Nimali shifter clans who are at war with each other. Our confused Talia knows that only lying can keep her “alive” in whatever this place is.
The story is magical and thrilling! The author has tried to introduce a lot of ideas into the story and it showed. This is one of the fantasy books that doesn’t bombard the reader with world building without point. It has the right amount and most of it is told from Talia’s perspective, a human pov which makes us visualise better. The story is also told in m povs other than Talia which explains the cause of war and such! It was exciting. Like I said Penelope has created an interesting afterlife world (except for the war and blood of-course). I didn’t care much for anyone except for Talia, but if you are a reader who likes to relate with the characters in the book, you ~might~ find this less exciting.
I read this book via audio, and the narrator did a great job with modifying their voice according to the characters and it was easy to follow.
Thank you Orange Sky Audio, the author and TLC book tours for the ALC via Netgalley.
March 18, 2022
Hmmmm… I’m not quite sure where to start with this review.
First of all, the premise is an amazing idea. Girl dies… only to be reincarnated elsewhere in the midst of a monster attack?? Absolutely WILD!
But from there… I didn’t really feel anything. Talia felt very bland to me (she was so boring on Earth, and that’s coming from me: the most boring person on the planet). Also… how did she fall in love with Ryin so quick? I know he looked like her old crush on Earth but… I don’t know, I guess it felt unbelievable to me. Like, one minute they were kissing and the next they were having sex in a closet??
That was another thing that weirded me out: the entire book felt super young and YA and I would have guessed the characters were 16-18 based on how they acted, but they were really in their twenties?? And there was a graphic sex scene and talk of boners and things like that? It just didn’t feel like it fit. I literally gasped because I felt like it came out of nowhere.
So much of this had good potential… but I don’t think it really hit the mark for me. Not quite sure if I will read the rest of the series when it comes out or not. I did sort of like Prince Shad… so maybe I will have to give him a go.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, the premise is an amazing idea. Girl dies… only to be reincarnated elsewhere in the midst of a monster attack?? Absolutely WILD!
But from there… I didn’t really feel anything. Talia felt very bland to me (she was so boring on Earth, and that’s coming from me: the most boring person on the planet). Also… how did she fall in love with Ryin so quick? I know he looked like her old crush on Earth but… I don’t know, I guess it felt unbelievable to me. Like, one minute they were kissing and the next they were having sex in a closet??
That was another thing that weirded me out: the entire book felt super young and YA and I would have guessed the characters were 16-18 based on how they acted, but they were really in their twenties?? And there was a graphic sex scene and talk of boners and things like that? It just didn’t feel like it fit. I literally gasped because I felt like it came out of nowhere.
So much of this had good potential… but I don’t think it really hit the mark for me. Not quite sure if I will read the rest of the series when it comes out or not. I did sort of like Prince Shad… so maybe I will have to give him a go.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2022
“Savage City” follows the story of Talia, who dies in our own version of San Francisco and re-awakens as a look-alike “Nimali” missing princess from a parallel San Francisco. In this world, the two races, Fai and Nimali. This makes it a great story for fans of fantastic creatures and unique magic systems.
Although it has heavy YA fantasy components, the ending is a cliffhangers and the epilogue opens the possibility for more world-building and character exploration.
Having listened to the audio version of the book, I was happy to hear the story narrated by multiple people. This made the story easy to follow and it gave a better insight into the personalities of the characters.
Special thanks to NetGalley, OrangeSky Audio, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.
If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads!
#LifeLongLearning #SavageCity #NetGalley
Although it has heavy YA fantasy components, the ending is a cliffhangers and the epilogue opens the possibility for more world-building and character exploration.
Having listened to the audio version of the book, I was happy to hear the story narrated by multiple people. This made the story easy to follow and it gave a better insight into the personalities of the characters.
Special thanks to NetGalley, OrangeSky Audio, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.
If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads!
#LifeLongLearning #SavageCity #NetGalley
September 10, 2023
This book is a hidden gem. I hadn’t heard of this author before, but I grabbed it randomly on stuff your kindle day and I am so glad that I did!
I’ll start by saying the synopsis is a bit off. It reads like a romance —and there is romance between Talia and Ryin (and a little bit of spice) but it’s not sizzling chemistry. And I do enjoy a spicy read, but honestly I felt the plot wouldn’t have been affected if Talia and Ryin were platonic.
That being said, the plot felt very original. I love the world the author created. It was magical, new and captivating. It didn’t feel like anything I’ve read before. It played like a movie in my head. It was a different take on “shifters” for sure. I think some aspects towards the end were slightly rushed and I still have so many questions. It is only book #1 , so maybe they’ll be answered in the rest of the series. I’m very excited to read more from this author.
I’ll start by saying the synopsis is a bit off. It reads like a romance —and there is romance between Talia and Ryin (and a little bit of spice) but it’s not sizzling chemistry. And I do enjoy a spicy read, but honestly I felt the plot wouldn’t have been affected if Talia and Ryin were platonic.
That being said, the plot felt very original. I love the world the author created. It was magical, new and captivating. It didn’t feel like anything I’ve read before. It played like a movie in my head. It was a different take on “shifters” for sure. I think some aspects towards the end were slightly rushed and I still have so many questions. It is only book #1 , so maybe they’ll be answered in the rest of the series. I’m very excited to read more from this author.
August 27, 2023
Book: Savage City
Read By: Ebook
Author: L Penelope
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Recommend: NO
Spice:🌶️️
< b>Age recommendation: 18-30+ Years
My feelings:
This book had great potential. But the execution was lacking.
“Daimons are spirits—they’re our counterparts in the spirit plane. It’s one of my favorite stories. The legend goes that many generations ago, the daimons grew curious about the mortal world. Spirits have no physical forms, but their world connects to ours in many places—the bliss matrices—and they wanted to be able to explore but had no bodies to use.
I unfortunately ended up DNF about 70%. It just didnt hold my attention and I kept remembering what I read
Not for me
Read By: Ebook
Author: L Penelope
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Recommend: NO
Spice:🌶️️
< b>Age recommendation: 18-30+ Years
My feelings:
This book had great potential. But the execution was lacking.
“Daimons are spirits—they’re our counterparts in the spirit plane. It’s one of my favorite stories. The legend goes that many generations ago, the daimons grew curious about the mortal world. Spirits have no physical forms, but their world connects to ours in many places—the bliss matrices—and they wanted to be able to explore but had no bodies to use.
I unfortunately ended up DNF about 70%. It just didnt hold my attention and I kept remembering what I read
Not for me
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up. Definitely an interesting book. Felt rushed and needed more depth at times but I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. Felt a bit dystopian (little bit of a multiverse introduced/some advanced tech) with a paranormal twist (shifters with magic). Of with some romance of course :)
Read
December 20, 2023Came across as Teen or New Adult interest. Cinderella situation plus Prisoner of Zenda (swap of identical-looking people in a royal hierarchy.) Not for me--think I'm too old to keep interested in the doings of this dystopian kingdom and the fai enthralled to the rulers. Love interest story more than a romance as such. Narration by both narrators weak, the person doing Ryin particularly challenging to my ears.
March 27, 2022
ARC Review - Expected Release March 31, 2022;
SO GOOD!
I honestly was a little hesitant to even request this as Netgalley has it categorized as romance/fantasy; while there is some romance and light spice in the book i’d place it way more into fantasy that romance; I’m so glad I decided to request it because i’m definitely going to need to follow L. Penelope’s works along the way.
So definitely a lot better than A Kid in King Arthur Court, but in the beginning it sort of had that feel as, Talia, the main character is thrown into what turns out to be another version of Earth via a multiverse. (Don’t worry this doesn’t get overly complex at least not yet, might come into play more in later books); This version on Earth went through an event that left most of the world broken, and humans have developed into warring clans of shifters known as the Nimali and the Fai.
She is a doppelgänger for the Nimali Princess, the Namali are in power but are ruthless even going as far as to enslave the Fai! On our Earth Talia’s father mistreated her and made her feel unloved. Yet his mirror truly loves his daughter and leads to her having a lot of mixed feelings over being loved and his tyranny.
While she’s dealing with her personal struggles the tensions between the Nimali and the Fai are boiling over and something has got to break.
While I enjoyed the whole story, and mostly liked the characters, my hopes for the future of the series is the world building is expanded upon. There were many opportunities to teach us more about the land, magic, and lore that just fell short on some of the details. The good news is this is book 1 of a series so there is definitely time to learn more.
The antagonist was really complex and I like that, I was honestly surprised by some of his actions towards the end, not that they were out of character for him, i just thought he’d chose differently.
The story honestly leaves quite a few paths open for the sequels without leaving you with major cliffhangers which is nice.
Caroline Sorunke and Nathan Lang do a great job at narrating this book, having separate narrators for the different POVs really made it easy to know where in the story you are and I feel they both worked really hard to embody these characters.
I’ll definitely be looking forward to the sequel but i’m also going to look into some of L. Penelope’s other works.
Big thanks to Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for providing me with a chance to get in on this book early. I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
SO GOOD!
I honestly was a little hesitant to even request this as Netgalley has it categorized as romance/fantasy; while there is some romance and light spice in the book i’d place it way more into fantasy that romance; I’m so glad I decided to request it because i’m definitely going to need to follow L. Penelope’s works along the way.
So definitely a lot better than A Kid in King Arthur Court, but in the beginning it sort of had that feel as, Talia, the main character is thrown into what turns out to be another version of Earth via a multiverse. (Don’t worry this doesn’t get overly complex at least not yet, might come into play more in later books); This version on Earth went through an event that left most of the world broken, and humans have developed into warring clans of shifters known as the Nimali and the Fai.
She is a doppelgänger for the Nimali Princess, the Namali are in power but are ruthless even going as far as to enslave the Fai! On our Earth Talia’s father mistreated her and made her feel unloved. Yet his mirror truly loves his daughter and leads to her having a lot of mixed feelings over being loved and his tyranny.
While she’s dealing with her personal struggles the tensions between the Nimali and the Fai are boiling over and something has got to break.
While I enjoyed the whole story, and mostly liked the characters, my hopes for the future of the series is the world building is expanded upon. There were many opportunities to teach us more about the land, magic, and lore that just fell short on some of the details. The good news is this is book 1 of a series so there is definitely time to learn more.
The antagonist was really complex and I like that, I was honestly surprised by some of his actions towards the end, not that they were out of character for him, i just thought he’d chose differently.
The story honestly leaves quite a few paths open for the sequels without leaving you with major cliffhangers which is nice.
Caroline Sorunke and Nathan Lang do a great job at narrating this book, having separate narrators for the different POVs really made it easy to know where in the story you are and I feel they both worked really hard to embody these characters.
I’ll definitely be looking forward to the sequel but i’m also going to look into some of L. Penelope’s other works.
Big thanks to Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for providing me with a chance to get in on this book early. I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
February 25, 2024
Romance Book Group - Kennett Square Library - March 2024
February 6, 2025
the beginning was a little slow and the narrators are a bit stiff, but I really liked the story here and the main characters. love the multiverse aspect of this in an alternate universe of san Francisco but in fantasy times.
February 10, 2024
High 4 stars. I felt like I was reading the best mash-up of my favorites. Truck-kun was there, pulled from the world to another parallel one with shifters, daimons, and a setting like The Last of Us but with dragon-like monsters with poison than zombies. A strong, loving heroine who deserves the world and a wonderful hero in this paranormal romance had me hooked from the beginning. The characters were all so interesting, too, and it was cool to have a backdrop of San Francisco, but after the end of days. I could scarcely put it down. I am looking forward to the next book in this series and finding out more about this world.
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