So, I’m massively struggling to actually finish and review books right now, hence the slow pace on here… But my self-isolation is finally over and the election limbo in the US seems to have dissolved positively, which means I’m giving this a shot! Ruinsong is a queer YA fantasy with a unique take on magic and a revolutionary bend, so perfect for the current climate.

Thank you to FSG and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of Ruinsong. All opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 3/5 ✶

PUBLICATION DATE: 24/11/20

SUMMARY: In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence has been forced to torture her country’s disgraced nobility at her ruthless queen’s bidding.

But when she is reunited with her childhood friend, a noblewoman with ties to the underground rebellion, she must finally make a choice: Take a stand to free their country from oppression, or follow in the queen’s footsteps and become a monster herself. (From Farrar, Strauss and Giroux)

OPINIONS: Ruinsong has one of the most exciting and unique concepts of magic in YA right now. Magic is expressed through music, but is connected to both innate talent and craft – sort of like opera singing. While it can be used for good such as healing, it is most often used for purposes of oppression by the regime and heavily regulated. Mixed in with this is a slow (and I mean, slowest) burn wlw romance between two old friends who reconnect in the worst of circumstances.

However, knowing that this was a wlw fantasy, I expected more on this front. I knew it was coming, but I only saw a couple of hints throughout the book before things happened, and I was hoping for more tension and chemistry. I generally felt that the pacing in Ruinsong did not quite work for me. It took almost half the book to get the story going properly, and major events happened very quickly in the last twenty percent or so. I would have preferred if the pacing was quicker in the beginning, leaving more space in the second half for character and plot development.

It generally feels like I was intrigued by the concept of Ruinsong more than by its ultimate execution. I’m very glad that I got to read it, but I don’t think that I will be returning to it. For me personally, it seems that there could have been more made out of the elements in the story, but I am curious to see what Julia Ember comes up with next and to see how her craft develops in future.

If you would like to follow the siren song of Ruinsong for yourself, add it to your Goodreads here, and pre-order it from Bookshop here (I get a tiny commission allowing me to keep up the site if you order through the link).

So, remember me gushing about The Binding ages ago? Like back in normal times in 2019? No? Well, check out my review here. And now Bridget Collins is back with a new novel: The Betrayals is almost out, and it’s just as beautiful. And your girl somehow managed to convince the publisher to send her an ARC so she could read it early and tell you all about how great it is!

Many thanks to Ann Bissell and Borough Press for the ARC of The Betrayals. All opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 5/5 ✶

PUBLICATION DATE: 12/11/20

SUMMARY: At Montverre, an exclusive academy tucked away in the mountains, the best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu: an arcane and mysterious contest. Léo Martin was once a student there, but lost his passion for the grand jeu following a violent tragedy. Now he returns in disgrace, exiled to his old place of learning with his political career in tatters.

Montverre has changed since he studied there, even allowing a woman, Claire Dryden, to serve in the grand jeu’s highest office of Magister Ludi. When Léo first sees Claire he senses an odd connection with her, though he’s sure they have never met before.

Both Léo and Claire have built their lives on lies. And as the legendary Midsummer Game, the climax of the year, draws closer, secrets are whispering in the walls… (from Borough Press)

OPINIONS: The Betrayals has a relatively slow start. It takes the reader a while to get situated at Montverre and accept that they will likely never understand the grand jeu. Because, while the grand jeu as a concept is crucial to the book, understanding it is not relevant. What I do think readers also need to be aware of is that The Betrayals is utterly and completely different to The Binding. Both are gorgeously written and brilliant stories, but need to stand on their own. I think that there might be quite a few readers who loved The Binding who will not enjoy The Betrayals simply because the subject matter is very different, the characters are older and the tone is more literary.

Personally I loved The Betrayals. Once I got into it, I couldn’t stop reading and I ended up reading the second half in one sitting. Both Léo and Claire are multi-layered, complex characters aware of their own shortcomings and trying to better themselves. Once the story starts coming together it is glorious. There is politics, there is intrigue, there is so much intellectual smugness it is amazing and horrible at the same time. I think The Betrayals might even count as dark academia, which is completely in trend right now.

I highly recommend you add The Betrayals to your Goodreads here, and order it from Waterstones here (or, even better, support your indie of choice and order it directly from them!).