I did promise author chats as well, right? Well, Selene Kallan shall be my first. And not just because she makes me blubber like a baby. Her writing makes me scream in vindictive joy, feel warm and fuzzy inside, as she skilfully slides me into a beautiful book coma.
The problem with finishing an EPIC series very late at night is that you have to lie there alone in the dark and contemplate the meaning of life. You cannot message your friends, you might wake them and make them start reading. You cannot scream into the abyss and ask, “What am I supposed to do now?” You might wake up your household.
Trauma induced talents. That is at the core of this series. The Naturals series, (aptly named btw) takes a deep look at what happens if your trauma, instead of debilitating you, grants you a creepy but very useful super power. These books are for the people who binge True Crime stories, and who love unraveling what is going on in a killer’s head. If that is your jam, this series is a must read for you.
This author and series received a glowing review from Tamora Pierce. So I thought, Tamora has written some of my most beloved books, so she probably would read series I would enjoy. Totally underestimated how right I would be. It took me less than a couple days to finish the entire series (0.5 – 3).
I am an adult. An actual adult, with a job. Even though I freelance and consult so I can, to an extent, determine my work hours. Nevertheless, I have work hours, and things I need to do in, you know, daylight, when most creatures stir. What I SHOULD NOT be doing is staying up until 3 am reading a book! That is irresponsible! Doing that will affect my day and the things I need to accomplish in that day.
To be transparent, when I found this series, (it is 3 books I have finished the first 2) I was still looking for a Fourth Wing substitute. And initially, the book starts off a little bit slow, and might seem a bit more for a younger audience. So I was a bit put off, but decided that I was enjoying the actual writing and would keep going. In the beginning, we meet Annie and Lee, and a dorm full of young Dragon riders, who have been trained as the elite fighting force for a country that went through a very bloody revolution.
Imagine living a normal boring life, where you are an outcast and keeping a low profile, until your mother dies and suddenly, you find out you are the heiress to the kingdom you have always lived in the dregs of. The infighting that would follow, the drama, the knowledge uncovered, all of that is in this series. Simply put, I loved it.
This was a great read. It reminded me of Game of Thrones, but without the degradation of women, and random descriptions of their anatomy (like pert boobs bouncing while she is just walking in a stable smh). The main characters are women who understand what it means to lead no matter how difficult and heartbreaking it may be.
But sometimes, one of those books that tops every list and that is currently burning the fingers of influencers everywhere slips through and lands on my kindle. And boy was this one worth every single drop of HYPE that came with it. At this point, look at the cover image and read the small tiny line above Fourth. It says, “Fly…or Die.” You may be thinking this is a fantasy, the author is well known for her romance books, that is just more hype. I am here to tell you it is not!
This was brilliantly written. Just like book 1, as I picked it up, I had to keep going until it was finished. There are stories that move you and then there are the stories that stay with you forever. This book will make its mark on your soul and hold a treasured place.